March 3, 2021

By Drew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

It had been almost a calendar year since Auston Martin last played in a competitive game, prior to Monday’s exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It was 355 days to be exact.

Though he was at Toronto’s alternate training site in Rochester, N.Y. in 2020, his last true competitive action came in a March 11 game that saw the Florida native put up a 3-for-4 effort against the Toledo Rockets.

Needless to say, the Blue Jays’ first-round draft pick was excited to get back out there.

“That was the longest I have gone without playing a game in my entire career,” said the 21-year-old Vanderbilt Commodores standout via Zoom on Tuesday. “It was good to get back on the dirt, knock some off the dust and get back to playing ball again.”

Navigating his first big-league camp, Martin’s focus this spring remains on being adaptable. He’s taking cues from Cavan Biggio, who had a similar mentality when he broke into professional baseball at the same age five years ago.

“(Cavan) asked me where I wanted to play, and I said ‘I’m a ball player. Just put me in the lineup and put me on the field,’” said Martin. “We share a similar mindset. He encouraged me to stay on that path of being versatile. He understands how his role on the team has helped because he can bounce around those positions. He’s sharing that information with me as well.”

For now, Martin considers himself a shortstop until management says otherwise. He knows that defensive flexibility is a big part of today’s game and is excited to showcase his skills around the diamond over the next four weeks.

“I think versatility is a key aspect of my game, and it’s part of my identity as a baseball player,” added Martin on Tuesday. “If I can keep myself flexible, I think that’s a benefit not only for myself but to the entire organization as a whole.”

Manager Charlie Montoyo has told reporters that Martin will soon take fly balls in the outfield. Martin started in the infield last spring with Vandy but was moved to the outfield.

SHORT HOPS

_ For the third time in as many days, a left-handed Blue Jays’ starter pounded the strike zone early. Tuesday was Steven Matz’s turn. The 29-year-old faced seven batters on the afternoon, allowing a hit and striking out three over his two innings. Of his 21 pitches, 15 were strikes.

_ Lourdes Gurriel hit his first home run of the spring, a 413-foot drive to deep left centre. In 105 career Grapefruit League at-bats dating back to his first spring in big league camp, the Blue Jays’ outfielder now owns a batting average of .353 with 18 extra-base hits.

_ Appearing in his second spring tune-up, INF Bo Bichette walked for a third time this spring. He drew just five free passes in 29 regular-season games last year (128 plate appearances).

_ With the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the Blue Jays will play a rare night game on Wednesday against the New York Yankees. It’s one of four such contests this spring, the next of which coming on March 23 against Philadelphia.

-Follow Andrew Hendriks on Twitter (@77hendriks)