CLEARWATER, Fla. -- You would think that a 25-man roster should be able to cover just about any situation that pops up for a Major League Baseball team.
After all, no more than nine players can be on the field at any one time, so holding 16 guys in abeyance sounds like plenty of insurance.
But then you start to do the backward math. In today's game, because of specialized bullpen roles and starting pitchers who think they've done their jobs by getting into the sixth inning, it is standard practice to go with 12 pitchers.
Now you are left with 13 position players. In the American League, that accounts for eight starters, plus a designated hitter. That leaves four players. Of course, there is a backup catcher, plus a fourth outfielder and a utility infielder.
Now we're down to one. Who, or what should it be? A fifth outfielder? Another middle infielder? A corner infielder? A bat off the bench? A pinch-runner?
The answer is "Yes."
And one man has to wear all those hats.
For the Blue Jays this year, that 25th man could well be Jason Smith who was plucked from the Chicago Cubs organization in last December's Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings. Smith, who will turn 30 in July, is a veteran of 10 professional seasons, but just 166 games at the major-league level. Including the Jays, he has worn the uniform of 13 different teams as a pro.
Last November, when he was signed to a minor-league contract with the Cubs, he thought his up-and-down career had come full circle to the team that had originally drafted him in June of 1996. But when Chicago didn't put him on its 40-man roster before the winter meetings, the Jays decided to take a flyer.
"It was a shock for me," said Smith yesterday, after launching a majestic home run that, when last seen, was heading toward Highway 19, far beyond the fences of Bright House Stadium.
"I wouldn't consider myself old, but I'm getting to be an older guy, so definitely when that happened it was a shock."
The Rule 5 draft is a mechanism for teams who do their homework on the players of other teams to take a chance on an unappreciated talent or a player who is trying to be hidden by another club. Each pick costs $50,000 US, payable to the player's old team. The trick is, if you don't keep that player on your 25-man roster, he must be offered back to his old club for half the cost. In today's billion-dollar game, the price is chicken feed.
Smith's long home run in the eighth inning tied the score 3-3 against the Philadelphia Phillies and hapless reliever J.A. Happ. Modesty prevented Smith from crowing about his feat.
"I'm not a home run hitter by any means but I can run into one every now and then," he said. "The wind was blowing pretty good. It had to be for me to get it that far out."
Offence will be a bonus for the Jays from Smith. In partial seasons with the Cubs, the Tigers, Devil Rays and Rockies, he has hit for a .230 average with 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 382 at-bats. They are counting on his super-sub talents in the field, plus his athleticism, to justify him as their 25th man.
"He's played very well," said manager John Gibbons. "He's made some nice plays on defence and he really smoked that ball. He's been a guy who's been around a bit, kind of been a journeyman, up and down, but we think he's gonna be a good help for us. We've played him all over the infield and even in the outfield."
There are other, younger players who have looked good in the spring games, but Smith has a versatility that is unique in the Jays' camp.
"I'm trying to take the approach this year that whatever happens, happens," he said. "I'm going to go out and play the game that I am able to play and try to make it tough for the coaching staff to make a decision. For whatever reason, and I don't know why, I haven't stuck anywhere. The Blue Jays have given me the opportunity this year and I'm gonna try to run with it."
Run, sure. But he'll also hit, catch, throw and drive the team bus, like any other super-sub worth his salt.
