Weekly Round Up: Sept. 27 - Oct. 3

Consider this your required reading for the week.

Consider this your required listening for the week.

Consider this your required viewing for the week.

Courtesy of John Lott:

Before the Toronto Blue Jays played their last game of the 2009 season, Lyle Overbay visited manager Cito Gaston in his office in the visitors’ clubhouse in Baltimore.
This was just two days after a story broke that said Gaston had lost the confidence of his players because he was too aloof, too “old-school.” A few veteran players, Overbay among them, spoke publicly about a communication rift that had increasingly undermined team morale as the season progressed.
Personally, Overbay was frustrated that Gaston had made him a platoon player. So before the last game, the first baseman walked in and asked whether Gaston had determined his role for 2010.
“He said, ‘I’m going to play you every day. You’re going to be our first baseman,’ “ Overbay recalled yesterday.
Then Overbay told another story.
“I remember early this season, we were looking for somebody and Cito’s door was shut, and some of the guys didn’t want to knock on it. I said, ‘I’ll go knock on it.’
“I think after that, some guys saw it was no big deal. It’s weird how he’ll sit there and preach how his door is always open, but guys still won’t go in.”

Alright. That is that. Now, who is gonna lead this team to the promise land? Anybody got a favorite candidate? 

Courtesy of Bruce Arthur:

“I agonize over every decision, more than I ever thought I would,” says Anthopoulos, leaning back in a chair in an empty conference room in the Rogers Centre. “God, every decision feels like it’s huge. You make decisions, but before I make a trade I talk to everybody, ask a million questions. It might sound a little bit insane, but it’s that important.
“If I talk to 10 people, maybe one gives me a link that leads to something else. If the janitor has a good point to make, it might help us.”
“He likes the tension of an argument,” Jays president Paul Beeston says. “Alex, he’s remarkable in that he doesn’t mind having the debate.”

An insightful piece on our General Manager and all the challenges he has faced in his first year on the job. 

Courtesy of Craig Calcaterra:

For now let us merely note that if Frantz has the guts to make an actual accusation, he should make it. To state, in plain language, that he doubts that Bautista's accomplishments are genuine. To do otherwise -- to make oblique reference to the mere possibility that Bautista cheated and to blame figures who haven't played baseball for several years for "the questions that remain" -- is cowardly.
And that goes not only for Frantz, but for anyone who wishes to join in the increasingly popular pastime of trashing Jose Bautista. Ladies and gentlemen: if you have evidence, or even reasonable suspicion that Bautista -- a player who has had at least two PED tests this season -- has used PEDs, come out and say it.  If you don't, please spare us your insinuations to the contrary.

Hey Damien "Suck My" Cox, I think he's talking to you.

Courtesy of John Lott:

Aaron Hill was openly displeased when manager Cito Gaston took him out of Sunday’s game after the seventh inning. The Toronto Blue Jays’ second baseman, who has struggled at the plate all season, was not in the lineup for Monday night’s game against the New York Yankees.
“He’s fine,” Gaston said before the game. “I just want to give him a day off to rest his mind and just clear his head. He’ll be back in there tomorrow.”

I hope Aaron can get off to a hot start next season. We need him. We really do.

Courtesy of Satchel Price:

These guys are supposed to be really damn good. And all of them were really damn good at one point, because that's how you convince someone to give you $20M per year to do something. But how have the four members currently in New York's $20 Million Club fared this season? Well, if you guys were looking for a New York-centric post (because I'm trying to be unique today!), you're going to get one, because you could never really make a post like this with a team from any other city.

A look at our free spending fucking divisional rivals infield. Nice job on the wildcard, fags.

Courtesy of Zack O'Malley Greenburg:

Travis Snider, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Bourdett: I’ve been projecting a breakout for Travis Snider for a couple years now, so forgive me if I sound like a broken record.  I actually thought this was the year it would happen, but unfortunately, a wrist injury in May completely derailed his 2010 campaign. It may seem like Snider’s been around a while, but it’s important to note that he doesn’t turn 23 until February, an age at which most high draft picks — Snider was Toronto’s first-round pick back in ‘06 –  are tasting the majors for the very first time (Snider’s hit .252/.317/.434 as a 20-22 year old over 651 big-league plate appearances). Snider’s a great bet to enter 2011 with a starting outfield job in hand, and if he can continue to make strides with his strikeout rate — he shaved about five percentage points off his K-rate between last season and this season — I see no reason why he can’t hit .260-.270 with 25-30 homers next year.

Aaron Hill, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
ZOG: Take a glance at Hill’s Mendoza-line batting average this offseason and you’ll be tempted to dismiss him as a 2B-eligible Russell Branyan. But take a closer look and you’ll be rewarded handsomely. He’s never hit below .263 in his career, his strikeout rate has remained stable, his walk rate has actually increased slightly in 2010, and at age 28 he’s still in his prime. Most telling of all, his BABIP sits at .196, nearly 100 points below his career average and 30 points below anybody else in either league — which means that, statistically speaking, Aaron Hill is the unluckiest man in baseball. He may never exceed his 2009 total of 36 home runs, but he could easily top this year’s 26 and approach last year’s .286 average. With his value depressed as it is, Hill could be one of the biggest steals of 2011 on draft day.

Forbes doesn't fuck around.

Courtesy of Baseball Card Bust:

Joe Carter is a World Series hero and a five-time All-Star, but in 1992, his biological clock was ticking. Much to the chagrin of his teammates and to the hilarity of the sports media, Carter began mothering the rest of the Blue Jays. Starting in spring training, the Jays would walk into their clubhouse and find packed lunches in their lockers. Carter would pace the room, wiping off dirt from David Wells' face with a saliva-moistened Kleenex, yelling at Jack Morris to pick up after himself and encouraging wildman Tom Henke to find himself a nice girl and settle down already. He grounded Roberto Alomar for missing curfew the night before a big series against the Yankees. He even acted as clubhouse matron during the All-Star Game. In this photo, Carter is seen wiping a stray booger off All-Star teammate Mark McGwire's nose while handing him a cup of homemade lemonade. Annoyed by the man's unconditional love, the Blue Jays could come up with one solution: They pooled together enough money to buy a black-market Salvadorian orphan named Enrique and left him on Carter's doorstep one August night. And while they were happy to no longer have the man they had come to call "Joe Mama" on their case all the time, the locker room seemed a little emptier without Carter's peanut butter cookies.

I am so happy I found this site. Take a look around if you got a minute. Awesome stuff.
 

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.

Weekly Round Up: Aug. 9 - Aug. 15

Consider this your required reading for the week.  A look at "The Plan"

Consider this your required listening for the week.  Skip ahead to 17:23 for the Jays stuff.

Courtesy of MLBTR:

Alex Anthopoulos took over as general manager of the Blue Jays on October 3rd, 2009.  Though he might make a few moves in August, most of his first year is in the books.  Let's review his major moves.

A very close second on the required reading list.  A great recap of Boy Wonder's work since taking over the GM job.

Courtesy of The Canadian Press:

"In my mind, it's pretty final for me, I'm going to leave," said Gaston. "I've said it a few times, I think it's best for the ball club to get someone in here who's going to be here for a few years.
"If I was a little bit younger and going to be around for two or three more years, which I think that would be OK, then I'd probably be kicking and screaming trying to stay here. That's not the case for me. If I do come back, it would only be for one year, so what's that going to do for anybody? …
"I'm ready to go. No problem."

The Cito is leaving for sure.  Thank God.

Courtesy of The Globe and Mail:

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the keeper of the stats for Major League Baseball, Toronto’s task this season is formidable.
Elias reports that since 1969, teams to make the postseason after being at least 8 1/2 games out of a playoff spot some time in August number four: the 1969 New York Mets (10 games out); the 1973 Mets (11 1/2); the 1978 New York Yankees (nine); and the 1992 Atlanta Braves (9 1/2).
But imagine if you will – and this is where those glasses will come in handy – that the Rays continue their recent downhill slide and are effectively taken out of the wild-card playoff race equation.
Granted, that’s a pretty big if.

A rude intro to life in the AL East for all the bandwagon jumpers.  Love to have you guys on board but you need to understand that we probably won't make the playoffs this year. 

Courtesy of MLBTR:

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Stark that he’s looking for high-impact players, because the club is geared towards reaching 95 wins.

I wrote this at the end of May.  That right there is what is known as being ahead of the curve.  

Courtesy of Baseball Insiders:

I had the chance to talk to Las Vegas 51s pitcher, Jeremy Accardo, yesterday discussing his career at Illinois State University, making it to the big leagues, and trying his best to stay there.  He's spent most of this season with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A Affiliate compiling 22 saves.  Jeremy isn't afraid to hold back his opinions on the Blue Jays handling of him over the past year, making this an interview that you don't want to miss.

I made a new internet friend this week!  Kevin from Baseball Insiders sent me this interview and asked if I could post it for him.  Jeremy Accardo = Man On Fire 

Courtesy of The Star:

This may be alarmist, but with Rogers Sportsnet One set to launch Saturday the new channel that will carry 25 Blue Jays games this season — including four in the upcoming week — is available only to Rogers subscribers. It’s possible that may change by the end of Friday or within the next week, but there’s no assurance of that.
“At this point, we know that it will be on Rogers,” said Rogers Communications spokesperson Jan Innes. “We are still in discussions with other carriers.”
It’s also possible that Sportsnet could get itself into the same battle with the likes of Bell TV and Cogeco that TSN2 did with Rogers two years ago. It was a fight that resulted in thousands of disgruntled Raptors fans not being able to watch their favourite team.

The cheap bastards at Rogers decided to alienated their baseball viewing audience even further by taking 25 Blue Jays games and putting them on this new station that is only available to their subscribers.  Make sure to check out the comments on the article.  I will attempt to sum up the reaction of your fellow fans in one word: RAGE      

Courtesy of  Fan Graphs:

This drop in BABIP isn’t completely unexplainable. Hill’s LD% is all the way down to 10.2% from 18.8%, and those missing line drives have all turned into fly balls. Some around the Jays have noted that Hill has had more loft to his swing, which would explain this change. Given that LDs are the most likely to fall in for hits (.722 BABIP) and FBs are the least likely (.140 BABIP), that explains a lot. That’s roughly 27 line drives turned into fly balls, or 15 fewer hits. In 296 balls in play, those 15 hits account for 50 points of BABIP. Still, that would leave Hill’s BABIP at .249, in the bottom ten of the league.

A detailed look at Aaron Hill's struggles this season.  There is some good news at the end of the article.....

Courtesy of Post City:

MUSHROOM MISHAP

Bishop and the Belcher, 175 Bloor St. E.
Beef and chicken — don’t they clash? “Meats don’t clash,” states Snider. Still, double protein and A-plus cheesiness can’t make up for the presence of mushrooms (not a fan). Price: $10.95

Ian found this little piece of gold early on in the week and turned it into a brilliant t-shirt idea.

Courtesy of Sports And The City:

The Toronto Blue Jays believe in Ricky Romero. So much so that they rewarded him with the largest contract in history -- five years, $30.1 million -- for a pitcher with less than two years of Major League service time to his name. And you know what? I'm totally fine with that. Actually: I'm more than fine with it; I love the decision. Because like the braintrust, I too believe in Ricky Romero.

Here's the breakdown of the deal, courtesy of the always reliable MLB Trade Rumours:

2010: $1.25 million bonus

2011: $750,000

2012: $5 million

2013 - 2015: $7.5 million

2016: $13 million club option ($600,000 buyout) 

Navin breaks down the Ricky Romero extension in detail.  I have my reservations about signing young pitchers to long term deals. 

Courtesy of MLBTR:

But again, the problem is free agent compensation. Will a team be willing to sacrifice a high draft pick for a middle reliever? Downs does have some closing experience, mostly coming last season, so perhaps there's a club out there that values him in that capacity and is willing to pay the price. If not, it's not impossible that he could be stuck looking for a job come February since everyone wants to keep their first round pick in this age where young players have become more important than ever* 
* It's worth noting that next year's draft class is considered to be one of the deepest and best ever, which could lead to teams being even more reluctant to surrender draft picks as part of the free agent signing process.

A look at free agent to be Scott Downs unique situation and why he may end up being our closer in 2011.

The Change Up

So I got this theory.  It has to do with this pitch.

Your Toronto Blue Jays have three players who are going deep into games, in a row, in the starting rotation.  All of them feature this pitch in their repertoire and use it between about 20 and 30 percent of the time.  They all throw their fastballs right at about 50 percent of the time.  Check it:

Shaun Marcum 

20.7% change ups

19.9% fastballs

28.3% two seam fastballs

-----

68.9%

8 of his 13 starts he has pitched at least 7 innings

Ricky Romero

31.9% change ups

32.4% fastballs

19.6% two seam fastball

------

83.9%

7 of his 12 starts he has pitch at least 7 innings

Brett Cecil (sans Oakleys)

25.9% change ups

27.1% fastballs

24.4% two seam fastballs

-------

77.4%

4 of his 10 starts he has pitched at least 7 innings

The Theory:

All of these pitches (fastball(s) and change up) use the exact same arm angle, release point and arm swing.  They have to in order to be effective.  It is the most natural and least taxing way to throw a baseball.  No violent twisting or snapping.  Just free and easy.

Our trio of studs are doing it 7 or 8 times out of every 10 pitches. 

I think there may be a correlation between that and the amount of effective innings they have been able to log.  I acknowledge the change up is a deadly pitch to try to hit, even when the hitter guesses that it might be coming.  But I respectfully submit that it is not the pitch itself but the fact that the way it needs to be thrown puts little to no strain on the arm/elbow/shoulder.  And that is why our boys are able to pitch deep into games virtually every start.

Simply put, their wings don't hurt.  

If I may give a suggestion to the manager, you may want to break these guys up in the rotation.  Perhaps use the All Star break as your excuse and reset them, like this:

Marcum
Romero
Morrow
Cecil
Whoever

That way you don't have three guys in a row that feature basically the same stuff.

Note To Yankees: You're About To Be Rickrolled Bitches

“There was a guy here that did it really, really well,” Romero said. “You try to learn from that.”
But instead of reminiscing about the Halladay era, Romero reminded reporters of the new reality in Toronto: Halladay wears a different uniform and could face the Jays when Toronto plays the Phillies in late June.
So while Romero had plenty of praise for Halladay, he’s also prepared to face his former teammate.
“I’m sure everyone in here is happy for Doc, but we’ve got to take care of our business,” he said. “He’s our enemy now.”

	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO	AVG	WHIP	GO/AO
	5	2	3.14	11	11	2	1	0	0	77.1	64	27	27	3	2	29	79	.230	1.20	2.39

Romero bounced back from his worst outing of the season against the Angels, where he went 5 1/3 allowing seven runs on 11 hits, with a stellar complete-game performance on Sunday, as the Jays defeated the Orioles, 6-1. The left-hander only gave up six hits and issued two walks for his second complete game of the young season. Furthermore, only two of his 27 outs were recorded in the outfield, showing his ground-ball and strikeout dominance. His seven strikeouts Sunday gives him 79 on the season, which is good for tops on the Blue Jays. Romero will go up against Rickroll the shit out of the powerhouse Yankees next start, whom he is 1-1 with a 5.94 ERA against over 16 2/3 innings.

OPPOSING HITTER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Jorge Posada	9	2	0	0	0	3	0	5	.222	.222	.222	.444
Robinson Cano	8	1	0	0	1	1	0	3	.125	.125	.500	.625
Alex Rodriguez	7	3	1	0	0	1	1	1	.429	.556	.571	1.127
Derek Jeter	6	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	.000	.333	.000	.333
Marcus Thames	6	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	.167	.167	.500	.667
Curtis Granderson	6	1	0	0	1	1	0	3	.167	.167	.667	.833
Mark Teixeira	5	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.200	.333	.200	.533
Nick Swisher	4	2	1	0	0	0	4	1	.500	.750	.750	1.500
Brett Gardner	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.667
Ramiro Pena	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000

Game 28 Recap: Travis Snider Is Seeing The Ball

Your Toronto Blue Jays are 15 - 13 on the year.  We have hit more home runs than any other team in baseball!

Game 28 was a solid game all around.  Starter Ricky Romero got touched up a little but was able to get some big outs when he needed them.  His line:  6 IP, 9 Hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 105 pitches.  Not thing spectacular but good enough to win.  He is 3 - 1 on the year but also has 9 wild pitches which leads the league.

The bullpen did a great job holding the lead.  Shawn Camp, Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg combined for three scoreless innings allowing only one hit and 1 walk.  Gregg had a 1, 2, 3 ninth inning for his 7th save.  He touched 95 mph on the gun more than once.  He is trying out a no seem sinker.  I would love to see that grip!

As for the hitters, number nine hitter Travis Snider had three hits on the night.  A double to left field, a double to right field and a comebacker up the middle off the pitchers foot.  Nice to see him using all fields and with some authority.  He ended up 3 for 5 with a steal.  His average climbed up to .193 for the season.

The top four hitters in the line up had six at bats.  Lead off man Fred Lewis got on base three times and scored two runs.  He seems to be getting more comfortable atop the order.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez was only 1 for 4 on the day but the 1 was an 0 - 2 RBI double with two out.  He took a meaty change up and deposited it into the left field corner.  Clutch hitting.  I think we should give him a try in the 5 spot because.....

Lyle fucking Overbay is not getting it done there.  He struck out on a borderline pitch with a full count and the bases loaded in the forth inning.  That pitch was too close to take.  Gotta be more aggressive and foul that off.

The most interesting thing about game 28 will not be found anywhere in the boxscore.  Jose Bautista was hit on the hand after he had homered in his previous at bat.  He stayed in the game but that pitch was dangerous.  A fastball up and in.  The Cito and the trainer went out on the field to make sure he was ok.  During the walk back to the dugout, Gaston looked out the mound.  When he got back to the dugout, Cito said something to pitching coach Bruce Walton.  I tweeted this.

In the bottom of the 5th inning with Ricky back on the mound, he mows down the first two hitters to get to DH Travis Hafner.  First pitch to him was a fastball up and in.  That was the message.  Then on a 2 - 1 count, Ricky hits him with an 89 mph fastball.  That was the statement. 

Nice to see the team stick up for one another.  To his credit, The Cito had his hands all over that.

Today is get away day and the game is on already.  I will have to listen to it on the ride into work.  Looking for the sweep.

Weekly Round Up : Feb. 8 - 14

It's been a busy week.  I'm guessing that the American media has now turned their attention to baseball, with the SuperBowl being done and all.  There were a ton of stories that I was unable to get to, which is precisely why I decided to create this weekly feature.  Leading off are two articles about our LL Cool J look alike.  I think there is a good chance he will be on the hill for Opening Day and I look forward to seeing him pitch around 200 innings for us in 2010.

Courtesy of Jordan Bastian:

"Wherever I end up in the rotation doesn't matter to me," Romero said. "I just consider myself as one piece of five guys that make up the rotation, and the five guys that end up making the team are going to be the five guys we go to battle with. I just want to be a leader. I want to be a guy that leads by example.

"Do I consider myself an ace?" Romero said during a phone conversation this week. "Obviously not."

Courtesy of Morgan Campbell @ The Star:

"I'm humbled and hungry, man," Romero said. "I've never gotten complacent and I'm not about to start now. ... There's about 15 other guys that want my job and every one of them is hungry."

Analysis:

Nice to hear the man is not leaving anything up to the element of chance.  I think he is all but guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation and I'm glad his head has not gotten too big.....yet.  I remember he was the first pitcher drafted in 2005.  I'm going to block out the fact that Matt Garza was available and selected 25th.  He was a college guy as well so no excuse by J.P. not selecting him.  Oh well, I like Ricky Romero's music and now Boy Wonder has 69 scouts, so it won't happen again right?

Courtesy of Ed Eagle @ MLB.com

Blue Jays right-hander Scott Richmond's quest to win a spot in Toronto's starting rotation has been sidetracked by a shoulder impingement.  Richmond, 30, went 8-11 with a 5.52 ERA in 27 appearances (24 starts) last season. According to a team release, the injury occurred during his preparations for Spring Training, and he will be "monitored closely throughout his revised throwing program" to rehab the shoulder. 

We here at 1bluejaysway have been collectively shitting on Richmond for a while now.  We love the fact that he is Canadian, but his numbers in the second half of the season indicated he had hit the wall.  Now with this news, I have to think he is a long shot to make the starting rotation.  He will be brought along slowly and may be a candidate for a 15 day DL trip with an extended spring training and "rehab assignment" to begin 2010 along with McGowan.  I  think he has some value as a fifth starter when he's right.  But throwing shoulder injuries in a pitcher is obviously not good, especially when they are not a lock for a job.  I could never bring myself to wish that a player gets hurt with an injury but this news seems to have cleared up some of  the rotation question marks.  Good luck on your recovery Scott.  We wish you well.     

Courtesy of Jordan Bastian:

Please consider this your required reading of the week. Enjoy!

Courtesy of Baseball Musings:

Players A to Z, Edwin Encarnacion

Edwin Encarnacion plays third base for the Toronto Blue Jays. The long time Reds hitter went north in the trade for Scott Rolen. Edwin’s batting stats don’t stand out as great, but they’re certainly not bad. The average American League hitter in 2009 posted a slash line of .267/.336/.428. Encarnacion’s career line comes in at .260/.341/.448. So he’s above average in both OBP and slugging percentage. If your entire team produced those numbers, they’d likely be above average in runs scored.  Unfortunately, Edwin gives a lot of those runs created back on defense. That may hurt Toronto as they try to develop a young pitching staff.  Encarnacion also is coming off a poor offensive season. At seasonal age 27, I would expect him to bounce back from that. He needs to have a very good season with the bat to make up for his glove, otherwise he may not last too long in the majors.

Again, I have to preface this analysis: I have E5 for measly 3 bucks in my AL only, big money fantasy league.  Just the thought of a 3 dollar third basemen getting me 20 + bombs is giving me a semi.  But he had some wrist surgery and I'm hesitant to keep him over other players on my roster.  I will be watching him with great interest this spring training.  What do you guys think he will produce if he's able to get 500 at bats? 
 

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

Cynical baseball observers ( I guess your talking about ME here Dick ) point to the Yankees and their World Series wins and simply shrug – anyone can spend money to win.  The Bombers bought a championship, after all. Anyone could do the same given the Bronx Bombers' financial resources.  Well, the fact is, that despite becoming the first and only major-league team to spend more than $200 million (all figures U.S.) in 2008 and 2009, it does take some skill to build a World Series roster.  General manager Brian Cashman deserves some credit.

Dick then goes on to take the undisputed worst contracts in all of baseball and concludes:

So that 25-man roster adds up to $252.4 million and would be enough to get any GM fired.  As more GMs study their mistakes, it seems free agency for veterans will no longer be the windfall it originally was intended to be.

Ah, ya Dick it would.  It must be a coincidence that 3 guys on your 25 man roster there, are Blue Jays signed by J.P. and he was fired.  Guess it proves your right.

On more thing Dick, I wonder how many of the players on your overly simplistic, kindergarten level, 25 man roster WERE ACTUALLY free agents?  Because I remember Rios signed a thing called AN EXTENSION buying out his arbitration years and some free agent years.  Wells signed a contract extension as well you fucking idiot.  As always, the comments section of Dick's column is littered with people shitting on the writer.  This time 3 out of the total of 10 comments are less than complimentary.  Nice to see him giving the shout out to Cot's Baseball Contracts although it is too bad he hasn't figured out how to use the link feature on the dreaded computer thingy yet.  

Courtesy of RotoAuthority:

Closer Report: Blue Jays

By Tim Dierkes [February 10, 2010 at 12:10pm CST]

The Blue Jays currently have a three-man competition at closer, with Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, and Scott Downs duking it out.  Gregg is a recent free agent signee, while Frasor and Downs are entering their walk years and are trade candidates.  Since all three pitchers are being drafted in the 26th round or later, Toronto presents a nice fantasy opportunity if you pick right.
Right now all we know is that Gregg signed in part because he'll get a shot at closing, and manager Cito Gaston will make the decision (MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reporting).  According to Mock Draft Central, fantasy owners are currently voting for Downs (311.73), Frasor (323.34), and Gregg (327.29) in that order.
There is reason to believe Downs won't be the guy.  The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin notes that Downs is not the lights-out type for the ninth inning.  That's understandable; Downs is a southpaw who averages about 90 mph on his heater.  Frasor throws harder and he's right-handed.  Downs and Frasor both had better peripherals than Gregg in 2009, though they lack his closing experience.  Of the three, only Downs had a strong groundball rate.
So while you could make a case for any of the three, I'd be surprised to see Downs get the nod with two capable righties also in the mix.  If you're drafting now, take Gregg.  Unlike Frasor, Gregg's not a spring trade candidate.  And I'm guessing Gaston will choose the experienced closer even if Frasor stays.

This is the full article because I got nothing to add.  I do want the 10 minutes of my life it took me to read Dick's mailbag back though.  Bang on analysis by a contributor over at the biblical mlbtraderumors.com.  With this news my fantasy team is now officially fucked.

Courtesy of Big League Stew:

Shaun Marcum, Toronto Blue Jays: Another one in Tommy John recovery, he missed all of 2009 after being hurt at the end of 2008, but the reports on his elbow are good. He's no Roy Halladay, but Marcum is effective when healthy. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said of Marcum, "There's no restrictions. No limitations at all. He looks great. He's going to come into camp with full guns-a-blazing. We think he's going to be ready to go to pitch, hopefully, a full season for us and have a great year."

What can I say about Marcum?  He's a right handed Jimmy Key.  Needs to be spot on, all the time to be effective.  To his credit on most nights he is good more than he is bad but man, it must be tough trying to get major league hitters out that way.  I hope he comes in and everything feels good.  As important, if not more important than his surgically repaired elbow, will be his head.  It may take a while for his confidence to come back.

Courtesy of Fan Graphs:

Rzepczynski tossed his 88 MPH sinker 55 percent of the time with Toronto, going to his 80 MPH slider a whopping 39 percent and sprinkling in some 82 MPH changeups (six percent).

In 2010, CHONE has Rzepczynski posting a 4.05 FIP, with 8.7 K’s per nine innings and 4.4 BB/9. It’s going to be interesting to see how his punchout rates translate long-term to the majors. Despite not having the archetypal power pitcher’s arsenal, Rzepczynski has deftly avoided lumber at each level of competition. His control needs work, but this lefty’s combination of whiffs and worm burners could make him The Dude to target late on draft day.

I'm liking the thought of this guy in the rotation a little bit more everyday.  He's got an above average groundball rate of 51.2% as mentioned earlier.  Another guy to watch closely this spring.  But due to the fact he has an option year or two to burn, I think he starts the year in AAA and is one of the first guys called up when the situation presents itself.

Courtesy of OK Blitz:

“I’d like to start; I’ll make that known.” Tallet said. “It’s going to be one of those things where I just go into camp and do what they want me to do. That’s all you really can do.”

And if it were up to Tallet, he wouldn’t give Toronto a second chance to question his ability. He plans to be at the Jays’ camp on Feb. 12, nearly a week before the optional reporting date for pitchers.

Wolverine really had a lot to say in this article.  He covered the Halladay / Lee trade from both perspectives.  Good read.  This guy has a spot locked up on the 12 man pitching staff.  I'm just not sure what his role will be at this point.  I think it depends on a lot of things beyond his control.

Courtesy of Razzball:

All right, but you can’t just ignore those 108 RBIs he had last year.  Maybe you can.  He hit behind a career year from Marco Scutaro who had a .379 OBP in 680 plate appearances.  Speaking of which, Aaron Hill had the most plate appearances in the major leagues last year.  Number one.  As in, no one was in front of him number one.  You have to take that many plate appearances with a grain of salt.  In 2010, Hill will be hitting behind who?  John Buck?  Jose Bautista?  Yeah, there goes those RBIs.  People are drafting him around the same time as Justin Morneau (30/100/.290) and Curtis Granderson (30/20)… Okay, different positions.  But how are people drafting him at the same time as Cano’s 90/27/100/.315/5?  Take a 2nd baseman later (Ian Stewart, Scott Sizemore, Kelly Johnson) instead of reaching for Aaron Hill.  He’s overrated.

I was spewing this venom about Aaron Hill in last week's round up comments section.  I did not take it quite as far as this guy but I agree with his message in principal.  Hill will have a great year for a second baseman.  But in 2009 he seemed to have a few things go his way, which contributed to his career high numbers in the following offensive categories:

• Hits
• Home Runs
• Runs
• RBI
• At Bats
• Slugging Percentage
• Stolen Bases  

Can he do it again?  Based on where he is being taken in fantasy drafts, I think most people would say yes.  But I fear this is simply explained by the fact he is eligible at such a weak position and his offensive production is far too tempting to pass on at two bag.

Courtesy of Jordan Bastian's Inbox:

With Spring Training almost here and the Blue Jays in a rebuilding period, who are the organization's top 10 prospects?
-- Nolan F., Peterborough, Ontario
Without the December trade that sent Roy Halladay to the Phillies and the deal last July that sent third baseman Scott Rolen to the Reds, the Blue Jays' top prospects list would look very different than it does right now. With those two moves, Toronto reeled in what I believe to be its top four prospects for the time being.
First on the list, in my opinion, is first baseman Brett Wallace -- one of the players netted in the Halladay swap. He's nearly ready for the big leagues and could have a home in the heart of the Jays' lineup in the near future. Next on my list would be right-hander Kyle Drabek (also added in the Halladay deal), followed by right-hander Zach Stewart (picked up in the Rolen swap).  Drabek and Stewart are unlikely to make the Blue Jays' rotation this spring, but they will be in camp with the rest of the big league starting candidates. The pair of talented righties could see The Show some time this year, but it seems more realistic that Drabek and Stewart could have more of an impact beginning in 2011.  Fourth on my list would be catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who was the third prospect added in the Halladay trade. It appears as though d'Arnaud will open the year at high Class A Dunedin, so he is a few years away from a potential promotion to Toronto. Still, he heads the list of three catchers that make my Top 10 prospects list. Behind d'Arnaud, I'll go with right-hander Chad Jenkins and outfielder Jake Marisnick, who were selected by the Jays in the first and third round, respectively, in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. I'll round out my list with right-hander Henderson Alvarez, followed by catcher J.P. Arencibia, lefty Tim Collins and catcher Carlos Perez.

  Oh and Happy Valentine's Day Bitches