Wednesday Bantering: Happy Birthday Brett Lawrie
by Tom Dakers on Jan 18, 2012 12:16 PM EST
in Toronto Blue Jays Analysis
Email
Print
It's everybody's favorite Canadian, third baseman's birthday. No not Mark Teahen. Brett Lawrie turns 22 today! Happy Birthday Brett.
22 and getting ready to go to spring training, with a spot on a major league roster. Life must be good.
If you are wondering about SOPA and SB Nation, here is the 'official position'. No we aren't shutting down for a day or anything like that. I'll admit, I'm just a dumb blogger and don't understand it all, but it seems like a mess to me. It isn't clear what will happen if it passes. I understand the point of it,and you would be surprised at how many times articles have been straight copied from our site and put on another site, with the only change being the 'author's name', but this seems to be over reaching.
The Rangers and Yu Darvish contract talks are going right up to the deadline. I think they'll get it done but, if not, I think the Rangers will sign Prince Fielder within a week or so, to make up for it. If I was them, I'd rather have Prince.
I listened to Mike Wilner on talking to Jeff Blair on the radio this morning, Blair is still on the 'Jays need a veteran starter kick. What I really don't get is why he is fixating on Javy Vazquez? Do we really want to give starts to someone that won't be around in the future? I'd much rather see what Dustin McGowan can do than to see if Vazquez can go for another year. We are out of options on McGowan, so we really ought to use him.
Is there a veteran starter, available, that you would like to see Alex pick up? Or are you happy going into the season with the starters we have?
The Southpaw brings up a favorite Jay prospect from the past, Scott Campbell. It makes me wonder where Scott will be playing this year. Will he still be somewhere in the Jays organization? He was so close to the majors a couple of years ago and now it doesn't seem like there is a chance that he'll make it, after missing two years with a hip injury.
144 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Starters
Happy going into the season with the starters we have? Not really. But I agree with AA. No point in picking up a middle-of-the-rotation starter — give those starts to the pitchers we have. I would have liked picking up a top-of-the-rotation starter who would be here for a few years (e.g. Latos), but, failing that, let’s throw McGowan, Cecil, etc. out there. Regardless, they won’t be as bad as Jo-Jo Reyes.
I don't really think that most of the starters still available
are likely to be better than the back-of-the-rotation guys that we have now. The only “veteran” SP I would be happy getting is Edwin Jackson – he’s young enough that he could be around and still good for several years if he could be gotten for 3 years or so on the relatively cheap (3/35 or something like that?).
Otherwise, I look at guys like Harden, Jeff Francis, Vazquez or whoever and see basically 2WAR pitchers (if they stay healthy/don’t crap the bed). Seems to me that’s basically what we can expect from whoever of Cecil, Drabek, McGowan, etc, make the rotation but the young guys have more upside and figure to fit into the future. I don’t buy the “veteran mentor” theory for a second, I think that’s the job of the coaches.
I’d love the Jays to add another top notch starter, I just don’t see any such pitcher available right now on the FA market, outside of Jackson.
Boo, I wanted to talk about SOPA
I love copyright laws, although they are always poorly constructed and are usually outdated.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
There is only 1 "n" in Hutchison
Its funny
Because I usually think the same thing about the American Constitution. Outdated, yet lawyers argue it verbatim.
@VagabondBansal
Constitutions are important, they protect the average citizen from broad, overreaching laws
Constitutions protect key rights and since they aren’t easily amended, legislators can’t monkey with them too much. The U.S. constitution isn’t bad, except for the 2nd amendment, that one makes no sense today.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
There is only 1 "n" in Hutchison
Except in Hungary
Brief overview here.
A tragic farce of story about what can happen when a consitution is too easy to amend.
That is precisely why they are supposed to be hard to amend
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
There is only 1 "n" in Hutchison
they are too late with this sutting down for a day crap
sopas pretty much dead, obama said he would never approve it, and the guy who made the bill says he is killing it
http://www.examiner.com/computers-in-denver/house-kills-sopa#ixzz1jdx72suF
Give me back my Wikipedia!!!!!!!!!
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 1:03 PM EST up reply actions
well it had steam
but the steam has died with all the online bills and stuff.
But as soon as obama said he’d kill it, it was over
that was so last week
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
Not quite true
Obama can veto, but a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and House can override. There are a lot of powerful interests behind PIPA and SOPA, and if a bipartisan majority had developed around it, Obama’s veto wouldn’t have meant anything.
Sounds like Democrats in general ppose it now though, so with the veto, it would be effectively dead.
u know there are many ways to use wiki today....
search whatever u want go to the page as soon as u see it load click the escape key and the blackout page wont pop up….been using it all day :)
It’s not dead, they just removed one of the more egregious provisions that would undermine the fundamental, technical backend of the Internet. The more abstract freedom-of-speech issues are still relevant and worth talking about.
You can read Wikipedia by hitting ESC before the blackout screen loads, or by disabling Javascript in your browser.
"Captain Picard Day is for the children." : Captain Picard
"Wu-Tang is for the children." : ODB
Its dead
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 1:13 PM EST up reply actions
I commend your optimism.
"Captain Picard Day is for the children." : Captain Picard
"Wu-Tang is for the children." : ODB
SOPA isn't that dead
So, no, it’s not too late. Plus, there’s still PIPA.
"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
Sorry, unauthorized hotlinking of copyrighted material not permitted.
they did the same thing with UBB here in canada
that still hasn’t come back to the table.
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 1:14 PM EST up reply actions
I get not all of it was said to be scratched
and there’s always a chance it can pass, but its very neary dead.
i guess one day without some sites is ok =(
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 1:20 PM EST up reply actions
and if they provide entertainment while doing it thats even better
http://theoatmeal.com/sopa
Kinda NSFW, has a part or two with cartoon animals humping
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 1:22 PM EST up reply actions
Typical business technique
SOPA appears like its dying down, the public backs down, and BAM it gets passed.
It ain’t over till its over.
Can we start the Gose watch yet?
Reminds me of the necromorphs in Dead Space...
Need a new signature? Why not Zoidberg?
by dannyofbosnia on Jan 18, 2012 4:37 PM EST up reply actions
At one point in the off-season I was all for signing a one-year deal for a starter
and pushing Cecil into the pen. I now think that I would rather go into next season with what we have, starting out with Romero, Morrow, Alvarez, Cecil, and McGowan, with Villaneuva, Lisch, Perez, and Hoey as back-up in case of injuries in the first 2 months, and then Drabek, Hutch, Carreno, McGuire, and Jenkins as backup after that, depending on their development.
Basically, no need for a stop-gap that is firmly entrenched in the rotation as we already have enough of a stop-gap in case there is an injury. I mean, if they were to pick up a better starter than any of the top 5 with a few years of control and a team friendly deal (whether it be the trade chips and /or salary), then go for it.
Happy Birthday Brett Lawrie!
"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
Sorry, unauthorized hotlinking of copyrighted material not permitted.
Roy Oswalt
If we could get him cheap on a one-year deal. I think he would have a calming effect on Kyle Drabek and some of the other young pitchers, especially in Spring Training.
if we sign Oswalt
there will be even less of a chance of Drabek making the rotation than there is now. right now (going on AA’s comments) Drabek is our 6th starter. an Oswalt signing pushes him to 7th
Oswalt
I don’t see that being a problem. Oswalt can slot in at #3 in the rotation, leaving Drabek to battle McGowan, Cecil, and Alverez for the remaining two spots. If he’s really the prospect we hope he is, he should be able to compete with those players. If he can’t out pitch them, he doesn’t belong in the majors.
but that wasn't Gme23's point
his point was signing Oswalt should make Drabek better. I said that’s not a good reason to do so, beacuse it makes it highly unlikely Drabek will make the team (he’ll have to be the best player out of him, Cecil, and McGowan, plus McGowan has no options and Drabek does).
Alvarez is a prohibitive favourite for the rotation. he was very good in a third of a season in 2011. he’ll really have to crap the bed in Spring Training to not deserve a spot
Is there a veteran starter, available, that you would like to see Alex pick up?
Oswalt. That’s pretty much it at this point. Everyone else will want more term or dollars or term and dollars then I’d like to see the team dole out (or cost too much in trade).
no need for Oswalt
he’s too fragile and will only be around for a year. I’d be ok with Jackson, though, if Boras will drop his asking price
I agree I'd want Oswalt
I know he’d push Drabek back, but itll be good for him. If Oswalt is good, he good be very valuable at the trade deadline, or we may even be able to get draft picks for him in the offseason.
I don't really see the point
if McGowan, Drabek, or Cecil are good, they’ll be even more valuable than Oswalt because of their team control. I’d rather give the innings to a young guy to see what we have. Oswalt isn’t going to be part of our core, I don’t really think trading innings +cash for potential asset returns (I don’t see them being very significant) is the best use of those innings and cash
by benk on Jan 18, 2012 2:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. Would Oswalt lead to more wins in 2012? Probably. Would he lead to more wins in 2013? Absolutely not — he wouldn’t be part of the club. And his presence in 2012 would hold back the young arms that could contribute in 2013. Oswalt? No thanks.
Agreed. Would Oswalt lead to more wins in 2012? Probably.
That’s a good thing.
Would he lead to more wins in 2013? Absolutely not — he wouldn’t be part of the club.
But if the Jays are out of it at the deadline then presumably he’d be traded for something that could lead to more wins in 2013 (or beyond) and if we’re not out of it at the deadline then wouldn’t you rather have him around? I’m pretty sure the Sox don’t regret picking up Beltre for that year.
his presence in 2012 would hold back the young arms that could contribute in 2013.
… and maybe that’s not a bad thing. Maybe the young arm he holds back could use extra time in the minors, or would benefit from spending some time in the pen, or doesn’t miss much time at all due to injuries or other variables. Ultimately, I don’t see a younger player having to wait a few extra months to play in the bigs as that bad of a thing… it’s not like they’ll be sitting at home, they’ll be working on their game in one place or another.
I have a hard time thinking that getting a better player then what you currently have is a bad thing.
I agree
And just one addition to the second point – we could also get draft pick compensation if he has a good year, or a 1 year deal at $12-13M, which would be a bargain if he had a good year.
I still don;t see it happening, but I’d be quite happy if it did
What if
In a purely hypothetical situation, Oswalt is pitching well and two of McGowan/Cecil/Drabek/Alvarez are pitching decent (or better) and someone like Hutch is knocking on the door mid-season? Or in other words, pitching well enough so that he could start in the Majors if there was no Oswalt and it would be justifiable to replace the 5th pitcher with him? That could still happen with Oswalt, but the chances are obviously a lot more slim.
Selfishly, I really want to see our young guys pitch and that makes me not want Oswalt.
Sure
But it’s far more likely that with injuries, underperformance, etc that we end up needed more quality innings. Keepin mind that last season, Jo Jo Reyes, Carlos Villaneuva, Luis Perez, Jesse Litsch and Brad Mills combined for 49 starts, or roughly 1.5 rotation sports thoughout the year.
Hutchison just made it to AA. I’m not worried about him knocking so hard on the door that a few more starts in AA will hurt him. McGowan is, at best a huge question mark. Cecil and Drabek, we’re counting on a bouncebacks which are no guarantees. Which is a long way of saying, these are not reasons not to sign Oswalt on a 1 year deal (if he was willing to come, etc etc)
Fair enough
I’m not doubting there will be injuries (perhaps even to Oswalt, which would make most of what I said moot) or that Oswalt would add more wins to this team. I just wouldn’t want any of the young guys to be robbed of quality innings in a year where winning matters less (in a certain sense, not saying it doesn’t matter), just so that the W-L looks nicer at the end of the year. The fact that its a one-year, let me build me build my value back up deal is primarily what makes me say this. Although now that I think about it there is good sense in using that 1 year contract to bridge the gap from this season to the next season when a lot of our pitching prospects would be further along in their development
Obviously I say this with my heart and not my head. Maybe I’m just that prepared for another average season and bought into the whole “watching the young guys is still fun” aspect
The other thing is
It’s not just about making the W-L looks better (which I would argue is an end in and of itself), but it’s about potentially getting assets out of it
Here's the real problem
If Oswalt wants to build his value back up, the Jays are not a good fit for him. They play in the Rogers Centre, which is more hitter friendly than pitcher friendly. Additionally, the Jays play in the same division as two of the top offenses in MLB.
How’s that any different then if Oswalt wasn’t here? He’d be bumping another young arm out either way.
I’d tell him to be patient because…
A: September isn’t to far away,
B: Injuries happen,
C: If we’re out of contention at the deadline then spots might open up,
D: If McGowen makes the team we’re probably shutting him down early because we need to rebuild and be careful with his inning limits.
by Parallex on Jan 18, 2012 5:25 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Starting rotations are always shakey. Alverez could pitch himself back to AAA by May. Drabek could easily roll into the season with more BBs than Ks. That happens, and suddenly you have to take a serious look at bringing up Laffey for a couple of starts.
Oswalt is a fairly dependable middle of the rotation starter. If the Jays start hot, he could help anchor a contending rotation. If they’re out by the ASG, unless he blows up or is injured, he’s a piece that a team making a run could use. The Jays have a lot of very good, but very young arms. Extra seasoning and experience can’t hurt them.
And I hate to use the old intangible argument, but there is value in the younger pitchers having a guy who’s not only been around the block a few times and into the postseason to talk to, but someone who’s done it with success. Oswalt’s been an ace in his career, and if he’s still able to contribute on the field as a mid-rotation starter, there’s side benefits to having him.
"Extra seasoning and experience can’t hurt them"
which means, in all likelihood, they need MLB innings.
but really, it’s a one-year deal. it’s not a franchise-changing signing.
And when the Jays are out of it and Oswalt’s already been flipped for a prospect, they can get them. I think Drabek doesn’t need MLB innings as much as he needs to work on control. I don’t care if he has an ERA of 10 in AAA so long as he figures out how to throw strikes consistantly.
I think of it this way; the minor leagues is about refining your ability to pitch. The MLB is about learning how to harness it to win. Because how often do we see guys with all the talent in the world come up and after a brief honeymoon, end up getting shelled. Or guys with mediocre stuff come up and make fine careers because they figured out how to apply it to do well enough to stick.
I think that's overly simplistic
I know this is an apples to oranges comparison, but Snider has never had any sort of a problem dealing with AAA pitching. he absolutely destroyed AAA from 19-22. I don’t think one can make a case that he had something to learn in the Minors. but he “didn’t know how to harness it to win”? I just can’t agree with that
Yeah, your comparison is apples to oranges to the point of being an irrelevent one. What Snider needs to do is figure out how to handle big league pitching. He can’t do that in AAA.
Drabek isn’t Snider. He didn’t destroy everything the Minor Leagues had to throw at him and force a promotion. His problem isn’t just ’can’t figure out big league hitting’. His problem is ’can’t throw strikes consistantly’, which doesn’t need big league hitters mashing him for 100 innings to learn.
okay
but McGowan can’t be sent down without clearing waivers, and Cecil already has a league-average season under his belt, so I don’t think he has much to learn in the Minors either. I’m assuming Alvarez is a virtual lock for the rotation; I think he earned it
So you put Cecil in the bullpen and then you don’t need to stretch out Villanuava in case injury or a crappy spring happens. As I said, starting rotations are always shakey. And when you have a rotation that is either really young, the likelihood is that someone is going to get beaten up.
I mean, seriously, if the argument against signing Oswalt is that he’ll potentially take innings away from a guy whose pitched 63 innings of major league baseball, a guy who’s pitched 23 innings in the last three years combined, and a guy who also has awful season under his belt, I don’t find it all that credible. Any one of these guys is very easily blow up this spring, and then you’re hoping Drabek’s got it together or that Villanuava is stretched out. Because if not, we all might get to see Laffey make a few starts against one of the best offenses in the game.
My rule of thumb is, as you might say, overly simplistic. You can never have too much starting pitching. And if you’ve got a chance to add a solid middle of the rotation guy and all he costs you is reasonable money for little risk and who represents a more likely upgrade, it’s a deal worth making.
And don’t get me wrong. I think Cecil will have a nice bounceback year this year. If McGowan can pull it together, he’s a potential ace, and Alverez has some pretty sweet stuff. But these guys are a combination of inexperience, injury and a rogue blender away from being trusted as a reliable starting pitcher. They are all ‘ifs’ that they can help you. Oswalt is an ‘if’ that he can’t. Which bet would you take?
meh, I guess I could get behind your point of view
really, it’s only something i could maybe be upset about in hindsight – if Oswalt is bad but we have to give him the innings because we gave him the contract. I don’t think that’s highly likely, so that’s pretty much the low-probability downside.
alright, sign him. or don’t, it doesn’t really make that much of a difference (just use the cash on someone else)
we all might get to see Laffey make a few starts against one of the best offenses in the game.
I’m already dreading the thought
[I]f you’ve got a chance to add a solid middle of the rotation guy and all he costs you is reasonable money for little risk and who represents a more likely upgrade, it’s a deal worth making.
Agree wholeheartedly, and that’s before the chance to potentially get an asset out of him
…and a rogue blender away from being trusted as a reliable starting pitcher.
That cracked me up
Do you guys think Snider/Thames can co-exist?
Ideally Snider becoming the everyday LF with Thames off the bench/DH duties.
Or would it better to trade the one who doesn’t win the spot (Altho id much rather keep Snider than Thames. But, Thames is starting to grow on me).
I am the one who knocks.
I don't think Thames' bat is good enough for DH
I don’t think he’s likely to be worth more than about a win at DH. but if Thames can improve his defense he could be a pretty good corner OF (and if Snider’s bat becomes what we all thought it would, he could too – remember he’s already had an average MLB season over about 300 PAs).
basically, if we have a better option at DH, Thames’ value to the Jays is probably highest in trade
Ahhh, the Snider/Thames question. One of the most interesting subjects of this coming spring training. I understand why long-time Jays fans still think that Snider is the better option. But I can’t get last year, in which Snider absolutely sucked, out of my head. I honestly don’t know how this is going to play out. It’s not obvious at all to me that one or the other is the better option. Clearly the Jays will have to wait at least half the season, if not the entire season, to decide.
FWIW
From John Sickels’ All Questions Answered Thread today:
Q: Travis Snider/Eric Thames Who wins the Jays starting LF spot?
A: thames with snider traded somewhere
He said earlier in that thread
Snider
He REALLY needs a change of scenery if you ask me.
That said, it is too early to give up on him. Remember Alex Gordon
So who knows…that seems to somewhat contradict the second thought. I’d be alright with trading Snider, if we got someone like Snider back…a highl thought of prospect who’s fallen…mabe like Gordon Beckham, or Justin Smoak
Why does Snider need to be traded at all?
Snider and Thames are both young and have an option left. Whoever loses the LF battle goes to AAA and is insurance in case the LF “winner” stumbles or one of the other outfielders gets hurt (or EE at DH).
This is not an issue.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
There is only 1 "n" in Hutchison
I didn't say he needed to be traded
Sickels is arguing for a trade, but as somewhat who is asking the question about what is in the player’s best interest to succeed, not the team perspective of maximzing value.
I would okay trading him, if he got a similar type player back, at a position where there was less depth..like a Justin Smoak, and then you rotate Lind/EE/Smoak thru 1B/DH
I think its a good thing to have both of them this year. Depending on Gose’s progress this year in AAA he might be making a run for a roster spot next year which would leave only LF open in the outfield. This year we get to see what Snider, Thames, Rasmus, Encarnacion and Lind can do this year because all of them won’t be back next year. The Jays at least have some flexibility if Encarnacion say has a bad year, or if Rasmus can’t put it together, etc.
Isn't Snider out of options?
Or close to being out of options? I would not want to trade Snider, it seems like it would be an epic sell low. Thames has been decent, but its not like he’s burst onto the scene and been amazing enough for us to be ok with trading Snider. At least not for me.
He's got one left
After next season, the Jays might have a tough decision to make on Snider. All depends on what he does this year.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
There is only 1 "n" in Hutchison
Talking about Snider
always ends up with me taping a picture of Cito to my dart-board. I think he killed the kids confidence in 2010.
yeah admitedly he spent time on the DL
he also rode the bench a lot when he was producing, because Cito wanted Lewis leading off.
And while Lewis had a good month at first
(while Snider was on the DL), he was awful for most of the time after that, including when Snider was back up
I think steam actually came out of my ears
when Snider finally started to get playing time, and Lewis went crying to the newspapers.
Also liked what he said earlier on there about some B+ arms
Paxton>Syndergaard>Nicolino>Biddle>Molina
Interesting, given that he had Molina higher than both those Jays AND Marisnick back in December.
Hardly anybody gets As to be fair
D’Arnaud is only a B+ too. Granted for most of those guys I’m sure he said the phrase “borderline A-” at least once.
I think he's (rightfully) backed of Molina a little bit
He was really aggressive with him when he came out with that list, and the industry consensus was definitely lower. That looks more correct than slotting him right below Paxton
Yeah he said he backed off because the White Sox wanted hiim so badly
It was a joke, but yeah he has backed off. We loved him here, but not even we thought he was that good.
by T_Mizz on Jan 18, 2012 4:32 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I wish he would have answered Frag's question
ABout his preferred Blue Jay sleepers, but it appears he skipped it
I saw that and was thinking about it
I think that’s a tuffy. The Jays system has so many great prospects and is so good and deep that it’s been looked at in such depth that it’d be hard to think of a sleeper in the sense that everyone else missed out on him.
So, with that in mind, my sleeper would have to be Crouse or McDade, who both could be fantastic prospects with a good showing next year, granted that they only do that if they learn to hit.
by T_Mizz on Jan 18, 2012 4:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
He answered it
Many candidates
Take a look at Tom Robson, Canadian high school pitcher drafted this year. Quite polished, decent stuff.
"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
Sorry, unauthorized hotlinking of copyrighted material not permitted.
Isn't that the definition of a sleeper though
someone who’s not highly though of
His 2011 wRC+ is 26
Not sure what you mean
My point was, it speaks to the depth of our system. I’m not saying he’s not a sleeper
Robson was gone well beneath the radar, but in other systems, it’s possible he’d have cracked the end of a top 20 (a weak system).
Me: Jays sleepers
In your opinion, who is the Jays’ biggest sleeper prospect?
John: Many candidates
Take a look at Tom Robson, Canadian high school pitcher drafted this year. Quite polished, decent stuff.
"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
Sorry, unauthorized hotlinking of copyrighted material not permitted.
Was a big fan of Scott Campbell's.
Hopefully he figures it out again.
Saw on yahoo Rangers and Darvish have a deal
apparently 6 years, 60 million…..if thats true….I’d say thats pretty good……
All depends on the talent evaluation
He basically has to be a 4 WAR starter for this to make sense. It’s a high bar to clear, and a lot of money to wager, but it’s not often you can add a 25 year old with his potential
Such as?
They’ll either win big or lose fairly big. I’m not saying I’d want to do it, but with the team they have, they’re in a position to replace a frontline starter
I mean really
I think he has a chance to be better than pitchers like Edwin Jackson or whatever, but how much better? At the very best 2 wins? Jackson will cost something in the neighbourhood of 4/$50M (I doubt he’ll get the 5/60 he’s looking for). Is it worth risking ~$50M for the chance to be a win, at best 2 wins better? Not to mention there’s a chance he could be worse than someone like Jackson.
His 2011 wRC+ is 26
And I know you (or someone else, I don't remember) did a more extensive research on this topic
I just find it hard to see this deal working out well for the Rangers.
His 2011 wRC+ is 26
I'm sympathetic to this
But there’s one big difference – Darvish is 25 and Jackson is 28, and in terms of what we know about aging curves for pitchers that’s huge. And we also know Jackson relies on a pitch mix which has been correlated with pitching injuries
Another question – could they have used that $50M towards someone like Prince??
Not sure if it is this simple, but wouldn’t a 2 year contract for someone like Oswalt coupled with 6/150 for Prince make more sense?
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.
All depends on your talent evaluations
We have a decent idea of Prince, Jackson and Oswalt, but no idea really about Darvish. Texas is trusting they’ve made a solid evaluation that’s really going to pay off
the actual guaranteed contract is apparently 5/56, with an opt-out before the 6th year
His 2011 wRC+ is 26
But it's a player opt-out
So from the team perspective, it should be treated as guaranteed, since the player will only opt-out if it’s in his interests (on other words, the team is on the hook for it, unless a decision is taken over which thy have no control)
My last word on Yu Darvish:
This summer, if Yu starts against the Jays at Roger Centre and the dome sells out, with a large percentage of the crowd being made up of Persian and Asian noobs, someone’s going to be very upset!
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 18, 2012 6:15 PM EST reply actions
new to baseball?
only reason they would be there is to see Darvish in TFSML’s hypothetical situation.
by Nadia on Jan 18, 2012 6:21 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I can't speak for Persians
but Asians are pretty big on baseball in general. Maybe not MLB specifically, but NPB, KBO is pretty huge
His 2011 wRC+ is 26
If they like baseball
I’m assuming they already come to games at the RC. But I guess you can be a Japanese baseball fan but not a fan of MLB. Dunno.
I’ll let TFSML explain himself, haha.
by Nadia on Jan 18, 2012 6:27 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
From the way I read it
He wasn’t implying that all Persian and Asian fans are noobs. He was implying that he’d be upset if Persian and Asian noobs were the ones that filled the Dome. I can’t believe I typed Persian and asian noobs 3 times in a post to explain.
@VagabondBansal
by Vagabond13 on Jan 18, 2012 6:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
noobs!
Do people actually call people that?
by Nadia on Jan 18, 2012 6:46 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You're a n00b and so is Pikachu
Deal with it.
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 18, 2012 6:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You're an internet badass.
or as JP would say #keyboardwarrior
No not this.
I meant the Jays would be missing out on an opportunity to get new fans. That’s all I was trying to say.
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 18, 2012 6:55 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Trying to imply that Darvish would bring no baseball fans in
simply because of his background hence they are noobs.
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 18, 2012 6:46 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
*new fans
I’m a n00b
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 18, 2012 6:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Yes this.
New fans coming to Rogers Center.
Did I really need to explain this?
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 18, 2012 6:44 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
technically the term means newbie
so its not a big deal at all.
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 9:12 PM EST up reply actions
which has already been explained!
so please let it go !
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 18, 2012 9:25 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Whatever the reason for the Dome selling out
I’m fine with it. More seats filled, more revenue, better talent, better team. And that’s what I care about in the end.
Persians are Asians.
Follow me @Minor_Leaguer
by Minor Leaguer on Jan 18, 2012 10:51 PM EST up reply actions
I thought Persians identify themselves as Middle Easterners
Pretty sure Middle Easterners = caucasian
His 2011 wRC+ is 26
Persians aren't really Arab.
And middle Easterners are caucasian?!? This is news to me. I’ve always put myself as ‘African-Canadian’ on forms.
by Nadia on Jan 19, 2012 11:01 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Culturally the Persians are closely associated with the Arabs because of the influence of Islam
I believe that genetically and linguistically the Indo-Europeans (caucasians) have a greater share of Persian ancestry than the Semitic people (Hebrews and Arabs). Ayatollah Khamenei could easily be my grampa, at least by looks.
"Captain Picard Day is for the children." : Captain Picard
"Wu-Tang is for the children." : ODB
AA is waiting till the day before my chem exam to make a big trade. I can feel it.
January 29th. Book it.
Darvish is to blame for my chem exam being worth 40 percent for me instead of 30.
I wouldn’t have minded if the Jays had won the bid tho. But since they didn’t I was just doubly pissed.
Cecil Is Smaller Than Thame's Right Arm
Cecil looks in the best shape in the group pic from the promo tour. If he revisits his 2010 form, jeez, that’s not half bad for the 4 hole. Did Uncle Alex have a chat with him about cutting back on the crab cakes?
McGowan has worked so hard for so long to get back, when most of us wrote him off. The man deserves at least the same shot as JoJo Reyes. A heater that tops in the mid 90’s,and still having that wipeout slider and a passable change, what’s not to like? That’s better than every other 5th starter I can think of. We know the dude will battle.
If they are in the hunt at the break, blow off overpaying for ‘over the hill’ rag arms and cancer bats. Bring up some kids if they are lighting it up in the minors. If LF is still a question, and Gose has ripped the PCL, drop him into left and let him run amok at leadoff. I figure Hutchison does the first half at AA. If he dominates, and there is not reason for him not to, bring him up for the rotation or pen, I don’t care which. Nothing stopping the Jays from using him to set up in the 7th or 8th, if they don’t need him to start.
The future just might be already here.. I’d rather find out with the big time talent now rising to the top.
agree with a lot of this
but playing Gose in LF is a terrible idea, kills most of his defensive value. If he’s called up, it’ll most likely be Bautista playing there, Rasmus and Gose both have cannons so Jose’s arm won’t be a factor..his range will.
Just in case you forgot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c0M2TNPjT8&feature=related
This got me hyped for 2012!
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 19, 2012 4:00 PM EST reply actions
I WAS THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 19, 2012 4:37 PM EST up reply actions
i can actually see my head when they zoom into home plate
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 19, 2012 4:38 PM EST up reply actions
Really? I'm choosing to believe you.
because I want this to be true. What do I look for?
thisrighthere!
by TonyFernandezSavedMyLife on Jan 19, 2012 5:07 PM EST up reply actions
2nd row up
from the jays dugout home plate site, Im the guy in a red shirt with crazy big fluffy hair.
Its really pixelated and you can see like my shoulders and up =D
+1 is only good if you actually rec the post
by Bowling_Guy25 on Jan 19, 2012 7:12 PM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bluebird Banter
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Giancarlo Stanton misses cutoff man, and Logan Morrison is thankful he did (Video)
- Snoop Dogg delivers memorable first pitch at U.S. Cellular Field
- The Juice: Mesoraco’s grand slam helps Reds complete four-game sweep of Braves
- Please hold: Indians’ Joe Smith jumps the gun on relief appearance
- Local radio host honors Cubs’ Tony Campana with parody song
