DUNEDIN, FLA.—Somewhat ironically, the one Blue Jays player sporting the biggest smile, combined with the wide-eyed excitement of youth as he went through his light paces on the first day of training camp is also the oldest player on the roster: 40-year-old reliever Jason Grilli, who has attended about 17 of these in his career.
“I’ve often been asked why I’m so happy in spring training, but this is what I’ve always loved to do and I’ve continually lied to myself and that’s why I’m still here,” Grilli said. “I’m 40-years-old and able to keep up with the running of the guys that I’m with and going against.”
Grilli was paying attention to the off-season moves of his club and noticed that the bullpen had added more veterans like him, signing lefty J.P. Howell and righthander Joe Smith, giving a more mature feel ahead of closer Roberto Osuna.
“I like the makeup of our bullpen,” Grilli said. “I think everybody’s track record speaks for itself. That’s why we’re here. I know the guys that we did bring. I’ve spoken to them and they’re very excited to play for the city of Toronto.
“Everybody knows and it’s no secret how awesome it is when you have the city behind you and backs you like they do. I think a lot of guys are very excited about that. As for myself, I can’t get enough of that atmosphere.”
Grilli at times in September seemed fatigued as the Jays struggled to maintain a grip on the wild card. He was coming off Achilles surgery in 2015, but after the Jays got him in a trade with the Pirates, he became a key workhorse in the eighth inning. He admits that there were times where he struggled, but never backed off.
“I think everybody’s tired at that stage,” Grilli said of the final month a year ago. “If you look at how many days I pitched, I was available every day. I was available every day because we had some injuries and they felt like my experience and stuff, I could get out of situations.
“At one point we were all tired, we were all being used to get us in position where we needed to be. Everybody was pulling their weight. I think I pulled mine the way I needed to. It wasn’t about numbers. It was about winning. That’s my goal and that’s always been my goal.”
Grilli realizes that this team has gone from an overpowering offence to one that relies on pitching. As such, he was happy to see the Jose Bautista back in the middle of the lineup for at least another year.
“He’s definitely an impact player and everybody, again, knows what he’s capable of doing,” Grilli said. “He was plagued by a couple of mishaps of injuries last year. We’re going to need his presence. I hope he comes in with the attitude and the abilities that he’s expected to bring to the table.”
Grilli joked with manager John Gibbons that looking at this five-man starting rotation, he believes he can play in the majors for another three years.
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