Can Alford stick?

[Jimcanuck]

Jim managed to hijack the thread with his stupidity, but I think most people can agree to these two statements:

 

1. Pillar has been very good value for the Jays over his MLB career.

2. Given their skill set, ages and trajectories, there is a pretty good chance that Alford will be a superior player to Pillar going forward, perhaps as early as 2019. Considering the state of the roster and what BTS said above, it is likely these two will be able to coexist in a Jays uniform this year. Any decision to jettison Pillar should be based on his performance and expected future performance alone and any possible return, independent of whatever Alford does.

 

Jim's "prediction" of Pillar being non-tendered given the collapsing FA market for ~2 WAR OF players over the age of 30 hardly counts as much of a prediction. But I'm sure he'll milk for all it's worth once it happens that he was FINALLY right on Pillar after all these years of considerable excess value from this cheap non-prospect.

 

If Alford and Pillar both on team, Alford should get 90% of the starts and Pillar should ride pine.

 

Play the kids.

[Jimcanuck]

I'd put Jim on the same level as Tercet.

 

Neither are idiots, just delusional meat heads who truly believe they'd be better at running the team than the current FO.

 

Nah I don't believe that, but I do believe Pillar is basically a useless piece for a rebuilding team, taking reps from potential components of the rebuild

[Jimcanuck]

Jim's an idiot. End/

 

So idiots, lol. Geeze he thanked Todd, lol. And his groundbreaking analogy. Jim's a moron.

 

Do you suffer from arrested development, Spanky?

[Brownie19]

If Alford and Pillar both on team, Alford should get 90% of the starts and Pillar should ride pine.

 

Play the kids.

 

Holy f*** Jim - we know your thoughts on this subject.

[Carlos Danger]

Holy f*** Jim - we know your thoughts on this subject.

 

Whoooshaaaa

[Carlos Danger]

Clogging The Basepaths theory

 

Clogging the base-paths is a thing!

[Carlos Danger]

Play the kids.

 

Jim, even though you are a pinko commie, I have your back on this one... Like in the culminating scene of one of my favorite baseball movies when I was a kid, The Bad News Bears II, When they are in the Astrodome and the major leaguers are about to take the field and cut off the little league game.... Let the kids play!!

[Laika]

You guys clearly do not understand modern baseball. The "Play the Kids" strategy is already in full flight.

 

In effect, when the only veterans holding back your kids are guys like Morales, Travis, Galvis, Pillar, Richard, Buccholz, Axford, Norris, etc., you are clearly signalling to your own organization and the entire world that as soon as any of your Kids demonstrate an MLB aptitude they will have a spot on the team.

 

The Blue Jays used something like 30 position players and 30 pitchers last year, for f*** sake.

 

When Morales pulls his first hammy, if Tellez hits, Morales will be out of a job. If Alford lights AAA on fire, Teoscar will lose playing time or Pillar will get sent to the Giants or whoever. If Richard gets hammered in April then Borucki will get 25 starts and Richard will become the mop up guy.

 

Rosters are fluid

[Carlos Danger]

You guys clearly do not understand modern baseball. The "Play the Kids" strategy is already in full flight.

 

In effect, when the only veterans holding back your kids are guys like Morales, Travis, Galvis, Pillar, Richard, Buccholz, Axford, Norris, etc., you are clearly signalling to your own organization and the entire world that as soon as any of your Kids demonstrate an MLB aptitude they will have a spot on the team.

 

The Blue Jays used something like 30 position players and 30 pitchers last year, for f*** sake.

 

When Morales pulls his first hammy, if Tellez hits, Morales will be out of a job. If Alford lights AAA on fire, Teoscar will lose playing time or Pillar will get sent to the Giants or whoever. If Richard gets hammered in April then Borucki will get 25 starts and Richard will become the mop up guy.

 

Rosters are fluid

 

I actually agree with 95% of this.. Except you spelled ACEucki wrong.. My point is from an entertainment point of view, it really sucks to have to suffer through Morales or Travis until/if one of them get hurt... It seems like a coronation instead of putting the most entertaining product on the field.

[Laika]

I actually agree with 95% of this.. Except you spelled ACEucki wrong.. My point is from an entertainment point of view, it really sucks to have to suffer through Morales or Travis until/if one of them get hurt... It seems like a coronation instead of putting the most entertaining product on the field.

 

I dunno. It can also suck watching terrible young players.

 

2018 Teoscar Hernandez was an extremely unpleasant baseball experience, all things considered.

 

Devon Travis has a .751 OPS in his career, is only 28, has been worth 5-6 WAR in basically two full seasons of play, and you f***ing hate him obviously. There is a pretty good chance Cavan Biggio is worse than Travis. There is a very good chance Tellez is never as good at hitting as 2019 Morales will be.

 

The great unknown is exciting but with lots of young players it very quickly becomes obvious that they aren't dudes... and then it's just sad.

[Terminator]

We only have a handful of veterans. It's a really long season. Those veterans will get hurt, and so will some of the young guys, and the young players who start out in the minors will get to play.

[Dick_Pole]

The great unknown is exciting but with lots of young players it very quickly becomes obvious that they aren't dudes... and then it's just sad.

 

Sexist, tranny-hating pig.

[Carlos Danger]

I dunno. It can also suck watching terrible young players.

 

2018 Teoscar Hernandez was an extremely unpleasant baseball experience, all things considered.

 

Devon Travis has a .751 OPS in his career, is only 28, has been worth 5-6 WAR in basically two full seasons of play, and you f***ing hate him obviously. There is a pretty good chance Cavan Biggio is worse than Travis. There is a very good chance Tellez is never as good at hitting as 2019 Morales will be.

The great unknown is exciting but with lots of young players it very quickly becomes obvious that they aren't dudes... and then it's just sad.

 

You cannot use 2015,2016, 2017 Travis numbers to make case for him in 2019. I might as well use Jose Bautista numbers in 2015, 2016 to make a case for him in 2019.

 

For one. I was a HUGE Travis fan, I thought him not being in the line-up was a key reason we lost the 2015 LCS and also played a big role having him injured in 2016. I was also an advocate of Travis breaking camp with the club out of ST when the consensus was he should start the season in AAA his first year with us.

 

Travis's career WAR and OPS is totally weighted prior to the Travis of 2019 or even 2018. That OPS and WAR you are citing was from just over ONLY 200 games played between 2015-2017. Travis was not putting up those numbers last year and he was finally injury free, so no excuses there.. he only put up a 0.6 WAR last year and he played 1/3 of his total career games last year. Additionally, and very important for our pitching, Travis's D sucks.. He doesn't turn the double play well, has a weak arm, lacks in range, has bad footwork and routes. His numbers last year do not compensate enough for his s*** D to have him in the line-up.

 

I don't believe Travis can play any other position effectively. Therefore, he is a s***** 2b only who is not hitting anymore. Compare him to Drury and LGJ who I believe can effectively play multiple positions, and hit as well or better and even with LGJ problems on D, he has room to improve, has a strong arm and play SS.

 

Travis is only regressing and getting older with more injuries..

 

Tellez: Tellez hit through the minors until he ran into a bad spell. Very well could have been mental with his Mom and all.. He hit in the majors in Sept, (against Rays, Yankees, Red Sox etc, not just AAA and AAAA scrubs) he continues to hit. He was for the exception of his bad spell in the minors, a hitter..

 

Morales hit for only half a season last year... Does everyone forget his horrible start... Not hustling down the line.. Tellez is a feel good story/player you want to cheer for.. Morales, can go play golf all year for all I care..

[Laika]

Straight to the iggy

 

I tried

[Carlos Danger]

Straight to the iggy

 

I tried

 

Great rebuttal counselor. Does that work in court?

[Olerud363]

Clogging the base-paths is a thing!

 

It is. I kept an official stat for it for a few years. I've lost my notes but the thinking is singles and especially walks are bad. Stolen bases are good. Bunts are really good (they unclog the bases). Something like

 

bc (bases clogged) = hits+2*bb+2b-3b-3*sb-10*bunts

 

and clogged percentage (cp) is bc/pa. Lower is better.

 

so for example John Olerud 1993 would have an astronomical number of clogged bases. And justifiably so with all the walks and singles but no baserunning ability. Devon White would be better, and should be close to neutral.

 

Vince Coleman should be negative (remember less is good), a true elite who never clogged the bases.

[Ray]

Good article on Alford: https://www.thespec.com/sports-story/9217423-the-moment-is-now-for-anthony-alford-of-the-toronto-blue-jays/

 

He worked with new hitting coach Guillermo Martinez over the winter, "redefining" his swing and contracting his mechanics. "Simplify everything just to give me a better chance to recognize pitches more. I feel like I'm seeing the ball a lot better, as opposed to having very big mechanics with a lot of movement."

 

The key, he was convinced by Martinez, was to stay through the ball by remaining on the same plane with his swing. "That generates more power as opposed to getting balls topspin left, flat right. I've been able to drive balls. That's what turns doubles in the gap into homers or singles into extra base hits.

 

"Just that, and being quiet, trying to be as quiet as I can with my load."

 

I think I'm gonna like this Guillermo Martinez guy.

[Deadpool]

Good article on Alford: https://www.thespec.com/sports-story/9217423-the-moment-is-now-for-anthony-alford-of-the-toronto-blue-jays/

 

 

 

I think I'm gonna like this Guillermo Martinez guy.

 

I, too, try to be as quiet as I can with my load.

[Carlos Danger]

It is. I kept an official stat for it for a few years. I've lost my notes but the thinking is singles and especially walks are bad. Stolen bases are good. Bunts are really good (they unclog the bases). Something like

 

bc (bases clogged) = hits+2*bb+2b-3b-3*sb-10*bunts

 

and clogged percentage (cp) is bc/pa. Lower is better.

 

so for example John Olerud 1993 would have an astronomical number of clogged bases. And justifiably so with all the walks and singles but no baserunning ability. Devon White would be better, and should be close to neutral.

 

Vince Coleman should be negative (remember less is good), a true elite who never clogged the bases.

 

See! Olerud just made my case for me... This should be on Fangraphs! Finally I am getting some support around here.

 

Thanks man!

[TheHurl]

See! Olerud just made my case for me... This should be on Fangraphs! Finally I am getting some support around here.

 

Thanks man!

 

Olerud being a Fangraphs contributor is an idea I could get behind. Sheryl Ring could write her stuff and then Olerud could explain how it was in the 80's and 90's. "In 1991 we only had two genders, and one didn't matter"

[Carlos Danger]

"In 1991 we only had two genders, and one didn't matter"

 

Did you feel left out and like you didn't matter in the 90's? It was a great decade man, El President getting BJs in the oval office, Tech boom, Blue Jays won a couple of World series.. There was still 25 cent draft night at the bars..

[Spanky__99]

Olerud being a Fangraphs contributor is an idea I could get behind. Sheryl Ring could write her stuff and then Olerud could explain how it was in the 80's and 90's. "In 1991 we only had two genders, and one didn't matter"

 

lol... Gold Jerry, Gold!

[Spanky__99]

Did you feel left out and like you didn't matter in the 90's? It was a great decade man, El President getting BJs in the oval office, Tech boom, Blue Jays won a couple of World series.. There was still 25 cent draft night at the bars..

 

You're always late to the party... there's a reason for that, dumn-dumn.

[Mikeleelop]

She won’t go away because she’s just attractive enough that you keep calling her when you are drunk.

 

Pillar is a solid 2 to 2.5 win player. He isn’t awful. He’s decent on the base paths and very good defensively with an underwhelming bat. A team in contention that has some injury issues will bite on pillar because he isn’t terrible.

 

Profile: As Pillar’s center field defense moves from elite down towards average, it becomes increasingly difficult for the Blue Jays to justify giving the outfielder an everyday role. Pillar has some very major offensive warts. He’s never posted a wRC+ above 94 and his wRC+ of 89 in 2018 was a three-season high. Pillar’s infield fly ball rate of 17.7% was fifth highest among qualified hitters and his 3.3% walk rate was the third lowest. His career OBP is just .298. When it comes to fantasy baseball, however, he has contributed 31 home runs and 29 stolen bases over the past two seasons. Fantasy owners can count on him for mid-teens home run and stolen base totals with an average around .250. Keep an eye on his playing time situation, however. As the Blue Jays enter rebuilding mode,

[Mikeleelop]

The bolder part is not incorrect. Defensive metrics are highly volatile. Kevin is 30. He hasn’t had any significant injuries. There’s no reason to believe his defense is materially different than two or three years ago.

 

except that he has already regressed and that will continue as he ages....

[glory]

Pillar has already declined defensively so unless his bat takes a step forward the Jays are holding on to a declining asset. Shatkins has done a really good job so far but if there’s one complaint with them it’s that they hold on to players for so long that by the time they trade them it’s almost pointless to do so. Pillar will likely end up being a similar case.

[Bobthe4th]

Pillar has already declined defensively so unless his bat takes a step forward the Jays are holding on to a declining asset. Shatkins has done a really good job so far but if there’s one complaint with them it’s that they hold on to players for so long that by the time they trade them it’s almost pointless to do so. Pillar will likely end up being a similar case.

 

Pillar has never been that valuable a trade asset though. Even at his peak we were competing and he was worth more to us on the field than in a trade.

[saskjayfan]

Pillar has already declined defensively so unless his bat takes a step forward the Jays are holding on to a declining asset. Shatkins has done a really good job so far but if there’s one complaint with them it’s that they hold on to players for so long that by the time they trade them it’s almost pointless to do so. Pillar will likely end up being a similar case.

 

I will bet you his defensive numbers are better this year if you want.

[Todd]

Looks like you all jumped the gun again on this kid.

No way in hell he would make this team before bo

bichette. And maybe the jays want to see what i would like to

see a full year with no injuries. And what it actually would look

like. But i bet all of you sometime this year he will miss a month

maybe two again. And him getting 600 at bats

[Dr. Dinger]

Looks like you all jumped the gun again on this kid.

No way in hell he would make this team before bo

bichette. And maybe the jays want to see what i would like to

see a full year with no injuries. And what it actually would look

like. But i bet all of you sometime this year he will miss a month

maybe two again. And him getting 600 at bats

 

I know I've told you this

before but you

have the grammatical.

tendencies of a comp

lete and utter psychopath.

.please and thank you