The moment Danny Jansen started playing after he signed as a 16th-round pick in 2013, he started making fans in the Toronto Blue Jays system. Coaches and player development staff loved the way he receives and how he carries himself behind the plate, and often mentioned him as a player to watch.
"Danny is an old throwback guy who just takes a beating," catching co-ordinator Ken Huckaby, Jansen’s manager at single-A Dunedin last year, said earlier this spring. "And you never hear a peep out of him."
While his defence has largely earned him notice over his first four pro seasons, the 22-year-old’s bat is making plenty of noise so far this season, too. A .369/.422/.541 slash line in 31 games at Dunedin earned him a promotion to double-A New Hampshire, where the six-foot-two, 225-lb native of Elmhurst, Ill., looks to continue his progress both at the plate, as well as behind it.
"One thing I’ve kind of struggled with, just because I’ve put so much work into catching, making that my craft, is I haven’t devoted as much time to hitting as I’ve really needed to," Jansen said during spring training, when he spent some time in big-league camp. "You’ve got to find a balance. You’ve got to devote two days a week to just really focus on hitting, maybe if you’re not in that day, get in there early and really focus that day on hitting. Catching is always the main focus, doing a lot of work on it, and then find time every day and then maybe more two days a week to really bear down on hitting."
Jansen was projected to go much higher in the draft but his stock slipped when a foul tip struck him on the wrist and broke the pisiform, a pea-shaped bone where hand meets wrist, during the third game of his senior season at Appleton West High School in Wisconsin. A couple of months of recovery truncated his season and though he caught a playoff game with a brace on his wrist, his situation changed.
"A lot of teams backed away," says Jansen. "That’s when I really thought about college because a lot of teams went out the window and that was really stressful for me."
The Blue Jays stayed on him, however, and signed him for $100,000.
"I’m grateful for it every single day," Jansen says. "I really wanted to play pro ball – college is always going to be there."
Last year he played in 54 games at Dunedin and earned a trip to the Arizona Fall League, a showcase loop typically reserved for players parent teams are bullish on.
"I’ve come a long way (defensively) but I’ve still got many places to go with it and get better with it every day," says Jansen. "The beauty of catching is everybody has their own style. I love the way Russ (Martin) catches, Buster Posey, Yadier (Molina) and you pick bits and pieces from everybody and you make your own hybrid. So it’s really cool to watch people and when I watch a baseball game, I watch the catcher."
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Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Notes: Since opening the season .156/.276/.297 in his first 19 games, first baseman Rowdy Tellez recovered with a .271/.397/.407 line over his next 19 games before hitting another skid, riding an 0-for-14 heading into Wednesday’s play. The turnaround is similar to last year, when he got off to a slow start at double-A New Hampshire before acclimating to the level and taking off. … Outfielder Dalton Pompey returned to action at extended spring training this week, his first games since suffering a concussion playing for Canada at the World Baseball Classic. … Infielder Jon Berti, also working back from a concussion, has resumed baseball in Dunedin.
Rowdy Tellez, 22, 1B/DH
Acquired: 30th round, 2013 draft
Season to date: 136 PA | 3 HR | .200/.316/.322 | 19 BB | 26 K
Dwight Smith Jr., 24, OF
Acquired: 1st round, 2011 draft
Season to date: 139 PA | 3 HR | .290/.348/.419 | 11 BB | 24 K
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Double-A New Hampshire Fisher-Cats
Notes: Catcher Reese McGuire is working his way back from a strained left oblique in Dunedin and is expected to miss several more weeks. … Hot-starting centre-fielder Anthony Alford could be a couple more good weeks away from a promotion to triple-A. … Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley has allowed three runs over a combined 10 innings over two starts after a rough beginning to the season during which the Blue Jays feel he might have been pressing a bit. He’s also been making an effort to incorporate his change-up more regularly.
Anthony Alford, 22, OF
Acquired: 3rd round, 2012 draft
Season to date: 132 PA | 3 HR | .307/.402/.447 | 16 BB | 24 K
Danny Jansen, 22, C
Acquired: 16th round, 2013 draft
Season to date: 136 PA | 5 HR | .369/.422/.541 | 8 BB | 14 K
Reese McGuire, 22, C
Acquired: Trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Season to date: 63 PA | 2 HR | .216/.311/.373 | 8 BB | 11 K
Harold Ramirez, 22, OF
Acquired: Trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Season to date: 106 PA | 3 HR | .224/.267/.378 | 4 BB | 17 K
Richard Urena, 21, SS
Acquired: Signed as international free agent in 2012
Season to date: 147 PA | 1 HR | .205/.267/.280 | 12 BB | 30 K
Conner Greene, 22, pitcher
Acquired: 7th round, 2013 draft
Season to date: 3.27 ERA | 41.1 IP | 21 BB | 32 K
Jon Harris, 23, pitcher
Acquired: 1st round, 2015 draft
Season to date: 5.95 ERA | 39.1 IP | 11 BB | 30 K
Sean Reid-Foley, 21, pitcher
Acquired: 2nd round, 2014 draft
Season to date: 5.76 ERA | 25 IP | 17 BB | 26 K
Anthony Alford could find himself nearing a promotion. (Frank Gunn/AP)
Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Notes: Cuban prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr., has restarted baseball activity as he continues to rehab a strained right hamstring in Dunedin. The Blue Jays are trying to get him to work through some muscle imbalances in his body so the hamstring issue doesn’t become an ongoing problem. … Left-hander Ryan Borucki, added to the 40-man roster over the winter, struck out eight batters in a 3.2-inning outing earlier this month. The Blue Jays have been trying to keep his pitch count down as he comes off his first full season of pitching to ensure he finishes the year strong. … Max Pentecost has caught seven games so far as he returns from multiple shoulder surgeries, throwing out his first would-be base stealer. His receiving draws praise and has been working with manager John Schneider on improving his blocking.
Lourdes Gourriel Jr., 23, SS
Acquired: Signed as international free agent in 2016
Season to date: 2 PA | 0 HR | .500/.500/1.000 | 0 BB | 0 K
Max Pentecost, 24, C/1B
Acquired: 1st round, 2014 draft
Season to date: 125 PA | 8 HR | .293/.331/.543 | 7 BB | 30 K
T.J. Zeuch, 21, pitcher
Acquired: 1st round, 2016 draft
Season to date: 2.57 ERA | 35IP | 7 BB | 26K
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Low-A Lansing Lugnuts
Notes: Despite their video game numbers out of the gate, a quick promotion for teenagers Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette is unlikely. The Blue Jays see little benefit in pushing them through the system too quickly at such a young age. … Blue Jays staff have been impressed with the way starter Justin Maese has incorporated a change-up into his mix.
Bo Bichette, 19, SS
Acquired: 2nd round, 2016 draft
Season to date: 132 PA | 4 HR | .427/.451/.732 | 6 BB | 17 K
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 18, 3B
Acquired: Signed as international free agent in 2015
Season to date: 139 PA | 4 HR | .307/.417/.491 | 20 BB | 17 K
Justin Maese, 20, pitcher
Acquired: 3rd round, 2015 draft
Season to date: 4.09 ERA | 44 IP | 15 BB | 32 K
