2018 Spring Training Thread

[KevinGregg]

I think the argument for Jansen at AA instead of AAA has a lot to do with the idea that you get a lot more talented pitchers to hit at AA. AAA is full of more of the journeyman 6th starter types, while AA is full of the raw talent. So it kind of makes sense to try to develop his bat against the better pitchers. Then you have the situation where if you actually plan on Jansen being the catcher of the future, it also makes sense for him to be catching our future pitching prospects in AA, rather than our current 6th-7th-8th men in AAA.

[Todd]

I will admit that Anthony Alford has had a good spring training so far this spring.

But for the second time already he is hurt. Just like Dalton Pompey for the second time again

is also hurt. But what I would like to see is for him to get say around 5 or 6 hundred abs.

without being hurt and put up some good numbers. If he can not stay heath and get those numbers then

he has no business being in the blue jays top 10 prospects. This is year 6 with the blue jays it's time for him to put up

or shout up. My disagreement with him being in the blue jays top five or what ever is he can not stay heath.

And should not be handed a top spot in the prospects pool.

[John_Havok]

I think the argument for Jansen at AA instead of AAA has a lot to do with the idea that you get a lot more talented pitchers to hit at AA. AAA is full of more of the journeyman 6th starter types, while AA is full of the raw talent. So it kind of makes sense to try to develop his bat against the better pitchers. Then you have the situation where if you actually plan on Jansen being the catcher of the future, it also makes sense for him to be catching our future pitching prospects in AA, rather than our current 6th-7th-8th men in AAA.

 

It's a common misconception that the pitching in AA is a higher calibre than AAA. Yes, the very top pitching prospect for a team maybe in AA, but that's usually 1 guy out of entire rotation, with the rest filled out by journeyman minor leaguers who may not even have sniffed AAA. The average age of pitchers in AA last season was over 24 in all 3 AA leagues.

 

Yes, AAA is typically older guys who once we're in the majors and are trying to hang on and get another shot, bUT they could still pitch better than AA rotations as a whole.

[Terminator]

Teoscar with another good game today.

 

I think it's a legitimate question to ask who the best player among Teoscar, Morales and Pearce is right now. I think it's Teoscar for me and it might not even be close. Alford is probably better than Pearce and Morales too but I think he could use some more minor league ABs and the service time stuff matters with him right now. Will be interesting to see how the playing time in LF and at DH plays out this year. The best lineup might feature Teoscar as the full-time LF starter with Granderson forming one half of a platoon in LF.

[Pendleton]

Teoscar with another good game today.

 

I think it's a legitimate question to ask who the best player among Teoscar, Morales and Pearce is right now. I think it's Teoscar for me and it might not even be close. Alford is probably better than Pearce and Morales too but I think he could use some more minor league ABs and the service time stuff matters with him right now. Will be interesting to see how the playing time in LF and at DH plays out this year. The best lineup might feature Teoscar as the full-time LF starter with Granderson forming one half of a platoon in LF.

 

Yeah I don't disagree, and myself I'm always in favor of just putting the best team possible on the field. But realistically, I feel like due to options and in the interest of maintaining depth (with Zeke having already been jettisoned), I have a feeling management will roll with the veterans to start the year.

[Deadpool]

Teoscar with another good game today.

 

I think it's a legitimate question to ask who the best player among Teoscar, Morales and Pearce is right now. I think it's Teoscar for me and it might not even be close. Alford is probably better than Pearce and Morales too but I think he could use some more minor league ABs and the service time stuff matters with him right now. Will be interesting to see how the playing time in LF and at DH plays out this year. The best lineup might feature Teoscar as the full-time LF starter with Granderson forming one half of a platoon in LF.

 

At this point I think the ideal outfield is Teoscar, Pillar, Grichuk. I know that's not how it's going to play out with Pearce and Granderson in the mix, but that seems like the best combination of current production and upside. Not a terrible problem to have, regardless.

[Dr. Dinger]

Tim Tebow is hitting a robust .059 this spring with a K rate around 66%

[jays4life19]

Tim Tebow is hitting a robust .059 this spring with a K rate around 66%

 

He's ready!

[AledmysDiaz]

Teoscar with another good game today.

 

I think it's a legitimate question to ask who the best player among Teoscar, Morales and Pearce is right now. I think it's Teoscar for me and it might not even be close. Alford is probably better than Pearce and Morales too but I think he could use some more minor league ABs and the service time stuff matters with him right now. Will be interesting to see how the playing time in LF and at DH plays out this year. The best lineup might feature Teoscar as the full-time LF starter with Granderson forming one half of a platoon in LF.

 

I think Pearce probably starts the year on the DL anyways, so Teoscar will most likely come North.

 

Not only that, I expect that he might get quite a few starts.

[Terminator]

I think Pearce probably starts the year on the DL anyways, so Teoscar will most likely come North.

 

Not only that, I expect that he might get quite a few starts.

 

I think he's on pace to break ST with the team unless he has another setback.

[Jimcanuck]

Tim Tebow is hitting a robust .059 this spring with a K rate around 66%

 

He's not praying enough.

[Todd]

Hate to say it but jays need to bring in one more stater. And some good ones

out they still.

[Pendleton]

Hate to say it but jays need to bring in one more stater. And some good ones

out they still.

 

Can continue to add depth, but we have five guys who are obviously going to make up the starting rotation when healthy (Stroman, Sanchez, Happ, Estrada, Garcia).

 

Also who are you suggesting as these supposed "good" starters remaining on the market? Only Cobb would represent an upgrade over what we already have.

[Bobthe4th]

[Spanky99]

It's a common misconception that the pitching in AA is a higher calibre than AAA. Yes, the very top pitching prospect for a team maybe in AA, but that's usually 1 guy out of entire rotation, with the rest filled out by journeyman minor leaguers who may not even have sniffed AAA. The average age of pitchers in AA last season was over 24 in all 3 AA leagues.

 

Yes, AAA is typically older guys who once we're in the majors and are trying to hang on and get another shot, bUT they could still pitch better than AA rotations as a whole.

 

I don't know about that, MLB guys that I've spoken with swear by AA being tougher. That was a long time ago, though.

[Grant77]

Can continue to add depth, but we have five guys who are obviously going to make up the starting rotation when healthy (Stroman, Sanchez, Happ, Estrada, Garcia).

 

Also who are you suggesting as these supposed "good" starters remaining on the market? Only Cobb would represent an upgrade over what we already have.

 

I'd like to add a vet for AAA like Brett Anderson, Jeremy Hellickson, or Jeff Locke.

[John_Havok]

I don't know about that, MLB guys that I've spoken with swear by AA being tougher. That was a long time ago, though.

 

I think it's because the jump in talent from High A to AA is greater than the jump from AA to AAA.

[burlingtonbandit]

At this point I think the ideal outfield is Teoscar, Pillar, Grichuk. I know that's not how it's going to play out with Pearce and Granderson in the mix, but that seems like the best combination of current production and upside. Not a terrible problem to have, regardless.

 

Granderson has been pretty good. Nice to have a LH hitter in the lineup other than Smoak.

[Spanky99]

Jays news...

 

Oh (elbow) remains absent from Blue Jays camp while he continues to await a work visa from the United States government, but is hopeful to join the team this week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

 

Donaldson has been battling calf cramps due to dehydration, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

 

Donaldson's injury wasn't thought to be serious, but it's reassuring for that belief to be confirmed. Even though the team won't rush him back, there's no reason to think that the 32-year-old won't be ready to go when Opening Day arrives.

 

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Alford tweaked his hamstring on Monday and has been listed as day-to-day. It's not the best timing for the youngster to suffer an injury given the logjam in Toronto's outfield, but Alford didn't stand much of a chance of a starting gig anyway behind Kevin Pillar, Randal Grichuk and Curtis Granderson. Alford only played four games in the major leagues last season and only three games at Triple-A, but he figures to start the year at the latter and could be a mid-season call-up. If and when he does receive the call, Alford should be able to make fantasy contributions mostly with his speed and batting average.

 

Tulowitzki (heel) has been officially ruled out for Opening Day, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

 

Tulowitzki has been dealing with a chronic bone spur since the start of camp. The Blue Jays believe he could return before April is over, but given his age and injury history, a more pessimistic outlook may be necessary. Aledmys Diaz and Yangervis Solarte are likely to battle for playing time at shortstop while Tulowitzki remains out.

 

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (shoulder) may already be ruled out for Opening Day, but he could return for the team's opening series against the Yankees. Stroman is scheduled to throw another bullpen session later this week, and if all goes well, he will pitch in either a simulated game or against Team Canada on Saturday. As expected, Stroman's shoulder inflammation does not sound serious, and the team is simply playing it extra safe with their de facto No. 1 starter. Even if Stroman does miss the opening series, betting on him to start at least during the first turn through the rotation is likely a safe decision.

 

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey was set to receive a CT scan on his sore right wrist on Monday, and apparently the results are in. Pompey has been told to rest his wrist for a couple of days, and if it does not respond, he'll receive a cortisone shot. Presumably, that means the CT scan didn't discover anything serious. This is good news for Pompey, but he'll need to get on the field soon in order to have a chance at making an early season impact after missing all but 13 minor league games in 2017. Of course, Toronto's acquisition of outfielders Curtis Granderson and Randal Grichuk doesn't help Pompey's chances here either.

 

Whoops...

 

PEARCE UP AND RUNNING

The Blue Jays plan for Pearce to run Sunday and Monday as he recovers from left calf tightness that initially sidelined him March 4. If all goes well, Pearce could be ready to play again by Thursday.

 

“He’s doing fine, we’ve just got to make sure we don’t push it too quickly,” Gibbons said.

 

At this point, Pearce has plenty of time to prepare for opening day, but the Blue Jays are prepared for any contingency as Hernandez offers right-handed hitting outfield depth behind him.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Spanky99

[AledmysDiaz]

Josh Donaldson's dealing with a calf issue per manager John Gibbons. Return date? "Not sure. Next few days, I would think. We'll see." # BlueJays https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-josh-donaldson-dealing-calf-issue/ …?amp=1

[Terminator]

Granderson has been pretty good. Nice to have a LH hitter in the lineup other than Smoak.

 

He could be the DH.

[G-Snarls]

Tim Tebow is hitting a robust .059 this spring with a K rate around 66%

 

0.059

 

Not much worse than his NFL pass completion rate!

[G-Snarls]

He could be the DH.

 

Yeah. Morales feels like the redundant piece now, not the "extra" outfielders

[G-Snarls]

Dalton Pompey sure looks like a long term minor leaguer now doesn't he

 

Seems buried in the depth chart, even with Carrera gone

[AledmysDiaz]

Dalton Pompey sure looks like a long term minor leaguer now doesn't he

 

Seems buried in the depth chart, even with Carrera gone

 

I think he is moved as he is out of options anyways. Won't get much maybe an organizational arm but would give him a chance to play somewhere

 

I'm not even sure if he plays in Buffalo because of the depth you want Hernandez Alford Dwight Smith all getting at bats

[John_Havok]

I think he is moved as he is out of options anyways. Won't get much maybe an organizational arm but would give him a chance to play somewhere

 

I'm not even sure if he plays in Buffalo because of the depth you want Hernandez Alford Dwight Smith all getting at bats

 

It's likely Hernandez starts in the bigs along with a Granderson/Pearce platoon, Pillar in CF.

 

Alford, Smith Jr and Pompey would be the AAA outfielders (assuming all healthy) likely with Fields as the 4th OF and playing regularly when one of them is inevitably injured.

[Terminator]

It's likely Hernandez starts in the bigs along with a Granderson/Pearce platoon, Pillar in CF.

 

Alford, Smith Jr and Pompey would be the AAA outfielders (assuming all healthy) likely with Fields as the 4th OF and playing regularly when one of them is inevitably injured.

 

They seem to want two infielders on the bench which makes sense because Donaldson is already nursing a calf injury and Travis will need lots of rest. Diaz will start so that leaves Solarte and perhaps Gift on the bench. Hernandez is a helluva lot better than Gift though but the need for IF help is greater.

[Sammy225]

It's likely Hernandez starts in the bigs along with a Granderson/Pearce platoon, Pillar in CF.

 

Alford, Smith Jr and Pompey would be the AAA outfielders (assuming all healthy) likely with Fields as the 4th OF and playing regularly when one of them is inevitably injured.

 

What about Grichuk? I figured he was a lock for RF. He as showed a decent spring so far. Providing he is healthy which it does not sound to bad i think he will have one of the outfield locked down.

[AledmysDiaz]

They seem to want two infielders on the bench which makes sense because Donaldson is already nursing a calf injury and Travis will need lots of rest. Diaz will start so that leaves Solarte and perhaps Gift on the bench. Hernandez is a helluva lot better than Gift though but the need for IF help is greater.

 

Yep, Hernandez might be going to AAA regardless. They will go with Granderson/Pillar/Grichuk and Solarte will fill in the outfield.

[glory]

With Tulo's injury, I wonder if there is a way to trade some bubble 40 man roster players for a backup SS. Start Diaz, have a real backup, and let Tulo miss 75% of the season without worrying about Gift getting PA's.