Mr Dankers Goes To Baltimore June 15, 2014 Weekend Links

I really hope Tom is enjoying the Crab Cakes and Camden Yard.  Not much else to enjoy as the sputtering Jays sputter or pull something.

JAYS LINKS

Toronto Blue Jays’ hitting coach Kevin Seitzer saw his hopes rise in May. Now he’s telling his hitters: Calm down | National Post
In the past week, the team’s bats cooled off against inferior pitching

The Blue Jay Hunter: The Quest for 90 Wins Begins
90 wins; at the beginning of the season, it seemed like an insurmountable task for the Toronto Blue Jays. Frankly, it was extremely unrealistic to expect them to finish anywhere even close to that win total in 2014.

The Blue Jay Hunter: Flashback Friday: The Oft-Forgotten Willie Canate
When you think back to the 1993 World Series Champion Toronto Blue Jays, there are many names that come to mind; Carter, Alomar, Molitor, Ward, Stewart and Henderson to name a few. But have you ever tried to name all the players on that squad? Trying to name the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays World Series roster is actually much more difficult than one could imagine.

Negativity or Realism: Toronto Blue Jays in a Funk - Jays Journal - A Toronto Blue Jays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More
Quick disclaimer. I know that while writing this, it makes me a bit late to the ball. I have, however, been very vocal about it out on Twitter, as well as even against our own Jays Journal writers. Before this current Toronto Blue Jays slump occurred, there were ominous warning signs.

Dickey always searching for the right knuckler - Sportsnet.ca
R.A. Dickey's life as a knuckleballer is one of constant re-adjustment and though the results can often be frustrating, he will continue to tweak and adjust in order to find a knuckler that works.

Bautista's budding leadership big boost for Jays - Sportsnet.ca
Along with being a leader on the field, Jose Bautista has emerged as a true leader off it -- a development that has caught the attention of the team's younger players.

Blue Jays prospect Sanchez rocked in Bisons debut | Toronto Star
Aaron Sanchez, recently promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, gave up four runs on six hits and four walks over four innings in his first outing as a Bison on Saturday night.

For Better or For Worse: How a Healthy Colby Rasmus Benefits Blue Jays' Cold Bats - Jays Journal - A Toronto Blue Jays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More
The Toronto Blue Jays have recently found themselves in a mini-slump, losing 5 of their last 6 games, as well as being shutout in 3 of those games. Although this is only a small sample size, it is not common for the Toronto Blue Jays we know and love to be shutout in 3 of their past 6 games. This is an offence that we’re used to seeing hit line drives to left, right, and centre using new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer‘s all-parts-of-the-field approach.

Future of the Toronto Blue Jays Outfield: Dunedin Edition - Jays Journal - A Toronto Blue Jays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More
On Tuesday and Thursday I looked at the Buffalo Bisons and New Hampshire Fisher Cats outfield for who might be able to step up and play in Toronto should either Melky Cabrera or Colby Rasmus (or both) leave via free agency. It is the Dunedin Blue Jays turn to be placed under the Mueller Microscope.

Casey Janssen And The Hyperefficient Save | FanGraphs Baseball
Entering the bottom of the ninth on June 5th, Toronto Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen probably thought he had lucked into a day off. He had just had the previous day off but hey, nobody is going to argue with a leisurely getaway day.

MLB LINKS

Which MLB Fans Are The Biggest Bandwagoners?
Two researchers at Emory University have launched their 2014 MLB Fan Analysis, which uses the numbers to break down baseball's fan bases by any number of variables. Earlier this week, they tackled one near and dear to our hearts: Which teams' attendance is most closely correlated with its success?

PitchCraft: Stephen Strasburg, the Flawed Prodigy "
The more I study pitching, the more I’m struck by the paramount importance of disguise. Now, OK, I always knew a pitcher’s aim was to fool the batter. A child watching baseball for the first time could tell you that. But I thought it was all about speed and movement — throw a hard fastball that maybe cuts a little, and then throw a slow curveball for a speed contrast, and boom! The batter’s swinging at air, and maybe toppling over for comic effect if we’re lucky.

The Most Interesting Man in the Minors "
Last year, Rangers prospect Joey Gallo posted a Texas-size strikeout rate. This year, he’s making more contact and maintaining a historic home run pace. Oh, and he hits the ball harder than Miguel Cabrera. So is this Power Ranger a star or a minor league mirage?

One Accidental Backswing Sparked Two Beanings And Four Ejections
Does this fall under one of baseball's unwritten rules, or were the Braves just grouchy while losing during Thursday's game against the Rockies?  Note: Team Fun Police goes America on the Rockies.

The Declining Share of African-American Baseball Players, Part 1 – The Hardball Times
African-Americans make up a smaller share of major league players than they have at any time in the last 50 years.

The Declining Share of African-American Baseball Players, Part 2 – The Hardball Times
Over time, warm weather and income have become useful ingredients for the development of baseball players. As I showed yesterday and in March, regions with warmer weather have created more baseball players in recent decades than they had historically, as have counties with higher income.

How Chris Sale is Trying to Keep Himself Healthy | FanGraphs Baseball
Certain guys, people just assume are going to get injured. For as little as we actually understand about pitching mechanics and injury risk, there are certain players who look like ticking time bombs. Chris Sale is considered one of those guys

TODAY IN TERRIBLE TRADE HISTORY

Baseball History - June 15th - National Pastime - Baseball History
1964 In a six-player transaction that also includes Jack Spring, Paul Toth, Doug Clemens, and Bobby Shantz, Chicago trades a little-known 24 year-old outfielder named Lou Brock, who will become a fixture with the Redbirds for the next fifteen years, amassing 3,023 career hits, to St. Louis for right-hander Ernie Broglio. The deal, thought at the time to be a steal for the Cubs, will become infamous when the former 20-game winner pitches poorly for his new team, posting a 7-19 record during his brief two and half seasons with the team, and the 24-year old outfielder they gave up enjoys a Hall of Fame career.

2003 Blue Jay rookie Reed Johnson becomes the fourth major leaguer to end a game with a walk off homer after having hit a round-tripper to start the contest for his team. The 26-year old right-fielder drilled Shawn Estes' 3-2 pitch over the left-centerfield fence leading off in the bottom of the first frame, and then ended the 4-4 stalemate with a tenth-inning solo shot off Cubs' reliever Mark Guthrie.