Myles Straw’s playful chemistry with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is cementing his role as a clubhouse glue piece for the Blue Jays—one dump, one laugh, and one message at a time.
TORONTO — Myles Straw knows the drill, and the Blue Jays feel it.
On a Friday home game in April. his mischievous grin is already doing half the talking before anything happens on the field.. Straw and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. share a look in the dugout. grab one of the water coolers. pour an orange energy drink into the other. and then move like conspirators toward rookie Brandon Valenzuela during his player-of-the-game interview.
The ritual is familiar now: a splash, a quick sprint back to the clubhouse, and the kind of celebration that tells the rest of the roster, without needing words, that the team’s mood is intact.
What made it even more striking is that it wasn’t just a one-off.. Straw and Guerrero Jr.. have completed the celebratory water-dump routine in consecutive games.. Davis Schneider was the previous target. and he even had the rare experience of being asked to hold his spectacles before the prank went off.. This time, Valenzuela got the full treatment—ice-cold liquid included.
That’s the point, really.. Guerrero Jr.. has long leaned into these post-game hijinks, and Straw has become the key addition to the routine.. He’s still relatively new to Toronto’s clubhouse—running mate duties began only last season—but he quickly earned a reputation as the player who helps keep the atmosphere loose without slipping into chaos.
Guerrero Jr.. has treated Straw’s presence as something more than entertainment.. The right message is that Straw belongs. and in a locker room where chemistry can often be harder to engineer than talent. his impact is the kind coaches and veterans notice.. Max Scherzer framed it simply: if a team wants to be great. it has to start with a great clubhouse—chemistry first. everything else later.. Straw fits that standard because he connects to every corner of it.
Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider both describe the same through-line from different angles.. The game is stressful, Lukes says, and Straw knows how to have fun with it.. Schneider adds that a strong clubhouse presence can lift someone who’s having a rough moment that day. and that Straw has a knack for getting more out of teammates—especially the ones who might otherwise keep their distance.. Even players who don’t talk much find their way into conversations with him.
There’s a method beneath the jokes.. Straw’s emotional intelligence shows up in how he reads the room and chooses the right tone.. His humor also works because it isn’t aimed at belittling teammates; it disarms people.. The Blue Jays manager. John Schneider. even jokes that if Straw were an actor. his comedic timing would be sharp—because it lands at exactly the right moments.
That clubhouse role didn’t appear out of nowhere.. Straw’s journey to the big leagues has been anything but straightforward. and the experiences along the way helped shape the mindset he carries today.. Drafted in 2015 by the Astros out of St.. Johns River State College. Straw became a top-20 prospect in Houston’s system before reaching the majors in 2018 and taking a meaningful step in 2019.. Then came a trade that tested him during the best stretch of his career.
In July 2021, he moved to Cleveland, where he played 158 games across the two clubs that year.. It was a productive season by almost any on-base and impact measure, and it culminated in a Gold Glove in 2022.. But baseball is rarely a straight line.. The following season brought regression, and by 2024 Cleveland sent him to Triple-A for most of the year.
For the Blue Jays. that adversity matters because it often determines whether a player arrives as a “bench body” or as someone who understands how to contribute when the spotlight isn’t always on him.. Associate manager DeMarlo Hale. who got to know Straw in Cleveland. says the maturity factor is about understanding where you are—where your feet are—and learning how to respond.
Straw’s adjustment has been visible since joining Toronto ahead of the 2025 campaign.. He’s accepted a shift from starting center field to a bench role. offering value in spot starts. pinch-running. and defensive replacements.. Hale emphasizes the unselfish approach: a player can get selfish. but Straw’s message has been “whatever you need. I’ll help you win.”
It also didn’t hurt that the Blue Jays clubhouse atmosphere was already moving in a better direction.. Right-hander Chris Bassitt helped catalyze change after Toronto’s dismal 2024 campaign, and Straw seemed to recognize the shift early.. As the environment loosened. Straw leaned into his own lesson learned from prior struggles—finding a way to have fun again.
Baseball is difficult and stressful. Straw admits. and there were times when he had to look in the mirror and remind himself that it’s still a game.. Keeping it light isn’t superficial to him; it’s functional.. It makes days go by faster. eases the process of trusting each other. and helps teammates play with more freedom rather than fear.
That mindset spills beyond the ballpark, where Straw has built a second world for connection.. He’s known to invite teammates onto his Canyon Bay boat in Sarasota. Fla.. including during spring training. and even when the regular season has him busy.. One notable moment came during a Miami weekend series with an off-day. when Straw brought his boat to the Florida Keys and invited teammates for an overnight break.. Bassitt. Ernie Clement. and Jeff Hoffman joined him for time on Key Largo’s waters. while the group relaxed. fished. and snorkeled.
Hoffman called it the best off-day of his career.. Clement highlighted Straw’s hosting. while the stories around that day—like the excitement of seeing marine life up close—underline why these trips resonate.. They’re not just leisure.. They’re shared experiences that build familiarity. and familiarity often shows up in small in-game decisions: communication. patience. and the willingness to trust.
Even that shows up in the way teammates tease each other.. When Davis Schneider skipped an earlier boat invite in favor of golf, it became a running joke.. Later. he finally joined during spring training and came away impressed. noting that Straw knows what he’s doing and that he enjoys getting teammates involved.. Schneider also draws a practical conclusion: getting along with teammates helps on the field. and that’s something you can’t buy.
Still, not everyone buys in to every tradition. Guerrero Jr. is comfortable hearing about boat trips, but he’s declined and has no intention of joining. He likes the beach, but he jokes that he doesn’t love the ocean—so the invites will keep coming, just not for him.
For the Blue Jays, though, that’s exactly the point of a healthy clubhouse culture.. Straw’s value isn’t forcing sameness; it’s creating a space where teammates can choose how to connect.. Whether it’s a splash after a win. a boat day on the water. or simply a higher-energy presence in the dugout. Straw’s role is becoming clearer: he’s not just supporting the team—he’s helping keep the team’s spirit aligned.
And with Guerrero Jr. already onboard, the messages are loud and simple. In Toronto, the celebrations aren’t random. They’re the visible sign of a clubhouse that believes it can keep moving forward.