Daulton Varsho, an outfielder with the Blue Jays, had a bone to pick, quite literally.
In an interview conducted Sunday morning at the Jays’ player development complex, Varsho stated, “My dad came up with the idea as a way to get old-school and just be an athlete.” “Grab an axe with both hands and begin striking.”
Even though Varsho was unhappy with his performance at the plate (batting.220 with 20 home runs, down from.235 and 27 in his first full major-league season with the Diamondbacks the previous year), his unusual work wasn’t only a way to vent his resentment. Former major league player and coach Gary showed some thought beyond the cut.
“Where you are staying straight, I wasn’t swinging down like you would if you were going to chop the tree. In other words, the swing is essentially remaining in the zone for an extended amount of time,” stated Varsho, who was traded to Toronto in December 2022 in exchange for catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. “It felt like an athletic movement where you just did it without thinking about it,” with a maximum swing count of 20.
“You are aware that hitting the tree with the axe will not feel nice if you take a poor swing. That was the way it was thinking. There is no getting rid of that tree. Despite its age and difficulty, my dad intends to maintain it in use.
Varsho’s unconventional start to the off-season offers a fascinating look into his character. He was a team favorite last season thanks to his hustle, excellent left field defense, and laid-back demeanor. Varsho returned to his Wisconsin roots (and not just the trees) after leaving Toronto and traveling by U-Haul around Lake Huron in Canada.
Varsho remarked, “I love going back and spending time in the woods every season. It’s one of those things where I can easily unwind afterward. I was working on the acreage I bought there since we truly enjoy it.
“It’s a fun activity I did with my family, and it helped me unwind.”
Varsho had reverted to his more conventional preparation by American Thanksgiving, though he did take a break on December 3 to drive to Green Bay to witness his favorite Packers defeat the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 27-19.
Varsho had plenty of time during the off-season to concentrate and gather his thoughts, which he carried with him to Florida.
“If you watch a lot of my games last year, you’ll see that I was underneath a lot of balls and foul-tipping pitches that I should have been hammering,” Varsho recalled, indicating in part why his father had recommended axe therapy. “I simply believe there was a great deal more there for me to improve.” Last year, there were a lot of pitches that I fouled off early in the count that I knew I could hit. To put it simply, I was attempting to accomplish too much.
“The simpler the better, in my opinion. The doubles and home runs come when you can hit a straightforward single through the middle.
Thus far in spring training, Varsho has been a keen learner, learning from offensive coordinator Don Mattingly and paying careful attention to veteran Justin Turner, who has provided an experienced viewpoint on the ups and downs of a big-league bat. Varsho has a history of being a sluggish beginning to a season, so it doesn’t hurt that he scored three runs in his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday.
Varsho has made some modest adjustments to his setup, according to manager John Schneider, but the most of his gains will come from reducing the self-inflicted weight he frequently carried in 2023.
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Schneider stated, “He’s trying to get the ball a little bit lower when it’s coming off his bat and he knows the league a little better this year.” “You don’t want to overwork Varsh, but we’re expecting him to take the next step offensively and have a pretty good year.”
The fact that Varsho has a large fan base, teammates, and family behind him doesn’t hurt either.
His effort, whether it’s out of the box after making contact or his dexterity on defense—he was a fantastic left fielder in 2023—wins him over to many. That quality is also inherited from the family, however it originates with the Wisconsinites’ female population.
“We always compete because I grew up with two older sisters,” Varsho remarked. “Moreover, my mother was my Little League coach, so she was the one who would always encourage me to run faster by saying, ‘Come on, Daulton, let’s go.'”
What about his reserved manner? That seems to have originated from sisters Taylor and Andie as well.
Varsho explains, grinning and retaining a hint of her Wisconsin accent, “They were my older sisters and did all the talking for me.” “They make me who I am, and I am who I am because of them.”