Anthony Alford was called up to The Show twice last year, and now the Columbia native is ready to make a name for himself on the national stage.
The outfielder said he intends to make the Toronto Blue Jays club out of spring training this year and give the team no reason to send him back down to the minor leagues.
“That’s the main goal, the ultimate goal, to get to there and stick. It’s hard to make it to bigs, but it’s even harder to stick,” he said Monday. “My main goal is to get to the big leagues, stay there, be productive and help the team whichever way I can. My path going through the minors I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, but I truly feel like I’m past that now. My body feels good.”
The 24-year-old is spending the offseason training in Atlanta to get his body in the best shape it can be and simplifying the mechanics and approach of his offensive game. However, the physical side isn’t what he’s most concerned with.
“I’m working more on the mental side than anything,” he said, “how to overcome adversity, not be results oriented and trusting the process.”
He is scheduled to report to Blue Jays Spring Training Feb. 17 in Dunedin, Fla., and the Blue Jays’ first game is Feb. 23 against the Tigers.
Alford has had an interesting and winding path to get here.
He was a two-sport star at Petal High School, drafted in the third round of the MLB Draft and heading to Southern Miss to be the starting quarterback. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound star began playing both professional baseball and collegiate football in 2012 before an on-campus fight derailed his time with the Golden Eagles. He found his way to Oxford, where he played defensive back for Ole Miss, but decided to commit to baseball full time after only seeing action in three games for the Rebels in 2014.
After committing full time to the diamond, Alford quickly became one of the top prospects in all of baseball. In his first full season in the minor leagues in 2015, Alford hit .298 with 35 RBI and 27 stolen bases, peaking as a consensus Top 50 prospect. Injuries hampered his 2016 season, limiting him to just 92 games in High-A ball, but the outfielder bounced back in a big way in 2017.
Finally healthy, Alford stormed his way through three levels of the minor leagues, batting .299 with five home runs, 26 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 77 games before being called up to the big leagues. However, his time with the Blue Jays was cut short after just four games when he fractured a bone in his wrist against the Milwaukee Brewers on an awkward foul ball.
Alford battled his way back last season despite a hamstring injury during Spring Training to earn a May promotion to Toronto when fellow outfielder and mentor Curtis Granderson suffered an injury. Alford started five out of the seven consecutive games he played, collecting two hits, an RBI and a stolen base before being sent back down to AAA Buffalo May 13, when Granderson returned.
He later played in six games in September mainly as a defensive replacement late in games.
After watching his favorite player growing up star for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and New York Mets, Alford said it was really cool to get to meet and play alongside Granderson in Toronto.
“You don’t see many African Americans in the big leagues, and he was definitely one of those guys on one of the most popular teams in the country. He was a guy who stuck out to me, and it was awesome to play with a guy like him,” he said. “Then getting to play with a guy like (Josh) Donaldson, who was an MVP, (was special).”
While playing with stars he grew up watching is distinctive to Alford, he said nothing tops his experience in Tampa Bay Sept. 29 in the next to last game of the season. Alford drew the start in right field, while his brother-in-law, Jonathan Davis, started in center.
“To be on the field with my brother-in-law with both of our wives and parents in the stands and experience that moment with us was something I’ll always remember,” he said.
Pictured Above: Columbia native Anthony Alford instructs a camper during his Jr. Jays baseball camp in 2017. | File Photo
