Nothing Rowdy about it, but Tellez was fine with Blue Jays dealing with him


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MILWAUKEE — Once it became clear that Vlad Guerrero Jr. was going to be the Blue Jays first baseman not just of the future but of the present, Rowdy Tellez took matters into his own hands.

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Sort of.

Sure, the Rowdy man was willing to be a good teammate, passing along the tricks of the trade — many of which he had learned from all-star Jays first baseman Justin Smoak.

But Tellez also made it clear to Toronto general manager Ross Atkins that he wouldn’t be averse to a trade, especially when he still had options remaining to be shipped to the minor leagues.

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As he prepared to face his former teammates for the first time on Friday night, Tellez acknowledged that he helped pave his own way out of the town that had been his professional home since his 2018 Major League debut.

“Ross and I kind of talked and I told him I loved the organization, I love the team, I love everything about it here, but at some point I want to further my career,” Tellez said when we asked him about it at American Family Field where his Brewers were to begin the first of three against his former team on Friday night.

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“I didn’t specifically say ‘Hey, Ross, I want to be traded.’ But I said that I believe in myself more than being in triple A.”

When there was no room at the inn—or infield—for Tellez, that thinly veiled wish was granted last July when Atkins sent him to the Brewers for reliever Trevor Richards and miner-league pitching prospect, Bowden Francis.

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And it has been a great opportunity here for Tellez as he’s become a key offensive weapon for the NL Central leading Brew Crew. Prior to Friday’s game, the big first bagger led his team in doubles (16), RBI (41) and extra-base hits (27).

He was also a busy big dude in the pre-game portion of the evening, catching up with his old teammates, many of whom he climbed along the minor-league ladder with. A 30th-round pick by the Jays in 2013, Tellez’s most productive year in Toronto was 2019 when he banged out 21 homers and 54 RBI.

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But with the emergence of the organization’s top prospect, playing time was going to be at a premium.

Once Guerrero flopped at third and was moved across the diamond to first in 2020, Tellez knew that his future was at best going to change. Sure, the left-handed bat was something the Jays could use in their lineup, but playing time going forward was going to be an issue.

“You’ve got one of the best first baseman in baseball in Toronto and that’s going to be hard to get consistent playing time,” Tellez said. “And I got an opportunity over here and I’m super grateful for that.

“No hard feelings towards Toronto. I mean, they obviously let me debut with them. I spent a lot of time with them. But it’s really nice to get out here and play very day.”

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Once the writing was on the wall, it could have gone a couple of ways for Tellez. He could have sulked or he could have made the best of the situation.

Wisely, he chose the latter and worked closely with Guerrero, much like Smoak did with him when he was breaking into the bigs.

“(Guerrero) always asked questions,” Tellez said. “I wanted to learn, I wanted to get better. That makes it easier as a teammate to root for people and to be there day in and day out for guys.

“When I came up, Justin when I debuted was the every day first baseman and he helped me out a ton. He taught me how to be a professional over at first and how to prepare. I still use a lot of the stuff he taught me today. And I just kind of pass it on to make Vlad feel as comfortable as he could over there.”

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Tellez was appreciated by his teammates and coaching staff as was evidenced by the welcome he received from many of them on Friday. The California native still keeps in touch with many of them, including manager Charlie Montoyo.

“We always knew that if I found a spot he’d do great,” Montoyo said. “I’m happy for him. Hopefully he goes “0 for” this week and then gets hot.”

There was a time when many in the Jays originated thought Tellez was going to be the next big thing with the team.

A large lefty who could hit for power, that feeling was validated when he made a scintillating big league debut in September of 2018, hitting a double in his first at-bat as a pinch hitter then hitting five more over the next two days.

“You know, there’s a lot of history that I had with Toronto, almost 10 years in the system and training there every off-season,” said Tellez, . “But I think at some point, it was it was time for a change and I was open to it. I’m just really happy where I am.”

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