What makes Varsho so good in center? 'He's not afraid of the wall'

TORONTO -- Daulton Varsho has mastered the moment when man meets wall.

There's a choreography to it all, but first, there’s a decision Varsho needs to make: Does he have time to control his climb, or does he need to buckle up for a car crash?

“He’s not afraid of the wall,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He verbalizes that. If you’re going to be an elite outfielder, you can’t be afraid of the wall.”

Instead, walls are afraid of Daulton Varsho, one of the best defenders in the sport who has learned how to avoid the big hit when he can. Ideally, as Varsho races back towards the wall to make a play, he’ll have enough time to position his body for contact.

This can mean getting a cleat into the padding of the wall to launch himself into a climb, a strategy that works best when he’s approaching the wall head-on. If he’s coming in at an angle, Varsho tries to get a hand, a knee, a hip -- anything -- out in front to soften the collision. This isn’t just about limiting the thud of his body against the padding and whatever lies beyond it, but about maintaining full control of his body and glove, not jarring it suddenly while he tries to make the play.

“I’m really good at figuring out how to get my foot in the wall most of the time to extend myself,” Varsho said Thursday before the Blue Jays’ 5-3 win over the Angels. “Then, in the corners, especially with how the walls are here, it’s about understanding how to slide into it without having to hurt yourself. You have to slide into it correctly without getting your foot stuck and all of the sudden, you’ve rolled your ankle.”

If that’s the right way to go into the wall, then what’s the wrong way?

“Full speed, like what I did in Seattle,” Varsho said. “I would say that was… not necessarily the way you want to go into the wall. That was a play where I could have either let the ball hit off the wall and they get runs or I take the risk.”

Varsho lives a simpler life now as the Blue Jays’ full-time center fielder. Kevin Kiermaier, one of the only men on the planet talented enough to keep Varsho in left field, was dealt to the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline, opening the door for Varsho to start each night where he belongs.

The numbers are dominant, backing up every clip on the highlight reel. Varsho has a Fielding Run Value of +16, the highest of any player at any position. His ball skills are remarkable around the wall, but he sets himself up for those moments by getting some of the best breaks of any outfielder. We define a “jump” as the first three seconds after the ball leaves the bat, and in those three seconds, Varsho covers 3.8 feet more than the average outfielder. Only Jacob Young of the Nationals (3.9 feet) covers more with his jump.

Every outfield wall is different in shape, in material and in softness. Houston’s left field and San Francisco’s right field pop into Varsho’s mind as particularly unique walls to play up against. In the Blue Jays’ recent trip to Wrigley Field in Chicago, home to the ivy and the brick walls that lurk behind it, Varsho’s strategy was to get to the wall as quickly as possible, then try to be more “straight up” with his jump.

Growing up, Varsho’s father, Gary, coached with the Phillies and Pirates after his playing days. Varsho would shag batting practice balls in the outfield, learning the walls as a kid.

There’s an element of football to all of this, too. Varsho was a standout football player in high school, named to the 2013 Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State Team as a safety.

“I think that playing multiple sports is huge for any one kid,” Varsho said. “You learn different skills. In our game, there’s a lot of rotating and being able to open up your hips. I was a defensive guy and also a punt returner. I was always able to take my eye off the ball and check where guys were coming from when I was returning punts. That helps, but obviously, not being afraid of taking the big hit helps, too.”

Varsho has taken some of those big hits over the years, but the wall never wins if you hold onto the ball.