Blue Jays ’25 evaluation begins with September performance

Unofficial tryouts continue for Jays young major-leaguers

The Blue Jays player auditions continue over the final 20 days of the regular season, wins be damned. The Jays have returned home after losing two of three in Atlanta to now face the Mets and the Cardinals, a six-game stand, surrounding an off-Thursday.

Clearly, if the Jays are serious about being competitive in ‘25, the front office, that has already waxed apologetic for their off-season “run-prevention” miscalculation, will spend the final 18 games of ‘24 paying closer attention, not to totals of wins and losses, because this is already a lost season, but, instead, to the minutiae within the performances of individual players, who are all looking for roles in ‘25.

It’s not as tough separating baseball’s chaff from wheat as it may sound. Just like at spring training, where camp opens with more than 50 MLB hopefuls on the field, roster decisions have a tendency to work themselves out without the need for any deep thought. Losing two of three on the weekend in Atlanta supports that belief.

Consider the example of judgments gleaned from the final four innings of the final game of the Braves series on Sunday. In the eighth inning, trailing by a run, Spencer Horwitz pinch-hit and promptly slammed a two-run homer to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. It was his third homer in the last two games. The 26-year-old is nailing his audition, carving out a sure roster spot, role yet to be determined on the ’25 Blue Jays.

“We always joke with the guys that everyone’s on the bubble, you’re not just here,” Schneider said recently in his office at Rogers Centre.

It’s becoming not as optimistic for third baseman Addison Barger and reliever Zach Pop, who subtly combined to sabotage a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 11^th on Sunday, via missing fundamentals. Barger’s was more of a significant setback. He had been weaving his way through the rubble of a failed Jays season, in his bid for a role in ’25, with positional versatility, power at the plate and a strong throwing arm being his stock in trade. Pop, for his part, has been called upon more and more in high leverage, highlighted by a dynamic 97 mph riding, sinking fastball. After Sunday, they both may have retreated to square one in their bids, after this late debacle.

How the Jays messed up in 4-3 loss: The Jays offence had just scored in the top of the 11^th on a two-out single by George Springer to take a 3-2 lead. Then it unravelled.

With Michael Harris II the ghost-runner on second, Eli White laid down a hard bunt to the right of Pop. It was not fielded, was scored as a single and left runners at first and third. It got worse.

Who was at fault on the bunt? It’s a basic spring-training play refined on a back field in Dunedin, that Pop was unable to execute with the game on the line.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. was crowding the hitter on the right side, charging when White squared. The strategy is simple. If the wheel play is not on, wherein the shortstop races to cover third (which it wasn’t), then with Vlad covering the first-base side, Pop’s responsibility is to break off the mound towards third and field any bunt he can. He made a faux step towards first and the hesitation cost him.

As for Barger, the play unfolds right in front of the third-baseman, so when he feels that Pop is going to field on the third-base side, he is supposed to (as he did) turn and retreat quickly to third base for a potential throw and tag. If that play is not possible, then Pop makes sure of an out at first, with a throw to Horwitz, covering. . If the ball is clearly past Pop, then it’s Barger who comes in and makes the play to first.

Barger read it correctly, but Pop, after White squared to bunt, made his step towards first and by the time he recovered and chased a bunt that rolled to a stop in the grass, both runners were safe with nobody out. Pop’s bid for higher leverage in ’25 took a hit.

Then it became Barger’s turn to mess up. With Braves on first and third, the infield was drawn in to cut off the tying run at the plate. Adam Duvall bounced one softly down the third base line to Barger. The inexperienced 24-year-old gloved it near the foul line and glanced over his shoulder to make sure Harris was not cheating towards home. That unnecessary glance disrupted his defensive ballet and crossed up his footwork. His subsequent throw to first base faded into the runner and Guerrero, to avoid injury, was unable to make a play as the ball bounded down the line and the tying run scored. Runners at second and third.

One intentional walk to load the bases later and a failed RBI fielder’s choice at the plate and the game was over. It was a tough 4-3 loss, after the Jays had led 2-1 in the ninth and 3-2 in the 11^th. If Barger is vying for a valuable, versatile bench role in 2025, the skillset of a bench player also requires being a good defender in high leverage, as well as obvious power and arm strength at two positions.

The Jays in this one loss gained valuable information for the future about Horwitz, Pop and Barger. The loss dropped them to 68-76. If they play .500 the rest of the way, the Jays finish with 77 wins. But that is now less important than what they will learn game-to-game about the 28 players on the current roster, looking ahead to 2025.

EXIT PHILOSOPHY NOTE: For those that look forward to the weekly podcast with me and Scotty Mac, we will be recording for the remainder of the season on Friday instead of Monday.