Sitting in his office pre-game at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday morning, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is asked about his back up catcher Josh Thole.
“Great guy,” said Gibbons.
Fair enough. But a great guy who has a great problem. Thole isn’t hitting. Not even hitting his weight. Listed as 6-foot-1, 205, the Breese, Il. native is batting .107. And when he’s catching R.A. Dickey — his main assignment — it’s a problem. Right now, Thole is basically an automatic out, almost a waste of an at-bat — which doesn’t do the Jays any favours, given how this under-performing club is trying to make it back into the post-season.