By Canadian Press

Zack Collins brings defensive depth to Toronto Blue Jays’ catching corps

Apr 12, 2022 | 2:58 PM

Getting up to speed with the Toronto Blue Jays has meant a lot of talking and a lot of bullpen sessions for catcher Zack Collins.

The 27-year-old Collins was acquired by Toronto in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on April 3, getting swapped for catcher Reese McGuire in a one-for-one deal. Collins immediately slotted in as the Blue Jays’ third catcher on its expanded 28-man roster behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk.

Collins said on Sunday that he was enjoying learning from the two senior catchers on Toronto’s roster.

“Those guys, obviously, have performed here for the last couple years,” said Collins in the Blue Jays clubhouse at Rogers Centre. “So just looking to come in and help the team as much as they can and talking to them communicating about the staff and what they need and just looking to win ballgames, really.”

A day after speaking about helping the team, Collins jumped to second on Toronto’s depth chart at catcher after Jansen was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. In a corresponding move, Tyler Heineman was selected to the Blue Jays’ Major League roster.

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Collins made his Blue Jays regular-season debut Monday night, going 0 for 3 as the designated hitter in Toronto’s 3-0 win over the Yankees in New York. He’s a career .193 hitter with seven home runs, 38 runs batted in, and a .313 on-base percentage over 115 games. Last season was his third in Major League Baseball and the most he’s ever played, hitting .210 with a .338 OBP in 78 games for Chicago.

His real skill comes behind the plate rather than in the batter’s box. He has a career .995 fielding percentage and caught Carlos Rodón’s no-hitter on April 14, 2021.

As a defence-first catcher, Collins has been focused on familiarizing himself with Toronto’s elite rotation and bullpen for his first two weeks with the team.

“Trying to get everybody under my belt, catching them and catching as many bullpens and flat grounds as I can to learn their pitches and stuff like that and what they like to do,” said Collins. “So far I’ve been pretty impressed with the arms that we’ve got.”

Collins said that after catching a six-inning live batting practice with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi at spring training and a bullpen session with big right-hander Alek Manoah on Saturday, they’re the starters he’s most familiar with so far.

Manoah and Collins both grew up in the Miami area, which the pitcher said has helped them forge a bond quickly.

“I think it’s awesome just the way everything comes full circle,” said Manoah. “Now he’s here and being able to work with him is obviously amazing. He’s got great hands and he definitely has a lot of knowledge. 

“As a pitcher, you know, it feels amazing. (The catchers are) out there working as hard as they can every day. Being able to have three really good ones I think is pretty awesome.”

Heineman was in the lineup as Toronto’s catcher for Kikuchi’s start against New York on Tuesday night with Kirk as DH. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press