Blue Jays: Five Surprise Players in Spring Training
Darrell Ceciliani
Darrell Ceciliani presents an interesting case for the Blue Jays brain trust and their question marks surrounding the left field job. The batting-gloveless outfielder has had a very respectable spring training and could force his way onto the roster with the injuries to Ezequiel Carrera, Melvin Upton, and Dalton Pompey.
The Jays acquired Ceciliani last offseason from the New York Mets in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The burly left-hander has compiled the most at-bats of any player with 48 tries this spring batting .272 with 13 hits and a .723 OPS with one home run. Cecilliani leads the team with seven runs batted in, however, he is also tied for second with 13 strikeouts.
Ceciliani saw action in 13 games last season for the Blue Jays batting .111 in 29 plate appearances. The 26-year old had a .266/.323/.441 slash line with 10 home runs in 82 games last season with the Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons.
More than likely Ceciliani will be outfield depth in Buffalo but depending on the severity of the injuries to the outfield trio, he may break camp with the big club. However, with the left field position in flux and the underachieving and expected short leash placed upon the free-swinging Upton, Ceciliani will no doubt get another long look from the big club at some point during the 2017 campaign.