When Devon Travis first joined the Toronto Blue Jays before the 2015 season, the team was still establishing its identity. A year and a half later, Travis sees a team that expects talent and experience will lead to consistent success.
“The biggest thing with this team is I think that we all gel great. The older guys do a great job helping the younger guys out and keeping our minds fresh and right,” Travis told Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Tuesday. “I think at the beginning of last year we knew we were good, but we weren’t completely sure how good we could be.”
Thanks to a four-hit night from Travis, the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays Monday to tie the Baltimore Orioles atop the AL East. The second baseman is now hitting .304 with a .343 on-base percentage, a .504 slugging percentage and 10 home runs in 58 games.
Travis also made a heads-up defensive play, throwing to third base to record a key out instead of making the easy play at first. He says defensive plays like that are often the product of conversations with Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, two sluggers who also offer excellent defence.
“Donaldson and Tulo for me have been huge defensively,” Travis said. “They take more pride in their defence than most people would expect … every single ball is like the ground ball that they’ll take in their life. For me, I look up to that.”
“I try to take something from every guy every day and find a way to incorporate it into my preparation,” Travis added. “That’s something the veteran guys do very well.”
At the plate, Travis has posted numbers reminiscent of a breakout 2015 season that saw him hit .304/.361/.498 with eight home runs. Considering that he underwent two shoulder operations, his continued success is even more noteworthy.
“It’s getting the pitches to hit,” Travis said. “When you sit back and let the game come to you, that’s when the success starts happening.”
Soon after the Blue Jays acquired Travis from the Detroit Tigers for Anthony Gose, Travis established himself as a viable everyday second baseman. But shoulder injuries sidelined Travis, who hit the disabled list with left shoulder inflammation on two separate occasions. He didn’t play after July 31 and had screws inserted in his shoulder in November, an operation that delayed his 2016 debut until May 25.
Though he was an uncertain commodity at the time the Blue Jays acquired him, Travis looks more and more like a long-term piece for the Blue Jays. The second baseman will remain under team control through 2020 and won’t become arbitration eligible until after the 2017 season.