On the fast track to the big leagues

Mix of speed and power could mean short stay in Buffalo for trade deadline pickup Clase

- MIKE WILNER

Jonatan Clase, traded to the Blue Jays at the July deadline, stole 79 bases in the Seattle Mariners system last season.

The most intriguing of the young prospects acquired by the Blue Jays is still working things out in Buffalo, but probably not for long.

Jonatan Clase came over from Seattle in the Yimi García deal, the first of the Jays’ trade deadline dominoes to fall, and brings a combination of power and speed that has rarely been seen around these parts, if ever.

Last year, Clase became the first player to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 70 bases in a single minor-league season since at least 1961, when stats gathering became reliable.

“I always had to work very hard on being an athlete,” Clase told the Star through interpreter Raul Pimentel in the Buffalo Bisons dugout before a recent game.

“My goal is always being athletic — working on my speed without losing strength, and adding strength without losing my speed, so making sure to create a healthy balance between those two. That’s what really helps me put that display on the field.”