Comments on: The Argument for the Jays to Call Him Up: Brett Lawrie vs Ryan Braun

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:35:38 +0000

I think the big problem with how Snider was called up was with Cito and wanting to make sure that the “Veterans” still got playing time over some kid. He was brought up in a situation where he was batting 9th and it seemed that if he screwed up he was on the bench the next day, it was as if he was playing in fear of losing his job every day, that is no way to foster such a great talent. The mistake was not calling him up it was how he was handled once he got up here. He just started swinging for the fences all the time because you only got to play under Cito if you could hit bombs.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:12:03 +0000

Mat, I did watch some video of Lawrie fielding and he doesn’t get his butt down too well or set his feet that well. I suspect that he can get away with a high stance but his footwork would leave him prone to many throwing errors (which has been the case). Now, maybe he has fixed his footwork since the video was shot and his error rate has been reduced, but he could get a lot better (from what I saw).

By: siggian

siggian — Mon, 30 May 2011 20:06:11 +0000

I think the age difference between Braun and Lawrie plays a huge role in why Braun was called up and Lawrie hasn’t so far. The Jays are being cautious and deliberate to set him up to succeed. Even if he doesn’t make it this year, he’ll still be younger than Braun was.

Also, Braun had three seasons to learn to play 3rd after moving from SS. Lawrie has had to learn a new position in 12 weeks (ST included) and it’s encouraging that he’s been able to do so. He’s also responded well to improvement challenges.

I think he will be up soon. I think Nix will be the victim.

By: Mat Germain

Mat Germain — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:56:11 +0000

Go figure, the very day I post the article above both Aaron Hill and Edwin Encarnacion go deep.I don’t mind that at all, I just find it ironic.

By: Mat Germain

Mat Germain — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:55:05 +0000

Thanks for the comment Duncan,

I think that if you watched Lawrie play 3B during ST or online at MiLB.com, you would see that he is already twice as good as E5 at 3B (IMO). He picks up balls hit to him very easily, which is one of E5′s biggest weaknesses, and his throws are slightly better than E5′s.

Again, with the infield being so rotten in LV, it’s hard to get a real handle on how his D is developing, but with the run differential being so much in his favor overall, he’d be worth the gamble.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:45:23 +0000

Although bringing his bat and on-base speed to the line-up will be great, his fielding will most likely be worse than E5. So, if that happens, is everyone willing to give him lots and lots of slack?

I would rather he stay in AAA working on his fielding while hopefully E5 brings his value up for a trade. That being said, it will be interesting what this team does when Lind is back and I presume Rivera playing everyday.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:14:36 +0000

Hey Mat, great bit on Lawrie. We can definitely hear your frustration. Going off topic a bit. When do you see a significant move to bring Zac Stewart into the discussion. The bullpen is starting to struggle and by the looks of things there is not very much wiggle room to make roster changes from there. Amidst all the Lawrie, Thames and Cooper talk, Stewart has been somewhat forgotten about. Have you or anyone else hear any mumblings about his development of late?

By: blueboo

blueboo — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:37:49 +0000

I don’t have a problem waiting till the middle of June for Lawrie. Maybe by that time EE and Nix will have some value. Somebody will have to go when Lawrie comes.

By: John

John — Mon, 30 May 2011 01:16:50 +0000

Lawrie had two more hits today, a triple and a home run. In his last 11 ABs he has a single, double, triple, and three home runs. His average is .352 and he’s working pitchers more per the request of management. He hasn’t had an error this week and seems to be doing everything asked of him. This is an exceptionally talented kid, a Starlin Castro-type with power. As poorly as the Blue Jays’ other third baseman have done this year, what can calling him up hurt? His confidence? Not this kid. He seems hard-nosed and bullet-proof. Third base is a reaction position. Not sure I understand all this talk about his muscles not being ready to handle it. But even if his glove is not gold, his bat surely seems to be. And as hard as this kid works, I don’t think his glove will be that much of a concern in the long haul. Like Castro, his bat could have immediate impact at the big league level. I say let’s see what he’s made out of. Bring him up now!

By: jerkstore

jerkstore — Sun, 29 May 2011 17:27:21 +0000

Jonah keri made the point about the rays that they let their prospects dictate their promotions. The fact that part of the argument to promote lawrie has to do with the major league club’s 3B situation is warning sign to me. His 3B is a question mark. His ability to take a walk is a question mark. those are major points in being the star we all think he can be.

Forget the whole super two thing. It makes more sense to learn skills in the minors. Travis snider is a great example of a player who “had nothing left to learn in the minors”. He is now in the minors trying to sort some stuff out. WE’ve seen with rios, hill and wells that players will not learn to take walks in the majors once they have had some success.

Finally, he is 21. That can’t just be glossed over. Very few players succeed at that age.