One of the most underrated developments of this year’s spring training was Will Wagner proving he can handle third base.
During the off-season, the Blue Jays often went out of their way to temper expectations for the rookie infielder. Wagner was described as a utility man who would move around, not someone who would hold down a full-time position.
The Jays’ stance appears to have changed after Wagner had a productive camp. His arm strength was better than advertised and he consistently made routine plays. There’s still work to be done on his lateral movement, but he might not be the defensive liability some considered him to be.
“Man, he made a lot of progress,” Jays manager John Schneider said of Wagner, who made a nifty diving play at third in the second inning of Friday’s 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre. “The arm has been impressive. I think that was the question mark and he checked that box. It’s just going to come down to what can he get to, the side to side. He did really well, and (we have) all the confidence in the world with him over there.”
Wagner’s ability to play third could be a major development for the Jays lineup. He’s blocked at second by Andr茅s Gim茅nez and at first by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. There are at-bats up for grabs at designated hitter, but that position will also be needed for players in a crowded outfield.
The only real path Wagner has to playing every day, or at least against every right-handed pitcher, is at third. Ernie Clement entered spring training as the perceived starter, but if Wagner responds well he could start eating into his playing time.
The Jays need all the offence they can get and while Wagner isn’t the gold-glove defender that Clement is, he possesses more upside with the bat. That was evident last season even as Clement put up a career year with a .692 on-base plus slugging percentage; Wagner was noticeably better at .788 across a limited sample size of 24 games. During his first start at third on Friday, he went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
“If Will’s performing and we like who we’re facing, yeah, for sure,” Schneider said when asked if Wagner was in position to start at third more often than expected. “Got no problem with him being over there pretty regularly.”
The Jays ranked 23rd last season with 671 runs and project to be league average this year. Starting Wagner at third vs. righties and Clement against lefties is one way to inject at least a little bit more upside into a group that figures to have its challenges.
Rollin’ Roden
Speaking of rookie left-handed bats, the other player who garnered a lot of attention during spring training was Alan Roden. The 25-year-old outfielder picked up his first major-league hit on opening day and, with Daulton Varsho on the injured list, has an extended opportunity to prove he’s a full-time player.
Roden batted ninth in the opener and was back there on Friday where he chipped in with a sacrifice fly. It’s understandable the Jays would want to place him near the bottom of the lineup to keep the pressure off. But if he plays well, the Jays should consider giving him a look as the leadoff man.
The Jays know Roden isn’t going to produce much power, but he’s a patient hitter who works deep counts, hits balls into the gap and has the potential to get on base at an above-average clip. That profile fits well in front of Bo Bichette, Guerrero and Anthony Santander and it might allow the Jays to score more runs. Last year, the Jays ranked 28th with a .648 OPS out of the leadoff spot.
Let fans boo
It was painfully obvious to anyone in attendance on opening day that the Jays spent an awful lot of time on how to deal with the political tensions between Canada and the United States.
Security was on high alert for violations of their policy against anything 鈥渋ntended to draw attention to international, political or other similar events, causes or conflicts.鈥 The team was forced to apologize after a 70-year-old man was聽kicked out of the Rogers Centre for wearing a “Canada is not for sale” cap.
There was also the lengthy announcement that preceded the American anthem, asking everyone to be respectful. Picking a large group of children to sing the anthems likely wasn’t a coincidence, either. After all, how many people boo kids? That same message wasn’t repeated for Friday’s second game.
My question is: Why did the Jays feel compelled to do this on opening day? Why is it any of their business whether fans boo the anthem or not? The current political climate is much bigger than baseball. If a paying customer is at risk of losing their job because of actions south of the border, who are the Jays to tell them to be quiet?
If the Jays are that paranoid about how fans will react, cancel the anthems entirely. Otherwise, maybe it’s the Jays organization that should stick to sports instead of asking that from fans.
Early exit for Little聽
Jays lefty Brendon Little was forced to leave after 11 pitches because of cramping in his left lat muscle. He struck out the first two batters he faced in the eighth inning before he departed midway through an at-bat vs. Baltimore鈥檚 Colton Cowser.
Schneider said the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, but the Jays will know more on Saturday morning.
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