Kudos to Jay for plugging away, being a pro and avoiding the kind of downturn experienced by so many teammates.

“It was different for him this year,” Matheny said late in the season. “But to his credit there wasn't one day where he showed up — and when I make my rounds, I know there's days when guys aren't happy. I get it. I've been that guy. But I can't think of one day all season where no matter how many days it was where he wasn't getting the opportunities he'd just say 'Hey, whatever you need me to do, I'll be ready.' And it was sincere. So it's nice to see a guy like that all of a sudden take off and prove it to everybody.”

Moreover, Jay went out of his way to help the younger players like Randal Grichuk and Oscar Taveras. He offered support to Bourjos. Even though his generosity could have (in theory) cost Jay playing time, he took the high road. He unselfishly committed to being an exceptional teammate, lending a hand to guys that were competing with him for starts and at-bats.