National Post (National Edition)
So far, so good for Jays’ Sanchez
Oft-injured starting pitcher ‘in good shape’
As the member of the Blue Jays coaching staff responsible for developing and working with catchers, John Schneider has a unique view of every pitcher in camp.
And when it comes to Aaron Sanchez, who made a breezy and efficient 2019 Grapefruit League debut on Friday afternoon, Schneider has a long history.
He coached him in rookie ball and then in Vancouver and every spring training since Sanchez was drafted. Schneider has seen the electrifying starter in action. So it’s fair to take Schneider’s enthusiasm about the debut of the right-hander as serious.
“It’s what we’ve expected from him and it looks very similar to where he has been when he is at his best,” Schneider, whose official title with the team is major league coach, said on Friday.
The workload was light for Sanchez’s debut on Friday, as scheduled. He faced the minimum of batters through two innings of work, walked one and struck out another while throwing 24 pitches.
When he left the game after the second, Sanchez pumped his fist into his glove in obvious satisfaction.
“The main thing was just going out there and throwing strikes,” Sanchez said, after an outing in which his fastball topped out at 95 miles per hour. “Today was just one of those days kind of getting a gauge of where you’re at. I’m in good shape.”
Schneider said a key for Sanchez in his bid to bounce back from two disappointing, injury-riddled seasons is his extreme competitiveness.
“He’s in a good place right now,” Schneider said. “Him as a competitor, you put him up against probably anybody. And he probably has a little something to prove after those unfortunate injuries.”
Sanchez and Stroman are expected to form a one-two punch at the front end of manager Charlie Montoyo’s rotation. Both are coming off injury, however, and both are eyeing big bounce backs.
With off- season surgery to repair the middle digit on his throwing hand, Sanchez was deliberate in his preparations.
“This off-season I took a lot of time at the shorter distance making sure I feel the ball coming off my finger,” Sanchez said. “I’ve felt good since I started throwing and it’s just another step in the right direction.”
ARMS RACE
Cautioning that the transactions aren’t yet official, Blue Jays bench coach Dave Hudgens said on Friday that the acquisition of some veteran pitching should be of help to the youthful Jays.
A source confirmed the team has reached terms with reliever Bud Norris — who will sign a minor-league deal pending a physical, plus potential starter Clay Buchholz.
“They just offer leadership,” Hudgens said. “They’ve been through the wars. They’ve been in the league quite a while. ( They potentially offer) a starter and a reliever, so they offer both angles.”
Buchholz is certainly a familiar pitcher to the Jays, given his time in the AL East. He was also with the Red Sox when Toronto’s vice- president of baseball operations, Ben Cherington, was the GM in Boston.
GAME ON
Hits and misses from the Jays split-squad day at home vs. the Pirates and in Orlando vs. the Braves:
In Dunedin, the game was declared a 1-1 tie after nine. Of note, seven Jays pitchers combined to allow just one earned run against the Pirates while the Toronto offence continued to languish.
Following Sanchez, fellow starter Clayton Richard made his first appearance of the spring and was solid in allowing one hit over two innings of work.
In Orlando, the Braves won 4-3 in a game started by Sean Reid-Foley. With the loss and tie, Toronto’s spring record dipped to 1-5-1. Former Jay Josh Donaldson was not in the Atlanta lineup.
Vlad Guerrero Jr. made the journey across I-4 to the land of Mickey and Friends and was 0-for-3 at the plate.
FREE FREDDY
Blue Jays shortstop Freddy Galvis will enter the regular season with the longest iron- man streak in major league baseball — and by a considerable margin.
Don’t expect it to go much beyond the 325 consecutive games number it currently sits, however. Montoyo plans to use Galvis consistently, but will also cycle in younger infielders such as Gurriel Jr.
“We’re not breaking any records,” Montoyo said. “Believe me, as a guy who used to play, I appreciate someone who plays all 162. But I’ve already spoken to him and we are going to play others and give him a day off.”
Wi t h C a n a d a ’s wealth of talent on the ice, hockey fans have enjoyed doing this for decades. They’ve scribbled their Olympic dream teams down on bar napkins over beers. They’ve filled up social media screens arguing about goaltending. They’ve tuned in to watch the dramatic unveiling of Canada’s roster live.
Finally, Canada’s men’s basketball team has people talking. And not necessarily because of who’s not playing, but because Canada Basketball will face a tough but enviable task of selecting its World Cup team — and if all goes well, its Olympic roster for Tokyo in 2020 — from a deeper player pool than ever before.
When players gather for training camp in August ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, it will arguably be the most talented collection of Canadians under one roof in history.
“It will be exciting for fans for sure,” said Rowan Barrett, Canada Basketball’s general manager of the men’s team. “Look at all the players, the players who are playing in the pros all around the world, and the ones who are coming along into the pros, the ones still in college.
“That’s exciting, especially when you know you have the depth of players. It’s definitely exciting for the game.”
The Canadians capped World Cup qualifying with routs of both Chile (85- 46) and Venezuela (95-55) in St. John’s, N.L., sewing up first place in Group F with a 10-2 record.
Canada used an incredible 36 different players through the 12 qualifying games that stretched over 14 months, finally booking its first World Cup spot in nine years with a victory in Brazil in December.
“It’s important, right?” Barrett said of Canada’s final qualifying window in St. John’s. “Because we kind of built a culture. You’re building a culture of winning. It’s important every time you step on the floor. So it was great for the guys to be able to perform in that way, and to sacrifice the way they did, flying back here to play from their (pro) teams, especially