Blue Jays Morning Brew: Podcast 70, Osuna, Smoak

Jays Nest Podcast Ep. 70  –  If you haven’t already, put your day on hold and kick back with the latest episode of The Jays Nest Podcast. My co-host Shaun Doyle and I talked about the up-and-down start to the Blue Jays season, the surprise start from the pitching rotation, and what could happen to Justin Smoak and Chris Colabello should their slow starts continue.

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We also look at the recent switch Toronto made in their leadoff spot, promoting Michael Saunders and dropping down Kevin Pillar. It also wouldn’t be an episode of The Jays Nest Podcast without another round of Hot Takes, either.

Must-read prospect talk  –  Dan Farnsworth at FanGraphs takes an extremely in-depth look at the top Toronto Blue Jays prospects here, including videos and tool grades. I was surprised to see oft-injured catcher Max Pentecost listed as the number four prospect, but there is some excellent insight into many of Toronto’s young talents.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

Speaking of Smoak…  –  Over at Blue Bird Banter, Jake Sinclair looks at the ongoing first base situation with Smoak and Colabello. He thinks it is time to give Smoak a bigger share of the playing time, and while his batting average isn’t brilliant thus far, he has been working walks at an encouraging rate.

The unenjoyable R.A. Dickey  –  Here’s an interesting take on the public perception of R.A. Dickey from Nick Dika at BP Toronto. Regardless of the results, I’m completely open to the suggestion that watching Dickey isn’t the most…err…user-friendly experience.

“But part of the reason fans watch baseball is to be entertained,” Dika writes, “and a lot of what R.A. Dickey offers is not entertaining. To say that this is irrational isn’t fair to fans. The painstaking volatility that comes with delivering a knuckleball to home plate 85-100 times a game means that R.A. Dickey is not pleasant to watch whether or not he gets the job done.”

The Great Biagini  –  David Laurila at FanGraphs had a chance to interview Blue Jays relief pitcher Joe Biagini recently, and as we’re becoming accustomed to, it was brilliant.

“I think everything up to this point has been a surprise,” Biagini said when asked about his recent rise to the big leagues. “Right now, it’s a surprise honor to get to speak to you and answer your questions. Honestly.”

Osuna’s slider  –  Nick Ashbourne at Sportsnet takes a look at the developing slider of Roberto Osuna, which is showing improved depth as he’s taken some velocity off. He points out that this mirrors the change Drew Hutchison made towards the end of 2014, sacrificing some speed for added movement.