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Daulton Varsho has already made two catch of the year candidates
Photo credit: https://www.mlb.com
What it must be like to play in front of Daulton Varsho? After making an insane, home run-robbing catch in his first game back last week, the Blue Jays centre fielder added another last night against the Seattle Mariners. Colour starter Kevin Gausman impressed.
With the Blue Jays up 5-1 and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Mariners third baseman Ben Williamson launched a fly ball to deep, straight away centre field. Varsho, timing his jump perfectly, reached over the wall to bring the baseball back into play. He may not of cracked a smile but Gausman sure did.
It's becoming the norm for the reigning Gold Glove winner, now in his third season with Toronto.
While "catch-of-the-year" isn't an official stat, shows like the ESPY's do have awards like moment of the year and play of the year. MLB also has an unofficial countdown of top plays and moments.
It wouldn't be all surprising if, by the end of the season, the list is populated entirely by Varsho catches.
Despite subpar offensive numbers, Varsho still had a WAR of 5.0 last year. With three home runs and a .346 OBP and a 197 OPS+, Varsho has exponentially increased his value.
Varsho's antics harken to back to the days of Kevin Pillar, also known for making highlight reel catches, and before that the great Devon White. Where Varsho will rank in the pantheon of Jays centre fielders is yet to be seen.
But, thanks to his defence, he is well on his way to making his mark.
| POLL | ||
MAI 10 | 118 ANSWERS Daulton Varsho has already made two catch of the year candidates Who is the best Blue Jays centre fielder? | ||
| Lloyd Moseby | 7 | 5.9 % |
| Kevin Pillar | 16 | 13.6 % |
| Daulton Varsho | 55 | 46.6 % |
| Devon White | 40 | 33.9 % |
| List of polls | ||