Pearce promises gritty effort, ‘day in, day out’ for Blue Jays
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — He has yet to be an every day player in the majors, but Steve Pearce is ready to make Blue Jays fans know what they are getting.
The utility fielder, signed to a two-year, $12.5 million US deal on Monday, hopes hard work and versatility will help him become an important part of his new team.
“I’m a competitor and I’m going to play as hard as I can and give everything I have, day in and day out,” Pearce said Wednesday. “I want young kids who see me play to be able to say, ‘That’s Steve Pearce, he’s a gritty player and he’s going to play hard every day.’ I take pride in that.”
By late Wednesday, Pearce remained the only Jays acquisition at the baseball winter meetings though general manager Ross Atkins is adamant the team is still in the mix with other players.
That said, the possibility of slugger Edwin Encarnacion returning to the team appears to be getting slimmer by the moment. “If there’s a way, I don’t see it,” Atkins said bluntly. “I don’t think (Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer) sees it either. But we haven’t stopped trying.
Expect Pearce to be in manager John Gibbons’ lineup when the Jays are facing left-handed pitching, the situation Pearce has had the most success at in his career.
Pearce said he’s most comfortable playing first base, but he’s played virtually all over the field, including corner outfield positions and second base.