Elliott: Blue Jays' Springer has sprung all season long

George Springer helped get the Blue Jays to their first World Series in 32 years.

October 25, 2025

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The Houston Astros war room on draft day in 2011 was unlike any of the other 29 teams in baseball.

The Houston National League franchise was for sale.

Local Rice Owls third baseman Anthony Rendon had started to tumble on draft boards and there was pressure, like in a lot of cities each year come draft time, to take the hometown hero.

Yet, the scouts in the Astros’ room wanted outfielder George Springer from the University of Connecticut.

As the draft began, general manager Ed Wade had a problem.

“I remember vividly our owner Drayton McLane was in the process of selling to Jim Crain ... both were flying in their separate, private planes,” said Wade from Turnersville, N.J.

The 2011 draft was a very good year as the vino connoisseurs say.

RHP Gerrit Cole went first overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, RHP Trevor Bauer was third off the board to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Dylan Bundy went fourth to the Baltimore Orioles.

And then the Astros war room let out a huge sigh of relief when they heard on the conference call:

“With the sixth pick, the Washington Nationals select Anthony Rendon from Rice University.”

The Diamondbacks then selected Archie Bradley seventh, Cleveland chose INF Francisco Lindor next and the Chicago Cubs chose INF Javier Baez.

Houston took Springer and gave him a signing bonus of $2,525,000 to forego his final year at UConn.

As it turned out Springer was the final first-round pick under Wade’s five-year regime in Houston.

“We flew back from the owners meetings, I went into Cane’s office and we talked about next year, he said he ‘wanted to see my plan,’” Wade said. “I went in, told my assistant ‘we might be OK.’ The next day I was fired. I loaded up the U-haul and drove back to New Jersey. How long was the drive? Long enough that I never want to do it again.”

At the time of Wade’s dismissal, there were 40 players in the Astros organization who went on to play in the majors, including the likes of Jose Altuve, Dallas Keuchel, J.D. Martinez, J.A. Happ, Kiké Hernández, Mark Melancon and Springer.

“I remember we saw a video of George standing flat-footed next to a 50-gallon drum,” Wade said. “All of a sudden jumped up on top of it. He was like Superman.”

His father, also named George competed in the 1976 Little League World Series and played college football for the UConn Huskies, while his mother, Laura, competed as a top-level gymnast. George had ups.

* * *

On this night: Springer led off with a double in the first and Nathan Lukes singled to set up first and third with none out. None out. No problem. Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out Vladimir Guerrero, Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho.

Springer was plunked in the third, raced to third on a Guerrero single and came across on a fly ball by Kirk. And that ... was basically it. Yamamoto retired the final 20 hitters in succession for a 5-1 win before 44,607. The hit for Springer gave him 21 career doubles in postseason, tying former teammate Altuve for sixth-most all-time. Additionally, his eight career doubles in the World Series are tied for seventh-most all-time, matching Altuve, Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig, Lonnie Smith, Hall of Famer Duke Snider and Justin Turner. At 36-years, 36-days old, Springer is the third-oldest player in World Series history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

The best-of-seven World Series moves to Dodger Stadium with Game 3 on Monday night. Kevin Gausman retired 17 men in order before he allowed two solo homers within 11 pitches -- first Will Smith and one out later Max Muncy.

George Springer during his Houston Astros days

* * *

The heck with it: Bobby Heck was the scouting director with the Astros in 2011.

“We had seen George as a high schooler, then as a freshman, a sophomore and on Cape Cod, so I had some history on him,” said Heck after scouting an Arizona Fall League game for the Tampa Bay Rays. “He was a target for us picking 11th.”

Then, Heck attended the Big East/Big10 Challenge at Jack Russell Field in Clearwater, Fla.

“He looked like he had been lifting weights all winter, the whole UConn team did, George had a lot of swings and misses,” said Heck.

It was the same thing when Heck saw him at Corpus Christi, Tex. Heck was now “one foot in ... almost out.”

But Heck had so much history seeing Springer play that he asked his assistant David Post to make one more check on Springer. Post reported back that Springer was “worth another look.”

Heck showed up at a mid-week UConn game against Central Connecticut, where Springer’s grandfather, also named George, had played when it was known as the Teacher’s College of Connecticut.

The swings and misses were gone.

“His quick swing and his quick mind were back,” according to Heck.

The scouting director said the Astros were hoping that Springer would turn out to be somewhere between Torii Hunter and Mike Cameron. Said Heck “I think we got someone closer to Hunter.”

Hunter had 2,452 hits in his 19-year career, was a five-time all-star, won two Silver Sluggers and received nine Gold Gloves. Springer ended the season with 1,480 hits in his 12th season, with four all-star selections, two Silver Sluggers and a World Series MVP.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Dunedin on draft day: Springer had a northeast scout in his corner. Fighting for him. All the king’s men had gathered to put their draft board in order. They gathered at the Jays’ complex to discuss, compare, evaluate and argue over players’ abilities as well as signability.

The other Jays scouts weren’t as excited about Springer projecting him as a second or third round pick.

At some time during the Springer discussion, a now legendary exchange took place.

A Jays scout said: “Ahhh ... wait until he plays against guys from California, Florida and Texas. Springer’s going to be like a lot of other kids from Northern schools ... he’ll melt like a snowflake facing pitching from the big three hot beds.

“I’ll bet you a steak diner he doesn’t get out of double-A.”

While the scout boosting Springer was let go, the scout who lost the bet survived.

“We never considered how much snow you shovel,” pointed out Wade, nodding towards Hall of Famer Craig Biggio of Smithtown, N.Y., who attended Seton Hall in New Jersey. “Being with the Philadelphia Phillies and having Dallas Green and Paul Owens in our draft room I’m familiar with that whole atmosphere (in a draft room).”

And 10 years after his draft year, the Jays signed free-agent Springer to six-year, $150-million US deal in 2021.

* * *

The Game 7 homer: The Jays’ post-season history of Game 7s was not deep and it was not memorable. At one time the Blue Jays led the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.

Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, ace Dave Stieb walked future Hall of Famer George Brett with one out and Hal McRae was hit with a 2-1 pitch. Stieb retired Pat Sheridan on a grounder and then walked Steve Balboni to load the bases. Jim Sundberg tripled to right field on a 2-1 pitch unloading the bases and giving the Royals a 5-1 lead.

The Jays managed three base runners in their final three at-bats: Jesse Barfield reached twice (walk, single) and Tony Fernandez (double) before Dan Quisenberry retired Lloyd Moseby on a ground ball to wrap up a 6-2 win.

In Game 7 against the Seattle Mariners, the Jays were down 3-1 facing Brian Woo as Addison Barger worked a lead-off walk and Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled. Andres Giménez bunted the runners over. M’s manager Dan Wilson went to reliever Eduard Bazardo.

Meanwhile, on the 300 level wise baseball man Richard Griffin walked past Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and said, “It is time for Springer’s Kirk Gibson’s moment.”

Springer, hit with a fastball on his knee cap by Woo in Game 5 in Seattle, homered 381 feet to left centre on a 1-0 pitch, Barger scored and Kiner-Falefa scored.

“When George hit his homer in Game 7, I wasn’t clapping but I was very happy for him,” said Wade. “I sent his father, George a congratulatory text message. The whole family is topnotch.”

Said Heck: “I had goose bumps. My wife Nicole gave me a high five. My daughter Jordyn, who works on features for MLB Network in New Jersey, sent me a text.”

Not to be left out when it came to evaluating and drafting Springer was area scout John Kosiak, who also drafted Evan Grills (Whitby, Ont.) in 2010.

After being one of the worst hitters in the majors last year and after going 1-for-Florida this spring, Springer emerged to be the Blue Jays’ logical choice as MVP. He hit .309 with 27 doubles, a triple, 32 homers and 84 RBIs. He had a .959 OPS in 140 games.

“George has probably paid the price of playing his whole career, at least all his home games, on turf and playing the game as hard as he does,” said Heck.

Springer is in good shape to win Comeback Player of the Year award. Heck has had award winners before: MVP (Ryan Braun), Rookie of the Year (Carlos Correa and Braun) and Cy Young award winner (Dallas Keuchel), who was “signed by a Canadian,” Heck adds ... Leaside’s Jim Stevenson.”

* * *

A busy man: Wade was GM in Philadelphia from 1998 to 2005 and recently was named to the Phillies’ Wall of Fame.

He has kept busy writing two books: Delayed Honor and Preserved Honor about a Navy Seal which is still available on Amazon for $8.

On Opening Day for the Phillies home opener or at the Army-Navy in Philadelphia Wade got to know the parachutists.

“I asked them ‘how do you learn how to jump?” Wade said. “They told me about 1,000 guys ask, but I was the first to follow up.”

On his first day, he did one jump in tandem and then six more -- the same day. He’s up to 43 jumps now.

Wade is an expert at jumping out of planes and he has held two GMs job and a big step was Springer as a spring board in 2011.

* * *

Kudos to Plesac: Before Monday’s game broadcaster Dan Plesac said, “Addison Barger would deliver the blow of the game.” Yet, he was not even in the starting lineup. Plesac stuck with Barger, who hit a grand slam in Game 1.

* * *

Gone to LA: The Blue Jays will be flying their employees to Los Angeles. Half of the second will go to Game 4 and the other half will go to Game 5.

* * *

The Good

Springer doubled and Lukes singled then Ernie Clement was given a gift pop up as a single and in the fourth, Guerrero singled, as Kirk knocked in a run. Then, Yamamoto retired 20 hitters in succession ... For Yamamoto, it was his second complete game this post season and the first time in 24 games that a starter had pitched back-to-back complete games. He was the first arm to put up back-to-back complete games since Curt Schilling with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, who had three consecutive complete games for the Diamondbacks in 2001, including Game 1 and Game 5 of the NLDS and Game 3 of the NLCS. He is the first to throw multiple complete games in a single postseason since Madison Bumgarner (2014 Wild Card Game and Game 5 of the 2014 World Series for San Francisco) ... Gausman set down 17 in order until the Smith homer.

The Bad

Guerrero, Kirk and Varsho fanned so the Jays produced nothing from a first-and-third situation ... The Jays with their reputation to grind against pitchers fanned eight times ... RP Louie Varland allowed two runs in 2/3 of an inning ... Jays were 1-for-4 with men in scoring position … SS Andres Gimenez made a long underhand toss which gave the Dodgers an extra run, when an overhand toss would have resulted in a 6-4-3 double play.

The Ugly

Freeman over ran a Clement pop up and Clement was given a base hit.