BOSTON – Traded from one playoff race to another, Danny Valencia joined the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday eager to do his part for a team currently in possession of the American League’s second wild-card spot.
“It’s a great opportunity here,” he said in the visitor’s dugout at Fenway Park. “Obviously this is a tough division, teams that are always really, really tough. I was fortunate enough to play in this division last year with Baltimore and see it on the other side, it’s definitely going to be a fun time and I think this team is going to be great. I’m looking forward to helping the Toronto Blue Jays win.”
Valencia was acquired Monday from the Kansas City Royals, who are five games back of the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers and 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays for the second wild card, for catcher Erik Kratz and right-hander Liam Hendriks.
He’ll be used primarily against left-handers in a platoon at third base at the outset with some time mixed in at first and DH as needed, and where things go once Brett Lawrie returns from the DL is uncertain. If that combination at the hot corner proves fruitful Lawrie could be moved to second base, a possibility manager John Gibbons didn’t rule out.
“It’s too early to tell, we’ll see,” said Gibbons, who indicated recently that the plan was to have Lawrie play third upon his return. “I said that the other day, of course, before we got Valencia. I don’t know, until he comes back, but he’ll be in there that’s for sure.”
The Blue Jays, who’d tried previously to acquire Valencia, wanted him mainly because he’s a career .333/.369/.510 hitter in 463 at-bats against left-handers. Originally a 19th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2006, he posted a .667 OPS in 154 games in 2011 before becoming more of a platoon player.
Why so much success versus lefties and not against righties?
“I was never able to really pinpoint the reasoning why I hit left-handers better,” said Valencia. “Traditionally your splits should be better against left-handed pitching but I can’t really pinpoint anything. Obviously I feel comfortable in there but it’s one of those things that I carved something out for myself. You want to be able to hit lefties and righties and I feel I can do that pretty well.”
Valencia will be first-year arbitration-eligible this off-season, and having also played for Minnesota, Boston, Baltimore and Kansas City in the past three years, he’s looking for a less transient existence.
“The first trade was definitely the toughest to understand because you’re being traded from the organization that you came up with,” he said. “I’ve been a little surprised to move around as much as I have, obviously everybody wants to stay in one spot and really dig down some roots in one particular place. I’m hoping Toronto is that spot. I’ve been fortunate enough to live in a lot of great places and play on some good teams and I’m really looking forward to this experience.”
