Blue Jays Daily: July 16th 2012

Things can't get any worse, can they? 3 quarters of the rotation is injured(and Dustin McGowan), in the bullpen Sergio Santos and Luis Perez are injured (as well as Jesse Litsch), and All-Star Jose Bautista is injured.

Bautista Hurts His Wrist
Yes, Jose Bautista is injured. Jose injured his wrist after fouling off a ball during tonight's game against the Yankees, but doesn't have a broken left wrist. It is a tendon issue, and more details will be known tomorrow when Bautista gets an MRI.He felt a popping sensation in his wrist, which could never be good, especially because a tendon injury could be worse than a broken bone.
Gose Leaves AAA Game
Blue Jays prospect Anthony Gose has been removed from his game for the Las Vegas 51's tonight, and it looks like he is going to be the replacement for Bautista. Gose has an OBP of .376 this year, to go along with 29 steals! We have been discussing on twitter where he will play(If he comes up), and there are a few opinions. I believe CF, because he is a better fielder than Rasmus, and the issue of switching somebodies position in the middle of the season apply's to both of them, so I would go with Gose in centre. Other people, including Mike Wilner of the Fan 590 think Rasmus will stick in CF for this season, but then again, Wilner thought there was almost no chance Gose would be called up, so, ya. And, according to Shi Davidi's "Source", Gose will be called up if Gose goes on the DL
Luis Perez to Undergo TJ Surgery on Tuesday
Blue Jays relief pitcher Luis Perez will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow in Pensacola, Florida performed by Dr. James Andrews(This sounds way too familiar). Perez tore his UCL during the Jays game vs. the White Sox on July 8th, and surgery was decided on during the All-Star Break. Luis had a 3.43 ERA in 42 IP in 2012.
Morrow Takes Another Step Forward
Blue Jays Ace Brandon Morrow has pitched another strong bullpen session yesterday. He is scheduled for another bullpen on Thursday, and if he is setback free(Fingers crossed), he will throw live BP next week. After that he will require 3-5 rehab starts. A Late August return is probable for the pitcher who had a 3.01 ERA in 13 starts for the Jays earlier this year.
Possible Line-Ups Involving Gose?
This would be my ideal line up with Gose in the majors and Bautista injured.
Gose-CF Lawrie-3B Encarnacion-1B Rasmus-CF Lind-DH Escobar-SS Johnson-2B Davis-LF Arencibia-C

What are your opinions on the recent moves and injuries? Let us know with a comment and we can discuss!

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Blue Jays Mid-Season Grades:Part 2

Time for the second part of my Mid-season grades for the Toronto Blue Jays! The next 5 highest grades will be graded on this post, with the first 5 being graded on yesterday’s post, which can be viewed here if you have not already seen them.

Casey Janssen: B

Since taking over as closer, Janssen
 has been lights out.

Many of you are probably wondering about now why Janssen was not included in yesterday’s post, as you all probably think he deserves better than a B. I was leaning towards giving him a B+ based on his basic stats, ERA,WHIP, and his K/BB rate, but after looking at his FIP and other stats, a B is what I decided on. He has been great as a closer, not that pitching in the ninth is any different than any other inning, but when he enters the game not in a save situation, he hasn’t been too good. Casey has also changed how he has pitched this year. He is throwing his fastball 50% of the time, which is his highest percentage to date in his career, so he needs to be careful, because if he loses command of that fastball, he will fail instantly. To improve this grade Casey is going to need to be as lights out as he is when he closes when he does not. It looks like Sergio Santos will be out for the season, so Janssen is going to be the teams closer for the late season pennant race, and needs to stay healthy and retain his fastball command.

Brandon Morrow: B

Morrow was having a career year
before he got injured.

Oh don’t injuries sting? Morrow was having the best season of his career when he injured his oblique muscle a few weeks ago. He had shutouts, and ERA of 3.02, and a FIP of 3.89. His numbers are quite bloated because he had 2 horrendous starts in May, but other than those two starts, his ERA would be in the low 2’s. As you all likely know, Morrow changes his pitching styles a little bit this year, as he is throwing his fastball a little slower(.9 MPH slower average), and using his changeup more often. It has clearly worked as Brandon has been amazing. His grade would have been an A if it wasn’t for those two starts, and I hope he comes back soon!

Luis Perez:B

Perez is having a career year for the Blue Jays this year, as his stats are better this year than they ever were, even in the minors. He has an ERA of 3.18, a FIP of 3.57, and a WHIP 1.26. He was the most consistent reliever for the Jays up until the middle of May, but has not pitched as well since. He has still been one of the best relievers for the team, and has become a fan favorite as well. Luis is only making $485,700 this season, so the Jays have unquestionably got their money’s worth with him. In order for this grade to improve he is going to need to get back to what he was doing earlier in the season, but even if he continues to pitch like he is currently, he is still a solid long reliever for any team.

Carlos Villanueva: B-

Villanueva has been forced into the same situation as last season, when he was a solid reliever, and had to start for a while due to injuries. Carlos V ran out of gas near the ends of last season because of the starts, and will likely be the first pitcher out of the rotation when a suitable replacement is found for one of the three injured pitchers. Villanueva has a 3.53 ERA this year in 22 relief appearances and 1 start (his 2^nd start is tonight against the Royals), and a FIP of 4.45, so his numbers have definitely been helped by the Jays top 10 defense. Carlos gets some extra points for being that guy on the team who is a solid pitcher whatever position he is in, so that helps his value. In order for this grade to rise Carlos is going to have to continue pitching the way he is but in the rotation, and hopefully he doesn’t run out of gas when he is put back in the pen.

Jason Frasor: B-

Frasor is up to his usual stuff once again, putting up ridiculously similar numbers to his career ones, and being counted on to do so. He has remained a constant in the Blue Jays pen for so many years now, always producing an ERA between 2.50 and 4.00. This year his ERA is 3.82, his FIP is 3.85, and his WHIP is 1.40. His BABIP is above his career rate by .30, so expect that number to fall, while his other numbers decrease as well. The grade of a B- will likely improve to a B+ or so by the end of the year due to his bad luck so far this season when it comes to ground balls getting by fielders.

What do you guys think of the 2^nd installment of this series? Would you have graded them differently? Leave a comment below with your opinion!

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