BRADENTON, Fla. – Big picture, most of the decisions the Toronto Blue Jays make this spring will revolve around the pitching staff.
There will be diversions along the way, such as the one that emerged Tuesday when Ross Atkins told MLB Network Radio “I just don’t see (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) as a major-league player,” and for a day or a week the discussion around the team will shift. But realistically, it’s apparent that Blue Jays personnel can’t honestly answer questions about the sport’s top prospect just yet. At the same time, promoting Guerrero Jr., on opening day would be a waste under the rules of baseball’s collective agreement, so for now we get non-answers.
Regardless of what Atkins says, there’s not really a decision to be made with Guerrero Jr., at this point. He might debut on April 12, or April 22 or May 2 but it won’t be on opening day and understandably so.
More pressing are the decisions facing the Blue Jays in the meantime. On paper, their rotation’s all set, but the competition in the bullpen remains wide open. The next few weeks will determine the shape of the pitching staff, and Wednesday’s spring training win over the Pirates offered a few hints as to how the Blue Jays’ roster could look when they break camp.
First, and most importantly, Matt Shoemaker had a successful Blue Jays debut during which his fastball reached 93 m.p.h. Shoemaker, who signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Toronto in December, said he felt “great” physically – an encouraging sign considering forearm issues limited him to just seven starts in 2018.
“That’s good to see his first outing,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “His split was good, his command was good and he’s doing fine (physically) which is also very good.”
At times, Shoemaker wasn’t coordinating his upper and lower half as well as he hoped, but there were also more encouraging moments where his trademark splitter moved exactly the way he wanted. It was as a 14-year-old when he first started throwing the pitch. Now 32 and entering his seventh big-league season, he throws it 28 per cent of the time.
“Some responded really well and at times some weren’t exactly what I wanted,” Shoemaker said. “The splitty, sometimes it was there, sometimes it was not located where I want, or came out of my hand a little differently.”
The splitter typically arrives at home plate at 85-86 m.p.h., a change of pace compared to the fastball that sat in the 91-93 m.p.h. range Wednesday. But Shoemaker has thrown the pitch for nearly two decades now, so he can vary its speed by 5-7 m.p.h. depending on the situation. At this point, with the regular season still a full month away, he’s pleased with his progress.
“I’m close,” he said. “Maybe some people say they’re 100 per cent ready. Overall, I feel like I’m right there but I know in a few more weeks I’m just going to get a little bit better, a little bit more prepared, physically, mechanically and strength wise.”
Meanwhile, Clayton Richard has yet to make his spring debut, but Montoyo expects that will happen by next week. If both starters can emerge from spring training healthy then the biggest questions facing the Blue Jays might exist in the bullpen, rather than the rotation.
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Those who followed Shoemaker in the 2-1 Grapefruit League win also pitched well, and Elvis Luciano was the most interesting of all. Luciano, a Rule 5 pick who just turned 19, touched 94 m.p.h. while featuring a change-up that Montoyo described as ‘outstanding.’ He struck out two of the four hitters he faced while also allowing a ground-ball single and inducing a pop-up.
“That kid,” Montoyo said. “The change-up’s nasty and he throws strikes. A sneaky fastball, too. I can’t believe he’s 19 since he’s so relaxed. He’s been fun to watch so far.”
At first glance, the notion of carrying a 19-year-old pitcher all season sounds improbable at best. After all, no teenager threw a pitch at the MLB level in 2018. Yet Luciano’s first two outings have undeniably been impressive, and it’s not as though Toronto’s bullpen has many locks at this stage.
Granted, no one would blink an eye if Atkins said of Luciano “I just don’t see him as a major-league player.” Few teenagers are. But while Guerrero Jr. has no chance of reaching the majors on opening day, Luciano might actually have a shot.
“Impressive, that’s the word,” Montoyo said. “Keep pitching like that.”
