DUNEDIN, Fla. — Hey, did you see this?
.@D_Jansen31 doesn’t have an arm, he has a cannon. pic.twitter.com/o7AlYDhZxr
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 4, 2018
That’s Philadelphia Phillies infielder Adam Rosales trying to steal second base Sunday. And that’s Blue Jays catching prospect Danny Jansen behind the plate, nabbing Rosales with a throw that was just about as close to perfect as it gets.
“That was actually my first attempt of spring,” Jansen says, going over video of the play at his locker Tuesday morning. “Sinker in, saw the guy break — and you’ve kind of just got to go. You’ve got to get rid of it quick and let it eat. So, that’s what I did. And it worked out.”
Jansen was certainly pleased with it. His coaches were, too.
“Real nice throw. Got rid of it real quick,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Danny just looks like a big-league player, you know? Big, strong kid. He’s a youngster, so he’s still working on polishing his game. But there’s a lot in there.”
A lot of that polishing this spring is coming on the defensive side, after Jansen demonstrated last season he’s got a pretty good idea what he’s doing with the bat. A 22-year-old right-handed hitter, Jansen shot up the Blue Jays system in 2017, beginning in high-A and finishing at triple-A. He hit .323/.400/.484 along the way, walking more often than his struck out.
But the Blue Jays are a club that puts a great deal of value on a catcher’s defensive abilities. Case in point, Toronto is expected to begin the season backing up Russell Martin with Luke Maile — a terrific defensive catcher who has hit .183/.207/.289 in 297 career major-league plate appearances.
So, Jansen’s been spending plenty of time in Dunedin sweating it out in the batting cages, receiving endless pitches and working to refine his footwork. The Blue Jays coaching staff constantly varies the location of the feeds they give him, so he gets accustomed to throwing to bases under less than ideal circumstances.
The pitch Jansen caught prior to nabbing Rosales, for example, was inside and off the plate. He had to reach in to get it before he could throw. But he’d done it countless times before.
“You’re never going to get a ball right down the middle to handle and throw to second base,” Jansen says. “So, all that work we’ve put in, it’s definitely helped. It’s just one aspect of the game that I’m really trying to improve this spring, and this year.”
Last season, Jansen caught 24.1 per cent (26-for-108) of those who attempted to run on him. That’s not awful — the major-league average in 2017 was 27 per cent, while the best catchers were generally around 40 per cent. But of course he still wants to improve.
Earlier in his career, Jansen had a tendency to shift his hips in the wrong direction, which robbed him of precious momentum behind his throw. He’s mostly corrected that, and is now working to develop a knee drive, which involves using his left knee to turn his body slightly as the pitch is still approaching the plate.
That lets him get out of his crouch and start his weight moving towards second base just a split second earlier. It’s a small thing. But considering how fast today’s game is played, every fine detail counts.
“It’s almost like cheating a little bit,” Jansen says. “You’re looking to get that little turn when the pitch is coming in – so that you’re not catching it, turning, and then throwing. You just get yourself going, and try to make it one motion.
“You don’t want to do it too much — you don’t want to get hit with a bat or anything. It’s a little bit of trial and error. You have to find whatever’s comfortable for you. And whatever you think is going to be most efficient.”
Footwork’s extremely important, but throwing mechanics are, too. When Jansen made his professional debut in 2013 as an 18-year-old, his arm action was far too short, which prevented him from getting enough velocity on the ball when throwing to the bases.
He worked diligently to lengthen his mechanic, but then went too far, getting too long as he advanced through rookie ball to high-A.
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“Now, I’m trying to find that middle,” he says. “I think I’ve come a pretty long way. I’ve really done a lot of things to work on it. It’s tough because you want to be as quick as possible. But accuracy’s probably most important. You want to give the guy something he can handle.”
The process continues. Jansen’s feeling pretty good about his one throw to second this spring, but he’d like to be tested more in games before the Blue Jays break camp. And no one’s tried to steal third against him yet, either, which will be another evaluation of how much his hard work is paying off.
“I’ve just been doing all sorts of footwork in the cage — nonstop,” Jansen says. “Trying to build that muscle memory. Just like any other thing, you work on it so much in the cage, it should just take over during the game. You don’t really want to think about it. You just want to get it going.”
That’s what happened Sunday, as Jansen set a bar that’s going to be awfully difficult for him to top.
“I guess it can only go downhill from there,” he says, watching the play again. “Because that was a pretty good throw.”