Jays Journal » Odds & Ends

Blue Jays We’re Thankful For in 2012

Kyle Franzoni — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:46:29 +0000

Casey Janssen is just one of the Blue Jays we are thankful for in 2012. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

As we sit down for our Thanksgiving feast, it is important that we put aside the many things that went wrong for the 2012 Toronto Blue Jays, and be thankful for the good tidings we enjoy.

We must be thankful for the thunderous bat of Edwin Encarnacion. By hitting .280 with a career-high 42 home runs, 110 RBI, and .941 OPS, Encarnacion gave the Jays the offensive boost they needed in 2012. It also gave Blue Jays fans a glimpse toward 2013, when Encarnacion is again paired with a healthy and, hopefully, more productive Jose Bautista. We thank you Edwin for your offensive brilliance.

We must be thankful for the right arm of Casey Janssen. Janssen, who started the season in middle relief, quickly rescued the Blue Jay bullpen when Sergio Santos, the acquired closer was injured after just six appearances and Francisco Cordero failed to take the role. Janssen became the closer extraordinaire, saving 22 games while posting a 2.54 ERA and 9.5 K/9 ratio. He will enter spring training as the appointed closer in 2013, putting the Jays at ease for at least one role.

We must be thankful for the evolution of Brandon Morrow, who stepped forward in 2012 and became the staff ace on a team that badly needed one. Morrow would be the only Blue Jays pitcher to win 10 games in 2012 and showed that he could be outright dominant at times. His additional pitches also made us believe that there is a possibility that his progress will continue into 2013 and beyond.

We must be thankful for movement of the Triple-A affiliate from Las Vegas to Buffalo. Having the ability to accurately gauge the talents of our highest rated prospects is important to an organization that is currently relying so much on the influx of young talent.

We must be thankful for said influx of talent. The group that includes Anthony Gose, Travis d’Arnaud, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jay Marisnick, Noah Syndergaard, Justin Nicolino, Daniel Norris, et al gives Blue Jays fans across this great nation a reason to believe in the future and trust that our organization is in good hands under the watchful eye of Alex Anthopoulos.

Finally, we must be thankful to the Boston Red Sox. Their outright demise helped give us some solace during our own struggles and kept us out of last place.

Happy Thanksgiving to our fellow Blue Jays fans!

David Ortiz defeats Jose Bautista in Reebok challenge

Jared Macdonald — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:09:11 +0000

While in Kansas City for All-Star Game festivities, Jose Bautista and David Ortiz competed in a CrossFit fitness challenge yesterday at the nearby Buck O’Neill Research and Education Center. Sponsored by Reebok, the two sluggers raced against the clock in workouts to determine which athlete was the fittest on the baseball field. The crowd in attendance saw Ortiz defeat Bautista and, due to a handshake agreement between the pair, Bautista will have to wear his pants up high when the Blue Jays take on the Yankees in New York next week as a result.

For hosting the event, Reebok made a donation to the Buck O’Neill Center, the home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Thanks to Jessie Carney and Jody Sowa from M&C Saatchi for reaching out and providing these images from the event.

David Ortiz and Jose Bautista pose for a photo at the Reebok CrossFit Challenge at the Buck O'Neil Research and Education Center on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga for Reebok CrossFit)

David Ortiz participates in the Reebok CrossFit Challenge at the Buck O'Neil Research and Education Center on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga for Reebok CrossFit)

Jose Bautista poses for a photo with children from the Police Athletic League of Kansas City, Missouri at the Reebok CrossFit Challenge at the Buck O'Neil Research and Education Center on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga for Reebok CrossFit)

Jose Bautista and David Ortiz conduct an interview during the Reebok CrossFit Challenge at the Buck O'Neil Research and Education Center on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga for Reebok CrossFit)

Jose Bautista and David Ortiz talk during the Reebok CrossFit Challenge at the Buck O'Neil Research and Education Center on July 10, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga for Reebok CrossFit)

J P. Arencibia tweet appears on MLB.com home page

Jared Macdonald — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:24:54 +0000

One of the changes made to MLB.com’s website for this season was a “trending” section in the middle of their homepage when you scroll down below the fold. Prior to Jeremy Guthrie‘s tweet that’s up there now about Jamie Moyer becoming the oldest player in baseball history to win a game (or whatever is filling that spot when you read this), a J P Arencibia tweet from late last night occupied the spot:

Arencibia’s tweet was influenced by the Blue Jays’ 7-3 win over the Rays last night, when he managed to hit the ball hard twice to third base and once to deep left field but finished the night 0-for-4, bringing his average down to .063 on the season.

- JM

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Toronto “might be a landing spot” for Mike Fontenot?

Jared Macdonald — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:58:39 +0000

Despite retaining second baseman Kelly Johnson for $6.375 million over the offseason, having shortstop Yunel Escobar and third baseman Brett Lawrie already in the fold and Omar Vizquel as a utility bench player, the Blue Jays have been linked to recently-released infielder Mike Fontenot, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle via MLB Trade Rumors.

After agreeing to a one-year, $1.05 million contract with Fontenot over the offseason to avoid arbitration, the Giants opted to release the 31-year-old in the final week of spring training, where he went 10-for-36 (.278) in 13 games with four doubles. The former Chicago Cub hit just .227 with a .681 OPS in 85 games for San Francisco last season, playing a mixture of shortstop, second base and third base while providing adequate defense on the left side of the infield.

It’s hard to imagine a smart general manager like Alex Anthopoulos remotely considering the idea of going after a guy like Fontenot, even at a rock-bottom cost, so don’t put ~~too much~~ any stock into this tidbit.

- JM

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Blue Jays partner with Baseball Canada

Jared Macdonald — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:13:27 +0000

In a relatively hidden press release on the team’s official website, it was announced yesterday that the Blue Jays have agreed to a sponsorship deal with Baseball Canada. The move is a great one for not only increasing baseball interest in Canada, but for building the Toronto Blue Jays brand from coast to coast.

“The Toronto Blue Jays are tremendous supporters of Baseball Canada and are bringing the development and promotion of amateur baseball in Canada to the forefront,” said Baseball Canada President Ray Carter in the release. “From the extremely successful Blue Jays Honda Super Camps to supporting our National Championships and coach education programs, our partnership with the Blue Jays is tremendously valuable and I look forward to seeing it grow in the coming years.”

In the new deal, the Blue Jays will provide sponsorship funds for all nine of Baseball Canada’s National Championships this summer, ranging from 13-year-old boys and girls to senior men and women, while receiving full-page advertisements in all tournament programs as well as banners on outfield walls at the ballparks.

Another interesting tidbit mentioned in the release is that the Blue Jays have created a public service announcement that features third baseman Brett Lawrie, Minnesota Twins first baseman and former MVP Justin Morneau and Milwaukee Brewers stud closer John Axford encouraging children across Canada to play baseball. Definitely a great thing to see.

- JM

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Sergio Santos and Ricky Romero by the numbers

Jared Macdonald — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:01:30 +0000

STATS and Yahoo! released some interesting swing and miss rates for various pitches, and Sergio Santos and Ricky Romero made their lists.

STATS discovered in their research that Santos’ slider was whiffed on a whopping 62.2% of the time, the second-highest of any pitch in baseball outside of the 68.8 % from Jonny Venters’ slider.

Clipped from: www.stats.com (share this clip)

Yahoo!, however, said that Santos’ slider, while still the second-highest, was whiffed on by batters a much lower 34.52% of the time. Romero’s had the 18th-highest curveball at 14.89% and his changeup ranked seventh at 23.79%.

Clipped from: sports.yahoo.com (share this clip)

- JM

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Blue Jays Dominating the Grapefruit League

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 02:55:37 +0000

March 27, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kyle Drabek (4) throws a pitch in the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Yes I know, spring stats are meaningless. No, I do not care, and am going to touch on the sheer brilliance that has been on display during the Blue Jays’ 2012 spring training.

The Jays won their 11th straight yesterday. Even after today’s loss to Minnesota, the club has a tidy 22-5 record during Grapefruit League action, the best record in baseball.

Anthony Gose stole not one, not two, not three, but four bases yesterday. Four steals (including home) and two runs scored, his ridiculous speed changes (read: wins) games.

In 33 at-bats, Brett “bound for greatness” Lawrie has hit .545/.559/.879.

Joining him in the over .900 OPS this spring club are: Adam Lind (1.016), Omar “forever young” Vizquel (.985) and Jose Bautista (.975), as well as minor leaguers Travis Snider (should be the starting LF), Yan Gomes, Adeiny Hechavarria, and Jonathan Diaz.

The following pitchers have thrown more than five innings and have yet to allow an earned run: Ricky Romero, Dustin McGowan, Carlos Villanueva, Casey Janssen, Jim Hoey and Sergio Santos, with honorable mention to Brandon Morrow (13.1 IP/1 ER).

The samples sizes are small and the competition may be suspect, but it’s still nice to see the Jays dominate. The performance is also an indication of their incredible depth, which is going to pay dividends in the near future.

-SB

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Blue Jays Minor League Awards

Jared Macdonald — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:59:28 +0000

Over on Blue Jays beat reporter Gregor Chisholm’s North of the Border blog, he revealed the results from the Jays’ minor league awards ceremony held today (I would recommend bookmarking the page because he includes a lot of information not found on bluejays.com).

In addition to welcoming back the R. Howard Webster Award winners that were honored last fall, various players and coaches were recognized in original categories like quality at-bats, five years of service, and major league debuts. Members of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Vancouver Canadians also earned their championship rings.

Here’s the full list:

Service Award Winners (years spent with the organization):

Five-Year Player Service Awards:

Kevin Ahrens
Daniel Arcila
Aleson Escalante
Alan Farina
Balbino Fuenmayor
Leo Hernandez
Justin Jackson
Mike McDade
Alex Ramirez
Jonathan Talley
John Tolisano
Marcus Walden

Staff Service Awards:

Five Years:

Dan McIntosh
Chad Mottola
Danny Solano

Ten Years:

Voon Chong
John Schneider

Fifteen Years:

Vince Horsman
Dane Johnson

Winning Baseball Awards:

Quality At Bats Champions

Las Vegas: David Cooper
New Hampshire: Anthony Gose
Dunedin: Brad McElroy
Lansing: Marcus Knecht
Vancouver: Jon Berti
Bluefield: Andy Fermin
GCL: Eric Arce

Pitching Awards:

Las Vegas: Brad Mills
New Hampshire: Chad Jenkins/Joel Carreno
Dunedin: Matt Wright/Ryan Tepera
Lansing: Casey Lawrence
Vancouver: Justin Nicolino
Bluefield: Tyler Ybarra
GCL: Colby Broussard

Baserunning Award

Doubleplay Buster Champion – Markus Brisker

Tony Fernandez Award, which is named in honour of Toronto Blue Jays Gold Glove Shortstop Tony Fernandez. It is awarded to a player who displays a tremendous work ethic, pride in their defense, and a passion and gracefulness equal to that displayed by Tony Fernandez.

2011 winner: Adeiny Hechavarria

Staff Awards

Four Managers of the Year

Appalachian League – Dennis Holmberg
Midwest League – Mike Redmond
Florida State League – Clayton McCullough
Eastern League – Sal Fasano

Trainer of the Year:

Northwest League – Shawn McDermott

Coach of the Year – Award

Eastern League – Brian Pike
Florida State League – Armando Gutierrez

Community Service Award Winner: Anthony Gose

Bobby Mattick Award – Dennis Holmberg

Webster Award Winners (MVPs):

Dominican Summer League: Jario Labourt
Gulf Coast Blue Jays: Jorge Vega-Rosado
Bluefield Blue Jays: Chris Hawkins
Vancouver Canadians: Justin Nicolino
Lansing Lugnuts: Jacob Marisnick
Dunedin Blue Jays: A.J. Jimenez
New Hampshire Fisher Cats: Travis d’Arnaud (also won Eastern League MVP)
Las Vegas 51s: David Cooper

Individual Achievements:

Appalachian League – RBI leader – Art Charles 61
Eastern League – stolen base leader (70) Anthony Gose
FSL – saves leader (32) Wes Etheridge – also a Dunedin franchise record
NWL – saves leader (15) Drew Permison NWL – wins leader (7) Phillip Brua
Gulf Coast League record for home runs, 14 by Eric Arce
Florida State League – Home Run Champ – Brad Glenn (26)
PCL Batting Title - David Cooper .364
Appalachian League Batting Title – Kevin Pillar .347

Major League Debuts:

David Cooper
Darin Mastroianni
Joel Carreno
Luis Perez
Henderson Alvarez
Brian Jeroloman
Eric Thames
Daniel Farquhar

- JM

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Brett Lawrie Gets Some Love Down South

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:35:27 +0000

Brett Lawrie received some serious love in the US sports press this week. Numerous writers and fantasy analysts from ESPN and SI wrote up glowing reports on him, many projecting 30+ jacks in 2012.

Eric Karabell (ESPN) went as far as to say “Brett Lawrie of the Blue Jays is going to be a monster, a 20 (HR)/20 (SB) season. I mean, is 30/30 in a year or two that far off? He’s a future Ryan Braun.”

That was just the beginning of the ESPN and Lawrie love-fest.

Jayson Stark wrote a long feature earlier this week titled “Brett Lawrie bound for greatness.” I won’t bother quoting from it, but suffice it to say, the piece is really high on Lawrie.

Rounding out the week, John Sickels of Minor League Ball ranked Lawrie No. 2 on his list of the best (non-rookie eligible position players) under 25 years old. That puts him ahead of Giancarlo (Mike) Stanton, Andrew McCutchen and Buster Posey, to name a few.

Here’s what he had to say:

“The only thing I’m concerned about here is a possible tendency towards nagging injuries. If he stays healthy, Lawrie will be (already is) a terrific hitter with power, speed, and a glove that is underrated (at a minimum) and could be excellent once he settles in . He’s superb.”

The “Lawrie may get injured a lot” angle has surfaced recently. I know he plays hard, but that hardly seems like a legitimate reason to be concerned about “a possible tendency towards nagging injuries.” Maybe I’m naive, but I believe virtually every major leaguer plays the game hard-and that some just appear to be trying harder than others. Just because a guy isn’t animated on the field, doesn’t mean he is slacking, or that he doesn’t care.

Anyhow, people all across North America are getting real excited about Lawrie, and that is pretty awesome.

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Mop-Up Duty’s Blue Jays Roundtable

Jared Macdonald — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:23:28 +0000

Mop-Up Duty published their annual Blue Jays roundtable for the upcoming season this morning and, along with Callum and Matthias from the site, I was able to join Tom from Bluebird Banter, Jeremy from 500 Level Fan and Ian from the Blue Jay Hunter in answering a few questions.

In addition to predicting the Jays’ 2012 record (four of us decided on 85-77), other topics covered were breakout, disappointing and comeback players (I inexplicably forgot about Dustin McGowan on that last one), as well as what the Jays need to do to win the AL East.

The toughest question, however, was if a young, controllable stud pitcher was available in a trade, who would we give up first out of Anthony Gose, Travis d’Arnaud and Jake Marisnick.

Click on the clipped image below to pop on over to their site and read the results:

Clipped from: mopupduty.com (share this clip)

- JM

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