Blue Jays' Danny Jansen: Focused on improving offense
Jansen spent the offseason developing a pre-game hitting routine to help him maintain a consistent swing plane and spot flaws in his mechanics, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports.
The 24-year-old came up through the minors with a reputation as a bat-first catcher, but he spent last season focused on improving his defense and pitch framing. His .639 OPS reflected the lack of attention he was giving that side of his game, but Jansen now hits a weighted ball off a tee as part of his pre-game preparations. "I've always taken hitting very seriously, but I've always felt like I just didn't need tee work," Jansen said Tuesday morning. "I just wanted to get my timing down, that was the most important thing for me, until I went into this off-season and developed. I like to hit off a tee now, I actually want to, and I need it. I'm starting to understand my body more and my swing." He posted a .275/.390/.473 slash line through 88 games for Triple-A Buffalo in 2018, and a return to something close to that level of production would likely allow Jansen to seize the No. 1 job behind the plate for Toronto rather than working in a timeshare with Reese McGuire.
