Sights and sounds from Dunedin as Blue Jays arrive for first day of spring training

The boys of summer are back.

Thursday morning marked the opening of spring training for the Toronto Blue Jays with pitchers and catchers officially reporting for camp.

Despite the first full-squad workout not coming until Feb. 20, a handful of Blue Jays position players are also at the Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla., getting an early start to the 2024 season.

Bo Bichette, Daulton Varsho and George Springer were among the players joining the pitchers on Thursday.

Toronto's first spring training game comes on Feb. 24 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Until then, here's a look at some of the sights and sounds from Dunedin as the Blue Jays get ready for a new season:

Of course, all eyes will be on fourth-year pitcher Alek Manoah this spring as the 26-year-old looks to bounce back from a disastrous 2023.

When asked about Manoah, Blue Jays manager John Schneider called the right-hander, "a big part of what we're doing."

"He's done some really great work ... he's really excited for this year," Schneider added. "A bounce-back season from him would be awesome for us."

Toronto's skipper also mentioned that he was encouraged by Manoah's delivery and mental state.

After being bounced without a post-season win for the second straight year, the 2023 wild-card series loss to the Minnesota Twins has the Blue Jays "hungry" to get back to work.

"It kind of took me a while, honestly," Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman said when asked how long it took him to get over the loss. "... That's kind of water under the bridge now. We've got to turn the page, and the guys who have been here the last two years, we're definitely upset."

"There's definitely a sense of urgency to do a little more than we did last year," Schneider said.

"Whenever you fall short of a goal, you look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'OK what can we do differently?'" he added.