Blue Jays Spring Training: Roster Spot Battles Update
Aug 20, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons watches the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
As we get deeper into the month of March and with Opening Day just over two weeks away, there were a few key developments in Blue Jays Spring Training camp this week that provided some more hints as to what the opening day roster will look like come April 6th in New York. A combination of manager John Gibbons being quite open with the media, notable performances by prospects and (of course) injuries have provided some more clarity on the strategic direction the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays. Here at Jays Journal, we continue to monitor 4 key roster battles and the status of a few positions that are up for grabs in the Grapefruit League.
Fourth Outfielder:
Although signs are encouraging that Michael Saunders will be healthy for opening day, it’s questionable whether once healthy if he’ll have enough time to be ready to face big league pitching in early April. Kevin Pillar has essentially already won the fourth outfielder job with his performance in Spring Training and the remaining outfielders in Jays camp are now in competition for a reserve spot for early April should Saunders not make it back in time for opening day.
With Pillar sidelined this week after a sneezing-induced oblique strain, there have been plenty of opportunities for Dayan Viciedo and Caleb Gindl to make an impression. Although Gindl has slowed down in the past week (hitting 3-12 since March 15th), he still has posted a very respectable .353/.410/.618 slash line thus far in the Grapefruit League. Gindl may have the advantage over Viciedo by virtue of hitting left, and has done enough to impress John Gibbons and co. to earn the 3rd most at bats for the Jays in Spring Training.
Meanwhile, after returning from a foot infection that caused him to miss nearly a week of action, Viciedo has reminded Jays fans exactly what he offers as a swing-happy power hitter (no home runs yet, but 4 doubles) who strikes out a lot. Viciedo has yet to record a single walk and his .269 OBP (equal to his batting average) is less than impressive. When the final cuts are made in early April, it appears that John Gibbons and the front office will need to make a decision whether to sacrifice outs for home run power in Viciedo or go with Gindl who has shown a far more balanced approach at the plate but is not the home run threat that can be very valuable in hitter friendly AL East ballparks.
R.A Dickey’s Catcher:
Although manager John Gibbons pointed out that the decision whether Martin will catch R.A. Dickey full time during the regular season is still “wide open”, Martin has continued to make strides to acquaint himself with the tricky knuckleball. Yesterday, Martin made adjustments to drop to one knee behind the plate during Dickey’s start against the Philadelphia Phillies and appeared to be very comfortable. By my count, he only had trouble with two pitches and managed to keep everything in the dirt in front of him.
More from Jays Journal
- Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
- Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
- Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King
- Toronto Blue Jays: Has the Shift Killed Kevin Gausman’s 2022 Cy Young Hopes?
- Blue Jays: What Yusei Kikuchi’s latest stumble should mean
Dickey has continued to praise Martin for his effort to learn the nuances of catching the knuckleball and despite Gibbon’s comments, the Quebec native appears to be the front runner to catch Dickey in the regular season. Martin has developed a strong rapport with Dickey, who has so far looked strong in Spring Training (only giving up 2 earned runs in 12 innings). It would be a bit of a let-down if the decision is made to keep Josh Thole on the roster solely to catch Dickey as he contributes so little to the team’s offensive output.
Next: Roster Battles: 5th Starter & 2B
Mar 10, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Daniel Norris (32), relief pitcher Aaron Sanchez (41) and pitcher Drew Hutchison (36) in the dugout against the Minnesota Twins at a spring training game at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
5th Starter:
With Gibbons all but ending the debate whether Aaron Sanchez will be a starter in 2015, the attention has now shifted to who will win the fifth and final starting spot. While it’s up to Gibbons and Anthopoulos to creatively manage pitch counts and innings limits, Daniel Norris has done nothing but impress in his bid to join Sanchez in the rotation. Norris followed up his strong appearance against the New York Yankees with 5 and 2/3rds innings of 5 strikeout, 1 run ball against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday afternoon. With the Jays having a seemingly different approach on the time required for pitching prospects to make the jump to the major leagues, I would consider Norris the favourite to win the fifth spot in the rotation. Coupled with Marco Estrada missing his start on Sunday with an ankle injury, the Blue Jays could very well start the 2015 season with three starters under the age of 25.
Toronto Blue Jays
If Norris does win a start in the starting rotation, the domino effect could be that prospects Miguel Castro and Robert Osuna may have their careers accelerated to start in the Jays’ bullpen. They’ve been flat out brilliant this spring and Gibbons has hinted that this situation is becoming more and more an actual possibility rather than pure speculation.
Second Base:
With the unfortunate news coming that Maicer Izturis likely will be sidelined for opening day with a groin strain, Devon Travis may have put himself in the lead to be the starting second baseman with a string of impressive performances this past week. After starting off slowly at the beginning of March, Travis appears to have become quite comfortable with major league pitching, collecting 12 hits in last 8 games (including 5 doubles and 6 RBI’s).
Even against the likes of accomplished veterans like Cole Hamels, Travis has impressed with his plate coverage, compact swing and ability to get on base. Against the tough lefty, Travis battled to fend off pitches on either corner of the plate and although he didn’t record a hit against Hamels, showed an advanced hitting approach for someone with very little experience against big league pitching. Along with his impressive defensive skills, I’m now beginning to understand the consistent success as a hitter that the former #1 Detroit Tigers prospect has enjoyed throughout the minor leagues.
With Izturis going down, it looks like Travis and Jose Reyes will start as the everyday middle infielders, with Ryan Goins and Munenori Kawasaki continuing to compete for the reserve infielder spot.