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***Official Jays Thread*** Lots of optimism, again. (3 Viewers)

I would have Lawrie in the 3-5 range myself, I like Escobar/Johnson at the top, as long as Johnson is focusing on getting on base like he has every year but last.

My ideal looks something like:

Escobar

Johnson

Lawrie

Bautista

Encarnacion

Rasmus

Lind

Snider/Thames

JPA

 
I think it would be a wise move for the Jays to make a move for Gavin Floyd. Wonder what it would take to get him.

 
Thames didn't play today.

Snider 2/3 with his 4th home run of the spring and a single to the warning track. Single was off Niemann, HR off Jhonny Nunez.

Snider now OPSing over 1200 for the spring.

 
'Northern Voice said:
Thames didn't play today.

Snider 2/3 with his 4th home run of the spring and a single to the warning track. Single was off Niemann, HR off Jhonny Nunez.

Snider now OPSing over 1200 for the spring.
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His success may be great, but be it ever so great the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring him down into the dust.- Buddha


 
'Northern Voice said:
Thames didn't play today. Snider 2/3 with his 4th home run of the spring and a single to the warning track. Single was off Niemann, HR off Jhonny Nunez.Snider now OPSing over 1200 for the spring.
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If Snider gets a chance and hits, will they stick with him? He's a great candidate to break out but I wonder how much more time he has in Toronto to prove himself. He's 24 so still young enough but he's getting to the point of put up or shut up as far as being a Blue jay don't you think?fangraphs:
Travis Snider has been locked in a battle with Eric Thames for the final roster spot in the Jays’ outfield, but I don’t think this makes any sense. Not because I think Snider should be handed a job, or that Thames is terrible or anything. No, the reason is that I’m not sure why Ben Francisco has a guaranteed job with Toronto.Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that Snider hasn’t performed optimally in the Majors the past three seasons, and that last season in particular was a bit of a disaster. But as bench options go, Ben Francisco simply isn’t a great fit for the Blue Jays. While Francisco does bring a decent stick to the table — his projected .327 wOBA ties him for 61st among outfielders — it’s not going to be terribly valuable for Toronto. Jose Bautista isn’t going to need or get a caddy in right field, and Francisco isn’t capable of playing center field. That leaves left field. And while both of the main candidates for the starting gig there — Snider and Thames — are worse at hitting southpaws than Elaine Benes is at ordering soup, Francisco isn’t the best candidate to carry the shallow half of a platoon with either of them.Francisco is a nice little hitter, but against lefties, he’s not as good as Rajai Davis. Over the past three seasons, Davis has a better wOBA and wRC+ against lefties than does Francisco. The difference was even more pronounced last season, as Davis’ .362 wOBA left Francisco and the .301 mark he put up in a down year in the dust. The two hitters have different skill sets, but overall Davis has simply been more effective. It’s not just offensively that Francisco comes up short — Davis is also the much better baserunner and basestealer. Finally, Davis is probably the better defender as well. Over the past three seasons, Francisco comes in behind Davis in DRS, UZR and UZR/150. To be sure, Davis isn’t anyone’s idea of a Gold Glover, but he wins out here as well.Francisco is a better hitter against right-handed pitchers than is Davis, but here again, Francisco isn’t the best option –Thames hit righties better than did Francisco last season. Francisco may be a better defender than Thames, but Thames is five years younger, already has more built-in knowledge of the Rogers Centre and is fleeter of foot. And while Francisco may or may not have an edge over Thames defensively, Snider is easily the best defender of the bunch. In fact, of the seven players most likely to see time in the outfield this year for the Jays — Bautista, Colby Rasmus, Thames, Davis, Francisco, Snider and Mike McCoy — only the latter two could be considered plus defenders, and most of McCoy’s time will likely be spent in the infield.So, outside of Bautista and Rasmus, here are our best options among the four remaining outfield candidates:- Hitting vs. LHP – Davis- Hitting vs. RHP – Thames- Defense – Snider- Baserunning/stealing – DavisIf you subscribe to the theory, as I do, that a player on the bench should have one thing that he does better than everyone else, then Francisco is expendable. And while there is an argument that he could be the best pinch-hitter of the bunch, there are two mitigating factors there. One, he wasn’t any great shakes in the role last year (7-for-26, no homers in the regular season), and two, Blue Jays manager John Farrell didn’t pinch hit much last season — the Jays’ 59 pinch-hit at bats tied for 26th in the Majors last season.There is another consideration here as well. While Snider has flailed at the Major League level since 2009, he has mashed in the Minors. Since his Major League debut, he has hit .322/.388/.542 in the Minors. There’s not much left that he can prove there. We frequently hear that young players need consistent at-bats to mature and find a groove in the Majors, but that doesn’t really seem to have helped Snider. Every time Snider has been in the Majors, it has been with heavy expectations — even if he has hit in the bottom of the order during much of that time — and he has failed to meet them. Perhaps if Snider was allowed to sit on the bench and learn for a bit in a low-pressure role, coming off the bench as a defensive sub and spot starting once-twice a week, it would help him get comfortable and allow him to produce, and then take on a larger role gradually. Not to mention it would allow the Jays to save his one remaining option.While we can’t know exactly how Snider would react to such a situation, we can state that a platoon of Thames and Davis, with Snider serving as the fifth outfielder is going to align the Blue Jays’ talent more optimally, since Snider is a better defender than is Francisco. If the Blue Jays are serious about trying to make the playoffs this year, they are going to need every little edge, and having a plus defender off the bench to spell one of the Jays’ many subpar defenders is definitely an edge worth having.Snider and Thames are dueling for the starting spot in left field, and it is a toss-up. Snider has played better in Spring Training, but Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos has maintained that Thames is the favorite. But the best option may be to roster both, at the expense of Francisco. Yes, Francisco’s homer in the 2011 postseason was awesome, and while he is coming off of a down year, he does have a good bat overall. But he offers Toronto less utility than he might another team, and they should explore trading him.
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Incredible battle here, Jays writers saying they can't remember one like it. If the Jays are true to their word that Thames would keep the job unless Snider steals it from him, I have to think Thames starts the season in LF, he's been good, not as much power as Snider, but in no way has he lost the job...

Tonight:

Thames 2/3, 2 BB, 2 R

Snider 2/5, 2B, SB, 2 RBI, R

In Spring:

Thames .353/.393/.547/.940

Snider: .324/.375/.757/1.132

From the Jays website on the battle:

Who is going to be the starting left fielder? Travis Snider or Eric Thames?

-- Kimberly G., Vancouver, British Columbia

Thames entered Spring Training this year with a decisive edge in the competition for the starting job. General manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Farrell said there would be a battle this spring, but they prefaced that notion by stating that Thames finished the 2011 season as the starter in left, and that would have to be taken into consideration. In other words, it was Thames' job to lose, and Anthopoulos reiterated that point last week by stating Thames was the "front-runner" for the job.

There's no reason to believe that has changed, despite the fact that Snider has been the club's second-best offensive player this spring. He leads the team in home runs (four), RBIs (13) and has 10 hits in 12 games in the Grapefruit League season. Snider's mechanics at the plate appear to be greatly improved compared to 2011, and the way he holds the bat in a lower position has enabled him to get to some pitches that previously would have been unhittable.

Thames, meanwhile, has quietly enjoyed a strong Spring Training. The 25-year-old has displayed better range in the outfield and improved strength of his throwing arm due to some hard work during the offseason. He's also hitting .345 (10-for-29) with four extra-base hits and six RBIs in 10 games. Thames has been flying under the radar, not because of his results, but because Snider has been one of the club's most dangerous hitters since camp opened.

If Snider finishes the Grapefruit League season in strong fashion, he's going to put a lot of pressure on Toronto's front office. One thing working against him, however, is that Spring Training stats can often be deceiving. Rajai Davis led the club in home runs last spring and by all accounts was the Blue Jays' best hitter, but that success didn't carry over into the regular season. Snider will have to somehow prove he's different, otherwise he will begin the year at Triple-A Las Vegas.



What is the likelihood of Anthopoulos trading either Snider or Thames this season?

-- Melanie M.

There's no reason for the Blue Jays to cut bait on either player unless an attractive offer is presented by another team. Snider, who has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues, has had his overall trade value diminished in the past two seasons because of injuries and frequent demotions to the Minors. But the former first-round pick is still just 24 years old and possesses the type of skill set that could turn him into a well-above-average corner outfielder. There are other clubs around baseball that see that potential but won't be willing to part with fair value until he proves it on a consistent basis at the Major League level.

Thames arrived in the big leagues last season having not received a lot of hype during his career as a prospect. One major reason for that was a leg injury that cut his career short at Pepperdine University and caused his stock to plummet in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. Thames has been working to re-establish his standing since, but the club believes it has an undervalued talent, and that doesn't translate well to netting a lot of talent in return from a trade.

Anthopoulos hasn't sold low on any player during his tenure as GM in Toronto, and there's no reason to believe he will start doing so now. Instead, the Blue Jays will begin the season with one of Thames or Snider starting in left and the other in Las Vegas waiting for an injury to open up playing time.

Is it possible that the Blue Jays will carry both Thames and Snider on their 25-man roster to start the season?

-- Bill K., Washington, D.C.

No. The Blue Jays have already indicated that the odd man out in the competition between Snider and Thames will begin the year at Triple-A. The club wants both players to receive regular at-bats to continue their development. With Edwin Encarnacion firmly entrenched at designated hitter, there simply isn't enough room on the roster to ensure that would happen at the Major League level.

That's one of the main reasons the club acquired outfielder Ben Francisco from the Phillies during the offseason. Francisco and speedster Rajai Davis will serve in bench roles and will see time against left-handed pitchers.
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McGowan had a rough outing today, for the first time in spring there's some talk he may not be ready for the start of the season, likely Laffey or Drabek would take his spot in the rotation. Lawrie is day to day with a minor groin injury.

 
'Northern Voice said:
Incredible battle here, Jays writers saying they can't remember one like it. If the Jays are true to their word that Thames would keep the job unless Snider steals it from him, I have to think Thames starts the season in LF, he's been good, not as much power as Snider, but in no way has he lost the job...

Tonight:

Thames 2/3, 2 BB, 2 R

Snider 2/5, 2B, SB, 2 RBI, R

In Spring:

Thames .353/.393/.547/.940

Snider: .324/.375/.757/1.132
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Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams.- Dalai Lama XIV


 
'Cliff Clavin said:
'scrumptrulescent said:
No faith in Lind?
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Little to none. It would be great if he could regain his form from a couple years ago but I think that was the outlier and the last two seasons are the norm.
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http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2012/03/21/the-mind-blowing-awfulness-of-adam-lind
Jays fans all know the story with Adam Lind: a great 2009 followed by an awful 2010, followed by a 2011 that looked promising at times, but was allegedly derailed by some manner of bull####– injury or poor conditioning or… whatever– and wound up with stats looking just as bad as his fugly 2010. (Parkes rather awesomely ruminated on this last September at Getting Blanked).

Believing their own propaganda, and undoubtedly looking at the potential that still lies in what would be a very team-friendly contract if Lind ever returned to anything close to his 2009 levels of production, the Jays stayed the course over the winter, intent on entering 2012 with Lind still entrenched at the position. It is what it is.

Most of us, I think, would rather try and be hopeful that the Jays excuses aren’t as completely full of #### as they seem, and don’t need to be reminded about just how ####### ridiculously terrible the last two seasons have been.

I say most of us.

But clearly some observers do.

Because he hasn’t? @MParadiso: why can nobody around the Jays admit Lind has been one of the very worst hitters in baseball the last 2yrs?

— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) March 21, 2012

Yes, Wilner again dipped into his trusty ol’ bag of ridiculousness today, which led to a flurry of tweets disputing his notion (which he later says is based on Lind’s OPS+ of 92 “over the last few years”), and– for me, at least– a quick bit of digging, followed by an explosion of mind-blowing statistical evidence of just how epic Lind’s struggles have been.

For example, by wOBA, over the last two years Lind has been the 22nd worst hitter in baseball, among 134 qualified batters. This puts him behind such hitting luminaries as Alberto Callaspo, Denard Span and *COUGH* Lyle Overbay.

By wRC+, FanGraphs’ better-weighted OPS+-like stat, he’s 18th-worst.

Among qualified first basemen– where the bar is set far, far, far higher– that’s dead last in both (OK, his 92 wRC+ is even with Ty Wigginton).

Wilner notes that the 92 OPS+ means he was “about 8% worse than the average MLB hitter,” but what’s missing is the fact that league averages are dragged down by guys who don’t get regular playing time. Among guys teams actually gave enough playing time to qualify for the batting title, Lind’s 95 OPS+ in 2011 was 105th of 145. In 2010 his 90 OPS+ was 121st of 141 qualified Major Leaguers.

And against left-handed pitching?

He’s the worst qualified hitter in MLB over the last two years by thirty-#######-one points of wOBA– trailing Aaron Hill’s .250 wOBA vs. LHP with an astonishingly terrible .219. His wRC+ is a whopping twenty-#######-nine, meaning he’s looking way up at Hill’s 49. And this is despite Lind having a 56 point advantage in BABIP. He has a -23.5 wRAA against lefties over the last two seasons.

Your starting first baseman, ladies and gentleman!
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Encarnacion starts slow and Lind is awful but the Jays have said time and again that Davis and Francisco will be the backup outfielders (for speed and because they can hit left handed pitchers which neither Thames or Snider has been able to do). I think Thames, Snider, Lind and Encarnacion should share LF/1B/DH, get 500 PA's each and find out if any are key pieces going forward (outfield is going to get crowded real fast with Rasums, Bautista, Thames, Snider and two great prospects in Anthony Gose and Jake Marisnick).Snider going down and OPSing 1000+ in AAA proves nothing and Thames has done nothing to lose the job.

 
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'Northern Voice said:
Encarnacion starts slow and Lind is awful but the Jays have said time and again that Davis and Francisco will be the backup outfielders (for speed and because they can hit left handed pitchers which neither Thames or Snider has been able to do). I think Thames, Snider, Lind and Encarnacion should share LF/1B/DH, get 500 PA's each and find out if any are key pieces going forward (outfield is going to get crowded real fast with Rasums, Bautista, Thames, Snider and two great prospects in Anthony Gose and Jake Marisnick).Snider going down and OPSing 1000+ in AAA proves nothing and Thames has done nothing to lose the job.
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Yeah but he never did anything to get handed the job either (unless they were overwhelmed with his .769 OPS last year), Blue Jays treating him like he's Joe DiMaggio. :rolleyes:
 
Jays LF past few years:

2011 = 0.677 OPS, -5.0 UZR/150

2010 = 0.733 OPS, -4.3 UZR/150

2009 = 0.810 OPS, -16.0 UZR/150

2008 = 0.709 OPS, -5.7 UZR/150

2007 = 0.741 OPS, 1.7 UZR/150

2006 = 0.850 OPS, 20.7 UZR/150

2005 = 0.769 OPS, 9.5 UZR/150

Honestly, for this season, the best production, considering offense/defense, base running etc... would likely be a Snider/Rajai Davis platoon...

 
'Northern Voice said:
Jays LF past few years:

2011 = 0.677 OPS, -5.0 UZR/150

2010 = 0.733 OPS, -4.3 UZR/150

2009 = 0.810 OPS, -16.0 UZR/150

2008 = 0.709 OPS, -5.7 UZR/150

2007 = 0.741 OPS, 1.7 UZR/150

2006 = 0.850 OPS, 20.7 UZR/150

2005 = 0.769 OPS, 9.5 UZR/150

Honestly, for this season, the best production, considering offense/defense, base running etc... would likely be a Snider/Rajai Davis platoon...
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We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.- Thich Nhat Hanh


 
'Time Kibitzer said:
'Cliff Clavin said:
'Time Kibitzer said:
So there's no chance the loser from the battle gets a shot at DH?
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Encarnation has the DH spot locked up.
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I don't know maybe I'm just looking for excuses for the Jays to keep up Snider, but if my memory serves, Encarnacion has been pretty terrible in the early months of the season since coming to the Jays, and then he usually picks it up when June rolls around.
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If I recall correctly, he started going on a tear last season around June when they moved him to the full time DH. His hitting suffered whenever he played in the field (like the failed 3B project at the start of the season). Anywhere to find stats that break this down?
 
'Northern Voice said:
Encarnacion starts slow and Lind is awful but the Jays have said time and again that Davis and Francisco will be the backup outfielders (for speed and because they can hit left handed pitchers which neither Thames or Snider has been able to do). I think Thames, Snider, Lind and Encarnacion should share LF/1B/DH, get 500 PA's each and find out if any are key pieces going forward (outfield is going to get crowded real fast with Rasums, Bautista, Thames, Snider and two great prospects in Anthony Gose and Jake Marisnick).Snider going down and OPSing 1000+ in AAA proves nothing and Thames has done nothing to lose the job.
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Except that Francisco isn't very good at hitting lefties either.Career vs Left: .768 OPS

Career vs Right: .759 OPS

Yes, better than Thames/Snider but nothing special for a guy brought in to be able to hit lefties.

The 4 of them sharing the 3 spots would be ideal with Davis just coming off the bench to run. The Francisco moves still doesn't make sense...

 
What do you think about Snider in LF, Thames DH, Encarnacion 1B? Not that it would happen, but maybe it should.

Francisco move definitely didn't make sense.

Jays 16-4-1 in spring.

 
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'Northern Voice said:
What do you think about Snider in LF, Thames DH, Encarnacion 1B? Not that it would happen, but maybe it should.Francisco move definitely didn't make sense.Jays 16-4-1 in spring.
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I don't remember how good/bad/ugly Encarnacion's defense was at 1B last season, but I think it'd be the ideal situation from a batting lineup perspective anyway. As for Encarnacion's stat breakdown by position played as asked by Cliff:As 3B: 122 AB, .213 AVG, .672 OPSAs 1B: 82 AB, .305 AVG, .800 OPSAs DH: 267 AB, .296 AVG, .855 OPS
 
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'Northern Voice said:
What do you think about Snider in LF, Thames DH, Encarnacion 1B? Not that it would happen, but maybe it should.Francisco move definitely didn't make sense.Jays 16-4-1 in spring.
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I would be all for it but they'd need to find a sucker (Angels? ChiSox?) to take Lind. I don't think you can just send him to the bench. It shouldn't be too hard to get something back for him.
'Time Kibitzer said:
'Northern Voice said:
What do you think about Snider in LF, Thames DH, Encarnacion 1B? Not that it would happen, but maybe it should.Francisco move definitely didn't make sense.Jays 16-4-1 in spring.
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I don't remember how good/bad/ugly Encarnacion's defense was at 1B last season, but I think it'd be the ideal situation from a batting lineup perspective anyway. As for Encarnacion's stat breakdown by position played as asked by Cliff:As 3B: 122 AB, .213 AVG, .672 OPSAs 1B: 82 AB, .305 AVG, .800 OPSAs DH: 267 AB, .296 AVG, .855 OPS
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Thanks. His 1B D wasn't that bad... at least compared to his third base D.
 
I love just about everything said in here:http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2012/03/25/travis-snider-optioned-to-triple-a/

If one were trying to derive a narrative from the roster of the Toronto Blue Jays, it would be about the hope for redemption. Think objectively for a moment. How much confidence would you place in any guess as to how J.P. Arencibia, Adam Lind, Kelly Johnson, Colby Rasmus, Thames or Snider are going to do this year. In fact, the most reliable members of the starting lineup consist of a shortstop who was practically given away be the Atlanta Braves because of a supposed attitude problem, a third basemen with 171 career MLB plate appearances and a right fielder who no one had heard of two years ago. With so much variance, it seems to me it would be the perfect time to give players with the highest upside the most opportunity to succeed. While Thames is a nice guy who puts in a visible amount of effort, he doesn’t project to be much more than a fourth outfielder and certainly not the type to be brought in as a defensive replacement. Snider, amidst his topsy turvy career between the Majors and Minors, has shown flashes of brilliant opposite field power, but has been unable to extend those flashes into anything close to resembling consistency. Thanks to the grumblings from the what have you done for me lately fan base, Snider has become the type of prospect who is far too quickly transitioned into a suspect. He’s only 24 years old. That’s less than a month older than Dustin Ackley of the Seattle Mariners, who only put up slightly better numbers as a 23 year old than Snider put up as a 20 and 21 year old. Alex Gordon, the Kansas City Royals prospect who finally had his breakout after years of hype, had almost 800 more MLB plate appearances than Snider currently has before he saw the type of success that everyone expected him to have. Major League Baseball isn’t easy, and it gets even more difficult when a highly touted player gets yo-yo’d around at a young and impressionable age. With so many question marks on the current team roster, what’s one more, especially when the potential upside is as remarkable as the one the Snider offers?
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So when do they bring him back? June/July? First injury to an OF? No more options left so once he is back, he is back to stay.

 
The option is for the whole year, so he can be up and down as much as they want this year, it's next year they have to keep him up or lose him.

 
It looks like the Jays rotation to start the year will have Romero, Morrow, Alvarez, Cecil and Drabek. McGowan likely stays in Florida to ensure he's healthy and may be on the DL to start. Hutchinson waits in the wings for midsession callup, with Laffey around as a potential stopgap or spot starter.

 
Really curious to see how Alvarez does this year. I don't think he's quite to the level of a #3 yet, but think he has the upside.

 
'Northern Voice said:
It looks like the Jays rotation to start the year will have Romero, Morrow, Alvarez, Cecil and Drabek. McGowan likely stays in Florida to ensure he's healthy and may be on the DL to start. Hutchinson waits in the wings for midsession callup, with Laffey around as a potential stopgap or spot starter.
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Reading between the lines...McGowan gets called at first injury or Cecil/Drabek struggles. Because Hutchinson is having his IP's limited throughout the year they don't want to bring him up until midseason and preferably closer to September and use him for the stretch run like they did Henderson last year. If an arm is needed before midseason, stuff Laffey in there instead of rushing Hutchinson.Yes?
 
'MAC_32 said:
'Northern Voice said:
It looks like the Jays rotation to start the year will have Romero, Morrow, Alvarez, Cecil and Drabek. McGowan likely stays in Florida to ensure he's healthy and may be on the DL to start. Hutchinson waits in the wings for midsession callup, with Laffey around as a potential stopgap or spot starter.
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Reading between the lines...McGowan gets called at first injury or Cecil/Drabek struggles. Because Hutchinson is having his IP's limited throughout the year they don't want to bring him up until midseason and preferably closer to September and use him for the stretch run like they did Henderson last year. If an arm is needed before midseason, stuff Laffey in there instead of rushing Hutchinson.Yes?
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Yes, that's right, the only part I'm not sure of is if McGowan is healthy and Cecil/Drabek are pitching well. It would be great for the Jays if that happened, but they're really committed to McGowan, just giving him a 2 year extension beyond this season, even though he hasn't proven anything in his comeback so far. Eventually I think Cecil is the odd man out, I don't see a guy topping out at 87 MPH with so-so command being a long term solution in the AL East.In today's exhibition game against the Red Sox, Anthony Gose walked, then stole all 3 bases including home for the winning run, he's going to be exciting to watch. Hutchinson did pretty well against the Red Sox.In a game against the Hi-A level Yankees, Henderson Alvarez went 7 innings and gave up two hits, no walks, which isn't that impressive for a major league starter against a Hi-A team, but Alvarez was just in Hi-A last season, which shows how quickly he's progressed.
 
From Shi Davidi's twitter:

(Cecil) who goes four innings, 11 hits, nine runs, seven earned, a walk, a strikeout, two HRs.

Way to earn that final spot :thumbup:

 
Brett Cecil sent to AA. Joel Carreno will start in his place Sunday vs. Indians. Alvarez home opener, Drabek after him (obviously Romero, Morrow first two games).

 
Blue Jays seem to be receiving a lot of love with this new wildcard system. Am I the only one who thinks they have no shot in hell at either wildcard given their terrible starting pitching?

 
I really like Romero, Morrow and Alvarez. The 4/5 starters are huge question marks but at least they seem to realize they need power arms and not crap like Cecil, Eveland, Jo-Jo Reyes and the like. Outside of the Rays, every team in the AL East has similar question marks in the back of their rotation, don't they?

 
'Time Kibitzer said:
Blue Jays seem to be receiving a lot of love with this new wildcard system. Am I the only one who thinks they have no shot in hell at either wildcard given their terrible starting pitching?
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Terrible isn't the right word, but it will probably be the difference between 90 and 80 wins. Romero and Morrow aren't aces, but they're quality #2's. If Alvarez doesn't suffer a sophomore slump and keeps the HR's down he'll be a quality #3. I have no idea what to expect out of McGowan, but I really liked him before injuries derailed his career. Comeback player of the year candidate? There's a lot of talent developing that could fill out that 5th starter role, but most of them probably won't make an impact until at least 2013 and more likely 2014.I don't think the Jays will win the wild card, but if things fall right I see them sticking around into September. As a non-fan I'll be making a point of it to watch them relatively often on mlb.tv, if non-fans are watching that has to be a good thing, yes?
 
'Time Kibitzer said:
Blue Jays seem to be receiving a lot of love with this new wildcard system. Am I the only one who thinks they have no shot in hell at either wildcard given their terrible starting pitching?
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I hope I'm wrong but I believe they're still a year away from competing for it. The end of the rotation isn't pretty and there are a whole lot of what ifs in the lineup. What if Rasmus doesn't bounce back? What if Lind truly is a piece of ####? What if Lawrie isn't the supreme god that everyone says? What if Bautista regresses a bit? Of course, they all could have very good years and compete for the WC but too many guys have to have great years for it to happen.
 
RE: MLB.tv. Can you watch in-market games on it? I'm hoping to ditch cable for the summer but need to be able to watch the Jays.

 
'Cliff Clavin said:
RE: MLB.tv. Can you watch in-market games on it? I'm hoping to ditch cable for the summer but need to be able to watch the Jays.
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Nope. Sorry. I live in Cleveland and use it to watch my Tigers. I usually end up watching a lot of the Cubs, Jays, and west coast teams though as the Jays always have the only 1 pm game Saturday's, Cubs often have day games when everyone else is at night, and obviously the Tigers games are usually over before the left coast games start.
 
For the record, I see the Yankees winning the AL East, with Jays/Sox/Rays all winning between 88-94 games battling for the wild card and the Jays likely missing out.

 
'The Flying Elvis said:
'Northern Voice said:
'The Flying Elvis said:
Big Brett Lawrie hitting 3rd, in front of Joey Bats. :thumbup:
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:no:Opening Day Lineup: Escobar-SS, Johnson-2B, Bautista-RF, Lind-1B, Encarnacion-DH, Lawrie-3B, Thames-LF, Arencibia-C, Rasmus-CF. Romero-SP
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Damn Rotoworld... Had me excited there for a minute. Now owners have to wait a month until Farrell realizes Lawrie shouldn't be hitting 6th.
Click to expand...
The lineup I posted was official tweet from Jays, but two reporters now say Lawrie is hitting 3rd.
 
'Northern Voice said:
'The Flying Elvis said:
'Northern Voice said:
'The Flying Elvis said:
Big Brett Lawrie hitting 3rd, in front of Joey Bats. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
:no:Opening Day Lineup: Escobar-SS, Johnson-2B, Bautista-RF, Lind-1B, Encarnacion-DH, Lawrie-3B, Thames-LF, Arencibia-C, Rasmus-CF. Romero-SP
Click to expand...
Damn Rotoworld... Had me excited there for a minute. Now owners have to wait a month until Farrell realizes Lawrie shouldn't be hitting 6th.
Click to expand...
The lineup I posted was official tweet from Jays, but two reporters now say Lawrie is hitting 3rd.
Click to expand...
Yah, Rotoworld.com just posted that he is batting third.Lot of confusion... I would love to see Lawrie hitting 3rd to begin the season.
 
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