Injuries, Insanity and Travis friggin Snider

Ok, since I've been idle lately, this is going to be sort of a monstrous post, in reverse order of the title.


Travis friggin Snider

After looking disturbingly average in the Cleveland series, Snidey-poo went off for two bombs against Minnesota on Monday night. This is the part where we take a collective breath and remember that young Travis just turned 21 and has played less than 50 big league games. He gives the Jays a real x-factor at the bottom of the order right now as he is a rookie with middle of the order talent/power, hitting in the nine hole. I don't think he'll be there for long, but it's fun to see AL pitchers anticipating a break at the bottom of the order and seeing that soon to be patented Travis Snider bat waggle up there at the dish. It's not just the homeruns, it's the way he approaches everything. He takes things in stride like a veteran but plays with a rookie's enthusiasm. Scott Rolen, the Jays most rugged veteran player and a proven winner, was quoted as saying that (Snider) 'He wants to be a rookie. He loves talking to guys and is always trying to learn. He's not trying to be something he's not'.
I find this mind numbingly genuine and amazing in a society where young players are polished and coached from a ridiculously early age. Snider is having fun being in the big leagues and he is a damn good player. Much has been made of his family struggles making him stronger (His mother battled cancer and was then subsequently killed in an automobile accident) but none of that would matter if he didnt have the will to succeed and the ability to do at a high level. He has both in spades. The sky is the limit for this kid.

Insanity

Josh Beckett got suspended SIX games for finishing a pitch? For those of you who didnt see it, this is the clip.

Abreu clearly called time very late and Beckett, a hard thrower, finshed his motion, the way he is supposed to (so as to avoid injury). Yes the release point was unfortunate... and maybe there is some residual Yankee-Red Sock bad blood between Beckett and Abreu... (Beckett has been known to throw at guys) but this really looked like an accident and a massive over-reaction by baseball.

In defense of the MLB, in regards to suspending starting pitchers, a six game suspension really only amounts to them missing one start, since they only play one out of every five games. The problem here is that starts are 'scheduled' for health reasons. Theoretically, a pitcher is eligible to pitch in every single game, they just physically can't without injuring themselves. So suspending a starter for anything less than five games makes no sense. Regardless, Beckett is appealing the suspension and under the silly rules of the CBA, the suspension is automatically deferred until the lengthy appeals process goes through. This is why 95 percent of players who are suspended appeal and either wind up serving less games than are originally given to them OR serve the games later in the season, generally at a less important time. I honestly feel that the opponents that the games are served against are a major factor in whether a player appeals. And so they should be, given the stupid system. I think there should be a NFL Challenge Style Ruling here. For those who aren't familiar, in the NFL you are allowed to challenge certain types of plays, which the coach signals by tossing a red flag on the field. If they win the challenge, the ruling is reversed. However, if they LOSE the challenge, they are stripped of a timeout (which is a huge punishment in football, where clock management is crucial). The MLB should have a similar type of punishment hanging over players who lose their appeals. Should they have the right to appeal? Absolutely. But it shouldnt be without consequence. This is another reason why the MLB is the worst run professional sports league (the biggest reason of which is the lack of a salary cap). and yes I'm including the NHL.

Injuries

Jesse Litsch attempted to pitch through pain for three or four innings last night, relating later that he felt pain in the first inning while facing the Twins number three hitter, Justin Morneau. He will thusly miss a month, further crippling an already decimated starting staff. One has to wonder if this had anything to do with JP Ricciardi's public criticism of AJ Burnett's inability to pitch through pain during his time as a Jay. Jesse, being a team guy, wants to impress the bosses and winds up on the DL. Beautiful.

AL East

Surprisingly, the Jays and Orioles are leading the division and have looked extremely good while doing so. The Orioles however, have less to be enthusiastic about than Toronto. They ran into the Yankees (wh0 have since righted themselves) and maybe won a couple games they really shouldnt have. Their pitching staff is pretty ugly from top to bottom and doesnt look to have much long term potential. Toronto has genuinely looked solid as an offense and are winning games without much production from their two best (on paper) hitters, Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. Both have been decent but certainly Adam Lind (leading the MLB in RBI's) Aaron Hill and Travis Snider have been the leaders. Scott Rolen has been solid as well and Marco Scutaro has been a great catalyst thus far.

The Yankees, after ominously bad beginnings, have improved gradually and sit at 4-4. CC Sabathia had a great second start and Burnett has been lights out so far. The question mark is Chien-ming Wang, who's sinker isnt sinking. He's getting torched, but it appears to be a mechanical issue as opposed to velocity or an injury. If he rights his ship, the Yanks could be tough.

The Rays have been average but are showing signs of being the team that captivated baseball gans last October and the BoSox have been pretty bad, bringing up the rear with a 2-6 record.

It's still very early, but I feel comfortably predicting that the Jays will win the World Series this year and every year until I expire, in roughly 2087.

good day

161-1!

well, the dream had to end sometime I guess.

Jesse Litsch looked aggressive, but you really can't do much about Miguel Cabrera. And when the Jays offense only puts up a single run against a scrub like Zach Miner (who actually looked good... whether that was the Jays or him improving remains to be seen) and the Tigers suspect bullpen, you're not going to win a lot of games.

After that first game explosion the offense has really cooled down... here's hoping they can get things on track in the last game today, before they head to Cleveland for the first road trip of the year.

Actually, I'm watching right now and both Lind and Overbay have singled, after a pretty crappy start by the rest of the order. Michael Barrett is currently taking his first hacks as a Jay. Let's watch!

annnd Barrett strikes out looking with two on and two out. Lovely. Take a hack you goon.

Ricky Romero makes his debut for the Jays today and he's not looking terrible although I shouldnt jinx the kid. So I won't. annnd Curtis Granderson just knocked an opposite field bomb. Dammit.

AL East Update

The Yankees got shelled again by the Orioles... although it was Wang pitching instead of AJ... perhaps AJ's elbow D-day will be today. Regardless, it is excellent to watch the Yanks get hammered by a team as brutal as Baltimore.

Boston lost to Tampa in the second game it what seems to be a pretty tight series. Overall, I really like both of these teams a lot more than New York. Could be an ALCS preview, although it is ridiculously early to speculate about that.

The Jays don't play any AL East teams until May. That is strange. We also don't head to the new Yankee Stadium until July. Also strange.

PLAYOFFS

162-0 baby!

Some thoughts from the first two games...

• Roy is still Roy.
• We're winning (yes I realize it's two games. Get your own blog!) even without major contributions from Vernon and Rios. Hopefully they'll get it together and we'll be nasty.
• Rolen's new swing appears to be working. His bomb tonight was a tape-measure shot.
• Aaron Hill is back.
• Snider is looking good and not at all nervous.
• Purcey looked awesome until his throwing gaffs.
• BJ was touching 89 on the gun, not the 84-87 reported from Spring Training. Still not great for a closer and he DID blow the save... but Brandon Inge is now on pace for 162 bombs. You can't fight fate. Brandon Inge for single season home run king.

anyways, the Jays are in first and in the words of a mad scientist who was trying to build the perfect beast, "don't look back, you can never look back." He also thought he knew what love was.. but screw it.

PLAYOFFS!

AL EAST UPDATE

The Yankees got destroyed by goddamn Baltimore. CC Sabathia earned every cent of his first game paycheque, giving up 8 runs, walking 5 and chucking not one but TWO wild pitches. and his next start is at Yankee Stadium. Lovely. I am giddy like a schoolgirl. My hovercraft is full of eels. Here's to AJ blowing out his elbow tomorrow.

BoSox beat the Rays in a solid 5-3 game... Beckett looked dirty and Papelbon snagged his first save of the year. The Red Sox pitching staff is looking really disgustingly good and will probably carry them to the AL East title. They could use a bit more pop in that lineup, although today they got a homerun from the walking corpse that is Jason fucking Varitek.. so maybe he's all HGH'd up and going to help the cause from the nine hole. Or maybe he'll retire by June. Regardless they're probably going to steal Cabrera, the lone Tiger who's looked consistently good against the Jays. Horseplop.

Opening Day

Well it's opening goddamn day ladies and gentleman and in true Canadian fashion, it is snowing outside.

The Blue Jays will battle their old AL East rival (back from the days of two divisions) and closest geographical rival, the Detroit Tigers, at 7:07 Eastern, on the Network Which Steals Your Soul ( (Newstyso as I will refer to them from now on). You can catch them live down at the Skydome but I'm not sure if there are tickets left. With this godforsaken muck coming down, there is bound to be some left.

It's a bit sad when Roy Halladay compares Opening Day to the playoffs, saying 'It's like no other time of year. It's as close to a playoff environment as I've ever felt'

Oh Roy. I am sad for you all day long.

This will be Halladays 7th consecutive opening day start and he has a 2-3 record with 2 no decisions... I've seen most of them live (although I won't be going this year). I do believe the last time we opened the season against these Tigers, he got shelled 7-1.

The Tigers will be an interesting matchup, as they were supposed to excel last year and pretty much pooped the bed with more voracity than an octogenarian who has overdosed on prune juice and yogurt.

Steal My Sunshine

Popular opinion has the Tigers All-Star 1B/3B Miguel Cabrera heading to the Red Sox at some point before the trade deadline (because the Tigers are broke and signed him to a massive deal right before the economy hit the fan), which really illustrates baseballs need for a salary cap. The disparity between the haves and the have nots is just too great, especially in the current economic climate. If they're going to keep the system as is, they need to increase the number of playoff teams somehow.

However, the slim chance of post-season play is one of the coolest things about baseball, compared to other sports. Here's hoping they just (eventually) institute a cap and make things a little bit more level.

And it's one, two...

well here's hoping Opening Day goes well for this Jays squad. Bill Simmons of ESPN picked them to win less than 70 games and that's a very real possibility. However, they could also win upwards of 85 games. They are just such a question mark. Luckily for them, the mighty AL East has a lot of gaping holes in it this year, IE many of Bostons position players (Lowell, Drew, Lugo, Papi, Ellsbury, Varitek) and the Yankees Bullpen/Lineup(minus ARod). He also predicts a Roy Halladay trade by the deadline, something I don't personally think will happen, but who knows?

At least it will be interesting to watch.


Travis Snider for ROY. And greatness.

Your 2009 Toronto Blue Jays (Position Players)

Ok. We're going to tackle a buttload of things here, namely the current position players, the bench players and where things might wind up by the end of the season.


First Base- Lyle Overbay

The Skinny- Can he regain his form from his first season in TO? He had steadily improved every season leading into that one. Then he broke his hand... and not the hand that baseball players don't need. It screwed with his buttery smooth swing and has regressed him quite a bit. His numbers last year weren't awful but it was more the way he looked at the plate. Uncomfortable. Hopefully he'll go back to being like Billy Squire and just strokin' (occasionally popping a dinger here and there). Otherwise, you may see a lot of Adam Lind at first base as the year goes on.

What I Really Think- Just hit some goddamn doubles or I will slap you in the mouth.

Second Base- Aaron Hill

The Skinny- Coming off a concussion that cost him most of last season, Hill will need to regain his 2007 form at the plate. He had a decent spring and appears to be back to his old self. Hill could be a sparkplug for the offense and possibly replace Marco Scutaro at the leadoff position if he can up his walks.

What I Really Think- Personally I love Aaron Hill, even though he seems like he is stoned most of the time, which might affect his bat speed.

Third Base- Scott Rolen

The Skinny- In yet another instance of a player needing to have a comeback season, Rolen is the one that perhaps should be approached with the most caution. His shoulder, proclaimed healthy going into last year, gave him problems all year and finally led to him radically altering his swing. The upside is that the swing change was successful and he tore the cover off the ball in late August and September. Regardless, he gives the Jays a vacuum at third base, defensively. If he can stay healthy, he should provide a bit of pop in the 6 hole and add to the Jays defence, which also ranked first in the Majors last season.

What I Really Think- 17 million dollars well spent!

Shortstop- Marco Scutaro

The Skinny- Scutaro has been given the starting job after a solid 08 campaign. He's a decent defender, can play multiple positions and doesnt strike out much. In other words, he's a perfect bench player, but ideally wouldnt be starting. And even moreso, wouldn't be the leadoff hitter, which he seems to be, by default.

What I Really Think- This is getting uglier and uglier.

Catcher- Rod Barajas

The Skinny- Another solid, if unspectacular performer, with a rocket arm behind the plate and decent game-calling skills. Streaky hitter at the plate who offers a bit of pop. Probably his last year in TO, depending on the development of highly touted prospect JP Arencibia, who is catching every day at Triple A Las Vegas. However, Arencibia projects more as a 1b prospect in the longterm, so Barajas might stick around if he performs well.

What I Really Think- Sweet. Another 34 year old past his prime catcher.

Right Field- Alex Rios

The Skinny- Rios needs to finally fulfill his potential to be a five tool all star. The flashes he has shown have been absolutely tantalizing but the bottom line is that he was rewarded with a big contract after a year in which he had a serious staph infection. He responded by being a threat on the basepaths and possibly the Jays best offensive player, all-around. However, on the 08 Jays, that really wasn't saying much. His home run and RBI totals dropped significantly, while the rest of his stats stayed consistent or improved. He greatly improved after Cito/Gene Tenace took over from failed hitting guru Gary Denbo, mid-season and hopefully he'll be able to carry that into this season and finally have a consistent year.

What I Really Think- Rios you bastard. Stop laughing your way to the bank with our 60 million and rip a few bombs would ya? You're massive. if you hit less than 25 homers this year, I'm going to huck something heavy at you.

Centre Field- Vernon Wells

The Skinny- Vernon... you make it so hard to love you. You're like desperado. He seems to always be fine if he can stay healthy. He needs to stay healthy. Much was made of his hiring a personal trainer to follow him around in the off-season and then he immediately injured both his hamstring and the wrist he had surgery on last season. Hopefully he can just stay healthy and be the Vernon we all love to cheer for. But I am wary of him. He's been out riding fences.

What I Really Think- I just said what I really think. Try and keep up.

Left Field- Travis Snider

The Skinny- Best Jays rookie in years. Potential to be a cleanup hitter. Tremendous athlete with a quiet and punishing approach at the plate. Decent outfielder who may eventually move to 1b, as he is a bigger boy.

What I Really Think- I am schoolgirlishly excited for this guy. He is the next Jim Thome. He was born in 1989, which kind of makes me question my life, but he is just awesome. I want him to just tear the league apart. I know he'll have growing pains but fuck it, I am on board with this guy. He has an emotional story, he overcame the odds and he is just so much cash money that it is hard not to want to run out on the field for a high five.

Designated Hitter- Adam Lind

The Skinny- Lind has packed the muscle on, as the Jays apparently told him in the mid-offseason he would be the everyday DH. He tore apart Triple A last year and was one of the few Jays to succeed regardless of which hitting coach the team was employing. Could be a nice surprise.

What I Really Think- We shouldn't be DHing a 25 year old but we really have no choice. I am glad the Jays finally removed their head from their cavernous behinds and got his bat in the lineup on a consistent basis.

The Bench

Michael Barret C
Jose Bautista 3b/1B/OF
John Macdonald SS/2B
Kevin Millar 1B/DH


The Skinny- not a bad bench all in all. Barret can hit a bit and manages pitchers really well, especially young ones, which will be good if Barajas gets hurt and he has to step in. Bautista can play a bunch of positions and has a decent bat, Johnny Mac is Johnny Mac and Millar gives a team heavy on lefty starters a nice right handed bat on the bench.

What I Really Think- Barret hasnt played a lot in the last couple years and is a loose cannon of sorts in the locker room, Bautista is getting paid way too much and strikes out too much for me to be comfortable with him playing at all, Millar is old and on the decline. Johnny Mac is great with the glove but cant hit worth a lick. Is he all heart? yep. But baseball is the one sport in which that matters about as much as your hat size. Your heart doesnt matter if you cant hit the ball.

Likely Opening Day Batting Order

The Skinny:

Scutaro SS
Hill 2B
Rios RF
Wells CF
Overbay 1B
Rolen 3B
Lind DH
Barajas C
Snider LF

What I Really Think

I think this will change quickly. Scutaro isn't good enough to be a consistent leadoff man... but who do you put there? Either Hill or Rios I guess, and while Rios has the better wheels, his bat is needed in the middle of the order. Wells should really be hitting in the 3 Hole with Rios batting second... but we'd need a leadoff catalyst for that to work. Wishful thinking is Snider lighting it up and being moved into the cleanup role, but that's unlikely for this season. I'd also like to see Lind flipped with Overbay, especially if Lind is ripping it up the way he has the potential to. Maybe Lind could even work his way into the cleanup role. or Rolen if he can get some of the fire back. SO MANY QUESTIONS MARKS. Son of a bitch.

The Final Skinny- All in all, much like the Jays entire season, the lineup is full of transition and question marks.

What I Really Think- I am going to need a lot of beer to get through this.

Your 2009 Toronto Blue Jays (Pitching Staff)

Alright so this year is kind of a giant question mark. Unlike other years, where the Jays have postured like they were poised to compete with the giants of the AL East (and then were subsequently beaten into submission and even leap-frogged by the 08 Tampa Bay Rays)

The past few Blue Jays teams have hung their hats either on the pitching or on the offence, with the other being a large question mark... it's rare that the two are both supposed to perform and it is even more rare that the two are actually grooving at the same time.

This team is a bit different.

They had the best bullpen in the major leagues in 08, bar none. But that bullpen also pitched the least innings, as the Blue Jays dominant starters led the major leagues in innings pitched by a starting rotation. So how good is the 'pen really? Well we'll see this year for sure, as a season ending injury to Shaun Marcum and a possible season ending injury to Dustin McGowan have left the rotation depleted to the point that three rookie (I think David Purcey still has rookie eligibility) starters have earned themselves jobs.

Anyways, let's examine the staff, as it were.

Starting Rotation

1. Roy Halladay

The Doctor is in. There isn't much to say about Hallady except that he is a beast and is due for a freak injury this year, as based on his past bad luck. However, if Halladay can stay healthy, he is an absolute horse (led the majors in both innings and complete games last season. In fact, he had more complete games by himself than most teams in the majors)

2. Jesse Litsch

The feel good story of 2007, the 5th starter in 2008, is now being counted on to shoulder a much heavier load. Litsch is apparently throwing harder this spring (hitting 91-92, consistently, on the gun, as opposed to his usual 87-90) and came into camp much about 20 pounds lighter, ready to handle a heavier workload. I like Litsch because he is young, willing to work on his game and has a nice change-up. But having him as our number 2 starter is giving me a gastro-intestinal disorder.

3. David Purcey

Purcey will actually start the Jays second game of the season, as he is a lefty, and Cito wants to split up the righties and lefties in the rotation. But for all intents and purposes, he is the third starter, in terms of importance/experience. Purcey actually has great stuff. He's huge and throw a nice 92-94, with a dirty slider. But he also walks a BUTTLOAD of people. If he's hitting the strike zone, he is solid. He should go to Randy Johnson camp and learn to just hit that mitt. That being said, he is our third starter and only had 11 starts in the majors last season. Did you hear that? that was an angel losing its wings.

4. Ricky Romero

Another lefty in the rotation. The Jays 2005 first round draft pick, selected ahead of the likes of Troy Tulowitzki, Matt Garza and Jacoby Ellsbury. He has nice stuff, throws 92-93 and can throw both his breaking pitches for strikes, and is developing a nice change-up. He did lead his university squad to the collegiate world series championship and, while people have hated on him for not progressing more quickly, he is still only 24 years old, which is young for most starting pitchers. In fact, he was in camp this year as a lock to start at Triple A and maybe get a mid-season call-up if things were in the toilet. Instead, he produced enough to earn him a spot right out of camp. Good for him. The fact that the Jays really have no other options should allow him to, hopefully, settle in and be allowed some growing pains.

5. Scott Richmond

Made the team in the last week, after not pitching at all for Canada in the WBC. As much as I love a feel-good Canadian story (Richmond is 30 or so, a career minor leaguer who finally got his shot with the Jays last season and didnt shit the bed, hence the feel-good) Richmond isnt all that impressive. Touches 90 on the gun and has all around average stuff. Knows how to chuck though or he wouldnt still be around. Can be effective when he hits his spots... like any pitcher. Cito likes him because 'he keeps you in games'... I still don't think he'll last long and once Brett Cecil comes back up in mid-May (he is the Jays top prospect, optioned to Triple A Las Vegas so that we could control his contract rights for another year) I think we will see Richmond traded, sent down or cut loose altogether. But maybe he'll surprise us. Who knows.



Bullpen

This will be much less long winded. Less winded? lwinded? swindled? ok lets just get at it.

1. Brian Tallet LHP, Middle (Long) Reliever

Solid guy who can eat a lot of innings. A rare lefty who is actually more effective against righties than lefties. This would be bad if he were our only lefty, but we have a plethora.

2. Jason Frasor RHP, Middle Reliever

The knock against Frasor (other than the fact the he looks like he's 15 and trying to buy beer with a fake ID) is that he can't pitch on consecutive days. However, he is a right handed arm out of the pen who can touch 95 with his juice. He abandoned a nice overhand curve that let him save 17 games for the Jays back in 06, for a slider that would be less discernible to hitters and I think, overall, that has limited his effectiveness.

3. Shawn Camp RHP, Middle Reliever

Both Camp and Frasor are probably going to pitch a lot in April as the Jays attempt to deal them while Jeremy Accardo works out his problems (mainly with his splitter) in Triple A. Camp is serviceable but he did get cut from the Rays before the Rays were the RAYS. Enough said.

4. Jesse Carlson LHP, Middle Reliever

Last years big surprise, Carlson is a soft tossing lefty with a deceptive motion and a devastating breaking pitch that baffles lefties and righties alike. Throws tons of strikes, eats lots of innings and seems to have a rubber arm.

5. Brandon League RHP, Middle Reliever/Set-Up

League is the only Jay who can throw absolute gas. After hurting a shoulder muscle two offseasons ago that dropped his velocity to around 88-91 mph, he is back to his hard throwing self, hitting 97-98 on a regular basis, with a serviceable sinker to keep hitters off-balance. When he is throwing the sinker well, he is nearly unhittable. The closer in waiting.

6. Scott Downs LHP Set-Up (Closer?)

There has been talk about Downs closing some days until BJ Ryan works himself into mid-season form. Downs has led the Jays relief corps in appearances the past two seasons and has been incredibly effective in all situations. Spots his fastball nicely and has a big sweeping curve that baffles lefties and causes righties to pop up. Not really long-term closer material because he lacks true strike-out ability.

7. BJ Ryan

We need the foaming at the mouth, rattling-the-bullpen-cage-like-the-Ultimate Warrior BJ Ryan that came to the Jays three seasons back. Unfortunately Ryan has only been hitting 84-87 on the gun throughout spring training and may have (at least temporarily) lost his closing job until he can work himself into shape. However, for those that thought the big man from down south was throwing 95 or 96 when he first came to the Jays, he wasn't. He really only ever threw 90-91, with a nasty slider and an incredibly deft motion and rhythm that intimidated hitters. Anyways we'll see how BJ is doing but there is a distinct possibility, even if he is totally fine, that he could be dealt to a contender around the deadline.



alright folks there's your pitching staff. coming soon, your 2009 position players.