Hoping for home games
Blue Jays GM Atkins understands challenges, but optimistic for play at Rogers Centre
It’s not often that the haggard Rogers Centre would be considered a field of dreams, but Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins isn’t giving up on the possibility of baseball being played at the aging dome in 2020.
Much has to happen to transition that dream into reality — starting with, you know, an agreement between Major League Baseball and its players association to get the season under way.
But Atkins said the Jays haven’t given up on the team’s home stadium being a venue for at least part of what will be a reduced schedule this season, as long as health and safety concerns are met.
“I think there’s certain hurdles that need to be passed (but) I certainly hope so,” Atkins said on a media conference call on Thursday when asked about the possibility of MLB action in Toronto this year. “I will remain hopeful and optimistic. There’s not a member of this organization that doesn’t want that. We certainly hope so.”
Logistics and local health restrictions may dictate otherwise, of course, so the Jays are exploring multiple opportunities south of the border. The organization is no doubt monitoring the National Hockey League situation as well and if Toronto were to be awarded hub city status, it likely would make a push for the Rogers Centre opening for business as well.
Atkins hinted that the team’s spring training venue in Dunedin remains the top possibility, but the club is exploring several alternatives in consultation with MLB.
“The options are either playing in Florida, playing in another major league stadium or playing in a minor league facility,” Atkins said on non-Toronto possibilities. “Those are the ones we have considered.”
Presumably Buffalo — home of the team’s triple-A affiliate Bisons — is an option being explored as well. Atkins wouldn’t comment specifically on the Western New York park being in the mix, however.
“There’s a reason I can’t comment further,” Atkins said. "It’s not in our control completely. Major League Baseball will be involved and the other Major League teams will be involved.
“We know that we can play in Dunedin. We just want to make sure we exhaust all our alternatives and we need to do that in partnering with Major League Baseball.”
TALENT TIME
Atkins was ecstatic about the Jays’ first-round selection in the 2020 amateur draft, Vanderbilt infielder Austin Martin. The Jays selected the 21-year-old fifth overall on Wednesday night.
“He’s a very exciting talent that we feel really could complement our young core well,” Atkins said. “The consistency of his at-bats, the discipline within the at-bats, the contact rates with power, the defensive versatility ... we’re excited about the overall athleticism, the character, the person.”
Though the immediate future for Martin remains unclear — he still needs to be signed and it’s extremely unlikely there won’t be any minor league ball this year — Atkins sees potential for a quick transition to the big leagues.
“It’s hard to put any concrete timelines on that, but we do think it’s realistic to talk about him playing with Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Vladdy Guerrero and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.," Atkins said.
“That’s exciting to think about.”
There’s still some question as to what the next step will be for all draft picks and Atkins is reluctant to speculate deeply until the MLB schedule is in place.
“It’s hard for me to comment further on it,” Atkins said. “When we are able to reach an agreement on the Major League Baseball side and before we’re playing ... we’ll have more clarity.”
ANOTHER JAYS STEAL?
If the Jays got a break by having Martin fall to them at the fifth pick after being projected as his as No. 2, they have pulled off another steal on Day 2 of the draft Thursday night.
With their second pick (42nd overall), Jays amateur scouting director Shane Farrell tabbed right-handed pitcher CJ Van Eyk from Florida
State. The right-hander has an arsenal of three pitches, led by a fastball that has topped out at 95 miles per hour.
Van Eyk had been seen as a potential mid first-round prospect before some command struggles in his abbreviated NCAA season cooled some of that hype.
The Jays were no doubt impressed with his 2019 campaign, and those command issues weren’t exactly trouble as Van Eyk struck out 25 batters and allowed 11 hits in 20.2 innings, giving him a stingy ERA of 1.31. And in his FSU career, Van Eyk had 225 strikeouts in 176.2 innings.
In the third round (77th overall), the Jays followed their draft form of recent years by selecting a big, hard-throwing pitcher in right-hander Trent Palmer. The Minnesota native played NCAA ball at Jacksonville University, where his fastball was clocked in the 95 mile per hour range, topping at 97.
On to the fourth round, the Jays opted for another pitcher, righty Nick Frasso from Loyola Marymount. The 106th overall pick is notable in Jays history given that the Jays selected all-star pitcher Dave Stieb at that spot in 1978.
OH CANADA
The buzz was real for Burlington, Ont., outfielder Owen Caissie, who was selected in the second round (45th overall) by the San Diego Padres.
A member of the Canadian National Junior team, the Notre Dame Secondary School, Caissie gets the honour of the top Canadian selected and joins Cal Quantrill and Josh Naylor in the Padres system.
Caissie got some Canadian company in the third round when the Los Angeles Angels used the 82nd pick to take Maple, Ont., outfielder
David Calabrese.
And then with the 88th pick, the Chicago Cubs selected Ottawa outfielder Jordan Nwogu, who played NCAA ball at Michigan.
As well, Toronto-born Trei Cruz was selected 73rd by the Tigers. The son of former
Blue Jays Jose Cruz Jr. is bidding to become a third-generation player in the major leagues.
July 10, normally a date when NHL activity begins winding down after the playoffs, draft and free agency, is now a launch date for postseason training camps.
In a joint release on Thursday, the league and players association have agreed full camps can commence on that day — at last a hard date on a calendar most have been guessing at since play halted on March 12.
Yet, it remains to be seen if the proposed 24-team tournament with its late summer target date will begin as planned. With COVID-19 recovery still overshadowing the entire world’s timetable, the league must move cautiously and in concert with the union. The latter wants to negotiate a safe environment in which to play and train over several weeks at camp and in the two tournament hub cities.
Thursday’s statement did advise that camp will go ahead only “provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an overall agreement on resuming play. The length of camp and therefore the start date for formal resumption of play will be determined at a future date.”
With Canada currently insisting on a 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving, the Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames could face issues and opt to hold their camps in the States.
The Canadiens, in particular, do not have a large amount of players in town yet, and those coming in do not want to sit around their residence for two weeks unable to train.
In Toronto, about 20 players have arrived or will soon clear quarantine, so going south is unlikely. Top scorer Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen have yet to arrive from the U.S., hoping the federal government relaxes the rule and the practice rink can be considered a quarantine haven rather than sitting out 14 days.
Another possible avenue for Canadian cites hoping to be hubs would be an agreement for enhanced daily COVID testing of arrivals, to be done at the Canadian clubs’ expense. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has already said it would make such testing facilities available to the public when not in use.
Meanwhile, the hub cities have yet to be named. Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton were on commissioner Gary Bettman’s preliminary list revealed in late May, along with Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Minn., and Pittsburgh.
Edmonton is pushing hard at the provincial level, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney touting his city’s low COVID-19 numbers and the boost that some business sent their way could mitigate tough economic times.
While talks have gone on between the NHL and the Canadian government to relax the 14-day restriction on arrivals, it would be hard for NHL personnel, team support staff and families to come and go from a country that required them to isolate.
That would point to a couple of U.S. locations getting the nod. Speculation has Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas and
Chicago on the short list, with little or no media present in the rinks, other than a feed broadcast, likely NBC providing pictures back to crews in individual markets.
There was relief on many fronts that the wheels are turning a little faster towards a re-start. As of this past Monday, players could return to their team’s practice facilities in small numbers, up to five or six on the ice at one time, on a voluntary basis.
“Now it’s just a matter of putting in the time between now and July 10,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly, alternate captain of the Leafs. “Then we’ll get everyone together and hopefully from there it’ll be smooth sailing in terms of what we have to accomplish in order to go playing again. It’s obviously very helpful having dates.”
While the Leafs were in one of the top 16 playoff positions when play stopped, the
Canadiens were looking at possible elimination. Now they’re facing Pittsburgh in a best-of-five qualifier.
“It’s a great opportunity,” the Habs’ Jeff Petry told the Detroit News from his hometown training base.
“Three months ago, we were playing the last 10 games of our season and it was going to be over. Obviously, this whole situation isn’t anything that anybody expected, but the opportunity has come up and everyone is excited about it.
“Hopefully, everything works out and we can get back on the ice, because it’s playoff hockey and, in a normal year, anything can happen in the playoffs.
“To get that opportunity, it’s something we’re all looking forward to and excited about.”