Blue Jays' Gurriel Jr. outshines big-name debutants in promising return

TORONTO — Friday night’s contest between the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres was not short on possible drama.

It started with Cavan Biggio making his MLB debut after hitting a scorching .307/.445/.504 this year at Triple-A.

"I think it's going to be amazing,” said Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who also got the call from Buffalo. “Pretty close to what you saw with Vlad. He's a great, great, kid."

While any type of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comparison is wildly optimistic, Biggio’s appearance is a big deal. Since the beginning of 2018 he’s impressed with a very advanced approach and he has potential to be an above-average lefty bat who helps at multiple positions. The Hall of Fame name doesn’t hurt either.

Beyond Biggio, there was another landmark MLB debut in the works as 21-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native Josh Naylor started at DH for the Padres. One of the best prospects this country has ever produced debuting on home soil had “special moment” written all over it.

Lurking in the weeds and waiting to be the focal point of the ballgame as always was Guerrero Jr. - who is sizzling at the moment and always a threat to challenge our collective understanding of how hard balls can be hit.

None of those suspects made their mark in a 6-3 Padres win, though. The two debutants went a combined 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. Vladdy didn’t make any magic happen. No, the most interesting day at the park belonged to Gurriel Jr.

The 25-year-old Cuban’s return to the majors was buried in the intrigue surrounding Biggio, but it was an important move for the club. On a team with so few players sure to be with the team for any amount of time, the Cuban stands out with a contract that runs through 2023. That means the Blue Jays are heavily incentivized to make things work with Gurriel Jr.

Friday was a launch of the new-and-improved version — ideally one who’ll handle plenty of outfield work and give a generally feeble lineup a boost.

So far, so good, as the utility man went 1-for-3 with an emphatic 412-foot home run.

"I'm working very hard on the offensive side,” he said prior to the game. “Trying to hit better pitches in better locations, working hard on my swing right now."

The line undersells his day at the plate. When he first came to the dish, he was uncharacteristically patient and worked what should have been a walk if it weren’t for a couple of borderline calls.

Along with two strong trips to the plate came an odd day in the field. Gurriel Jr. is still clearly a work in progress as an outfielder. In his 30-game trip to Buffalo he played just 58 innings in left and made all of eight putouts. That’s the extent of his pro experience at the position since he left Cuba.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his first catch was a bit on an adventure.

He made a routine play after that, but looked awkward tracking a ninth-inning double off the bat of Ty France.

Ultimately he made the plays asked of him, but he looked a bit like a guy learning his position on the fly — which of course he is. Considering his defensive struggles at second, and the Blue Jays’ needs, Gurriel Jr.’s increasing defensive scope is more necessity than luxury for the club.

“It helps the team a lot,” Biggio said of the club’s emphasis on positional versatility. “You want to get a guy’s bat in the lineup and another guy’s bat in the lineup it sucks if they play the same position. So if you can make room and slide a guy over it just gives the team the best chance to win.”

The Blue Jays don’t need Gurriel Jr. to be an offensive star or a defensive whiz, but he needs to be better on both sides than he was during a disastrous beginning to 2019. It’s a lower bar to be sure, but on Friday he looked like someone who could clear it, even if it wasn’t the smoothest performance.

“I’m working on the offensive side and defensive side in general,” he said. “I’m feeling good on both sides.”

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