Line Up Notes

by Tom Dakers on May 11, 2011 5:07 PM EDT in Toronto Blue Jays News

Yunel Escobar must be ok after taking the pitch in the leg yesterday, he is in the lineup tonight, leading off. Which means instead of a 1 man bench, we have a two man bench. Edwin and Molina are our spares tonight, with Mac playing third. Juan is tonight's DH and cleanup hitter.

John Farrell had a couple of other little tidbits. Apparently, in an emergency, like say when we have a couple of guys hurt tonight, Casey Janssen would be used in the outfield and if needed, Bautista would move the the infield. Pitchers generally shag flies in the outfield during batting practice. Janssen, to me, seems like the most athletic of the pitchers. It would be fun to watch him out there, if you ignored the fact that it meant we had more injuries. This lack of a bench puts a bit more pressure on the players to not do anything to get themselves ejected.

Also, Adam Lind has been hitting off a tee today and all is good and could be back in the lineup Friday. Course by then we'll have 4 other guys with minor injuries. And Jayson Nix played in an extended spring game yesterday and could be activated on the weekend. I guess we'll be saying good bye to David Cooper, which is too bad, I'd like to see him get 100 at bats, to see if we have something there. We do still have an 8 man bullpen, but then John Farrell has been using all of the guys in the pen. I'd be very sad if Janssen ends up getting sent down. If he goes down and Dotel stays with the team, it would damage my Gillette sharp confidence in our management.

Perhaps one of the half dozen guys that aren't doing much for us will be released. I kind of doubt it though. We seem to be in one of those runs where we need anyone that can wear a major league jersey, since they all seem to be made of glass.. I'm not a big fan of seeing Nix play a lot but I imagine that is what will happen. Guys with lifetime fielding averages of .900 and OPS+ of 80 are hard to get excited about.

I do like the idea of Escobar leading off and Davis hitting 9th, but having both Davis and Patterson in the outfield at the same time doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of the opposing team. I wonder if there is any chance that we'll see Eric Thames sometime, if they are determined to keep Snider in the minor for now.

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I'd hate to see a team reach a point where they have to ask a pitcher to field

But it’s nice to know that Farrell has identified a candidate to go to the outfield just in case.

Does anyone know when the last time a Blue Jays pitcher had appeared on the field in any other position other than pitcher? By the way, it would’ve been cool to see Shaun Marcum out at short at one point during his tenure in Toronto.

And it’s good to hear that Lindy is good enough to hit off a tee—which probably means he can stand up vertically, which is a definite upgrade. It’s unfortunate that Cooper has to go, but he’s not playing a really valuable defensive position.

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 5:21 PM EDT reply actions

I don't know if it is the last time

but Dave Stieb played an inning in LF in 1980. I think he was drafted as an OF/P

by Tom Dakers on May 11, 2011 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I remember and interview with Stieb

where he said he was drafted as and OF….I think he was converted while in the minors

by IanJ on May 11, 2011 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

OK dragging this off topic but....

Actually Stieb was drafted as an outfielder (at least on official record) in the June 1978 draft, because he actually had never pitched in competition until the spring of that year! Not haven’t pitched since Little League—never ever.

When legendary Blue Jays scouts Bobby Mattick and Al LaMacchia went to see Stieb, the outfielder, play in college, they actually were about to write him off because he had a bad swing. But something happened to the pitchers that day and Stieb was called to be an emergency pitcher that game and wowed Mattick and LaMacchia so much they picked him in the 1st round, 2nd overall., after all of 17.3 innings pitched in his LIFE. By June 29, 1979, he made his ML debut as a starter for the Jays. And by the time he finished his brief 2nd stint with the Jays in 1998, he had accumulated 53.0 WAR in his career.

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s some incredible scouting and incredible luck.

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct."
- Niels Bohr

by Frag on May 11, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

some might say

they’re almost one and the same ;)

by benk on May 11, 2011 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Indeed. ;)

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct."
- Niels Bohr

by Frag on May 11, 2011 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions

err 17.2 IP

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Btw, wasn't Stieb picked in the 5th round that year?

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct."
- Niels Bohr

by Frag on May 11, 2011 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions

He was picked 2nd in the 5th round

Damn my inflating his legend!

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't worry

Cal Ripken Jr. was picked in the 2nd round of that draft…

"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct."
- Niels Bohr

by Frag on May 11, 2011 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions

ugh

I can’t believe Ricciardi passed him over.

by benk on May 11, 2011 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions

to be fair, he was only 21 at the time.

by Tom Dakers on May 11, 2011 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions

After combing through team historical fielding records at BR

The conclusion is that YES, Dave Steib was the last pitcher who appeared defensively in a non-pitcher position. And that was on August 28, 1980.

Of course, after doing all the manual research, I found that it had already been done. Reminds me of what happened to me as a grad student.

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions

It's ths journey that matters

In my search I did find something interesting: In 1986, Kelly Gruber actually played 6 defensive positions: 3B-2B-RF-SS-LF-CF-DH.

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Dang on my 2nd birthday. That’s cool.

by hrv2010 on May 11, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions

That game that Steib appeared in left field,

Was the completion of the game that was suspended the previous day. I might be wrong, but I believe he filled in because Otto Velez got involved in a car accident on the way to the game. They had already used up their bench I think.

by Alan F. on May 12, 2011 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Glad Yunel is ok

Seems like players only get hurt soon as they start to turn the corner, and Yunel has had back-to-back-to-back pretty good games.

Now if we could get Nix back, Lind back, Hill back (I don’t know who’s playing 2nd, but that guy sucks), have Edwin DH full time, putting Mac back on the bench, the lineup looks alot better.

by craig in calgary on May 11, 2011 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

wait till you get Moonraker back swinging the way we know Moonraker can

by PFHLai on May 11, 2011 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh and also, Wilner tweeted that Farrell said that JPA will get more catching time, but Morrow will stay under Molina’s personal care. Farrell also said that Scrabble is “on a steady pace to become one of better lefthanded relievers in the game”, which means that hopes of him returning to the rotation have been dashed.

by Minor Leaguer on May 11, 2011 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

I guess that figures with scrabble, given the crazy good success he's had in the role.

And with that success it’s hard to get too upset over them giving up on him as a starter, although I really wish they hadn’t, especially considering that they’re trotting Jo-Jo Reyes out there instead, Even though Jo-Jo is probably just keeping the spot warm for Cecil at this point.

by Spitballer on May 11, 2011 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions