Guidance and admiration - that's what drives Jonathan Fernandez.

The Toronto Blue Jays' 34th-round selection arrives in Auburn with tons of potential and a famous last name, especially with this franchise.

That's because Jonathan's father, Tony, played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball. The four-time all-star shortstop also played 12 seasons in Toronto, holding the Blue Jays' record for games played and total hits.

“What's a better example than a man that had so many Gold Gloves and has been to quite a few All-Star games himself, and played plenty of years in the pros,” Jonathan said of his father. “That's a role model. Why not look up to him? Yeah, he's my dad and when I was younger, yeah, I was always like I never want to listen to him, but I still had all of his friends to be around. But hey, I learned from the best.”

Growing up, Jonathan didn't know his life was unique, traveling to different ballparks around the country to watch his father play.

“Just running around in the stadium and always being around baseball players, I figured everyone had my life,” Jonathan said.

Now, Jonathan realizes how special he had it as a child, and how growing up around baseball can help pave a career path.

And getting advice from a father who also happens to be a major leaguer doesn't hurt, either.

“He told me to be confident,” Jonathan said. “To understand your game and know that you work hard for what you got, and to trust that.”

He's also learned quite a bit about the position they share - shortstop.

“Trust your instincts, which is a big key at shortstop,” Jonathan said.

Despite his father's achievements and lasting impact on the Blue Jays organization, Tony recently said he believes Jonathan is the better player.

“I think he's more talented,” Tony told bluejays.com after Jonathan was drafted. “He's going to prove that he's more talented than I was that age. He has a stronger arm than I had. I was a little bit quicker than him, though. But I believe that he has better potential.”

But Jonathan doesn't quite agree with his father's assessment.

“If I was half the player he was, I'm in good hands,” he said. “I didn't know he said that. That's humbling.”

And if the whole Blue Jays' connection wasn't enough, Jonathan has something else in common with Tony - Dennis Holmberg.

The eight-year Doubledays skipper managed Tony in 1980 when he played for the Single-A Kinston Eagles of the Blue Jays farm system.

“It's funny, I texted (Tony) and he said that Dennis is a hard worker,” Jonathan said. “You just need to keep your head down and always work hard for him. If you do that, he'll love you. So that's what I'm going to do.”

While some players might not welcome a comparison to their successful father, Jonathan takes great pride in it.

“I love it,” he said. “It's my life and I accept it. It's a challenge and I love challenges. I'm taking it full on and lets go. That's all I have to say - let's go.”

Jonathan would also love to get Holmberg another ring. The Doubledays missed the playoffs last season for the first time under Holmberg, and Jonathan would love to anchor an infield that goes all the way to the championship.

“I mean, lets just do it again,” Jonathan said. “Dennis is obviously a great coach and he's proven it. He's got a team he's elected to have up here. We're definitely going to work hard to get this streak going again. That's what we want, that streak to get going again and for Dennis to remember us forever, and not as the team that lost it a second time, but as the team that started it up again.”

Just as Holmberg was able to look at his father and see a potential star, he also sees a bright future for Jonathan.

“I see a little bit of similarities between the two,” Holmberg said. “(Jonathan) knows how to play the game.”

CLICK HERE to meet the 2009 Doubledays.