Myles Straw Is Making Changes, and the Blue Jays Are Better for It

[Jesse Burrill]

The Blue Jays' lack of power has been a serious issue this year. Pick your favourite stat: home runs, ISO, average exit velocity, or hard-hit rate. The Blue Jays rank in the bottom third in the league in all of them, and that's part of the reason why they find themselves below .500 early in the season.

Take a quick look at the wRC+ leaderboard for the team, and here’s what you’ll see:

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 139
2. Myles Straw - 129
3. Kazuma Okamoto - 119
4. Ernie Clement - 100
5. Daulton Varsho - 96

* Stats going into games on May 5, min. 50 PA

The name at the top isn't surprising. But what's more surprising: that the Blue Jays have only three hitters with a wRC+ over 100? Or that Myles Straw is one of them?

While the answer to that is likely the former, it’s absolutely a surprise that Straw has been hitting the ball so well. His reputation is that of an elite defensive outfielder, a threat on the bases, and a good quality guy in the clubhouse.

The bat, however, has always been an issue. Since 2020, he’s never had a wRC+ above 100, and he’s never hit more than four home runs in a season. It got to the point that the Cleveland Guardians had him play in the minors for most of 2024. Even with that elite speed and defence.

Fast forward to 2026, and Straw has looked like a completely different hitter. The results speak for themselves, but the real story is how he's achieving them. Straw is swinging harder and, more importantly, pulling the ball in the air at a rate like never before. That's how you hit rockets into the upper deck.

While Straw may never be a true impact power hitter, he’s been able to get the most out of his swings so far.
via Baseball Savant

The first change is how hard he’s been swinging.

His bat speed has been up slightly, but the more meaningful jump is in his fast swing rate, which now sits at 15.5%. Across the league, swings over 75 mph produce a .389 wOBA compared to just .266 on slower swings. Straw may not always swing with elite bat speed, but he's been picking his moments to get a good hack in this year. 

Swinging harder is only part of the story. He’s made notable changes to where in the field he hits the ball. On a recent episode of Sportsnet's At The Letters, Arden Zwelling mentioned (minute 37) he spoke to Straw after Saturday’s game against the Twins, and Straw explained, “For like six years there, I just kept flying to right, and I decided I didn't want to do that anymore.”

So far in 2026, the adjustment is showing up. Straw’s pull rate is the highest of his career, and with it has come a significant jump in production.

As you can see, the Pull% is the highest it's been in his career, and the wOBA is elevated as a result. It’s the highest he's had since his nine-AB debut season in 2018.

Damage typically doesn’t come from hard groundballs; it comes from balls hit in the air to the pull side. 32% of Straw's batted balls have been this batted ball type, a mark that not only leads the Blue Jays but also puts him in the top 15 in all of baseball. For reference, 66% of home runs across baseball are the result of pulled air balls, and pulled air balls result in a .733 wOBA vs. .353 on those that aren’t pulled in the air.

What makes these changes even more impressive is that Straw hasn’t sacrificed contact to make them. His overall contact rate (90.8%) and zone contact rate (95.3%) are both career highs. At the same time, he's seeing fewer pitches in the strike zone, and he’s swinging less because of it. It's no coincidence he is the only Blue Jay with more walks than strikeouts this season.

As these changes have taken effect, pitchers have responded by throwing Straw fewer strikes, a sign that the opposing teams are adjusting to the new version of Straw.

More damage on contact, without giving up the ability to put the ball in play, is exactly what the Blue Jays want to see from their hitters. 

The obvious question is whether or not this production is sustainable. Some regression is likely over time, and while that still may be the case, the higher rate of swings and pulled contact in the air indicates a real change in approach. Even if the numbers do take a step back, the process behind them suggests this isn’t just a hot streak.

The Blue Jays need more than just a Myles Straw breakout to fix their offense, but his emergence has been one of the few bright spots early in the season. By reshaping his swing, hitting the ball harder and consistently lifting it to his pull side, Straw has found a way to create the kind of damage he’s never done before.

If the approach holds, this could be the start of a legitimate offensive breakout, not just a hot start, and that is something the Blue Jays desperately need.

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