Hendriks: Four things to watch in Blue Jays camp this spring
Is Danny Jansen ready to be the Toronto Blue Jays’ regular catcher in 2019? Toronto Blue Jays fans are about to find out. Photo: Amanda Fewer.
By Andrew Hendriks
Canadian Baseball Network
With the first of many full-squad workouts going down today in Dunedin, Fla., Blue Jays management now has 42 days to sort out any areas that need to be addressed between now and the beginning of the 2019 season.
While all eyes will undoubtedly be on Vladimir Guererro Jr. (Montreal, Que.) this spring, there are some other storylines worth keeping tabs on as we progress towards Opening Day.
Below, we take a look at a few areas that promise to add a bit of additional intrigue to forthcoming run of sun-soaked tune-ups.
Outfield logjam
Now one of the longest-serving veterans on this squad, Kevin Pillar will be difficult to unseat from his perch in centre field this spring. But that's precisely what both Anthony Alford and Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) will be looking to do.
At 24, it may be time to give Alford his first extended run at the Major League level, though an argument for additional MiLB seasoning could be made thanks in part to a couple of injury-shortened seasons and a late start to hit (full-time) professional career. Through 413 appearances in the minors, the former NCAA D1 quarterback has slashed a promising .265/.360/.385 with flashes of both power (120 extra-base hits) and speed (92 stolen bases across 116 attempts). He'll start in triple-A Buffalo this April, but could find himself back in the Show by early May.
On the other hand, Pompey is in a different situation altogether. Once a top prospect in the Blue Jays minor league system, the Mississauga native battled confidence issues after earning a full-time shot as Toronto's starting centre fielder in the spring of 2015, and, primarily due to a couple of untimely injuries, has appeared in only 13 Major League contests since being optioned back to triple-A Buffalo in May of that season. Over 147 MiLB games dating back to that initial demotion, Pompey has slashed a healthy .267/.346/.378 while waiting out his next chance to establish himself in the Majors. Now needing to pass through waivers before being optioned back to triple-A Buffalo, management will give Pompey an extended look this spring as he competes with Dwight Smith Jr. and Billy McKinney for the fourth outfielder spot on Toronto's 25-man roster.
Look for Teoscar Hernandez, and Randal Grichuk --who posted career highs in doubles (32), home runs (25) and games played (124) over his first campaign with the Blue Jays-- to lock down both left and right field, respectively.
Play catch
When Toronto shipped Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) off to the West Coast earlier in the offseason, the door was kicked wide open for Danny Jansen to claim his spot as Toronto's No. 1 starting catcher.
Checking in as the Blue Jays No. 3 prospect behind infielders Vladimir Guerrero and Bo Bichette, and the No. 5 top catching prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, Jansen will be looking to build off an impressive big league debut that saw the product of Elmhurst, Ill., post an OPS of .779 across 95 plate appearances as a 23-year-old in 2018.
Becoming No. 1 is a tall order for any rookie catcher to take on. Jansen will have to learn the ins and outs of his pitching staff, while also adjusting to the rigors of facing major league pitching on a full-time basis.
A lot of that on-the-job training will take place this spring, so it's likely that Jansen will see a substantial amount of innings catching the pitchers who are ticketed to crack the 25-man roster.
Posting career highs across nearly every offensive category including walks (25), base hits (50) and doubles (13) in 2018, Luke Maile will help ease that transition while both Reese McGuire and Matt Pentecost continue to develop at the triple-A level.
Lourdes
Despite surpassing the great Shoeless Joe Jackson's 107-year-old record for the most consecutive multi-hit games (10) as a rookie, batting .281 and slugging .446 across 263 plate appearances as a rookie, Blue Jays management may not feel as if as if Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is up to the task of manning shortstop on a full-time basis. Simply put, the 24-year-old has a little more strikeout in his game than most are comfortable with, and the defence primarily his arm, remains a work in progress.
In an effort to allow for Gurriel's continued development, the team brought in veteran infielder Freddy Galvis on a free agent deal this January. Sure, Galvis has experience at both second and third base. But he's a shortstop by trade and should retain that position 2019.
Where Gurriel will end up defensively remains to be seen. The bat certainly plays, and it's entirely possible to envision a scenario that has the young Cuban rounding into a super utility role with the club. Look for him to see a few innings in the outfield this spring while also appearing at third, second and short.
Rotation situation
Barring injury, you can expect the trio of Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Ryan Borucki to do the heavy lifting with regards to innings pitched on the Bue Jays' staff in 2019. Offseason acquisitions Matt Shoemaker and Clayton Richard currently project to grab the final two spots in Toronto's rotation, though youthful hurlers such as Thomas Pannone, Sean Reid-Foley, T.J. Zeuch, and Julian Merryweather will all be looking to gain future considerations with strong performances this spring.
An area of concern in the past, the Blue Jays' starting depth can now be viewed as a strength ahead of the 2019 campaign. That depth, combined with the continued development of the team's youth, promises to be an area to watch over the next month and a half.
Toronto's Grapefruit League season officially gets underway with a 1:07 p.m. game against the Detroit Tigers at Dunedin Stadium on February 23. Radio feeds for all 34 of the Blue Jays' spring tilts are set to be broadcasted online, and will be accessible via MLB.com.
-Follow Andrew Hendriks on Twitter (@77hendriks)