Justin Atkinson

Justin R. Atkinson

• 'Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 218 lb.

• High School North Surrey Secondary School

• Born July 24, 1993 in Surrey, BC Canada

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Justin Atkinson played in the minors and for Team Canada.

He hit .179/.258/.214 and fielded .902 as an infielder in the 2010 World Junior Championship. He tied Rodney Daal for 4th in assists (25). The Toronto Blue Jays took him in the 26th round of the 2011 amateur draft, one pick before Brett Graves, and signed him for a $100,000 bonus. The scout was Jamie Lehman.

Atkinson made his pro debut with the GCL Blue Jays that summer, hitting .279/.298/.395 while backing up Seth Conner at third base. In 2012, he was with the GCL Blue Jays (.260/.322/.281 in 52 G) and Bluefield Blue Jays (3 for 10, 2B). He fielded .986 as the starting second baseman. He batted .230/.322/.289 for the '13 Vancouver Canadians, used mostly as a corner infielder. In 2014, he produced at a .291/.336/.355 clip for the Lansing Lugnuts, this time as a utility infielder.

The Surrey native split 2015 between Vancouver (.294/.327/.402 in 52 G) and Lansing (.216/.240/.256 in 33 G), appearing at five different positions. He was 4th in the Northwest League in average, between Miguel Gómez and Kevin Padlo. He got one at-bat for Canada in the 2015 Premier 12, pinch-hitting for Kellin Deglan and striking out against Brennan Bernardino. In 2016, he hit .190/.248/.284 for Lansing, fielding .991 at both first base and catcher.

He had batted .244/.299/.316 in 402 games as a pro, with 149 runs and 170 RBI. He had fielded .992 in 159 games at first, .963 in 109 at third, .988 in 61 at second and .991 in 53 behind the plate.