Drew Hutchison, Chad Jenkins and Mike McDade are three of seven prospects in Toronto for the Jays’ rookie development program.
TORONTO — They looked right at home in the big-league clubhouse, up to the moment when they jumped from their chairs, stuck out their hands and treated a motley mob of reporters like royalty.
Yes, these were rookies, all right, with a morning of media training ringing in their ears. This was the first day of the Toronto Blue Jays’ rookie development program, in which seven prospects came to town to enjoy a taste of major-league life — off the field.
The week-long schedule began with tips on the care and feeding of reporters. It will include seminars on nutrition, conditioning and big-league travel. Then there is a session seemingly designed to cover everything else: “Organization management — baseball, business, life.”
A few baseball activities sprinkle the agenda, but hitting and pitching are the lowest priorities in this mini-camp.
“We started it last year, and the idea was to kind of de-mystify the major leagues for some of the young kids that might have a chance to get here in the near term, within a year or so,” said assistant general manager Tony LaCava, who oversees the Jays’ minor-league system.
The group includes outfielder Anthony Gose and pitchers Drew Hutchison and Chad Jenkins, all prominent on the radar screens of fans who closely follow the team’s prospects. The other four – first baseman Mike McDade, outfielder Moises Sierra, infielder Jon Diaz and reliever Evan Crawford – may be less familiar but would not be here if they did not fit the criteria LaCava outlined.
