Mike McCoy: the Ultimate Frequent Flyer

When it comes to the Blue Jays most frequent flyer, I think Joanna from Hum and Chuck said it best when she tweeted this about Mike McCoy:

“I bet he has a bag always packed, like a woman 9 months pregnant.”

Anytime a player from the Blue Jays roster goes down to injury as Rajai Davis did yesterday, you know the Blue Jays were on the horn to tell McCoy to catch the next flight out of Las Vegas.

In fact, I bet Mike was grabbing his suitcases out of the closet the second he saw Rajai Davis wince while running down the first base line. It’s probably gotten to the point where Mike McCoy doesn’t even have to check in at the airport … security just lets him go right through.

Incredibly, Mike McCoy will be making his sixth … yes, sixth stint with the Blue Jays this season alone. I don’t know what the Major League record is for being called up/sent down in a season, but Mike McCoy must have that one nailed down.

The travels of everyone’s favourite proverbial Swiss Army knife on the Blue Jays roster can be followed at The Great Flying Mike McCoy. Just in the first two months of the season alone, McCoy traveled 13,447 miles due to transactions.

Image courtesy of The Great Flying Mike McCoy

McCoy has been as versatile as the Slap Chop for the Blue Jays, spending time at second base, third base, shortstop, the outfield, and an uncanny (yet effective) relief appearance. But when it comes to roster moves, he’s been sacrificial lamb.

And since his option for 2011 has already been used up, the Blue Jays are free to send down and call up Mike McCoy as many times as they wish this season. All I can say is, wherever Mike McCoy is living … I hope he’s renting.

Any time the Blue Jays need to make way for an injured player in the minors or they want to call up a prospect, I always feel bad for Mike McCoy because if he’s already on the big league roster, chances are he won’t be there very much longer.

Baseball is a business after all, but I can’t imagine Mike McCoy enjoys bouncing back and forth between Las Vegas and Toronto all season. It might be enough to send some players over the edge, yet McCoy doesn’t have all that much service time under his belt, so I guess we can just chalk that up to paying your dues in the big leagues.

At least McCoy can seek solace in the fact that 40-man roster expansion is on the horizon in September, which will prevent the Blue Jays from sending him back down to Las Vegas for the fifth time this season.

Then again, there are 17 days until September 1st … and one can only imagine what can happen as far as roster moves between now and then. You can bet Mike McCoy’s Minor Leagues Advisory System (MMMLAS for short) is on high alert in the meantime.