Inbox: Biggest surprise of spring camp so far?

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Opening Day is finally creeping up on the horizon, which means the Blue Jays’ roster battles should begin to narrow themselves down in the coming days.

Here are the questions on your mind with under three weeks remaining in Spring Training:

Who's been your biggest surprise at camp so far?
-- @MarkB_3

Catcher Alejandro Kirk is the easy answer, but it’s easy for a reason. The club’s No. 5 prospect is 5-foot-9 with his cleats on and 265 pounds, but the Blue Jays rave about his work behind the plate. We throw around the term “natural” too freely sometimes, but Kirk is a great example of what that actually looks like. Simply put, he just makes it work.

Sticking behind the plate, Danny Jansen’s performance at the plate is worth watching, because some early results are following a major change he made to his routine. If Jansen can push his OPS up to the neighbourhood of .725 and play the same brand of defense that got him nominated for a Gold Glove Award last season, that’s an extremely valuable player.

Who leads the Jays in home runs in 2020? How about steals?
-- J.R. (Vancouver)

The mind jumps immediately to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette, and Randal Grichuk belted 31 last season, but give me Teoscar Hernández as a less obvious pick. If he can limit the strikeouts just a bit more, there are 35 home runs in that bat.

On the bases, Cavan Biggio very quietly went 14-for-14 last year stealing bases. He picks his spots extremely well and gets on base enough to make it happen, even without a burner profile. Bichette might rack up a few out of the leadoff spot, too.

Do you foresee more multi-inning relief outings this year? If so, from whom and in what situations?
-- @smerredew

Toronto’s reliance on openers and bullpen games in 2019 forced the club to carry a handful of multi-inning relievers, or pitchers who were at least able to stretch beyond one inning. That’s changed, with a greater focus on high-velocity arms that manager Charlie Montoyo loves, but you’re right, they’ll still need some bulk from time to time.

Sam Gaviglio will be the main guy when the Blue Jays need to pick up after a short outing from a starter, which usually means they’re playing from behind. Gaviglio flirted with 100 innings last year out of the bullpen, and he’s got a rubber arm. Shun Yamaguchi will be part of that picture, too. Assuming Yamaguchi misses out on a rotation spot, he’ll be fully stretched out as a swing man.

Keep an eye on Wilmer Font, too. He was often used as an opener over the latter half of 2019, but 16 of his 23 appearances with the Blue Jays were two innings or more. While Gaviglio is likelier to eat innings in lopsided games, Font could be the reliever who bridges the gap between the fifth and seventh when things are tight.

How quickly do you see the youth movement taking over the pitching staff?
-- @Erik_G_T

I don’t see the pitching staff going the way of Toronto’s lineup, necessarily. Developing hitters and paying for pitchers is certainly a strategy that’s worked before, but some balance is ideal (see: Nate Pearson).

It’s too early to project the 2021 rotation, and a lot could change if one of the Blue Jays’ 10-plus young depth arms take a significant step, but there should be an opening or two. The Blue Jays have said all along that they’ll spend big when they think it will put them over the top and into playoff contention, so another veteran arm seems to fit that idea eventually. The bullpen could go a bit younger, though, as some of the club’s young starters are shortened up in relief roles.