Young Blue Jays impressing vets, passing early tests

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- A series of subtle tests await young players when they reach the big leagues.

It’s not always about the obvious things you see on your TV each night. There’s a side of this that comes down to feel as veteran players and coaches watch how rookies deal with life in the big leagues, from the spotlight to the challenges that come with it.

Sometimes, if manager John Schneider is going to hit a player in a new spot in the lineup or play them at an unexpected position, he’ll give them a heads-up the night before. On Sunday night, Schneider knew he’d be batting Will Wagner cleanup on Monday at home against the Reds but chose not to give him advance notice. Instead, he just sent out the lineup and watched.

Wagner didn’t blink. Everything seems so normal to him, which is exactly what the Blue Jays’ coaches want to see. If he’d come in the next morning wired and chattering about batting cleanup in the big leagues, Schneider might have been worried, but Wagner is so steady. It’s the first thing Schneider noticed about him when Wagner made his MLB debut.

“How calm he is,” Schneider said. “You hear him talk in meetings and hear him talk through game situations, he’s just calm. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind. I really like his swing, too. You can see all of the video you want, but when you watch him get in there, control the zone and work an at-bat? It’s been pretty damn impressive.”

Schneider was expecting Wagner to handle it this way because he’s “a grown-up,” as the skipper put it. That’s not as common as you’d think.

In all of these subtle tests along the way, coaches and veterans are trying to figure a new player out. Is this 22- or 24-year-old a grown-up they can trust or are they still a kid? Can they handle the big moments or are they stuck in awe of their new surroundings? Leo Jiménez is another example of a player who, like Wagner, just fits right in and looks like a big leaguer. Most of this young wave of players have followed suit.

“I haven’t really had to do much, to be honest. A lot of these kids have been pretty impressive to watch,” Kevin Gausman said. “They go about this the right way. We’ll be there as veteran guys to keep them in line if they need to be kept in line, but nothing has really happened yet. They’ve been fun to watch. A lot of them are finding out what kind of players they’re going to be at this level. It’s fun to watch guys blossom, see their strengths become their strengths or their weaknesses be exploited. Watching them make adjustments on the fly is fun.”

Frankly, there aren’t many veterans left. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is filling that leadership role more now, even at 25, but outside of George Springer, it’s the veteran trio of Gausman, Chris Bassitt and José Berríos who helps set the tone.

“I always want the best for everyone here,” Berríos said. “Me, my teammates, everyone. We have the chance to get better every day, but right now, our teammates, we have a lot of young guys. They’ve played good baseball. They’re improving themselves. They show up to work, and thank God they get great results. That’s what all ballplayers want to see. Come to the park, work hard and get good results.”

Beyond the many metrics we use to measure players, it’s the feel for personalities that allows a coaching staff to decide whether they bench a player or keep rolling them out for another chance. Davis Schneider is a prime example, stuck in a long slump that he can’t seem to shake.

If Davis Schneider was immature and overwhelmed by the big leagues, see you later. That’s not the case, though. They trust the person, which is why John Schneider has stuck behind him and reminded his young left fielder that, for about a month in his brief MLB career, he was batting leadoff. It’s in there.

“He was open and honest about it,” John Schneider said, “and if anyone is going to figure something out through hard work, it’s going to be him.”

By passing these early tests, a player like Wagner earns immediate respect from the clubhouse and staff. More importantly, he earns the opportunity to figure things out down the road when things eventually do go wrong because the Blue Jays trust it won’t break him.