Blue Jays waiting for Pompey to erupt
Ontario outfielder ‘part of the future,’ manager insists
A couple of days ago, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey was walking around Florida Auto Exchange Stadium when a couple of kids stopped him for an autograph.
“They said, ‘Mr. Bautista, could you sign our ball?’” Pompey said with a laugh. “And I’m like, ‘I’m not Jose. Look at my number.’”
Pompey, one of two Canadians on the Jays’ 40-man roster (along with Russell Martin), grew a beard in the off-season and admits that, when it’s shorter like Bautista’s, there is some resemblance. Pompey said Bautista gave him the gears when he heard about his encounter with the kids.
“He was like, ‘Man, stop trying to steal my style,’” Pompey said, laughing.
Pompey wouldn’t mind if his numbers get mistaken for Bautista’s in the future. Drafted by the Jays in 2010, the native of Mississauga, Ont., said it’s getting to the point where he wants to take that final step forward and establish himself as an everyday outfielder with the Jays.
“We think he’s part of the future, left field or whatever, in this organization,” manager John Gibbons said. “He got there quick two years ago and he made the team the following year. Then he struggled and it’s been a battle for him. But, really, he’s going through what most young guys do.”
There are few players in the Jays’ system with the raw ability and athleticism Pompey possesses, but establishing himself as an everyday big leaguer has been a struggle. Last year, he played 93 games in triple-A Buffalo and only eight with the Jays after playing 34 with the big team in 2015. He was the opening day centre-fielder two years ago.
“He just needs to go out there and play and not worry about anything else, because he’s got a ton of talent,” Gibbons said. “He’s really got everything he needs to be really, really good.”
Gibbons believes playing for the hometown team amps up the pressure. Pompey agrees being the local boy can be both a blessing and a curse.
“I mean, I love it. I grew up watching the team. I went to games as a kid, never thinking I would be there, and now I get to play for my hometown team,” the 24-year-old said. “I remember my first year, I was driving back and forth from Milton where my parents lived, thinking, ‘This is just crazy’. Everybody looks up to me because I’m from there, and they can definitely relate to me. And I never take that for granted.
“But it’s also a curse because sometimes I feel like I can never get away from all that … Everybody’s always watching whatever I do, whether it’s good, bad, it doesn’t matter. There’s always friends and families there. Sometimes it’s a distraction I wish I didn’t have.”
Pompey is hoping that playing for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic will give his season a jump start. Canada opens the tournament on March 9 in Miami against the Dominican Republic.
“The experience is going to be great for me,” Pompey said. “I competed for Team Canada when I was a junior. I remember going to the WBC in ’09 and thinking, ‘Man, this is something I want to play in some day.’ And now I get the opportunity to do that.”