Blue Jays waiting for Pompey to erupt
DUNEDIN, FLA. A couple of days ago, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey was walking around Florida Auto Exchange Stadium when a couple of kids stopped him for an autograph.
“They said, ‘Mr. Bautista, could you sign our ball?’” Pompey said with a laugh. “And I’m like, ‘I’m not Jose. Look at my number.’”
Pompey, one of two Canadians on the Jays’ 40-man roster (along with Russell Martin), grew a beard in the off-season and admits that, when it’s shorter like Bautista’s, there is some resemblance. Pompey said Bautista gave him the gears when he heard about his encounter with the kids.
“He was like, ‘Man, stop trying to steal my style,’” Pompey said, laughing.
Pompey wouldn’t mind if his numbers get mistaken for Bautista’s in the future. Drafted by the Jays in 2010, the native of Mississauga, Ont., said it’s getting to the point where he wants to take that final step forward and establish himself as an everyday outfielder with the Jays.
“We think he’s part of the future, left field or whatever, in this organization,” manager John Gibbons said. “He got there quick two years ago and he made the team the following year. Then he struggled and it’s been a battle for him. But, really, he’s going through what most young guys do.”
There are few players in the Jays’ system with the raw ability and athleticism Pompey possesses, but establishing himself as an everyday big leaguer has been a struggle. Last year, he played 93 games in triple-A Buffalo and only eight with the Jays after playing 34 with the big team in 2015.
“He just needs to go out there and play and not worry about anything else, because he’s got a ton of talent,” Gibbons said. “He’s really got everything he needs to be really, really good.”
Pompey is hoping playing for Canada in the World Baseball Classic will give his season a jump start. Canada opens the tournament on March 9 in Miami.