DUNEDIN, Fla. -- It was a first for Danny Jansen.

When the 24-year-old Blue Jays catcher sent the ball out of TD Ballpark with the bases loaded in the first inning on Monday in Toronto’s 8-3 win over the Rays, he was able to cross “hitting a grand slam” off his to-do list.

The big knock continued Jansen’s torrid start to Spring Training, during which he was gone 6-for-14 with three homers, five runs scored, 10 RBIs, three walks and only one strikeout in seven games -- a start that he credits to a newfound hitting routine.

“It was pretty cool,” the young backstop said. “Nothing changes now. Keep working, keep going and be consistent. … [The routine] is something I developed and I believe in. It’s my constant variable, so I’m going to stick to it every day. It’s what I can control.”

Toronto’s catchers have impressed early in Grapefruit League action, with No. 5 prospect Alejandro Kirk and No. 27 prospect Riley Adams, as ranked by MLB Pipeline, seeing plenty of game time alongside Jansen, Reese McGuire and Caleb Joseph. Adams hit his first homer of the spring – a three-run shot -- on Monday, a day after Kirk went yard for the first time

“It was a good day for the catchers,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “We had seven RBIs between the catchers. Danny Jansen’s having a good spring, that’s great to see. And of course, Riley hit a bomb. Kirk had another two good at-bats.”

Kirk has opened eyes with a 4-for-8 start to Spring Training with no strikeouts and four walks, showing off the plate discipline that rocketed him up the prospect rankings. He has also become a fan favourite because of his Dioner Navarro-like frame and obvious joy for the game.

“I’m very happy with all the support from the fans,” Kirk said through Spanish interpreter Hector Lebron. “I feel very good right now and I’m very focused on my goals that I want for this year. … The last three or four years, I’ve been working really hard on my [plate discipline], how to see pitches, recognizing pitches, the location of pitches. Every day I work on that, and so far I thank God that I’m pretty good at it.”

What are they thinking?
Though Toronto’s catchers were the ones sending the ball out of the park on Monday, they have all experienced their fair share of standing behind the plate while the opposing hitter is rounding the bases.

What goes through their minds when they’re in those moments, waiting to squat down and call the next pitch?

“Sometimes you think that you shouldn’t have called that pitch,” Jansen said. “You look back at the at-bat and wonder if it came down to execution, or did it come down to the way we got there? Was it just following suit and being too predictable? Sometimes it’s a good piece of hitting and you tip your cap, they executed, and that’s baseball.

“Those are some of the things you think about, and sometimes you just kick dirt back there.”

Added Adams: “Shoot, you’re thinking about the pitch, you’re wondering how the location was. Sometimes you second guess that you didn’t call the right pitch there or something like that. Sometimes it’s just a pitch that wasn’t in the right spot. There are a lot of thoughts that go through your mind.”

For McGuire, if the pitch was executed the way he and his batterymate intended, he can live with it in the moment, though he might go back to it after the game and think about why it wasn’t the right pitch at that time.

“Say we tried to throw a curveball in the dirt and we hang it and it gets hit out, you can’t really say that’s the wrong pitch, because you didn’t execute it,” McGuire said. “Also, as the guy is rounding, you’re thinking, ‘How can I get my guy to lock it back in with this next hitter?’ Because he’s a starter and it’s early in the game -- he’s going to continue to pitch. The last thing you want is ball one [then] ball two to the next guy. You try to get back on track right away.”

Added Kirk: “We can’t control that. If we get the pitch we want, the one that we’ve asked for, and it’s pitched well and he still hits a homer, that’s a credit to him.”

Up next
Tanner Roark will make his second start of Spring Training as Toronto heads on the road to Tampa to take on the Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday. The 33-year-old right-hander threw two innings and allowed one run in his Blue Jays debut. He will be followed by Japanese righty Shun Yamaguchi, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game live on MLB.TV or listen with Gameday Audio.