Dante Bichette had a stellar 14-year MLB career and with that his son, Toronto Blue Jays star rookie Bo Bichette, was afforded many invaluable experiences growing up around the game.
Bichette’s dad also served as hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies during the 2013 season and it turns out that year was vital to Bo’s young development.
“I spent a lot of time with [Troy Tulowitzki] and the rest of the Rockies and honestly it was Tulo and Nolan Arenado who really I feel like changed my mindset on how I wanted to approach baseball,” the standout shortstop told Good Show on Sportsnet 590 on Tuesday. “The way that they work, the way that Tulo, since we’re talking about him, he’s an unbelievable worker. I’ve never seen somebody work so hard, I’ve never seen somebody be so focused when they work.
“I mean, it’s pretty incredible how tough [Tulowitzki] was on himself and I really looked at that and I said, ‘Well, if I want to be the best player I can be, I need to be like that.’”
[snippet id=4722869]
Tulowitzki, who retired from baseball earlier this year, won two Gold Glove awards during his career while Arenado already has six to his name.
Bichette said he hopes to earn some defensive hardware of his own one day and he’s pleased with how he’s fared at the MLB level thus far.
“I think I’ve played really well since I’ve been up here,” he added. “I think there were a couple games, like the first week I was here that I wasn’t really comfortable yet, still a little bit of nerves and stuff, but since then I’ve been playing really well and I feel comfortable. Honestly, I feel like I’m playing the best defence of my career.
“Just like my hitting and baserunning and everything, every part of my game, there’s so much more to accomplish out in the field. I want to be the best I can be and I want to win a Gold Glove at some point.”
The 21-year-old has lit it up offensively, but in 34 starts at shortstop for the Blue Jays this season, Bichette has recorded 50 putouts, 91 assists and five errors for a fielding percentage of .966.
[relatedlinks]