Jul 15, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Steve Delabar (35) pitches to the Texas Rangers during the 6th inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

When Jared and I completed the Top 50 Jays Prospect list pre-2011, we listed Eric Thames as the 15th best Jays prospect, right after Noah Syndergaard (14) and right before Drew Hutchison (16). Jared got the call to do the writeup on Thames, and it lets you know a very detailed background of where he came from, available to you here. Since that time, Thames has done exactly as Jared predicted, earned himself a call up late in the season, and even earned a look early on this season based on his performance last fall. However, just as Travis Snider, his propensity for striking out much too often caught up with him and he was dealt to Seattle in return for some relief help.

In all, Thames leaves the Jays after reaching the majors by age 24, and after a .257/.306/.429 line over 2 seasons (510 ABs). What impressed me most about Thames was what I would call his “quiet” power. I call it quiet because most don’t realize just how many extra base hits he managed to hit despite a low batting average (51 in 510 ABs, or 1 per every 10 ABs exactly). That in itself is enough for the Seattle Mariners to have some interest in the youngster from San Jose. And if that’s not enough, his consistently positive attitude and relentless work ethic should definitely win them over in Seattle. (more…)

July 20, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus (28) congratulates left fielder Travis Snider (45) after scoring a run during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

If you’re opinion is anywhere close to mine, you’re pulling with all of your mind for Travis Snider to break out and prove once and for all that he can slide into the lineup, hit 25 HRs or more a season and give you above average stats across the board. That’s where I believe most Jays fans stand, and as they – and fellow Jays players – watched him make his return to the lineup against the Red Sox, cheers, welcoming Tweets, and high-fives became the norm throughout the game as everyone seems to be pulling for the kid they used to call “The Franchise”.

I’d like to take you all back to 2007, when Travis Snider was beginning the high ride towards the majors. Baseball America’s Matt Eddy ranked him as the 2nd best Jays prospect that year, behind only Adam Lind and just ahead of Ricky Romero. Snider was coming off a .325/.412/.567 year at the rookie level where he hit 24 extra base hits (11 HRs) in only 194 ABs. Within that article, Eddy proclaimed correctly that:

He has the tools and desire to become an impact corner outfielder in the majors, and his bat should allow him to move more quickly than most high schoolers. (more…)

The broadcast team related the injury to an earlier scoring play, when Bautista was forced to reach for the plate and seemed to put a lot of pressure on his wrist in the process. However, there seemed to be more damage done on the follow through of his extreme torque swing, as he finished it and bent the wrist in an awkward position. His left wrist will definitely need at the very minimum a few games to heal, but it’s more likely that he’ll need to more time off than just a few games. Wrist injuries tend to be finicky, and if not addressed correctly the first time they show themselves, they can linger for a very long time.  (more…)

In the interests of full disclosure, I’ve been among those voices before. I’m a huge Travis Snider fan, and have been pulling for his success since he came up and started hitting moon shots off unsuspecting pitchers. The Blue Jays front office doesn’t have the luxury of cheering, however; they need to have a more nuanced approach, and make sure they’re doing right by all the players on the team, and what’s best for their success going forward.

I didn’t initially agree with the decision to keep Thames (how much of that was influenced by my Snider fandom is uncertain, but we’ll ignore that for the purpose of this write-up). However, after some consideration, we can notice how this is not only the best solution for the Blue Jays right now, but going forward, regardless of how Alex Anthopoulos feels about the individual players.

April 10, 2012; Toronto, ON, CANADA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Eric Thames (14) hits a single against the Boston Red Sox during the eight inning at the Rogers Centre. Toronto defeated Boston 7-3. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-US PRESSWIRE

I think the most important point is that the Blue Jays believe Thames deserves a real chance at starting every day in left field, without having to look over his shoulder. If they had kept both on the team coming out of spring training, it would have been even more of a topic than it is right now. Everyone would have been looking at John Farrell’s lineup card, and second guessing whether or not he made the right call, or if they’re playing enough. And how would it have affected the players? Would they have had to field questions, day after day about whether they wanted to start/play more/liked the other guy? It would have been a big, blinking, red “DISTRACTION” sign that loomed over the locker room.

There are several reasons the Blue Jays believe this. Snider might have been the highly touted first round pick, but not everyone knows that Thames had his own stripes as a prospect, before injuries set in. After being drafted in the 39th round by the New York Yankees in 2007, he returned to Pepperdine for another year. In 53 games (mostly as the designated hitter) he batted .320, with nine doubles, five triples, and 44 RBI. He was considered to be a “borderline first round talent” before tearing a quad muscle, and the Jays snapped him up in the seventh round. He didn’t play at all in 2008, which set back his development, and kept people from noticing just how good he might have been.

Thames’ rise through the minor league system was rapid, and he improved his OPS at each stop, managing .789 and .864 with GCL and Dunedin in 2009, .895 with New Hampshire in 2010, and an eye-popping 1.033 with Las Vegas in 2011 prior to his call-up. Regardless of how you feel about Las Vegas, if the Blue Jays believe Eric Thames is a first-round talent who got hurt, then they need to see what he can do on the major league level. From his tenure with the Blue Jays, we can notice that GM Alex Anthopoulos wants as much information as he can about the players at his disposal, and will give good talent a chance to succeed. We don’t have enough information about Thames at the major league level, and whether he can be successful. We’re close to one seasons’ worth of at bats- would anyone give up on a prospect after that long?

What if you think that Snider will be the better player? If we believe that, does going with Thames make sense? It does, and the reasoning is based on how the organization has erred with Snider previously.

March 16, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider (45) against the Tampa Bay Rays during a spring training game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Thames was the everyday left fielder through the second half of last year, and played well at times. Not well enough to guarantee his spot, but well enough that, coming into spring training, he should have been the favourite for the job (and was). If the team had kept Snider and sent down Thames, and the positions were reversed from what they are now (with Snider struggling, and Thames tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A), we’d be having the same argument we are now, except flipped. And the organization is placed in the difficult spot of again shuffling Snider between Triple-A and Toronto. Would either player be confident in such an arrangement? What would that do for their development, knowing they’d be shunted back and forth depending on who was playing better at a particular time?

The team going with Snider out of spring training would be a clear endorsement of him as the better player, and put a tremendous amount of pressure on him to succeed right away with the former incumbent  Thames breathing down his neck. Given them team’s history with Snider- shuffling him up and down, playing and not playing- it’s more than understandable that they would want to be absolutely sure that he’s ready before giving him his spot on the team, and do it without any second guessing or reservations.

The argument is easier if you think that Thames will be the better player. The team endorsed him as the favorite for the left fielder’s job out of spring training, emphasized that he’s the starter from his performance last year, with Snider having to earn his way onto the roster. If Snider ends up playing his way onto the team, great. Injuries, ineffectiveness, or trades may open up a roster spot, or maybe the Blue Jays flip the former first rounder for something of value, from a team with an open outfield position. Maybe they trade Adam Lind, and Jose Bautista ends up moving back to the infield. Maybe Colby Rasmus gets injured in a horrific hunting accident. Who knows? The Blue Jays on opening day this year are much different from the team that broke camp last season- a lot changes over the course of a year.

When we step back from our fandom, and look at it rationally, we can see the direction that the Blue Jays took in picking Eric Thames as the Blue Jays starting left fielder out of spring training, and continuing with him now amidst a growing chorus for Snider. Though Thames has struggled some in the early going, the team needs to let he and Snider play it out for a while, and get past the hot/cold starts they’re having to evaluate who ends up being the better fit long term.  The Blue Jays have committed to letting this play out, and let Thames play himself into (or out of) a regular spot. As for Snider, if and when he comes back, the team wants to make sure it’s for good, and not the uncertainty that they’ve subjected him to previously. As we mentioned in the prior paragraph, things change over the course of a year– there’s still a lot of the season left to play out.

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

March 16, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Travis Snider (45) against the Tampa Bay Rays during a spring training game at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

For the fifth time since 2009, Travis Snider has been optioned to the minors, much to the dismay of Jays fans. Snider, however, doesn’t dwell on the past and — hear me out on this one — try to do the same for a minute.

Temporarily forget about Snider’s solid debut as the youngest player in the American League in 2008, Baseball America anointing him the sixth-best prospect in baseball the following year in 2009 and his promising 20 doubles and 14 home runs in only a half-season’s worth of at-bats in 2010. Disregard for a second his middle-of-the-order potential, his past displays of a sweet and simple swing and the fact that he has never been given more than 300 at-bats in one Major League season.

GM Alex Anthopoulos stressed this spring that 2011 performance would factor heavily into the the Blue Jays’ decision on their Opening Day left fielder, and, unfortunately, Snider’s wasn’t the best.

It’s a story we all know. Snider hit a mere .184 in his first 25 games and saw his power disappear before being sent down to Las Vegas. Before the calendar could even turn to May, Snider’s one-armed flailing over off-speed pitches earned him a trip back to the minors. Called back up at the beginning of July, Snider’s demotion appeared to have paid off, as he went 20-for-56 (.357) with a .981 OPS in his first 13 games back. His old habits returned, though, and he was eventually sent back down to Vegas to make room for Brett Lawrie after a less-than-patient approach resulted in an ugly 33 strikeouts to just one walk in 24 games.

So, despite strong springs from both contestants, when it came time to choose between giving Eric Thames or Snider the Jays’ everyday left field duties, it should be of no surprise that the victor was Thames, the man who held the job for the entire second half of the 2011 season — even if it’s not considered the best move and fans’ heartstrings were pulling for Snider.

Many people have stressed that Snider has done everything that he possibly can at the Triple-A level and that he has nothing left to prove in the minors based on his numbers. But numbers aren’t what the Jays will be looking for from him at Triple-A and they aren’t what’s going to get him back to the big leagues.

At the plate, Snider has tried to simplify his swing over the last eight-plus months by making various adjustments, like lowering his hands. Now, with his power having appeared to have returned and using his revamped swing, it’s a matter of him getting into a rhythm (primarily against left-handed pitchers) and getting his timing down overall (especially on off-speed pitches), which is something that won’t just come in 48 spring at-bats.

Anthopoulos said that he wants to “avoid the up and down” with Snider this season so that when he is called back up, it’s practically for good. In 2011, Snider initially displayed the changes that he made but couldn’t do so for an extended period of time. By having Snider start the year in the minors and giving Thames the opportunity to boost his value (hint), Snider will be able to just work on staying consistent mechanically and Anthopoulos won’t have to worry about how Snider’s individual performance is affecting the team.

Rather than falsely committing to him once again, the Blue Jays appear to have been honest with Snider and have given him a specific goal. Given the type of work ethic and talent that he has, meeting it shouldn’t be a problem.

-JM

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow us on Twitter (@JaysJournal), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!

Alex Anthopoulos has followed this adage for much of his tenure as the Blue Jays’ general manager, and to rave reviews.

(more…)

(more…)

(more…)

I’ll point out what I was able to observe during the game.

Pre-Game (more…)