Lawrie in the Sun

The Toronto Sun has this story on former Timber Rattlers second baseman and current Blue Jays farmhand.

Lawrie, rated the 26th best prospect in the minors by Baseball America, plans on being with the Jays opening day.

“I’ve told Brett we think it’s best for him to play a season at triple-A Las Vegas,” said Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos. “We’ll bring him to spring training, see how he plays, hopefully, he makes it a difficult decision for us.”

One scout compared Lawrie’s hitting ability to former Houston Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell.

“Never mind he had eight homers last year,” said the scout. “Most high school drafts spend their first year in Rookie ball and the next at a low Class-A club. He’s two steps ahead of where he should be.”

Lawrie had 36 doubles, 16 triples and eight homers — 60 extra base hits — and 63 RBIs for a .797 OPS. He was 30-for-43 stealing bases at double-A Huntsville.

There are the other stories, how he complained about being called to big-league camp during spring training and “only getting one at-bat.”

The Jays aren’t concerned about his make-up after talking to teammates, roommates and former coaches.

“We didn’t pick one or two people to talk to,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s a guy who works hard. It’s very clear he’s a confident kid. His work ethic is off the charts. Same for the way he competes.

“At his very core, he is a good person.”