Fastball

Toronto Blue Jays Slugger Moves Up Special List in Leadoff Hitter History

The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon as George Springer continued to impact the game at the top of the lineup.

Brady Farkas

Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer (4) celebrates his second solo home run of the game against the Detroit Tigers as he runs the bases during the third inning at Rogers Centre on July 21.
Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer (4) celebrates his second solo home run of the game against the Detroit Tigers as he runs the bases during the third inning at Rogers Centre on July 21. / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 5-4 on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre. The win moved the Jays to 45-54 while the loss dropped the Tigers to 49-51.

Both teams look like sellers at the looming trade deadline but they are hoping to mount one last push in order to keep their groups together. The Blue Jays, in particular, could be gutted by trade moves.

In the win on Sunday, Jays leadoff man George Springer led the way, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. He had a double and two home runs, which give him 13 on the season.

After a slow start, Springer has gotten incredibly hot. He's now hitting .231 for the season but he's hitting .306 over the last 30 games.

His Sunday performance also moved him up an impressive list in history among leadoff hitters.

Per @StatsCentre:

Most career 3+ RBI games out of the leadoff spot in the batting order:
61- Mookie Betts
60- Rickey Henderson
60- Johnny Damon
52- George Springer (Via hitting a pair of home runs in today's 5-4 @BlueJays win against the Tigers)
51- Jimmy Rollins
45- Craig Biggio
44- Marcus Semien

Springer is in year four of a six-year contract. He's due more than $50 million for the rest of his contract so a trade seems unlikely, but given where the Jays are in the standings, anything is possible, especially if they were to eat some of Springer's money.

It seems far more likely though that guys like Justin Turner and Yusei Kikuchi are dealt, as they are both rental players.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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