Offseason Roster Thread

[RealAccountant]

Wut?

Archer and Smyly are better than all our starters. Odorizzi is good, and Moore is pitching really well in this spring training.

 

Alex Cobb and Blake Snell is to much

 

Springs dont count. josh Towers had good springs

 

Happ had a better FIP then Odorizzi and Smyly last year. Why didn't you mention that.

[RealAccountant]

Yeah? Whats moore fastball down to 90? I am sure that is very intimidating.

[AdamLindsMom]

Rays made their rotation official today, so probables in 1st series:

Stroman v Archer

Dickey v Smyly

Sanchez v Odorizzi

Happ v Moore

 

Rays rotation is very good.

 

Is Snell the #5?

[P2F]

Is Snell the #5?

 

Erasmo Ramirez.

[Angrioter]

Erasmo Ramirez.

 

Erasmo was assigned to the bullpen today. 4 guys rotation for now

[P2F]

Erasmo was assigned to the bullpen today. 4 guys rotation for now

 

Yes, but he's still the #5 starter. They just don't need a 5th starter until week 2.

[Angrioter]

Yes, but he's still the #5 starter. They just don't need a 5th starter until week 2.

 

Erasmo is good

[Governator]

Springs dont count. josh Towers had good springs

 

Happ had a better FIP then Odorizzi and Smyly last year. Why didn't you mention that.

 

 

With the exception of Stroman, Estrada, Sanchez, Dickey & Happ are all projected to be 4+ ERA arms this season. With the exception Moore, all of the Rays rotation are projected to be sub 4 ERA arms this season. Do the math Mr. Accountant.

[jaysfan2014]

With the exception of Stroman, Estrada, Sanchez, Dickey & Happ are all projected to be 4+ ERA arms this season. With the exception Moore, all of the Rays rotation are projected to be sub 4 ERA arms this season. Do the math Mr. Accountant.

 

It won't mean a damn thing if the Rays don't get some offense--the lack of bats last year sank the Rays and offset the pitching (along with Cash's strange bullpen usage).

[Governator]

It won't mean a damn thing if the Rays don't get some offense--the lack of bats last year sank the Rays and offset the pitching (along with Cash's strange bullpen usage).

 

Run differential is a different convo, but trying to suggest our rotation is better than the Rays is just being a giant homer.

[P2F]

Erasmo is good

 

Thanks?

[Angrioter]

Thanks?

... and ugly as f***

[Boxcar]

I'm all in on Drew Smyly this year

[Abomination]

I'm all in on Drew Smyly this year

 

You're missing him in the BBDL.

[Boxcar]

You're missing him in the BBDL.

 

Yeah I didn't mean I own every possible share.

[THANOS]

Great Atkins interview with Richard Griffin. The comments on Gibby embracing analytics is very encouraging.

 

DUNEDIN, FLA.—Nearing the completion of his first spring training as a major-league general manager, and his first spring with the Blue Jays organization, the Star caught up with Ross Atkins in his office at the stadium in Dunedin to discuss his feelings on how far he has come and how far he has yet to go.

 

After five months in the position, what have you learned about your inherited front office, and are there still tweaks to be made in roles of scouting and player development?

 

I’ve learned a great deal and I think there’s a lot of good things in place here. I think Toronto has done a great job over the years on the scouting side and they’ve done an incredible job recently with some of their trades. There’s a great professional, international and amateur scouting infrastructure with a lot of really passionate people.

 

As far as potential tweaks, I think it’s more about adapting to one another. It’s not Cleveland-specific, relative to Toronto. It’s more about the pool of all of our experiences and trying to build the best (front office) team to build the best major-league team. We’ll look to add and complement to what’s good here.

 

It’s a two-way street — it’s difficult as you’re adapting to one another — but with Tony Lacava (the senior vice president of baseball operations) having been here for 14 years, this front office benefits greatly from not just him, but Andrew Tinnish, Perry Minasian, Joe Sheehan, having a comfort level throughout. The departments of baseball operations are the clear strength. Their support and their openness to change, welcoming (club president) Mark (Shapiro) and I in a way that has been collaborative and very open-minded has made things very efficient.

 

I know a lot of trades were made involving upper-level prospects in the organization. But when you look at your farm system now, do you see a lot of talent left at the lower levels, and could that be something where you just need to fill in the gaps in the meantime?

I’ve been pleasantly surprised. When you trade away as many players that were traded away a year ago, you wouldn’t expect to see Richard Urena, Rowdy Tellez, Conner Greene, Sean Reid-Foley, Dalton Pompey. You wouldn’t expect those pieces that are as good as they are to still be here.

 

I have been impressed with the talent all the way through A-ball. Some of those players will realize all of their potential, some will exceed and some will not realize their potential. So we’re going to have to focus on every single player in our organization and that includes the major leagues, improving. That will be our focus and our drive that we’re putting them all in a position to do so.

 

Are there distractions from preparing for a season when there’s so much emphasis on the pending free agents? And will performance on the field —returning to the post-season — change anything about the team’s signing philosophy?

 

I would say that every day is different. Every week is different. Every month is different. For me to project on . . . our ability or inability to sign free agents or renew players or extend players is too difficult to say.

 

What have you found out about John Gibbons and his staff. He hasn’t exactly been brought up on analytics. Is he accepting . . . are there things that he can continue to do with just gut feeling?

 

I think, with Gibby, there’s perception and reality. Gibby, to me, strikes me as someone who embraces . . . I think he would call it information and you can call it analytics. But he embraces information. He embraces change. He wants to be the best. He wants to be great.

 

He’s very bright and understands how he can benefit from information from any and all angles. The dynamic he has with our analytics department, the dynamic he has with Mark and I, obviously with Tony, is as good as it can be given how little time we’ve had together. I think his openness is a difference maker.

 

Was (Cleveland manager) Terry Francona like that (regarding analytics) when he first went to the Red Sox and then the Indians? And did he evolve, the more information he was given?

 

Tito is one of the best baseball leaders I’ve been around. He is unique in that he embraces any and all ways to improve and sets a tone for the rest of the organization by doing so. How he’s evolved is a better question for (Francona), but I’ve learned more from him than arguably anybody in baseball when it comes to baseball culture and decision-making or team-building.

 

It can be a no-win situation for a new GM joining a team that’s just been to the ALCS. If you return (to the post-season) everybody goes, ‘Well, you had the talent,’ and if you don’t go back, it’s now your fault.

 

No, not at all for me. That’s not the way I see it, because all we focus on is how do we help and what is our process for doing that. Results will be what they will be. There’s only so much we can control and what we’ll evaluate ourselves on is our effort and our process.

 

Are you ready to remain standing for two national anthems 162 times this year, and have you scouted places to live with your family? Are you ready to become a resident of Canada?

 

(Laughs) Absolutely. I can’t express how much I’ve enjoyed what it means to fans to stand for two national anthems every day. My family is . . . we’ve sold our house in Cleveland and now are fully in the market and more seriously considering every day purchasing a home. We know that’s inevitable. We rented a home. My family will be moving as soon as they’re out of school. I can’t wait for my family to be a part of the community of Toronto and living in a new country.

 

source: http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2016/03/29/qa-with-toronto-blue-jays-gm-ross-atkins.html

Edited March 30, 2016 by THANOS

[burlingtonbandit]

Thats good news. I'm impressed with the communication of the FO leaders. You can have the best analytic guys but if there isn't an effective way for them to communicated the information to the players and coaching staff then it is just wasted. Shapiro has talked at length how important it is to have great communication throughout the Org.

[Cyborg]

In other words, Atkins says managers are stupid.

[King]

Great Atkins interview with Richard Griffin. The comments on Gibby embracing analytics is very encouraging.

 

They have to tell him its "information" because if they say it's analytics Gibby the Dinosaur will reject it.

[glory]

As much as I knock Gibbons, he does seem like the type who would be open minded enough to implement more analytics based strategies if he was asked to. Obviously sticking Pillar at lead off is what happens when you give him free reign, but in the grand scheme of things if he can implement the type of things that the front office wants, then maybe he could actually be a reasonable guy to keep around. AA gave him way too much freedom, and the derp that happened was the end result, but give him specific instructions and I think he will listen to management. Well, I guess I have no choice but to hope for that.

[King]

Japanese HS Baseball Invitational Tournament semi final ---> http://mainichi.jp/koshien/senbatsu/live/

[King]

Stadium full for a high school game. Japan is nuts

 

http://i.imgur.com/G4e6u5Z.png

Edited March 30, 2016 by King

[Angrioter]

Stadium full for a high school game. Japan is nuts

 

http://i.imgur.com/G4e6u5Z.png

 

Is Boxy there?

Maybe Hurt and NJH scouting via Radio.

[G-Snarls]

New interview with Atkins from yesterday:

 

http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2016/03/29/qa-with-toronto-blue-jays-gm-ross-atkins.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[G-Snarls]

[burlingtonbandit]

I knew they were top 5 but having a larger social media presence than everyone except the Yankees is pretty remarkable. Toronto/Canada is definitely a top 5 MLB market.

[Angrioter]

[glory]

25 pounds of muscle and no cuts for Sanchez.

 

Need more protein, bro.

[KingKat]

Toronto/Canada is definitely a top 5 MLB market.

 

And that's why the Jays will never get one of those competitive balance picks.

[RealAccountant]

I am interested to see what the opening day lineup will be vs. RHP. Where Saunders and Smoak will bat particularly.

 

I assume Gibby doesn't want Saunders and Smoak back to back.

 

Pillar

Donaldson

Bautista

Encarnacion

Smoak

Tulowitzki

Saunders

Martin

Goins

 

But if Tulo has been penciled in at 5th every day, we could see

 

Pillar

Donaldson

Bautista

Encarnacion

Tulowitzki

Smoak

Martin

Saunders

Goins

 

I like the first option better.