Blue Jays Notebook: Bautista checks in at camp

With Russell Martin making his first attempts to catch RA Dickey, it's become apparent that he isn't backing down from the unique pitch, pushing Josh Thole for the job behind the plate.

DUNEDIN, Fla. – Some short hops from around the diamond as the Toronto Blue Jays pitchers and catchers continue their workouts:

  • R.A. Dickey doesn’t need to be sold on Major League Baseball’s new pace of game initiatives. "I love them, I think they’re great," he says. "Bring on the pitch clock, bring on whatever. I like it because it makes the hitter feel uncomfortable. I’m already fast so it’s only going to put more pressure on the hitter to get in the box and get ready before his routine. You’ve got some guys who have a very deliberate routine – (Robinson) Cano, (David) Ortiz and others – not that that’s bad, but they’re going to have to speed up a little bit, and it may take them this much out of their game and that could be enough to get a pop out instead of a home run sometimes. I’m great with it because I work quickly."

  • Dickey averaged 18.3 seconds between pitches last year, second in pace among big-leaguers only to teammate Mark Buehrle’s 17.3 seconds. Could they get faster? "The clock starts for me when I get the ball back from the catcher, so if the hitter is already in the box, I’m not having to wait for him to get in the box, it seems logical that I’d be able to work quicker than I do now even," says Dickey. "That goes for everybody. I think you’ll see an uptick in everybody’s time in between pitches."

  • Checking in at camp Wednesday was Jose Bautista, who joined Russell Martin, Dioner Navarro, Ryan Goins, Kevin Pillar and Munenori Kawasaki in kicking a soccer ball around Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. The first full squad workout is Friday.

  • Also arriving was infielder Ramon Santiago, a non-roster invitee who entered the clubhouse all full of smiles. The Blue Jays will be looking at him in "a utility-type role," says manager John Gibbons. "He’s been doing it for a lot of years, is very good at it, you can put him at short, second base, third base, anywhere in the infield."

  • Santiago exchanged a hearty hug with Maicer Izturis, who is considered the prohibitive favourite to land the everyday second base job. Izturis missed most of last season after suffering a full tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee. "We hope he bounces back and is a good player for us," says Gibbons. "We don’t know the composition of the roster yet, but we want to get a good look at him, he may be the guy. He’s got so much value, you can bounce him around. He was off to a good start last year because he can hit, we all know that. We’ll see how it all plays out. He looks good, he looks the best I’ve ever seen him (physically) in his three years. He’s moving better, and you never know after a knee injury like that."

  • Prospect Devon Travis is a dark horse candidate to land the gig at second. Gibbons got good reports on Travis from both former Tigers manager Jim Leyland and current Tigers skip Brad Ausmus. "He got in a logjam over there, they’ve got Kinsler for a few more years, he kind of hit a dead end there," says Gibbons. "We’re glad to have him, but he’s always been able to hit. … He’s got some energy, he’s a professional type player." The Blue Jays acquired Travis in the November trade that sent Anthony Gose to Detroit.

  • Russell Martin used a larger catcher’s mitt supplied by Dickey during their bullpen session together Wednesday. A new one arrived for Martin but isn’t nearly as worked in as the other one, and the softness helps in containing the knuckleball. "I’m going to have to throw (the new one) in the microwave or something, maybe get some oil on it, wrap it with a softball in there and sleep on it," says Martin. "I’m going to find ways to help it."

  • Some of Dickey’s knuckleballs really impressed Martin, who described several of them as "filth." Where is Dickey at with the pitch? "I will say I am very happy with where I am, I won’t go any further than that," he says. "At the same time, spring training is to get me and to get everybody ready to peak when we break here. Traditionally, I have slow starts to the season and finished real strong, and I’d like to start strong and finish strong. In an effort to do that, I’m going to take my time a little bit more this year and hopefully peak at the right moment."

  • Brett Cecil was back on the mound Wednesday after missing Monday and all but a quick catch session Tuesday with an illness. "I thought he looked really good – I thought he looked a little pale, but he threw the ball well," says Gibbons.

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