Blue Jays Roster Moves: Curtis Who?

Including the Clement move, the Jays made five non-roster assignments to minor-league camp today reducing the number of players in major-league camp to 38. Today's assignments included pitcher Brian Burres, first baseman Randy Ruiz, shortstop Angel Sanchez and catcher (if you can still call him that) Curtis Thigpen. What are the plans for the 25-year-old Thigpen?

"He'll go down and (play) wherever (director of player development) Dicky Scott feels he needs to go play," GM J.P. Ricciardi said of his once-prized catching prospect. 

Asked in what city Thigpen was going to play, Ricciardi replied: "I don't know. That's up to Dicky Scott at this point. Obviously (J.P.) Arencibia's going to catch at Triple-A and (Brian) Jeroloman's going to catch at Double-A, so you know, he'll either back one of those guys up or play other positions. He's going to have to hit you know." 

Reminded that that was the same plan for Thigpen last year, J.P. responded:

"Last year? I don't remember last year."

The fact is that when the Jays designated Thigpen for assignment before spring training they must have been really hoping that someone would claim him. When he cleared waivers, they hung onto him and he stuck around this long in camp because Rod Barajas was away playing for Mexico at the WBC.

Thigpen's a guy that just never got it. If he had worked harder last summer at making himself into a good utility man around the infield and with catching as a background, he might be in the majors right now, but he always believed he was the Jays' catcher of the future. The future is then.

Comments

[mike]

Thigpen stopped being a prospect a few years ago and I think the Jays were just hoping they could get lucky with him. It's always a bad sign when a player hits progressively worse each and every year of their development, like Thigpen has done. Every year since his peak in Auburn, his OBP and SLG have each decreased from the year prior.

[Tabber]

"Last year? I don't remember last year." Well, J.P., let us remind you then, last year was the year that the Jays fell to 4th place in the east division of the American League. But seriously, folks, why do the Jays have a memory-impaired GM? Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Welcome back to 4th place, and that's if the Orioles still don't get it together. Beest, this is the guy you kept on? C'mon, this attitude of arrogance to the fans is no longer supportable. Someone tell me why I should support an organisation that has so little regard for its fans that it perpetuates this clown's tenure after so much BS. Oh, and J.P., that Dunn guy who doesn't like baseball that much saw fit to represent his country at the WBC, but Roy Halladay seems not to care even as much as Dunn. Given that, why is he still on the team when you have so little time for someone that cares more than Halladay?