AL Feast Week 5: Derek Jeter’s Ankle Edition (21/04/2013)

Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY SportsHere at Jays Journal we like to keep you up to date with breaking news, statistical analysis and opinion pieces on the players, staff and front office of the Toronto Blue Jays. But in the sports world the steps your opponents take on their team have an effect on your team, for better or for worse. That’s why we bring you a weekly feature where we look back on what took place among the other 4 AL East teams and deconstruct it to show you what it means for the Blue Jays. It’s the AL Feast: Week 5!

New York Yankees

–Derek Jeter got the bad news that he’ll be out until after the All-Star break, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Doctors found a small crack in his surgically repaired ankle, and Bob argues that the greatness of Derek Jeter will never return for #2. It’s a shame as a fan of baseball to see such a lengthy injury affect one of the great players in history, especially one who was chasing the major league hits record, but the news comes as a small blessing for Blue Jays fans. He had a .329/.373/.486 line against the Blue Jays last season.
-Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York  asks if the defense at shortstop is better with Eduardo Nunez there instead of Derek Jeter. It absolutely is, and not only for the reasons listed there. Over 2002-2013 seasons, Derek Jeter’s is dead last among all shortstops at -63.8 UZR, -142 DRS and -91.1 in Range runs, according to Fangraphs.

Tampa Bay Rays

-Robb Huff, contributor to Yahoo! Sports, explores a possible trade scenario in 2013 between the Cincinnati Reds and the Rays for David Price. The deal on the Reds’ side might be close enough to snag Price, but that’s up for Reds GM Walt Jocketty to decide.
-For Fantasy Baseball fans, Ben Zobrist is a manager’s dream because of his multiple position eligibility, Rant Sports concludes. It doesn’t hurt that he plays a lot of games, available at 2B, SS and OF and is a 20/20 kind of guy almost every year.

Boston Red Sox

-The FCC stands by David Ortiz‘s decision to drop the F-Bomb in his speech to Red Sox fans Saturday, Aaron Somers of Call to the Pen reports. I’m glad that a usually-strict corporation is able to let this moment slide from possible fines, as Ortiz gave the perfect speech to a city that was in a desperate need of uplifting. Boston strong.
-It appears John Lackey is already working on rehab assignments to get back to the majors, according to MLB Daily Dish. For someone who spent 2012 on the DL, a short stint for Lackey is more than great news.

Baltimore Orioles

-The Orioles.com Notebook updates the progress of injury recovery for many Orioles players. The post includes news on the recovery of Tsuyoshi Wada‘s surgically-repaired elbow, Brian Roberts‘ ruptured knee tendon and Steve Johnson‘s back.
–Dylan Bundy has yet to throw from the mound after experiencing elbow and forearm tightness in late March, the Baltimore Sun reports. Any kind of elbow-related injury is a black spot for pitchers, especially for blue chip prospects, so the Orioles will look to tread lightly going forward with Bundy’s rehab.

Weekly AL East Standings (Overall Standings)

Boston 5-1 (12-5)

New York 5-2 (10-7)

Baltimore 4-3 (10-8)

Tampa Bay 4-3 (8-10)

Toronto 3-4 (8-11)

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