This audition Teoscar worthy
September is not always considered the best month in which to evaluate new major-league talent. But it will be tough for the Blue Jays to ignore outfielder Teoscar Hernandez following his twohomer, five-RBI performance in an 8-2 victory over Detroit on Sunday.
The 24-year-old left fielder, acquired as the centrepiece in the trade that sent lefty Francisco Liriano to Houston, homered off Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez in consecutive at-bats — a two-run homer to left in the fourth and a threerun blast to right field in the fifth. Manager John Gibbons wants to accord the rookie enough playing time to properly evaluate the 24-year-old Dominican with an eye to next season.
“It was a big day for the kid,” Gibbons said. “We heard a lot of good things about him. He’s athletic. He’s got some pop in his bat. Good defender, he can run. He went to Buffalo, got off to a slow start but was really picking it up. It’s never easy for a guy changing scenery, but it looks like he fits in. We acquired him for a reason. I didn’t think he had as much pop as he showed today.”
Hernandez now has three home runs at the Rogers Centre among the six he has hit in his big-league career. His average at his new home is .348, with seven RBIs and an OPS of 1.158. He is the first Jays rookie with multiple home runs in a game since J.P. Arencibia (July 22, 2011).
The Jays banged out 16 hits against Tigers pitching Sunday, led by third baseman Darwin Barney, with three singles and a double. Barney has six hits filling in for Josh Donaldson, who took batting practice on Sunday after staying away from the ballpark with a virus on Saturday.
“I didn’t have the most impactful hits of the day,” Barney said, smiling at his own understatement. “I think Teoscar took care of that, but it feels good to contribute.
“I was happy for (Hernandez) . . . It’s fun to watch a guy like that come up here, have some excitement, spark some things and make it happen.”
Virtually unnoticed in September has been the return to the active ranks of backup catcher Luke Maile, who missed 52 games due to right knee surgery. But he hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Jays pitching staff, including J.A. Happ.
Maile made his second start with Happ on the mound Sunday and, in those two games, the big left-hander has gone 12 innings, allowing one earned run on 11 hits, with three walks and 17 strikeouts. That earned run came in the fifth inning against the Tigers, when Dixon Machado reached base on a Richard Urena fielding error and Ian Kinsler followed with a two-run blast to left field. Happ didn’t allow another hit after the homer.
“It took me 115 (pitches) to get through six today, but for the most part I feel like I was getting ahead,” Happ said. “That’s the biggest thing, is being aggressive. They battled me but I was able to win most of those (battles).”
“I feel like really locked in the last month-and-a-half with whoever is back there . I feel all the guys have been doing a good job. But Luke’s kind of come in and stepped in after his injury when he got back here and he’s done a nice job.”
Even though Maile has just a .129 batting average in his 40 games, the Jays are 19-14 in his 33 starts behind the plate. His catcher’s ERA is a half-run better than Raffy Lopez, who ranks second at 4.06.
The catching position is clearly more than just swinging the bat. It’s about game-calling, receiving and leadership.
“I take a lot of pride in the defensive part of the game, for sure,” Maile said. “That’s what I’m kind of here to do for the most part. At the same time I think that the biggest thing I try to bring to the table is just a presence. I want pitchers to feel that I’ve got an idea back there, that I care. If you genuinely care about getting a win for your guy out on the mound, the rest will usually take care of itself.
“It comes down to technique and all the work you put in. Yeah, I take a lot of pride in it. I’m very happy to hear the compliments and everything and hopefully I’m able to continue to build upon that.”
Even if Maile doesn’t stick with the Jays, he is a valuable commodity as a backup and could still forge a long career.
“I would imagine that it has a lot to do with reputation,” Maile said. “That’s one position where experience is a really valued asset.
“I’ve been fortunate to play underneath a lot of really good catchers in my short time in the big leagues. This year with Russell Martin has been incredible. When you’re able to process all that information and kind of develop that into your own personal forte, that’s what probably keeps catchers hanging around for a long time, even when they’re not swinging the bat particularly well.”
The Jays have 19 games left and what many of these players do as individuals in these games is becoming as important as team success.