DUNEDIN, Fla. -- When George Springer bounced across home plate and broke into the long choreography of handshakes and high fives, he looked like a man who missed these moments.
Springer’s first home run of Spring Training during Friday's 11-7 win over the Phillies at TD Ballpark was the ultimate relief after a camp in which the numbers simply haven’t been there. Springer wasn’t sweating it, but still, he wanted to see one fall.
Waiting for Springer was Alejandro Kirk and Anthony Santander, who got their high fives before Springer broke into a quick dance with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Before he went down the dugout steps, Springer thrust his arms up into the air for the fans behind the dugout before parading up and down the runway of teammates. It all ended with a hug with new hitting coach David Popkins and a heavy high five for his manager, John Schneider.
“It was exciting,” Springer said, smiling after he exited the game in the seventh. “This is why you work. You work for moments like that to reassure yourself that everything you’re doing is on the right track. If you have to make adjustments, then that’s the name of the game, but at this point it’s good to see what I’ve been doing and that whole process slowly unfold.”
Springer continued to downplay spring numbers, saying that “now’s the time to fail,” and he has the full trust of the Blue Jays’ coaching staff in that. He’s also been putting in extra work with Popkins, whose arrival seems to have energized many of the Blue Jays’ biggest names.
Speaking on the Sportsnet broadcast with Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez soon after Springer's blast, Popkins praised the Blue Jays' outfielder for the work he’s been doing in the cages, which finally spilled over into a game.
“You’re just looking at the process,” Popkins said. “Is he swinging at good pitches? Is he swinging hard and with intent, not getting guarded? A lot of times when hitters are feeling a little off, they start being really safe with their moves and their bat speed starts to go down because they’re just trying to touch the ball. It’s just about making sure he’s up there swinging with intent, and that’s something he’s done his whole career.”
Like Schneider said earlier in the week, the Blue Jays don’t need Springer to hit 40 home runs and drive in 100 runs. They’d take it, but the definition for a successful season with Springer will come from moments like Friday’s home run.
The Blue Jays have their one-two-three punch in Bo Bichette, Guerrero and Santander, but they’ll need some added punch from the rest of the lineup. With Springer clearly vacating his long-held leadoff spot, one path to success could be him chasing more power, delivering some big blows along the way.
The real games haven’t started yet, of course, but if nothing else, Friday’s big fly was an opportunity for Springer to exhale before a crucial season begins.
Keegan Matheson covers the Blue Jays for MLB.com.