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I’m in the final stretch of my pending nuptials but need a little brain break, so here’s your Friday news.
Opening Day is less than a week away, and we now know who will be throwing out the first (game) pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays:
Alek Manoah is the #BlueJays’ Opening Day starter, John Schneider announces.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 24, 2023
“He was thrilled. You could see him light up immediately. He gave us a big hug — both me and Pete — in his tank top. It was great.”
A moment you dream of ⚡️
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 24, 2023
Here’s Manager John Schneider telling @Alek_Manoah6 he’s our #OpeningDay starter!
If you’d like more Manoah in your life, Sportsnet has your back!
Our thanks to @Alek_Manoah6 and the Manoah family for allowing us to show @mlb fans their inspiring story this season. Hope you’ll join us. @Sportsnet #BlueJays
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) March 10, 2023
Produced by: @realstevepaine pic.twitter.com/I31GKmQpjY
Kevin Gausman was in consideration for the nod as well. Could he have another huge season?
Eno Sarris predicts Gaus to take the cy young this year pic.twitter.com/msAHko2F1a
— Josh (@Josh_theJaysFan) March 24, 2023
Poll
If I were to pick the opening day starter, I would have chosen:
This poll is closed
-
62%
Manoah
(172 votes) -
27%
Gausman
(76 votes) -
1%
Berríos
(3 votes) -
1%
Bassitt
(3 votes) -
7%
Kikuchi
(22 votes)
We’ve also been told that Yusei Kikuchi has made the starting rotation.
In other news, John Gibbons is about to tell all in his new memoir:
“I’m probably a little more opinionated than they’d anticipated or maybe than they liked. They were very politically correct. I’m not, so maybe I shocked them with some stuff — I don’t know.” - Former #Bluejays manager, John Gibbons. https://t.co/fhbh8NHwVh
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) March 24, 2023
Perhaps most of what is said about the 2018 season won’t be a surprise to us, but I’m sure there will be some peak content in there.
Poll
Will you be buying a copy of John Gibbons new book?
This poll is closed
-
26%
Heck yes
(38 votes) -
73%
I’ll wait for the cliff notes
(107 votes)
MLB has named the Blue Jays lineup as 3rd best in MLB, after the Astros and the Padres:
This was one of the most explosive lineups in MLB last season, but it could run a bit hot and cold in part because of its lack of balance. Now, after the additions of Varsho and Belt, it is quite possibly deserving of the No. 1 spot (really, you could say that about any of the top three teams on this list … it’s essentially a coin flip). Last year, Toronto ranked second in MLB in wRC+ in 2022 (118), and the Blue Jays return four regulars (Springer, Kirk, Guerrero and Bichette) who were at least 29% better than league average last season, per wRC+. Add in Varsho, who discovered his power stroke in his first full season in Arizona last year, and Belt, whose veteran lefty bat balances the DH options, and this group can be an even bigger nightmare for opponents this year.
6 days to go!
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