There's more than one way to hit a left-hander. But that alone doesn't explain why the Toronto Blue Jays are said to have zeroed in on signing outfielder Brad Wilkerson, a left-handed batter who is statistically better against lefties than righties who was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners on May 1 after hitting just .232 with five runs batted in.
Wilkerson, who will turn 31 on June 1, has been pursued by the Blue Jays at various times earlier in his career after he was drafted by the Montreal Expos. A left-handed hitter who can play the outfield and first base, Wilkerson, who is well-known to Blue Jays assistant general managers Tony LaCava and Alex Anthopoulos from their time in the Expos organization, has hit left-handers better than right-handers throughout his career, batting .265 against lefties and posting a .363 on-base percentage.
The Blue Jays will open a four-game series Friday against the Cleveland Indians, and general manager J.P. Ricciardi made clear Thursday that the team would likely add another bat before Friday night's game.
Ricciardi has explored trade possibilities for a right-handed hitter, but does not want to part with any of his clubs pitching depth.
The Blue Jays placed shortstops John McDonald (sprained right ankle) and David Eckstein (strained right hip flexor) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled infielder Joe Inglett from Triple-A Syracuse for Thursday's final game of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving them a man short.
Wilkerson was on the teams radar screen even before the minor league player most likely to be called up for interleague games - catcher Robinzon Diaz - was lost for three weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Ricciardi would only say that he had "some irons in the fire," and added that he was looking for "something longer term," - in other words, a player that would be able to stay with the team in a bench role. It's important to remember that before the injury crisis hit and before Frank Thomas was released, the Blue Jays said publicly that they were looking to add another left-handed bat.
"We're facing three lefties in Cleveland, so we'd like a right-handed type bat - by that I mean a guy who can hit lefties," said manager John Gibbons.
