Canadian major leaguer Michael Saunders has had his fair share of ups and downs—both on the field and off—through the first six seasons of his pro career. Now that he’s a Blue Jay, not to mention a father with a growing family, he’s ready to fulfill his potential.
Sportsnet magazine staff writer Arden Zwelling visited him at his home in Castle Rock, Colo., for a feature profile in the latest edition, on newsstands now.
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Here are the top three things we learned from the story:
Saunders has a great sense of the moment: Saunders’s first major-league home run came at SafeCo Field on Mother’s Day, 2010, and his mom, Jane, was in the stands to see it. He even got the ball and gave it to her after the game.
He’s not afraid to look silly if it’ll help his game: After the 2011 season, Saunders completely rebuilt his swing with the help of coach Mike Bard and his unusual techniques. Bard used large rubber bands and a sawed-off pool noodle to stabilize Saunders’s lower body and fix his upper body in place, and had him take pitch after pitch. It took Saunders more than a week to start making consistent contact, but eventually the new positioning become second nature. The following year, his major-league OPS jumped more than 300 points.
In the off-season, Saunders treats training like a nine-to-five job: From Monday to Friday he spends mornings lifting weights, and afternoons hitting and playing long toss with former major leaguer Jason Bates. Well, actually it’s more like a nine-to-2:30 job. That’s when he picks up his daughter, Aria, from preschool.