By: Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s January 20th and baseball season is still months away, but Toronto Blue Jays second baseman/shortstop Ryan Goins looks prepared. He’s wearing one of the new red jerseys that the team will be donning every home game Sunday in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary. He’s also wearing a gray floppy toque that will not be part of the new uniform.

The jerseys will be accompanied by a red belt, socks, hat, and shoes. Although Goins is from the States, the patriotic red jersey with a maple leaf stitched onto the arm makes you wonder.

He says he likes the new uniforms because of the variety they give to the Blue Jays standard blue and white and blue and gray uniforms.

“Wearing the red is nice, you feel good. It's always good to change it up, you feel a little different, you see something that you’re not used to seeing, and it gives you a little boost,” he said.

Goins says so far this offseason he’s been busy working out a lot to improve and prepare for April.

In 183 plate appearances last season, Goins hit .186.

“Everyday I’m just trying to get better and work on things that I think are going to help me be successful next season,” he said. He wants to continue with this for next month, so that going into spring training he’ll be in a positon to succeed.

His goal for when the beginning of baseball season comes around in April is to be ready any day he’s called upon to take the field.

“Right now, it seems a little unsure if I’ll be starting or on the bench, or whatever my role will be with this team. I’m going to just come here every day with the mindset to help the team win,” he said.

Goins is glad that Bautista will be back wearing the blue (and sometimes red) Jays uniform. “It's great, I mean were bringing back a guy that’s been here for a long time and had a productive career here. His track record speaks for itself, and we needed him to come back and produce and hit in the lineup,” he said.

The 28-year-old says that besides working out, some of his offseason was spent doing something he really enjoys doing- wrapping Christmas presents.

 “You know what, I really like Christmas time, I’m like an undercover Christmas gift wrapper,” he said.

Goins said that during the holidays when he was at home, he told his mom to save all the gifts so he could wrap them. “That’s like my little thing,” he said. “One year I’m going to go to the mall and wrap gifts, that’s the one thing I want to do.”