Fred Lewis: Making a name in Toronto

“Fred Lewis is just going to be one of the guys coming off the bench and we’ll try to get him in there once in a while as much as I can.”

That was a quote from head coach Cito Gaston the day after the Toronto Blue Jays acquired the outfielder from the San Francisco Giants in early April.

What Cito didn’t know at that point was that Lewis was going to be an integral part of the first 41 games this season. He joined the team 10 games in and has missed only three since.

While his numbers as of the start of this week aren’t staggering; 116 at-bats, 33 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBI’s, .284 batting average, and a .457 SLG, Lewis has provided a solid leadoff presence after the loss of Marco Scutaro in the off-season.

With many in Toronto unsure of who Lewis was when he came to the team, the San Fran second-round pick did have one solid season with the Giants in 2008, batting .282 with 25 doubles, 11 triples, nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 133 games.

Lewis showed glimpses of talent throughout his four years in the National League, but never materialized into an every day player with the Giants.

His career started off with a bang, as he hit for the cycle in his 16th game in the Majors. But by the middle of last season however the Giants had no use for him, and began moving in a different direction. They thought so much of him that they shipped him off to the Jays for future considerations and some cash.

Since joining Toronto, Lewis has provided a spark at the top of the order, combining his speed and pop to become an integral part of a potent offence.

Suffice to say that his biggest game as a Blue Jay, and potentially his career, came on May 9th against the Chicago White Sox.

Lewis strutted to the plate against a tough Sox closer in Bobby Jenks with two men on in the ninth inning and his team trailing 7-5.

Jenks unleashed a 94-mile-per-hour fastball but Lewis wasn’t phased at all. He got a hold of the pitch and sent it over the right-field wall, giving the Jays an 8-7 lead en route to a 9-7 victory.

After the game, Lewis spoke to reporters with a huge smile on his face about how he’s relishing his chance to play every day in Toronto.

“I’ve just got to go out there and prove myself every day and try to stay consistent,” he said. “This is fun. It’s great because I’m on a team that never quits . . . you never know who’s going to be the hero.”

And being the hero isn’t new to this year’s version of the Blue Jays.

As the Major League leader in doubles, home runs, total bases, and slugging, the Jays are finding their success by committee.

If they’re going to continue having success, Lewis will need to continue producing at the top of the line-up.

A quarter of the way into the season, he’s not showing any signs of slowing down.