THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO -- If all goes according to plan, Adam Loewen expects to be playing first base or the outfield for the Toronto Blue Jays by 2011, perhaps sooner.

Of course Loewen knows from experience that things don't always go to plan, which is why he's trying to find his way back to the majors as a hitter right now instead of already being a star pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

"I'm not happy that it happened but now that it has happened, I'm very content with where I am," the 24-year-old from Surrey, B.C., said after signing a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Friday.

"I think if you gave me a brand new left arm and I was able to do what I used to be to do, I don't think I'd take it. I want to move forward with this, I enjoy it more than pitching, being out there every day, giving your team a chance to win, I love to do that. I love the competition of getting four at-bats a game and those little chess matches with the pitcher."

Loewen became the highest Canadian ever taken in the baseball draft when the Baltimore Orioles made him the fourth pick in 2002, but they released him Monday in a roster management move with the aim of re-signing him.

Suddenly they found themselves in competition to bring him back, with the Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi and Cito Gaston throwing their weight behind the pursuit. Their phone calls, a two-year commitment and a strong plan that envisioned him reaching the majors after 1,000 minor-league at-bats, barring any setbacks, helped get the deal done.

"They see me in the big-leagues at the end of that contract if everything goes well," Loewen said on a conference call. "But really, I don't like to put a timeline on it. I think my progression will dictate where I go and I learned that from when I was a pitcher. I said when I got drafted I wanted to be in the big-leagues in two years. Well, who knows what's going to happen in those two years?"

Loewen reached the majors as a pitcher in 2006 but gave it up in July after suffering a second stress fracture in his left elbow. It was then he decided to embark on a Rick Ankiel-style comeback despite last hitting on a regular basis in 2003, when he was at Chipola Junior College.

One scout who saw him hit back then suggested he could have been a first-round pick as a hitter, too, and it's that background that enticed the Blue Jays.

"It was an opportunity to get a kid we really liked as a hitter," said GM J.P. Ricciardi. "The timing has been right, he's a good enough athlete that he can swing the bat and we're going to give him as many at-bats as we can and see where that takes him."

Getting at-bats and seeing pitches are the priorities for Loewen right now.

He spent the final week of the season working with Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley in Baltimore before heading out the instructional league in Florida, where he saw enough good results to start believing in his chances for success.

The Blue Jays plan to send him to the Hawaiian league shortly to continue the transition, something he's eager to do. Learning to deal with the failure that's a part of hitting will also be an important part of his development.

"When you fail 70 per cent of the time and you're one of the best hitters, it's something you have to work at," he said. "When you're out there and you hit the ball hard at somebody, you can't take that as a bad at-bat, especially for me when I'm trying to get confidence as a hitter. I'm looking for small things to keep me going, because I haven't done it in so long.

"And I think I'm mature enough where I can handle adversity because I've been through it before as a pitcher and now I'm trying to overcome an even bigger hurdle in my career. I know I'm going to struggle in the future and I'm going to be ready for that and I know I'll overcome it."

Loewen has yet to speak with Ankiel, the one-time St. Louis Cardinals phenom who came back as a pitcher late in 2007 and has hit 36 homers in 167 games since, but would like to later this winter, once he has more experience as a hitter.

He doesn't want to clutter his mind at this point, nor does he want to start using the insights he gained as a pitcher to out-think his opponent on the mound just yet. It's all about baby steps right now.

"It's something as time goes I'm going to have to get used to," said Loewen. "I found myself in certain at-bats thinking along the lines of the pitcher, but I don't think I'm good enough yet to fully take advantage of that."

The Blue Jays also claimed righty Bryan Bullington off waivers from the Cleveland Indians on Friday. The 28-year-old, the first overall pick in the same draft Loewen was chosen, went 0-2 with a 4.92 ERA in three games with the Indians.

"Our guys think he might be someone we can use in the pen," said Ricciardi. "We'll see, maybe we can change his role and use him that way."

In 25 games at triple-A Buffalo, Bullington was 5-9 with one save and a 5.20 ERA.

To make room on the roster, outfielder Kevin Mench was designated for assignment.