Blue Jays call up red-hot Cooper

A "pure hitter" can be defined many ways, but 51s first baseman David Cooper probably fits most any definition.

"He's a born hitter," Las Vegas hitting coach Chad Mottola said. "There are some people who can't be taught that and he's one of those guys. He has the hitting gene, as they say.

"He can just flat out hit - any pitcher: lefty, righty, sidearmer, curveball, fastball, whatever."

Cooper, 25, homered Saturday at Cashman Field to extend his season-high hitting streak to 14 games, during which he batted .448 (26-for-58) with 11 doubles to raise his average to .314.

He was recalled by Toronto prior to Sunday night's 13-6 home loss to Salt Lake and is expected to join the Blue Jays for tonight's game at Seattle.

The call-up by Toronto is Cooper's second of the season. He was summoned May 25 and hit .292 in 24 games while seeing steady action at first base.

"I felt good at the plate (with Toronto). I felt a lot more consistent," Cooper said Saturday. "It was nice because I was getting to play every day. It's easier to stay in rhythm when you're getting constant (at-bats)."

Despite his solid month in the majors, Cooper was optioned back to the 51s on June 27 - two days after first baseman Adam Lind, making $5 million this season, was recalled from Las Vegas by the Blue Jays.

"(Cooper) did all he could do and unfortunately this game's cruel," Mottola said. "The business side got to him."

Back in Triple A, Cooper experienced a letdown and went into a rare slump.

"It's hard. You tell yourself not to (get down), but it's just human nature," Cooper said.

Mottola agreed.

"It's a downer to come back here. There's no other way around it and I think the human side came out," he said.

Cooper appears likely to replace Lind, who missed his third straight game Sunday with tightness in his back.

A Stockton, Calif., native, Cooper made his big league debut last year for the Blue Jays, batting .211 in 27 games over two stints. He batted .121 during his first time up in April, but hit .289 in September.

"It's amazing after your first time, you come down and go back, you're so much more comfortable because you know what to expect and how everything operates," Cooper said. "The first time up you're looking around at the bright lights."

Cooper captured the Pacific Coast League batting crown last season with a .364 average, belted 51 doubles and led the minor leagues with a .439 on-base percentage.

This season he has 10 homers, 52 RBIs and 27 doubles in 68 games for Las Vegas (62-46).

"It's just the guy that we saw last year," Mottola said. "I think his thoughts have been cleared out. He was trying to press to get back to the big leagues, which everybody tries to do. He's just kind of slowed down the game a little."

On July 22, Cooper capped a 4-for-4 night against Reno by launching a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning - the first walk-off blast of his five-year professional career - to give the 51s a 7-5 comeback victory at Cashman.

"That was fun. I haven't done that in a really long time," he said. "That was pretty special."

■ NOTE - Las Vegas native Mike McDade, a Silverado High School product, is expected to be promoted to the 51s today from Double-A New Hampshire. The 23-year-old McDade, Toronto's 2007 sixth-round draft pick, hit .278 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 99 games this season for New Hampshire.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.