Toronto Blue Jays Spring Training Outlook: Dalton Pompey

Heading into spring training, it’s safe to assume Canadian outfielder Dalton Pompey has the inside track for the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting centre fielder job.

This notion would have sounded ridiculous just a year ago. Pompey wasn’t even a part of the major league camp during spring training last year, and he began his season at Class A-Advanced Dunedin.

But a breakout 2014 campaign, during which he moved up three different levels in the minor leagues, allowed Pompey to significantly raise his stock within the organization. In 113 combined games in the minors last season, he hit .317/.392/.469 with nine home runs, 51 RBI and 84 runs scored.

A switch-hitter who can make solid contact from both sides of the plate, Pompey profiles as a gap-to-gap hitter with plus speed. He stole 43 bases in 50 attempts last year.

Defensively, Pompey makes good use of his speed to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. He won a Midwest League gold glove award in 2013.

The Blue Jays became so enamored with his game that the team even made the 22-year-old outfielder a September call-up last season.

During his brief stint in Toronto, where he faced major league pitching for the first time, Pompey held had a respectable OPS of .738 in 17 games.

With the offseason departure of Colby Rasmus—who was Toronto’s starting centre fielder for most of the past three seasons—the Blue Jays have an opening in centre field.

While Pompey may be the favorite to take the job going into spring training, it likely won’t be guaranteed to him. Remember, his meteoric rise during the 2014 season has also meant that he only played 12 career games in Triple-A and 31 career games in Double-A before being promoted to the major leagues.

So, a lot will depend on Pompey’s performance during spring training. If he struggles, it’s entirely possible that the Blue Jays may want him to go back down to Triple-A for more seasoning. In that situation, Toronto has the likes of Kevin Pillar and Chris Dickerson, who could form a platoon in centre field.

If Pompey does win the starting centre fielder job and breaks camp with the Blue Jays, he’ll likely be near the bottom of Toronto’s batting order to start off the season. If he develops as projected, though, expect him to be leading off for the Blue Jays eventually.

All stats are from Baseball-Reference.com