Mark DeRosa might be the last man on the Toronto Blue Jays bench, but the veteran infielder says he still plans on making a significant contribution in 2013.
On Tuesday the Blue Jays announced the signing of the 37-year-old DeRosa to a one-year deal worth $750,000 plus a 2014 team option for the same amount.
During a guest appearance Wednesday on the Jeff Blair Show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, DeRosa said while he doesn’t expect to see much time on the field, the Blue Jays are expecting him to make his presence felt in the clubhouse, something he plans on doing starting in spring training.
“What I try to do is come in and during spring training just truly get to know all my teammates on a personal level,” DeRosa told Blair. “So then during the season they don’t get offended… they don’t snap at you in the clubhouse. It’s more of a ‘hey, I appreciate that.'”
“I’m a guy who likes it shot straight to me and I’m gonna shoot it straight to you,” he later added. “I think that’s the best way to go about having a relationship with somebody.”
A 15-year MLB veteran, DeRosa spent the first seven years of his career in Atlanta, playing under legendary, blunt-talking Braves manager Bobby Cox. DeRosa said he appreciates that Cox was never afraid to tell him something he didn’t want to hear and as a result he now models much of his dealings with younger teammates on Cox’s open-door, straight-shooting approach.
“I now feel like I owe it to certain guys to kind of tell them (the truth) and I hope they feel the same way about me and are comfortable enough to come up to me and tell me, ‘hey man, at least try and show me you’re moving a runner over or got a bunt down.’
“Whatever the situation may be it’s got to be about Ws and got to be about having fun.”
DeRosa’s words must be music to the ears of Alex Anthopoulos. During their recent contract negotiations, the Blue Jays GM warned DeRosa at-bats would be scarce but he was being counted on to serve as a sounding board and mentor to young players.
A year ago DeRosa played a similar role with the NL East champion Washington Nationals following a similar off-season sales pitch from manager Davey Johnson.
DeRosa appeared in just 48 games in 2012, making 101 plate appearances while posting a line of .188/.300/.247/.547 while seeing time in the field at all four infield positions and the outfield.
The 2012 Nationals were a much younger group than the 2013 Blue Jays project to be and DeRosa believes the extra experience on the Toronto roster might pay dividends.
“It’s a situation where a lot of veteran guys on this team have their (long-term) contracts, so now it should only be about winning and trying to win a World Series,” he said.