Toronto Blue Jays: More speed on tap with Pompey call-up
There was a lot of hope and hype when Spring Training was in full swing and the Toronto Blue Jays were set to have three Canadians starting on their 25-man roster. Catcher Russell Martin was the big ticket free agent brought aboard, outfielder Michael Saunders was the wild-card acquired in a trade and youngster Dalton Pompey had a lot to live up to.
Fast forwarding to September 1, the day MLB rosters expand from 25 to potentially as many as 40, Martin has stayed healthy and done good work with the rotation from behind the plate. Saunders has been a non-factor all year due to a nagging knee injury, while Pompey found himself back in the Majors for the first time since a May 2 demotion.
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Part of the energy working against Pompey early on was the emergence of Kevin Pillar in center field. He made some jaw dropping grabs for Toronto early in the season and has been a mainstay ever since. While Pompey committed two errors in his first 57 chances and hit .193 to open the season, Pillar hit .273 in April and was the source of a number of highlight reel moments on the evening editions of SportsCenter. To date, he’s the third most competent center fielder in baseball with a 9.4 UZR behind only the Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier (25.2) and Cincinnati’s injured Billy Hamilton (15.1).
Pillar is 26 and probably more refined than Pompey, a 22-year-old Mississauga native. Time back in the minors did him well. While there, he got his game back on track and slashed .307/383/.421 across 387 total at-bats in Double and Triple-A. Hitting seven total home runs and swiping 23 bases, Pompey also played better defensively, recording a .977 FPCT in 94 minor league games from the outfield.
The contending Blue Jays are indeed set right now in the outfield. Ben Revere can hit leadoff and has great speed on the base paths and in left. Pillar, as mentioned, has been one of the more pleasant surprises this season for Toronto, and Jose Bautista in right field is THE Joey Bats — he’s not going anywhere.
Pompey may get a few spot starts off the bench in the remaining days of the regular season to rest the starters, but he will best serve the Blue Jays as a pinch runner late in close games. Think Terrance Gore circa 2014 for the Royals, who stole three bases and plated two runs as a pinch runner in last year’s postseason showing.
On Tuesday night versus the Indians, Dalton Pompey flashed fleet feet for Blue Jays fans, showing them exactly what he can do for the club. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Justin Smoak walked. Pompey was called upon to pinch run and proceeded to steal second and third before scoring the go-ahead run on a Kevin Pillar sacrifice fly. The Blue Jays went on to win with a walk-off two-run homer by Ryan Goins in the bottom of the tenth, but Pompey proved just how valuable his legs can be during a stretch run in September.
Other September 1 call-ups by the Toronto Blue Jays were pitchers Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup and Vancouver-born Jeff Francis. Infield utility-man and fan-favorite Munenori Kawasaki will also be in Toronto for the near future. Unlike years past, it’s an especially exciting time to be promoted by Toronto at this time of year. The city and country as a whole are abuzz, with over two decades of being absent from the playoffs looking to be a thing of the past.