TORONTO — Ever since Jose Reyes was lost to injury mere minutes into his 2014 season, bumping the resurgent Melky Cabrera up to the leadoff spot, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons has been searching high and low for a No. 2 hitter.
He gave Colby Rasmus a five-game audition but couldn’t bear it any longer as the centre fielder battled through a deep slump to start his season. He tried Adam Lind in the two-hole Tuesday night but the righty-mashing designated hitter went 0-for-4.
But Tuesday night Gibbons may have found something in oft-overlooked and under-appreciated utility man Maicer Izturis.
“Yeah, we’ll ride it,” Gibbons said after watching the streaking Izturis go 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a walk in Wednesday night’s 7-3 triumph over the Astros. “He’s always been able to hit. His whole career he’s been a good, solid major league player. And he’s hot right now—so, we’ll ride it while it lasts.”
Despite starting just six of the Blue Jays nine games, Izturis is now second on the team with 10 hits after a pair of singles Wednesday night. He has five multi-hit games and has struck out just twice in 24 plate appearances. He’s also been playing excellent defence at second base, making a pair of stellar plays Tuesday night against the Astros.
“He just looks better this year,” Gibbons said. “He came to camp in better shape—he was really focused. He’s done a nice job.”
Last season, Izturis’ first in Toronto after signing a three-year, $10 million free agent contract with the Blue Jays in November, 2012, was a major speed bump in his career. He’d spent nearly a decade as an exceptionally reliable player for the Los Angeles Angels, hitting up and down the batting order and seeing extended playing time at every infield position save for first base. He batted .276/.339/.374 over eight seasons in Anaheim, and was worth 12.3 wins above replacement, which is more than anyone could ask from a utility player who never made more than $3.8 million in a single season.
But 2013 marked a departure from that norm, as Izturis struggled in the field and batted just .236/.288/.310, his lowest numbers since his brief 32-game debut season in 2004 with Montreal. Gibbons credits some of Izturis’ woes to a struggle to acclimatize to his new surroundings.
“It’s really not uncommon for a guy who signs as a free agent, even if it’s not that huge name free agent type,” Gibbons said. “It’s a new surrounding and you’re trying to fit in and you’re trying to justify things and it doesn’t take much to throw you off.”
“He’d been playing in Anaheim forever. You come to a new spot—that’s never easy,” Gibbons continued. “I think that might have been a problem.”
Of course, this is all just speculation. It’s hard to say what, exactly, was the issue for Izturis last season. He’s a quiet person and not one to open up to the media, especially when they start prying into his 2013 struggles.
“I don’t want to talk about last year. I’ve been playing this game for ten years, you know? That was just one year,” Izturis said. “I came in this year ready to work hard everyday, ready to do whatever the team needs. I’ll just keep trying to do what I’ve been doing.”
Izturis does appear to be in better shape this season and Gibbons said he has noticed the 33-year-old looking more agile and utilizing a better first-step.
Whatever Izturis did to get ready for this year—he didn’t want to elaborate—it’s hard to argue with the results. The Venezuelan certainly won’t maintain his current .455/.500/.500 clip at the plate, but if he’s able to get on base consistently as the club’s No. 2 hitter while playing capable second base until Reyes returns from the disabled list, that will be more than enough for the Blue Jays. At that point he could shift back into a utility role on the bench or even continue to see regular starts at second if his bat stays as hot as its been.
“It’s a long season. We’ll see what happens,” Izturis said. “I’ve been in this situation before, so I don’t really care where I play. In Anaheim I played lots of different positions. I hit leadoff, second, eighth, ninth—it doesn’t matter. I’ll just try to help the team win wherever I am.”