Blue Jays Morning Brew: Twice the fun in New York!

Game one went as planned for the Toronto Blue Jays in New York, and they enter play today with the opportunity to lock up a series victory early. We’ve all got a long day of watching Blue Jays baseball ahead of us, but first, enjoy a weekend edition of the Morning Brew: the sometimes-daily roundup that leaves its ego at the door and focuses solely on bringing you the best Blue Jays stories to start your day.

Jose Bautista and his legacy  –  Great, thought-provoking writing here from Drew Fairservice of Ghostrunner on First, looking at Jose Bautista’s transition from being “The Man” on lesser teams to a contributor on Toronto’s current star-studded roster.

Bautista has transcended someone like Edwin Encarnacion in the Blue Jays universe with a bold personality and off-field presence that’s recognized outside of baseball. Non-fans still know Bautista as “the Blue Jay” while he, as Fairservice says, “promotes quasi-healthy smoothies and quasi-cardboard pizza with actual enthusiasm.” Perfection.

The gist of this conversation is that Bautista may have his legacy impacted by a World Series Championship more than any player on this roster. Squarely in the conversation as an all-time Blue Jays great, adding a ring would legitimize his numerous statistical achievements and catapult him into a conversation as the greatest to ever wear this uniform.

The Stroman article you need to read  –  In a time dominated by articles that contain nothing more than a tweet and “Hey, look at this tweet!”, it’s refreshing to come across a great, long, detailed, patient story. That’s what you’ll get right here from Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling as he details the unexpected return of Marcus Stroman from start to finish. There’s a lot of Stroman talk this week, but  this is your required reading.

Devon Travis still clinging on  –  Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi passed on some quotes on Friday from manager John Gibbons regarding rookie second baseman Devon Travis, who remains out with a shoulder injury. He’s eligible to come off the 60-day DL at the end of the month, but with nowhere to make rehab appearances, the odds remain heavily, overwhelmingly stacked against him. Still, you’re saying there’s a chance…


Minor League roundup  –  Sportsnet’s Jeff Moore wraps up some of the highlights from the organization’s Minor League season, which is slowly wrapping up across the levels. There was some love for my boy Rowdy Tellez, so you know I’m sold. Also, we’ve gone far too long without pumping the Vladdy Jr. Hype Train. Moore is especially high on Anthony Alford, who he expects to arrive sooner than later.

“It’s often mentioned that talent comes to the big league in waves to open and close windows of competition. Alford will lead the next wave of talent heading to Toronto in a few years.”

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