Better Blue Jays defence didn’t happen overnight. Sure-handed Matt Chapman is just part of the story

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This article was published 18/04/2022 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blue Jays’ defence has been a liability for the better part of three years. This season might be an entirely different story.

One of the early takeaways from the Jays’ first 10 games has been their improved work with the glove, and the gains haven’t been just at third base. They’re taking place all over the field.

It seems like Charlie Montoyo’s squad has already made as many highlight-reel plays as it did all last season. In the outfield, there have been diving grabs by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernández, before he hit injured list with a strained oblique. Around the infield, fewer balls are sneaking through.

After repeatedly giving away outs in previous years, the Jays are now regularly taking them back. Even though the starting pitchers have struggled for the most part, it’s a trend that should eventually lead to the best run prevention they’ve had in several years.

“Experience, guys understanding that we have to do better, we have to be better,” centre-fielder George Springer said of his team’s improved fielding. “You obviously see the hard work that’s being put in every day and just that drive to be better. I think it’s slowly but surely starting to show up … To be successful, yeah, we have to score runs, but we have to prevent runs, too.”

It has taken a while to get to this point. In 2019, the Jays ranked 27th in the majors with minus-27 outs above average and minus-21 runs prevented. The following year, during an abbreviated season, they were even worse with minus-17 OAA and minus-14 runs prevented, which ranked 28th. Only the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels had poorer numbers. Last year, the Jays moved up to 20th spot with minus-13 OAA and minus-11 runs prevented.

The current season is far too young for the advanced stats to matter, but there have been a lot of positive reviews via eye test.

Matt Chapman’s presence at third has transformed the left side of the infield, while Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio are both competent replacements with the glove for the departed Marcus Semien at second base.

But even the guys who have been here for the last several years appear to be showing a lot of improvement. Hernández, whose injury wasn’t as serious as initially feared, no longer looks lost in the outfield like he did at the outset of his Jays career, Springer has solidified centre, and even Gurriel has started to take better routes to fly balls on a more consistent basis.

The work around the infield has been just as impressive. A couple of years ago, there was some doubt about whether Bo Bichette would be able to stick at shortstop or have to transition to second base. After a steady year with the glove in 2021, that’s no longer a talking point worthy of debate. He’s the Jays’ shortstop and will remain right where he is at least for his next four years of control.

“For me, I don’t mind if they put it in play with the guys we have behind us,” Jays closer Jordan Romano said. “I’m going to use them as much as possible. They’ve been making great plays and third base added a platinum glover; that’s huge. Whenever a ball is hit, I’m just totally confident in the boys and it has been awesome so far.”

The Jays wouldn’t have gotten this far without a lot of hard work. When reporters arrive at the ballpark every day, the scene on the field is almost always the same. A few feet in front of the dugout, coaches such as Luis Rivera and Gil Kim put infielders through a series of drills.

The fielders wear small gloves that look like they could be worn in elementary school. They get down on their knees while grounders and short hops are fed to them by a coach or machine a few feet away. The goal is to improve their glovework and feel for the ball before continuing on the infield dirt in more game-like scenarios.

Teams often make defence a point of emphasis during spring training, but a lot of the drills usually fall by the wayside once the regular season begins. For the Jays, it’s like they’ve been treating their pre-game routine like an extension of camp and the work is never done.

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“It was like in the minor leagues, they just needed to get better,” Montoyo said when asked to compare 2019 to his current team. “I knew they were going to get better — the tools are there. Just have to be patient.

“Everything I do as a manager, I (remember) as a player I was better at 27 than I was at 22. I wasn’t like (Vladimir) Guerrero or those guys, but you know what I’m saying: people get better. Even when they were struggling they worked so hard, and when people work hard they’re going to get better.”

Montoyo has spent most of the last few years preaching pitching and defence. Ironically, his team didn’t have much of either for quite a while, but that appears to be changing.

The pitching staff will be even more effective without the defensive blunders behind them. That goal used to seem impossible, but over time it has consistently improved. Even though this group still might not be among the league’s best any time soon, being close to average should be good enough considering this club’s strengths elsewhere.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca