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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McGuire, 22, looked good in his first major league spring training, giving up only a pair of earned runs (including a home run) in seven innings spread across three outings. I was able to see his first spring outing in person back on March 7, and he looked great, keeping the ball down while throwing strikes. Out of New Hampshire’s starting rotation last season, McGuire could be the first of the group to receive a call-up to the big leagues.

Gil, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Jays back in November and has had a decent spring with the club this year, allowing three earned runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings and six appearances. Here’s what I wrote after seeing him in his first outing of the spring against Pittsburgh, when he did not allow a hit in his inning of work: “His off-speed stuff looked great in warm-ups and even more so against the first batter he faced, getting two swinging strikes on breaking balls to get the punchout. He then switched to his heat against Robbie Grossman, who was always behind and couldn’t catch up to it.”

In his third big league spring with Jays, not much can be said of McDade’s two singles in 14 at-bats across 12 games. After making some changes with New Hampshire last year, the Las Vegas, Nevada native has used the spring to continue working with the Jays’ coaching staff on his approach at the plate. His strong defensive skills at first base are easy to spot, and he should improve his overall game even further when repeating Double-A this year. McDade was recently ranked No. 33 on our pre-2012 top 50 prospects list.

Coming in ranked almost unanimously as the Jays No. 1 prospect, d’Arnaud, 22, used this year’s edition of spring training to work even more with Jays pitchers and on his defense, something that Jays skipper John Farrell had mentioned recently. The reigning Eastern League MVP is headed to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season and will likely be, at worst, a September call-up. After that, however, the Jays’ catching situation will get quite interesting.

Jimenez, one of my personal favorites and the best defensive catcher in the Jays’ minor league system, broke out offensively with High-A Dunedin last season and continued that trend this spring, going 4-for-9 with a double in an unbelievably small sample size. Like d’Arnaud, Jimenez got himself more acclimated with the Jays’ coaching staff and will move up a level this season, to Double-A New Hampshire, giving the Jays an impressive catcher at the three highest levels of their organization.

- JM

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This year was Beck’s first big league spring training, and the 26-year-old allowed a pair of earned runs on four hits in three innings of work with two walks and three strikeouts. The Texas native made his major league debut as a September call-up in 2011 and could be one of the first options summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas in the event of an injury.

Farquhar, 25, appeared in only one game this spring, allowing one earned run on two hits in one inning of the Jays’ spring opener versus the Pirates back on March 3. Known for his funky submarine delivery and the ability to throw from different arm slots, the right-hander was reacquired by the Jays last season after being traded to Oakland in the move that brought Rajai Davis to Toronto.

Crawford, 25, had an outside chance of breaking camp with the Jays, but did impress manager John Farrell and Co. in his three scoreless outings with five strikeouts. After being a mainstay in the New Hampshire Fisher Cats’ bullpen last season and being added to Toronto’s 40-man roster, Crawford will likely open the year with Triple-A Las Vegas and be the first call-up if the Jays need a left-hander out of the ‘pen.

Jenkins, 24, opened some eyes this spring after allowing just one earned run on five hits in eight strong innings of work. He changed the grip on his changeup while tightening up the rest of his game, and the 2009 first-round pick should be a prospect to keep your eye on this season.

Carreno, 25, made his major league debut last as a September call-up last season out of the bullpen after being a key cog in Double-A New Hampshire’s starting rotation. He made three relief appearances this spring and gave up three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts, but was sent to minor league camp when pitchers started getting stretched out because he’s going to be a starter with Triple-A Las Vegas this season and needed to pitch longer than just two innings.

- JM

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Perez, 21, worked primarily as a bullpen catcher and only saw the field in one game as a defensive replacement. The Valencia, Venezuela native is looking to rebound from a down year with Lansing in 2011, where he dealt with colder weather while playing full-season ball for the first time.

After being claimed by the Pirates off waivers earlier in the offseason before being re-claimed by the Jays, Jeroloman caught the ceremonial first pitch in the Jays’ spring opener back on March 3. The 26-year-old appeared in six games for the Jays this spring, going 2-for-8 at the plate with one double and three RBI.

Bocock, 26, was a relatively unknown name heading into spring training but he made the most of his opportunity. Not considered a top prospect by any means, he went 6-for-13 at the plate in 11 games with one triple, one home run and five RBI. His best game would likely have been when he earned the start at third base in the road half of the Jays split-squad schedule back on March 7.

Nanita, 30, reported to spring training after a very busy 2011 campaign. The Dominican Republic native spent the first half of last season with Double-A New Hampshire before closing the year out with a strong 51-game showing with Triple-A Las Vegas and playing winter ball. This spring, Nanita appeared in 10 games and went 4-for-12 at the plate with two RBI.

Tepera, 24, spent the 2011 season as a member of the Dunedin Blue Jays starting rotation. He held his own in his first big league spring training this year, giving up three earned runs on five hits in seven and 2/3 innings of work.

Richmond, 32, tossed three scoreless innings in his two spring appearances this year. The right-hander returned from injury last season to throw 113 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas, managing a 7.33 ERA and 1.814 WHIP.

- JM

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While I didn’t see entire groups on all of the fields, two consisted primarily of A/A-Advanced guys  like Jake Marisnick and Marcus Knecht, while the others were made up of either recently drafted or short-season guys like Christian Lopes, Chino Vega and Shane Opitz.

I hope to have more in-depth observations with quotes after tomorrow morning, but here’s a look at what I noticed this morning. It’s important to note that these observations all came in a practice/BP setting, which can be different and not as good as live game situations.

- Christian Lopes, who was ranked No. 43 on our pre-2012 top 50 list, starts his partly open stance with a raised heel on his left (front) foot and then strides closed as the pitcher is about to release the ball.

- Christopher Hawkins‘ frame is a lot thicker than I had thought. When he was ranked No. 25 on our pre-2011 top 50 prospects list back in January 2011, he was listed as 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. As of right now, both his MiLB.com and Baseball-Reference pages list the same figures, though it looks like he’s added some weight, specifically in his legs. Standing next to Canadian outfielder Michael Crouse, who is 6-foot-4 and roughly 215 pounds, Hawkins didn’t look that much shorter and had more lower-half girth than Crouse, and not just because he was a few inches shorter.

In the cage, Hawkins’ swing was beautiful. His back (left) foot was almost on the edge of the batter’s box and he has a nice, clean stance. A group of hitters on the diamond that he was on played an elimination power game, where the hitter had to smack a ball a certain distance in the outfield to stay alive, and Hawkins won. Even in a short time at the complex, Hawkins was one guy that really stood out to me.

- As for Crouse, who is also quite a physical specimen, he was showing exactly how he managed to hit 26 doubles and 14 home runs around an injury last season with Lansing. I was, however, somewhat shocked how busy his hands were before pitches and how wide his stance was. Marisnick and Knecht’s stances were also quite wide, but they both displayed their extra-base power with Lansing in 2011 — a testament to their upper body strength.

- It was in BP and a small sample, but Mark Sobolewski‘s swing looked really good and he had some solid knocks, drawing praise from the coach throwing BP. The 25-year-old spent all of 2011 with Double-A New Hampshire.

- Koby Clemens (yes, the son of Roger), isn’t tall, but is he ever built. The first thing I noticed was how thick his lower half was — the clear source of his power. Built on tree-trunk legs, Clemens has plenty of upper body strength and it’s easy to see now why he has hit 88 doubles and 64 home runs in his last three minor league seasons. For more information on Clemens, check out my article on him from back on February 9.

- Joe Musgrove was the only pitcher I was able to see on a mound (I saw John Stilson but didn’t see him pitch, unfortunately) and he didn’t throw a ball at all. He worked with two coaches on his mechanics, holding a towel while going through the motions repeatedly as he was critiqued.

The entire camp left to go back and do group running drills on the front/main diamond, but Musgrove stayed back for a few minutes and continued what he was working on. I couldn’t hear what the coaches were telling him, but he was working on his delivery.

I hope these nuggets helped and I’ll try to get a summary of tomorrow’s events up before my flight home — which I’d definitely be fine missing to stay another week here.

- JM

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With the other half of the Jays’ squad playing against the Red Sox in Dunedin, the game against the Pirates was a great opportunity to see prospects from different minor league levels play in the same game.

After Yunel Escobar made a pair of great throws in the bottom of the first,  Adam Lind led off the top of the second with a groundout to Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison, who was able to throw him out despite bobbling the ball since it looked like Lind wasn’t hustling down the line as much as he could have.

David Cooper roped a long single to the corner in left field, where he stumbled slightly while motoring around first base, contemplating taking second. Later in the frame, Moises Sierra hit a “ground-rule double” that rolled down the left field line and into the bullpen by the entrance to the clubhouse, out of play. Despite the two hits, the Jays didn’t manage to score.

Kyle Drabek got the start for the Jays and, after tossing a 1-2-3 first that included a strikeout of leadoff hitter Alex Presley, he didn’t fare well in the second inning.

After getting ahead 1-2 to leadoff hitter Garrett Jones, Drabek pitched himself into a full count after two consecutive high balls but managed to strike him out swinging on a great fastball low and inside. In the next at-bat to Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez, though, Drabek got himself into another full count and paid for it, as Alvarez knocked a wind-carried, opposite-field solo home run to left to put the Pirates up 1-0.

Then, after giving up a deep double to Clint Barmes on an 0-2 pitch, Harrison ripped a double of his own to put the Pirates up 2-0. After a pickoff attempt from Drabek, Harrison stole third after Blue Jays catcher Travis d’Arnaud‘s throw was high and to left of the bag in foul territory. Drabek’s emotions might have been getting to him, as he walked Mike McKenry on five pitches to put runners on the corners. Since McKenry was the fourth consecutive batter to reach base in the inning, it prompted a mound visit for Drabek.

After he got a bit of a break with Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens laying down a bunt to advance McKenry to second, Presley knocked an RBI single to left that only scored one, since McKenry was thrown out trying to score from second on a fantastic throw from Travis Snider and an equally great tag from d’Arnaud in a collision at home plate.

Promising right-hander Drew Hutchison came in to pitch the third where, after getting Jose Tabata to fly out to right he benefited from another great throw by Escobar to hit an outstretched Cooper at first base to get speedy Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen in a bang-bang play at the bag. After angrily staring straight ahead following the home run that he gave up to Jones, Hutchison struck out Alvarez swinging to end the inning.

The Jays put together a two-out rally in the top of the fourth, where Cooper drew a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball before Rajai Davis stroked a single to right. Cooper, hustling once again around third and thinking home the whole way, he was held up by the Jays’ third base coach. A walk from Sierra after being behind 1-2 set up a bases-loaded situation for Mike McCoy, who flew out to shallow center to end the threat, keeping the Jays off the scoreboard.

Outside of a double to Harrision, Hutchison pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth, keeping the ball down in the zone and using primarily off-speed pitches. After a flyout to Sierra, he showcased his cannon of an arm, launching the ball to third base with only a short bounce amid “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd to prevent Harrison from tagging.

The Jays’ offense broke out in a big way in the fifth, with Brian Bocock hustling out a leadoff triple and scoring on a single from Escobar. Then, after Luis Valbuena came on as a pinch runner for Escobar, Snider hit a towering home run over the right field wall to make it a 4-3 game. Snider had looked great in BP, hitting five consecutive balls to deep right field and three over the fence, and it seemed to have rubbed off on him in-game because his home run was an absolute moon shot. D’Arnaud roped a double down the third base line before Lind singled him home to tie the game at four.

Travis d'Arnaud and Deck McGuire talk things over before getting started.

Deck McGuire came in for the bottom of the fifth, and he was looked the best out of the Jays pitchers on the day. He threw the ball low in the zone, keeping hitters honest with his circle changeup while bringing his fastball, which looked great. He was the victim of a great leadoff at-bat against Tabata, who kept fouling pitches off with the count 2-2 before slapping a single. As expected, Tabata stole second base, on a throw from d’Arnaud that was on line but too high, and McCoy had to jump to keep the ball from sailing into center field. The baserunner didn’t affect Mcguire, though, since he finished with a scoreless frame that included a strikeout of Jones looking at a perfectly-executed changeup.

It was more of the same from McGuire in the bottom of the sixth where, after giving up a leadoff single to Alvarez and another base hit, he ended the threat and kept the Pirates off the scoreboard.

Blue Jay hitters broke the 4-4 tie in the top of the seventh, when Yan Gomes, pinch-hitting for Lind, cranked a solo home run to center before Jonathan Diaz hit a double that scored two to put the Jays up 7-4. Scoring on the play was outfielder Jake Marinick, who had come on for Davis in the previous inning, and it was not only easy to spot just how big he is, but also how fast, since he came barreling around third to score.

Reliever Ryan Tepera warms in the bullpen.

Jays right-hander Ryan Tepera got touched for two runs in the bottom of the frame, after giving up a leadoff walk and a home run to Starling Marte. Marte, one of the top prospects in the Pirates organization, showed exactly why he is so highly-touted and was fun to watch. Speaking of fun to watch, Diaz, who impressed me with some slick defensive plays at third base over the weekend, made a great stop on a ball in the hole at second to rob Pirates hitter Matt Hague of a base hit.

After Valbuena knocked a solo home run in the eighth to give the Jays a two-run lead, Tepera was able to bounce back with a scoreless frame and Robert Coello worked around two hits in a scoreless ninth to preserve the Jays’ 8-6 lead and give them the victory.

Like I mentioned above, I was really impressed with how McGuire looked, especially since it was his first appearance of the spring. Home run to Jones aside, Hutchison looked good as well, keeping the ball on the outer half of the plate more often than not. It was also nice to see some of the young, big-bodied outfielders like Marisnick and Michael Crouse, plus the cannon that is Sierra’s arm.

- JM

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Kyle Drabek is looking to bounce back in 2012. (Daylife)

For Kyle Drabek, things have changed dramatically over the past 12 months. A year ago today, he was one of the favorites for the final two spots in the rotation behind Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, and Brett Cecil. He only further cemented his roster spot during Spring Training, where he put together a 2.81 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 14:1 strikeout to walk ratio in his 16 innings (four starts). Preseason prognostication had him pegged as one of the three top choices for American League Rookie of the Year, alongside pitchers Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays and Michael Pineda of the Mariners. One of the three put together a 2.95 ERA on his way to winning the aforementioned award. Another made the All-Star team. The third didn’t share the same success and compiled a 6.74 ERA across 29 starts between the Majors and Triple-A. I’m sure Blue Jays fans are well aware which of the three Drabek was.

How exactly does a team’s best pitching prospect – and one of the best pitchers in the entire minor leagues – completely implode in only a matter of months? This wasn’t simply rookie struggles. As Blue Jays fans saw in the first half of the season, this was a complete physical and mental breakdown. Before we can figure out what Drabek needs to do to avoid a similar fate in the upcoming season, we must first determine what exactly went wrong last season.

35.5% four-seam fastballs, 93.4 mph
29.4% two-seam fastballs, 93.1 mph
16.1% cut fastball, 91.2 mph
7.6% “slider”, 82.3 mph
6.9% changeup, 86.5 mph
4.4% curveball, 83.0 mph

The information above is the percentage of total pitches and average velocity of each of Drabek’s “six” pitches from his time in the Majors in 2011, via FanGraphs. I put both the terms “slider” and “six” in quotations, because in actuality, Kyle Drabek does not throw a slider. He throws three different types of fastballs – the traditional four-seamer, a two-seamer, and a cut fastball – as well as a power curveball and straight changeup. The “slider” that appears in his PitchFX data is really a mislabeled curveball, though to be fair, outside of velocity, it’s really nothing like his true spike curveball.

As you can see in the data from his start against the Minnesota Twins on April 2 – arguably his best start of the season – the only offspeed pitch he threw was the aforementioned power curveball. The curve sat between 80 and 86 mph, and had movement that agrees with the 1-7 arc he puts on the pitch. His best curveball of the evening had an incredible 12 inches of vertical break. Additionally, curveballs accounted for 16 of his 101 total pitches thrown, good for 15.8%.

It was a far different story in his start against the Boston Red Sox on June 12, his final start with Toronto before his demotion to Triple-A. In this game, he threw zero pitches that were classified as curveballs, and seven pitches that were classified as “sliders”. The pitches clocked between 81 and 86 mph, but had far different movement than the breaking ball that we saw in his dominant April debut. The best of these “sliders” had six inches of vertical drop, merely half of the break his spike curveball typically shows. He threw 91 pitches in the game, and with only seven breaking balls (7.7%), he clearly became overly reliant on his three fastballs and his changeup. Comparing these two starts is like comparing apples and oranges, because outside of the name on the back of the jersey, Drabek was not the same pitcher in June as he was in April.

So how exactly does a curveball get misclassified as a slider? The PitchFX system relies upon velocity and movement for their classification scheme, and as the year wore on, the action on Drabek’s curveball left the range of parameters predetermined for the pitch. As the breaking ball exits said range, the system is forced to reclassify it to the pitch type with the most commonalities in velocity and movement – in this case, a slider. With that being said, Blue Jays fans are likely far more interested in knowing what happened to Drabek’s curveball, the plus-plus pitch that made him the top prospect that he was.
In reality, the grips between the two pitches aren’t drastically different; it’s the arm slot that has the biggest effect. Pitchers who rely upon curveballs will usually work from an overhead arm slot. Such an arm slot allows the pitcher to get a steep downward plane on the ball, creating beautiful 12-to-6 action. Former Cy Young Award winner Adam Wainwright is a perfect example of this. In contrast, pitchers who rely upon sliders will typically work from more of a three-quarter arm slot. It allows them to get two-plane movement and tilt on the pitch, as Blue Jays fans saw when Dave Stieb regularly took the mound in Toronto.

The arm slot is particularly important for Drabek, since at 6-foot-1, he needs to have as high of a release point as possible to create a downward plane. As the season wore on, however, something happened that caused his arm slot to drop. Whether it was fatigue, injury, or simply mechanical flaws we may never know, but the lowered arm slot killed the vertical movement on his breaking ball, transforming it from a power curveball into a slurve. With the breaking ball lacking its usual sharp movement, Drabek began to shy away from it, throwing more and more fastballs and cutters in its place. His fastball command is mediocre at best, so as hitters realized they didn’t have to worry about the curveball, they simply stood at the plate and let Drabek work himself into hitters counts. The problem only worsened from there, as Drabek becomes increasingly reliant upon fastballs in these situations.

1-0: 67% FB | 2-1: 74% FB | 2-0: 85% FB | 3-1: 95% FB | 3-0: 100% FB

When a pitcher becomes dependent upon fastballs and, thanks to his command, is always in fastball counts, you have a problem. Hitters know what’s coming, and as we saw, the results aren’t pretty.

Beyond just the mechanical issues that worsened as the year wore on, one has to wonder how much of an effect being the only pitching prospect in the Roy Halladay trade had on Kyle Drabek. His fiery personality is well documented, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that both expectations and his ineffectiveness took an emotional toll, particularly as the failure began to compound itself. Through my personal observations, and I’m confident most would agree, Drabek looked like a defeated man in late May and early June prior to his demotion. In a recent article written by Steve Kornacki of the Globe and Mail, Drabek was quoted as saying “I was frustrated every inning, every game. And it did not help me; it hurt me.” He stepped onto the mound with no confidence, expecting failure. When a player has that mindset, failure really becomes the only option, as it’s near impossible to succeed at anything in life – let alone the competitive environment of professional sports – if you don’t believe in yourself.

The great part about Spring Training is that it’s a fresh start for everyone. Fixing his mechanics and becoming more consistent with his release point appears to have been the focus of Drabek’s offseason, as he has entered the spring focused on drills that will clean up his delivery. With more consistent and sound mechanics, the sharp break on his curveball should return. Not only will the breaking ball itself be much improved, but by throwing it more – perhaps 15-20% – he’ll keep hitters off balance, and his other pitches will see improvement as well. Working backwards and throwing the curveball in fastball counts would also be of great benefit to him, because as I mentioned, he’s become far too predictable in that regard.

Additionally, and perhaps even more importantly, Drabek is entering Spring Training 2012 under the radar. He’s more than two years removed from the Roy Halladay trade, and he’s no longer the top pitching prospect that is expected to immediately help lead the staff and contend for the American League Rookie of the Year award. He’s now just one of the guys, looking to perform well enough to contend for the fifth spot in the rotation. After such a disastrous 2011 season, expectations really couldn’t be lower, and that’s exactly what Drabek needs right now. Finding consistency with his mechanics and rebuilding his confidence aren’t going to happen overnight, and with the wealth of pitching talent Toronto now possesses, there’s no immediate pressure. Whether it’s as the fifth starter in Toronto or down in Double-A New Hampshire, Drabek will sort himself out, and when he does, he’ll be worth the wait.

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Reasons this set could be better than yesterday’s:

- Discovery No. 1: Lawrie has the MLB logo and the date he made his debut tattooed on the inside of his right wrist

- Discovery No. 2: Hoey either doesn’t have his own baseball glove or was borrowing one from Matt Macri, a minor leaguer in the Rockies organization, for his shoot

- Based solely off of his photo, Figueroa seems like a pretty nice guy

- Butterfield’s shot is probably the only professional photo where you’ll see him smiling and looking so happy

- Bautista

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie (13) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jim Hoey (59) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Rick VandenHurk (60) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Nelson Figueroa (57) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Robert Coello (56) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Ben Francisco (8) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third base coach Brian Butterfield (55) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Carlos Perez (73) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Travis d'Arnaud (15) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

- JM

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Rajai Davis and Snider led things off with a single and double, respectively, before Ben Francisco lined a hard-hit ball to Pirates left fielder Alex Presley–who juggled the ball and nearly dropped it before making the out–that scored Davis on a sac fly.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider (45) slides under the throw to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman

With third base having been freshly vacated, Snider, stretching his lead on second base behind the back of Pirates starter Erik Bedard, broke for the hot corner and swiped the bag ahead of Bedard’s late throw. The decision was a valuable one, as a Brett Lawrie groundout turned out to score Snider and put the Jays up 2-0.

David Cooper kept the inning alive with a walk before J.P. Arencibia almost gave the Jays a 4-0 lead on a long fly out to the warning track in left-center field.

Jays starter Aaron Laffey, filling in for Henderson Alvarez, worked almost exclusively inside to Pirates right fielder Nate McClouth before striking him out looking on a pitch outside. McClouth, a left-handed hitter, had reason to be upset with the call, as the pitch was in the right-handed batter’s box and well off of the plate. Laffey got star Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen to swing over the top of an inside pitch for the inning-ending strikeout.

In the top of the second frame, after Adeiny Hechavarria, a right-handed hitter, worked the count to 2-2, he was punched out by home plate umpire Tom Haillon on a pitch that was in an identical pitch to the one that retired McClouth the previous inning.

After tossing a perfect first inning, things were rougher for Laffey in the second. Former Blue Jay Rod Barajas led things off with a single and eventually advanced to second on a slow roller from Matt Hague a foot inside the third base line that Lawrie charged but didn’t make a play on. With runners on first and second, Chase d’Arnaud (yes, brother of Blue Jays prospect Travis) slapped a single to right field that wound up scoring Barajas. Francisco fielded the ball clean and launched an accurate throw, but it was well short of the plate. Cooper watched the ball bounce at his feet and trickle to Jays catcher Jeff Mathis, who couldn’t make the tag in time.

With the Jays leading 2-1 after a pickoff from Laffey ended the Pirates’ second-inning threat, Snider led off the third and fouled a ball right into the press box that apparently hit both Alan Ashby and Mike Wilner. As Wilner tweeted shortly after, Ashby’s broadcasting was unaffected despite the incident.

The Jays were held off the scoresheet in the third, but it was encouraging to see Lawrie, who followed up Francisco’s bloop single to right field with one of his own, aggressive on the base paths once again. After bolting to second base on a fouled-off hit and run attempt, Lawrie successfully swiped the bag on the next pitch.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Rod Barajas (right) slides under the throw to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Jeff Mathis (6) during the second inning at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Darren Oliver made his spring debut in the third inning for the Jays and gave up two singles to the first two batters he faced before striking out McClouth on a pitch outside pitch off the plate. The, with one out and the bases loaded, Barajas roped a ball down the left field line that scored two and put the Pirates up 3-2. But Snider, knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to get McCutchen in time at third, fired a rocket of a throw to second base in a heads-up play that nailed Barajas who, as Snider put it after the game, was “dumptruckin’” around first base.

Francisco Cordero came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth for the Jays, who managed to put together a two-out rally in the top half of the frame to retake the lead 4-3. He worked a perfect frame, quickly retiring the side in order but not before I felt like Ashby and Wilner myself, as Pirates shortstop Anderson Hernandez fouled off a pitch that blew right by my head in the press box!

Then in the top of the fifth, after Lawrie led things off by hustling down the line and almost beating out the routine throw on a groundout, David Cooper fouled off a few balls—one of which was the third to make its way into the press box—before striking out.

After Casey Janssen tossed a scoreless bottom of the fifth, Hechavarria smacked a RBI single with runners on first and second before being replaced by pinch-runner Jonathan Diaz.

Up next, replacing Davis was Anthony Gose, who hit a hard single to right field that was bobbled by the outfielder and was able to leg it out into a double, despite not looking like he was running 100% at all. Then, with Snider grounding out to oblivious Pirates reliever Evan Meek covering first base, Gose bolted around third base and wound up scoring on the play – a true testament to his speed.

Mar 4, 2012; Bradenton, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder

One pitch into Sergio Santos’ debut in the sixth, play was briefly delayed because a cat ran onto the field, but he managed to get a deep fly out to right field on his next pitch, one that was caught at the wall by Moises Sierra (pictured) who had just entered the game.

After Ricardo Nanita made a running basket catch in deep left field for the second out of the inning, a displeased Santos bore down to strike out Pirates hitter Matt Hague on a ball in the dirt. Santos’ appearance wasn’t a dominant one, but it was easy to notice the life on his fastball and nice to see his nasty slider in person.

Jays reliever Robert Coello didn’t have the kind of day that he wanted in the bottom of the seventh, as he gave up a wind-carried solo home run to Pirates hitter Nick Evans before walking Yamaico Navarro and hitting Jordy Mercer.

Coello, throwing hard inside to right-handed hitters, finished the day having allowed two earned runs on two hits with a walk, though it could have been much worse.

The final two innings of the game were fairly straightforward, as both Chad Beck and Jesse Chavez were able to work around pairs of walks to finish with scoreless outings. Jays minor leaguer Brian Bocock was picked off by Pirates reliever Daniel Moskos in the ninth and Diaz, who turned a couple of slick defensive plays Saturday in Dunedin, recorded the final out of the game on a great diving stop at third base.

Up next for the Jays, Henderson Alvarez makes his spring debut on the road against the Tigers, with Drew Carpenter, Evan Crawford, Jesus Figueroa, Jason Frasor, Jerry Gil and Jim Hoey scheduled to pitch as well.

-JM

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A hiding Kyle Drabek, a view of Yunel Escobar‘s tattoo, Travis Snider with his game face on, Ricky Romero wearing his trademark flat-brimmed cap, Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil wearing his glasses, Edwin Encarnacion holding what he’ll do some damage with this season, a clean-shaven Dustin McGowan, standout catching prospect and one of my favorites, A.J. Jimenez, and the man with the best outfield arm in the Jays’ minor league system, Moises Sierra.

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kyle Drabek (4) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar (5) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider (45) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero (24) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow (23) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil (27) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dustin McGowan (29) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher

March 2, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Moises Sierra (74) poses for a portrait during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

-JM

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