Toronto Blue Jays News: Spring Training Week No. 3, Lawrie, Morrow and Hill

Spring Training is now in it's third week since the pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report, and the Toronto Blue Jays have played four games against opposing teams.  They gained their first win of spring on Wednesday, beating out the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4.  

Spring games are mostly meaningless, it gives pitchers a chance to work on their control and new pitches.  Batters have a chance to develop a rhythm and pattern to their swing and coaches have a chance to evaluate prospects to see how close they are to making the big leagues. 

Once in while though the games can result in something important, a player starts to break out, just as Jose Bautista did last spring training.  Major injuries can sometimes occur that keeps a player out for long periods of time, or just minor news may emerge that could suggest what the season holds.

Speaking of Bautista, he was kept out of the Wednesday game due to some minor quadriceps tightness.  The coaches believe it isn't anything serious and that he should be back in the lineup on Thursday.

Bautista's absence did give new Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie a chance to get a start at third, where he could face one of the AL's premier pitchers in David Price.  He went 0-3 in the day, but the coaches were impressed with how he handled himself at the plate.  

Lawrie has shown impressive maturity and a willingness to learn, his confidence in game situations allowed him to be thrown in at the last moment.

Both Travis Snider and Aaron Hill are well on their path to recovery from minor injuries.  Hill got some playing time in a "B" game on Wednesday, playing in the field for the first time and getting a chance at the plate.  He only played a couple of innings, but managed to hit a double in one of his at-bats.  Hill has been working his way back from some quadriceps tightness.

Snider was joining in sprints and catching fly balls, which was the first baseball related activities he has participated in besides batting practice.  There is a chance he could get into game action as early as the weekend.

Brandon Morrow had his first start of spring and logged three shoutout innings with four strikeouts.  Jays manager John Farrell was impressed with Morrow's improving changeup, a pitch that is almost mandatory in the Jays organization.