WORK ETHIC OF REBUILT ROTATION IMPRESSES JANSEN
Danny Jansen figures that most days he’s among the first of the Toronto Blue Jays players to arrive at TD Ballpark and on many the last to leave as well.
And the catcher wouldn’t have it any other way.
Spring training is a grind for all players, but especially for catchers like Jansen and Reese Mcguire. There are pitchers to get to know, catch and groom, whether in games or bullpen sessions. With 35 pitchers currently in camp, and likely three new starters in the five-man rotation, there’s plenty to digest and process. On top of that, there’s the business of making their own physical preparations for the season.
“It’s the life of a catcher and it’s something that we love and pride ourselves on,” Jansen said on Friday. “You’ve got to make time for everything else, but that’s what we do.
“So much of it is communication. Communication of what the pitchers want and need is the basis of our job. That’s the goal, to get them the best set up. It gets cemented in your brain.”
The early read on the rebuilt rotation gets a hearty thumbsup from Jansen, who is about to embark on his second full season with the Jays. And what he’s seen so far from a rebuilt rotation has impressed him.
“A lot of these guys they really pitch with a purpose,” Jansen said. “The work has been tremendous and I can say that for pretty much everybody that I’ve caught.”
With that in mind, Jansen gave us a rundown of the big pitching names in camp and what he’s seen so far, both from the celebrated new arms and from the guys who have been around for a while.
Here are his thoughts as the Jays get into the meat of their Grapefruit League schedule: HYUN-JIN RYU: “Composed. Command. Crafty,” is Jansen’s succinct assessment of the ace lefty, who the Jays signed to a four-year, US$80 million deal in December. “He knows how to pitch, he knows what he wants to do, and he does it all with a real sense of purpose. Intent with every pitch. (On Thursday) he was nine-for-nine on firstpitch strikes. He’s aggressive and smart and really fun to catch.”
CHASE ANDERSON: “That guy knows how to pitch, too,” Jansen said of the veteran who came to the Jays in a trade with Milwaukee. “He’s got different weapons, and right away you can tell he’s got an idea on every single pitch. High heater, two seamer, and a great change-up, which is really his pitch.
MATT SHOEMAKER: “They’re all pros, but Shoe’s a real pro,” Jansen said of the right-hander who had his first year with the Jays derailed after suffering a season-ending knee injury just five games in. “The thing about our staff now is they’ve been around and they know what they want to do. They know how they want to finish a guy and what they need to work on. Shoe’s a great communicator. He wants feedback and he’s committed to getting better. He’s a leader of this staff.”
NATE PEARSON: “Power, obviously,” Jansen begins when assessing the Jays top-rated prospect, who blows away everyone with his vaunted fastball. “But his command of his off speed stuff is what’s going to set him apart. He’s not just a guy who throws a hundred (miles per hour) sporadically. He throws a hundred up in the zone and when it’s up there it’s got that ride. His change-up is excellent. Slider’s great. Curveball he’s working on. His off speed stuff has been tremendously located.”
TRENT THORNTON: “Very smart on what he wants to do,” the catcher says about Thornton, who led the Jays with 154.1 innings pitched in 2019. “Very detailed. Wants to work on things and he’s not afraid to do it. He’s working on his change-up to righties right now. Likes to pick people’s brains. A lot of guys have cutters here and he’s working on that. And he’s intellectual. He wants to pick guys apart and stick to his strengths, but keep improving. I’m very impressed.”
ANTHONY BASS: “Very impressive,” Jansen says of one of the off-season additions to bolster the bullpen. “Love what I’m seeing. Power guy with great action on his two-seamer. Good secondary slider that he can throw for strikes, and he has a split-finger (pitch), too. He’s going to have three weapons.”
SHUN YAMAGUCHI: “A guy we’re trying to figure out right now,” Jansen said of the Japanese pitcher’ who is still getting acclimated to North American ball. “He’s got a lot of different pitches. We’ll figure out ways to utilize his strengths. He wants to learn and he’s not afraid to ask questions. He’s got good stuff. We’ve just got to figure out what we want to use and how to use it.”