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I was going to edit GetUpBall!'s post on this subject, with stuff we have learned in the last two weeks, and put it back up at the top of the page, but it didn't seem right to change his words. But you can read his and use that to inform your opinions.
With September two days away I figured I'd ask the question: If it were up to you, who would the Blue Jays call up for September?
I guess the first question is how many players would you like on the roster? Teams can have 40 players on the active roster in September, but that seems a little excessive. I don't think Gibby would want that many players growing stale on the bench. I would think you would want 33-35 players at the most. For me it would be 10-12 extra players at the most.
For the sake of making it easy.
Locks for me:
Pitchers:
- Danny Barnes: I liked watching him in his short stint with the Jays earlier this year. He pitched in 3 games, 2 went well, the last one he gave up a couple of runs. He had 5 strikeouts in 4 innings. And, of course, a 0.75 ERA in 40 minor league games is pretty impressive.
- Chad Girodo: He wasn't terrible in his 14 games with the Jays. 4.35 ERA, 10.1 innings, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts. And beyond that, I would want to audition lefties for the second lefty spot in the pen for the playoffs.
- Aaron Loup: Yeah, he's had a rough time in most of his appearances with the Jays, but he's still had 11 strikeouts, in 9.2 innings. He's been brilliant in Buffalo. And, I want to audition lefties for the pen.
- Bo Schultz: He's on the roster now, but I'm imagining he leaves so Sanchez can start tomorrow.
- Dalton Pompey: I need a good defensive replacement in outfield/pinch runner (course I would have rather have had him up at some point already).
- A Catcher: Thole.... or if we don't still own him then Erik Kratz. If not him A.J. Jimenez. Just someone that can wear the tools of ignorance if both Russell Martin and Dioner Navarro are in the game and one has to come out.
- Ryan Goins: I'd need another middle infielder and he deserves to be on the roster.
- Matt Dominguez: I like the idea of someone that could give Josh Donaldson a few innings off or make it easier to DH Josh a couple of times. I also like the idea of a power bat on the bench. He has 18 home runs in Buffalo. The batting line isn't great, .265/.312/.423, but I'd like to have him on my bench.
- Ryan Tepera: He's had 9.1 innings with the Jays this season. He's allowed 3 earned, 9 hits, 5 walks with 7 strikeouts. He has a 2.64 ERA. He really does deserve a month's worth of major league pay. Maybe he should be in the 'locks'.
Longshots:
- Darrell Ceciliani: He was up earlier, he's on the 40-man. He didn't hit at all when he was here, .115/.179/.192, but that was just 26 at bats.
- Mike Bolsinger: He has a 7.52 ERA in Buffalo. The only reason I'd consider him is that he can got 3-4 innings and that could be handy. But then we will have many arms in the pen. Might be handy to make a spot start, at the end of the season, after we clinch.
- Andy Burns: He isn't hitting much, .238/.294/.367 with 8 home runs, in 104 games at Buffalo, but he's on the 40-man and he can play a lot of positions. He runs decent.
- Chris Colabello: I guess it depends on how much fondness the team has for him. But when you are hitting under .200 in Buffalo (.198/.274/.322) and you don't have a position, I just don't see it.
- Jesus Montero: I like the idea of using the September call up as a reward for having a great season. Montero is hitting .321/.352/.447. He really does deserve a reward for that. On the other side, he isn't on the 40-man, so you would have to jettison someone for him to get a spot. I'm not sure I want to get rid of someone for a guy that likely doesn't have a future with the team. And he doesn't have a position. He's really just a DH and I'd rather use that position to keep the other guys (especially Bautista) healthy. He was just named to the International League All-Star team.