Blue Jays Morning Brew: Podcast 68, Tulowitzki, Cecil

Before the 2-0 Toronto Blue Jays look to make it three straight against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night, get caught up on your podcasts and reading!

The life of a Blue Jays fan becomes a crowded task with the 2016 season now underway. Now that your days have 21 available hours instead of 24, we’ll try to save you some time by rounding up the best Blue Jays coverage throughout the year. On top of that, you can subscribe to the Jays Nest Podcast for a weekly, neatly-wrapped package of Blue Jays baseball talk.

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On this week’s episode, brought to you by the great Yan Gomes, Shaun and I extrapolate a season’s worth of storylines from the first nine innings of the season. Topics on deck include Marcus Stroman, Roberto Osuna, Jose Bautista, and our projections for a crowded American League East as the Blue Jays look to repeat as champions.

We also glance over the recent minor league assignments of Toronto’s top prospects. Some, like Conner Greene, as slotted a level lower than Shaun and I expected. It’s a good time to be a Buffalo Bisons fan, however. Look out for that outfield.

Lotta Love for Tulo  –  Entering his first full season as a Jay, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is already sparking some serious optimism. Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun spoke with Josh Donaldson about his new partner on the left side of the diamond.

More from Jays Journal

• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day

“He was the franchise guy in Colorado, kind of pulled away in midseason and it was something different for him,” Donaldson told Fidlin.”In my opinion, he’s the best shortstop in the game today and to play with him, to play beside him each and every day, I really gained a huge appreciation for watching him play. I think he’s looking forward to going out and having the best year of his career.”

Cecil ties a record  –  Over at Blue Bird Banter, Minor Leaguer dug up a great stat last night after Brett Cecil‘s shutdown inning. With his 38th consecutive appearance without allowing a run, tying him with Craig Kimbrel (now of the Boston Red Sox) for the Major League record. It’s been a nice ride for Cecil since losing the closer’s job last year.

Donaldson the diverse star  –  Another fantastic piece here by John Lott for Vice Sports profiling the diverse star Josh Donaldson off the field.

“I have a lot of different musical styles in there, everything from classic rock to Adele to Jewel to Tracy Chapman to Disturbed, R&B, everything.”

Donaldson’s ‘do  –  Micah Peters at FOX Sports rounded up Monday night’s social media favourite: the new hairstyle of Josh Donaldson. Though originally described as a French braid, Major League sources tell me that these braids could be of the Dutch variety.