Jays Journal » Shaun Marcum

The History of Our Home Openers: 2008

Jeff Morten — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:10:36 +0000

Feb 21, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Shaun Marcum (38) poses for a picture during photo day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

This is the year it all went south. Sure we had a winning record and some outstanding players but the key here is J.P. Ricciardi may know talent but developing that talent was something lacking in the organization. For this reason we get Scott Rolen or David Eckstein, great players at one point but not the future cornerstones you would be hoping to be developed. Key players such as Alex Ríos, Vernon Wells, Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan needed to stay healthy and continue to grow as players rather than stagnate. Halladay held his own but the others regressed or got hurt or generally were a let down.

Sometimes good teammates and good people are not the same thing. There was no one to rally around. Scott Rolen would have been the best choice as a leader but from the moment he got here, even though he was a true pro and played hard, he didn’t want to be here. A lot of players in MLB thought the same. We were turning into the place to sign when your first choices are gone. The fans deserved better than a professional team. Sure they won more than they lost but winning in 4th place is still losing. For our Home Opener we had to face a very strong and determined Boston Red Sox team. Perennial playoff contenders. How would the 2008 Jays stack up? For this game ans actually the 3 game series…pretty good.

Date: April 4, 2008
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Game: Boston Red Sox vs. YOUR Toronto Blue Jays
Weather: Check an Almanac…it’s dry inside and that’s what matters…

Shaun Marcum got the call after the Jays returned home from a 1-2 start in Yankee Stadium. The pitcher for this game would be the knucklehead, Tim Wakefield. The Jays have never been that great against knuckleballers but for this day at least they were on top of that bouncy pitch. Wakefield almost had a quality start with 6 innings and 3 runs given up. Marcum went 7 innings giving up 3 as well. It came down to the bullpens. David Aardsma, Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen each gave up a run in an inning of work while the duo of Brian Tallet and Jeremy Accardo threw up goose eggs. The result was a 6-3 Jays win. The first of a sweep they would lay on the Red Sox. The hitting star was really no one in particular. Most Jays had 1 hit (Lyle Overbay had 2). The only Jay to get more than 1 RBI was Frank Thomas with 2. A very well rounded team win.

We would be relegated again to cheer on individual performances. My favourite is one I literally discovered while researching this article. Halladay became the first pitcher to have a 5–0 record against the Yankees in a season, since Luis Tiant accomplished the feat in 1974. I was 1 (grumble grumble)!!! He also became the second Jay to have two 20 win seasons (Clemens in ’97 & ’98). Still…we finished fourth. Dammit. Perhaps 2009 will do us better…

The History of Our Home Openers: 2007

Jeff Morten — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:42:17 +0000

Oct 23, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; MLB former player Frank Thomas before game four of the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rangers Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

When I proposed this idea I thought it would not only be kind of fun for a new generation to get a glimpse of the past, but would allow me to re-think the past of our beloved Jays. Perhaps garner more appreciation for certain players, management types and whatnot. What it has done, for me, is split the Blue Jays franchise into a three part play. 1977-1993…the build up first act. 1993-2009 was The second act where we were introduced to a cast of characters and plot points that would lead into the triumphant third act. A third act born out of the muddled mess that was the second act. 2010-present is still being written but you can see the clarity that has come out of the fog of the muddled 2nd act. 2007 was right smack in the middle of Ricciardi hatred…at least a non-confidence vote from the fans.

Tired of losing, we perused the papers and that new fangled intranet to see just what JP had in store. To build off of what was a pretty decent 2006 season and hopefully turn the tides and be that man to lead us into the playoff promised land. Except this is the year of the Vernon Wells contract. The Tomo Ohka, John Thomson, Victor Zambrano debacle in the rotation. B.J. Ryan was lost to injury. Dustin McGowan pitched the most starts in a season he ever would and Frank Thomas came here to DH and pad his stats and launch Hall of Fame clinching HR number 500. We lose reliable Ted Lilly to to Cubs and replace him with Ohka?? This was going to be a strange season in Blue Jays land…and a very lucrative year for the medical community as 12 different players succumbed to injury. It was a wild year in all the ways you wouldn’t want it to be.

Date: April 9, 2007
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Game: Kansa City Royals vs. YOUR Toronto Blue Jays
Weather:…likely better than Minnesota….

We would send up the enigma that is A.J. Burnett to the mound against Odalis Perez?? I smell a whoopin’…and I smelled right people. Odalis and some guy named Jason Stanridge combined to surrender 8 earned runs in 4 innings. Burnett, on the other side of the coin, pitched a good above average game giving up 1 earned with 3 walks and 5 Ks. Scott Downs, Jeremy Accardo and Victor Zambrano finished them there Royals. They stepped up and protected the integrity of the club that had been starting to sway a bit. The difference with Gibbons is that he loves to let the kids play (from the Bobby Cox school of knockdowns). 9-1 was the final as we out hit them Royals 14-4.

It would key a brutal season where people dropped like flies from injury, infighting is just a waste. I would rather converse….but maybe that’s the old school talking. I should have said cheque…lol. Thank goodness the debacle of ’07 is over…but not the end of the debacle…just where would you like me to put it?

Jays Going To Win Lawrie-Marcum Trade

Joshua Menezes — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:49:45 +0000

Sep 26, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Shaun Marcum (18) pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

You know how after every trade you hear people say we won’t know who won this trade for a couple of years? Well this is what they’re talking about.

In December of 2010 the Toronto Blue Jays traded their 2010 Opening Day starter Shaun Marcum to the Milwaukee Brewers for a Double A prospect named Brett Lawrie.

It was a trade that had a lot of Jays fans confused.

Unless you follow all MLB prospects no one knew who Brett Lawrie was. Anytime your team acquires a player you haven’t heard of its natural to think he’s not good or that your team got ripped off.

The Blue Jays had also won 85 games in 2010 so fans were hoping for upgrades to the team for a playoff push in 2011. Trading your Opening Day starter for a Double A player that wasn’t going to be ready for the big leagues at the start of the season didn’t exactly scream contention.

Alex Anthopoulos even admitted he was making the 2011 team worse to build the Blue Jays into a sustainable winner.

So far the Brewers have won the trade.

In 2011 Marcum went 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA logging 200.2 innings (a career high) in 33 starts. His contribution helped the Brewers win the NL Central in 2011. Lawrie didn’t even come to the big leagues until August.

In 2012 Marcum and Lawrie both spent significant time on the disabled list, not providing the production they would have if they both stayed healthy all season. Marcum still did contribute to the Brewers finishing 5 games back of a playoff spot in 2012. It wouldn’t have been as close without him.

Lawrie hasn’t even played a full season for the Blue Jays yet.

The Brewers got more value out of Marcum in the last 2 seasons than the Blue Jays got from Lawrie.

Marcum was also a free agent this offseason and left the Brewers to sign with the Mets while the Blue Jays have Lawrie under team control for at least the next 5 seasons. With Marcum not even being a Brewer anymore the Blue Jays are going to win the trade just by Lawrie still being in a Blue Jays jersey.

Shaun Marcum’s Terrible Post-Season

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:09:53 +0000

Former Blue Jay Shaun Marcum‘s first taste of the postseason must’ve been more bitter than a breakfast of Guinness and grapefruit. The former Jay completely imploded in October, posting these horrific stats: W-L: 0-3 ERA: 14.90 GS: 3 / IP: 9.2 WHIP: 2.28 BAA: .395 HR’s Allowed: 3 SO: 5 / BB: 5 The brutal [...]

Shaun Marcum’s Terrible Post-Season - Jays Journal - Jays Journal - A Toronto Blue Jays Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Jays Jots: Shaun Marcum, Adam Lind, Red Sox, Moneyball, and Prince Fielder

Jared Macdonald — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:28:36 +0000

Aside from the announcement of the Jays’ September callups, here are some links to get you through today after last night’s 14-0 rout at the hands of the Red Sox:

An Interview with Darold Knowles, September 2011 | Batter’s Box
Gerry over at Da Box talked to Darold Knowles, Dunedin’s pitching coach, about a variety of things, like Drew Hutchison being better than Marcum and Nestor Molina having tremendous command.

Shaun Marcum at home with dominant Brewers | The Good Point
Over at The Good Point, I recently caught up with Marcum and he talked about his trade from the Jays after they talked about a long-term deal, plus being dealt straight-up for a prospect.

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Top 12 Jays Draft Targets, JJ Edition: #5 Sean Gilmartin

Mat Germain — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 10:23:15 +0000

This message will continue to be posted on each of the top 12 draft targets I will be listing daily until draft day: the players listed are not “the best” players in the draft, they are simply those that I believe could be around when the Jays draft, and that could wind up being selected by the Blue Birds when their turns come up. The list has 12 of the top targets and will be presented in reverse order (from least likely, to most likely). A College Lefty is next…

#5: Sean Gilmartin (21) (more…)

Jays Journal Spring Training Notes: 8-March-11

Mat Germain — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:38:42 +0000

There’s a lot going on in Jays camp despite getting a “day off” on Monday, and for the most part, it’s all positive. There seems to be a truly positive spin on this season’s spring training. From the excitement of the young players showing off some of their skills, to young players vying for spots in the lineup, rotation, and the pen (ok, older guys vying for pen spots…), the Jays look to be gelling and are getting warmed up as the snow in the North thaws. Here are some notes to take with you through another day of spring training:

Jesse Litsch the Favorite for the 5th Spot? (more…)

Jays Leadership Still Present Without Vernon Wells and Shaun Marcum

Mat Germain — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:37:21 +0000

Let’s face it, the Blue Jays and Alex Anthopoulos have dealt or let go the majority of what people in baseball recognized as the leadership of the franchise. It started when Roy Halladay was dealt to the Phillies, continued with the departures of Scott Downs, Brian Tallet, Shaun Marcum, and was most apparent when Vernon Wells was dealt to the Angels.

Even some of the leaders who were added last season by Anthopoulos, such as John Buck and Alex Gonzalez, have come and gone. So, many people in the industry rightfully question how much leadership remains in Toronto and question whether or not there’s enough of it on board. I say that the latter question is non-sense, and that there’s plenty of leadership remaining with the club for the 2011 season.

Some of the players that can be expected to take on a bigger leadership role with the Jays in 2011 are predictable, and others are not. What bodes well for the Jays is that those who do take on that role will likely do so because they want to, and also because they can do so with the respect of the remainder of the team.

Here are my candidates to become the likely leaders of the club in 2011: (more…)

Jays Fans Poll Results: “Are you satisfied with the moves..”

Mat Germain — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:48:39 +0000

I posted this poll just before the new year, at a time that had the Rajai Davis acquisition and the Octavio Dotel signing were the only major moves made by the Jays and GM Alex Anthopoulos. Therefore, the initial results and leanings of the poll in the first few weeks were entirely different than the results we see today, as we close the poll just before spring training.

Here is the question and the results of the poll in question:

“Are you satisfied with the moves made by the Jays so far this off season?” (more…)

Jays Notes: Octavio Dotel, Arbitration Elgibles, and Polls

Mat Germain — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:31:29 +0000

As we so very quickly approach the new year and what should be a very interesting season of Baseball and Spring Training, here are some notes that were gathered from around the networks and friends:

The Octavio Dotel signing seems to be as official as it’s going to get until he passes a physical in the new year. It’s no formality at his age, so standby to standby as they say. The interesting part of the deal is the $2.5 million value with a $750,000 buyout of a second season which is a club option worth a reported $3.75 million if exercised. At first glance, you may think that this is to benefit the player, as he gets paid if the Jays decide to not resign him. However, this tool actually works to AA’s advantage as he can decide to keep Dotel around if his value goes below that of a Type-B or Type-A FA. Keeping him around another season allows him the opportunity to get back to that level, and to get the Jays a Kevin Gregg style draft pick. He’s a welcomed addition to a Jays pen that will need to depend on some new faces in 2011. (more…)