• Players impressed by Saltalamacchia
• Sanchez may not start on opening day
• T.J. House out of hospital
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Russell Martin’s coaching duties with Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic have provided a timely opportunity for Blue Jays backup catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to make the rounds with his new pitching staff.
After Saturday’s game, Saltalamacchia has now caught all five Blue Jays starters, and the reviews have been more than favourable.
“He’s a big target. I feel good throwing to him—you feel like you’re not going to miss because he’s so high,” Marco Estrada said of the 6-foot-4 catcher after pitching to him in a game for the first time Saturday. “Today was encouraging for me. I like throwing to him.”
Aaron Sanchez, who entered the game after Estrada, offered similar praise.
“He’s a great addition to this club. I’m excited to work with him,” Sanchez said. “He’s very prepared every time out. That’s all you can ask from one of your teammates.”
That preparation has been key for Saltalamacchia this spring. He’s sat down with each of the Blue Jays starters at length to discuss their repertoires, their mechanics, how quickly they like to pitch, what they like to do to different hitters, and everything else you can imagine.
Even between innings, Saltalamacchia has been sitting on the bench with his pitchers, asking them what they liked and what they didn’t about previous sequences.
“We were going over a lot of different scenarios, and I liked what he was saying,” Estrada said. “I think he’s going to pick me up pretty quick and know what I want to do. We just need repetitions. The more I throw to him, the more comfortable he’ll be and the more comfortable I’ll be.”
There’s a lot of work to be done. The Blue Jays don’t exactly have the easiest staff to handle. Francisco Liriano’s stuff moves all over the place; Aaron Sanchez throws 97-mph bowling balls; Marcus Stroman uses six different pitches.
And the team features a starting catcher, Russell Martin, who rarely wants a day off. It’s challenging to play so sparingly as a backup and suddenly have to manage a starter’s outing having not worked with them in a while. That’s where all the off-field work comes in, and why it’s so important to maintain it regardless of playing time.
“He’s very engaged with this staff,” Sanchez said. “He doesn’t really know any of us. He’s competed against us so he kind of knows what we have. But to catch us on a daily basis, he’s had to be very engaged with us. And he knows a lot about us. It’s more about us trying to figure out what he likes to do behind the dish. I really can’t complain.”
Opening day start still up for grabs
The Blue Jays have begun charting their starting pitching plans for the beginning of the season, but aren’t yet ready to announce an opening day starter. According to manager John Gibbons, all five members of Toronto’s rotation are in contention for the start on April 3 in Baltimore.
“I would have no problem throwing any of them—and that’s a luxury,” Gibbons said. “I think they would all like to. But they can’t all do it. Whoever we pick, we’ll feel good.”
You can certainly build a case for all five. Sanchez led the American League in ERA last season. JA Happ won 20 games. Stroman started on opening day a year ago. Estrada has a 3.30 ERA since 2015 and is beloved by his teammates. Liriano probably has the best pure stuff on the team.
But the one starter who may have long odds of pitching on opening day is Sanchez. The 24-year-old has been brought along slowly this spring—Saturday’s appearance was his first—after throwing a career high 203.2 innings last season between the regular season and playoffs. Sanchez likely need to make one of the Blue Jays’ final starts of spring in order to get his pitch count up, which would preclude him from starting opening day.
Gibbons says he’ll choose his starter based on merit, the matchup with the Orioles, and which pitcher he feels most deserves the accolade.
“I think it’s an honour,” Gibbons said. “There are certain guys in the league who are the opening day guys every year of their career. But it’s kind of an honour that you can put on your wall knowing you did it one time.”
House out of hospital
Blue Jays left-hander T.J. House was released from hospital on Saturday after taking a comeback line drive off the back of his head in a game Friday afternoon. House was taken off the field in an ambulance and spent Friday night at Lakeland Regional Medical Center under observation.
CT scans did not reveal any damage to House’s skull, and he hasn’t been diagnosed with a concussion although he will continue to be monitored for one over the next several days. House will have to clear concussion protocol tests before he can return to baseball activities.
“I’m doing a lot better than I thought I would be doing today,” House said Saturday afternoon. “I’m just excited to be back here and get into a normal routine again.”
Stroman vs. Bautista
Two prominent Blue Jays teammates will clash Saturday night at the World Baseball Classic as Stroman’s United States plays Jose Bautista’s Dominican Republic.
“I’m looking forward to seeing that,” Gibbons said. “That’ll be interesting.”
But does the manager have a prediction?
“Depends on if [Stroman] challenges him or not,” Gibbons said. “Stro’s got a lot of pride. Jose’s hot—he’s locked in. So, I don’t know. Maybe Stro will strike him out once and Jose will hit a homer the other time.”
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