BRADENTON, Fla. – Now that Grapefruit League play is underway, be wary of the temptation to overanalyze and draw too many conclusions from what happens on the field, at least early on.
Two threads really matter during spring training – players emerging healthy from their camp-long build-up and teams establishing an initial depth chart of potential big-league contributors – although acclimation to the new rules adds a unique string to camp this year.
Perspective unblinded by the excitement of baseball’s return, then, is essential as the Toronto Blue Jays are nowhere near, say, declaring Yusei Kikuchi fixed because he produced 14 whiffs in 33 pitches during a 9-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener.
Nor are they writing off protective-layer starter Zach Thompson because he walked three batters and surrendered a grand slam to Rodolfo Castro. Or proclaiming Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Santiago Espinal or prospect Addison Barger ready to rock after each went deep.
The exhibition slate is simply a long slog of incremental gains designed to get everyone ready for opening day March 30.
“My timing feels good,” Guerrero, speaking through interpreter Hector Lebron, said of what he reads into crushing a middle in slider from David Bednar a projected 432 feet at 110.7 mph. “But these are my first at-bats of spring training. That doesn’t mean anything. When I see that swing from today consistently, then I’ll tell you that I’m ready.”
The same goes for adjusting to the pitch clock, a ban on infield shifts and larger bases, although the Blue Jays will gladly take the smooth entry into the game’s new era.
Guerrero, for instance, sped up his approach to the plate to buy more time to prepare once in the box, while in between pitches, “what I did is I just went with the pitcher. If I see he’s ready, then I get faster, I get ready quicker.”
Kikuchi, for whom all positives are important after a difficult 2022 prompted him to adjust his pitching motion during the off-season, felt the pitch clock actually helped him “with the tempo.”
“I don’t have to overthink too much about mechanics and everything,” he added, through interpreter Keito Ebino. “It simplifies everything.”
Kikuchi’s changes were aimed at getting him into the strike zone more consistently and he did that consistently over his two innings. He mostly threw breaking balls, 17 of them with seven misses and three fouls, and that allowed him to work around a fastball that found the zone only twice in eight pitches.
Being in the zone with his fastball is a priority, which is why a spring outing can’t be judged on results without context.
“When he figured out he had a good feel for both the cutter and the slider, he kind of ran with it,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Being in the zone with his off-speed and having two different speeds with those two pitches, even if he does miss with the heater, I think it’ll play more.”
Thompson, facing his old team, is better than his inning and, as a starter with both major-league experience as well as options, has the potential to be a valuable up-and-down arm for the Blue Jays, if not more.
He’s been working on some adjustments and Schneider said, more so than outcome, seeing him on the mound “is going to be telling of how he’s attacking and how he’s putting away hitters.”
As Thompson fights to climb up the pitching pecking order, prospect Addison Barger is working to speed up his timeline. The left-handed infielder, who’ll also get some reps in the outfield this spring, lit up Bednar as well, turning a 95.5 mph heater in and sending it 382 feet at 105.4 mph.
“He pulled that fastball a little bit, so it had a little cut on it, which is what I worked on all year, to get that pitch in the air, and I executed perfectly,” said Barger. “It’s about trusting my hands, so staying tight (to the body). So, instead of seeing the pitch and it passing your hands, keeping them tight the whole time and then trusting them.”
Barger immediately draws attention for many reasons – “walking around in that tight T-shirt for one,” Schneider quipped in reference to his impressive build – and home runs off All-Stars help.
But for players like him, or right-handed hitting outfielder Wynton Bernard, who had two hits and a run scored, results aren’t the only thing that matter to climb the depth chart.
“Performance to an extent, but it’s more so their overall game,” said Schneider. “If you’re in that category of competing for a depth spot, it’s not just, ‘OK, what were your at-bats like?’ it’s more, ‘What were you like on the bases? Were you efficient defensively?’ Your overall game comes into play. Early on, at-bats are going to be tough, we get that. But what does your overall game bring and how can it help us win?”
Thinking about playing for a winner is what drew Bernard to the Blue Jays.
The 32-year-old signed a minor-league deal last month after debuting with the Colorado Rockies last year in what was a career season, when he hit .333/.387/.590 with 21 homers, 92 RBIs and 30 stolen bases at triple-A Albuquerque.
The 12 big-league games capped a wild odyssey that includes five other big-league organizations along with stops in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuela, Australia, independent ball and the Dominican Republic.
“I wanted to be in a good organization surrounded by good people and a place that has a chance to win a World Series,” he said of choosing a team. “You can’t really predict the opportunities, so you just have to play your best.”
There are certainly pathways for him to the big leagues, especially if he can keep building on his 2022 breakout. While he’s “super happy with my last year, as a competitor you just want to get better,” and continued strides can position him well should opportunity come.
In that way, spring training is a beginning and not an end, and the opener is the first of many chances in the slow build for the 162 to come.
