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Brandon Drury knew it would take time to get used to first base, but the super utility player is showing signs of feeling at home in his newest position.
It was a tie game between the Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday when Rays right fielder Avisail Garcia stepped up to the plate to face Toronto’s Sam Gaviglio. The long reliever was one out away from being done for the night, with two out and pinch-runner Michael Brosseau at first. He advanced to second on a balk, and home plate became an easier target.
Garcia grounded to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but the third baseman, who has 14 errors this season, made a meal out of a routine play with an awkward one-hop throw to first. It took a stretch from Drury to dig the ball out of the dirt and get Garcia, ending the inning and quelling any threat.
Such clutch plays are exactly what the 26-year-old needs to continue producing to get his name in the lineup, and perhaps keep his spot in the organization.
Drury had only played first base twice in his big-league career when he was traded to Toronto last July from the New York Yankees. Manager Charlie Montoyo approached him earlier this season to ask if he would consider adding the position to his repertoire more frequently. Drury made his first start at first base on July 20 and has manned the position in six of his 14 games since.
“It’s just a different angle. Coming from third, it’s just the opposite,” he said late last month. “It’s just going to take time and reps and we’ll get there.”
Reps are something Drury knows well. He is forever taking swings in the batting cages: before games, after games, whenever he can. That work ethic is something he first learned from his father, Shane, and was also instilled in him by his baseball mentor, former Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
“It was always just, ‘Don’t be outworked. Be different with what you do.’ So I’ve always had this mindset since I was a kid to not stop working and just be resilient day in and day out, to just be the best you can be,” he said.
Resiliency is something Drury has had to rely on the past two years. His start with the Jays was hampered by a fracture hand, limiting him to eight games with Toronto last year. This season, he is behind Guerrero on the depth chart at his preferred third base, forcing him to adapt to other infield and corner outfield positions.
Drury has made juggling positions look relatively seamless. The same couldn’t always be said for at the plate, where he hit .207 through the month of June. Since then, though, he is averaging .286 with seven home runs and 13 RBIs.
Things started to click for Drury at the plate about a week before the all-star break. “I figured, with as much time I put in that cage and on that field, I’m going to figure something out at some point,” he said.
Drury is blocked by rookies Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio in the infield, though Guerrero’s future as a starting third baseman is murky. But with Justin Smoak a pending free agent, playing first might be a way for Drury to get his bat in the lineup more regularly.
For all the obstacles in his way, Drury remains confident in his game.
“First half was tough on me but I never quit believing,” Drury said. “I knew I was going to figure it out and turn it around at some point ... (I) still have a lot of at-bats left the rest of this year to finish this thing out strong, make a statement.”
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Sign Up NowLaura Armstrong is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy
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August 08, 2019 at 05:20AM
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