Jays’ Lawrence hopes to bloom late
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was asked on Thursday if he had an affinity for guys who have survived for years in the minors without getting a taste of Major League ball.
“You were a survivor,” Gibbons was told.
“Yeah, but I didn’t survive very long,” said Gibbons, who played 11 years in the minors and 18 games for the New York Mets. “Yeah, I have a lot of feelings for the underdogs.”
One of the organization’s great underdogs, r i ghthanded pitcher Casey Lawrence, will get the Blue Jays’ first spring training start on Saturday when Toronto travels to Orlando to face the Atlanta Braves.
Lawrence signed with the Jays as a non- drafted free agent out of Albright College in Reading, Pa., in 2010 and has played at every level within t he organization other than the bigs. Worki ng on some mechanical aspects of his delivery with the club’s Double- A coach Vince Horsman last year, Lawrence has added some significant velocity to his pitches — from 88- 89 miles per hour to 92- 94 — and suddenly, at 29, is in play to break through and possibly make the team.
“That’s kind of unusual,” Gibbons said of Lawrence’s new-found velocity.
“But he’s a pitcher. He can pick the plate apart pretty good. I’ve seen a couple of his bullpens (at spring training) and he’s got a great feel. And he’s one of the survivors in the game. If he gets the opportunity, there’s no telling what he might do. He may be one of those feel- good type deals. But he can pitch.”
Joe Biagini will start for the first time as a Blue Jay on Sunday in a split- squad game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Toronto’s spring stadium, while newcomer Mat Latos will work out of the bullpen.
Left- hander Brett Oberholtzer will start on Sunday in Tampa against the New York Yankees. Oberholtzer signed a minor- league contract with the Blue Jays on Dec. 7.
Marcus Stroman will be the first of the 2016 rotation pitchers to make a start this spring, probably on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at home. In any event, Gibbons is just glad to see some games on the horizon.
“Yeah (working out) just gets monotonous day after day. And the players are ready to start going,” Gibbons said. “Especially those young guys. They want to show us something.”
The manager is looking to catch some lightning in the bottle with Latos, who has been at times a dominant pitcher in the National League but who has been dogged by injuries and personal issues.
“He’s got a good arm, he’s got big breaking stuff. He’s such a big guy. I guarantee you it’s not a comfortable at- bat because he’s coming at you all arms and legs,” the manager said.
“He’s been around, he’s had some success, maybe there’s a spot for him somehow.”
Gibbons said i t would be outstanding if Latos, 29, could recapture some of his consistency and speed with the Jays that he showed in the past.
“He’s been successful. Really, he was considered one of t he t op guys out there,” Gibbons said of the 6- foot- 6, 245 pounder who owns a 71- 58 big league record with a 3.60 ERA.
As for Biagini, the 26- year- old right- hander was his usual zany self when asked about making his debut as a starter for the Jays. He pitched in seven spring training games last year, all in relief.
“It depends on what you define as starting,” Biagini said.
“I mean, I was thinking about starting some stuff between some guys so ...”