Image courtesy of Minor Leaguer via Bluebird Banter
Exactly one week ago today we stated that agent Dan Lozano and his associates were headed to Toronto. The name Albert Pujols was liberally thrown around as being in attendance but never once confirmed by us.
Didn't really get the chance.
The biggest dog on the porch, the mighty Drunk Jays Fans and their crazed monkey army jumped all over it and away it went into retard land. In fairness, the post itself was written in a somewhat complementary tone while the comments section was predictably a gong show.
The overall reaction was naturally mixed and since we weren't prepared to disclose the source of this information - still aren't/never will/stop asking - it was quickly scrutinized and for the most part discarded. The main stream media did their best to disproved it while team officials totally denied it.
In an interview with the Star just last month, Jays
president Paul Beeston expressed lingering bitterness over the way
similarly high-priced free agents used his Jays as a negotiating tool
back in the ’80s — before they had won anything. Beeston singled out
free-agent reliever Rich Gossage and his agent Jerry Kapstein allowing
the Jays to think they were in the running, then using that offer to
bump up the price elsewhere. The long-memoried prez insists the Jays
won’t get fooled again. He proved it last year when the anticipated Blue Jays bid for the
much-coveted and seemingly undecided Cliff Lee, the cream of that
free-agent crop, failed to materialize. The same professional
disinterest espoused by Beeston, on behalf of the Jays in dealing with
top free agents in non-contending winters, is expected with Pujols and
Prince Fielder. It’s a philosophy he passed on to GM Alex Anthopoulos.
One question to draw a reaction from Anthopoulos was a sarcastic query
about where he and Dan Lozano, the agent for free agent slugger Albert Pujols,
had lunch this week. Some blogosphere fiction suggested Lozano was in
town to visit the Jays, which drew a smirk from Anthopoulos, who
struggled to maintain his policy of not replying to rumours and
speculation.
"I've read all kinds of reports and again, I'm not ceased to be amazed about some of the false things that come out," he said.
Every single one of them refuted our claim and there are some heavy hitters on that list. All except Jeff Blair. We love Jeff Blair. He hasn't yet lost his ability to think outside the box.
The GM managed to get Beeston to overcome a significant aversion in
getting him to sign off on a five-year contract extension for pitcher
Ricky Romero in 2010, but it would be an even neater trick getting
Beeston to think big, bigger, biggest in the free-agent market. That
leaves the Blue Jays not even on the periphery for the likes of sluggers
Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols – unless Beeston and Anthopoulos are
working some kind of ruse. All’s fair at this time of the season, folks. They might have us all exactly where they want us.
Here's what the message boards and comment threads had to say about it. Spoiler alert: not very positive
Hopping on Fan 590 with @JeffSammut590 after 9 to talk #jays, #mlb & ridiculous Pujols rumours.
The Pujols bit was the lead story and was quickly whisked under the rug. To paraphrase the conversation - as it happened on the fucking radio - it went down a little something like this:
Sammut: What's the deal with this Pujols rumour?
Cormack: It's just some silly blogger. They like to throw a bunch of stuff against a wall and see what sticks. Next question please.
It was at this point in the game we decided it was best to fold our hand. A memo went out to all staff: maintain full radio silence until further notice. The hate mail piled up while we just sat back and took names. Nobody believed us. And frankly, why would they? With this much evidence pointing to the contrary it was fairly easy to move right along to the next rumour.
What we took away from this entire exercise can be summed up like this: unless your name is known and respected in the baseball community there is absolutely zero point in trying to share a little snippet of juicy news you heard about your favorite team.
Even if we revealed our sources and told the other 90% of the story that we are privy to, it would have remained an extreme uphill battle for the good guys (us) to reclaim our honour that in the end just isn't worth the headache. We consider this an extremely valuable lesson learned. From this day forward there will be no more of this type of goodness from us.
Most of you reading this still probably think to this day we are a total joke and that's honestly completely cool with us. For those people we counter with just one simple question:
How did we possibly get our hands on this bad boy?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.")
Missed last week's round up due to the 3 day bender I went on after the Vernon trade was officially completed. Much has happened in Blue Jay land. Check it.
Wakamatsu, still considered one of baseball's best young managerial
prospects, said he had coaching opportunities with four teams before
going with the Blue Jays under new manager John Farrell.
"People asked me, 'Why not Baltimore, why not Milwaukee, why not
Oakland?'" he said. "The impression I got from (Blue Jays general
manager) Alex Anthopoulos, (assistant GM) Tony LaCava and everybody in
the front office really blew me away. I felt really good about Johnny
Farrell. It felt like the right fit and I think I needed something like
this to rekindle myself.
Hill, with six seasons under his belt, is now the longest-tenured
Blue Jay while Bautista — who is eligible for free agency after the 2011
season but is believed to be engaged in talks on a long-term deal —
embodies many of the qualities the team would like to have going
forward.
The longest-tenured player on the team is reliever Jason
Frasor, who made his debut in 2004, but the heart and soul of the
pitching staff is now left-hander Ricky Romero.
Those four
players, along with starter Brandon Morrow, first baseman Adam Lind and
outfielder Travis Snider, may all end up shouldering some of the burden
in Wells' absence.
So.....ah.....which one is it then? Hill or Frasor
MiLB.com: You're moving to an organization that has an
established second baseman at the big league level in Aaron Hill. Has
the idea of switching positions been discussed at all? Lawrie: I've been working out at third -- they've wanted me to
play some third. I felt comfortable over there, I think I am going to go
into Spring [Training], where third is where I'm going to be put at.
This interview via an MLB.com reporter was posted on MiLB.com an hour before.....
2. Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays: Toronto got the top Canadian prospect
from the Brewers in the Shaun Marcum deal and he's another one still
learning the position after being drafted No. 16 overall in 2008. Lawrie
can flat-out hit and should have power and speed at the big league
level. He may never win a Gold Glove, but a Jeff Kent-like evolution
isn't out of the question.
This one was posted on MLB.com. Nice to see the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing in other organizations as well isn't it?
3. Kyle Drabek, Blue Jays: Doug's kid had a pretty good first
season in Toronto's organization after coming over from Philadelphia in
the Roy Halladay deal. He was the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Year
and made his big league debut in September. With one of the best
breaking pitches in the Minors, Drabek also throws a lively fastball and
a changeup that's improved considerably. A strong competitor, he's
ready to take on the AL East as part of the Jays rotation.
Mayo also liked two of our catchers, and a shortstop. Throw in a top 60 list and you got yourself a couple of busy weeks.
But the 33-year-old lefthander readily admits he will not miss
facing the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in a third of his team's games this
season.
"Face it, that had has much to do with it as anything," Tallet said. "Let's be honest. It's a brutal division."
So brutal that it can wear on teams such as Toronto, which enters
every season as a long shot to contend. The Blue Jays have won at least
83 games in four of the past five seasons but have yet to finish closer
than 10 games out. That can put a drag on players.
"You start to accept (you're not going to win)," Tallet says. "And that's the worst thing a player can do."
Tallet isn't the only refugee from the AL East hoping to find
comfort in the NL Central. All six clubs have added at least one player
whose most recent team resides in the AL East:
Reds: Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.
Cardinals: Tallet, Blue Jays; Lance Berkman, Yankees.
Brewers: Shaun Marcum, Blue Jays.
Astros: Bill Hall, Red Sox.
Cubs: Matt Garza and Carlos Pena, Rays; Kerry Wood, Yankees.
Pirates: Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays.
Take note fellow fantasy pool players. These guys are nice candidates to reap the rewards from moving from the AL to the NL.
The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with 16-year-old Dominican lefthander Jairo Labour for $350,000.
Labour, who is 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, became eligible to sign when the
2010 international signing period opened on July 2, but he developed
into a better prospect later and has run his fastball up to 92 mph.
Labour, who is from Azua, is a good athlete with a solid delivery and
feel for spinning a breaking ball.
A little prospect porn sprinkled in for ya. Everybody loves prospect porn.
After two years, he was promoted to assistant scouting director in
2003, but decided to take a step back to become the scouting coordinator
with the Toronto Blue Jays because he worried what would happen if the
Montreal Expos made their rumoured move to the United States.His
ascent through the Blue Jays' ranks was dramatic. He became assistant
general manager in 2005, vice-president of baseball operations in 2006
and, finally, the team's general manager in 2009.
"If there's one
word you leave here with today, it's humility," he said. "There's more
power in humility than you will ever believe."
Because of that humble nature, he drives around Toronto in a Honda CRV.
"I've got a raise, but I'm not changing the way I live.
"I don't need to."
Stay grounded. Stay focused. Do whatever you gotta do man, just win me a World Series before I die.
But money probably means something — especially when the MLBPA pushes
its members to go for the maximum — and a big contract would help
Bautista help a lot of kids.
Taken together, unless the Blue Jays are right now willing to pay him
premium power hitter money for several years to come, Bautista is
likely going to take his chances and see what the market will bear.
The more I think about it, the more I don't see an extension being done with J-Bau at any point this season. And there is really nothing anybody can do about it. Consider that he has been playing/waiting his entire career to become a free agent and his 2010 season slash line of .260/.378/.617 looks a little video gameish. Perhaps his agent is driving the bus on this one or as the article suggests the MLBPA, either way, I say he plays out his final year of arbitration and takes his chances on the open market. Wouldn't you?
Five-Star Prospects 1. Kyle Drabek, RHP
2. J.P. Arencibia, C
Four-Star Prospects 3. Brett Lawrie, 2B Three-Star Prospects 4. Travis d'Arnaud, C 5. Deck McGuire, RHP 6. Carlos Perez, C 7. Adeiny Hechavarria, SS 8. Zach Stewart, RHP 9. Anthony Gose, CF 10. Aaron Sanchez, RHP 11. Asher Wojciechowski, RHP
Nine More:
12. Eric Thames, OF: As of now, this spot might be low, because he could be solid, everyday corner outfielder.
13. Dickie Joe Thon, SS: This $1.5 million fifth-rounder has the tools to rank higher, but he needs more polish. 14. Adonis Cardona, RHP: The Venezuelan teen got a $2.8 million bonus, but he's raw, but he also has an absolutely huge arm. 15. Noah Syndergaard, RHP: A teenage righty with length and projection, Snydergaard needs to tighten up his secondary stuff. 16. Henderson Alvarez, RHP: Scouts love his stuff, yet wonder why the results rarely match. 17. Jake Marisnick, OF: A tremendous athlete, but he's far away from being a tremendous baseball player. 18. Griffin Murphy, LHP: He possesses a good fastball, better curve, and--like many young Jays pitchers--tons of projection. 19. Kellen Sweeney, 3B: The younger brother of Ryan has the same pretty swing from the left side of the plate. 20. Chad Jenkins, RHP: This 2009 first-round pick had a so-so full-season debut, but looks like future innings-eater.
BP weights in on the much improved farm system. I tend to take this list a little more seriously than the one BA puts out. What about y'all?
Need a clue that something with the Jays and Young could be in the
works? Vernon Wells was asked during a Tuesday conference call where
he’d been when Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to ask him
to waive his no-trade clause, to consent to go to Anaheim in trade.
“I was at the Mavericks-Lakers game with my wife and, ironically,
with Michael Young and his wife,” Wells said. “I got the call at
halftime and missed most of the rest of the game.” Ironically? Why would Wells use that word for something that was merely coincidental?
Hate to point of the obvious here Dick but Vernon didn't go to college. Just relax. This is not a "clue". This is obviously a writer for a sport in it's offseason trying to make up a story out of absolutely nothing in order to sell some papers. As always, a trip into the comments section provides some interesting reading. My favorite is courtesy of Adhoc:
a teachable moment for Griffin
Hey
Griff - Even if Wells used the term 'ironic' because he knew the Jays
were looking to acquire Young, it would still be a coincidence; there's
nothing ironic about it. Have you been studying at the Alanis
Morissette School of Irony?
But baseball sources confirmed to the National Post that Toronto also included a cash payment to the Angels.
Jon Heyman of SI.com, who broke the news of the money changing hands
and is one of the most reliable insiders in the business, pegged the
amount at US$5-million.
All cash transfers greater than US$1-million must be approved by the commissioner’s office.
When confronted with this information on Wednesday, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos offered only a cryptic reply.
“We agreed for the deal to be that deal, that was the deal that was
announced,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything more to it. I think
people are trying to read way more into this, like way more. There’s
not. There’s no smoking gun. There’s no conspiracy theory.”
In truth, the only conspiracy comes from the two teams involved in their attempts to keep the money quiet.
This is what Anthopoulos said last Friday when directly asked about dollars changing hands in the deal:
“I guess what I would tell you is the deal that was consummated is
the deal that we announced, which is a 2-for-1 deal,” he said. “And
that ultimately was the final transaction of Mike Napoli and Juan
Rivera.”
Why Anthopoulos or his Angels counterpart Tony Reagins would try to
cover up the payment is more of a mystery than anything else.
Alright, seriously now. I was starting to embrace the lack of commenting from the braintrust PRIOR to a transaction taking place.....but are we also suppose to except them not commenting on transactions AFTER they are completed as well? WTF is going on here?
Toronto Blue Jays legendary closer Tom Henke leads the 2011 class of inductees who will be enshrined on Saturday, June 18th
in St. Marys, Ontario. “The Terminator” will be joined by Kelowna,
British Columbia native Allan Simpson, the founder of Baseball America,
the monthly publication commonly referred to as the Bible of the
baseball industry, and posthumous inductee George “Dandy” Wood, born in
Pownal, Prince Edward Island, who played almost 1,300 games in the major
leagues back in the 1800’s, but whose Canadian citizenship was only
uncovered a year ago.
Bob Elliott, an icon in baseball journalism, will be presented with the Jack Graney at the ceremony as well.
God damn this song was fucking awesome. Terminator, Terminator, you can bring him in now but he's even better later. Been singing it for the last hour now.
As they delightedly discussed the deal on Twitter, Jays fans called
their GM the “Silent Assassin” for trading a supposedly untradeable
player without even a whisper of rumour beforehand. Anthopoulos didn’t
comment on the moniker when Canadian Press reporter Shi Davidi informed
him of it during a conference call last Friday night.
Talk? Come on. That’s not how the Silent Assassin rolls.
Actually, in fact, that's how the Blue Jay Hunter rolls dude.
Yeah so whatever. My e-mail account and Twitter feed are cluttered. It's downright silly at this point. Plus, it's not like I plan to stop looking for new sexy cowgirls on line anytime soon.
What I have done is turned in my BBA membership card, turned off sitemeter and remembered why I started up this bitch in the first place. It's not about pages views. It's not about making money. And it's certainly not about writing out everything that happens, as it happens, everyday.
What is it about you ask?
That's simple. A place where we are all free to discuss Blue Jays baseball. That and I need somewhere to keep all this shit together. An outlet if you will.
Every year, there's usually at least one prospect who gets caught in Top 10 limbo, and this year it's Lawrie. He would have been our No. 1 Brewers prospect, but he got traded to the Blue Jays for Shaun Marcum before our Milwaukee Top 10 came out—and after our Toronto Top 10 was published. So Lawrie won't make a Top 10 in our magazine or on our website, though he will appear in the 2011 Prospect Handbook. Here's the scouting report that would have appeared with our Brewers Top 10 had Lawrie stayed put: The Brewers put Lawrie on the fast track in 2010 by assigning him to Double-A Huntsville at age 20, making him the second-youngest regular in the Southern League. Very confident to the point of cockiness, he was anything but intimidated and got better as the season progressed and he adjusted to the higher level of competition. He led the league in runs (90), hits (158), triples (16) and total bases (250). Lawrie has very strong hands and a quick bat, allowing him to wait on pitches and drive the ball to all fields. He's not a prolific home run hitter but piles up extra-base hits by shooting the ball into the gaps. Lawrie needs to balance his aggressiveness with more plate discipline, however. Though he stole 30 bases, he was caught 13 times and his speed is just average. Lawrie has smoothed out some of his rough edges in the field but still must work on making his hands softer, as evidenced by the 25 errors he committed in 131 games at second base in 2010. He has solid arm strength but may not have the first-step quickness to remain at second. He won't have to be a Gold Glove defender because his bat will get him to the big leagues and keep him there. If he has to move to an outfield corner, he'll still provide enough offense to profile as a quality regular. Lawrie will rank No. 2 on our Blue Jays list, between righthanders Drabek and Deck McGuire. I don't think Lawrie will stay at second base and think his big league home will be right field. He should join Toronto at some point in 2012.
So there. Even if Lawrie does turn out to be a corner OF, he is still suppose to profile as above average there. Currently, he slides right in at number 2 on the BA list of best prospects in the system.
J.P. Ricciardi came to the Mets in November after eight years as the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager—eight years of running a team that only once finished higher than third in Major League Baseball's best division. So now that Mr. Ricciardi is a special assistant to Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, the prospect of having to wrench supremacy in the National League East away from the Philadelphia Phillies doesn't fill him with much apprehension. "The AL East always had two or three teams coming at you," he said by phone recently. "After having done it so many years against the Yankees and the Red Sox and Tampa being good through that cycle, I'll take my chances. Even though the Phillies are really good, I'll take my chances over here."
The comfort that Wells has found later in life has come from the fact he realizes that he is not worth what he is being paid, but, in fact who is? “I think the most important thing about getting contracts like this is you get to go out and do so many different things in the community,” Wells admitted. “You get to go out and impact lives. The way I feel about it, I was blessed with that contract to go out and do things. Everybody would say I’m not worth the money and I would totally agree that I’m not worth that contract, but I don’t think there is anybody . . . but I know what I can do with that contract will far outdo what that contract’s worth.” Jays fans, understandably, only care about results on the field.
In other news, winter is cold and the CN Tower is really tall.
In less than a week, the Toronto Blue Jays should know if a 14-year streak is going to continue. The club has not gone to an arbitration hearing with a player since reliever Bill Risley in 1997. But the Jays have a major league-high nine players eligible this season and a team-imposed deadline of Tuesday to clear them from the books. Toronto’s timeline shrunk last year when general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the team would not negotiate after salary figures were officially submitted for arbitration. That policy is expected to continue this season.
By my calculation the team imposed deadline or "file-to-go" strategy if my memory serves correctly is on Tuesday around mid day. I predict a flurry of signings in the next 24 hours or so to keep us happy.
Lance Berkman, a career National League outfielder and first baseman with the Houston Astros, agreed to be traded last season to the New York Yankees. He knew he wouldn't play first base for the Yanks. That is property of Mark Teixeira. Berkman went to the Bronx Bombers to serve solely as DH and perhaps a game here or there at first. When New York came to town late in the regular season, Berkman -- who is 34, the same age as Young -- talked about what it's like to hit and then not trot out to your position. "At the time, I had never not played every day and I didn’t realize how much I appreciate being out there and playing defense," Berkman said. "That’s one of the byproducts of this trade is it’s made me realize I love to play defense and play it every day. I knew I liked defense, but to me the game is so much easier from a rhythm standpoint, from a timing standpoint when you know you’re going to be in there and when you get to go out there and play the field." Pretty strong words.
I thought I would include this one for all you E5 will be a great DH types out there to consider. You know who you are.
Good Lord, we need to move on. How about we try the Blue Jays. “It seems to me like they’ve got everything in place. It feels like, to me, like they’ve got it right and they shouldn’t touch it now. They feel me to like a bow and arrow, like they’re ready to launch.” Are we talking playoffs? “I’m not going to push it.”
A psychic’s look at your Toronto Blue Jays future fortunes. Yeah. Right.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Toronto Blue Jays have lost 2,709 games in franchise history. There have been more important losses, more heart-rending losses, and more memorable losses, but none of losses were quite as lamely filtered away as one that came 10,000 days ago today. After nine innings, they battled the Orioles to a 4-4 tie in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. The top of the tenth got off to a great start for the visiting Blue Jays, as Cliff Johnson led off the frame with a go-ahead homer. Jays led, 5-4. As an added bonus, Barry Bonnell followed that up with a single. Things were going great. They were about to go stupid.
A great reminder on one of the reasons why teams like to carry an extra lefty in the pen. Keeping guys close at first base late in a tight game is a weapon that far too many managers don't use nearly enough.
The Closer: Octavio Dotel He became the front-runner for the job once he signed his free agent contract, but he is far from a lock to maintain it all year long. In fact, it is arguable that he is even the best man for the job. Dotel pitched for three different teams in 2010 (Pirates, Dodgers & Rockies), compiling a 4.08 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He certainly still is a strikeout artist, posting a strikeout rate of at least 10.55 each of the past four seasons. However his fastball, which is a pitch he throws over 80% of the time, has been losing a little bit of zip in recent years:
2007 – 93.5 mph
2008 – 92.5 mph
2009 – 92.6 mph
2010 – 91.7 mph
That certainly makes you wonder if he will be able to sustain the lofty strikeout rates or if a regression could be in order. Another question is his control. He’s never posted good control numbers (career BB/9 of 4.09), but he has been even worse over the past two years with walk rates of 5.20 and 4.50. Throw in his struggles against lefties (they hit .301 against him in 2010 while his strikeout rate was just 7.66 and walk rate was 7.25) and there should be major concerns with his ability to shut down games (in the AL East he’ll have to face batters like Mark Teixeira, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez and others).
In fact, it's over 85% if you include the cutter, which clocks in at a cool 89.7 MPH. I have to think the guts of this article is bogus. It's basically saying Dotel throws a slider and a fastball. That's it. A cut fastball, regardless of the fact it has the word fastball in it, in my opinion, is another pitch altogether. It has to be thrown slower and thus moves more than a fastball.
A more appropriate statement to make regarding Dotel's velo in "recent years" would be: Since 2007 he has thrown the fastball almost 60% of the time and it comes in between 92 and 93 MPH. He mixes in a cutter and a slider.
Unfortunately all the shit about lefties is accurate.
All that said, I'm looking forward to watching him break some bats for us this year and try to remind yourself during one of the inevitable meltdowns this upcoming season that shitty bullpens do make the game of baseball more interesting.
Offenses driven behind low on-base percentages and high slugging percentages have existed throughout the history of the league (with league context being key in defining what a high slugging percentage defines). But recent seasons have led to a proliferation of these offenses. Perhaps we should take to calling them the Joe Carter offenses in honor of the Blue Jays’ legend with a slugging percentage of gold and an on-base percentage of tinfoil. I fully understand that even if the Jays returned the same lineup they would be unlikely to replicate their 2010 feats. Still, I wanted to know how the teams alongside the Jays fared in the year thereafter.
What Bautista’s season means is simple and complicated. Bautista owned 59 career home runs in more than 2,000 plate appearances entering the 2010 season. He then added 54 jacks in 683 plate appearances. A journeyman becoming the most feared batter in baseball in the blink of a winter is an unpleasant thought because history provides little comfort. Keep Bautista’s lack of a 20 home run season in mind as you read the accomplishments of the other players to hit 50-plus in a single season.
With the Toronto Blue Jays being better than expected last season, fans of the club hope that the Jays can contend in the AL East in 2011, but what should they expect in 2011 from Jose Bautista, who led the majors with a surprising 54 home runs last season? In order to help Jays' fans get a glimpse of what could be, we're collecting different projection systems' results so fans of Canada's lone MLB team can see what others are expecting the Jays to do.
Some projection systems go head to head. Interesting to note the differences.
2. Edwin Encarnacion, July 4, -.224 WPA. The Jays were playing the Yankees on Independence Day when Encarnacion came up to the plate in the tenth with runners on first and second, no one out, and the score tied at six. He bunted into the air to the third baseman and Adam Lind got thrown out at second. The Jays went on to lose in the bottom of the inning.
As a manager, it's not really fair to ask your player to do something in a game you know he can't do. In extra innings against the Yankees? That is just plane stupid.
Now, there's a new sheriff in town and his name is John Farrell. While he's a former pitcher and pitching coach by nature, he's been around the game long enough to have a strong opinion on what direction he would like his team to take at the plate. Based upon his introduction to the Toronto media and subsequent comments at the winter meetings, you Cito-bashers out there -- and I know there are more than just a handful of you -- must be enjoying the fact that the Jays will be bringing a lot more 'small ball' into the mix.
