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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The biggest surprises to manager John Farrell are really no surprise.
When asked which players topped his list of biggest surprises, Farrell had no hesitation in coming up with third baseman Brett Lawrie and catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
Well, duh.
“There’s a couple of guys and they’re probably the younger players,” Farrell started off. “Having seen the veteran players and the returning players you have a little bit more of an understanding of what they are. But it has been exciting to watch the abilities of Brett Lawrie and Travis d’Arnaud.
While d’Arnaud has just three at-bats in parts of three games, he has impressed one and all with his athleticism and soft hands.
“When you look at d’Arnaud’s ability to catch seemingly effortlessly, he has shown a very good and advanced feel to call a game,” Farrell said. “Those are all very good positives for him.
Lawrie, meanwhile, has supplied the WOW factor this camp.
“Brett Lawrie grabs your attention as soon as he walks onto the field,” Farrell said. “But then how he goes about it, the intensity, the explosiveness, he makes a statement just in the way he plays the game. He doesn’t have to talk, his actions and his play speak loudly. Whenever that happens at the major league level, it’s going to be an exciting time for people in Toronto, people that follow this team and certainly this organization.”
