I am doing a series where I offer up three fantasy baseball thoughts for every MLB team. I look at under-the-radar stats, playing time projections, projected roles, and off-season news to try and highlight the nuggets that might help you in your 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. We’ll do this thing in alphabetical order, and this time around I’ll consider three thoughts for the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays.
3 Fantasy Baseball Thoughts for the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays
George Springer Isn’t Done Just Yet
Not to jinx him, but George Springer has been pretty healthy in each of the past two seasons. Springer has played in 154 and 145 games, respectively, but he has done so with moderate success. Last year, the outfielder hit just .220, but a .245 BABIP was certainly a culprit.
After going through a period in his career in which he didn’t run, Springer has the past three seasons with Toronto. Last year, he stole 16 bases which is a solid contribution. Springer’s ISO isn’t what it was at the peak of his career, but he still finished with 19 home runs last year. He also brought his barrel rate back to 9% last year while scoring 74 runs out of the leadoff spot.
Springer has settled into a new norm, and as long as he’s valued properly, the veteran is a solid supporting piece of your outfield.
Don’t Truly Buy Into Bowden Francis
There were two games last year in which Bowden Francis flirted with a no-hitter. Overall, it was a strong season for Francis who moved into the rotation and started 13 games. He pitched a total of 103.2 innings and finished with a 3.30 ERA. A 3.44 xERA does initially make you feel better about his success, but a 4.36 FIP is likely more reasonable. Luck was also involved as Francis benefited from a BABIP of just .211.
Francis had issues with the long ball last year as he allowed 1.48 home runs per nine innings. Strikeouts aren’t a true asset here, around eight per nine innings, but Francis does keep the walks under two per nine innings. With a ground ball rate of only 34.3%, Francis flirts with trouble too often for my liking.
The combined 123 innings Francis threw last year were also the most he threw since 2021 so that is another cause for concern. This is not to say that Francis can’t be a serviceable starter once again, but we have to be careful not to overweight a few starts from last season. As quick as Francis went into the rotation, he could move out of it. It’s possible this becomes a bad take, but with a pick just inside the top 200, I’d prefer to exercise some caution.
Will Wagner Has Value in the Middle of the Lineup
Currently slated to bat in the middle of the order for Toronto, Will Wagner is an interesting young player. Last year he had a 9.1% walk rate along with a 50% hard hit rate. That could translate into some surprising production.
Throughout his minor league career, Wagner showed both positive plate skills and the ability to hit for a high average. Wagner’s power hasn’t truly developed yet, and I’m not sure it will, but that’s ok. He’s projected to bat fifth in Toronto’s batting order, and that means plenty of RBI opportunities. The fact that Wagner lets the game come to him is a plus as we don’t have to worry about strikeouts either.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.
