Adam Lind

2013

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2012

Lind battled an early-season back injury and was bothered for much of the season's second half with a nagging wrist injury but still managed to hit 26 homers with 87 RBI. The team is confident that the wrist injury was the primary reason for his extended second-half slump (.197 average, 10 homers after the All-Star break). He'll be back as the team's likely cleanup hitter and first baseman and should improve on last year's totals with a year of experience at first base under his belt.

2011

Lind was a huge disappointment last year, hitting just .237 with 23 homers and 72 RBI after a .305/35/114 effort the previous year. After making great strides against southpaws he completely fell apart against left-handers last year, hitting just .117/.159/.182. He rebounded after a horrible May and June to hit .267 with 11 homers in the second half of the season. He'll get a look at first base this spring but will slide over to DH if he's unable to handle the transition. The Jays are counting on his bat to be an everyday fixture in the lineup, and he makes a nice rebound candidate.

2010

Lind built on his strong second-half performance from 2008 and broke out with a huge season. His ability to handle southpaws (.275 average, .461 slugging) helped to keep his bat in the lineup regularly. The departure of Marco Scutaro's .379 OBP from the leadoff spot could hurt his RBI chances, but he'll be back as the team's third or fourth hitter and a nightly fixture in the lineup.

2009

Lind got a chance at an everyday role when Cito Gaston took over as manager in June and responded with a .282 average and 40 RBI for the season. He cooled off after a red-hot July (.379 average, 17 RBI) and he'll need to control the strike zone better if he's going to take the next step up. His batting average will suffer if he's thrust into an everyday role as he can't hit southpaws, but he should still have plenty of chances to drive in runs hitting in the middle of the Jays' lineup.

2008

An injury to Reed Johnson got Lind everyday at-bats early in the season, but a slump in May (.171/.200/.280) and June (.236/.266/.382) resulted in a trip back to the minors once the Blue Jays got some bodies back. His numbers at Triple-A (.299/.353/.471) were better, but still show some underlying problems (including a poor two walks and 21 K in 68 at-bats against lefties). His September return to the majors was better (.273/.298/.473), but contact problems and strike zone judgment will continue to stunt his power.

2007

Lind, a third-round pick in 2004, mashed his way through two levels in the minors in 2006, posting an OPS of .900 at Double-A and a 1.093 figure in 109 at-bats at Triple-A Syracuse before getting a September call-up to the majors. Contact was a problem at Double-A (25 walks and 87 strikeouts in 348 at-bats) and again in the majors (five walks and 12 strikeouts in 60 at-bats) but there's not much question about his power potential. There's little room for his bat following the signing of Frank Thomas, so his best bet may be as a platoon mate for Russ Johnson or Alex Rios. Starting the season at Triple-A Syracuse seems likely.