Around the world, 2016 sideswiped a lot of people. In relative terms, plenty of ordinary folks had it tougher than Anthony Alford. But he’s a top prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays, a semi-celebrity, so his trials attract the spotlight.



Which is not to diminish what he and his family have endured. But as a new year dawns, Alford understands that he’s one of the lucky ones. At 22, he remains on track to baseball stardom. He persevered through a knee injury, a concussion and a crisis of confidence in 2016. Just after Christmas, a fire flattened the old house where his parents and sister lived in Mississippi, but no one was hurt.



And on Wednesday night, Blue Jays fans he didn’t even know staged a fund-raiser at a ritzy Toronto eatery to help his family get back on its feet.



“They have good hearts,” he said of those newfound friends, “and my family’s so blessed.”



The kneeApril 7. Opening day for the...