February 24, 2021

By Drew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s not easy being the new guy in town.

Four weeks removed from officially inking a six-year, $150-million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, George Springer is in that position for the first time since Houston made him a first-round draft pick (11th overall) 10 years ago.

Although the three-time All-Star has only been in Dunedin for a few days, he can already tell that his new club has something special on their hands.

“This group has a lot of camaraderie already, for being as young as they are,” said Springer in a Zoom call with the media on Tuesday. “I can tell that the guys who have been here, the clubhouse that has already been established, that it’s a fun locker room.”

In addition to what he is calling a laid-back environment, the transition will be eased thanks in part to some familiarity around the organization.

Appearing in over 40 games alongside Teoscar Hernadez with the 2016 Astros, Springer also spent time with 1B-DH Tyler White for parts of four seasons before White was dealt to the Dodgers in 2019. White was signed to a minor-league contract in December and will be in camp as a non-roster invitee. He will battle for a spot on the Blue Jays’ 26-man roster this spring.

Players aside, the most important Houston-Toronto connection comes in the form of coach Dave Hudgens, who served as Springer’s hitting coach with the Astros between 2015 to 2018.

“I’ve gone to war with Hudgy,” said Springer, a two-time Silver Slugger. “He understands me, and I understand him. It’s nice to know that he’s here,”

“We’ve spent a lot of time in the cage, with the tee, flip, and the machine. So that’s been big because, if something starts to slip up, he already knows my mechanics and what makes me work.”

For now, Springer’s primary focus is to learn how this group operates on a day-to-day basis. As he sees it, it’s not on his teammates to learn him, but rather the other way around.

“I will have individual and group conversations just to kind of get to know guys,” he said. “It’s my job to understand how each and every outfielder, on my right or left, plays, and I’ll have those conversations, especially when the games start.”

Given how Toronto’s core of Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.), Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Gurriel, and Bo Bichette have all been together since class-A in 2017, Springer knows that he’s walking into a tight-knit environment.

The reputation of being a clubhouse leader, coupled with his handful of All-Star nods, a World Series MVP, and a lifetime OPS of .872 is what made Springer Toronto’s No. 1 free-agent target this offseason.

Respectable as those accolades are, Springer says that he still needs to earn his spot in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse.

“It’s my job to earn the respect of the guys who are in the locker room ... It’s not just handed out,” he said. “The atmosphere that’s been established here already; it’s my job to understand and navigate that.”

NO MORE NODA ... OFF TO LA

Completing last year’s deadline deal for RHP Ross Stripling, the Blue Jays have shipped OF-1B Ryan Noda to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 24-year-old Cincinnati native joins RHP Kendall Williams as the second player to be named later in last year’s trade.

Known for possessing an above average eye at the plate, the former 15th-round draft pick has slashed .272/.422/.478 over parts of three minor league seasons, topping out at class-A Dunedin in 2019.

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