TORONTO – Anyone walking through the Toronto Blue Jays’ clubhouse might want to start turning corners more carefully – especially late in games.
Take the seventh inning on Tuesday, for instance. With the game still scoreless, the Blue Jays had two of their best on-base threats due up in Brandon Belt and Alejandro Kirk. But since both are among the team’s slowest runners, manager John Schneider was ready to turn to the bench.
Cam Eden, a 25-year-old outfielder fresh off a 53-steal season at triple-A Buffalo, has yet to take his first big-league at-bat. There’s a chance he might not get one all year. But there’s still a role for Eden on this team, one that could place him in some of the highest-leverage moments the Blue Jays will see all season. So far, he’s been embracing the challenge.
By the third or fourth inning, Eden started stretching in anticipation of a possible pinch-running appearance. As the game progressed, he stayed loose by hopping on a stationary bike, but he also wanted to run a little bit, and the field is obviously in use. Late Tuesday night, that led to some creativity.
“Our clubhouse is really good place to go (run),” recalled Eden, a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of the University of California, Berkeley. “It has a long hallway. I just make sure there’s nobody in the way and I get some sprints in.”
Since neither Belt nor Kirk reached Tuesday, the right-handed hitting outfielder had to wait a little longer for his home debut. On Thursday, he got the call to run for Belt, yet with a runner ahead of him there was still no chance to run wild. But whenever he’s called on to attempt his first MLB steal, he’ll be ready.
“Oh, dude, that would be amazing,” he said. “It’s just so much fun. Even when I get a little bit of a chance to get in there, I’m just so excited to play the game. I’m really looking forward to those opportunities.”
First things first: the Blue Jays must make the playoffs, still a likely outcome though not a guarantee after taking one of three against the Yankees this week. But if they do advance, there will be a strong case to be made for including Eden on the 26-man post-season roster they’d have to set by Tuesday morning.
Barring a surprise, both Kirk and Belt figure to start every game of the wild-card round. With Danny Jansen unavailable for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, Kirk will be relied on daily behind the plate. And although Belt’s usage is a little more matchup dependent, every starter on the Twins and Rays is right-handed, making him a logical candidate to DH, regardless of who the Blue Jays play in the first round.
All of that means there could be plenty of pinch-running opportunities late in games. Down one in the eighth and Kirk draws a walk? You’re tied in the seventh and Belt hits a leadoff double? Use Eden.
Even now, with the Blue Jays still trying to clinch a playoff spot, that same logic applies. And although Eden can do more than run – he batted .257/.354/.333 with 19 doubles at triple-A Buffalo this year and continues working on bunts and defence – Blue Jays decision-makers told him his primary use this fall would be on the basepaths.
No one steals 53 bases in 57 attempts without some impressive raw speed, yet there’s preparation involved, too. Before games, Eden reviews video with outfield and baserunning coach Mark Budzinski to be sure he’s ready when his time comes. Ideally, he’d get a couple of steal attempts in this weekend.
“There’s a lot that goes into more than just being kind of fast,” Eden said. “You get certain tells. You get their times to the plate, how they like to pick off. So, there’s a lot of information that goes into it, and each guy’s a little different. … But once you get out there, you just have to have full trust in yourself and full trust in your instincts.”
Of course, just as the Blue Jays are preparing for their rivals, other American League contenders are in Toronto to look for tells and tendencies that could shape big games next month. Case in point, the Rangers, Rays and Astros all had scouts assigned to games at Rogers Centre this week — and they weren’t there to see Aaron Judge.
Should the Blue Jays reach the playoffs, they’ll face tough decisions on the edges of their roster, which means Eden is by no means a lock. Last year’s wild-card roster featured 13 position players with as many pitchers, and if the Blue Jays follow that template again, there would be room for just two of Eden, Santiago Espinal and Davis Schneider.
That decision could go a few different ways, but if the Blue Jays do include Eden on the roster, he’d welcome the opportunity to use his legs in the biggest games of the year. In fact, that might be putting it mildly.
“If I could put it on a scale, it’d be 100 out of 10,” he said. “I’d be so, so excited. Already just thinking about clinching and experiencing that celebration has got me super excited. If they took me to the playoffs, it would be a beautiful thing.”