Toronto Blue Jays’ Varsho explains how teammate aggressively stole his number
If you’ve tuned into Toronto Blue Jays games as of late, you’ll have likely noticed that Daulton Varsho is wearing a different number.
In what is his third season with the Blue Jays, Varsho is now donning No. 5. Through his first two seasons with the organization, he was rocking No. 25.
The reason for the change was to allow for Anthony Santander, the Blue Jays’ big offseason signing, to continue wearing the same number he had for years with the Baltimore Orioles. Seeing younger players give up their numbers out of respect for veterans is nothing new, though the way this particular situation played out was a little unusual.
Varsho recently explained in an interview on the 6ix Inning Stretch podcast that Santander didn’t ask, but told him that he’d be taking No. 25 shortly after signing his five-year contract with the Blue Jays.
Upon first meeting Varsho, Santander told him that he wouldn’t be taking No. 25. The 30-year-old seemingly changed his mind the following day, however, just moments before his introductory press conference.
“The next day, he had his press conference, he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m taking your number.’ I was like, ‘Oh, okay,'” Varsho explained. “So our clubhouse manager said, ‘Hey, we need to figure out what your number is because Tony’s going to take 25.'”
Despite being completely caught off guard by the situation, it sounds as though Varsho is fine with how things played out. He even revealed that he believes a gift is coming his way soon.
“He got me something the week before I got back [from injury]. He was down in Florida, and he said he got me something,” Varsho said. “I don’t know what it is yet, but we’ll see.”
While it is common practice for older veterans to get their desired number in any sport, it’s a little bit surprising to see that Santander seemingly had no second thoughts in this regard, given that Varsho is only a year younger and is a well-established MLB player in his own right.
Perhaps the number change wound up being the right move for Varsho, as he’s hit 12 home runs through just 32 games this season.