Sometimes all you need is a fresh start.
The newest Blue Jay, second baseman Kelly Johnson, is due to arrive in Toronto Thursday, and the former Diamondback is relishing the chance to get his game back on track, surrounded by teammates that share his mindset at the plate.
Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers told the Arizona Republic that the team had "lost patience" with the 29-year-old's slumps and wanted a more contact-oriented lineup.
"The difference is, I think 'KT' would rather throw up three times a day after eating than have his team strike out a lot," Johnson responded in the newspaper.
"I know there [in Toronto], they're little more free-spirited about the idea of getting up there and getting the first pitch they see. I know it's a different philosophy."
Batting just .209 this season, with 18 home runs and 49 runs batted in, Johnson is well off his career average of .260, while his on-base percentage, normally lying well into the .300s, is residing at a sub-par .287.
Though naturally disappointed to leave a team in the middle of a pennant race, Johnson is excited to play in the American League East, and he didn't have to look far to find out about the raised level of competition in the division. Former teammate Mark Reynolds, now a member of the Baltimore Orioles, sent the second baseman a text that read: "Welcome to the big leagues."
Johnson gets his first chance to see what all the fuss is about Thursday night, when the Blue Jays take on the Kansas City Royals in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Paul Attfield