Daulton Varsho might be the best defensive outfielder in baseball right now, yet sometimes, even the very best effort from an elite fielder isn’t enough.
The Toronto Blue Jays center fielder found himself involved in back-to-back plays Saturday against the Minnesota Twins where the ball went off his glove and over the fence for a home run.
In the fifth inning, Twins third baseman Willi Castro launched a shot to deep center. Varsho tracked the ball to the warning track and leaped, only to see the ball bounce off his glove and over the wall for a home run.
Home run: Willi Castro (3)
Assist: Daulton Varsho (1) pic.twitter.com/maZW1oB8Sj— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) May 27, 2023
Two pitches later, the next Twins hitter, Matt Wallner, smacked a deep drive to left center. Varsho went back to the fence, timed his leap perfectly … and saw the ball just tick off his glove on the other side of the wall for a home run.
Matt Wallner is in his bag 👜#MNTwins x #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/nt5p3Vs5NA
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) May 27, 2023
Two great efforts, on back-to-back plays, that came up just short. It’s reasonable to wonder if another outfielder would have even gotten a glove on either ball. Varsho’s statistics as a standout defender speak for themselves. He’s posted 25 Defensive Runs Saved since the start of the 2022 season, third in MLB behind Ke’Bryan Hayes (34) and Taylor Walls (26).
[MLB.com; Photo Credit: Bally Sports North]
