Curtis

Thigpen

Thigpen was promoted after hitting .287/.397/.413 in 79 games for Single-A Lansing. The 2004 second-round pick will have to get a lot better on defense in order to become a regular catcher in the majors, but he is a prospect.

Thigpen, 24, was hitting .299/.371/.416 for Syracuse. He’ll likely only stick around until Gregg Zaun comes off the DL, so he shouldn’t have much value in AL-only leagues. He’ll get at least a couple of starts behind the plate while on the roster, and he can serve as a backup at third and the outfield corners.

Having Thigpen around to catch would allow the Blue Jays to play Jason Phillips some at first base against left-handers in place of Lyle Overbay (hand). Thigpen is hitting .299 with three homers at Triple-A.

Lyle Overbay will take the open roster spot when play resumes. Thigpen hit .270/.308/.297 in 37 at-bats during his month on Toronto’s roster. He was a better option as a No. 2 catcher than Jason Phillips, but there are free agents superior to Phillips and Thigpen should be playing regularly in Triple-A.

With Gregg Zaun not producing like he usually does offensively and proving to be one of baseball’s easiest catchers to run on, the Jays need to give Thigpen a real look behind the plate. Ideally, they’d start him four times per week in an effort to figure out whether he should be the primary catcher next year. However, we’re guessing he’ll play less than that initially. He should still have value in two-catcher AL-only leagues.

Zaun will be 37 in April and has played in more than 110 games just once in his career, but the Jays seem set to go cheap in finding someone to share time with him. They’re still not sure whether Curtis Thigpen is a catcher or a utilityman, so they’ll probably send him back to Triple-A.

This is unexpected. Barajas agreed to a two-year, $5.25 million deal with the Jays last winter, only to switch agents and back out of the agreement. That led Toronto to re-sign Gregg Zaun, who probably would have ended up elsewhere otherwise. Barajas will back up Zaun now, though he figures to get more playing time than Sal Fasano would have. It also means Curtis Thigpen is less likely to see significant at-bats with the team this summer.

The A’s needed an extra Triple-A catcher with Landon Powell apparently moving up. Thigpen was available to everyone on waivers last month, but he has more value now that he no longer has to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. He disappointed with a .222/.267/.310 line in 367 at-bats for Triple-A Syracuse last season, but he has displayed offensive ability in the past. Unfortunately, he’s no better than mediocre defensively, so even if his bat comes back, he’d still have a hard time sticking behind the plate.

The decision to part with Robinzon Diaz in exchange for Jose Bautista would seem to make it less likely that Thigpen will get the boot this winter. Still, he’s had a dreadful year, hitting .222/.267/.310 in 367 at-bats for Syracuse. His bat had always been ahead of his glove behind the plate, so he’s looking like a long shot right now. Not only do the Jays have J.P. Arencibia coming up behind him, but they might also possess a superior young reserve candidate in Brian Jeroloman.

Lind and Thigpen knew they weren’t going to make the team going in, but they figured to be among the last round of cuts. Instead, they’re going out early. Lind hit .350 with three extra-base hits in 20 at-bats. Thigpen was 2-for-15.