Toronto Blue Jays: Baby Jays fly under the radar
By Jesse Cook
The Toronto Blue Jays can look forward to a brighter future than most other teams.
In 2019, four Toronto Blue Jays rookies cracked the top 25 in terms of Wins Above Replacement for rookies; third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 21st at 1.5, catcher Danny Jansen at 20th at 1.6, shortstop Bo Bichette at 13th at 2.3, and infielder Cavan Biggio at ninth at 2.9.
The next highest number of rookies in the top 25 for one team was two players, shared by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Toronto’s left-handed pitching prospect said the Blue Jays’ success with younger athletes stems from their unconventional training styles. He said, “The Blue Jays have put a huge focus on the non-baseball aspects of baseball because those are the ones that tend to not get as much love when considering training.”
Jake Fishman. 912. player. Scouting Report. Union College. 39. Pick Analysis. Pitcher
He cited that the organization places an emphasis on mental preparedness for games alongside the already rigorous physical training regiment. “Based on their guidelines, I have created a constantly updating mental-nutrition-recovery routine,” said Fishman.
He continued, “I have found a lot of stuff that works really well for me, and they continue to bring new information to the table, so I always try to see if I like it and incorporate it in my routine to see if I can improve it further.”
Down to the lowest levels of Minor League Baseball, no Blue Jays affiliate finished below fifth place in their respective leagues last season. However, this contrasts with the Major League club’s dismal 12th place finish in the American League.