With spring training now less than a month away, the Blue Jays’ 11 highest-rated prospects spent last week in Toronto for orientation, before ending the session with a meet and greet at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Buffalo.
Toronto’s second-ranked prospect Anthony Alford tells CKNX he’ll do his best to break camp with the big boys, but knows some developmental decisions have already been made.
“I’m just trying to get ready for the season. I’m going to start wherever I’m going to start. I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is playing hard in between the lines,” says the 22-year-old.
Two weeks after his family home in Columbia, Mississippi was lost to a fire, Alford notes he’ll have to work extra hard to make sure his loved ones are set before he heads to Florida for camp.
“I’m just trying to be in baseball shape for spring training – that’s what I’ll be working on for the next few weeks. And making sure I have everything in order so I won’t have any distraction once spring training comes.”
Top-rated pitching prospect Conner Greene turned plenty of heads with a breakout performance during spring training last year.
The hard-throwing Californian says he’s hoping to take it up another notch this year.
“I just want to have another great one, keep moving up. Hopefully this year’s the year for the big leagues.”
Pitchers and catchers report to Dunedin on February 14th. The Jays’ first full-squad practice gets underway four days later.
Toronto’s first exhibition game is February 25th.
