Know Your (New-ish) Jays: Troy Tulowitzki

Yadda yadda Colorado, yadda yadda trade, AA is a wizard, yadda yadda Jose Reyes.

So. Tulo. Unlike a lot of baseball fans, I managed to remain completely oblivious to most of the National League until fairly recently. So believe it or not, when everyone was freaking out about him being acquired at the trade deadline, I was like "Who in the heck is THIS guy?!" (Then again, I was also minorly bummed about Brett Lawrie leaving in the Josh Donaldson trade, so what do I know). And then I did some research and I was like "Holy crap. How did we GET this guy?!"

Does he have Twitter: No he doesn't. Boo, I know.

Irrelevant Facts: My sister, who had never been to a ballgame in her life, and probably never sat through the entirety of one on TV, just so happened to be at his first game as a Blue Jay. She therefore also saw his first home run with the team, live. I was immensely jealous.

His eyes are hazel, but the weird kind of hazel where they look a different colour depending on the angle and the lighting. It took me months of watching his interviews to notice this. Weird.

His young son's name is Taz, which I'm not sure but may possibly be an homage to the Tasmanian Devil from Loony Tunes. Even if it's not, I would like to think it is, because I know Tulo secretly has a whimsical side.

Best quotes: "I thought it was an elbow, but it was Kevin's chin." So simple. So matter-of-fact. Kind of accusatory. (I'm only laughing about this now because he's healed. At the time, this was painful to think about)

Talking about Taz and baseball - "He hits on the tee in the clubhouse, at home. He talks about Ace constantly. He learns the guys’ names, he loves Russ for some reason, he’s really stuck on him. Bautista he says, he’s starting to learn JD, so he’s starting to really pay attention to the game."

What he's good at: You know how ballerinas can jump across the stage and then spin in mid-air? Well Tulo does that, but while throwing a baseball. There's no other way to describe it. All across the world, thousands of little kids are being taught to plant their feet before they throw, and then Tulo just defies all of the traditional teachings and does his own thing. 

Jumping, in general, seems to be something he's remarkably good at (Did he find Brett Lawrie's stash of Redbull? Does he have springs on his feet? Who knows), whether it's hopping over a clumsy catcher trying to land a tag, or leaping out of the way of a stupid slide. Maybe he should have named his son Tigger, if he inherited the bouncy gene... 

What he's not so good at: There's always the 'Tulo's made of glass' narrative, but other that that, I can't really find fault in any part of him. And aside from a collision with the chin-who-shall-not-be-named, he's done hardly anything to hurt himself this season, which is pretty impressive.

2015 Season highlights: He hasn't been 100% up-to-offensive-form this year (mainly due to his shoulder) and then there's the whole theory about the thinner air in Colorado, but he's still delivered some pretty clutch hits. Everyone keeps saying "Just wait, he's really really good when he's playing like himself. You haven't seen anything yet." I mean, his first hit as a Jay was a soaring home run, so who am I to argue?

He has kind of a strangely upright batting stance, but we love him for it. And take a look at the wide base his feet make as he completes his swing - that's all power, right there.
Way to make a first impression, bud!

His first defensive play in Toronto wasn't anything too special, other than being successful - but take a look at who he just so happened to get out...
He happened to be the runner on base that Donaldson drove in to cause a walk-off against the Kansas City Royals on July 31st. And then there's the fact that after he joined the team, they went on an 11-game win streak, and were 12-0 with him in the starting lineup (he sat the day after that walk-off, the only game they lost until August 14th). Toronto fans started to think he was our lucky charm. 

It was only fitting that, on the day that record-breaking streak finally ended, down by one run to the Yankees in the bottom of the 9th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, that Tulo was the last out. He struck out with a full count against reliever Andrew Miller, after an incredible battle that lasted nearly ten minutes and felt like much longer. For context - Miller has the third-highest swing-and-miss rate in the entire league. His pitches are hard to make contact with. And Tulo fouled off ten of them. I was disappointed, sure, that that streak was broken when they were so close, but you just couldn't be mad at him. He definitely didn't go down easily. There's no video I could find of that at-bat, but everyone was talking about how remarkable it was. That, boys and girls, was good batting. 

Why I love him: I have learned to love good defense as much, if not more than, anyone else. So his impressive range and spinning and incredible throws are plenty amazing. I also like dingers as much as the next guy, and for some reason I'm always surprised to remember he only hit 5 with the Jays this season. Somehow it's always felt like more. 

I like the way he gives interviews, too. He's always very focused, precise in his choice of wording without hesitation. There's no beating around the bush with him, he's very straightforward and yet tactful. Like after he told off Detroit's Anthony Gose for a questionable slide late in a game the Tigers were losing by 14 runs - "I definitely had a few words for him. He didn't have anything for me back." I remember the first interview he gave after being traded, he kind of reminded me of a hockey player for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that he's always wearing plaid shirts, maybe it was the honest, blunt way he spoke, maybe it was the fact that I'm used to seeing hockey players holding press conferences instead of baseball players, but that struck a chord with my Canadian soul, and I have yet to lose that feeling.

It's also easy to admire the sense of mutual respect he seems to command with the umpires and other players - even when there has been a disputed call or something, he's been able to have a discussion with them without anything escalating.

Look at them all, listening so intently to what Tulo has to say.

As much as I love players who wear their emotions on their sleeve, there's something to be said for variety, and sometimes cool, calm and collected like Tulo carries the day. In a similar vein - when he gets mad, or excited, then you know there's something to really be upset or happy about. I feel like he's the kind of person that, if you can get a small laugh out of him, it's more rewarding than a big laugh from other people.

Happy Tulo, angry Tulo - can you spot the difference?

It's a weird kind of indescribable confidence I have in him, somehow I just trust the guy. Even during the few periods where he was slumping at the plate, I never worried like I have with other players, never felt bad for him, never felt anything other than a sense of 'he's got this under control'. The same thing when he was injured - you knew he was doing his best to get back to the team, but you also knew that he knows his own body the best out of anyone, and he would make the correct judgement call to not hasten back if he wasn't ready.

Is it weird that I actually find this strangely reassuring... #PrayForTulo https://t.co/VmdacltpHo

— Em Blue Jays girl (@JaysGirlEmily) September 13, 2015

Speaking of injuries, when he was asked about whether his injury-prone self was concerned about the turf at the Dome, he had this to say: "I've talked to a some of the other guys, and it doesn't seem to affect them ... the research that I've done, maybe moreso the guys with back issues, it stiffens them up, but that's never really been a problem for me." That was so refreshing to hear, that he wasn't just going to assume the turf would be a problem (cough, Buck Showalter, cough cough) and was approaching it with an open mind. 

I love his dedication to the eyeblack - even when the game being played is indoors, or at night, you'll never see him without the stuff. In fact, the first few games he was sitting on the bench after getting injured, it took me a moment to recognize him without his trademark markings. And I'm sure Gregg Zaun would applaud the dedication Tulo has to wearing the flip-down shades - no matter how silly looking they are.  

He has a few little rituals that I find endearing - one where he goes back and touches second base before resuming his position after talking to the pitcher - and another where, before every pitch, he holds his bat straight outward, puffs up his cheeks while looking at it, and then exhales quickly and steps into the batter's box (I first noticed this during his aforementioned battle with Miller, because they would call time and he'd do it between every pitch).

I call it his chipmunk face. 

Off-Field Antics: He's pretty serious, doesn't get up to much in the dugout, and keeps his personal life personal, but over the course of the many clinching celebrations this year, he has been known to chuckle good-naturedly while a teammate (usually Josh Donaldson - why is it always Donaldson?) pours beer over his head and screams at him in excitement. 

When the famous number 2 (which has more to do to a love of Derek Jeter than it does with the number sounding like part of his last name) arrived in Toronto, his number was already occupied by third base coach Luis Rivera. Rivera graciously switched to number four in order to accommodate his new shortstop, and Tulo surprised him with an expensive custom-engraved watch as a thank you gift. How sweet.

There was also the time this happened during warm-ups, the photo that launched a thousand memes:

Pensive Tulo? Sleepy Tulo? Draw-Me-Like-One-Of-Your-French-Girls Tulo? Who cares, we can all agree that this photo is priceless. 

And there exists proof that, on a rare occasion, he actually does smile!

And such a lovely smile it is, too!

Fictional/cartoon character he resembles: A young, hazel-eyed, attractive Sean Penn. (Such a comparison fits in this category, because there has never been an attractive version of Sean Penn). It's there in the nose, and the intense brows, and the jawline. This older picture from when he had longer hair might help illustrate my point: 

And then, after all, there's this...

Know Your Jays: Michael Saunders

Who??

(I'm just kidding. He is, of course, the outfielder that the Jays traded Woody Harrelson-lookalike pitcher JA Happ for prior to this season, who then got injured by stepping on a sprinkler and appeared in 9 games at the end of April/May before his injury shut him down for the rest of the season. He wasn't with the team long enough for us to establish if he has any sort of personality, or what he's good/not good at. Also he's Canadian. Get well soon, Michael!)

It's near-impossible to find a photo of him in a Jays uniform. But I picked this one because I like his smile. 

Know your Jays: Edwin Encarnacion

Also known as Eddie, Big E, or Double-E, he's the always-reliable 4th batter in the lineup, following friend (and fellow Dominican) Jose Bautista. When there are days he isn't playing first base, he's probably the designated hitter because he's such an important part of the batting order!

Does he have Twitter - Yes, under the clever first-last blending name @Encadwin but he doesn't use it very often. He has an Instagram under the same name as well, those posts are few and far between. But if you can read Spanish, go ahead and take a look!

Irrelvant Facts - When Toronto acquired him in 2009 from the Reds, the Jays GM had been trying to get pitching. Reds management wouldn't accept the trade unless the Jays also took Edwin alongside the two intended pitchers. Your loss is our gain, Cincinnati!

Things He's Good at - He hits a lot of home runs. And I mean a lot. He holds the Blue Jays team record for the most home runs hit in a single month - 16 in August of this year - and is also one of only 3 Jays players to homer three times in one game, and he's done it twice.

He also hits them far, including to the 500 level of the SkyDome - making him one of only a handful of Jays players to ever do this.

 

Things He's Not So Good At - He doesn't run terribly fast, but when you're hitting no-doubt homers all the time, who needs running? That's actually a theory of mine - he hits so many homers so he can take his time going around the bases. It's more fun that way.

He also has various injuries that tend to pop up at random throughout the season and make him unavailable for days or even weeks at a time. But he always makes the most of his time at the plate! 


2015 season highlights - On June 9th the Blue Jays were trailing 3-2 in the 9th inning against the Miami Marlins when Edwin, returning from a shoulder injury, hit a home run that drove in Josh Donaldson and walked off the game. In the video he can clearly be seen pointing to his shoulder as he reaches home plate, reminding his teammates to be careful!


On August 29th, EE hit 3 homers in the same game, including a grand slam (his third of the season) and 9 RBI. His previous personal record for RBIs in one game was 6 - he also tied the team record with 9 in a single game, a record that has stood since their inaugural 1976 season and hadn't even been tied since. The third grand slam in one season also meant he tied a team record.

This was only the second time in Edwin's career he'd accomplished the 'hat trick' - a fact Canadian fans acknowledged by throwing their caps on the field and giving him a 5-minute standing ovation while the grounds crew ran around cleaning them up. He became the first ever Blue Jay to hit a grand slam and a 3-run homer in the same game, and was just a solo homer short of hitting for the 'home run cycle'. Interestingly enough, in the first inning of the game the following day, he hit a solo home run. Since there had been no bottom ninth the day before, as the Blue Jays were winning, he technically hit a 'home run cycle' within nine consecutive innings.

His home runs that day also extended his personal-best hit streak to 24 games. It was the longest streak this season in MLB at that point. He eventually reached 26 games in the streak, the longest ever for a Blue Jay player, but his on-base streak continued well into September (as he had walked in the first game when he didn't record a hit).

He received the AL Player of the Month award for all his hitting in August. This is even more impressive when you take into consideration the fact that he was out injured for several games at the beginning of the month.

Off-field antics: He always seems to be enjoying himself in the dugout with his teammates, and his reactions are sometimes the most dramatic of anyone.

One of my personal favourite Edwin stories is this, when he met a young boy at a game who had a prosthetic leg with a Blue Jays design on it. He took the leg and got the other members of the team to sign it (with the family's permission, of course!)
When he had his 'hat trick' game, he promised that he would sign each of the hats thrown on the field by fans, and sign them, and try to return them to their rightful owners. Which would be a heck of a task to undertake, but such a sweet gesture!

Fictional/Cartoon Character He Resembles: I was actually kind of stumped for this one, until one day my sister was watching The Lion King and it hit me - he's Pumbaa! Now this is in no way an insinuation that he smells bad (how would I know, I've never met the guy) but think about it - he's a big strong dude, which could be physically intimidating at first, but he's got a heart of gold. He's also part of an inseparable duo - which by extension I guess would mean Jose Bautista is Timon.

Add caption