John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. epitomized the Blue Jays’ mindset at their spring camp when he was asked what his expectations are for this season.
“What we did last year was the trailer,” Guerrero said through a translator Thursday. Now you are going to see the film.”
The Blues Jays finished last season with a 91-71 record, but finished fourth in the powerhouse East Division. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox took the two draft spots from the American.
The Blues Jays missed the playoffs by just one win.
Guerrero, his teammates and the rest of the Blue Jays organization kept that loss top of mind as motivation this offseason.
“It’s definitely one of the most motivating factors we have,” Guerrero said, adding that he was so devastated to miss the playoffs that he watched the news for three days at his apartment in Toronto before leaving. return to the Dominican Republic.
“That’s our biggest motivation, we’re going to try to win more than 100 games this year.”
“Level Up” has become the Blue Jays’ slogan for 2022. General Manager Ross Atkins has played his part in raising the Jays’ level of play by adding veterans Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi and acquiring third baseman and Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman.
In addition to these signings, the Blue Jays have three records to watch for the 2022 season.
First, for the first since 2019, the Blues Jays will begin their season in the Queen City. The pandemic forced the Toronto squad to play all of those games in the 2020 season and the majority of the 2021 in the United States. Only a handful of matches have been played at the Rogers Centre, but at limited capacity.
Second, given the restrictions on crossing the Canada-U.S. border — people need to be double-vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so — all rival teams could potentially be forced to make do without some players during games in Toronto.
All Blues Jays players are fully immunized. It’s not the same story for the Red Sox or the Yankees.
Third, Major League Baseball has changed its format for the playoffs, adding a third team drafted by the Association, bringing the total playoff rosters to 12. If this measure had been in place last year, the Blue Jays would have made the playoffs.
