Blue Jays: Jays Journal Podcast- “The Pendulum Always Swings”

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 26: Starting pitcher Jaime Garcia #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch in the second inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 26: Starting pitcher Jaime Garcia #57 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch in the second inning during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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The Jays Journal Podcast is hosted by our own Ari Shapiro, and can be found on blogtalkradio.com. Tune in regularly to hear Ari and a wide range of guests talk about current issues, have roundtable discussions, and regularly take your calls to discuss all things Blue Jays.

Jays Journal Podcast- May 26th: “The Pendulum Always Swings”

As the Blue Jays continue their road trip against quality teams like the Phillies and Red Sox, it’s becoming abundantly clear that something’s got to give when it comes to preserving the fleeting sanity of their concerned fanbase. Specifically, how close the team is to making a decision regarding their mercurial prospect (Vlad Guerrero Jr.) and their equally mercurial disappointments (Kendrys Morales, Randal Grichuk, Marcus Stroman) through the early stages of the season.

Joining me to explore all possibilities are true baseball soothsayers and raconteurs; first, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) drops in and offers a closer look at the differences between the 2017 and 2018 teams, how much of this recent stretch can be attributed to sheer bad luck, what John Gibbons has to do to motivate his slumping players, if the Blue Jays can compete with teams like the LA Angels and Seattle Mariners, and how quickly he’d bring up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to join this year’s struggling edition of the team.

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Next, I’m joined by three writers and bloggers whose expertise on the game of baseball needs to be heard in order to be enjoyed; Marshall Auerback (@mauerback) from the Levy Institute (@LevyEcon), Diamyn Hall (@DiamynHall) from Wright State Baseball (@WSUbaseball), and Ian Hunter (@BlueJaysHunter) from The Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb). Together, we discuss: if fans should be panicking at this stage in the season, their candid thoughts on the struggles of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, musings on contending and rebuilding aka being half-in and half-out, and how to manage expectations when it comes to the elevation of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the big leagues.

Tonight’s episode was brought to you by: Cloudwifi (cloudwifi.ca). Do you live in a condominium and are paying too much for internet? Surf faster & save money by getting your building on-board and win a pair of season tickets for the 2018 Toronto Blue Jays regular season. E-mail bluejays@cloudwifi.ca today to see if you qualify.

Check out our previous episodes below:

Next: Stopgap option or not, this feels like a joke