NH Hitting Coach Justin Mashore Interview

In his playing days, Justin Mashore was a 3rd round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers and was a career minor leaguer. Mashore played outfield and dabbled in the infield during his minor league career in the Tigers, Red Sox, Mets, Padres and Rockies organizations.

Since 2003, Mashore has been a coach in the Blue Jays organization, where he has been working his way up from the Rookie level Appalachian League.

Currently, along with manager Sal Fasano and pitching coach Pete Walker, Mashore is in charge of guiding the young careers of Toronto prospects assigned to the Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats club.

Recently, I spoke with coach Justin about top prospects like Anthony Gose, Adeiny Hechavarria and Travid d'Arnaud, as well as his own career, his transition into coaching and plenty more. Check out the media player below to listen to the full interview.


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1BJW Exclusive: Anthony Gose Answers Fan Questions

Outfield prospect Anthony Gose is rising fast within the Blue Jays system. Acquired last July from Houston for Brett Wallace, almost immediately after he was sent to the Astros by the Phillies as part of a package for pitcher Roy Oswalt, the 6-foot-1-inch 190-pounder is regularly ranked as a top 5 prospect within the Toronto organization.

Originally acquired by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2008 amateur draft, Gose quickly developed a reputation as a speedster, when in 2009 he led all of pro baseball in stolen bases, swiping 76 as the lead-off hitter for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws in the South Atlantic League.

Gose is having a bit of an up and down 2011 campaign with the Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Fresh off a strong month of May (.296 avg, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 14 SB in 31 games), the California native has hit a bit of a slump during the month of June (.135 avg, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 SB in 10 games).

As was reported on Monday, Gose has been suspended for 3-days after he made contact with the opposing catcher during a disagreement at home plate in a recent game.

Prior to the incident last week, I caught up with Anthony and asked him questions directly from you, the fans. Check out the media player below to hear Anthony speaking about his speed, his progress, his future and plenty more.



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There He Gose

Fisher Cats center fielder Anthony Gose

Anthony Gose is in a new organization, wearing a new uniform in a new town, but says he's still the same ball player. The quick-footed center fielder, who set out to lead all of minor league baseball in stolen bases at age 18 in 2009, and followed through when he swiped 76 bases as a member of the Phillies' Class A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws, is now a member of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Gose was ranked as the 4th best prospect in the Blue Jays system by Baseball America prior to this season.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 195 pound Gose has stayed on track with the tools that earned him such high praise. He continues to get on base, swipe bags and exhibit terrific instincts and range on defense in the outfield.

Traded by the Phillies to Houston in the deal for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt last July, Gose ended up with Toronto when the Astros flipped him, almost immediately, in another trade for infielder Brett Wallace.

The lefty hitting Gose was playing with the Phillies High A Level team, the Clearwater Threshers, at the time and felt sure that he would be headed to Houston once rumors of a Phils deal for Oswalt began circulating heavily. When the trading commenced, Gose never heard from Houston. Even though he had been included in a package of players for the 3-time Astros All star, the first call Gose got was from Phillies assistant general manager in charge of player development Chuck LaMar, telling Gose that he was being dealt to Toronto.


To continue reading this article, click HERE.

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Fisher Cats Fall Again in Trenton

With a packed house on fireworks night at Trenton's Waterfront Park, the Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats dropped their third straight game, as the division rival Thunder (Yankees affiliate) took down the club from New Hampshire by a score of 4-1.

Right-handed Fisher Cats starter Joel Carreno, a 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic, surrendered 4 earned runs over 6 2/3 innings and took the loss.

The Thunder got the scoring started in the 2nd inning, when Bradley Suttle led off with a single, advanced to second base on a wild pitch then came around to score on a Corban Joseph single.

New Hampshire tied things up in the 4th inning when Thunder starter Manny Banuelos uncorked a wild pitch that allowed center fielder Anthony Gose to score.

Suttle, Trenton's third baseman, grabbed the lead back quickly in the bottom of the frame when he drove a ball to deep right field, out of the park and into the Delaware River to put the Thunder up by a score of 2-1.

Trenton wrapped up the scoring in the 5th inning when 9 hole hitter Addison Maruszak mashed a two-run homerun to deep left field.

Lefty Kei Igawa, who came on in relief of Thunder starter Manny Banuelos earned the win. The Fisher Cats now have a record of 11-9, while the Thunder improves to 10-12. The two teams go back at it on Sunday in the series finale when Cats right-hander Zach Stewart takes on Thunder lefty Shaeffer Hall.

Gose, the New Hampshire center fielder, had 3 of the team's 5 hits in the loss. He also stole 2 bases for the losing squad. Listen to exclusive postgame audio from Gose in the media player below.



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Minors Wrap Up, 4/16/11

Blue Jays fans, here's a piece we hope to make a regular feature on the site this season...a trip around the Blue Jays' developmental system. Standings, stats, other notes...check it out.


The Triple A Las Vegas 51's are currently 5-4 and in second place in the Pacific South division, 1 game behind Fresno in the Pacific Coast League.

Eric Thames, who was a beast with New Hampshire last season, is wrecking opposing pitchers up a level thus far in the new season. Through 9 games, Thames has posted a .389 batting average with 5 doubles a HR and 9 RBI.

Brett Lawrie, who was acquired in the Shaun Marcum trade, has also excelled with the 51's and has a .462 average with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI and 2 steals. Lawrie, a British Columbia native, is tied for the league lead in hits with 18.

First baseman David Cooper leads the team with 10 RBI through 9 games.

Former big leaguer Chad Cordero has appeared in 3 games and has a 12.71 ERA.


The Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats are 5-4 and two games behind New Britain in 3rd place in the Eastern League's Eastern Division.

Through 2 starts righty hurler Zach Stewart is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA, 5 walks and 5 strike outs in 12 innings pitched. Stewart was of course acquired in the Scott Rolen trade.

First baseman Mike McDade is leading the team in batting with a .361 average through 9 games. McDade has just 1 RBI to date this season.

Highly regarded catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud has struggled thus far this season. In 7 games, d'Arnaud is 2-for-26 (.077 avg) with a double and 1 RBI.

Centerfielder Anthony Gose is batting .194 through 9 games. Thus far in the new season, the speedy prospect has not scored a run yet. Two seasons ago for Lakewood in the Class A South Atlantic League, Gose stole 76 bases.


The High A Level Dunedin Blue Jays have a 1-8 record and are currently in last place in the Florida State League's North Division.

Infielder Justin Jackson is leading the team in hitting with a .368 average in 7 games. Jackson has stolen 1 base in 3 attempts.

21-year-old right-handed pitcher Deck McGuire has struck out 10 batters in 8 2/3 innings. McGuire was the 11th overall draft pick by the Blue Jays last year out of Georgia Tech.

In 2 starts with Dunedin, Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow is 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA. Opponents are batting .373 against Morrow, who is rehabbing from a right forearm strain. Morrow is slated to make one more start in the minors on Sunday before returning to the active Toronto roster.


The Class A Lansing Lugnuts are currently 4-2, a half game behind first place Bowling Green in the MID Eastern Division of the Midwest League.

Catcher Carlos Perez is batting .405 and has a 1.025 OPS through 5 games.

Outfielder Michael Crouse is batting .250 in six games and has the team's only homerun. The 20-year-old Crouse was a 16th round draft selection in 2008.

Right-hander Drew Hutchison had one strong start so far for the 'Nuts, striking out 11 and allowing no runs over 7 innings.

Stay tuned throughout the season as 1BlueJaysWay's minor league insider Jay Floyd brings you exclusive player profiles and interviews from the Toronto system and beyond.
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Weekly Round Up: Aug. 30 - Sept. 5

Consider this your required reading for the week. A detailed look at J-Bau's career.

Consider this your required viewing for the week. A little soft toss with J-Bau.

Please note: Bobby Elliott had a massive week. We will be leading off the Round Up with some of his gems.

Courtesy of Bob Elliott:

“I’m progressing with (batting instructor) Justin Mashore, learning the strike zone,” Gose says. “I may have a three strikeout game, but I’m not swinging at pitches in the dirt. I don’t want to say I have it figured out — you never have it figured out — but I’m improving.”
Gose is hitting .262 with 20 doubles, 13 triples, seven homers and 26 RBIs in 130 games.
A year ago, in spring training a reporter from Lakewood, N.J., asked how many bases he’d steal. He said he’d lead the team and break the club record (59). Gose swiped 76 to lead all of minor-league baseball.
This spring, he told the same reporter he’d swipe 100. He’s stolen 45 bases but has been thrown out 32 times.
“I struggled at the start, getting my reads, ran on bad counts, second-guessed myself and lost confidence,” Gose says. “I was asking myself the question: ‘Am I really what I think I am?’ But those comments make me look big-headed which I’m not. I made myself look bad.”

An exclusive interview with OF prospect Anthony Gose. Seems like he grew up in a tough environment. Nice to see him giving back to the people that helped him get out. 

Courtesy of Bob Elliott:

The decision to move 25 games to the new Sporstnet One station was not made at 1 Blue Jays Way, but rather at 1 Mount Pleasant Rd., in either a Rogers or Sportsnet ivory tower.
While Rogers battles Bell/Shaw/Cogeco, complete with marketing campaigns, the Jays are taking the heat, as well.
“I understand the fans’ complaints. This is short-term pain,” said Jays president Paul Beeston from Toronto. “Last year, we had 145 games televised. This year, we will have 162. Down the road, fans will not lose games to the Memorial Cup, the NBA or anything else.”

For the record: We here at 1BlueJaysWay did not have anything to do with the decision to move the games in question to a channel that most of you do not have access to. Moving right along.....

Courtesy of Bob Elliott:

“Man, his swing is quick,” said Don Zimmer, the Rays' senior adviser, who broke into pro ball in 1949. “Have I seen him? Hah, seen too much of him. He’ll swing at a ball once in a while, but for the most part he’s disciplined. He looks like he’s headed for 50.
“I hopes he gets there — as long as he doesn’t hit any against us.”

I wonder if The Cito will be getting asked these types of questions when he moves into his "consulting" role?

Courtesy of Bob Elliott:

The end of the season marks the start of 2011. Who plays third base for the Blue Jays next season?
Who plays first?
And what happens to Aaron Hill?
Aaron Hill, the 2010 media guide cover boy, who led all second basemen with 36 homers last year? That Aaron Hill?
Hill’s four-year, $12-million US deal, signed in 2008 runs until the end of 2011.
Yet, the Jays have a decision to make on Hill between the end of the season and the next opening day.
Do they pick up Hill’s three option years from 2012-14 which total $26 million?
Do they give him the thumbs-up March 21 during spring training when he turns 29?
Do they decline to pick up his option years and then, according to contract language at the end of 2011, exercise the 2012-13 options, making Hill a free agent in 2014.
Either way, Hill will be with the Jays next season.
How happy will their infielder be if the Jays decide to not pick up a long-term commitment?
Of course, even if the Jays decline the option years, they could revisit the matter with agent Casey Close if Hill’s 2011 is more like 2009.

Bob pulls out the crystal ball and tries to predict the future. 

Courtesy of Bob Elliott:

RICKY ROMERO: “He never gets cheated. What do you mean someone took that answer? In a word, his swing is overpowering. If I faced him I’d be careful, stay away, away with a sinker and breaking ball, then bust him inside with a fastball. I’d get him out — tell him that.”

Quick interviews with J-Bau's teammates. Ricky had the best answer hands down.

Courtesy of Mark Zwolinski:

“You know, fans in the Dominican didn’t follow the Blue Jays that much a few years ago because they didn’t have many Dominican players, but now they have (Edwin) Encarnacion and Jose . . . the fans pay attention,” George Bell says in a telephone interview from the Dominican.
“They love what Jose is doing. They’ve always had the older guys like (Albert) Pujols, and Pedro Martinez, but Jose is running away with the home-run lead and he’s close to breaking (Bell’s Jays record). A lot of people are talking about it here.”
Bell is watching Bautista too. The two are very similar as players — power hitting, right-handed hitters with a home run swing destined for the record books.

Former AL MVP George Bell weighs in on the possibility of J-Bau breaking his 20+ year team record.

Courtesy of Todd Dewey:

After spending most of last season in Las Vegas, the former Blue Jays closer pined for a fresh start with another team.
But after speaking with new Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos, he avoided arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $1.08 million contract for this season.
"I was lied to a lot last year, where I was told one thing and something else ended up happening," Accardo said. "That didn't sit well with me, but I turned (over) a (new) leaf and we talked and he told me everything's going to change, and really things haven't changed."

Jeremy Accardo is clearly fucking pissed. Although I think he is able to get Major League hitters out, I have to believe the hissy fit last year when he threw his Jays hat in the garbage, seriously hurt his chances of doing it for your Toronto Blue Jays. He is out of options and has 1 year left of arbitration. Should be an interesting case if the brain trust sticks to the "file-to-go" strategy. You have to think that no offer will be accepted by the Accardo camp. 

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick: 

If the Jays lose all three veterans in the ’pen, they have enough bodies to make up for it. They could bring back Shawn Camp, Casey Janssen, David Purcey, Jesse Carlson and Josh Roenicke, and move Marc Rzepczynski into Brian Tallet’s role. Or they could keep Tallet. And what of Jeremy Accardo? Furthermore, the off-season free-agent market is always flooded with relievers. No problem. With a younger, less consistent bullpen in 2011, the Jays may be a better team with a worse record. But hey, nobody said rebuilding was going to be easy.

Dick takes a look at the potential bullpen for 2011. Based on the names above, who do you give the ball to in the 9th inning of a tight game?

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick:

Q: Hi Richard, About a year ago the rumours of a dysfunctional Blue Jays clubhouse came to light. Now a year later it appears that by all accounts the chemistry is great. To what, or to whom, do you attribute this year's harmony? Is it safe to assume last year's culprits are no longer with the club?
Thanks, Tim Wood, Toronto
A: It was not a rumour. The poisonous fumes floating through the Jays' clubhouse on that final weekend in Baltimore were absolutely toxic. Vernon Wells on the Friday said, “I'm not sure that it can be fixed.” This in reference to a potential public airing of player concerns with Cito Gaston and Paul Beeston in attendance. Gaston to this day does not want to believe it was ever true, claiming it was simply an exaggeration by the media. That's total bullspit. It was real. But when push came to shove and the key returning players – Wells, and Aaron Hill and the non-returning players Rod Barajas and Roy Halladay -- met with Beeston and Gaston, the players wimped out and backed down.
Why the dysfunction in the first place?

I normally don't venture into Dick's mailbag, only because I wish to remain sane. But I gotta say, this is the most insightful thing I have ever read as it pertains to the train wreck in Baltimore last season.

Courtesy of Chris Jaffe:

Twenty years ago today, on September 2, 1990, Dave Stieb finally did it. After years of painful teasing, he finally threw a complete game no-hitter. Rarely had a pitcher gone such torture to achieve this goal.
Prior to that day, Stieb had five separate complete game one-hitters. As an added bonus: all five one-hitters had come in a fairly rapid sequence, in a 15-month sequence from May 1988 to August 1989.

Rock solid piece on Blue Jay hero Dave Stieb.  Must read and a close second for the required reading of the week. 

Courtesy of Baseball America:

2010 AFL Rosters

Your Toronto Blue Jays will be sending the following players to the Arizona Fall League:

• Adeiny Hechavarria
• Michael McDade
• Eric Thames
• Matthew Daly
• Alan Farina
• Danny Farquhar

Here is what our boy Jesse had to say about the news:

Nice crew to send over there.  Especially rewarding for Daly.  Not much surprise for Thames or Hechavarria.

I should also point out that Hech will be reunited with his childhood buddy and Red Sox SS prospect Jose Iglesias. One thing to watch is who gets the bulk of the innings at SS.

Press Release: Gose, d'Arnaud Named To FSL All-Star Team

Gose amongst FSL leaders in numerous categories, 2nd All-Star nod for d'Arnaud

The 2010 Florida State League All-Star Team was released on Tuesday and the Dunedin Blue Jays had two players named to the team in outfielder Anthony Gose and catcher Travis d'Arnaud.
Gose, 20, played the majority of the season with the Clearwater Threshers before being involved in a series of trades that sent him to the Blue Jays on July 29. Since coming over from Clearwater, he has hit .255 in 27 games with three home runs. He is also 9 for 14 in stolen base attempts.
Overall, Gose has hit .263 with seven home runs and an FSL-leading 45 stolen bases. He has played in an FSL-leading 130 games and also leads the FSL in runs scored with 88. He's tied with Tampa's Jose Pirela for the FSL lead in triples with 13 and also ranks fifth in hits with 134.
The native of Bellflower, CA was a fourth round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
D'Arnaud, 21, was also named to the FSL First-Half All-Star Team and was selected to start at catcher for the FSL North squad in the All-Star Game back on June 12 in Viera. He also participated in the All-Star Home Run Derby.
He hit .259 with six home runs and 38 RBIs in 71 games with Dunedin this season, but back issues plagued him for much of the year before a herniated disc in his back required season-ending surgery earlier this month.
This was d'Arnaud's first year in the Blue Jays organization, having been part of the Roy Halladay trade this past offseason. He was a supplemental first-round draft pick of Philadelphia's in 2007.
This is the second consecutive season that d'Arnaud and Gose have played together as both players were a part of Low-A Lakewood's 2009 South Atlantic League championship-winning team.
The FSL Player of the Year ended up being Tampa's Melky Mesa while the FSL Pitcher of the Year was Clearwater's Austin Hyatt, who was recently called up to Double-A Reading.

 Another theft by the 2 time Gold Glover

Weekly Round Up : July 26 - Aug. 1

Consider this your required reading for the week.  There is a chance we here at 1BlueJaysWay may have some more news on Hechevarria for you real soon.....

Consider this your required viewing for the week.  Fleeced em.  Absolutely fleeced em.

Courtesy of Our Boy Jesse:

Glenn hits for the cycle as Lugnuts beat Kings, 9-5

LANSING, Mich. – Brad Glenn hit for the fifth cycle in team history and the first since 2007, helping the Lansing Lugnuts (17-13; 53-46) chop down the Clinton LumberKings (14-15; 51-47), 9-5, on a Monday Summer Fun Day on Jackson Field.
Glenn singled in the first inning, homered in the third, dropped in a fluke sun-aided double in the fifth, and then broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run triple off of reliever Jose Jimenez (2-4) in the seventh inning to give the Lugnuts the lead for good.
He capped off the game by drawing a walk in the eighth inning, loading the bases ahead of A.J. Jimenez's three-run game-clinching double.
The Lugnuts' previous cycle was accomplished by Travis Snider on July 7, 2007, at Fort Wayne. Corey Patterson (1999), Donnie Hood (2003), and Chip Cannon (2005) were the other Nuts to achieve the cycle in the team's 15-year history.

Gotta love the old sun aided double trick!

Courtesy of MILB:

Sobolewski named FSL Player of the Week

Dunedin Blue Jays third baseman Mark Sobolewski has been named the Florida State League Player of the Week for the time frame of July 19-25. He becomes the fourth Dunedin player to win the honor this season, joining catcher Travis d'Arnaud, outfielder Welinton Ramirez and super utility player John Tolisano.
Sobolewski was fantastic in the weekend series against Bradenton, going 7-for-12 with two home runs and two doubles. On the week, he was 11-for-26 (.423) with three home runs and the two doubles. He also drove in 10 runs and scored eight times himself.
Sobolewski was named a First Half All-Star this season with the Lansing Lugnuts, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, where he hit .313 with four home runs and 24 RBIs. He also added 15 doubles.
So far with Dunedin this season, the 23-year-old is hitting .274 with four home runs and 22 RBIs, nearly the same numbers he had with Lansing, but in 51 fewer plate.

This guy is slowly moving up the depth chart @ 3B. 

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick:

Consider that among all MLB outfielders, Bautista ranks: first in home runs and outfield assists; second in RBIs, extra-base hits, OPS, slugging and bases-on-balls; and third in runs scored.
“He’s a young guy that can still play third base for you and play the outfield, play first base, so that’s what I would do, but that’s just me,” Gaston added. “I can talk to him about playing a certain position and it’s, ‘Wherever you need me.’ Managers always appreciate guys like that on your ballclub.”
The Jays need his versatility and don’t need to save the money. They have him for one more season. If he goes through the arbitration process the Jays could then either trade him at next year’s deadline or begin negotiations for an extension if he proves in 2011 that 2010 was no fluke.

Dick nailed it.  Doesn't happen often so savor the flavor sir.  

Courtesy of CBC Sports:

The 29-year-old Mike Jacobs is a lifetime .253 hitter with the Mets, Florida Marlins and Kansas City Royals.
The left-handed hitter averaged .208 in 28 at-bats this season with New York, which designated Jacobs for assignment on April 18. He cleared waivers and has spent most of the season at AAA, hitting .260 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs in 86 games.
Last season, he hit 19 home runs and added 61 runs batted in while making $3.25 million US with the Royals last year.
Jacobs had 32 home runs and 93 RBIs in 2008 with Florida.
He provides some depth for the Blue Jays should they choose to deal free-agent-to-be Lyle Overbay.

Depth move at AAA.  He does have almost 2000 MLB at bats under his belt but he strikes out a fucking tonne and has amassed a lifetime .313 OBP in the big leagues. 

Courtesy of Husker Extra:

In the three weeks since he became an eighth-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, Nebraska City pitcher Logan Ehlers has turned down two offers to sign.
“We had the (signing-bonus) number set, and everything,” he said, “so right now we’re playing the waiting game.”
That’s usually how it works for anyone who has college aspirations but is in a position where they could command a large enough signing bonus to head straight to professional ball.

Don't know how this one slipped past the goalie but I just had to share it.  We gotta get this kid to sign before he strikes out another 20 batters in a game.  

Courtesy of MLBTR:

Many of the best trade chips in baseball play for the Toronto Blue Jays, but the team held onto all of them when their rivals didn’t meet the club’s asking price. Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg, Jose Bautista and John Buck remain in Toronto for one simple reason: in the end, no team presented GM Alex Anthopoulos with an overwhelming offer.

“I don’t think we were that close today,” Anthopoulos said. “There were things we had on the table that were available to us, but not enough to make us make a trade.”

Translation: Stop trying to fuck with the new guy everyone.

Courtesy of CBS Sports:

Camp to have workload limited: Toronto RP Shawn Camp has been given a heavy workload this season but manager Cito Gaston would like to limit his innings, going forward, reports MLB.com Monday. "I want to do that with him," Gaston said on Monday. "I had a little talk with him about that." Gaston has frequently turned to Camp to clean up messes but will try to limit that going forward. "Of course, he wants to go," Gaston said. "He wants to pitch. Some kind of way, if I can give him off through the next few days, it'd be great -- hopefully. I don't know if it's going to happen. Maybe a couple of days and then if we use him, then we have the off-day."
(Updated 07/26/2010).

Fantasy Analysis

Camp entered Monday with a 3-1 record and a 2.92 ERA over 49 1/3 innings. Camp has allowed six runs over nine innings in his last 10 appearances, however, and opponents have been hitting .410 against him over that span. Camp has struggled of late and Gaston believes it has something to do with his workload. "He's only had a couple rough times out there this year," Gaston said. "That's going to happen." Camp is not in line for save chances and remains just a middle-relief option for Fantasy leagues that care about them. (Updated 07/26/2010).

Courtesy of CBS Sports:

Lind a future first baseman?: Toronto DH/OF Adam Lind is going to see playing time at first base down the stretch. MLB.com reports part of the reason why Toronto is going to give Lind a look at first base because the Blue Jays will be looking for a starting first baseman for the 2011 season. "We want to see him play first to see if he can play over there," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. "But, you know, in the offseason there's still some first basemen out there that you can go get."
(Updated 07/30/2010).

Fantasy Analysis

Lind has played most of his major-league career in left field or at DH. He played some first base in college and has spelled current 1B Lyle Overbay in a handful of games. Overbay is a free agent after the season and Toronto just traded away prospect Brett Wallace on Thursday, so looking at first-base options now is clearly a priority. The main thing is that Lind is still getting regular at-bats for Toronto. His .225 average and moderate power numbers in 2010 have been disappointing. Lind has been doing well in July, batting .301 with five homers and 11 RBI in 22 games, so there is hope he can still perform like a high-end Fantasy option down the stretch. (Updated 07/30/2010).

Courtesy of Shi Davidi:

Return of Travis Snider forces Cito Gaston to get creative with Blue Jays lineup

Snider, considered one of the team's future cornerstones, will be shuffled around into different spots whenever fellow outfielders Fred Lewis, Jose Bautista, Adam Lind and Vernon Wells, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and first baseman Lyle Overbay get a day off.
He'll likely hit in the spot of whoever he's subbing in for, including leadoff hitter Lewis.
"You know, I've thought about that here and there, and if I take Lewis out of the lineup we're not going to put Bautista in the first spot, so it might be Snider up there. He's pretty much my choice if I go that way," said Gaston. "If I have Lewis in the lineup, then Snider will go somewhere else. It's going to be a little mix and match." 

This is the article that set off the shitshow on Twitter that I wrote about earlier.  I figured there may be a chance Snider was being sat down until the deadline because a spot was about to open up.  That didn't materialize, so now we are going to roll with this roving platoon for a couple of weeks and see what happens.  Could end up messy.  Especially with dip shit The Cito "managing" it.

Courtesy of Shi Davidi:

Much has been made of his poor stats — he's been caught stealing 27 times to go with his pedestrian batting average — but Anthony Gose says he's deliberately taken steps backwards in some areas in order to take a few steps forward down the road.
"When you're learning something new the success may not be there right away, results aren't always instant," he said. "I feel I've made tremendous progress from last year to this year.
"Defensively I feel I've gotten better, better routes to the ball, I've worked on making better throws to the bases. Baserunning I feel the adjustments I've made have just made myself better, better reads of the pitcher, getting better jumps. ...
"Offensively I feel that I've progressed also, maybe not in statistical means, but mentally at the plate, and also physically, mechanically, I feel I've progressed to some degree and it will all come together."

I heard that he is the 3rd youngest player in High A or something like that.  Patience is a virtue everyone.....

Courtesy of John Lott @ National Post:

TORONTO - Anthony Gose knows exactly what the critics are saying.
After almost two full pro seasons, he should be a better hitter. He steals a bunch of bases, but gets caught too often. He covers a lot of ground in centre field but makes too many fundamental mistakes on defence.
"Everything has been baby steps. I'm 19, and I have a lot of learning to do," said Gose, one day after his unexpected trade to the Toronto Blue Jays. "I've got a long ways to go before I'm a complete player."

He made his first start last night for Dunedin the high Class-A Florida State League, switching from the Phillies' FSL club a few miles south in Clearwater.
Dunedin coaches promptly began to work on "refining [his] approach at the plate," Gose said in a conference call.
"We started addressing those matters here already on my first day," he said.

Maybe they DID have the "you run like Hayes but you hit like shit" speech already!

Courtesy of Fan Graphs:

Wallace is pretty much just the opposite. His game is so dependent on offense, that even getting to 2-3 WAR consistently will be an issue. After Lance Berkman moves out of Houston, Wallace is the future at first base. He’s not good there, and is surely somewhere worse than 2.5 runs below average. To even reach 3 WAR, he’d have to produce 25 runs with the bat to be worth three wins. And given the fact that he’s never walked 50 times or hit 25 home runs in any season, getting to a .370 wOBA seems impossible.
Houston didn’t do well today. With their best chance to finally acquire a player they could build their future around, they acquired two players with role player ceilings.

Brett made his MLB debut on Saturday with Houston.  He finished up 0 for 4 while playing 1B and hitting 6th in their line up.  Please refrain from crying about this.  Everything is gonna work out later.  Trust me.

Courtesy of Toronto Star Photo Blog:

Gose For Wallace

Whoa. Didn't see this one coming.....

Your Toronto Blue Jays traded Brett Wallace, our first baseman in waiting, for Anthony Gose, a 19 centrefielder.

Our boy Jay Ballz did two interviews with Sir Gose A Lot last year. You can check them out here and here. Keep rocking the high socks and the crooked cap kid!

Gose was selected in the 2nd round, 51st overall, in the 2008 amateur draft. At that time, he was a 17 year old outfielder as well as a pitcher. Apparently he had "electric" breaking stuff on the hill. Gose received a $772,000 signing bonus and was rated as the Phillies 6th best prospect entering this year. The left handed hitting, left handed thrower is billed as being lightning fast. He stole 115 bases in 245 minor league games to date but was also caught 48 times. His full stats look like this:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	17	Phillies	GULF	Rk	PHI	11	41	39	4	10	2	1	0	3	3	1	1	12	.256	.293	.359	.652
2009	18	Lakewood	SALL	A	PHI	131	572	510	72	132	24	9	2	52	76	20	35	110	.259	.323	.353	.676
2010	19	Clearwater	FLOR	A+	PHI	103	461	418	67	110	17	11	4	20	36	27	32	103	.263	.325	.385	.710
3 Seasons						245	1074	967	143	252	43	21	6	75	115	48	68	225	.261	.323	.367	.690

Analysis:

I think it is fair to say that Adam Lind will be playing 1st base for your Toronto Blue Jays for a long, long time. It will be easy to find a DH in the off season.

With respect to Wallace, he has been traded three times in just over a calender year. Is he the next Andy Marte?

AA has said many times in the past that he covets the speed game. Today he proved that. Here is what he had to say on the FAN590 shortly after the trade was announced.

Take a look at your lead off hitter of the future:



Update:

The one and only Jay Ballz sent over a beauty pic that I just have to share:

That's the new guy holding the trophy with not so new guy Travis d'Arnaud.

Foreshadowing?