Time doesn’t play favorites, and for MLB players, it’s often a ruthless opponent. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer knows this better than most.
At 35, he’s not the fresh-legged phenom that once patrolled the outfield with the Houston Astros. But in 2025, something remarkable is happening: Springer is fighting back against the ticking clock—and he’s winning, for now.
The Steady Slide
Since 2019, Springer’s offensive production, as measured by wRC+—a stat that puts all hitters on a league-adjusted scale—had been sliding like a rock down a steep hill.
From a stellar 155 wRC+ in 2019, he gradually dropped: 143 in 2020, 140 in 2021, 133 in 2022, 104 in 2023, and just 95 last year. Each season, the picture grew dimmer. For a while, it looked like his bat was headed for the museum.
2025: A Turn in the Tide
But fast-forward to this season, and the script has flipped. Through the early stretch of 2025, Springer is hitting a scorching .325 and boasting a 166 wRC+, his highest since the peak of his prime. That’s not a gentle bounce back—it’s a full-blown rejuvenation.
So, what changed?
Swinging With Intent
It turns out Springer’s comeback didn’t happen by accident. There’s been a deliberate shift in approach—a mindset recalibration that’s paying off in spades.
“We spent so much time with George talking about that. We’d rather you be 0-and-1 than 0-for-1,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, via MLB.com. It’s a clever way to highlight the evolving philosophy: it’s better to start an at-bat behind in the count after taking a big hack than to waste an opportunity by grounding out on a hittable pitch.
In a league that once treated strikeouts like a contagious disease, players like Springer are embracing them as collateral damage. Today’s elite hitters understand that to launch missiles, you have to risk the occasional whiff. A swing-and-miss isn’t failure—it’s part of the hunt for something louder.
Power in the Details
Although Springer has only two home runs so far, the ingredients for a power surge are already simmering. For the first time in years, he’s lifting more balls than he’s beating into the dirt. He’s barreling the ball at a 15% clip and making hard contact in half of his plate appearances—evidence that his bat speed, mechanics, and timing are all in sync.
It’s not a flashy comeback story built on home run headlines just yet. It’s more like the slow unfurling of a veteran adjusting his sails, rediscovering his rhythm, and trusting the results will follow.
And if he stays on this path, they will.
More about: MLB
