Winning Continues for New Hampshire

The winning ways have continued into the new season for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Last fall the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays won the Eastern League championship. In the first two contests of their 2012 campaign, the team looks just as dominant.

Following a win in the season opener at Trenton on Thursday night, the Fisher Cats rode an extremely solid outing from starting pitcher Chad Jenkins to a 2-0 record to start this year in front of 3,792 fans.

The righty Jenkins did not start off very hot, digging his team in a hole, as he ran the count full on the Yankees affiliate Thunder lead-off batter Abraham Almonte and served up a solo homerun.

According to Jenkins, he didn't feel as though he had his best stuff while on the mound Friday night. Jenkins was able to battle through the chilly weather and lacking full confidence in his offerings to down the Thunder by a score of 3-1.

Describing the mishaps in the opening frame, Jenkins said, "The first hitter, I got to a full count and (catcher A.J. Jimenez) wanted a fastball in, so I thought, 'Alright. He has seen away the whole at bat. We'll go in.' I was telling myself- 'cause I know one of them got me in spring training, in my last outing, and I threw that one down, so I was like, 'I'm not throwing this one down.' I let go of it and realized that middle of the plate isn't the best place to throw it either. (Almonte) unleashed on it."

After the homer to Almonte, third baseman Ronnier Mustelier followed that with a single, but ended up stranded on third as Jenkins settled in. Spreading just three more hits allowed over the next 5 innings without a walk, Jenkins earned his first win of the new season.

The Fisher Cats offense was led by first baseman Mike McDade, who went 3-for-4 including a double and a 2-run single that plated the defending champs' first scores of the night in the 5th inning.

New Hampshire added a run in the 6th inning on a sacrifice fly that brought home Justin Jackson.

The 'Cats bullpen was tough also, holding opposing batters without a hit over 3 innings. Matt Daly, Danny Farquhar and Aaron Loup each tossed a scoreless frame. The Louisiana native, Loup, earned the save.

According to NH manager Sal Fasano, this early success should allow the team, which was happily engaging in some debate over the varying musical tastes in the clubhouse after the game, to connect a considerable amount.

"It's nice to start out on the road with a couple of victories because it's a good bonding experience for (the players)," Fasano stated. "So, when they start playing for one another and they start caring about one another- that's one of the things we don't talk about in development, is actually caring about one another and playing your best for one another. To start out like that, it's a good way to start the season and hopefully, we can continue with the momentum and have a start like we did last year."

The Fisher Cats wrap up their three-game series with the Trenton Thunder on Saturday afternoon, before they head to Reading to begin a set with the Phillies' affiliate on Monday.
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Exclusive BP Footage: d'Arnaud and McDade

Happy day after the baseball season, gang. We feel your pain. Surely, it has been a while since we've seen Toronto baseball action or any of our favorite prospects on the field. However, just to brighten your first day of the official 2011-2012 off-season, 1BlueJaysWay is bringing you some exclusive batting practice footage of two top Blue Jays prospects.

Travis d'Arnaud, the Double-A Eastern League MVP batting .311 with 21 homeruns and 71 RBI in 114 games during the 2011 season. Acquired from the Phillies in the Roy Halladay trade, d'Arnaud projects to be an impact player at the big league level. The 22-year-old California native led his New Hampshire Fisher Cats club to the EL championship.

McDade, a 22-year-old first baseman, was a force this year for the Fisher Cats as well. The 6-foot-1-inch 260-pound slugger posted a .281 average with 16 HR and 74 RBI. Time will tell what the ceiling is for McDade, but the future looks bright for this 2011 EL All-Star.

Check out some video of Travis and Mike slugging away at some pregame offerings in the media player below.



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Fisher Cats Hosting Eastern League All-star Game

On Wednesday night in Manchester, NH, the Double A affiliate of the Blue Jays, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will host the Eastern League's All-star Game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

The 2011 Eastern League All-star Game will feature the top prospects from the Western Division (Erie, Altoona, Akron, Bowie, Richmond and Harrisburg) taking on the best from the Eastern Division (New Britain, Portland, New Hampshire, Binghamton and Trenton). Each team is comprised of 24 players, with all of the league's teams being represented by at least 1 pitcher and 1 offensive player.

Also included in the All-star festivities will be a pre-game homerun derby which will feature two Fisher Cats All-stars, outfielder Moises Sierra and switch-hitting first baseman Mike McDade. First place in the homerun derby wins $1,000 and second place is awarded $500, so the drive will certainly be there for the participants to put on a good show.

New Hampshire skipper Sal Fasano, who will manage the Eastern Division team was pleased with his clubs collection of players that were named to play in this year's exhibition match up in front of their home fans, especially his derby participating sluggers.

"McDade's had a heck of a first half," Fasano said in an exclusive interview. "He's probably been our most consistent hitter. He just keeps improving daily. It's fun to see him get a little bit of notoriety, because he's kind of worked his way into prospecthood. He wasn't a highly touted guy, but he keeps producing every year."

"Sierra, he's been hitting behind (McDade) for the whole year and so if they didn't pitch to 'Mac', then Mo made them pay," Fasano added. "Defensively he's been playing great too. He's been a pleasure, because he plays with such youthful enthusiasm. He really loves to play."

Other New Hampshire players honored as All-star were shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, catcher Travis d'Arnaud as well as pitchers Henderson Alvarez and Joel Carreno. Additionally, righty pitcher Zach Stewart, who made a few starts at the big league level with the Blue Jays in June, was added to the Eastern Division roster last week to fill the spot of Alvarez, who will attend the event but will be unavailable to pitch.

Current Blue Jays that have played in the EL All-Star game include Travis Snider, Adam Lind and Aaron Hill.

Game time is 7:05 PM and the game can be heard on the Fisher Cats' radio home WGIR.


More notes-

On Hechavarria, Fasano says: "Hech is about as good a shortstop as you'll ever see, probably in your lifetime. He's pretty good. He keeps learning how to hit. He's taking better passes and stuff.

Asked how close he thinks Hechavarria is to the Majors, Fasano said: "He could go to the big leagues tomorrow. I mean, he's that good defensively. It's just whether he could produce, or not, offensively. He's still got a lot to learn about the game, but the more games he plays, the better it is."

On d'Arnaud, Fasano says: "d'Arnaud, he's had his good, he's had his bad. He battled a concussion early (this season), but he's proved enough."

Fasano on Carreno: "Carreno had probably the worst four most miserable starts that you probably could have (to begin the season). His ERA was up at 9, he gave up a lot of homeruns- he gave up 8 homeruns in his first four starts. And if you take those four starts out of the equation, he's been unbelievable. He's just been outstanding, he gives us a chance to win every time out."

On Carreno's improvements: "For him, he got beat up enough that he finally put his foot down and said, 'No! That's it! I'm gonna learn to make an adjustment at this level.' And he did."

Fasano on Alvarez: "Henderson is probably our most highly touted pitching prospect and he's touched 101 (MPH) this season, so he's got some kind of arm."

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1BlueJaysWay.com Interview: Mike McDade

Mike McDade is a switch hitting prospect currently driving the offense for the Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Drafted by Toronto in the 6th round of the 2007 draft out of Silverado High School in Las Vegas as a catcher, McDade shifted to first base as a professional.

McDade, who turns 22-years-old on Sunday, had a break out season last year with High A Level Dunedin, where he led the Florida State League with 21 homers and was awarded the R. Howard Webster Award as the team's Most Valuable Player.

Through 25 games this season, the 6-feet-1-inch, 260-pound McDade has a .347 batting average with 2 homeruns, 9 RBI and 19 runs scored.

I caught up with Mike last week and spent some time talking about his progress, his team, some extra curricular activities, as well as plenty more.


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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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Quotables: 1BJW's Sound Bites of the Year

We here at 1BlueJaysWay regularly bring our readers exclusive interviews and features with various minor league players and team personnel, during the season. We've browsed through our best Q&A's from 2010 to bring you the best 1BJW interview quotes of the year.

Check out the list below, and click each link to check out the best interviews we were lucky enough to bring you over the past year.

-Eric Thames on which teammate he feels deserves more recognition..."Darin Mastroianni is a stud. He's a machine. He plays pretty much every day. He goes balls out every day!"

-Chad Jenkins on pitching to wooden bats compared to aluminum..."I mean, I still like, I guess, I still hear those noises, in bed sometimes those pings"

-Zach Stewart on pitching in New Hampshire's cold April weather..."The few games we've played there so far, it's been really cold. We didn't have a ton of fans show up yet, but I guess it's been better than you could expect because we had 2 or 3 games in a row when it was in the 30's and 40's and it was sleeting and stuff. We didn't even want to be there, so I am sure the fans didn't want to be there."

-Travis d'Arnaud on how he spends his off-season..."(The) off-season for me is a way for me to fall in love with baseball more and more as each year goes. It's because I don't get to play baseball for a few months and it drives me crazy."

-Kyle Drabek, in August, on his estimated time of arrival for the big leagues..."I feel like I'm ready. All my pitches are where I want them. It's up to (the Blue Jays). If they have a plan for me...I'll be ready for whenever I get the call."

-Tom Filer on pitching in Toronto..."Toronto, when I was there, it was a fever pitch. Back in the 80's through the early 90's, that place was sold out every night. I love that town. The eclectic sampling of people you come across, it was really neat..."

-Adam Loewen, a former MLB pitcher, on taking a second journey through the minors- this time, as an outfielder..."I always said to myself, if my arm blew out, or if I had a serious career threatening injury, that I'd want to come back as a hitter."

-Sal Fasano on facing Randy Johnson during his playing days..."I went 0 for my first like 12 against him with like 11 punchouts. I think the first time I made contact we had a party."

-Jake Marisnick on silencing the haters..."Yeah I mean, ah, I wasn't, didn't swing to well in high school and ah, or my senior year and ah, I mean people were talking but I mean it's baseball. Slumps happen. You are not always hitting the ball great, you are not always hitting the ball bad. I mean, you go through a lot of things and ah, I mean things worked out."

-Ryan Goins on facing guys with arm side run with sink..."He threw it, like, middle away where I wanted it and I was like 'I gotta swing', so and I hit it and I was like 'oh goodness'."

-Drew Hutchison on what he did between being drafted and signing a pro contract..."Ah, you know just hung out you know ah, all summer and ah, I played all summer and then, you know, we were able to come to terms at the end of the summer and, you know...just, it was pretty.....it was cool."

-Michael Crouse on being drafted..."So for it to be the Toronto Blue Jays, a Canadian team, being me from Canada, it was a great feeling."

-Justin Jackson on who he would like to meet in the game..."If I had to go with anybody else I'd like to meet probably Pujols, talk a little hitting with him. See if he can give me a few tips."

-A.J. Jimenez on converting from the OF to catcher and what was the most difficult part of the transition..."Ah, I mean it's the tough one you get tired quickly, I mean everything is harder than other positions."

-Kevin Ahrens on what he did this past off-season..."It was real awkward 'cause one day in December it actually snowed in Houston and I built a little miniature snowman out there and it was just, you know, one of the funnest times I've had."

-Darin Mastroianni on his favorite ballplayer growing up..."I was a New York boy, so Derek Jeter. How do you not like Jeter growing up in New York?" (We still love him anyway)

-Luis Rivera on who should have been the Eastern League Most Valuable Player..."I know (Trenton) has Laird as the MVP, but for me Eric Thames should be the MVP! He hit 27 homers, had 104 RBI, batted .290. He had huge numbers!"

And a bonus 5 interviews for ya from the 2009 season in Lansing, that we debuted on the site in 2010, just cuz we can!

-Matt Daly on closing out a game in front of the home crowd..."Even when you hear them cheering and stuff, you know, you kinda, it kinda feeds in your head that, that they are kinda with you and stuff."

-Joel Carreno on how he is feeling on the mound..."I'm feel berry good. Berry, berry good."

-Mike McDade on what the team does during rain delays to pass the time..."Playing cards, talking, just messing around, fooling around a little bit, just trying to stay loose with each other, listen to some music, maybe eat a sandwich or something. That's pretty much it."

-Henderson Alvarez's translator on how he got a pro contract..."His first try out with Toronto Blue Jay, so he throw 88 - 89, um he lie to the scout (about his age?), so he sign him that day."

-Mel Queen on pitching to Henry Aaron..."So, I told the catcher I'm gonna pitch him inside, the manager said 'no'. Anyways to make a long story short I pitched, threw him fastballs inside the next three times up and struck him out all three times."

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I never did end up getting any info on Alan Farina

It all started with a kind offer. I decided to take him up on it.

Good day sir,
I am writing you in response to your gracious offer for video and your thoughts on Blue Jays prospect Alan Farina.
I have a Jays blog and we did a massive post a while back on all of the prospects in the system. At that time, we had very little info on Farina.
I would like to update the post now and would appreciate any thoughts you may have on him, or anybody else. We just used second hand info on his out pitch and repertoire.
Thanks for your time.
--
The Man with the Golden Arm

I can be very diplomatic when the time calls for it. He replied, quite quickly in fact, with this.

Farina pitched at one of the AFL games I attended, but I don't believe I got any video of him. Pitching was really down in the league this year, so I spent most of my time watching hitters from down the first and third base lines. 

I think I saw every Blue Jay hitter who was in the league at least once. Any one in particular you'd want info on?

Adam

Yes, yes there is.

Well shit.
Your site is the one with the kick ass prospects write ups and what not. It wouldn't be right to just rip off your insights and say they were my own.
That being said, I would love to share ANY Blue Jays related stuff you can give with our readers. In my experience, video is especially valuable. Guys taking BP, infield warm up, in game situational plays, whatever.
Absolutely anything you wanna include in the way of scouting reports, personal observations, what you overheard other people saying etc is a bonus.
Really appreciate the help.
I will run everything I plan to post by you, once it's completed, if you wish.

Now I'm pretty sure he can see I'm not a square. 

Sounds good. Maybe you can give me a guy or two who you want to know more about and I'll give you some info.

Translation: What do you wanna know?

AFL guys from this year?

Eric Thames for sure.
Conflicting reports by the "experts" on his game.
Mike McDade and Adam Loewen would be a distant second and third.

There always comes a time when you have to get specific. 

What are some of the conflicting reports you've heard about Thames? Maybe I can help clear those up. I've seen him four or five times now. 

At this point I go find some stuff off the top of my head. He may have been testing me a little bit.

Well Sickels likes him. Thinks his power is legit.

The stuff behind the BA paywall says he is strong and projects as an average LF.
And Klaw hates him. "Don't see him as more than a fringe regular. Probably a 4th OF or up-and-down guy."
All have him in the big leagues in some role. Interested on your take.

Wait for it.....

Thames really improved his core strength and agility between the time I saw him last spring and last fall. He went from being a bulky dude who looked ready to pull a muscle at any point to someone with very impressive flexibility and athleticism.

I haven't broken down his swing in detail yet, but it is a bit long. He has enough power to put a charge into the ball regularly. A rhythm hitter, I think he borders on being too selective at the times -- takes a lot of pitches. He'll chase out of the zone and take some ugly swings when he's behind in the count. Thames gets good reads in the left field, has solid speed and can make some impressive plays. His arm is below-average.

I think Thames has a chance to turn into a near-average regular. And he'll almost certainly be a big leaguer. But he may not hit enough to be a starting left fielder for a playoff caliber team.

Loewen is an amazing athlete for a dude his size. As most people would expect, he has a cannon of an arm. He's a very impressive runner for a giant, too. And he has elite raw power. He won't ever be much of a contact hitter, but he went from being hopeless for much of the 2009 AFL season to decent in 2010. I see him as a power bat off the bench, but he might manage to turn into someone that a big league team feels comfortable starting a few days a week, when the matchup looks good.

AKA the good stuff. Not really a whole lot I can add at this point. But I give it a go.

Thames does yoga religiously. Could explain the body type transformation.
Interesting take on Loewen. My buddy who works at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame said he saw him back before he got drafted while he was still a pitcher and raved about his power with the stick of all things. That was like 5 or 6 years ago.
Thanks for that.
You got any video on either guy you can share?

I guess you could call me greedy but someone told me to always keep your eye on the prize.

Yep. I'll upload some video of both taking BP today.
Oh and McDade is not a big leaguer for me. Poor approach to hitting
and no defensive value.

Bonus!

That's awesome. Thank you.
Do you think Loewen gets selected in the Rule 5 draft?

Just one more thing.....

Eh, Loewen would be a gamble in the Rule 5. Maybe. He'd get embarrassed at the plate.

This is good news people.

Here are those videos.

Money in the bank. Is it just me or does the ball sound different coming off the bat of Thames?

If you got something on the brain and you are not a moron, why don't you try shooting Adam an email adamf@projectprospect.com and see what happens.

If you don't wanna bother with that, then you should at the very least follow him on Twitter. May I also suggest you bookmark this site and subscribe to this channel on YouTube while your at it.

Rock solid stuff.

Quickly:

Speaking of the Rule 5 draft, it's tomorrow and I have a prediction.

J.P. and the Mets will take Brad Emaus and they will keep him all season.

Call it a hunch.

Blue Jays' Arizona Fall League Wrap Up

For the Toronto prospects selected to participate, the five-week long Arizona Fall League has come to an end. The six-team league’s season wrapped up on Saturday, when the two division winners met in a winner-takes-all championship game. The team that featured 7 Blue Jays minor leaguers, the Peoria Javelinas, visited the Scottsdale Scorpions in the nationally televised match up.

Each roster in the AFL features 7 players from 5 different organizations. The Javelinas team was made up of prospects from the Houston, Boston, Seattle, Cleveland and Toronto organizations.

The championship contest was a close game, but the scoring was wrapped up in the bottom of the 4th inning, when Nationals infielder Steve Lombardozzi drove home Rockies outfielder Charles Blackmon with a double off of Mariners' pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen. The hit gave the Scorpions a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish. Wilhelmsen took the loss, while Nats lefty Sammy Solis earned the win.

Below is a full run down of how Blue Jays prospects performed in Arizona this Autumn and notes on where fans can expect some of these players to spend their time next year.

Pitchers:

24-year-old righty hurler Matt Daly struggled in 10 Arizona Fall League outings. He went 0-1 with a save and an 8.74 ERA while striking out 5 and walking 8 in 11 1/3 innings. Daly had done well with High-A Dunedin this year, going 2-2 with 31 saves and a 2.50 ERA in the Florida State League. Daly was a 13th round draft selection in 2008. Daly should reach Double A at some point next season, but his spring may determine how soon that happens.

Alan Farina continued his outstanding 2010 by posting a 0.87 ERA with no decisions and a save in 10 AFL relief appearances. In 49 combined games between Dunedin and Double A New Hampshire, Farina held opponents to a .134 batting average and went 3-1 with a 1.29 ERA. The 24-year-old right-hander could see action at the Major League level next year. Farina was a 3rd round draft choice in 2007.

Marc Rzepczynski, who has seen action at the Major League level with the Blue Jays over the past couple of seasons, was exceptional in 6 starts with the Javelinas. Rzepczynski rocked a 4-0 record and a 1.16 ERA, while holding opponents to a .214 batting average. In his last 2 outings, he struck out 15 and walked only 1 in 11 innings pitched. Expect the lefty Rzepczynski to compete for a ML roster spot in spring training next year.

2010 New Hampshire Fisher Cat Danny Farquhar was also with the Javelinas, but was traded to Oakland last week, in a deal with Oakland for Rajai Davis.

Position players:

First baseman Mike McDade, who batted .267 with 21 HR and 64 RBI in 128 games with High-A Level Dunedin this year, continued a solid calendar year. In 22 Arizona Fall League games, McDade rocked a .375 batting average and a 1.007 OPS. The 21-year-old was a 6th round draft pick in 2007. McDade seems to be a lock to play with the Double A Fisher Cats in 2011.

Eric Thames, who was an offensive beast all season long for New Hampshire, posted a .264 avg. while slugging 3 HR and driving in 16 runs in 23 AFL games. Thames, an outfielder, turned 24 years old this month and should see action at Triple A Las Vegas next season.

Cuban import Adeiny Hechavarria played in just two games with the Javelinas. He went hitless in 4 at bats. Hechavarria, a shortstop, batted .273 with 3 homers, 34 RBI and a .665 OPS in 61 Double A games in 2010. Hechavarria, who is on Toronto's 40-man roster, will hope to move up next year as he continues to learn on the job.

Lefty hitting outfielder Adam Loewen shined in 14 AFL games, batting .333 with 5 homeruns and and 19 RBI against opposing pitchers. Loewen, a converted pitcher and native of Canada, spent the full 2010 regular season with Double A New Hampshire, should be ready for a step upward in 2011.

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Interviews With Mike McDade

Mike McDade was a 6th round pick out of Silverado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 2007 Amateur Draft. The switch hitter is listed at a hulking 6'1, 260lbs. McDade had a breakout campaign in 2010, leading the Florida State League in HR (21), 2nd in TB (215) and was 4th in Slug (.448). His season in High A ball earned him the R. HOWARD WEBSTER AWARD, which recognizes the most valuable player at each of the Club's minor league affiliated teams. He has also been selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas when the season starts on October 12.

Our boy Jesse was able to catch up with Mike on two separate occasions during the 2009 season.

In the first interview they discuss what players do during rain delays, how long he has been switch hitting and the adjustment from catcher to first base.

  

In the second interview they speak about why Mike's stats on the road are better than his numbers at home, his lefty swing being more productive and what it's like to mentor a fellow player at his position.

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.