DUNEDIN — On back to back August nights in 2007, Blue Jay Aaron Hill stepped up to the plate at Royals Stadium in Kansas City and tattooed pitches that disappeared over the left field wall.
Those baseballs suddenly reappeared in the glove of a Royals left fielder named Joey Gathright who, in each case, streaked to the wall and made one of his legendary leaps to bring the ball back into the yard.
The first catch ended the game, with a runner on second and the Royals leading 4-1 in the top of the ninth.
“So the next night,” Hill said, “I come to the plate (leading off the fourth inning) and John Buck (also now with the Blue Jays) is catching and he says something like: ‘Wouldn’t it be something if Joey did that to you again?’ ”
And he did. Smash, home-run trot, robbed.
Fast-forward five months, to December of 2007.
“Now it’s Christmas,” continues Hill, “and we do this 'Secret Santa' thing where you draw names and get a gift for the guy whose name you draw. Doc (Roy Halladay) drew my name.
“I open the box and it’s a Joey Gathright uniform top signed “from your favourite left fielder. What I really want now is a picture of both catches to make it a display.”
Since Gathright signed with Toronto this off-season and his locker sits directly across from Hill’s at the Bobby Mattick Training Centre, maybe Gathright has a spare momento or two of those catches.
“(Hill) gives me the business every day,” said Gathright, who is in camp on a minor-league contract and is one of the front-runners to be Toronto’s fourth outfielder.
Unfortunately for Gathright, he is less famous as a ballplayer than his is for a YouTube video of him leaping over a car in a parking lot after about a 30-foot running start. As impressive as that is, he wants to be known as a major-leaguer.
The Blue Jays are Gathright’s fifth team since 2006, when he was traded from Tampa to KC. The last couple of years he bounced around from KC to the Cubs and he finished with the Red Sox. In 2009, he spent most of his time at Triple A Norfolk, where he hit .332 with a .386 OBP and a .752 OPS.
“It’s a good situation in Toronto, being in the position I’ve been the last few years, going from team to team,” he reasons. “This is the best opportunity for me to actually have a good spring and make the team instead of having a good spring and be sent to Triple A. That’s why I came here.”
The Jays see Gathright as a way to upgrade their speed, which has been largely lacking in recent years. He’ll also help as a defensive replacement.
“I talked to Alex (Anthopoulos) about it during the offseason and I’ve talked to Hill about it since I got here. He told me all the things that they lack and that I could bring. I’m healthy and I’m in good shape. All the things that they want, I can bring so hopefully I’ll have a good spring and make this club.
“I had a great year at Triple A last year and hopefully it translates into the same at the big leagues.”
The way the Jays lineup sets up, they would like to see Travis Snider step up and take the left field job. Vernon Wells is ensconced in centre and Jose Bautista will likely start in right field and be ready to play third base if Edwin Encarnacion needs help there. Because of his speed and defensive skills, Gathright could slide in as the fourth outfielder, though there are several other candidates, including Jeremy Reed. If he ends up getting more playing time than expected, Gathright could also be in consideration as a leadoff man.
“There is a lot of open space here and I think the fact that you invite competition is good,” said Gathright. “We all want to compete for jobs and to win once we get that job. If you’re not a competitor you shouldn’t be playing this game.”
In the end, Gathright would like to be known for something more substantial than a couple of circus catches and that monumental leap over an automobile.
