Joey Gathright seeks roster spot

Joey Gathright is known for his blazing fast speed on the base paths and in the outfield. The Blue Jays are in short supply of both, so the six year veteran of four major league teams is in the running for a roster spot. Gathright is being given every opportunity to make the team as either a fourth outfielder, or, if Travis Snider struggles in the spring, a chance to start every day in left field. He'd bring versatility to the club also, being able to hit lead-off on days that Jose Bautista is off and could spell Vernon Wells in center field.

Why am I posting about Gathright's chances of making the team despite him playing almost all of '09 in the minors? Basically it's just an excuse to show off his mad skills of jumping over cars!



By all accounts having Gathright on the team would be great for no other reason than to use him as a pinch runner because the Jays grossly miscast slick fielding John McDonald in that role last season. However, the 28 year old hasn't taken exactly taken advantage of his opportunity to head north with the big club to start the year, recording just 3 hits in 20 at bats with only one stolen base in the spring. Maybe he doesn't need to have a good camp. After all, he just needs to show G.M. Alex Anthopoulos and manager Cito Gaston that video. Then he'd make the team.

Could Jose Bautista be the next Marco Scutaro?

Admit it. When the Blue Jays broke camp in '09 with Marco Scutaro as the leadoff hitter, you thought from the get go the team was doomed. A strange thing happened, however. Scutaro, the journeyman of 8 big league seasons exceeded expectations, providing a stable force atop the Jays lineup. He signed with Boston in the off season, leaving a serious void in the leadoff spot once again. Enter Jose Bautista. Can he be the next Scutaro?

Consider these numbers from last season. In the final 16 contests, Bautista hit in the top spot of the order 14 times, posting a respectable .289 average and .345 on-base percentage. Taking it a step further, in his final 28 games, Bautista hit .272, smacking 10 home runs while driving in 21 runs. Couple that with his scintillating start in spring training (.636 average with 2 home runs, 5 runs batted in and 3 doubles) and there is hope that Bautista can in fact handle the job.

Spring training statistics are hardly a foolproof way to project success in the regular season, and Bautista sports a rather uninspiring .238 career average and only 14 stolen bases in his 6 year career. However, maybe, just maybe, Bautista will silence the critics and become the Jays 2010 version of Marco Scutaro.