CLEARWATER, Fla. — It is 10:30 on a warm, sunny Thursday morning and the Philadelphia Phillies are taking batting practice. Michael Saunders steps into the cage, as John Fogerty’s “Centrefield” blares over the sound system at Spectrum Field. Saunders, the 30-year-old from Victoria who has a maple leaf tattooed on his forearm, is here because the Phillies very much wanted him. Then last season began, and suddenly Saunders was the player the Blue Jays had hoped he would become. The Saunders homecoming was over, with a half season of glory sandwiched in between a whole bunch of disappointment.

Source: National Post March 09, 2017 20:29 UTC