With Mike Jacobs Gone, Who Will Play 1B for the Las Vegas 51s in 2011?

Some earth shattering Jays news was revealed today by Troy Renck of the Denver Post on Twitter where, according to a source, Minor League first baseman Mike Jacobs has signed a Minor League deal with the Colorado Rockies.

For those who might not recognize Jacobs’ name, he was acquired by the Blue Jays on July 30th, one day after GM Alex Anthopoulos traded first baseman Brett Wallace straight-up for highly touted outfielder Anthony Gose.

Jacobs, 30, played in just 7 Major League games with the New York Mets before being demoted to Triple-A Buffalo in favor of stud prospect Ike Davis, who became the Mets’ full-time first baseman.

Jacobs filled the hole left by Wallace after the trade, and actually did quite well with Triple-A Las Vegas. In 34 games with Vegas in 2010, Jacobs posted a .308/.389/.492 line with 6 HR, 34 RBI, and 21 walks. He would have been at least a decent 2011 option for the 51s, but now it will be interesting to see who they will have as their first baseman next season.

The likeliest internal option would be David Cooper, who spent 2010 with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Cooper, the Jays’ 1st round pick in 2008, repeated the Double-A level this past season, where he improved somewhat on his 2009 campaign. He managed to hit 20 home runs and drive in 78, but his OBP and batting average both declined. While his Double-A numbers aren’t overwhelming, Cooper could almost be forcefully promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas, where the Jays would get a much needed look at him against more difficult pitching.

It will be interesting to see if Anthopoulos makes a depth move to address the hole at Triple-A Vegas, or if he just moves all of the team’s current 1B prospects up a level.

-JM

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