Leblebijian learning to live in the moment with Blue Jays

Jason Leblebijian was making his initial transition to Triple-A baseball look easy.

The former Prospect baseball and basketball star was pounding the ball for the Toronto Blue Jays' affiliate in Buffalo. In early June of last season, he was hitting .318. He went into his start in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Tacoma, Washington at .276 with 8 homers and 42 RBI.

"It was one of those times in baseball where it seems all you need are four swings a night and you know you're going to barrel up the baseball no matter what," Leblebijian said. "But you know it's not going to last."

Leblebijian was on the mark in what he referred to as his "tale of two seasons." In 37 games after the all-star break, he hit .219 with 3 homers and 17 RBI. He finished with a slash line of .258/.323/.405 with 11 homers, 22 doubles and 60 RBI.

The good news was the overall impression the 6-foot-2, 205-pound infielder made on the Blue Jays' front office was significant enough to earn his first invitation to their big-league Spring Training camp as a non-roster invitee. The 2009 Prospect graduate, who turns 27 on May 13, found out in January when he was part of a group of prospects who were flown to Toronto for meetings and workouts at the Rogers Centre.

And he had a good feeling about the big-time surroundings, since the last two springs he got 10 big-league at-bats when he was brought in from minor-league camp.

"Luckily for me I know a lot of guys who will be there and I know the coaching staff," Leblebijian said. "It won't be a shy type of period. I'll see a lot of familiar faces."

That familiarity has led to early success. Through Friday he was 4-for-14 with a homer, double and 2 RBI and had handled 30 chances without an error at first and third base.

And the versatility of Leblebijian, who can also play shortstop and second base, also figures to be an asset.

"A lot of managers know I can play a lot of positions," Leblebijian said. "I've built in a routine where I'd be comfortable anywhere. It's a positive playing multiple positions."

What has also become a positive for Leblebijian is not dwelling on the negatives that are part of baseball. From 2012, when he opted to sign as a 25th-round pick after his junior year at Bradley, through the first few months of 2015 he was hitting in the .240s.

"A few years ago, every bad game I had would stick with me for a few days and snowball from there," Leblebijian said. "The biggest thing I learned ... was I almost don't care about the results. You have to stick to the process and know you are putting yourself in the best position to succeed.

"I look back and almost laugh at myself because I did take things so hard in the past. Whether it affected me negatively, I'm not sure, but you look back and learn from it. It makes the game more enjoyable when you show up and realize it's a new game every day."

Leblebijian's production picked up during his 2015 stint at Class A Lansing in the Midwest League as he hit .277 with 9 homers and 48 RBI in 68 games. In 2016 he climbed to .294 with 13 homers and 55 RBI in 127 games at Advanced A and Double-A.

He said former big-league catcher John Tamargo, his manager in low-A and hitting coach in Advanced A, helped with the mechanical base he needed.

"That was the first time I started to build a foundation of what I wanted to do and realize there is more to the swing than people have told you," Leblebijian said. "It gave me a purpose in what my goal is to achieve. It took it away from the results and I was more focused on what I was doing to give myself the best chance to win.

"In the past I would blame my swing but now I look at hitting differently. I might put the blame more on pitch selection or maybe the pitcher threw good pitches in that at-bat."

A big boost for the mental side of hitting came from former Blue Jays star Carlos Delgado, who hit 473 homers and drove in 1,512 runs in a 17-year big-league career that included stints with the Marlins and Mets.

"He helped mostly with the approach off pitchers and being focused with what you are doing," Leblebijian said. "He said to really watch every other right-handed hitter going up to the plate.

"Talking with Delgado, and having a guy like him around to talk to, is unlike anything in this world. He would pick apart pitchers."

Leblebijian was tearing them apart in his first trip to Triple-A. But he didn't let his eventual downturn tear him up.

"Last year was amazing, going to the all-star game and starting," Leblebijian said. "They flew my wife (Kelsey) out there and did an excellent job. The experience was incredible.

"Then in July I hit a slump. Like anything, you deal with an adjustment period. It was good to go through it and find out about yourself as an athlete."

Now Leblebijian hopes he's found what it takes to join two other Prospect baseball and basketball stars from the 1960s - slugger Dave Kingman and catcher Tom Lundstedt - who played in the big leagues.

The Jays have two power bats at the corners in Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak. But Leblebijian said the key for him is not focusing on situations he can't control - such was what will happen with Donaldson in the final year of his contract, or former all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki trying to return from foot and ankle problems.

"A lot of it depends on how you do," Leblebijian said. "It's tough to sit and play GM and pick apart what will happen. Then it gets to your head and makes it much worse.

"I stick to the process and plan every day and it will all work out in the end."

On deck: Former Buffalo Grove star Zach Borenstein hopes his third organization is the charmed path to the majors.

marty.maciaszek@gmail.com