ANAHEIM, Calif. – Daulton Varsho is so eager for a look at the Rogers Centre that his plans for a rare off-day after a 10-game road trip to open the 2023 season include going in to work.
“I’ve never been there before at all,” explains the new Toronto Blue Jays outfielder, who wants to familiarize himself with his new home, dramatic renovation to the dome’s outfield or not. “Getting to know the clubhouse and understanding how to get into the stadium, it’s going to be nice to be able to get comfortable with all that the first day.”
The stadium’s new dimensions and asymmetrical wall are, of course, things Varsho and his Blue Jays teammates will also need to get comfortable with ahead of Tuesday night’s home opener against the Detroit Tigers.
With power-alley protrusions to accommodate the elevated bullpens, angled sections, chain-link patches amid the padding and differing fence heights, an extra cram-session learning the wall “is obviously huge,” says Varsho.
“The things that really makes an outfielder successful is understanding where you are and where that ball can get to,” the 26-year-old continues. “The dimension out in right-centre where it can hit that wall and bounce all the way out to centre field, you have to know how far it’s really going to bounce back. Seeing those little things can make a big difference.”
George Springer feels the same way, which is why he intends to walk the warning track with first base and outfield coach Mark Budzinski, hitting balls off the wall to test how it reacts.
“There’s no real trick,” says Springer. “You watch what the ball does and then assume the ball will be hit harder in the game and know that it will probably a roll an extra X amount of feet.”
Kevin Kiermaier likes doing that, too, although he’s also curious to see how much give there is on the padding covering the walls.
“We’re talking about it. I’m sure we’ll hit a ton of fungos, so when a game comes, you’d like to not be surprised by anything,” he says. “I know they lowered the wall in centre field (to eight feet), I’m really excited about that. Hope to get opportunities to make plays out there. We’ll do our homework.”
That homework will have applications beyond fielding for the three outfielders, each of whom is a strong baserunner, as well. Kiermaier has already been opportunistic on the bases thanks to heady reads on balls in play, something that could be all the more pivotal as opponents first experience the new configuration.
“Me being an outfielder is going to help me on the bases knowing, OK, this ball might kick this way and these guys on the opposition might not know it yet,” he says.
Springer believes that could turn into a real advantage for the Blue Jays “once we get to know it.”
“I’ll know as the play is unfolding what the outfielder is thinking,” he adds. “Knowing if a ball’s hit a certain way, if he has to stop or not.”
Varsho also likes watching for how opponents track the ball while it’s in the air and “if you see that the outfielder is taking the wrong route, you just put on the jet-burners and go.”
Like the outfield trio, shorstop Bo Bichette is always looking for opportunities on the basepaths so he’ll be watching for how the ball flies during batting practice and other routine pre-game work.
Still, a true sense of how the place plays, he feels, comes only through “game experiences and seeing what happens in the games.”
“We’re always going to be ready to take the extra base no matter what,” he continues. “If the new wall presents those opportunities, we should be ready for it.”
Another thing to be ready for are the opportunities the new dimensions may present at the plate for hitters.
The shrunken power alley in right-centre, for instance, which ranges from 359 to 372 feet, down from 375 and 383, will surely tempt power hitters, even with wall heights going 10-foot-nine to 14-foot-four.
Bichette’s middle of the field approach makes him an obvious candidate to capitalize on the new configuration.
“It could be,” he says. “But I’m just trying to hit the ball hard, like I always do.”
Having lost at least a couple of home runs at the cavernous confines of Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Matt Chapman is another slugger capable of doing some major damage in a more hitter-friendly environment.
Either way, a return home “is exciting,” he says.
“I know we’re all ready to get back. It’s crazy. It feels like we’ve been on the road for a month,” he continues. “We haven’t even checked into our apartments. But everybody’s excited to get back home, see the renovations, get in front of the home crowd. I feel like it’ll be a lot of fun.”