Blue Jays Mid-Morning Brew: The Dickey Effect, Jack In The Hall, and More Hot Stove Talk

Aug 26, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) questions a call by 1st base umpire Bob Davidson during a game against the New York Yankees at the Rogers Centre. Toronto defeated New York 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

It’s funny what a late morning will do for you. The extra sleep is great, the stress of having to rush out the door taken off your shoulders, and the chance to get caught up on the various happenings in the world of the Toronto Blue Jays. It also makes you late in getting up today’s Morning Brew.

So without further ado, I’ll serve up today’s “mid-morning” brew.

This one bounced around Twitter yesterday and got a ton of love, but in case you haven’t read Christopher Caruther’s piece on R.A. Dickey (giggity) for FanGraphs, this is certainly a great way to open your morning. Apparently Dickey is worth almost a win and a half above replacement simply by pitching in front of other pitchers and combined with his regular value when he’s on the mound, that puts him on par with Miguel Cabrera. What?!

From one pitcher’s worth to another, we jump over to Barry Bloom at MLB.com, who takes a look at Jack Morris and his final year on the Hall of Fame ballot. As much as I’d love to see Morris get some love this time around, he faces a tough hurdle in first ballot candidates Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Mike Mussina, who all profile as better candidates than poor Jack.

Speaking of Hall of Fame candidates, another former Blue Jays player is still seeking entry to Cooperstown, Fred McGriff. As John Schlegel at MLB.com details, McGriff was one of the most consistent run producers in a generation where he was easily overshadowed by the steroid-pumped numbers of others. Yet, despite the cloud hovering over other candidates, McGriff has received no more than 23.9% of the vote. Does that change in 2013?

Back over to the Hot Stove, we take a stop at our neighbors, Tip of the Tower, where Travis Bateman runs down the available catchers, including Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Dioner Navarro, and A.J. Pierzynski. Who will handle the backstop duties next season? Whoever gets the nod, it doesn’t look as favorable as it once did. I’m still favoring Ryan Hanigan, but that’s just me.

Also on the trade front, we’ve taken a good amount of your time talking about Jeff Samardzija. To help educate the Toronto fan base about this possible Blue Jays trade target, Jeff Simmons at Sportsnet breaks down the Cubs right-hander and tells us all we need to know about the Shark. But is that really everything we need to know?