Healing Tulo digs in at short with off-base critics as fuel
Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will not watch the replay of the injury at first base that ended his season on July 28.
It was a gruesome accident, a turn of the right ankle while hitting the bag at first base vs. the Angels. He has heard from others that C.J. Cron’s foot was in the wrong place as he took the throw. No ill intent. Those who saw it tell him it was awful and all that he knows from experiencing it is that it was painful.
That being said, he insists he will be back by next spring.
Tulowitzki was in town Wednesday to have the cast removed by doctors and replaced with a walking boot that is removable and marks the beginning of a long rehab process that will take him through the winter. It was the first opportunity to catch up with Tulo since the accident.
“More than anything it’s been nice to come here and see the guys, catch up with them,” Tulowitzki said. “You miss it man, when you’re just sitting at home watching games on TV, texting guys, facetime or whatever. But there’s nothing like seeing these guys. It’s like family. They’re really good friends, so it’s nice.”
While he was away, Tulowitzki was aware of the media drums and social media critics suggesting that perhaps it may be time for him to change positions and slide over to third base, where a perceived lack of range could be covered up.
No way. It turns out it’s not just teammate Marcus Stroman who draws inspiration and strength and is fuelled by the doubters. Tulowitzki insists he is using that fan skepticism to help him come back even stronger than before. Coincidentally, Tulowitzki and Stroman have adjoining lockers.
“I’ve had to answer pretty much that same question since I came out of college,” Tulowitzki said.
“So now I’m sitting here, almost 33 years old and I get asked the same questions. You guys know how serious I am about that position and I’ll be the first to say, hey, I’m not getting the job done. But I feel like I bring a lot to the table defensively. I think sometimes what people read into is the metrics and the zone ratings, whatever. But so much of shortstop is about being able to slow the game down for your teammates and your pitchers, taking charge.”
In 66 games in 2017, Tulowitzki had a difficult season on both sides of the ball. His production dropped for the third straight season, while his graceful defence, perhaps hampered by balky hamstrings and other nagging injuries, was below his career norms. He ranks second all-time in fielding percentage among shortstops, trailing just Omar Vizquel. He has played 1,264 games at short, zero anywhere else in the field.
“There’s one thing I’ve always said since I set foot on a big-league field, is that I’ll start this thing as a shortstop and I’ll finish it as a shortstop,” the California native said. “I think it is a good question, but at the same time I’ve lived this position and I’ve dreamed of playing shortstop since I was a young, young kid. All my idols were shortstops and I take a lot of pride in it.”
The ankle injury was a freak thing, but the bottom line is that over the past eight seasons Tulowitzki has missed a total of 442 games, never playing more than 131 in any season since 2009. He takes no solace in the fact that many of those injuries were similarly freakish, like when he joined the Jays in July 2015 and crashed into Kevin Pillar in short centre field, taking a chin to the shoulder blade and missing a month. He feels his comebacks have been about work ethic and the desire to return better than before.
“That’s all there is to it,” he said. “In my off-season I don’t spend it going on vacations, doing all these things. It’s strictly baseball for me. I try to get myself better as a player, and this time it’s going to be a rehab. When people doubt you, it’s trying to get back on your feet and answer some of those critics. I hear those things. I know some of those things are out there. That’s what fuels me, and that’s what makes this game so fun. It’s because people challenge you, you answer a challenge and when it’s all said and done you appreciate those people that did that, and . . . all the hard work you put in.”
There is no doubting that Tulowitzki’s numbers have drooped badly since joining the Blue Jays from Denver. When he left Colorado, his career average was .299 with an OPS of .885. In three years in Toronto, his average has slipped to .250 with a .727 OPS. With three years and a guaranteed $58 million (U.S.) remaining on his contract, he knows he must be better.
“I don’t think it was up to my standards at all,” Tulowitzki said. “If anything, I’ll put some of the blame on myself that I should have been a better player this year. I’ll work hard to get better. I think that’s what you get with me. I’ll be the first one to tell you when I’m not holding up my own, and this year was definitely a disappointment for me.”