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Here are some links for your Monday.
Mike Petriello, at FanGraphs, notes that the Blue Jays could do something that has never been done before: Go through a season without a starting pitcher between the ages of 25-35. Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey are over 35. Drew Hutchison, Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris are all under 25 (seasonal age). Marco Estrada could ruin it, but then there has only been 3 teams that made it through a season with only one starter between the ages of 25-35.
John Lott has a profile of full-time baseball players Anthony Alford.
After the Jays finished their Sunday workout, Alford listened attentively as Jose Bautista talked to him about the difference a half-ounce can make when a hitter chooses a bat. Bautista is on the board of directors of a bat company; Alford already uses a bat made by that firm. By the end of the conversation, with a couple of company officials taking notes, Alford had ordered an outfielder's glove like Bautista uses.
Jeff Blair profiles Justin Smoak. 'Tis the season of profiles.
Anyone want to go with me to the Blue Jays Fantasy Camp? Information here.
The Jays had a intrasquad game today. The good news out of it:
John Gibbons praised Martin's work with Dickey, saying it "wasn’t even one of those things you noticed. That’s always a good sign" #BlueJays
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) March 2, 2015
Here are the pitching assignments for the first two spring training games.
#BlueJays pitching assignments for first two spring games ... pic.twitter.com/bPPt9Vvbhz
— John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) March 2, 2015
A late link, Kiley McDaniel, at FanGraphs looks at teams international spending plans and has this about Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.:
I reported earlier that Guerrero has a deal with the Blue Jays for $3.2 million, but I'm now told the number actually starts with a four, with most sources saying it's $4.4 million or $4.5 million. The Jays can trade for up to $3.486 million in their bonus pool, so if this deal goes down as expected, this would push them into the penalty range.
He also gives a short scouting on Vlad, saying the he is arguably the top prospect in this year's group.
Non-Blue Jays link:
Here is a great profile of Minnie Minoso, who passed away yesterday,in the New York Times. Minoso really is someone who should be celebrated.