The Weekly Round Up

Consider this a must click link.

Consider this your required reading for the week.

Consider this your required viewing for the week. This one was a very close second place.

Consider this your required listening for the week.

Courtesy of Ken Fidlin:

Two years ago in spring training young outfielder Moises Sierra, coming off a good year at Class A Lansing, impressed a lot of people not only with his bat but with his strong outfield arm.

That arm has led the club to experiment with Sierra at third base.

“It’s exploratory,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

Alright enough already. He`s on the 40 man roster and he`s never played above AA ball. Forget 3rd base. Forget hitting. Let`s see if he can pitch.

Courtesy of THT:

4. Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto got good in a hurry. There isn't a can't-miss prospect in the bunch, but it's a strong top 10, with the top five likely to appear in my top 100 prospects, and there is plenty of talent throughout the system that is waiting for recognition.
1. Brett Lawrie / 3B/2B/OF
2. Kyle Drabek / SP
3. Deck McGuire / SP
4. J.P. Arencibia / C
5. Chad Jenkins / SP
6. Travis D'Arnaud / C
7. Carlos Perez / C
8. Adieny Hechavarria / SS
9. Zach Stewart / RP/SP
10. David Cooper / 1B

Yet another top 10 list for ya. I`m waiting not so patiently for this one.

Courtesy of The 5th Starter:

Dear Brett,

I have already placed so many of my hopes for the Blue Jays future on your youthful shoulders. Your left-handed-right-handed swing gives me chills. Your youthful athleticism gives me comfort that you can adjust to an infield home, and offer significantly more value to the team going forward.

That said, I've just returned from your likely future home (Las Vegas, Nevada)

I've also realized that while you are in the aforementioned Vegas, you will turn the delicate age of 21.

Now, like a good Canadian boy, I'm quite sure that you are already drinking regularly (For those of you who are unaware, the drinking age in most Canadian Provinces is 19) and I'm sure you've developed an excellent tolerance. Your tolerance will count for nothing in the dry, desert heat. Your willpower will be tested (repeatedly) and you may even end up with more Eminem lyrics tattooed upon your juvenile limbs.

The 5th Starter sends an open letter to Brett. Fantastic stuff.

Courtesy of Mop Up Duty:

2011 Toronto Blue Jays Promos and Giveaways

Another pitiful season of Toronto Blue Jays giveaways and promotions. Outside of opening day, the Jays are giving away only 50,000 promo units ALL season!

The boys over at Mop Up Duty call out the cheap bastards @ Rogers for their weak giveaways and promo schedule for this year coming.

Courtesy of North of the Border:

Speaking of those B-Games, the Blue Jays released their schedule of extra contests. The club will play all three of their B games against Philadelphia, which makes sense since the Phillies play in neighboring Clearwater, Fla. The two clubs will take the field on Feb. 26, March 2 and March 17. The first regular game of Spring Training is Feb. 26 at the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium against the Detroit Tigers.

B-Games are the shit! (That means they are good) Normally they take place at remote high school like ballparks and they can't sell tickets for them. If anyone is lucky enough to be going down for Spring Training keep these dates in mind.

Courtesy of OOTP:

Around the OOTP offices, we're looking forward to two events in April: Opening Day and the expected shipping of Apple's second-generation iPad. It may not have been announced yet, but we all know the next iPad is coming, and one lucky fan who pre-orders Out of the Park Baseball 12 by February 28, 2011 will receive one.*

Our lucky winner will also take home a copy of iOOTP, which will bring the excitement and realism of OOTP to iPad, iPhone®, and iPod touch® when it steps up to the plate at the iOS App Store this spring.

Last year I got my hands on a copy and did a sim for the 2010 season. Click here to see the results. *Spoiler alert* it predicted the Giants win of the World Series. Hopefully again this year I`ll get the opportunity to do another sim and report the results prior to the game going on the market. Stay tuned for that.

Courtesy of Through The Fence Baseball:

My name is Ryan Shopshire and I will begin writing my blog exclusively at Through The Fence Baseball. This is my first time writing a blog so the more input that you readers give me the better. First I want to tell everybody a little about my baseball background. I am a so-cal boy born and raised in the most beautiful place in the states, Orange County California. I played my high school years at Orange Lutheran High School, a premier power house. After high school I accepted a scholarship at Long Beach State to play for the Dirtbags. My freshmen year there I experienced my first injury playing baseball (a stress fracture in my throwing elbow) and made me miss my entire season. At the end of the season exit meetings the coaches decided that Long Beach would not be my home the following season. This was a big blow to me because this was my first choice school out of high school.

Rock solid blog. One of our prospects is doing an exclusive with them. You should probably be following along.

Courtesy of Bluebird Banter:

An idea shamelessly stolen researched from James Kannengieser at Amazing Avenue. Baseball-Reference counts page views player and team pages and they list the top 200 pages here. Here are the Jays and former Jays that are in the top 200:

Rank	Player	Page Hits	Jays WAR	Career WAR
14	Roy Halladay	336245	47.4	54.3
16	Jayson Werth	316167	0.2	18.7
26	Jose Bautista	256654	7.6	5.9
45	Rickey Henderson	184966	0.3	75.3
62	Roger Clemens	160101	17.8	74.8
69	Roberto Alomar	151833	20.1	63.5
83	Ted Lilly	137041	7.4	25.1
95	Frank Thomas	127891	1.7	70.6
112	Scott Downs	114616	9.5	8.4
114	Fred McGriff	113753	18.9	50.5
124	Kyle Drabek	110531	0.1	0.1
135	Chris Carpenter	106164	6.8	28.6
137	Bengie Molina	105853	0.4	8.6

Kyle Drabek could crack the top 100 before the end of his first season in the big leagues. Lotta Buzz.

Courtesy of ESPN:

1. Joe Carter, 1997 Blue Jays: .234/.284/.399 (-25 rbat), 102 RBI

For Carter, 1997 was his last full season and his worst, but in addition to No. 1, he also occupies spots 11, 15, 47, 105, 129 and 139 on the list. Carter was a more athletic and longer-lasting version of Armas. The Jays plugged Carter into either the number three or four spot in 157 of their 162 games in ‘97, where he cost them significantly in runs and wins on both sides of the ball despite the RBI.

Shame on you stats dorks for hating on Joe. Why don`t you take this and shove it up your ass.

Courtesy of tampabay.com:

"What AstroTurf's press release didn't tell you is the real reason why Tampa Bay is installing their product — they are getting a free field."

FieldTurf says AstroTurf's three-year licensing deal with MLB Properties includes a provision that gives a free AstroTurf carpet to the Rogers Centre, the Toronto Blue Jays stadium in Toronto, plus a new field for the Rays at the Trop.

The Rays agree they're getting a freebie.

If I were the cost-conscious Rays, I'd grab that deal, too.

FieldTurf president Eric Daliere says his company was approached by Major League Baseball with a like licensing offer, but declined it.

"We were not willing to have them subsidize free fields or large royalty fees. When Tampa Bay and Toronto paid for turf, they chose FieldTurf," Daliere said. "We would encourage any clients looking to obtain a baseball field from AstroTurf to ask for the same deal that Toronto and Tampa Bay got."

So the turf was free after all eh? No shit. Check out the bullshit the cheap bastards @ Rogers were saying back then as to why they made the switch.

Courtesy of John Lott:

After his manager denied he was hurt, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider revealed Sunday that he has been held out of workouts for the past week because of a rib-cage injury suffered while playing golf.

In a media scrum a few minutes earlier, manager John Farrell alluded vaguely to Snider missing drills because of “a little bit of tightness in his overall core.” Asked if the tightness was the result of an injury, Farrell replied: “No, no, no. Just bringing him along a little slower.”

But after undergoing treatment in the trainer’s room, Snider told reporters he “tweaked something” in his left upper rib cage while playing golf about a week ago. It did not bother him immediately, he said, but tightened up the next day.

Both Snider, the Jays’ starting left-fielder, and Farrell suggested the injury was relatively minor. The 23-year-old left-fielder said his condition has improved, but “not significantly,” and he can neither swing nor throw at the moment.

“We don’t expect him to be way behind or certainly not delayed,” Farrell said.

No more golf kid. Baseball time.

Courtesy of The Canadian Press:

Manager John Farrell watched over the bullpen sessions of his pitchers Sunday and two of them caught his eye.

Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, a candidate for both the starting rotation and bullpen, and right-hander Jesse Litsch, a leading contender for one of the two spots in the back of the rotation.

"Jo-Jo Reyes continues to throw the ball very well," said Farrell. "A guy who was a highly touted prospect with Atlanta before being sidetracked with a knee injury, in the early sessions he's thrown the ball very well. ...

"I thought Jesse Litsch threw the ball well today. It's become more evident, just the repair of the hip and the surgery on the elbow a couple of years ago, he's been free and easy and is throwing the ball good."

I just wanted to point out that I picked these two guys to fill out the 4 and 5 spots in the rotation for the 25 Man Roster Challenge. I`m the only person to do so.

Courtesy of Husker Extra:

Nebraska baseball coach Mike Anderson said Tuesday that freshmanpitcher Logan Ehlers, still waiting for the NCAA to make a decisionon his eligibility status, will not travel with the Huskers to thisweekend's season-opening round-robin tournament at Texas State inSan Marcos, Texas.

At question is whether the left-hander from Nebraska City -- whoin August turned down $800,000 to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays'organization two months after he was drafted in the eighth round --violated an NCAA bylaw that pertains to the use of advisersthroughout the bargaining process. The NCAA allows such arelationship, but prohibits advisers from having contact withmajor-league organizations during contract negotiations.

Anderson said the school and sanctioning body have hadback-and-forth communication, but the NCAA has yet to provide itsruling in writing.

The Paxton Affair - which is still going on - now has some company. WTF is going on with kids that don't sign with us? Two different players in back to back years? Can't be a coincidence.

Courtesy of Jeremy Sandler:

Cosentino began working with the Blue Jays as a bat boy in 1987 and has been involved with the team in some capacity for most of the time since then. He will continue to work for Rogers on the network’s junior hockey broadcasts.

“I’m extremely disappointed that Rogers Sportsnet has decided to remove me from broadcasts,” Cosentino said during a phone interview Wednesday. “But in our most recent discussions, we’ve been talked about increasing my role and my exposure in hockey and I’m excited about that opportunity.”

The departures leave play-by-play man Buck Martinez and analyst Pat Tabler to handle the Blue Jays games.

I can deal without Rance always harping on our hitters to "be aggressive early in the count" but I think I'm gonna miss Sudden Sam. He brought some energy to the broadcasts.

Weekly Round Up: Another Double Shot

Consider this your required reading. Consider this a close second place.

Consider this your required listening. Consider this a close second place.

Consider this your required viewing. Consider this a close second place.

Courtesy of Ken Fidlin:

“I won’t be open to it after the hearing,” said Bautista following a workout at the Jays spring training facility.
“After the hearing, I believe we will notify the team that (a long-term deal) is not going to be a possibility, unless it’s in that window they have from the end of the season until the free agency period begins.”
It’s a crapshoot for both sides. By season’s end, Bautista’s value could be through the roof or plummet back into the real world.
Bautista contends the reason he will close off negotiations is that he doesn’t want any distractions for himself or for the team. Nobody should read into this decision that Bautista wants to play anywhere else but Toronto. He made that clear.
“My desire is to play in Toronto long term but, after the hearing, or during the season, I have come to the conclusion that it’s probably not the best thing for me to be negotiating any type of deal,” he said. “I want to focus on the game and trying to win ballgames.
“If I’m in that type of negotiation, it’s going to shift my focus from what I need to worry about and that’s baseball. I don’t want my mind to be elsewhere when I come to the ballpark to help my team win.”

I'll start off with the elephant in the room. I have said it before and I'll say it again, there is no way - if I'm Jose Bautista - that I sign any contract extension of any length for any amount. As an athlete all you can ask for is an opportunity to show how good you can be. J-Bau was given that last season for the first time in his career. And he will be given that again in 2011. I think he easily wins the arb case tomorrow and doesn't talk extension until that small five day window after the World Series ends.

Courtesy of Replacement Level Yankees Weblog:

I’ve updated the 2011 CAIRO projections to version 0.6 and have uploaded them to the site.  They can be downloaded at the link below:
Cairo_2011_v0.6.zip
I’ve basically just updated rosters again and fixed a few issues.  I’ve also added a projected standings page.

TM	W	L	RS	RA	Div	WC	PL	W+/-	RS+/-	RA+/-
Red Sox	96.2	65.8	831	687	45.6%	17.6%	63.2%	7.2	13	-57
Yankees	92.1	69.9	821	726	28.8%	19.4%	48.2%	-2.9	-38	33
Rays	87.9	74.1	737	663	17.3%	14.6%	31.9%	-8.1	-65	14
Blue Jays	77.2	84.8	709	738	4.2%	5.0%	9.2%	-7.8	-46	10
Orioles	76.9	85.1	739	788	4.2%	4.8%	9.0%	10.9	126	3

Here is the first of many predictions with respect to standings. 77 wins sounds about right to me.

Courtesy of Yankeeist:

Interesting stuff right there.

Courtesy of North Of The Border:

Four games will be nationally televised on Rogers Sportsnet, four games on bluejays.com while eight games can be heard on Sportsnet Radio Fan 590, with an additional two games being available on the Blue Jays network of stations. Specific details are below:

Feb. 26  --  vs. Detroit Tigers --  1:05 (FAN 590)
Feb. 27  -- at  Detroit Tigers --- 1:05  (FAN 590)
March 2 -- vs. Tampa Bay Rays  -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)
March 5 --  vs. Detroit Tigers -- 1:05  (Jays Radio Network)
March 6 -- at Pittsburgh Pirates -- 1:05  (SNET/FAN 590)
March 11 -- vs. NY Yankees -- 1:05  (Bluejays.com)
March 12 -- vs. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 13 -- vs. Tampa Bay Rays -- 1:05  (SNET-1/Jays Radio Network)
March 15 -- vs. Philadelphia Phillies -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)   
March 19 -- at NY Yankees -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 20 -- vs. Minnesota Twins -- 1:05 (FAN 590)     
March 23 -- at NY Yankees -- 7:05 (SNET)
March 24 -- vs. Atlanta Braves -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)
March 26  -- at  Philadelphia Phillies -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 27  -- vs. Baltimore Orioles -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 30 -- vs. Tampa Bay Rays -- 4:10 (SNET)

Anybody know WTF the Jays Radio Network is and whether or not I have to pay the cheap bastards @ Rogers to get it?

Courtesy of Sporting News:

When talking about the A.L.'s top rookies, don't leave out Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia.
He heads into spring training with a starting job to be won. He's doing what he can to make sure he's ready.
"J.P. has been here since Jan. 3," said Blue Jays TV play-by-play man Buck Martinez, who resides in Dunedin, Fla., the Jays' spring home.

I'm so happy that we will actually have a Rookie of the Year candidate this season. Go get em J.P.

Courtesy of Sporting News:

Toronto also is asking Lind to learn to play first base after serving primarily as a DH the past two seasons. Regaining your batting stroke while learning a new position doesn't make for a stress-free spring.
"Sometimes you can make a drastic change and it can affect your hitting," Blue Jays hitting coach Dwayne Murphy says. "I hope it doesn't. I don't think it will."
The 11 games Lind played at first base last season were the only times he has played anywhere but the outfield or DH in his professional career, other than one game at first base in the minors. General manager Alex Anthopoulos prefers to have Lind take over for Lyle Overbay, who signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent, in the field because it will give the club needed flexibility at the DH spot.
Murphy doesn't believe Lind, 27, will have much trouble at the plate.
"He didn't have the year he wanted, but look at the numbers he put up— 23-72. So it wasn't like he had what I would consider a bad year," Murphy says.

Mmmm K. I guess.....

Courtesy of THT:

Drabek has the stuff to be a big league starter. He throws five pitches, although he didn't use his change-up against right-handed batters in his three September 2010 starts for the Blue Jays.

Average pitch speeds

Pitch	MPH
Change	87.5
Fastball	94.5
Cutter	90.9
Sinker	94.8
Curveball	84.9

Kid throws hard, that's for damn sure.

Courtesy of Baseball Prospectus:

Division	LHB%	SHB%	LHB+SHB%
AL Cental	35.6	15.6	51.2
AL East	37.8	15.6	53.4
AL West	27.8	19.4	47.2
NL Cental	25.9	3.7	29.6
NL East	35.6	17.8	53.4
NL West	31.1	11.1	42.2

With the exception of the Jays, each AL East team figures to have at least four left-handed and switch-hitting batters in their lineup most days. Even with the righty-heavy Jays included, the AL East is tied for the highest rate of switch- and left-handed hitters with the NL East. On the other end of the spectrum is the NL Central—coincidentally Dotel’s home for most of the 2010 season—with more than 70 percent of the expected starters batting right-handed.

I found this article particularly insightful. Take a second and check it out. 

Courtesy of Fanhouse:

Spring training and the 2011 regular season are just around the corner, which means it's time to take stock of the top potential future stars in the minor leagues.
Below are the Top 100 prospects in baseball right now, based upon my years of experience in the industry as a scout and talent evaluator.
In order to be eligible for the list, the player must be part of a major league organization and still considered a rookie (fewer than 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the major leagues and fewer than 45 days on an active roster, excluding September call-ups).

Your Toronto Blue Jays had 5 of the top 100 on this list.

Courtesy of Fox Sports:

As spring approaches, baseball fans' minds turn to the possibilities of the season to come. Which teams will emerge victorious? Which players will rise above the rest? And which rookies will capture our fancies?
As much as baseball fans appreciate the game's history, they also look forward to the future stars.
My list of baseball's top 50 prospects was compiled based on my personal scouting of the players along with input from all 30 teams including GMs, scouting directors and other evaluators in the game.
With that, let's take a look at the top players of the future going into the 2011 season.

And we had 4 of the top 50 on this one. Kyle Drabek at number 5 overall!

Courtesy of Minor League Ball:

A.J. Jimenez, Grade C:

Jimenez hit .305/.347/.435 last year in 70 games for Low-A Lansing, with 17 steals in 21 attempts, 18 walks, and 56 strikeouts. He's got impatience issues but Midwest League sources seemed to think he has a good chance to keep hitting at higher levels. His defense is also intriguing: he caught 51% of runners and didn't give up an excessive number of passed balls or errors. I gave him a Grade C in the book, but with the notation that he could take a big step forward in 2011. Looking at him again right now, you can make a really good case for a Grade C+ and that is how I would rate him today, though of course it is too late to change the book grade. He was drafted in the ninth round in 2008 from high school in Puerto Rico.

Don't sleep on A.J. when discussing our depth at the catcher position. Cannon of an arm, great wheels and he can hit. Look for him to start at High A and push d'Arnaud all year.

Courtesy of Fox Sports:

Lind, Hill and Rivera all performed below their career norms in 2010 — just as Wells did in 2009. As long as one of them reverts to the mean — like Wells last year — Bautista should be suitably protected. If that doesn’t happen, Bautista might lead the majors in walks, not home runs.
Either way, Bautista acknowledges that he won’t see the same (hittable) pitches that he did in 2010. By now, opposing managers and pitchers are well aware of the data, at Baseball-Reference.com and elsewhere, that says 52 of Bautista’s 54 home runs were to left or left-center.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Bautista said. “I don’t expect them to try to get me out the same way they did last year. I can’t try to hit home runs to left field if they throw it down-and-away.
“The good thing is that the changes I made (before last year) weren’t about hitting the ball out to left. I was just trying to get ready earlier, so my swing was on time. It was all about driving the ball more. If 85 percent of the pitches I see are outside, hopefully I can hit a lot of hard balls to right.”
I know what you’re thinking: He’s going to overswing. Actually, I don’t think he will. The guy drew 100 walks last year, second-most in the American League.
“The most impressive thing about Jose’s season was the pitches he didn’t  swing at; he had an unbelievable eye,” Hill said. “I think Jose will have another big year. He’s obviously going to have big expectations, but he’s been very good at just focusing on the task at hand.”

Man I can't wait for baseball season! It's going to be a lot of fun watching pitchers not let Bautista beat them this year. Somebody, anybody, needs to get hot early in order to give our opponent something else to think about.

Courtesy of SportsLogos.Net:

 
My $20 bet on the Toronto Blue Jays to take the 2011 World Series, $1020 in my pocket when they pull it off

Gotta love the spirit!
 

Courtesy of ESPN:

Is it hyperbole? Probably, but it might be fitting that Scioscia invoked baseball history, because last year’s Angels outfield was historically awful. It became a sore subject for fans, pitchers, coaches and, especially, one keenly interested observer.
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful to any players, but we really had a lot of problems in right field and left field last year,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said recently. “There were balls falling short, over their heads, in the gaps … Torii [Hunter] was running everywhere and, to be a good hitter, you’ve got to have your legs.”
The ultimate zone rating data -- which seems to be as good as any defensive measure -- suggest that Juan Rivera (minus 4.9) was well below average as a left fielder, Hunter (minus 3.8) was well below average as a center fielder and Bobby Abreu (minus 6.2) was a borderline disaster in right.

Juan Rivera can't play LF - let alone RF - according to his old teams OWNER. Consider yourself warned.

Courtesy of Jeremy Sandler:

A pair of Canadians who less than two years ago looked to be on the path to the big leagues will not be among them.
In 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays selected University of Kentucky pitcher James Paxton of Ladner, B.C., 37th overall in baseball’s June amateur draft.
It was the highest the Blue Jays had ever taken a homegrown prospect since Canadian players were included in the draft in 1985.
Just 31 picks later, Toronto selected Newmarket high school pitcher Jake Eliopoulos with a second-round choice.
No general manager, scouting director or player would suggest 20 months is any kind of time frame to evaluate a baseball draft pick given development often takes four to six years.
But nearly two years later, both Paxton and Eliopoulos are unsigned and waiting to take the next step in their baseball careers.
Each pitcher took a different path to their current place in a kind of baseball purgatory.

Yet another update on The Paxton Affair. Shoulda just signed the fucking contract James.

Courtesy of The Seattle Times:

In that 2010 draft last June, the Mariners picked Paxton -- who is from Ladner, British Columbia -- in the fourth round (132nd overall). Many scouting analysts felt it was a shrewd sleeper pick by Seattle, and that the Mariners had stolen a potential first-round talent. Yet here it is Jan. 31, and Paxton still hasn't signed. Because he is no longer in college, Paxton was not subject to the Aug. 16 signing deadline. The Mariners thus own his rights until the week before the 2011 draft in June -- but Zduriencik is hoping it doesn't get that far.
"There has been a conversation or two over the course of the winter,'' he said. "It will be an interesting one, because here's a guy who lives just an hour and a half up the road, and there's a point in time he needs to get his career moving. You know, he's missed time in pro ball. I couldn't think of a better scenario for him and his family (than) to drive right down the road and play for the Seattle Mariners.
"As we move forward and we get closer, we'll see what happens. I would hope there's a motivating factor on his part to try to get something moving. Scott (Boras) and I have had a few discussions here and there over the winter, but we haven't had any lately."

This one is from the Seattle perspective. Total waste of a perfectly good 4th rounder right there guys.

Courtesy of SI.com:

Not every team buys into this type of program. Teams such as the Nationals, Orioles and Mets have had below average results for the studied period. (There are no accurate records of injuries before 1997.) Some teams, like the Blue Jays, show solid results, but have had difficulty over the past three years keeping pitchers healthy. In 2009, the Jays were a bit better than average overall, but broken down by pitchers and position players, there was a huge divide. The team couldn't seem to keep pitchers healthy at any level. There was no pattern. The injuries happened to different body parts. They happened at different levels. They happened to starters and relievers. They happened to American and Latin players. There was no pattern, just flukish results. The Jays stabilized to a more normal level with pitcher injuries in 2010, but while teams like the Mets improved over a horrendous '09 campaign that reached historic injury levels, they only made it back to below-average. How bad can it be? The Orioles lost over $30 million more than average over the last 10 years. The Nationals were worse, but they had that whole Montreal situation in there that I can't fairly adjust for.

A real good read on injuries in baseball.

Courtesy of Gregor Chisholm:

At the time, manager Cito Gaston was burdened with most of the blame. The 66-year-old was set to retire at the end of the season, and he was accused of sacrificing the long-term benefit of the club in order to finish his career with the best possible team on the field.
Anthopoulos said while he understands the criticism the organization received, the move was made because of the promise that was given to Buck.
"When we give our word to someone ... that's part of our brand," Anthopoulos said. "When I'm negotiating with an agent or I'm trying to recruit a player, and we have to tell them something, whether it's good or bad news, they know that we're going to honour our word and we're going to be straight shooters.
"People in the game are starting to realize that the way the Toronto Blue Jays operate, they're men of their word and they keep to their commitment."

In keeping with the same train of thought, this helps explain why Boy Wonder dealt Napoli away. I'm guessing he promised E5 full time at bats and Napoli had some trade value.

Courtesy of CBS Sports:

Check out the size of the bat Bryce Harper is swinging in the first half this video, which was posted to YouTube this week. It's a 36-inch, 47-ounce Marucci, custom made for the 2010 No. 1 draft pick.
If you're not familiar with bat sizes, that's like swinging a tree trunk. Most major-leaguers use bats between 32-34 inches and 30-34 ounces. Many years ago, sluggers would sometimes use heavy bats, notably Babe Ruth, who reportedly started his career using a 54-ouncer but in his prime was at about 40. I held one on the 54-ouncers in a Hall of Fame exhibit, and it's tough to imagine swinging it with any speed.
Heavier bats hit the ball farther (look here for more than you ever wanted to know on the subject), but it's a tradeoff for bat speed. Even though players are bigger than ever now, most sacrifice bat size for the confidence they can catch up to a 100-mph fastball -- and be assured Harper would look a lot different taking those hacks against Aroldis Chapman than in a BP setting. I asssume the monster bat is just for show and the 34-ounce models shown later in the video are his game bats.
(Also, in case you were curious, the bible verse Harper has engraved on his bats, Luke 1:37, reads "With God nothing shall be impossible.")

Weekly Round Up : May 24 - 30

Consider this your required reading for the week.  The Natural.  Has a nice ring to it.

Courtesy of our boy Jay Ballz @ PhoulBallz

Halladay, generally a very composed individual, showed emotion after the final out was recorded, smiling big, for all to see. With 2 outs in the 9th inning, Halladay induced a grounder to third baseman Juan Castro, who ranged left, spun around and quickly threw out former Phillie Ronny Paulino, at first base, to lock up the landmark game in the lore of Philadelphia baseball.
Roy Halladay is now Mr. Perfect.

So the one night I shut it down and get some much needed sleep and Roy does this?  Go figure.  I wonder if the Philly faithful are still worried about trading away their prospects for this guy?  I think not.

Callum from Mop Up Duty was live blogging the game.  Great job as always.

Courtesy of Baseball Prospectus:

DL: You’re off to a great start this season. Why?

 VW: I try to be consistent, I think. I got into so many bad habits last year, whether it had to do with my wrists or my head or whatever the heck was bothering me. It was kind of a strange time. I went into the offseason, had the wrist surgery, and kind of had a chance to step away from the game, clear my head and be with my family. What I went through last year changed me mentally and made me stronger. Coming into the season, it was just go out and try to be the best player I can be.

Nice interview with Vernon.  Once Hill and Lind get going, he should get a lot more RBI opportunities.   

 RIP little Gary Coleman

Courtesy of John Lott @ The National Post:

The transformation of Jose Bautista began in a clubhouse video cubicle last July, with Cito Gaston and Dwayne Murphy looking over his shoulder and whispering words of wisdom.
He had heard the message before. This time, something clicked.
"I just remember sitting there in the video room looking at the film, comparing [my swing] to other people," Bautista said. "Wording it the way they did, what they said just made total sense."
Gaston, the Toronto Blue Jays manager, and Murphy, the hitting coach, chant the same mantra to every struggling hitter: Start your swing earlier. 

Did you know that Bautista and Wells together have hit more homeruns than any other duo in baseball with 28?  Now that they are hitting back to back in the order, I wonder what happens when Snider returns?   

Courtesy of CBS:

Now, nearly two years later, Marcum has finally confirmed his usefulness. In some ways, he has even exceeded expectations, walking a career-low 2.0 batters per nine innings, which is especially impressive considering control is one of the last things to return following surgery. He still has the same respectable strikeout rate. He still has the same cut fastball that keeps hitters from making solid contact. Over his last 35 starts dating back to his semi-breakout 2008 campaign, he has a 3.22 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP, which is the stuff of Cy Young contenders. 

I think he may be deserving of an All Star Game nomination.  We can't vote on pitchers as fans but I hope the people that do have taken note of his brilliance this season.   

Courtesy of Forbes:

Baseball fans pour through the turnstiles to see certain teams and avoid others like the plague. The top 5 draws (based on percent of stadium capacity for which tickets were sold for both home and road games) this season have been the Red Sox (87%), Phillies (86%), Yankees (83%), Twins (82%) and Cubs (82%). The bottom five are the Blue Jays (46%), Athletics (48%), Mariners (49%), Royals (50%) and Reds (50%). I think most of the explanation is based on three factors: winning, star players and television (either national or cable). The top 5 draws have at least two of these factors going for them while the bottom five have at most one. It also tells me that teams that focus too much on Money Ball rather than paying up for superstars do more harm for the popularity of the game than good.

Interesting analysis by the author.  When will the fans start to come back and watch this exciting team? 

Courtesy of ESPN: 

• Who's on Fausto?: Here's one to keep your eye on. We keep hearing the Blue Jays will have money to spend if they're still in the race. And one player they clearly have their eye on is resurgent Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona.
"They're definitely tracking Carmona," one scout said. "They've probably watched a dozen Carmona starts in a row, going back to spring training. Every time I've seen him, they've had a guy there who wouldn't normally be there, guys who were only coming in for a day and then leaving."

Anytime I hear Carmona's name, I think of this.  Good times.

Courtesy of Sportsnet:

Hey Buck, what is the purpose of the necklaces that the players, mostly pitchers, wear? Dave Walters
BUCK: I just asked the Jays trainer the theory behind the necklaces as I wasn't sure. He told me they are Titanium and are thought to have an impact on the ionic composition of the body. The necklaces are said to help the body bring the chemical balance closer to normal and give the player a "refreshed" feeling. The same is thought about the copper bracelets you see some golfers wear. I am not sure how effective they are but the players wear them an awful lot. 

That takes care of that.  Thanks Buck.  

Courtesy of Globe Sports:

Paxton Affair Update:

Paxton was expected to be drafted higher last year, but teams feared both his bonus demands and Boras, called “one of the shrewdest and best-prepared negotiators in sports” by Beeston. Toronto offered a bonus in excess of $873,000 (all currency U.S.), the figure recommended by MLB’s head office, but it was not enough, and Paxton was one of two highly drafted Canadian pitchers who did not sign with the Jays.
“I don’t really know what their motivation was, or what their tactics were,” Paxton said. “It’s too bad we couldn’t get something figured out. We both kind of agreed to disagree.” 

Paxton is 1 -1 with a 5.11 ERA in 3 starts pitching against a bunch of nobody's.  Fuck em.  Looks good on him.

Courtesy of CBS:

Frasor sees velocity return: Toronto RP Jason Frasor lost velocity on his pitches earlier in the season and was worried that he could no longer dial it up like he used to. Frasor, however, told MLB.com that he is back to throwing as hard as he knows he can and it has helped his confidence of late. "I just kind of like to throw everything as hard as I can and see where that gets me," he said. "But it came back and hopefully it sticks."
(Updated 05/26/2010).

Fantasy Analysis

Frasor has given up one run over his last 11 innings with 11 strikeouts. Prior to that, Frasor had struggled with a 9.35 ERA over his first 10 games of the season. He has clearly turned things around but remains nothing more than a low-end middle reliever for the deepest of AL-only leagues that use true middle men at this point.  Remember the good old days?  The Blue Jay Hunter sure does.

 

Weekly Round Up: May 10 - 16

Consider this your required reading for the week.  Bob takes a ROADTRIP.

Courtesy of Sportsnet:

Rogers Sportsnet is now the exclusive broadcaster of Toronto Blue Jays games, with all 162 games of the 2010 season to be shown on the network.
An agreement between the Blue Jays, Rogers Sportsnet and TSN was announced Thursday that will transfer 25 games to Rogers Sportsnet that were originally to be broadcast on TSN or TSN2.

Click here for the alternate channels depending on your distributor.  The games affected by the change are May 16, 17, 19, 21, 23.    

Courtesy of King Jordan @ MLB.com:

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston acknowledged on Wednesday that Edwin Encarnacion would likely assume the starting job at third base when he is ready to be activated from the disabled list. "Probably so," Gaston said. "You've got to remember, he's another guy that takes home a pretty good paycheck, too."

Let me start by saying I have E5 in my big money AL only keeper league for 3 bucks.  I need him to play and produce.  

However,

It means one of two things will happen.  Both of which probably hurt the team in some way or another.  The Cito will stick Bautista in RF and Snider in LF which means lead off guy Fred Lewis will head to the bench.  Or Bautista could go directly to the bench, pinch hit against lefties late and be a defensive replacement at 3 bag for E5.  This would mean somebody from the bench would be bumped off the roster.  Either Ruiz or McCoy being the most likely candidates. 

Thoughts?

Courtesy of Jeremy Sandler @ The National Post:

Adonis Cardona, a pitcher about whom little is known, is a different story. Baseball's rules prohibit teams from signing players Cardona's age until July 2 of the season before their 17th birthday. Signing young free agents out of the Caribbean and Latin America is a murky world populated in part by street agents known as "buscones." The buscones are often former players who work procuring and training talent that is then traded up from the shadows in developing nations into big league feeder systems. In return, they get a percentage of the signing bonuses that can reach several million dollars for top prospects. The deal for Cardona is reported to be around US$2.8-million.
This largely unregulated world produces its share of "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" deals before the signing date. And suspicions can be raised when the buscones seek to protect their assets by limiting or cancelling workouts for other teams, something the scout said may be happening with Cardona.
"Some teams have said he's been difficult to see," he said.

Great article.  The old unnamed/anonymous source trick used big time by the writer.

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick @ The Star:

The decision to move was right. The way Jays management arrived at it was sketchy. Score that G20-Fans 0. “Everybody had input into it,” union rep Vernon Wells said of player input into the decision. “When you’re talking about security concerns, our families are (at the Rogers Centre) and the potential of something going wrong, whatever that may be, it’s a smarter and a wise choice to move it.”

Dick is on top of this!  As always make sure to check the comments section.  Not many people disagreeing with him this time so he smashes down half a bottle of rye and musters up the balls to type this shit stain:

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick @ The Star:

With 48 hours between games, it’s time for Cito to make his first significant lineup change. Fred Lewis lf; Alex Gonzalez ss; Hill 2b; Vernon Wells cf; Lind dh; Jose Bautista 3b; Lyle Overbay 1b; John Buck c; Travis Snider rf.
“I like it,” Hill said when asked about the possible change after the 3-2 victory. “I just know that Adam didn’t want to bat cleanup. But Alex is swinging the bat great. Sometimes the philosophy though is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

You had me scared for a minute there Dick.  I was thinking that maybe, just maybe you had turned a corner and started to write things worth reading.  Thankfully you returned to form.

Courtesy of The 33 News:

Paxton Affair Update:

 

I would just like to announce that Nerding It Up In Simulation Nation is being cut.  Unless of course anybody cares to say otherwise.

Weekly Round Up : Apr. 5 - 11

That's right bitches.....we're number 1!

Consider this your required reading for this week.  Forbes doesn't mess around.

Eric Smith is a stupid-fucking-idiot-retard (must be repeated all in one breath).  He wrote a piece ON HIS BLOG about how bloggers are lesser life forms than "accredited members of the media".  The irony makes me laugh.  If you want to read it, click here.  You will have to click on the date he wrote it, which was Wednesday April 7th.

To Eric, I say this:

We here at 1bluejaysway do this strictly for fun.  We do not advertise (yet) and we all have jobs that pay us the money we need to live on.  You are just a pussy who is trying way to hard to hold onto your precious "status".  You see I think you are missing the point Eric, we can say stuff like fuck, shit, pussy, bitch etc. and not even give it a second thought.  We are not confined to normal writing topics, formats and styles.  We can say all the things you can't BECAUSE you have to face the players again and answer for it to them.  We write our opinions and believe me, the five guys that post on this blog rarely agree.  All we want is a place to collect our thoughts regarding our beloved Toronto Blue Jays. And if "Joe Fan" wants to stop by and give us their views on any topic, well we think that is just swell.

So everyone please join us and strike Eric Smith off the cool list.

Courtesy of Mental_Floss:

Toronto Blue Jays
More than 30,000 entries were received during a five-week name-the-team contest. A panel of 14 judges, including 10 Toronto media members, selected 10 finalists. From that list, the club’s board of directors settled on Blue Jays. “The Blue Jays was felt to be the most appropriate of the final 10 names submitted,” according to a statement issued by the board’s chairman, R. Howard Webster. “The blue jay is a North American bird, bright blue in color, with white undercovering and a black neck ring. It is strong, aggressive and inquisitive. It dares to take on all comers, yet it is down-to-earth, gutsy and good-looking.”

A solid post on the origin of every team's nickname in MLB. 

Courtesy of The Canadian Press:

After 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, the six-time all-star and 2003 Cy Young Award winner has an extra skip to his step for this opening day.
"It's more exciting. The whole spring has been that way," Halladay said. "It's nice to have that spring to get acclimated. I'm looking forward to the season as a whole more than I have in the past. It's a lot more exciting for me knowing this is a competitive team looking to win."

Can't really blame Doc for pointing out the obvious.  Still it does sting a little.

Courtesy of Baseball America:

Jimmy (Unadilla. Ga.): Hi Dirk, Thanks for the chat. Growing up, what did you want/plan to be. Was it to be a baseball player, a writer or something entirely different?

Dirk Hayhurst: I wanted to grow up and be a Giant Robot Ninja. However, it was extremely difficult to get into giant robot ninja school as you really have to have great tests scores, loads of recommendations and then a natural penchant for all things ninja. While I was a natural robot, I didn't have the athletic skill to pass the ninja tests... but, life goes on, right? Though, I'm sure you can imagine how hard it was for me when I found out I didn't have what it takes...

Dirk takes some questions.  This guy is awesome.

Courtesy of Ken Rosenthal @ Fox Sports:

Not surprisingly, rival agents are exasperated with the four-year, $18 million contract that designated hitter Adam Lind signed with the Blue Jays, mostly because Lind agreed to club options covering each of his first three free-agent years.
“Three club options? The union hates those deals and understandably so,” one agent said. “He should have gotten those numbers without the options. The arbitration process rewards offensive production, and this kid is going to produce.”
Lind, who ranked seventh in the AL in OPS last season, will earn $5 million in each of his three arbitration years. His club options are worth $7 million, $7.5 million and $8 million.
As I wrote Sunday, Lind had his own reasons for taking the deal: He gained lifetime security at a time when DHs are being treated harshly in the free-agent market.

If the agents are pissed then you know it was a good deal.  

Courtesy of You Don't Know Dick Griffin @ The Star

RG: What's your definition of a lie?
AA: You're not telling the truth.
RG: Okay. When you walk the streets of Toronto, because this goes back to the first question of being the face of the franchise, when you walk the streets, do people recognize you and is that happening more and more that people recognize you.
AA: Just on the lie question, I'm just curious, what...am I supposed to have a formal Webster's...I guess it's the same definition of a lie is...it's hard to say. Mislead, not tell the truth. I mean we all know what it is to an extent. Are there times you can't be completely forthright, completely honest, withhold information? Yes.

Long, insightful interview with Boy Wonder.  

Courtesy of MLBTR:

Fortunately, the Jays have $31.65MM coming off the books as Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and John Buck will be up for free agency.  A few of the four will likely be dealt this summer.  Also to be cleared: $10MM owed to B.J. Ryan and $6MM to Roy Halladay

Keep an eye on the pending free agents this year.  Probably going to need another outfielder in the near future.

Courtesy of The Sporting Hippeaux:

I gave myself over to him completely on April 13, 2007.  In the fourth inning of a game against the Tigers, I realized that short of sex and drugs, there's nothing more pleasurable than watching Roy Halladay pitch.

This is the commissioner in one of my fantasy leagues.  Check him out.  Die Hard. 

Courtesy of Canada East:

Paxton Affair Update:

"We're excited about the circus he's going to bring with him with all the scouts and minor-league directors and all that stuff, it's going to be fun," AirHogs manager Pete Incaviglia said in an interview. "Everyone wants a little piece of the phenom, but James is going to have to get used to that.
"That's part of it. He's got to relish it and love that he's going to get the best from everybody."

This story just won't go away.....

Courtesy of  Macleans:

But while he is admired, prolific and an active correspondent with other scholars, Tango remains an enigma. He keeps his real name a closely guarded secret. Long known in the online sabermetrics world as “Tango­tiger,” he tacked on the “Tom” and dropped the “Tiger” solely to have something semi-respectable-looking to put on the cover of The Book. “There are a lot of old-timers who think that I should sign my Christian name,” he blogged in 2008. “I don’t see why it’s anyone’s business other than mine.”

Take a look at the new stats guy in town.  He probably looks like the guy you made fun of in high school.

Courtesy of Scouting Book:

The Red Sox's Cuban shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias gets a lot of ink, but 2009 defectee Hechevarria (pronounced and sometimes spelled Echevarria) is probably the superior player. In MLB terms, Hechevarria is an 'offensive-minded' shortstop in the Cal Ripken mode: a high-average hitter with above-average power. At the plate, his spray chart looks a little more like Ichiro Suzuki: he has a knack for finding infield holes and hitting behind runners. He'll command a high signing bonus and start in the minor leagues, with 2012 or 2013 looking like a possible MLB arrival date.

Can't wait to see this kid play.  Rumor is there may be an announcement during opening day.  Hope he passed the physical. 

Nerding it up in Simulation Nation:

I present to you a new segment in the Weekly Round Up.  Here I will use the power of simulation to attempt to predict the future.  I will be using two different tools to do this.  The first is my PS3 and the amazing game MLB 10 The Show.  The second is my laptop and the amazing game OOTP11.  Since I am a week behind, here are the results for last week.  Let's see how these voodoo devices do compared to our AL East leading 5 - 1 record.  This should be fun.....

According to OOTP11 your Toronto Blue Jays went 3 - 3 to open the year.  We sit tied with the Evil Empire 2 games behind the Rays.
Of note: Vernon Wells was injured in the first game.....

According to MLB 10 The Show your Toronto Blue Jays also went 3 - 3 to begin 2010.  We are tied with the Rays a game behind the Evil Empire.
Of note: I couldn't get Dana Eveland on the roster no matter what I tried.  I replaced him in the number five spot of the rotation with Georgetown boy Shawn Hill.  He won his game and has a 1.04 ERA.

Looking forward to next week we go 3 - 4 according to OOTP.
Of note: I had to DFA McGowan to AAA.  I am interested to see if he makes it through waivers.

The Show predicts a 6 - 1 week!
Of note: Casey Janssen has two wins.