The Toronto Blue Jays have come up with a brilliant way to decide the draft order for their Fantasy Football league, and it involved the team’s support staff showing off their pitching skills.
With 12 Blue Jays participants involved, players were paired with off-field staff members before each staff member took the mound. Their radar-gun reading would then determine where the corresponding player picked in the Fantasy Football draft.
The competition was overseen by future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who also serves as the league commissioner. Manager John Schneider operated the radar gun, while pitching coach Pete Walker helped ensure the results were fair.
Blue Jays turn Fantasy Football draft into a radar-gun competition
Players first drew the names of various members of the Blue Jays’ support staff, including clubhouse assistants and training personnel.
Those staff members then had one job: throw their fastest pitch.
The harder they threw, the earlier their paired player would pick in the Fantasy Football draft.
Several participants set the early standard with throws of 71, 72, 75 and 77 mph.
Then assistant pitching coach Sam Greene stepped up.
Greene used his baseball background to fire a 90 mph fastball into the radar gun, comfortably producing the fastest effort of the day. That earned Team Kazuma Okamoto the coveted No. 1 overall pick.
It was a clever twist on what can often be a fairly routine Fantasy Football tradition.
Instead of simply drawing numbers or using last season’s standings, the Blue Jays turned the process into another chance for the group to compete.
It also gave some of the team’s unsung staff members a chance to steal the spotlight.
The event brought players and staff together away from the baseball field, while still keeping the competitive edge that comes with any Fantasy Football league.
For Scherzer, the idea also seems fitting given his role as commissioner and his reputation as one of baseball’s most competitive pitchers.
The Blue Jays now have their draft order sorted, but the real test comes later.
A 90 mph fastball can secure the first pick, but it cannot guarantee a Fantasy Football championship.
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