The Toronto Blue Jays took on the Detroit Tigers in Grapefruit League action on Thursday afternoon and it was glorious!

They hit four homers, pitched well, and provided fans with a shot in the arm in the “dog days of spring”.

George Springer, who had been held out of Tuesday’s game with abdominal tightness, got the party started.

Next, it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who laced a Michael Fulmer offering to straightaway center. It was his first big fly of the spring and highlighted a 3-3, 4 RBI performance.

Came across this interesting article that has high hopes for Vladdy in 2021.

Alejandro Kirk is one of the more intriguing prospects in Jays’ camp. There are questions about his ability to remain behind the plate.

For his part, Kirk has shown up to camp in good shape. He also showed off his opposite-field power.

RRRRROAR(K)!

After a rough 2020 campaign, Tanner Roark is still considered a favorite to land a spot on the starting rotation. And so far he looks up to the task.

Roark pitched three clean innings and only gave up one hit. He has made a change in his delivery which seems to be working for him.

Spring Statcast Studs

Nate Pearson had the highest average velocity (98.4 mph) on his fastball in the first set of Statcast data made available. He’s still recovering from a groin strain, although it’s not thought to be serious.

Catching prospect Gabriel Moreno also impressed with an 81.1 mph throw to second base. It matched the highest average arm strength recorded last season.

Joey Murray had the fourth-highest spin rates for his fastball (2,706 rpm) and the highest (3,105 rpm) for his curveball. Although he’s not expected to make the Opening Day roster, Murray is a prospect to keep an eye on.

I got this information from an article I read on MLB.com.

Jays Jots

In an effort to give their fans some access to the team, the Jays unveiled Field Cam this week. It’s a video feed that’s available on their website that shows their games on a split-screen. On one screen is the pitcher-batter matchup with a field view for the other cam.

Steven Matz looked sharp once again in his second appearance of the Spring.

The Jays’ depth outfielders have impressed early on in camp. Forrest Wall, Josh Palacios, and Jonathan Davis have all looked like they belong in limited action.

There’s a spirited battle waging for the final roster spot between Santiago Espinal and Joe Panik.

Ross Likes Ross

It appears that Ross Stripling will get the first chance at a spot in the rotation if Pearson is unavailable.

Wrap

It was only a meaningless Spring Training game, but it was a snapshot of future success. Obviously the Jays can’t expect that kind of offensive explosion every game, but it was encouraging.

They got big performances from key contributors, which is exactly what they’ll need to be competitive in the American League East this season.

 Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it! Check out more of my articles here and other belly-up content here. Follow me on Twitter here
About Author

Graeme Wallace

My name is Graeme Wallace and I love sports I grew up with the Blue Jays World Series Championship teams in '92 and '93. There were some lean years in between but some good ones too, all leading up to Jose Bautista's epic bat flip in 2015. I'm so excited to be a part of Belly Up Sports!

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