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A Slugging Daulton Varsho Is an X-Factor for the Blue Jays

Originally posted on Just Baseball | By Caleb Moody | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 10:22 AM ET

After becoming the first American League team to clinch a postseason spot on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays have completed one of the more notable bounce-backs of the 2025 season.

Amid such a turnaround, the Blue Jays have seen several standout performances, with one of the most vital ones to their second-half success being that of outfielder Daulton Varsho.

When he arrived in Toronto in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of the 2023 season, the hope seemed to be that the Jays had a rising star on their hands. After all, he was coming off back-to-back seasons with the D-backs in which he posted a 100 wRC+ or higher.

However, after an 84 wRC+ season in 2023 followed by a 99 wRC+ season in ’24, the growth the Blue Jays were likely hoping to see from their young outfielder hadn’t been there.

Then came 2025, which was defined by injuries in the early going. He started the season on the injured list as he recovered from shoulder surgery. Then, he ended up back on the IL on June 1 with a hamstring strain, where he’d remain for the next two months.

Between his stints on the shelf, Varsho was merely mediocre. Through his first 24 games and 100 plate appearances, he only mustered a .207 AVG and .240 OBP, though a .543 SLG helped keep his season average-looking overall with a 102 wRC+. Decent, but likely not what the Jays had in mind when they surrendered the pretty penny of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno to acquire him.

However, since his return to the lineup on August 1, Toronto has seen a whole new Varsho altogether, one that more resembles the complete hitter they thought they’d acquired years ago.

Fortunately for the Jays, it’s happening at the best possible time, as their lineup has looked far more complete as the season has progressed.

All stats and figures in this article were taken prior to games on Sept. 21.

Varsho Is Putting on a Show

Since his return on August 1, Varsho has looked night and day from the first half version of himself:

Half	PA	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	wRC+
1st Half	100	8	20	.207	.240	.543	.783	102
2nd Half	143	11	31	.258	.322	.586	.908	145

Daulton Varsho 2025 season splits as of Sept. 20, as per FanGraphs

This surge has resulted in him bringing his season stats closer to the expectations Toronto likely had for him when they brought him into the fold.

He’s been one of the Blue Jays’ most productive hitters since the beginning of last month. His 145 wRC+ only trails the likes of George Springer (199 wRC+) and Bo Bichette (190 wRC+), and it is five points higher than that of the face of their franchise, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The same goes for his .908 OPS as well.

To add further context to the show Varsho is putting on, he’s not only been one of the Jays’ most prolific power hitters, but one of MLB’s most dominant altogether.

Daulton Varsho has played in 50 games this season.

He has hit 17 home runs pic.twitter.com/YCNxBsgCSI
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 3, 2025

Since his aforementioned August 1 return, his 11 homers sit just outside the top 20 (T-21st) while his SLG sits tied for ninth alongside AL MVP hopeful Aaron Judge.

The more important comparison to make here, though, is with the other presumptive MVP frontrunner, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh. The Mariners backstop has been the talk of the town in recent weeks/months as he continues to knock off record after record.

From Mickey Mantle’s single-season home run record for a switch-hitter to Ken Griffey Jr.’s Mariners franchise record for homers in a season, and, most importantly, the record for home runs by a catcher in a season, Raleigh’s done it all.

But statistically speaking, right alongside Raleigh is Varsho:

Name	PA	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	wRC+
D. Varsho	143	11	31	.258	.322	.586	.908	145
C. Raleigh	201	15	31	.222	.353	.527	.880	146

Daulton Varsho vs. Cal Raleigh from Aug. 1 onwards, as per FanGraphs on Sept. 20

The Blue Jays will now get their ducks in a row for October, and they have a plethora of offensive riches to build their lineup around.

Alongside the surging Varsho, Toronto has the luxury of deploying 2025 All-Stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk; former All-Stars George Springer and Bo Bichette (hopefully, when healthy); and fellow breakouts like Addison Barger, Ernie Clement and Davis Schneider.

And after a first half in which the Jays were somewhat yearning for more power, ranking 19th in team home runs, Varsho’s 11 second-half round-trippers could be just the X-factor to carry Toronto to heights they haven’t seen since 2016. In other words, winning a postseason game – and perhaps a series.

Thanks to recent offensive contributions from names like Daulton Varsho, the Blue Jays can dream as big as ever, maybe even to the same levels they had in 1993.

This article first appeared on Just Baseball and was syndicated with permission.

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