Giménez, Toronto taking pride in elite defense on biggest stage

NEW YORK -- When Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette landed on the injured list with a left knee sprain, manager John Schneider was tasked with figuring out how to reconfigure his already elite infield.

Naturally, he went to Andrés Giménez first.

“When Bo went down … I asked Gimmy about playing short,” Schneider recalled. “He said, 'Give me a couple of days to kind of work at it.' I think it took him one day for him to come back in and say, ‘I'm good.’”

Giménez admitted it hasn’t been smooth sailing the entire time. But it hasn’t hurt to have a Platinum Glove infielder -- who has also won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards -- anywhere on the diamond.

“I've said this before: I think Andrés is the best infielder in Major League Baseball, no matter where he’s standing,” Schneider continued. “I think he's that talented. He's been great. He's made unbelievable plays. He makes tough plays look easy. Stepping in [at short], he's making it look pretty easy. He's been steady.”

Giménez, who was acquired by the Blue Jays this past offseason, is the perfect illustration of what the club values at every level of the season. Toronto is a team that does a lot of little things well, particularly on the defensive end. They pride themselves on their defense. The Blue Jays won the Team Gold Glove in 2023 and 2024, and they have been just as good in 2025.

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That can go a long way in the postseason, when the margin for error is thin and every little thing can turn the tide in a game.

“Yeah, it is huge,” Schneider said. “I think [defense is] why we're able to have so many come-from-behind wins. We've taken a lot of pride in that aspect of our game the last couple years especially. To keep innings where they should be is huge. Every single extra at-bat, especially against a team like the Yankees, is huge.

“I think it's really key. It could be as easy as just cutting a ball off in the outfield and keeping a guy to a single. Those are the little things that we talk about. It's a big part of our game, and I think it's really helped us get to where we are.”

The Blue Jays, especially when lined up against left-handed pitchers, have an elite defender at almost every position.

Catcher Alejandro Kirk’s 9 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) ranks third among all qualified MLB catchers. At third base, Ernie Clement has accumulated 10 DRS and 5 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 603 regular-season innings. Giménez had 9 DRS and 10 OAA at his regular position of second base before being forced to move across the diamond.

Even utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa has a Gold Glove to his name (2020 at third base with the Rangers).

The club pivoted hard to defense and fundamentals back in December 2022 when the front office dealt top prospect Gabriel Moreno to the Diamondbacks for Dalton Varsho, who has become an elite center fielder over the last several years. He collected his first career Gold Glove Award last season. His 10 DRS and 6 OAA likely won’t win him another due to lack of games, but he’s looked every bit of the Gold Glove outfielder when healthy.

Other additions like Giménez and the now-retired Kevin Kiermaier further emphasized that point.

Defense can, and likely will, make a difference in any postseason series. The Blue Jays are perfectly geared for it.

“It's big time,” said outfielder Myles Straw, who won a Gold Glove in 2022 with Cleveland. “There's always going to be big plays. It’s the little things. We have to be locked in out there and make every play you can. We want to make every play we can for our guys. We've done it all year. Our pitchers are doing a great job and we want to make it a little bit easier. We’re always trying to pick those guys up and do what we can do out there.”