It's Time for Pompey

Jay's right fielders have been bad.

There's no other way to put it. After Bautista went down in mid June with turf toe, the Jays hoped Ezequeil Carrera could fill the gap until Bautista returned. But, it appears the new plan is that even when Bautista gets back he won't be playing right field.

This makes a lot of sense. The Jays aren't getting much production from first baseman, Justin Smoak. So to let Edwin get more reps there, while letting Bautista DH more has a lot of merit to it. But, this now leaves a hole in right field to fill.

While Carrera has performed well as a fourth outfielder, I don't feel comfortable with him moving forward. Apparently, I'm not alone as the Jays' front office is rumored to be interested in multiple right fielders on the trade market. But, with all of this it's starting to look like the Jays' best option could be Dalton Pompey.

Pompey is not a new name to many fans as he was one of the Jays' top prospects when he won a starting job out of camp last season. Pompey struggled early and was eventually sent back down. But, after being sent down to Buffalo, Pompey went on to have a great season in the minors.

Pompey didn't get a starting job out of camp and was, once again, assigned to Buffalo. While in Buffalo, Pompey has acted as the teams center fielder and leadoff hitter. While he had a rough start to the season, since May he's been on fire.

Pompey might have been in a position to get the call up had he not been dealing with a concussion around the time of the Bautista injury. But, Pompey is now back and seems to have picked up right where he left off. Since coming back from the concussion, Pompey is slashing .366/.409/.561 in 10 games.By contrast, Jays' right fielders are slashing .216/.328/.342 over the last 30 days.

In addition, while Carrera's defense has been passable, Pompey has long been considered a plus defensive player. While he's never spent a large amount of time in right field, it's not hard to believe that Pompey could step in and play well.

But, the big draw for Pompey is his speed. Pompey has stolen 13 bases this season in only 54 games. By comparison, Pillar leads the Jays with 7. While I'm in no way suggesting that Pompey automatically be given the leadoff job, it could be worth considering. Hitting in front of Donaldson and Edwin means Pompey should get plenty to hit. This is compounded by how dangerous he can be on the base paths.

Pompey's ability to hit, run bases, and play defense have been on display throughout his minor league career. While Pompey no longer has "prospect" status, it can't be denied that, at 23 years old, he still figures to be a big piece of the Jays' future. I for one think it's time to start that future now.