BRADENTON, Fla. – With Marcus Stroman battling shoulder inflammation, Aaron Sanchez returning from a lost season due to blister issues, and Marco Estrada working to bounce back from a year in which his ERA ended up just south of five, Toronto Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ gets a little forgotten.
The low-maintenance left-hander just goes about his business, quietly and efficiently preparing for his 10th season as a full-time major-leaguer. And the uneventfulness of his second spring outing Thursday, in a 4-1 Blue Jays loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates speaks to that nature.
Happ threw two innings, striking out three and allowing only one hit – a home run off the bat of Sean Rodriguez. He got up to 32 pitches (20 strikes, five swinging) and although his velocity was slightly below where it normally is in his first inning, he was back up to 92 m.p.h. in his second.
Happ said he didn’t feel his best in the first – he still retired all three batters he faced – but made a quick adjustment between innings to get his arm moving more directly towards the plate during his delivery, rather than around his body.
“Sometimes, as you go, you get a little looser, feel a little better,” he said. “I feel like I had a little bit better stride, a little better finish, in the second inning. A little more crispness on the pitches, maybe.
“I felt better in the second inning, but I felt good overall.”
Happ’s coming off a strong 2017 in which he put up a 3.53 ERA over 145.1 innings pitched. He missed around six weeks early in the season due to elbow inflammation, but made every start from that point forward.
He was worth 2.9 fWAR, giving him 6.1 over the first two years of the three-year, $36-million deal he signed with Toronto in November 2015. The Blue Jays have already gotten terrific value on that contract, and should have a motivated Happ pitching this year as he approaches free agency again.
Of course, the market he’s slated to enter come winter will likely be a much different one than he experienced in 2015, considering the rough ride veteran players encountered this past offseason. Unless he signs an extension during the season, Happ will turn 36 just days before he hits free agency.
One potential – although admittedly imperfect – comparison from this year’s market is 35-year-old Jason Vargas, who earned a two-year, $16-million contract after an all-star season in which he posted a 4.16 ERA over 32 outings. There’s also 37-year-old C.C. Sabathia, who signed a one-year, $10-million deal after posting a 3.69 ERA over 27 starts.
It’s surely a lot to think about, but Happ says he’s focused on pitching well for the Blue Jays in 2018, and letting things play out as they will.
“You just try not to get caught up in that. Players know that in the back of their head. But, from my standpoint, I’m going to focus just on the team and just try to go about my business as usual,” Happ said. “I think the rest of the stuff will take care of itself. Otherwise, I just think it adds more pressure to your situation.”
Happ will aim for around 45 pitches in his next outing as he continues to build towards the season.
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Grichuk out for a few days
Blue Jays right fielder Randal Grichuk sprained his left wrist making a diving catch in Wednesday’s game at Dunedin Stadium. The injury isn’t believed to be severe, but the 26-year-old will nevertheless sit out for a few days to allow it to heal.
“It won’t be long,” Gibbons said. “But no need for swinging the bat and irritating it any more.”
Grichuk is slated to be the Blue Jays everyday right fielder this season and is coming off a year in which he hit .238/.285/.473 with 22 home runs in 442 plate appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gibbons pleased with young outfield depth
When Ezequiel Carrera was designated for assignment earlier this week, it essentially locked in Toronto’s opening day outfield. Grichuk will be in right, Kevin Pillar will play centre, and Steve Pearce and Curtis Granderson are expected to form a platoon in left.
That certainty is good news for the Blue Jays, but perhaps not so much for the young outfielders trying to crack the club’s roster. Anthony Alford, Teoscar Hernandez, Dalton Pompey and Dwight Smith Jr. are all in camp, on the 40-man roster, and have major-league experience on their resumes. Then there’s non-roster invitees Jonathan Davis and Roemon Fields, who both topped out in the high minors last season. All six of those players are 25 or younger, with the exception of Fields who is 27.
Barring the unforeseen, the entirety of that group will likely filter out to the minor-leagues by the end of camp, and provide the Blue Jays with a wealth of young outfield depth to call upon if a replacement is needed in the majors. Gibbons is certainly happy to have it, while conceding the minor-league bound players may feel differently.
“I like it more than they like it,” he said. “But, to be a good organization, you’ve got to be able to fill some gaps when injuries occur. It was a struggle with that a little bit last year. But now we feel good.
“They all could potentially fill an important role on this team in the near future. There’s been some areas where we really haven’t been able to do that the last couple of years. It’s encouraging. There’s some good competition down there.
“They’ve just got to play, produce, and wait for their opportunity.”
Tellez away from team
First base prospect Rowdy Tellez has left Blue Jays camp and gone home to California to be with his mother, Lori, who was diagnosed with melanoma last year.
“She’s had some health problems,” Gibbons said. “I’m not sure how long he’s going to be gone.”
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