This Blue Jays Non-Roster Invitee has wowed this spring

Myles Straw went on an interesting quest this offseason that ended with him ending up the Blue Jays' roster.

After spending almost all of last season at Triple-A with the Guardians, the Blue Jays acquired Straw during the offseason almost as an afterthought, as his five-year, $25 million contract was thrown in with international bonus money so the Blue Jays had more ammo to go after Roki Sasaki.

In the end, the Blue Jays missed out on Sasaki and decided to keep Straw on the roster. Although Straw isn't on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster, he was still extended an invite to major league spring training and to everyone's surprise, as performed well so far.

While Straw's won a Gold Glove, he's run into struggles at the plate. He hit just .238 in 2023 (his last full MLB season) and has a career OPS+ of 76. Yet, he leads the Blue Jays with six RBI this spring to go along with a 6-for-13 (.462) showing at the plate.

Although it's just the spring, it is still notable that for defense-first player like Straw to be having that kind of success at the plate. If he can maintain this production in the regular season, then Toronto could be in luck.

Along with only striking out once all spring, Straw hit a home run against the Tigers on Monday, which is also notable since he's only hit six careers throughout his MLB career. Straw's hot start has been an unexpected yet pleasant surprise.

Myles Straw is wowing Blue Jays' fans with his hot start to spring

Getting Straw going would be big for Toronto, especially considering the rest of his contract is guaranteed. While he only had an OPS of .597 in 2023, he stole 20 bases which is evidence of his blistering speed on the base paths and in the field. Additionally, Straw struck out at a 14.6 percent clip that season, which is another offensive trait that works in his favor.

Daulton Varsho will have center field on lock when he's healthy, but there could still be a spot for Straw on the roster as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. If Straw keeps this production up, then the Blue Jays could end up with Straw as a a solid fourth outfielder on their bench.

It's still very early in spring, so it's important not to overreact to Straw's production. Straw is making the most of this opportunity, and it'll be interesting to see how that helps his standing on the roster come the end of the month.