Blue Jays Mid-Season Grades: Part 4

You know the drill. Part 4 for your reading pleasure!
Yunel Escobar: C

Yunel has been hitting the ball a lot
 better since being moved down in the order.

Yunel has been one of the biggest disappointments this year offensively for the team. As of today (July 6th), Yunel is batting .256 with an OBP just over .300 at .303. After losing his role as the lead off hitter at the beginning of the season to become the #2 hitter, Yunel lost his job again, this time being moved to the 6th spot in the line-up. He has been fine when hitting 6th and that is because he has been more aggressive at the plate when not in the top of the order. When he puts the ball in play during the first three pitches of an at bat this season he is batting .303, compared to a .206 average after those first three pitches. Those stats are the reason I believe he will end up hitting close to .290 again this year, as there is now no pressure on him to see more pitches, so he can swing early in the count, and get his hits. His defense has once again been above average this season, but he does make a lot of plays without thinking, so that is the one aspect of his defensive game he needs to improve in order to finish off the season strong.

Drew Hutchison: C-

Hutch was called up on April 21st to be the Blue Jays 5th starter, and he wasn’t too bad, especially for a 21 year old Rookie. His first 4 starts were really bad, as he pitched to a 6.65 ERA while his opponents got on base at a rate of 36%. But starting on May 12th, his 5th start, until he got injured on June 15th, he pitched to a 3.41 ERA, while his opponents got on base at a rate of just 31%. He did have some troubles with his control during that time period, but he was able to grind through those and get people out. He is now resting his arm, and if he does not end up requiring surgery like Cardinals Pitcher Jamie Garcia did, he should be back in September. If he keeps up what he had done for that last month before he got injured, he should be just fine, and his grade will definitely improve.

There hasn't been too many things Omar
has been able to smile about this year

Omar Vizquel: D

Sorry Omar, I think it’s time you ought to retire! Vizquel isn’t really doing anything for this team, except for going o-for when Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar needs a day off. His defense has been pretty good in the small time that he has played, and he is getting on base more than JP Arencibia! If only getting on base more than JPA meant something… What you see is what you get for Omar. He would be more valuable if Adeiny Hechavarria was up in Toronto, but he isn’t, so he is basically useless, although it is nice having a future Hall of Famer sign a ton of autographs for the fans before every game.

Ben Francisco: D

Thanks to the demotion of Eric Thames, Ben Francisco isn’t as useless as Omar anymore, because now he has a job! Being the fifth outfielder is tough, because you don’t get any playing time, and any chance you do get to play, your rusty, so you don’t do anything productive. That’s why Ben has cherished being the fourth outfielder! Since coming back from his rehab assignment he was on due to injury, he is 4/11 and he got his first 2 RBI’s of the season yesterday! Basically Francisco is just going to warm the bench for a while, as his 5th outfielder job should be coming back soon with the impending arrival of Travis Snider (I hope!). If he doesn’t play for the rest of the season, his grade might actually go up, because he will have not cost the Jays anymore wasted at-bats!

Ricky has not dealt with his
 struggles well.

Ricky Romero: D

I was debating with myself whether to give Ricky a F, or a D-, but a D is what I decided was right, due to Ricky’s April. In that April he pitched to a 3.18 ERA while only walking 13. Those walks are significant because they are what have led to his demise as the best pitcher on the Blue Jays staff. Since his first start in May, on the 2nd, he has pitched to an ERA of 6.40, and has walked 42! He has lost his control completely. He has no feel for any of his pitches, and has given up 16 earned runs over his past two starts. When the Jays need him to be at his best to make up for the loss of 3 starters, he has failed, and if he does not return to form quickly, the Jays playoff hopes will also be lost.

I want to hear your feedback! Comment on what your grades would have been, and we could discuss.

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Hutchison to Become Blue Jays #5 Starter

Drew Hutchison, the Blue Jays #1 Pitching Prospect according to many (not me), has been called up to be the interim Fifth Starter. Hutchison beat out Jesse Chavez and Joel Carreno for the spot, although Drew is only 21 years old, and has pitched 6 games above A ball. Of course, his lack of experience means nothing, because when a player is ready, he's ready. Lets just hope he is ready, and this is not like the Travis Snider situation back when JP Ricciardi.

To make room on the 25 man roster for Hutchison, Evan Crawford has been sent back down to AA, while Jesse Litsch was moved to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man.

Do you like this move? Comment with your opinion!!

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Who Will Pitch on April 21st?

The Blue Jays are currently using a 4-man rotation because they have been blessed with many off days this month. On Saturday, April 21st, a 5th starter will be needed once again, but the question that has not been answered yet is who will become that 5th starter? There are options at AA, AAA, and in the Jays Bullpen, and a final decision isn't likely to come until later this week.Here is the list of pitchers that could fill the role.

Carlos Villanueva
Joel Carreno
Aaron Laffey
Drew Hutchison
Deck McGuire
Brett Cecil
Chad Jenkins

From that list, these are the guys who will not be considered.

Carlos Villanueva- He is the Jays long man in the bullpen, and has been very dominant so far. I don't think he will get the start because Dustin McGowan's return date is still unknown, and he is only a spot starter, not someone who can fill the role for a month and a half if needed.

Drew Hutchison- I don't believe the Jays want to call him up and send him back down, so he won't get the job for a month, just to be sent down in mid-May. Also, the Jays want to save his arm for August-September, when he could really impact this club, so his chances are slim.

Deck McGuire- AA stated on the Fan 590 today that Deck is not being considered. He has gotten off to a bad start this season in New Hampshire for the Fisher Cats, but he will most likely be in Toronto some time this year.

Brett Cecil- Cecil Spring Training struggles have continued into AA, as he has given up 9 runs in just 11.2 innings pitched, in the span of just 2 starts. He has a WHIP of 1.65, and a BABIP of .435, both horrible numbers. I still think its going to be a few months before Cecil makes it back to Toronto, if he makes it back to Toronto.

The Remaining 3 pitchers are: Aaron Laffey, Joel Carreno, Chad Jenkins. These are the reasons why I think they have a chance.

3. Aaron Laffey- Laffey was just sent down yesterday to make room for Sergio Santos coming back from his paternity leave, and because the Jays wanted to stretch him out again. He has not pitched in a long time, so his chances of getting this spot aren't very high because he needs to work up his arm to be a starter again.

2. Joel Carreno- Carreno was the original 5 starter to start the season, but was sent down after his only start to keep him on a starters routine, and not out him in the Jays bullpen. I see him as a reliever, and I do not want him to get this opportunity to start. He doesn't have enough quality pitches to start, so the only way I see him being in Toronto in the future is as a reliever. Because he is on a starters schedule, he has a better chance of getting the spot ahead of Laffey.

1. Chad Jenkins- Jenkins has been solid so far in his two starts in New Hampshire, but what really rose his stock was his very impressive spring. He pitched to a 1.13 ERA in 8 innings pitched, and looked great on the mound.Jenkins throws a four seam and two seam fastball, and the 2 seam has a ton of movement. His strikeout pitch is his slider, and he also throws a Change up that is developing. I see him being called up later this week, and becoming the Jays number 5 guy. Hopefully he proves his worth, and runs with the job.

Who do you think should get the job? Leave your comments in the section below!

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