TORONTO -- The Blue Jays entered 2021 with a stronger defensive foundation, but there are still some rough edges for this young infield to smooth out as the season stretches on.

Through two games, it’s felt as though Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has taken enough throws in the dirt to last him a month. There have been scoops, splits and balls that have skipped past, all of which have shown the challenges of playing first base. There’s some development ahead for Guerrero himself, a 22-year-old who’s played only 36 professional games at first base, but he’ll benefit from some help, too.

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Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees left Guerrero stretching once again, and it started with the first run of the game. DJ LeMahieu chopped a grounder in Cavan Biggio’s direction with a runner on third and, charging in, Biggio fired across to Guerrero. The throw was accurate, but Guerrero, sensing a bang-bang play, stretched too far, yanking his back foot off the bag.

“He’s good. He’s still a third baseman in my mind. He’s got good glove work over there and he works hard at it every day,” said veteran second baseman Marcus Semien. “There are going to be plays that come up that are new to him, but so far he’s been solid. I know he tried to stretch on the one and pulled his foot, but that’s an aggressive mistake. You can’t be mad at that one.”

This play shows how an infield defense acts together. Biggio’s throw came across the diamond at just 69.2 mph, according to Statcast. You’ll typically see Biggio’s throwing arm sitting in the high 70s or low 80s, which is considered to be a good range for infielders, but the true test for many shortstops or third basemen comes on difficult plays where they’re moving or unable to set their feet. Biggio’s release was quick and his throw was accurate, though, so another split second of patience from Guerrero and a more balanced lunge could have turned the play into an out.

It’s far too early in the year to draw conclusions on individual players or the defense as a whole -- let’s check back in a couple of months -- but games like Saturday’s offer a valuable look at the Blue Jays’ next steps of development.

In 2020, the Blue Jays’ defensive errors were often glaring, fundamental mistakes. You’ll see far fewer of those in 2021, but with a stronger roster and postseason expectations, the Blue Jays don’t just want to be better, they want to be airtight.

The lone charged error of the game came in the fifth, when Gio Urshela grounded to Bo Bichette, who fielded the ball while moving to his right. Throwing back across his body, Bichette skipped the throw to the glove side of Guerrero, who had it bounce off his mitt before tipping backwards onto the dirt. The error went to Bichette.

They won’t all be easy for Guerrero.

One of Guerrero’s greatest gifts in the field is a great set of hands. When he’s consistently getting to the right position with the proper footwork, he’ll save his fielders some errors through the season. It’s all about setting that strong fundamental base, which Guerrero learned at third base, but he has the building blocks to be a solid first baseman when the game starts to slow down for him on that corner.

The next steps for Guerrero come down to the finer details of first base, which such former Blue Jays as Justin Smoak might have made look easy, but they aren’t.

“Just getting used to being around the bag,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “That’s the next step. He’s made some good picks.”

That comes with experience. In 2020, Guerrero often broke to his right instead of going directly to the bag, but he learned from his mistakes and has cleaned up that part of his game. Semien still views Guerrero as a third baseman, given his skill set, but it’s those mental adjustments that will help him reach the next level.

All of this gets easier with a little help from his friends on the infield, though. The margins will become a little thinner for this Blue Jays team defensively in 2021, but that’s all part of going from a young, developing team to a true contender.