BlueJaysPlus Podcast Episode 13: Zach Mortimer on Prospects and the Draft

We had a couple technical difficulties this week, as first, Ewan forgot to press record when he interviewed Eno Sarris of FanGraphs, and for some reason, part 1 of the podcast got messed up, and our voices are intertwined instead of one after another...I explain at the beginning of the episode. BUT, we still had a fantastic interview with Zach Mortimer, a scout for Baseball Prospectus, and we talked about the possibility of Casey Janssen being traded.  For now on I'm going to post an outline of the show so you can skip to parts you would like to listen to.

Stream


Download:CLICK HERE

RSS Feed:CLICK HERE

Outline
@ZachMort Interview:0:00-26:32
Casey Janssen Talk/Week Ahead/ Housekeeping:26:33-39:31

BlueJaysPlus Podcast Episode 10: Nolin, Gibbons, & an Interview with @CraigCalcaterra

It was a pretty eventful weekend in Blue Jays land as we saw a major league debut go sour, John Gibbons almost losing a game with his managing, and Munenori Kawasaki win a game(and give a fantastic interview afterwards). On this episode, our 10th, we talk about Sean Nolin's less than 2 innings of fame, John Gibbons and his managerial tactics, lineup construction, and we interview Craig Calcaterra of HardBallTalk to talk Braves. We hope you've enjoyed our first 10 episodes. As always, leave your comments below so we can continue improving. Thanks for listening!

Stream


Download Link: CLICK HERE

RSS Feed: CLICK HERE

What to Take Away from Ricky Romero’s First Start:

          With Josh Johnson being placed on the DL (retroactive to April 29^th) the Blue Jays made somewhat of a risky move in bringing up former All-Star starting pitcher Ricky Romero. Throughout all of Romero's 2012 struggles, management continued to start him every 5 days in the MLB. The management convinced almost every fan that they were going to continue their stubbornness into the 2013 season, disregarding the continued troubles in Spring Training, but just when everyone thought they had AA figured out, he surprised everyone by announcing Ricky would by assigned, and stay in Dunedin to start the year. The announcement was made just days before the Jays were to return to Toronto. Ricky stayed in Dunedin and worked on mechanics, just getting into one start after they felt he was ready to return to game action. 

          Many expected Romero to make at least 3-5 starts before joining the Blue Jays, but after going 7 strong innings that saw him induce 14 groundball outs while striking out 4 and conceding 0 base on balls (that's right, 0 walks), the management obviously felt he was ready. So, when JJ went down with right triceps inflammation, Romero was unexpectedly and hastily called up to the Blue Jays and made his first start Friday night at Rogers Centre against the Seattle Mariners.

Romero testing out his arm after being
hit by the come-backer.

          Romero started his year well for the Blue Jays. Despite giving up one hit, he retired the first nine batters and was as good as can be through the first three innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Then the wheels fell off a little bit in the fourth inning as he threw 37 pitches (4 more than the first three innings combined), while walking three, resulting in three runs. However, even with this rough inning, I loved what I saw in Ricky because you could see that his mindset had improved, and that he did not let the single, walks, hit-by-pitch, or Kyle Seager’s two-run home run snowball into a 4 or 5 or 6 run inning, but managed to keep it to three runs while having a blister on his middle finger and being hit by a come-backer in his pitching arm during the fourth.

          While the final line may not be too pretty (4 IP, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) his resilience and mindset is something that all Blue Jays fans should be excited about as Ricky Romero is back, and he is back with a vengeance.

          Make sure you follow me on Twitter: @TheRealNickBell

R.I.P. Jake Eliopoulos

According to his sister(embedded tweet below), former Jays draftee(twice) Jake Eliopoulos has passed away at the age of 21.

#RIP to the best big brother and best friend i could have ever asked for. You'll always be with me, I love you so much jake :'(
— zo (@goatbanger) April 30, 2013

Eliopoulos, a lefty, was reportedly offered around $500,000 as a signing bonus back in 2009, when the Jays made him their second round pick. He was then drafted by the Dodgers the following year in the 15th round, and did not sign again. In 2011, Eliopoulos was again drafted by the Jays, this time in the 43rd round of the draft. He did not sign.

Cause of death has yet to be reported. Rest in Peace Jake, you'll be missed.


Update: An obituary for Jake has been released. It can be read here.

Obituary for Jake Eliopoulos

It is with deep sorrow we announce the passing of Jake Thomas James Eliopoulos on Monday, April 29, 2013 at the age of 21.Jake was a kind, sweet, genuine soul who leaves behind parents Jim and Lea, siblings Derek and Zoe and his best friends Max, Grant and Colin. Jake found much of his joy in the game of baseball and his high school experience at Sacred Heart CHS in Newmarket. Numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents will miss the light that Jake brought to their lives. Jake, rest in peace, you are now pain free.
Friends will be received at the HERITAGE FUNERAL CENTRE, 50 Overlea Blvd. (416) 423-1000 on Saturday, May 4, from 3-8 p.m.and on Sunday, May 5, 2013 from 3-8 p.m. The Funeral will be held at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. Private family Interment to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to the Canadian Mental Health Association-York Region Branch(CMHA). See Heritage website under "Place a Donation" for specific direction on how to make donations in Jake’s memory.Online condolences may be made at heritagefuneralcentre.ca

You can follow me on twitter, @gideonturk. To connect with the site, Follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook.

BlueJaysPlus Podcast Episode 3: One Week In

Just fooling around with different logos...

Time flies when you're having fun(and losing 13-0). After 6 games, the Jays sit at 2-4, yet have been entertaining every time they've gone out their and played. 3 episodes into our podcast,we hope we're even more entertaining(although it's not likely cause the Jays have Jose Reyes and we just have skype). Int his weeks episode, we look back at the week that was in Jays land, from the Blue Jays horrific defines, to Brett Cecil's awesome first few games, to Colby Rasmus' sweet swing. We also talk about John Farrell's return, whether or not players should be wearing Roy Halladay's number(we're looking at you Esmil Rogers), and as always, have our Jays MILB player of the week. Hope you enjoy!

To download click here

Stream:

Links mentioned on the Podcast:

Gideon Turk predicting how awful the Jays will be defensively in 2013, way back in December.

Gideon Turk examining Brett Cecil's opening day performance.

Ewan Ross on Danny Knobler's Anti-Canada article.

Photo Gallery of Johnny Damon's return to Boston after signing with the Yankees (courtesy of @emilyg819)

30 Teams in 30 Days: Toronto Blue Jays(Part 1 of 2)

As we are a Blue Jays centred blog, we'll be doing a 2 part series for our 30/30 preview of the team. Today, we'll publish previews on each hitter on the 25 man roster(starter+bench), Wednesday will be each pitcher(rotation+bullpen).So, it ends up being a 30 in 34 days! We all contributed to this, so under each name of the player, we'll write who wrote the preview. Enjoy.

*Note, Brett Lawrie isnt included in here, as he'll start on the DL and the first two sections are just dealing with the opening day roster.  He'll be profiled during the 3rd section where depth & prospects are discussed.

All the smiles!

Jose Reyes-SS- 29 years old

By: Isaac Boloten

2012 Stat Line-716 PA, .287/.347/.433, 11 HR,  57 RBI,  86 R,40 SB, 109 wRC+. 
2012 WAR:2.9 rWAR. 4.2 fWAR.

2012 Season in Review

Last season certainly wasn’t a career year for the Dominican shortstop, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t very productive, accumulating a 4.2 fWAR, over a whopping 716 plate appearances.  If Reyes plays as many games this year as he did last year, you can count on those plate appearances increasing even more, based on the strength of the lineup around him. Overall, while Miami wasn’t the greatest of situations for Jose, he still put up some very nice numbers, while managing to stay healthy.

2013 Season Preview

Jose, a product of the huge deal with Miami, is already making a name for himself in Blue Jay land.  From his stellar play in the World Baseball Classic, and his inability to stop smiling.  He is a fan favourite, and the Jays haven’t even played their first regular season game.  One of the major concerns coming into the season with Reyes is whether he will be able to handle the artificial turf at the Rogers Centre.  It is a reason to be worried, as he has had hamstring problems in the past, and historically, the turf hasn’t always been great on players’ legs. The good thing is that it's usually the knee with turf, not hamstring, so hopefully Reyes remains healthy.The thing is with a player like Reyes, is that if he isn’t hitting the ball too well, it’s not a huge concern, as he has ways to get on base with his legs, and his eye at the plate, so he’s never hurting you if he’s in the lineup no matter what, and is almost a lock to post a WAR around 4 every single year (if healthy).

2013 Projected Role

The leadoff hitter. The man who gets on base for the big bats, and steals a ton of bases. Also; provides leadership and optimism in the clubhouse with his enthusiasm for the game.

2013 PECOTA Projection

650 PA, .291/.344/.457, 14 HR, 65 RBI, 91 R, 36 SB

Melky Cabrera-LF-28 years old

By: Nick Bell

2012 Stat Line-501 PA. .346/.390/.516. 11 HR. 60 RBI. 84 Runs. 13 SB. 149 wRC+. 
2012 WAR:4.7 rWAR, 4.4 fWAR.

Review of 2012

What can I say about the Dominican outfielder that hasn’t been said before?  He has really come on in the last two years with the Royals and then developed into a superstar with the Giants in 2012. He was subsequently suspended for 50 games for PED use, and was not added to the post-season roster for their eventual World Series run while also not being given a ring, which he hopes to claim, clean, in Toronto.

Preview for 2013

That’s the brief on Melky, and adding to that, Alex Anthopoulos further fueled the fire by signing the outfielder to a 2yr/ $16 MM deal in November to compliment the massive Miami deal and the famous R.A. Dickey deal to complete the most eventful offseason in recent baseball history. I don’t see Cabrera hitting .346 again, but I do see him being a very good hitter, provide solid defense in left field, and a key piece in any Blue Jays postseason push.

2013 Projected Role

Melky will be the number 2 hitter in the lineup and play left field for the Jays in 2013

2013 PECOTA Projection

551 PA, .280/.331/.427,13 HR, 56 RBI, 70 Runs, 12 SB

Blue Jays 2012 in one picture.

Jose Bautista- RF- 32 years old

By:Gideon Turk

2012 Stat Line-399 PA .241/.358/.527. 27 HR. 65 RBI. 64 Runs. 5 SB. 140 wRC+.
2012 WAR :3.4 rWAR. 3.1 fWAR.

2012 Season In Review

After starting off cold in the month of April hitting only 3 home runs, Jose turned it back onto 2010 and 2011 levels in May and June, hitting 23 homers in those 2 months, while OPSing over 1.000. He then went on to play in the all-star game and hit in the home run derby, but he only lasted 4 games after the break before he injured his wrist at Yankee Stadium, which ended up costing him basically the rest of the season(except for a 2 game period in mid-August).

2013 Season Preview

Jose had wrist surgery to repair the effected spot, and was back to his usually self this spring, hitting 6 home runs in the tune up games, good enough to lead all Blue Jay hitters. He comes into this season as a dark horse AL MVP candidate, and is truly the piece who holds this club together, both on and off the field. His health will be in the spotlight the entire year, but from what we've seen during spring training, he should be back to normal, with hopefully no residual effects from the wrist injury and subsequent surgery. Expecting him to hit 40+ home runs again might be a little too much, but mid 30's is very reasonable, and he will still be able walk frequently in front of the other Dominican basher, Edwin Encarnacion.

2013 Projected Role

Bautista will serve as the number 3 hitter in the lineup, hopefully driving in Jose Reyes and the Melk Man whenever is possible. He will also continue his role as the leader of the club, something that was missed after he left last year to injury, and anchor the outfield in right with his rocket of an arm(and lacklustre defense, but whatever...)

2013 PECOTA Projections

628 PA. .255/.371/.514. 35 HR.101 RBI. 7 SB

Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/DH, #10

By:Nick Bell
2012 Stat Line: 644 PA, .280/.384/.557. 42 HR. 110 RBI. 90 RBI. 13 SB. 152 wRC+
2012 WAR: 4.9 rWAR. 4.2 fWAR

2012 Season in Review

The Blue Jays clean-up hitter heading into 2013 had a breakout year last year, posting career highs in nearly every offensive category while playing some stellar defense at first base. The native of the Dominican Republic was the Blue Jays’ best and most consistent hitter by far last year as Jose Bautista spent significant time on the DL. 2012 was a great year for EE, now let’s hope that he can build on this magnificent year towards an even better 2013.

2013 Season Preview

Many wonder if Encarnacion can repeat that type of production or if this was merely a fluke year. Me personally, watching him hit this spring and in the WBC, he looks like he had gotten even better.  If that’s true, it is possible that Edwin could match up with fellow countryman Jose Bautista for the team and league lead in home runs. You can also expect #10 to make his first all-star team, which he was robbed of last year, especially given Mark Teixeira's injury problems taking another first baseman out of the mix.

2013 Projected Role

Encarnacion can be expected to have almost the same exact role as last season. Entrenched solidly in the cleanup spot behind Jose Bautista, and be the club's everyday first baseman.

2013 PECOTA Projections
643 PA .254/.341/.471, 30 HR, 94 RBI, 8 SB

Let's just hope we don't see
these again from Colby.

Colby Rasmus- CF-26 years old
By:Gideon Turk
2012 Stat Line-625 PA. .223/.289/.400. 23 HR. 75 RBI. 75 Runs. 4 SB. 85 wRC+
2012 WAR:1.7 rWAR. 1.2 fWAR

2012 Season in Review

It was another season to forget for the once promising center fielder from Alabama.  After struggling to
begin the year, Colby turned on the jets in June(just like others in the lineup).  However after he got back from the All-Star break, he faded, hitting an abysmal .176/.238/.278 in those final two months, although he did miss sometime to injury. AA has been saying that the reason for that absolutely horrendous stretch was that Colby works too hard.  Taking way too many swings in the cage and BP early in the season, causing him to wear down in the last few months. I don't necessarily buy that, but regardless, 2012 was a horrific year for Colby as he saw his numbers drop and top prospect Anthony Gose impress in a small sample of major league time.

2013 Season Preview
This year is huge for Rasmus.  He could be a non-tender candidate if he doesn't act upon his potential, especially with Gose nipping at his heels in AAA.  Gose provides better D and exciting speed that could force him into the lineup.  As a result if Colby struggles, AA won't hesitate to pull the plug, and call up Anthony from Buffalo.  It's all about being smart for Colby, as he has to learn how to adjust to the adjustments the pitchers are making towards him, and work at a normal rate, so he doesn't injure himself and tire himself out 3 months into the season.

2013 Projected Role
Colby comes into the year projected to hit 5th and play centre field according to MLBDC every day, but John Gibbons hinted recently that Emilio Bonifacio might get some starts versus lefties in centre field, so the threat of a platoon is staring Colby in the face. Many people don't realize this, but he's actually worse against lefties than Adam Lind is, so a platoon might not be a bad thing for him(it wouldn't be).

2013 PECOTA Projections
561 PA. .242/.311/.430. 21 HR. 73 RBI. 6 SB.

Adam Lind- DH- 29 years old
By: Gideon Turk
2012 Stat Line - 353 PA. .255/.314/.414. 11 HR. 45 RBI. 28 Runs. 0 SB. 98 wRC+
2012 WAR:0.2 rWAR. 0.0 fWAR.

2012 Season in Review
Lind's first half was surprising, not because he was so disappointing, but rather that he was sent down to AAA.  It was something that caught me, and I'm sure many others off guard, just like the Ricky Romero demotion this past week.  You thought it was a good idea, but didn't actually think it would happen.  He was sent to Las Vegas in mid-May, when he was hitting a paltry .186 with only 3 home runs.  After lighting up AAA pitching as expected to the tune of a .392 average with 8 homers in 32 games, Lind was recalled, and from that point on, hit .296 in 54 games. It was refreshing to see Lind hit the ball, especially when he went the other way against lefties. I still wouldn't have him in the lineup against a lefty, but he wasn't awful down the stretch last season.

2013 Season Preview
Lind's offensive expectations have dropped significantly since his silver slugger winning year of 2009, and even more so with all the new additions to the Jays this past off-season.  He isn't expected to hit high up in the order, but rather likely in the bottom third of the order, so the pressure is not on Lind this season to perform like an All-Star.  This should be he last year in a Jays uniform, but I'd also expect a new DH come August 1st, and the trade deadline has passed.  I just don't think Adam Lind is a DH on a championship team.  Expect around 20 home runs with a low average and a low OBP for Lind in 2013.

2013 Projected Role
Lind is projected as the number 6 hitter according to MLBDC, but I think it's more likely we see him 7th because Gibby probably shouldn't want 2 lefties back to back. He'll also serve as the clubs full time DH for the first month or so of the season, and then Gibby and Co. will make a decision on whether to platoon him or not. He'll most likely end up in a platoon, with either Rajai Davis or Mark DeRosa. DeRosa is my choice, although I believe the club is leaning towards Davis.

2013 PECOTA Projections
449 PA. .267/.324/.461. 18 HR. 62 RBI. 1 SB.

Emilio Bonifacio-UTIL- 27 years old

By: Isaac Boloten 

2012 Stat Line - 274 PA, .258/.330/.316, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 30 R, 30 SB, 79 wRC+ 
2012 WAR:0.5 rWAR, 0.4 fWAR.

2012 Season in Review

2012 was shortened to only 64 games for Bonifacio in Miami, due to a thumb injury.  In the small sample size that was 2012, Bonifacio, showed that power is not something he brings to the table, and established himself as more of a slap hitter.  Despite 2012 not being a very productive season, Bonifacio showed his incredible speed on the basepaths, stealing 30 bases in 64 games.(!!!)  On top of that, he was only caught 3 times.

2013 Season Preview

In Brett Lawrie’s (hopefully) short absence to start the season, Bonifacio will likely split time between third base (against righties), and 2nd base (against lefties).  Once Lawrie returns, we should see him settle into a platoon with Izturis at 2nd base, while also filing in all over the rest of the diamond when people need a day off.  With the bat, you can’t expect all that much, but he doesn’t have much trouble getting on base, (career .329 OBP) which is really all you can ask for out of Emilio.

2013 Projected Role

Once Lawrie returns from the DL, the plan is for Bonifacio to play 2nd base when Morrow, Johnson and possibly Happ are on the mound, and then likely filling in all over the diamond when people need a day off.  There is also some speculation that he could see time in center field against tough left handed pitchers.  Another likely role for Bonifacio is a pinch runner off the bench in a big spot late in games.

2013 PECOTA Projections

468 PA,  .260/.316/.361, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 53 R, 27 SB

Maicer Izturis-UTIL-32 years old

By: Isaac Boloten

2012 Stat Line - 319 PA, .256/.320/.315, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 35 R, 17 SB, 82 wRC+
2012 WAR:0.3 rWAR. 0.8 fWAR.

2012 Season in Review

This past year was yet another consistent season from Maicer, who has proven that consistency is perhaps his greatest skill.  He kept his strike out rate down, and posted his highest stolen base total yet. He played steady (if not stellar) defense and remained healthy and durable, which are essentially the 2 reasons that AA signed him this off-season.

2013 Season Preview

Until Lawrie returns you can expect Izturis to get some time at third base, however once Brett returns we should see Izturis settle into a strange platoon with Bonifacio at the keystone.  Izturis should get the starts when the more groundball heavy starting pitchers are on the mound.  That will mean Dickey, Buerhle, and potentially Happ, while Bonifacio takes the more flyball heavy starters.  Izturis will also see any action filling in as the primary backup at both shortstop and third base for defensive purposes.  You can expect Izturis to 

2013 Projected Role

Starting third baseman vs RHP for the 1^st week or so, then will transition into the part-time second baseman/ultra utility man. Slated to bat ninth.

2013 PECOTA Projections

494 PA, .266/.331/.384, 7 HR,  46 RBI, 56 R, 16 SB.

Rajai Davis- OF-32 years old
By: Gideon Turk
2012 Stat Line - 487 PA. .257/.309/.378. 8 HR. 43 RBI. 64 Runs. 46 SB. 86 wRC+
2012 WAR:0.7 rWAR. 0.4 fWAR

2012 Season in Review
Davis was a major benefactor from the string of injuries that effected the Blue Jays last year, playing a lot more than he normally would due to injuries to Colby Rasmus, Jose Bautista, and the trades of Eric Thames and Travis Snider at the deadline. The extra playing time didn't change anything in him though, as he still stole his 40+ bases, and didn't get on base well. He got caught stealing a league leading 13 times in 2012, something that he needs to change if he wants to get opportunities this year.

2013 Season in Preview
Rajai is going to be in for a shock this season after last year. Coming off of a year where he got into 142 games, I'd be surprised if he got more than half of that in 2013. Emilio Bonifacio(if he doesn't start) will be the primary pinch runner because of his lightning quick speed and great success rate(unlike Davis). Not only will his pinch running situations decrease, but Boni also plays the outfield, along with mark DeRosa, so Davis might not get so many spot starts filling in there either. The only real chance for him to play should be platooning with Lind, but it remains to be seen if he will get that job. He'll still rack up 30 steals, but 300 PA is a major question right now, and I think something between 200-250 is more realistic at this point.

2013 Projected Role
With Bonifacio in the lineup to start the year due to Brett Lawrie's injury, Davis will be the first pinch runner, and the 4th outfielder. But, when Lawrie comes back, and Boni likely moves to the bench(along with a more permanent role for Mark DeRosa), Davis' playing time will decrease. In his last year with the club, he has become redundant, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him part of a package in a trade mid-season. Whatever his role with this club is, he is still a fun player to watch because of his speed, so when he does get a chance to play, you better not miss it.

2013 PECOTA Projections
268 PA. .261/.306/.376. 3 HR. 21 RBI. 25 SB

Mark DeRosa-UTIL- 38 years old
By: Gideon Turk
2012 Stat Line - 101 PA. .188/.300/.247. 0 HR. 6 RBI. 13 Runs. 1 SB. 57 wRC+
2012 WAR:-0.7 rWAR. -0.5 fWAR.

2012 Season in Review
DeRosa continued to be hampered by a wrist that wasn't 100% in 2012 for the third straight year, but his mentoring skills were at their best once again, which is what he was basically brought in to do this season. He coached Bryce Harper into being a big leaguer, and has always been known for his unbelievable clubhouse presence. His numbers are ugly because he wasn't healthy(and he's old), but I'm confident he can regain some of his pre-injured self back.

2013 Season Preview
If spring training is any indication of things, Mark DeRosa's wrist is feeling better, given his 2 spring home runs. That is all that needs to be working for DeRosa to be a servicable player, especially off the bench, and although I wouldn't put much stock into spring numbers, his 6 XBH are more than he had all of last year, so I think he's in the best shape since being injured(he has also said this). He won't get much playing time, but being a great clubhouse presence and taking Brett Lawrie under his wing like he did with Harper last year is a value that no statistic can measure(seriously, there's no statistic).

2013 Projected Role
With Lawrie starting the year on the disabled list, DeRosa will platoon with Maicer Izturis over at third base, but after that, he will be regulated back to the bench, at least for April. nce the decision on whether or not Adam Lind needs a platoon partner is made, DeRosa might find himself in another platoon role. But, until then, it's mentoring and bench duty for the veteran.

2013 PECOTA Projections
230 PA. .241/.319/.390. 6 HR. 25 RBI. 2 SB.

He scares me.

Henry Blanco-C- 41 years old
By: Gideon Turk
2012 Stat Line - 67 PA. .188/.224/.281. 1 HR. 7 RBI. 6 Runs. 1 SB. 29 wRC+
2012 WAR: 0.2 rWAR. 0.1 fWAR

2012 Season in Review

Blanco barely played last season, and will likely have the same type of role this year as J.P. Arencibia is set to catch R.A Dickey, so a personal catcher won't be needed. Blanco made the team because the club views Josh Thole as a starting option if JPA goes down with an injury, so he needs every day at bats. Henry was horrible once again in 2012 offensively, and his defense is always a good, just like it was last year.

2013 Season Preview

Blanco just here for defense I guess, because as previously mentioned, he provides nothing with the bat. His all around defense is good though, with a good arm, good framing skills, and good blocking ability. Maybe he'll teach JPA a few things, but other than that, his season should be just like every other he's had. No hit good defense catcher.

2013 Projected Role

As the backup to JPA, he should play once or twice a week, get to catch Dickey often, and he'll mentor JPA a bit.  I think its also quite likely that after a short period of time we'll see Blanco become Dickey's personal catcher.  He's here for his defense, and it'll be needed most when Dickey is on the mound.  For $750K, it's good enough.

2013 PECOTA Projections
60 PA. .231/.290/.372. 2 HR. 6 RBI. 0 SB.

BlueJaysPlus Podcast: Episode 1.2!

Every baseball site needs a podcast, so we decided to start one! This is our first episode, and we hope to have one every week of the year. We can't promise they will all be so content packed like this one, where we spoke for an hour+ about the upcoming season, but we will try our best. This is my first foray into podcasting, so I'm not the best at it. I'll try to have it be downloadable sometime in the next week or so, and hopefully on itunes as well, but I have to learn how to do all of that. Until then, I guess you'll have to just listen on here.



Click to Download

Stream:



Yes, we'll have intro music next week...

Gideon Joins @TheMLBTalk101 to Talk Blue Jays

This past Sunday I joined Jack McNeil and Chris Hogan on the MLBTalk101 podcast to preview the Jays and the upcoming 2013 season for them. We talked Rasmus, Reyes, Johsnon, Dickey, Bautista, and much more! It was lots of fun, and I encourage you to listen to it. Here the clips.

Part 1...

Part 2...

and Part 3

You can follow me on twitter, @gideonturk. To connect with the site, Follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook.

Thoughts from Spring Training: Day 2 & 3

            Well that went to fast. After 2 nights, 3 days, and 3 games, my trip to Dunedin has come to an end.  It was filled with insane experiences, from the everyday mundane task of deciphering what John Gibbons is saying, to meeting most of the Jays team in their cafeteria and clubhouse all thanks to Adam Lind! On to the stuff you guys want to read, my thoughts on different player performances.

On Ricky Romero…
Romero was awful on Tuesday, and after his start, he told the media that he was throwing 90% sinkers because he wanted to get back to using that pitch like he did in 2011(Click here for article link). If this is true, it would explain his lack of velocity, which sat in the range of 86-87 all day, and only touched 90 a few times. Of course this is going by the Dunedin radar gun, which, might not be too accurate. But what is more of a problem than just his lack of velocity was his lack of control. My seats while I was in Dunedin were 4 rows up right behind home plate, and it was quite obvious that he had no idea where the ball was going. The sinker didn’t sink, and if Romero is going to try to get back to his pre-2012 self, he needs to make his sinker “sink”, and control his other pitches. Of course, he has a month to work on all of this before games actually count, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

On Steve Delabar…
Delabar stole the hearts of Blue Jays fans last summer after coming over from Seattle in the Eric Thames trade by using his dominating splitter as a crazy out pitch that had him rising to the top of the league in K/9. The splitter wasn’t 100% on Tuesday, but I totally expect him to start getting the feel back for that pitch in the coming weeks. He sat around 88 MPH on that. He did have good fastball command at around 94 MPH, so that was nice to see.

On Emilio Bonifacio…
All I can say about Boni is that he looked terrible at short on Tuesday making countless mistakes such as a bad DP flip, a high throw to Lind at first, a low throw to Lind, and a wide throw to Lind. As with all spring performances, don’t expect him to be this bad at shortstop during the regular season as he just needs to get some reps playing there, a position he hasn’t played in a regular game since 2011.

On Wednesday he looked good at second, and I love him at the plate as his speed brings so much to the game.I still don’t expect him to win the starting second basemen job from Maicer Izturis, but as a super utility guy playing 3-4 times a week, he could be great!

On Adam Lind…

I might be a little bias now when it comes to Lind because of what he did for me, but he has looked great the past few days. He launched a ball over 400 feet on Tuesday for a home run, and continued to look solid at the plate yesterday. Of course this was all against righties, but hopefully that is all he has to play against because of Mark DeRosa, who in a very small sample size of 5 at bats has been showing that he truly can hit lefties like he did before he broke his wrist and every other bone in his body like 64 times.

On Esmil Rogers…

Rogers really impressed me at the beginning of his performance on Tuesday, but he started to lose his command after the first couple of batters, which led to multiple balls out of the zone and balls left up to the batters. His fastball sat between 94-95, which is great to see this early in soring training, and his slider had great movement both horizontally and vertically, tailing out and down to righties, and in and down to lefties, while being thrown in the high 80’s.

On Michael Schwimer…

The newly acquired Schwimer has a great mound presence coming in at 6”8, and throws his fastball in the low 90s(well at least he did on Tuesday). He didn’t have good command of it at all, which is totally expected during spring training. He did have his off-speed pitches working well in the low to mid 80’s with some nice late movement. He’ll be a nice player for the fans down in Buffalo to watch this season.

On Justin Germano…

Germano was the lone bright spot on the pitching side of things for the Jays on Wednesday. His stuff was crazy good, and I couldn’t believe how much movement he had on his curve. It must have froze batters 5 or 6 times. Just crazy. He’ll be in the Bisons rotation somewhere and it looks like he was a good get on a minor league deal by Alex Anthopoulos.

As always, don’t read so much into spring training performances as players getting into the mix of things, and competition skew them. 34 days until opening day!!!

Our 30 Teams in 30 Day series starts tomorrow, so make sure to check BJP daily for our previews!

Pictures...

Brett Lawrie warming up, or dancing, either one.

Mark DeRosa continuing his torrid spring...

Jamie Campbell sitting down with Justin Morneau to ask him some questions...

The grounds crew taking the tarp of the field in preparation of Tuesday's game...

Gibby waving to the crowd before the game...

You can follow me on twitter, @gideonturk. To connect with the site, Follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook.