Cavan Biggio didn't think of it in such terms, but even though he's three years older than Bichette and has four on Guerrero, in Blue Jays baseball development terms, he was always seen as the lesser little brother.

Sure, he was the son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio and had a terrific collegiate career at Notre Dame, but his prospect status was in a different galaxy.

And then came 2018. “I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the year (that an ascent toward the big leagues began),” Biggio said one quiet morning in the Jays clubhouse. “That was the first year where things started coming together with me, that I started being the type of player that I wanted to be. Getting drafted, I was a leadoff hitter who hit the ball the other way a lot. I wanted to get more power and that double-a year was the year I worked on that. It was a really important year to prove to myself that I could do it at that level and beyond. It definitely brought me a lot of confidence.”

That it did. Biggio led the Eastern League in home runs (26), walks (100), slugging percentage (.499) and OPS (.887.) To continue the momentum (and add to his Eastern League awards), Biggio played for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League and was named a 2018 Rising Star.

So, yes, a breakout year it was.

“I always knew what I wanted to do and that I wanted to play in the big leagues, and knew I had a long road ahead of me,” Biggio said. “Going through that year, it was like, I know I can play, and not only are the big leagues a dream of mine but also very attainable. ... It was a year to prove to myself that not only could I be a good baseball player but excel at it.”

Central to that accelerated ascent was his work with Hunter Mense. Though they didn't start out on the same page, they forged a coach-player relationship that continues to flourish.

“Any situation (you're) going into as a coach, especially a hitting coach, they are human beings who have somebody in their life who knows their swing and knows their mindset better than anyone,” Mense says. “For Cavan and I, it took some time to really gel. We had a sit-down conversation to address it, just an understanding that we had to get on the same page. I obviously wanted what's best for him, and he wanted the best out of himself.

“He had made some mechanical adjustments to get a little more power and with that thump he added, there was an evolution for him, from a career standpoint.”

In the process, Biggio found himself a trusted confidant who now works in the big-league clubhouse.

“Initially, we butted heads a little, but since then we've been super close,” Biggio said. “Hunter is the guy I go to pretty much for all the offensive stuff and all the swing stuff. I know I can rely on him.”

Biggio recalls much of that season — winding roads through the Eastern seaboard and beyond, and early flirtations with the successful side of pro ball. Not that all of it was glamour. “The bus rides were long. The season was long. The facilities weren't great, travel was brutal and the hotels weren't great, but we made the most of it.”

They did that and more, building in confidence as the summer moved along. At the same time, the big-league team up in Toronto was in full nosedive mode, on its way to a 73-89 record. Those scintillating playoff seasons of 2015 and 2016 were fading. In Manchester, the future was fast arriving.

“That was unsaid, with the way we were playing,” Biggio said. “I think we knew what we were capable of and we knew where we were headed. Or we believed that, anyway. At certain points of that year, we felt we could get called up right now and help this team win. We had to pump the brakes and say we are where we are and make the most of it.

“But it was the start of something that has become very familiar and allowed us to grow into who we are today.”