Speedy Biagini starts Blue Jays off on the right foot
DUNEDIN — Blue Jays swing man Joe Biagini swung into spring training on a high note on Friday afternoon at Dunedin Stadium.
The Jays have been working with the big right-hander to pick up the pace between pitches and to get rid of a hitch he used to do between each pitch, when he would stand on the mound and sort of subtly bounce up and down. Manager John Gibbons thinks speeding up his delivery will help Biagini gain more consistency.
On Friday that seemed to work as the Jays’ so-called sixth starter opened up Grapefruit League play by pitching two solid innings, giving up one hit with no runs, no walks and two strikeouts, in a 2-1 Toronto victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I thought he threw the ball very well,” said Gibbons. “He was just real deliberate last year, slow working. You never noticed it much as a reliever. I thought he looked much better and he threw the ball very good.”
After Biagini, Gibbons brought in three straight lefties — Tim Mayza, Matt Dermody and newcomer Craig Breslow. Mayza and Dermody didn’t give up a hit in an inning’s work apiece. Both are vying for jobs in the big team’s bullpen this season.
“They all did a nice job,” said Gibbons. “Mayza’s got a dynamite arm, it’s just honing everything in. Dermody’s got a little bit different style, but he’s been working on getting some pitches to get the righthanders out. I thought he’s looked very, very good this spring, even on the side and things like that. They showed us a lot last year and I think they’re going to be valuable to us.”
Biagini said he worked on speeding up and simplifying his delivery in the off-season and was happy with the result.
“Just trying to kind of make things a little bit more streamlined in my motion, especially in my windup,” said Biagini. “I had a couple of checks in mid wind-up last year that helped me get into the right posture. But this year I worked on a way that I could do that kind of within the natural setup so I don’t need those movements anymore, and I think that kind of helps. And another thing is just coming set and ready with the ball in my glove, kind of pitch with a little more urgency, keeping things simple so all you do is think about the next pitch,” he added.
GRANDY WAS JUST DANDY
Outfielder Curtis Granderson led off the first inning for the Jays with a home run to right centre on a 1-1 hanging curve by Nick Pivetta. It was his first at-bat as a Blue Jay.
DUNEDIN — Some Blue Jays are fan favourites: Kevin Pillar, Marcus Stroman, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki ... it’s a pretty big list.
Kendrys Morales is not on that list.
Not because he isn’t a good guy, or anything like that.
It’s just that the Jays signed the big switch hitter in Nov. 11, 2016 essentially to replace the hugely popular Edwin Encarnacion, who signed with Cleveland before the 2017 season.
Morales has never been able to live up to Encarnacion’s long shadow in Toronto, though he did have a decent year in 2017, hitting .250 with 28 home runs, 85 RBI and a .753 OPS in 150 games.
But the Jays went into the tank early and a lot of that failure was partially put on the club’s new designated hitter, who couldn’t match Encarnacion’s numbers and, worse, clogged up the base paths with a profound lack of speed.
Manager John Gibbons isn’t buying into the line of thinking that the acquisition of Morales was a bad move, or that the native of Fomento, Cuba had a poor season and was a detriment to the Jays winning.
“I liked the acquisition. I was pushing for it,” Gibbons said of the Jays signing Morales to a threeyear, $33 million US deal. “When you replace a player who has been great for an organization for a number of years (Encarnacion), you almost can’t win and it doesn’t matter how much you do. But my experience sometimes with guys you acquire either through a trade or free agency, it’s usually that second year when everything comes together. That first year, it’s a new place for them, they’re getting settled in and whatever.
“But I know one thing, Kendrys is a threat every time he steps in the box and he’s really one of the best guys you’ll ever meet and one of the best teammates that you’ll ever come across. I like everything about him.”
Morales understands that his first season with the Jays wasn’t monumental and the fans were expecting more. He has taken steps to try to improve all aspects of his game, however, starting with a much tougher off-season conditioning regimen.
“One thing I did differently is normally I start (training) a little bit later, but this year I started a little bit earlier and I came in almost 12 pounds lighter,” Morales said on Friday through club interpreter Josue Peley. “I wanted to work on that. I trained a little bit more this year in order to become prepared.”
“I didn’t lose good weight. I lost bad weight, I lost a lot of fat,” Morales continued. “I actually gained more muscle. And I think with what happened last year, I wanted to be ready. And I think it’s going to be good for this year.”
At 34, Morales holds a lifetime .270 average and a .870 OPS in the major leagues. He’s also slammed 190 home runs in his 11 seasons. Gibbons believes he’ll break out at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre this year.
“Yeah. Come to think of it, he does look a little better,” Gibbons said, when asked about Morales’ new look. “I do think he’s going to have a better year. I thought he got off to a pretty good start with us last year but I think really he just wants to maintain and stay consistent throughout the year. We had a battle in different areas offensively all year long (in 2017). We get him going and some other guys going and they have big years and we’re that much better off.”
Morales was able to appear in 150 games, but he played most of the season with an aching shoulder and sore hands. He hopes those lingering problems are a thing of the past, though he is not using them as an excuse for past performance.
“I feel great now,” he said. “I’m close to 100%. I don’t think anybody here is 100% yet. It’s a process to get into the season.”
“I came prepared to do anything,” Morales added. “I came prepared to play first base, I came prepared to be the DH, I came prepared to play in the outfield. I came prepared for everything. I come prepared for spring training like it was my last spring training. But this is a grind so you can’t start with a sprint. This is a marathon, you have to go slowly. But I’m ready for everything.”
Like him or not. At his price, even if the Jays wanted to, it’s unlikely they’d be able to trade him. Morales, however, is determined to prove this season that the Jays made a good move in signing him.