Bloggin’ Blue: Jays Links 4/9/13

March 28, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Adam Lind (26) doubles during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Networks Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsWhat a start to the 2013 MLB season for the Toronto Blue Jays! With all the hype coming into the season, it is a bit of a letdown to see where things stand at this stage. All that offseason movement has resulted in a 2-4 start to the year.

But fret not loyal fans, what we have seen thus far is not what we can continue to expect from this team, and the Blue Jays will not finish the season in the basement of the American League East.

So with that said, let’s return to action with an open mind and optimism, hoping that the Blue Jays straighten out the ship against Detroit this afternoon. But before we get there, let’s get back into the swing of things by scanning through some solid links from fellow Jays fans and writers.

Over at our neighbors, BlueBird Banter, Blake Murphy does a one-by-one breakdown of Adam Lind’s first 18 at-bats of the season. Blake sat down and re-watched all 18 appearances, and presented some findings that let us know it is not all dire news for the Toronto DH/first baseman.

Token Quote:

"“Lind also, so far, is missing on really juicy pitches, fouling off a ton of heat down the chute.”"

Gregor Chisholm over at MLB.com took advantage of the off day to take another look at the Blue Jays farm system and determined that, despite the plundering of the winter, the future is still pretty bright for the Blue Jays young prospects.

Token Quote:

"“Stroman will likely begin the season at Double-A New Hampshire, but it might not be too long before he begins his ascension to the Major Leagues. He was considered close to being ready for the big leagues when he was drafted last June out of Duke.”"

The fellas over at BlueJaysFromAway are quickly becoming a favorite stop for us, as they’ve been tirelessly covering the Blue Jays’ minor league results on a daily basis. However, we’re going to send you over to them to hear (read here as “read”) their take on the flurry of moves the Blue Jays made over the weekend and Monday. Like us, they liked the Mauro Gomez signing and questioned the Gonzalez claim, but they also brought up some solid points on each.

Token Quote:

"“He (Gonzalez) had great minor league numbers last year and his FIP and xFIP were significantly better than his 5.04 ERA in the majors.”"

Closing things out today, we’ll swing by Drunk Jays Fans, where Andrew Stoeten does an excellent job of pulling together the brewing battle between Toronto’s media and the team-owned outlets. Is Rogers trying to pump us full of warm and cuddly feelings to get the fans behind the team, in lieu of media integrity? I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

Token Quote:

"“And if Yunel Escobar writes a homophobic slur on his eye black, you’ll hear about it here. And if John Farrell walks out on them, or if they don’t sign Yu Darvish, you’re going to hear it here.”"