Jays counting on versatility

With the first Grapefruit League game scheduled to take place in less than four weeks, the temptation to build a potential Blue Jays lineup is strong for anyone who follows the team.

Where will Vlad Guerrero Jr. play? What about displaced centre-fielder Randal Grichuk? Is Cavan Biggio really going to play every spot on the diamond?

All in good fun and the product of a busy off-season, but for now Jays general manager Ross Atkins suggests at least touching the brakes for a couple of weeks.

“Let’s get the team built and have it be more complete before we start building lineups,” Atkins said this week.

Soon enough, there will be plenty to unfold over whatever number of the 32 pre-season contests actually get played in Florida. And in that context, there’s no denying the status of Guerrero will be among the hot topics leading up to the Feb. 27 exhibition opener against the Phillies.

For now, Atkins is straddling the line of being noncommittal, which frankly is the route he should be taking with a player the team rightly still believes has superstar potential.

The last thing the club wants to do is discourage Guerrero by declaring third isn’t an option, especially after such a productive off-season by the 21-year-old. But with a team determinedly charging toward contender status, the Jays can’t afford to have a defensive liability at the hot corner, either.

“I am so excited about where he is and how he’s feeling, how hard he is working,” Atkins said of Guerrero. “He is, as well. We just feel he is in a better overall position than he was at the end of last year.

“We’ll see where that plays out for him — playing third base, playing first base. We’re excited about the position he is in to earn the right to be in the third-base conversation and continue to improve as a first-base alternative.”

The back end of that comment may end up being revealing. Translated: both positions are in play and regardless, Guerrero’s defence has to upgrade.

The hope is that his overall conditioning has improved. And if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest we will see Vlad getting time at third, first and designated hitter.

The Jays are big on having players push themselves, which makes spring training 2021 all the more intriguing. And perhaps especially as it applies to Guerrero.

“The key is we’re not giving anybody anything,” Atkins said. “That’s the great thing about professional sports: you have to earn it. What we’re allowing for Vladdy — whether that be for the first week of spring training, to the first week of the season, or halfway through the season or next year — is just leaving that potential, that development open.

“How much playing time he actually gets (at third), we’ll see. It’s too early to say. Halfway through spring training we’ll have a better idea of what that could look like, given our alternatives.”

The Jays have monitored Guerrero’s progress throughout the off-season, though perhaps not as closely as the player’s own Instagram account which regularly updates his workouts. Just last week, hitting coach Guillermo Martinez and third-base coach Luis Rivera were in the Dominican Republic to work with Guerrero.

But what are the alternatives that Atkins referenced?

Atkins and the front office aren’t finished their off-season efforts, so an upgraded infield acquisition could change the dynamic completely. Working under the assumption that newly acquired Marcus Semien will play predominantly at second base, few would be surprised if Biggio gets more starts at third than anyone.

Over his two seasons Biggio has played 122 games at second base, 26 in the outfield, 10 at third and eight at first. “We feel very good about Cavan playing multiple positions, which has allowed us to pursue a lot of different avenues this off-season,” Atkins said. “We would be 100 per cent confident he could be an average third baseman to above if that’s the position he is playing on a regular basis.

“Cavan is thinking about being a versatile player. He embraces that.”

The outfield is another area that will play itself out, but with George Springer now holding down centre field. Atkins says he’s talked to the previous tenant, Randal Grichuk, and doesn’t anticipate an issue with him playing predominantly in right field.