Bichette on Blue Jays: 'We have a chance to do something special'

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled into parking spot No. 1 at the Blue Jays’ complex on Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET, it finally felt like things were back to normal.

Less than 24 hours after MLB and the MLBPA agreed to a new CBA, ending the lockout, big leaguers began pouring into camp. Moments after Guerrero climbed out of his car, José Berríos parked behind him. Soon after it was Teoscar Hernández, who ran inside to find Bo Bichette and a handful others who had already arrived.

For one of baseball’s most talented young group of players, coming off a 91-71 record that left them inches from the postseason five months ago, Friday was the day they’ve been waiting for. With room for another major move or two prior to Opening Day, everything about this roster points to October, and the players are finally able to start working toward that.

“This is what we’ve been wanting to do,” said Bichette. “Just to get out here is good for the soul.”

Many players, including Bichette, have lived nearby all offseason but were unable to use the team's facilities. Their communication with one another was constant, and although it was easy to get swept up in the daily news cycle of CBA negotiations, Bichette and others worked to maintain a focus on the season ahead ... whenever that might come.

“I tried to let the guys in charge do their thing,” Bichette said. “My day will come to have more of a voice, but as of now, they’re doing it. For me, it was about focusing on what I have to do to be ready and making sure I don’t wear myself out too much. There was a lot of uncertainty, but I’m happy with how I dealt with it.”

On the field, it was a party. The playlist bounced from Tupac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love” to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody," then pivoted to Dion’s 1961 hit “Runaround Sue," a nod to the 1994 movie "Little Big League." Guerrero, Bichette and Hernández cycled through the cage for batting practice, launching rockets while they shouted back and forth. You could feel the entire complex coming to life.

The biggest smile belonged to manager Charlie Montoyo, who’s been around camp waiting for his team. He saw a group of young players who took control of their own offseason and held one another accountable as a group, not 40 individuals.

“You know why? Because of what we’ve gone through,” Montoyo said. “We didn’t have a home for two years. These guys never complained. They get along so good, and that’s why we do so well. Other teams might have complained about not playing at home or said it’s not fair, but we never did that. That’s what got us closer together.”

What lies ahead is a unique Spring Training. Granted, the word “unique” has lost some of its edge after the past two years, so Montoyo trusts his team and staff to handle the shortened schedule as well as anyone. This starts with an approach that will be far more individualized than in past years.

“We’re going to have to communicate with our players a lot and see how they’re doing physically. We have to do it,” Montoyo said. “This Spring Training is going to be about them. What do they need? Do they need more live batting practice? More games? It’s going to take a lot of communication.”

Losing a chunk of the regular season would have been particularly harsh on the Blue Jays. Berríos, George Springer, Kevin Gausman and Hyun Jin Ryu are all on big deals as club leaders while the young core, led by Bichette and Guerrero, are already stars. This is, by every letter of the definition, the sweet spot for the Blue Jays. Now that there’s 162 games spread out in front of them, it’s go time.

“I think we have a chance to do something special,” Bichette said. “It’s going to be six months of working as hard as we can and being prepared as well as we can. We’ll see what happens, but I believe in this team and I believe in the talent we have.”