Drury’s heroics a symbol of Blue Jays’ quick growth
Young team seeing hard work pay off with nice stretch of wins,
TORONTO When designating a poster boy for this Toronto Blue Jays early-season renaissance, there is perhaps no better place to start than the case of weekend hero Brandon Drury.
Yes, it was Drury who hit the dramatic walk-off home run on Friday and followed that up Sunday with a game-tying three-run homer in the 11th inning to help finish off a sweep of the Oakland A’s.
But Drury, whose hold on everyday third base duties has been relinquished because of the arrival of a certain son of a hall of famer, is typical of the mindset hammered home by manager Charlie Montoyo and his coaching staff since the opening day of spring training.
Montoyo — the first-year manager who in so many ways is a sharp contrast to the man he replaced, John Gibbons — has preached patience from the outset.
So when the Jays could barely put bat barrel on baseball for the first couple weeks of the season, the manager repeatedly promised the hitting would come. And don’t underestimate the significance of that attitude among a group that is expecting growing pains.
With a second consecutive weekend sweep of the A’s, the Jays have won nine of their past 12 games and now have the energy boost of seeing Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the lineup.
Off to Anaheim and Arlington for three games each against the Angels and Rangers, we’re guessing Sunday’s charter flight would have been relatively raucous. And good on the young Jays for that.
We’re not going to get carried away about a nice 12-game run, just as we shied away from too much doom and gloom after their early struggles.
In the broader picture, however, progress is undoubtedly being made in the rebuild, and winning games in bunches certainly helps with the mental side of that exercise.
But back to Drury. As Marcus Stroman mentioned following Friday’s game-winning boom, Drury has worked tirelessly to snap out of an early-season funk at the plate. Stroman wasn’t kidding, either. On the road, when he’s not watching video, we’ve seen Drury practically live in the batting cage looking for answers. Those big weekend homers were testimony to the benefits of that work.
And if there are signs of bitterness that he’s essentially losing his defensive job to Guerrero, we haven’t seen it. If he keeps hitting like this, Drury will provide valuable options for Montoyo, be it at second, third, designated hitter or coming off the bench in a pinch.
In the broader picture, are the Jays, as the standings showed after Sunday’s win, a .500 ball club?
Perhaps.
But there’s still some potential issues with the pitching staff and there are no more games remaining against the A’s, who they went 6-0 against during a 10-day stretch.
Funny thing about baseball, though: When a team starts hitting, confidence expands. The longer that continues, the easier it will be for young players to transition from prospects to bona fide big leaguers.
While we’re talking about the youngsters, the initial hype surrounding Guerrero may mellow a little now that the team is on the road for a week. But don’t underestimate the energy he brought to his teammates, young and old.
The smile and the verve for the game you’ve heard about is real and it’s infectious. Sure there were some eyes rolling in the home clubhouse regarding the magnitude of the fuss being made over the 20-year-old sensation, but not about the kid himself.
Guerrero is respectful both of the game and his teammates and that will play well. Not as well as his bat, when that heats up, but you can tell even the few veterans on the Jays squad are in awe of Guerrero’s prodigious talent.
And what a weekend it was for Guerrero and his family. From loud cheers the first time he touched a baseball as a pro — on a slow-rolling foul ball on Friday, no less — to the “Let’s Go Vladdy” chants and his reception at the Raptors game on Saturday night, it was quite an arrival.
“He’s 20 years old and there’s going to be ups and downs, but when he gets hot, he’s going to get (very) hot,” Montoyo said. The travelling Vlad road show will no doubt get another warm reception in Anaheim. It was with the Angels that his father won the AL MVP award in 2004.
A road trip will be another part of Guerrero’s development, and a notable upgrade in travel from his minor-league trips in Buffalo, New Hampshire, Lansing and Bluefield. He’ll get a chance to breathe a little, and settle into the business of living the dream of following in his father’s footsteps.
“Everything has been great,” Guerrero Jr. told reporters following Sunday’s game. “The best part is we won all three games.”