Coats good fit in leadoff role

Before this season, his 10th in professional baseball, Buck Coats never had batted leadoff.

But the 51s center fielder has thrived in that role this year, leading Las Vegas in stolen bases (15) and runs scored (33) while batting .322, the second-highest average on the squad.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 190-pound Coats went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored Tuesday in the 51s' 8-4 loss to Portland at Cashman Field, cracking a single in the third inning to extend his team-best hitting streak to 13 games.

"He's our catalyst," Las Vegas manager Mike Basso said. "He's our leadoff guy, and he's really growing into the position. He's playing a solid center field, and he's doing everything we can ask.

"He's really improved his whole game in the last couple of years I've seen him."

Coats, who is hitting .390 (39-for-100) at home and also has 14 doubles, a triple, three homers and 23 RBIs, said he enjoys leading off.

"I like to get the team going. That's what I love to do," said Coats, 26, who was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays from the Cincinnati Reds after the 2007 season. "I get a lot of at-bats, I get to set the tone, go out and grind it out and never give up."

Originally an 18th-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2000, Coats played shortstop in their organization before moving to the outfield.

He was traded late in the 2007 season to Cincinnati, where he played in the same outfield as Ken Griffey Jr., his boyhood idol.

Coats, who said playing alongside Griffey Jr. was the highlight of his career, takes pride in his defense, which he considers the strength of his game.

"I love to play defense. That's my passion," he said. "I just love to go to center field."

In the fifth inning Tuesday, Coats appeared to make a spectacular catch while trying to track down a deep drive hit by Beavers first baseman Kyle Blanks. But the ball popped out of his glove when he crashed into the center-field wall, allowing the 6-6, 285-pound Blanks to saunter into third base with a triple.

Coats made the Blue Jays out of spring training last season, primarily for his defense, but was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse after eight games, in which he went 1-for-5 for Toronto.

"That's just the way the game works," Coats said. "You can't worry too much about tomorrow; you've got to take it today."

Despite batting .286 with a team-high five triples for Syracuse last year, and starting this season strong for Las Vegas, Coats is still waiting for his next call to the majors.

"Playing in the big leagues is everybody's dream. I would love to get back one day, but if it's not meant to happen, it's not meant to happen," said Coats, who has a .193 career average in the majors in 46 games with the Cubs, Reds and Blue Jays over the last three seasons. "You've got to have the same attitude each and every day. I don't get upset."

• NOTE -- Las Vegas right-hander Dirk Hayhurst was promoted to the Blue Jays, and right-hander Jonah Bayliss was activated by the 51s.

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