Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho making his case to be baseball's 'best outfielder'

TORONTO — John Schneider had just answered the final question of his post-game press availability on Sunday when he decided to volunteer one more quote. 

As the Blue Jays manager got up from his seat atop the stage in the Rogers Centre media conference room, he leaned in to the microphone and blurted it out:

"Daulton Varsho is the best outfielder in baseball." 

Schneider was referencing Varsho's running catch in Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Blue Jays up by two runs in the seventh inning, Varsho gave chase in centre field to a 110.5 m.p.h. bullet off the bat of Rowdy Tellez. He caught the ball while fully extended before sliding on the warning track and twisting his body to avoid a dangerous collision with the wall.

"I think he just gets underrated because he makes plays look easy that are not," Schneider said when asked about his comment the next day. "To me, that was a huge part of the game... Everyone kind of forgets about Varsh. It's just a really, really difficult play. So, I wanted to make sure people understand how good he is."

Varsho was an excellent defender last season as he transitioned to left field following a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, it appears as though he's actually improving this year and those inside the Blue Jays clubhouse will rush to tell you that Varsho doesn't nearly receive the amount of recognition he deserves.

"I don't think he gets enough love," said Blue Jays centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier. "He's just getting more experience and getting smarter out there with what he wants to do." 

Varsho led all big-leaguers with 29 defensive runs saved last year, two more than San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. Varsho is once again atop the leaderboard this season with 12 DRS, as measured by Sports Info Solutions, and is on pace to eclipse last year's total. 

Across the board, the advanced stats paint the picture of a player who's continuing to improve. Varsho was fifth in MLB with 11 Outs Above Average in 2023 and so far in this campaign he's No. 1 with eight OAA.

"I think he just continues to get better and better," said Mark Budzinski, Blue Jays first base coach and outfield instructor. "I hope the league takes notice of that because we all kind of feel like he got screwed last year with not getting a Gold Glove. He's one of the best there is."    

Sunday's contest against the Pirates offered a window into Varsho's defensive IQ. His impressive catch to rob Tellez in the seventh was made possible by an in-game adjustment. 

In the fifth, Tellez ripped a screaming 105.7 m.p.h. liner to centre. Varsho's route to the ball was more direct than back and, as a result, he wasn't able to make the catch. Varsho filed that information away and then, two frames later, Tellez crushed another ball to almost the exact same spot. 

"The reason I didn't catch the first one is because right away my instinct didn't think that it had backspin on it," Varsho said. "So, I kind of cut across and I realized, 'Oh (expletive), I have to go back a little bit more and I ran out of time. But the one that I got right, I opened up my hips perfectly and I was able to make a straight line to the wall."

Varsho spent time as a catcher as well as in centre and right while with the Diamondbacks, but transitioned to left field in Toronto because of the presence of Kiermaier, who owns four Gold Gloves and is one of his generation's premier centre-fielders. 

Upon arriving with the Blue Jays, Varsho says he worked with his father, Gary, a former big-league outfielder, on improving his footwork and the polished defensive product we see today is a direct result of that. 

Gary, who spent time coaching with the Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies, identified that Varsho had trouble opening his right hip and that impacted his first move on balls hit to his right. His left hip, however, was much more agile and so they devised a plan for Varsho's "ready position" to include him standing with his left foot staggered in front of his right. 

"I can turn better to my left than I can to my right," said Varsho. "So, I'm cheating to the right knowing that I can still open up my left side, even though it's closed off."

Varsho admits it's unorthodox for an outfielder to not stand with their feet even, however the adjustment has worked for him. It didn't click until about midway through last season but it's second nature now. He trusts his body and it shows. 

"The footwork piece really got him going," said Budzinski, who during his own playing days worked with Varsho's father while in spring training with the Phillies. "It (needed) some trial and error and he played around with it and got to a point where he feels comfortable being able to go in any right direction."

Budzinski lauded Varsho's work ethic, saying the outfielder's preparation is "second to none." 

Kiermaier agrees, noting Varsho is "educated well beyond his years."  

"I watch him on the back fields in spring training," said Kiermaier. "He's always working on his game one way or another, so everything that comes his way does not come by surprise. He works his butt off. He makes plays more times than not because he is ready for every pitch."

The 34-year-old Kiermaier is on a one-year deal with the Blue Jays, while Varsho, 27, is under club control through the 2026 campaign. While playing primarily left field last season, Varsho has almost evenly split his innings between left and centre this season. 

Once Kiermaier eventually departs Toronto, Varsho will almost assuredly be handed the club’s full-time centre-field job. From the outside, that reality has lent a little bit of a pass-the-torch-type feel when observing the defensive savants. 

"It doesn't matter where you put him, he's going to give you top-tier defence," said Kiermaier. "And I am so honoured and lucky to play next to him. 

"He's going to keep being elite for years to come," added the veteran. "I guarantee you that because he will not settle for anything less. And he's got that reputation. You want to keep that as long as you can. I know he will — he'll produce, year in and year out and I think more people will get to realize how great he really is out there. 

"He reminds me of a younger version of myself, just the way he goes about everything. But, I mean, he's in a league of his own, if you ask me."