LAKELAND, Fla. -- Entering his ninth season in the Blue Jays' organization, Jonathan Davis has seen a lot through every level of the system and on the big stage.

Now 28, he’s seeing the young core behind him develop not only as ballplayers, but as young men. Davis is too young to be called a veteran, but the perspective he holds is rare, and he’s taken pride in watching his teammates take the next step.

“I was having a conversation with Bo [Bichette] the other day, and just to hear him talk and speak like a man, it kind of excites me,” Davis said. “I remember Bo when he was sitting around with his flow and just being little Bo. Now, seeing him be a leader -- and he’s always been a leader -- but to lead other men, it’s exciting.”

With star power added in George Springer and Marcus Semien this season, Davis represents the supporting cast Toronto will need along the way. He’s on the outside looking in with Teoscar Hernández, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk also in the outfield, but Davis’ outfield defense is fantastic, and he will be called upon at some point.

That’s how it worked in 2020, when Davis spent some time at the alternate training site before he was added to the roster in September. He homered in his first game back, a rewarding feeling after all of the time he’d put in.

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“I’m proud of myself in a sense for grinding and staying in the process,” Davis said. “That’s what you got last year when you saw guy after guy step in and fill a role that was missing at the moment. That transitioned into this year, and it’s what you’re seeing. It’s guys knowing that we all have a role to play in this. When you know that, that’s when you have a team.”

Ray a strikeout machine
Left-hander Robbie Ray recorded six of his seven outs via strikeout in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium, but the first inning had a far different look than his final 1 1/3. Ray needed 31 pitches to get through the first, including 10 foul balls and two walks, and was consistently sitting at 96-97 mph with a peak of 98.4 mph on his fastball, well above his recent averages.

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Ray found his groove after that, though, while working more in the 94-96 mph range, and finished at 50 pitches (31 strikes). After those two walks in the first inning, Ray said he tried to focus more on hitting the plate and letting his pitches do the work. There wasn’t a conscious change to ease off of velocity, but it worked, and Ray’s misses were mostly on the edges of the zone.

When Ray has been at his best, his slider has been a great weapon for him, especially late in counts. On Sunday, he was hitting his spots with the slider and produced four whiffs with four fouls.

“When I can get swings and misses like that, I feel like it’s coming out looking like my fastball and guys can’t recognize it,” Ray said. “It was good to see that.”

Observations from Lakeland
• No. 1 prospect Nate Pearson is dealing with a right groin strain and threw long toss on Sunday. He’ll get some treatment on the off-day Monday and throw more long toss on Tuesday.

• Cavan Biggio made the play of the day on defense, another encouraging sign as he adapts to third base this spring. Playing well off the line at third, Biggio raced back toward third on a Willi Castro grounder to field the ball. Still running as he crossed into foul territory, Biggio then threw across his body to get Castro at first. The throw was played perfectly at first.

• Hernández got the start in left field, which you’ll see a bit more of this spring. Hernández is primarily a right-fielder, but the Blue Jays need to be flexible in the corners with Hernández, Grichuk and Gurriel needing time. Like many of Toronto's Spring Training experiments, though, the true value of this could be in late-game situations, as it gives the Blue Jays more options defensively if they use a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter in the late innings.

• Semien started at shortstop, the position he played for six seasons with the A’s. Shortstop is Bichette’s position, of course, but if Bichette needs a day off or misses time, Semien can slide over easily. This also opens up some bench flexibility for Toronto, as its reserve infielder won’t often be called upon to play short.

• Young right-hander Elvis Luciano struggled again on Sunday in Lakeland, similar to his last outing on Thursday against the Tigers. Luciano faced five batters and didn’t record an out, and it didn’t seem like he had any feel for his control. In a scary moment, a Luciano pitch hit Greyson Greiner in the head, and Greiner left the field with the Tigers’ training staff. Luciano is being stretched out as a starter in camp.

• Prospect Kevin Smith sent a double to the opposite-field gap in right-center with an impressive exit velocity of 109 mph in the seventh inning. Smith broke out in 2018 with 25 home runs and an .886 OPS between Class A Lansing and Class A Advanced Dunedin, but he struggled in '19 in the Minor Leagues and Arizona Fall League. Smith has worked on his plate approach, and the Blue Jays think he’s getting back to his old self, though, and there’s lots to like about his defense on the infield.