With much to accomplish during training camp, the BlueJays will need to be creative and resourceful to make the most of limited time before a 60-game season. (via ArdenZwelling)
Yes, a little sun never hurt anyone — particularly not players and staff who will be rushing to prepare for a season unlike they’ve ever experienced under less-than ideal circumstances. Next week’s workouts at Rogers Centre will occur in waves, with staggered groups of players taking the field throughout the day. The hours will be extremely long for coaches and staff in particular, as players cycle in and out, each on their own individualized progression.
“It’s about using every ounce of your facility and as much of your day as you can possibly use without taxing staff too much,” Atkins said. “Spreading things out more. Having less people in confined and restricted areas for less time. When we do have a larger number of people there, having it be for very short periods of time. Thinking about that as its happening across the entire day as opposed to a traditional workout that could be started and finished within three to four hours.
And it’s not hard to envision scenarios in which the Blue Jays will be dipping into that pool. Say, for example, on day one of a six-game road trip Toronto’s starting pitcher is injured in the second inning and leaves the game. A succession of relievers pick up the pieces, but the next night Toronto’s starter gets shelled and can only record five outs, forcing the bullpen to carry a heavy load again.
And when that season starts, the intensity and magnitude of each game will be elevated as team’s try to shoot out of the blocks in a 60-game sprint to the playoffs. Pitchers will be trying to execute with as much conviction as possible; hitters will be more dialled in to every plate appearance; managers will have a quicker trigger as they try to never let their team fall too far out of a game. Not everyone’s performance will meet the challenge.
“We have an incredibly creative player development staff — many of those members will be with us in Buffalo. And we’ve already started to talk about what that could look like,” Atkins said. “There’s a lot of creativity that has occurred and a lot of collaboration with our performance staff to make sure we’re tapping into sports science and tapping into opportunities to prioritize goals that we have for individuals. And we’ll look to create competition in every possible way.
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