Toronto Blue Jays 2026 Position Analysis: Left Field

Jays Centre is taking a close look at every position on the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the 2026 season. Check out prior entries in the series here:

• Catcher
• First Base
• Second Base
• Third Base

Toronto Blue Jays Left Fielders at a Glance

• Starter: Jesús Sánchez
• Backup: Davis Schneider
• Depth: Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, George Springer, Eloy Jiménez, Jonatan Clase
• Prospects: Yohendrick Pinango, RJ Schreck

• Blue Jays LF fWAR in 2025: 13th out of 30 (2.6)
• Blue Jays LF FGDC Projection for 2026: 11th (2.4)

This was an oft-told joke before MLB adopted the universal designated hitter:

Young child: Dad, what do they call the player who can't field but hits?
Dad: In the American League, that player is called the designated hitter.
Young child: What do they call that player in the National League?
Dad: The left fielder.

For the 2021-2025 period, Toronto’s fWAR production from left fielders ranks 10th-highest (10.9 fWAR). The best fWAR during these seasons was Milwaukee’s 17.9. During those seasons, the Blue Jays' highest ranking was in 2021 (seventh), and their lowest was in 2023 (22nd). Overall, solid performance. So, what does 2026 look like for Toronto’s left fielders? 

The Good

I have tables! The first is a summary of the FanGraphs Depth Charts’ 2026 projection for Toronto’s left and right fielders.

According to the FGDC estimate, Blue Jays left fielders will produce the 11th-highest fWAR among MLB teams. That projected performance for the Blue Jays lags three of Toronto’s American League East rivals: the Red Sox (3.6), Orioles (2.8), and Yankees (2.6). However, Toronto’s 2.4 fWAR estimate is in the ballpark of their division foes.

The newest member of Toronto’s left field crew is Sánchez. Notably, of the 4,127 innings he has spent in an MLB outfield, only 14% of those innings were as a left fielder. Most of his innings have been in right field (67%), where he has posted career OAA/1200 and FRV/1200 marks of 5 and 4, respectively. Despite Sánchez’s above-average defence in right field, it is understandable why Toronto has slated Addison Barger to roam right field, given his projected 107 wRC+ and career +4 FRV/1200 as a right fielder. 

The second table shows the career and 2025 OAA and FRV values for each of Toronto's left fielders, including Sánchez. (Please note that for comparison purposes, I converted each player's OAA and FRV totals, regardless of the number of innings they've played in left field, into OAA and FRV per 1,200 innings.)

The first matter to note is that none of these players has accumulated many MLB innings in left field. Accordingly, their OAA and FRV per 1200 scores are not reliably predictive of future performance. However, Straw’s record as a center fielder strongly suggests that he would excel in left field. Also, given his right field record, Sánchez should be at least average after he accumulates more left field innings under his belt. However, Schneider and Lukes are open questions. Schneider did not perform well as a left fielder last season (-2 FRV in 347 innings), but he was fine in his previous 650 innings stationed in left (+1 FRV). Given that he produced a +4 OAA and a +5 FRV in 446 innings in right last season, Lukes should be able to handle left field duties adequately. For the record, Jiménez has not played in an MLB left field since 2021. In 1,957 innings in left field, his career OAA and FRV per 1200 are -11 and -13, respectively. Not good. Lastly, I expect Springer will see limited innings in the outfield in 2026, most of them in right field.

The Bad

In 2025, Toronto batters took 6,180 plate appearances, 1,680 (26%) of which were against left-handed pitchers. Blue Jays’ left fielders produced an 88 wRC+ (21st-highest) versus lefties. Overall, Toronto’s left fielders posted a 111 wRC+ (10th-best), including a 120 wRC+ when facing right-handers (MLB’s seventh-best).

A final table for your reading pleasure. Because he has produced a 111 wRC+ in spring training, I included Jiménez's wRC+ in my analysis. Jiménez, who does not have an MLB contract, will presumably start the year at Triple A.

When facing right-handed pitchers, the career wRC+ numbers of Sánchez, Schneider, Lukes, and Jiménez are solid. The concern is the performance of Toronto’s projected group of left fielders when facing left-handed pitchers. Only Schneider’s 105 wRC+ and Jiménez’s 99 are near or above average. The others (Sánchez, Lukes, and Straw) have been well-below-average hitters versus lefties, which is a concern, especially because Barger has a 53 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. On days when opposing left-handers start, only when Schneider and Springer are the corner outfielders can the Blue Jays expect to have above-average bats in left and right field.

If Hitting Master David Popkins and his band of hitting gurus can work their magic, career underperformers could improve their numbers when confronting left-handed pitchers. However, as of today, Toronto’s left fielders do not project to excel at the plate when a lefty is on the mound.

The Last Word

"It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future."
-Yogi Berra

FanGraphs Depth Charts projects that Toronto’s left field crew will be solid in 2026. Manager John Schneider has many left field options to choose from when putting together his starting lineup or making an in-game change. The defence should be at least cromulent, and the bats above average when facing a right-handed pitcher. One concern is that, other than Springer, Toronto lacks a lefty masher who can play left field.