Burns makes Blue Jays take notice
Non-roster invitee proves himself to be valuable and versatile commodity
DUNEDIN— Andy Burns plays third base. He plays second base. He plays first base. He plays shortstop. He even plays centrefield.
The guy is a one-man band. Or very nearly a one-man squad. Multi-tasking. But the singular task of catching a job — he doesn’t catch, though — as utility infielder for the Blue Jays is beyond his reach.
Darwin Barney, one-time Gold Glove, has that gig pretty much stitched up. Unless. Say that strained oblique which has kept Edwin Encarnacion out of all spring training games isn’t cleared up by Opening Day.
“It would take a DL start by Eddie probably,” mused manager John Gibbons, of 25-year-old Burns perchance clinging to a roster spot rather than returning to Triple-A Buffalo for a second season. “But during the year, definitely. He’s really opened up some keys.”
Indeed, the skipper has been raving about Burns since the spring bivouacs opened. Of course, Gibbons pretty much raves about everybody. And he’s partial to the un-celebrated, the minor leaguer taking his best shot.
And it is just spring, where wonky stats don’t count for much. Still, Burns has enjoyed a hot month down here —11hits in 29 at-bats, with four doubles, a triple and a homer; six RBIs, eight runs, four walks and a lofty batting average of .379. His power has cranked up via off-season focus on the lower half of his body and a swing adjustment.
He was 2-for-4 in Thursday’s 6-4 win over the Detroit Tigers, starting the encounter at third and ending it at first.
“It kind of started about two years ago,” explains Burns of his peripatetic ’round-the-field usefulness.
That was his first big-league camp; this is his second, as a non-roster invitee.
“I was a shortstop all through high school and even into college. They moved me to third. In spring training two years ago I started to bounce around. Wherever they needed me, I’d fill then. I knew that it raised my value, being able to do that. Whatever they need, I want to be the guy that they call in.”
An 11th-round pick by Toronto in the 2011amateur draft, Burns is most comfortable at second but has played most of his career at third. “The other two (positions), they’re a work in progress.” Literally, a ton of work. On occasions such as Thursday, when Burns knew he was in the starting lineup at the hot corner, he was able to put in all his prep effort at that position. Most of the time, he doesn’t have a clue where the Blue Jays skipper will send him behind the starters, which means covering all bases.
“It takes a lot of time to put in the work at all those spots. It’s something I’ve got to do to be successful in all those positions. I’ll go to third, short, second, then go in the outfield for a round of BP. I find the time to cover every position.”
His versatility is attractive and Burns has grabbed loads of attention down here. But the facts are the facts, for now. Dominos would have to fall before he gets a crack at the major leagues.
“Throughout the course of the season, there are injuries and stuff that happens. You don’t want that to happen, obviously, but when that opportunity arises, I’m ready.
“I definitely think I’m a big-leaguer. It’s just a matter of timing and opportunity.”
Meanwhile, on the mound, where Burns has never found himself . . .
R.A. Dickey was knuckling stuff soft and hard — well, relatively hard, for the flutter pitch — and reaching the 100-pitch mark in a five-inning appearance: four runs on eight hits surrendered, but an uplifting afternoon at the ballpark nevertheless.
“I could not have been happier with today. You try not to look at the results, really, in a scenario like that. I wanted to get to100 pitches and I was able to do that. I was able to maintain my velocity through pitch 100.
“At this point of the spring, I’m optimistic. I got a lot of swings and misses against a team that has a good approach to the pitch.
“A lot to be happy about today.”