Thursday Morning Bantering: Links
by Tom Dakers on May 20, 2010 10:51 AM EDT
in Toronto Blue Jays News
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PrintLate night wins make the next morning feel so much better. Let's have a few links to kill the hours before Ricky Romero takes the mound this afternoon.
- I'd imagine most of you have seen the stories about how Randy Ruiz ended up going to Japan. If you haven't here is one from Erika Gilbert in the National Post. I'm not sure how 'set for life' he is, I can't imagine he'll be getting huge money, by baseball standards, but it is good to see him make out ok after all those years in the minors. Don't count me as one of those people that think he got screwed by the Jays. He got a chance to play in the majors from the Jays, which got him the contract in Japan. I hope he does great.
- I started to write about this 'If the Jays Become Buyers' post on MLB Trade Rumors twice yesterday, but Hugo had a great post in the morning on the up coming draft and when I started on it again, in the afternoon, the news about Ruiz came out. I really can't imagine the Jays trading for a 'veteran' starter, we have 3 guys coming off the DL in the next little bit. I do think that, if the Jays stay in the race, we will start cursing the Roy Halladay trade. Can you imagine Doc, Romero and Marcum at the top of our rotation, the way each is throwing right now?
- I can see a trade for a rental type first baseman, if the Jays insist on Brett Wallace stay in the minors and if Lyle Overbay doesn't start hitting. But, as the Southpaw notes (among other things), Lyle is hitting .346/.393/.731 over his last 7 games. Maybe he has found his stroke.
- John Shandler, in the Post, talks about our pitching depth. I'm linking to it less for the story and more for the terrible picture of Brandon Morrow they use at the top of it. Couldn't they have found one that was maybe a little more manly?
- Over at his blog, Rob Neyer answers the 'Are the Jays really this good?' question with a no. Have I mentioned how much I hate the folks that figured we would be just awful telling us, now that we have shown not to be near as bad as they thought, that it doesn't count because we haven't played the Yankees? Yes, I know the ESPN world revolves around the two suns of the Yankees and Red Sox, but couldn't, just occasionally, they give a friggin' rest.
- You want Alex Anthopoulos to go after another Cuban? Yunesky Maya is 'unblocked'. Yes the Yankees are interested and yes if they don't sign him we'll be told he wasn't any good anyway. 28 and likely major league ready and he says he wouldn't be against being in the bullpen.
- Speaking of the Yankees Jorge Posada is out for a month with a fracture in his foot.
- Beyond the Boxscore's Power Rankings are out. We are number 6 again, after dropping to 10th last week and still the Mets lost.
- Angel Pagan, in last night's Mets game, hit an inside the park home run and started a triple play and still the Mets lost to the Nationals.
- Want to see the world's ugliest mascots?
See you in the Game Thread.
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Re: Rob Neyer's blog post
Brett Cecil feeds too many gophers
What in the hell does that mean?
Happiness is a long walk with a putter in your hand.
by craig in calgary on May 20, 2010 11:10 AM EDT reply actions
he gives up home runs?
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
I wish...
1) that “experts” could stop being negative about the Jays just to show how smart they are. We are not idiots we know there are issues with the team. This is why AA is building a new team for us fans.
2) that the Post had picked a different picture of Brandon Morrow
I too would like to know which gophers Cecil is feeding and why the lazy grounds crews can;t be bother to remove them.
Everyone in ESPNville wants a Sox/Yankees AL Championship obviously
I think with the Rays’ rediculous pitching staff, they are going to run away with the East. Sox and Yankees are just so old and are constantly hurt. I’m sure the Yankees will continue to throw money at the problem and sign a guy like Jermaine Dye but there is a reason why he isn’t playing right now. I’m not saying the Jays will finish above the Sox or Yanks, but it isn’t THAT unfathomable.
Happiness is a long walk with a putter in your hand.
by craig in calgary on May 20, 2010 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Neyer
To be honest, I don’t find it all that far off.
What really can you disagree with?
He mentions bizarre anomalies, referencing Buck, A-Gon and Jo-Bau hitting above expectations, and Lind, Hill and Overbay below. I don’t necessarily disagree with him on any of those points. Snider about what he expected (no disagreement there). And he thinks Wells will slow down. I’d say that’s likely too.
Then, he says the Jays are 10th in OBP, but 2nd in scoring. That to me (and Neyer) suggests a market correction is coming (although I suppose it is possible that the Jays get luckier than normal this year…goodness knows we’re overdue for that).
Then he says (basically) Romero/Marcum sustainable, the rest of the rotation are question marks. Again, I don’t really disagree with that.
Finally:
I wish I had better news, Regan. But I just don’t see these Jays as better than a .500 team, and I think they’re probably more likely to finish below than above.
I can’t say I disagree at all. And to his credit, he doesn’t reference the schedule, which, to be perfectly fair, has seemed to me to be easier than it could have been so far.
Again, not hoping that he’s right, but I don’t think he’s necessarily completely out to lunch either.
Gotta play 'em, might as well win 'em.
sure, but a .500 team is still a substantial upward revision
from the estimates experts were giving before the season. Even some of the “realist” and “clear-eyed” Jays “fans” on this site were warning us not to get our hopes up for more than 70 so wins.
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
Good point re: expert estimates
That said, I’m as big a Jays fan as anyone (at least, I think I am) and I wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Jays end up in the 70-72 wins bracket by the time all is said and done (I think I projected them in the 75ish range…can’t remember exactly).
It’s still the same team, fortunately enough guys are having good starts to the year at the same time.
.500 in my books, would be a successful season and lots of reason for optimism going forward.
Gotta play 'em, might as well win 'em.
I agree
and I had them in the high 70s somewhere, so a low 70s win season wouldn’t shock me either (though after this fine start it would disappoint me)
"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman
I had 75-80, but frankly, I’ve been forced to revise it. The depth and quality of the pitching staff isn’t a fluke, and barring an arm falling off, I think the Jays will be right around .500. The bats will go quiet at some point, and fatigue will hurt the starters, but if you look at the approach the rotation has going into each game, it is very advanced for so young a group.
So if the rotation remains roughly similar all the way through, I’d be surprised of a low 70s record.
I'll take the "Glass half full" approach.
Jays are, what, 8 games over .500 and the best record in May?
All this with essentially little to no contribution from Lind, Hill and Overbay. Assuming that Hill and Lind pick up to the same level they did last year and the JoBau/Gonzo/Bucks regress, we are replacing production with production.
It’s not like EVERYONE is playing over their heads, how many games did Hill and Lind single handedly win us last year? Add to this, hopefully Snider continues where he left off when he returns, I can’t see why maintining this level of play is so hard to understand.
If the Yankees were in the same situation, but getting most of their production from “lesserlikes” of Gardiner, Cano and oh I don’t know Swisher but their two big bats Tex and Arod were struggling, everyone would say “Wait till Tex and Arod get going”, but no mention of Gardiner, Cano and Swisher of regressing. (Actually, that was supposed to be a hypothetical situation, but not far from the truth)
Happiness is a long walk with a putter in your hand.
by craig in calgary on May 20, 2010 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Its not about disagreeing with what he said
I don’t anyone who follows the jays closely would. And I guess neyer was asked directly this time so it wasn’t his fault he had to say it.
I just get tired of the experts needing to bring down the Jays before it even happens.
Example: Vernon Wells blasts the rangers to start the year, first article on espn about it; “if Vernon Wells is on your fantasy team sell, sell, sell.”
Most every Jay’s fan is aware that it is statistically unlikely that the current trends continue but we were warned there would be little to cheer about this season.
Now that we have something to cheer about I want to be happy while it lasts without someone standing over my shoulder ready to bash me with the “Reality-bat”.
Good point
Perhaps I am a bit in the realism camp right now after spending the last couple days trying to explain why Jose Bautista is not going to win the triple crown this year.
I kid, zeus, I kid.
Gotta play 'em, might as well win 'em.
Good thing i traded Brad Lidge for Vernon Wells on my fantasy team
and now Lidge is on the DL again i think.
Onions Baby Onions
Tallet getting the start tonight for the Dunedin Jays?
where does he fit in once he’s back up to speed? Bullpen? If he and Litsch are soon ready, where does that leave Eveland and one of Roenicke or Rommie Lewis?
I assume
You answered the question in the question.
Tallet for Lewis, Litsch for Eveland. Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see Litsch at AAA for a while until an injury or reason arises to remove someone.
Gotta play 'em, might as well win 'em.
but what do you do with Eveland?
I believe he’s out of options. It’d be pretty surprising to me if he cleared waivers. Should AA try to flip him for a PTBNL, cash, or something else if possible?
I would think
1) Eveland has shown enough that he can help the back end of someone’s rotation
2) that many teams need help in their rotation
and this means if you have to part ways with him you got to get something in return.
Well guys if you want to really listen to what all the analysts say then well technically the worst team in baseball beat the best lat night.. Basically the jays being the worst and mariners being the best as was originally predicted at the start of the season. LOL let these guys just talk away, the jays have already proved a lot of people wrong. Hopefully they will keep doing that. I know its early and this sort of thing happens all the time with the hot starts where they cool off, but after 17 years you gotta figure it just has to click once at least
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