Baseball Fans Can Indulge in the American Pastime in Toronto

Drought is hardly a word one associates with Canada, but that’s been the postseason story of the Toronto Blue Jays for two decades. While they won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, but they’ve been crawling through baseball’s playoff desert ever since.

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However, pitchers and catchers report February 20, and what is baseball when spring training starts if not a manifestation of hope?

By the time APA’s annual meeting rolls around in May, fans will be able to see whether numerous off-season trades and free-agent signings have changed their fortunes. Meeting attendees will have a chance to watch the Blue Jays play the Los Angeles Angels on May 18, 19, and 20.

Last year was a heartbreaker for Toronto fans. There was a glimmer of hope—or perhaps just a mirage—early in the 2014 season, when the Jays stood in first place in the American League East. Their season went downhill after July 4, however, and the team finished in third place, 13 games behind the division champion Baltimore Orioles.

The Birds of Toronto decided that maybe the Birds of Baltimore had something they could use, although it wasn’t a player. Rumors swirled in Crabtown for months that the Jays were trying to poach Baltimore’s general manager Dan Duquette, but the effort was ultimately quashed by Orioles’ management.

In any case, last year’s late-season slowdown sent general manager Alex Anthopoulos out for some off-season horse trading, with an eye for power-hitting steeds. His biggest pickup perhaps was veteran catcher Russell Martin, who was born in Ontario but grew up in Montreal and, more importantly, hit .290 last year for Pittsburgh. His five-year, $82 million contract was the fattest ever offered by the Blue Jays.

The team also traded for Oakland outfielder Josh Donaldson. Martin and Donaldson, together with Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista, and Edward Encarnacion, should form an intimidating core for the Jays’ batting order.

As for pitching, the Blue Jays will build around a pair of veteran starters. Right-hander R.A. Dickey won the Cy Young Award in 2012, while lefty Mark Buehrle went 14-10 last year. Marcus Stroman came on strong in the second half of last year’s campaign. Drew Hutchinson struck out 184 batters last year going 11-13, but that was his first year back from Tommy John surgery, and more is expected from him in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Angels fly into town with last year’s unanimous American League Most Valuable Player (MVP), Mike Trout. Trout will start his fourth full Major League season, but his early career has already been compared with those of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Frank Robinson.

In his first three seasons, Trout compiled a .311 batting average, hit 93 home runs, and led the league three years running in runs scored. Trout is backed up in the Angels’ lineup by Albert Pujols, a three-time MVP winner himself.

Getting to a game is easy enough for annual meeting attendees, since the Blue Jays’ home field is the retractable-roofed Rogers Centre, just next to the Toronto Convention Centre. ■