Going with the flow! Bo Bichette sports the look and skills of a star

Going with the flow! Bo Bichette sports the look and skills of a star

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Florida-native Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays, the son of former All-Star Dante Bichette, is among the wave of Sunshine State players making a big impact in the big leagues.

By Joe Frisaro @ManOn2nd

MIAMI — “Bo Flow” is written on the back of Bo Bichette’s warmup t-shirt.

A marketing firm should jump all over the phrase, and use it to help promote the brand of one of baseball’s rising, young stars.

Bichette, who played his prep ball at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, sports long, flowing hair, which he holds back with a headband when he’s on the baseball field.

“I haven’t had short hair since I was 16,” Bichette says. “I’ll probably get a haircut right now, but I won’t be getting a short haircut any time soon.”

Bo Bichette

Why tinker with what works?

The 23-year-old Blue Jays’ shortstop enters Wednesday hitting .276 with a .798 OPS, including 14 home runs and 47 RBIs. He ranks first in the Majors in runs scored with 60, and is 10th overall in hits (81).

With the Blue Jays in South Florida to face the Miami Marlins, MO2 had an exclusive interview with Bichette on Tuesday at loanDepot park.

A big part of Man On Second Baseball’s mission is to cover all things Florida-baseball related.

Bichette proudly is “Flo-Grown.”

“I think it’s the best place, not only to play baseball, but to live,” Bichette said. “I love Florida.”

Bichette also is a fan of players from the Sunshine State.

“I definitely root for guys who are from around my area, and around Florida,” he said.

The Blue Jays also feature South Florida native, Alek Manoah, a right-handed pitcher from Homestead. The 23-year-old, who went to West Virginia, was Toronto’s first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2019 Draft.

“He’s from Miami, and we played against each other in high school,” Bichette said. “It’s good to be back with him again. Definitely, I always root for Florida guys.”

The son of former big leaguer, Dante Bichette, Bo was raised around the game.

When Dante was a coach with the Colorado Rockies in 2013, at age 14, Bo was regularly around the big league players. Sometimes he would hit in the same batting groups with the likes of Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado.

“If they needed an extra guy in their group, they’d be like, ‘Bo, come on, fill in!,’ ” Bichette said.

Having a four-time All-Star as a father certainly helped Bo learn the importance of preparation and work ethic at a young age.

Bo and Joe. MO2 interviewing Bo Bichette.

“The biggest thing I learned is you can only control what you can control,” Bichette said. “Work hard. Practice with intent. Pay attention to the game. That’s what matters. The results on the field. Obviously, you want them. But at the end of the day, you can’t control that. But you can control your preparation. How you go about the game. Make sure you get your sleep that night. I think I had a head start on that stuff.”

Three years after taking batting practice with some all-time greats with the Rockies, Bichette became a second-round selection of the Blue Jays in 2016.

The Blue Jays have a trio of sons of famous former big leaguers. Along with Bichette, they feature Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio. All three are living up to the hype.

Bo Bichette made his MLB debut on July 29, 2019 at Kansas City.

Call it fate, or coincidence, but Dante Bichette made his MLB debut on Sept. 5, 1988, also at Kansas City.

In Dante’s first big league at-bat, he lifted a fly ball out to right fielder, Bo Jackson.

Bo Jackson was Dante Bichette’s favorite athlete. Bo Bichette was named after Bo Jackson.

“I’ve never met him,” Bichette said of Bo Jackson. “He was my dad’s favorite athlete, so he named me after him.”

As a kid, Bichette played either with or against several players either from baseball families or who went on to play pro ball. Among them was Minnesota Twins shortstop Nick Gordon, younger brother of former Marlins second baseman Dee Strange-Gordon.

“Me and him played together for as long as I can remember,” Bichette said. “We were teammates when we got older. When we were younger, we played against each other.”

As baseball aims to connect with the younger generation, Bichette sees more personalities emerging in the sport. One of them is Marlins infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., an exciting talent who already is a fan favorite.

“I think you’re seeing it now, especially with Jazz [in Miami],” Bichette said. “Guys being themselves, having fun. I think what makes baseball so much fun when you’re young is, you can be yourself, have fun, and celebrate with your teammates.

“That was always kind of a no-no for a while in baseball. I think that’s starting to change now. Just seeing guys like Jazz come out, have fun, and play with a lot of flare. Obviously, he’s got a lot of talent. I think as baseball goes on over the next couple of years, you’ll see more of that.”

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