TORONTO — A scout who has followed Tyler Austin’s career believes he has a chance to stick in the big leagues for a while.
“I was encouraged. I saw improvement last year,’’ the scout said Wednesday of the Yankees’ Opening Day first baseman. “He can be a platoon player against left-handed pitching, a DH or corner outfielder. He reminds me of Josh Willingham. He is a big-league player. If not for the Yankees he will fit in somewhere.’’
The Yankees and Austin will take Willingham’s career right now. The outfielder played 11 years in the big leagues with the Marlins, Nationals, A’s, Twins and Royals and posted a .253 career average. From 2006-12 the right-handed hitting Willingham hit 166 homers (23.7 per season) of his career 195 and hit 35 and drove in 110 runs for the Twins in 2012.
In 20 big league games against left-handers, Austin is a .361 hitter (13-for-36) with four homers and 12 RBIs.
The scout didn’t see enough of Austin at first base to form an opinion of how he will do in the field.
After being told on March 21 he was being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Austin stayed with the big-league club for the final days of spring training. And when Bird underwent ankle surgery on Tuesday, Austin was put on the big-league roster and will be in the lineup Thursday at Rogers Centre against Blue Jays left J.A. Happ.
And confident he can handle first base.
“It’s like night and day,’’ Austin said of how much better a first baseman he is today compared to last year. “I have worked extremely hard to get better every day over there and I feel like I have made strides.’’
Since the switch-hitting Neil Walker is also a second baseman and has limited experience at first (13 games at first in the big leagues), it isn’t out of the question the 26-year-old Austin would be limited to facing only lefty pitchers.
With Bird expected to be out six to eight weeks there is an opportunity for Austin to show the Yankees, and other teams, his bat is legitimate. Other than that there isn’t much he can control.
“I am here to play. I don’t know what playing time is going to look like. I am excited to be here,’’ said Austin, who has played 35 big-league games (25 starts) at first and 199 (167 starts) at all levels. “I don’t have anything more to say other than that.’’
At the end of Thursday’s workout, Aaron Judge stood in right field and threw a ball through an open window of the hotel high above the playing field in right center to fans who anxiously awaited it.
The window was to the right of the monstrous video screen above the facing of the upper deck.
Tyler Wade switched from No. 39 to 12 on Wednesday. … Right-hander Jose Mesa Jr. was returned to the Yankees from the Orioles on. Mesa was a Rule 5 pick of the O’s last December.
Former Yankee Nathan Eovaldi has had two Tommy John surgeries and is headed for another procedure after loose bodies were discovered in the right elbow. Now with the Rays, Eovaldi was slated to start Monday against the Yankees in their home opener.
