General 2020 Blue Jays Discussion Thread

[max silver]

If he is needed at SS, that's bad. I think Espinal is next on the depth charts. Him I like. I do not know how to look up Holt's defense at SS specifically.

 

Check out the advanced fielding section in Fangraphs, you can find defensive runs saved (DRS) and ultimate zone rating (UZR) in there, broken down by position and year. The sample sizes are awfully small for Holt at short stop, so who knows based on the metrics.

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/brock-holt/9345/stats?position=2B/OF#fielding

[Spanky99]

I think Valera could be a guy.

 

I have no clue if he's good at defense which plays a big factor for a guy like him. If he can't handle SS he's probably useless but Fangraphs said this about him a year ago: "Breyvic Valera was acquired from St. Louis as shortstop depth after the Corey Seager injury in exchange for OF Johan Mieses. He’s a 50 defender at short and can make contact but produces so little power that he’s limited to a bench role."

 

I also read somewhere (can't remember where) that last year the Yankees changed his swing and he hit 13 homers in 305 ABs in AAA. That's after he previously hit 23 homers in about 3300 minor league ABs. He's also a switch hitter and after eyeballing his minor league splits he doesn't seem to have a discernible platoon split. He can take a walk and doesn't strike out much either.

 

The Steamer projections have him slashing .260/.322/.384. If he can play an average SS that makes for a useful player. If he can play average SS and the swing change leads to a skill change in the power department he could be borderline starter material. I'm skeptical about the defense though. Does anyone have a scouting report on him?

 

His scouting report is old as dirt, lol. Longenhagen had a brief blurb in '18 as so... Fundamentally sound shortstop with limited range. High-contact hitter. Utility type.

 

Here's the scouting report from 4 years ago...

 

Scout Grade: Hit: 50 | Power: 20 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

 

Analysis: Valera is much higher on some lists, but after a rough season in AA (hitter’s park and league) I am not very high on him. He projects to be a utility player with a mixture of high contact and speed.

 

However, Valera will need to improve a lot this season, and make an impact at AAA Memphis at some point next season to ever be a factor for the Cardinals at the major league level.

 

Valera in the past has let his high contact and speed help him to a .300 average, and for some reason it didn’t happen this past year. The one encouraging thing for Valera this past year is that his on base ability was still there, in years past he has had the ability to get on base at a .350+ clip.

 

As Eric Johnson of Viva El Birdos tells us, the one thing that does help Valera’s ability to potentially reach the big leagues is his versatility on defense. In 2015, Valera saw time at 2B, 3B, SS, and LF. So, Valera likely would see time as a versatile utility player instead of a one position player for the Cardinals.

 

All of this combined makes him an interesting player. If he can get the contact back, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make it up in September.

[Spanky99]

Thank you for liking this post Spanky. I put some thought and effort into this one and at least someone around here recognizes it. It wouldn't kill the rest of you to show a little appreciation once in a while ya know.

 

lol

[Spanky99]

I think the Jays should try and get Hultzen and Jimmy Sherfy on a spring invite.

[wilko]

Get Scooter Gennett and move Biggio to RF.

[Terminator]

His scouting report is old as dirt, lol. Longenhagen had a brief blurb in '18 as so... Fundamentally sound shortstop with limited range. High-contact hitter. Utility type.

 

Here's the scouting report from 4 years ago...

 

Thanks. Still no clue about the defense but if it's even borderline acceptable then I think he's a decent bet to be our top UTIL bench guy and I think he could do pretty well. Tejada would be my #2 and Espinal #3 unless I'm forgetting someone.

[Spanky99]

Thanks. Still no clue about the defense but if it's even borderline acceptable then I think he's a decent bet to be our top UTIL bench guy and I think he could do pretty well. Tejada would be my #2 and Espinal #3 unless I'm forgetting someone.

 

Well, sound SS with limited range sounds passable. Tejada or himself should be okay going into spring, I'd like Espinal playing a lot in Buffalo.

[Terminator]

Well, sound SS with limited range sounds passable. Tejada or himself should be okay going into spring, I'd like Espinal playing a lot in Buffalo.

 

Yeah Espinal needs to be in AAA and he needs to show some big improvement in order to be an MLB player. He's 25 already and he's not exactly hitting well in the minors.

[Spanky99]

Yeah Espinal needs to be in AAA and he needs to show some big improvement in order to be an MLB player. He's 25 already and he's not exactly hitting well in the minors.

 

Well he's a capable bench player, what we're talking about. He's hit okay in the minors, who knows.

[Terminator]

He sucks Spanky. Admit it.

[Spanky99]

He sucks Spanky. Admit it.

 

lol... he's better than the other 2.

[KennerKid]

I like hearing Shapiro talk. Good architect.

[Ehjays]

Blue Jays Sign Joe Panik To Minor League Deal

By George Miller | January 18, 2020 at 3:09pm CDT

The Blue Jays have signed infielder Joe Panik to a minor league contract, reports Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. The deal includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Panik is a client of Jet Sports Management.

[saskjayfan]

Blue Jays Sign Joe Panik To Minor League Deal

By George Miller | January 18, 2020 at 3:09pm CDT

The Blue Jays have signed infielder Joe Panik to a minor league contract, reports Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. The deal includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Panik is a client of Jet Sports Management.

 

Panik is a nice pick up on a minor league deal. Now go get Salazar!

[glory]

Drury has an option left. Wonder if they put him in AAA and use Panik as the utility IF, although he's only really played 2B in his career (where he's good defensively).

[max silver]

Panik appears to be a plus at 2B according to Statcast. And has a career 103 wRC+ against RHPs away from Oracle Park.

 

This could certainly turn out to be a nice under the radar type pickup like Eric Sogard. I sort of struggle to see how Panik would see much playing time though, unless the Jays decided to move Cavan Biggio around the diamond.

[EMK19]

Like the signing. Drury must be Paniking right now.

 

... had to be said.

[Ryu In My House]

Joe Panik sounds okay. He bats left, and his splits against righties looks decent.

 

This is old, but here's a scouting report on him. Has lots of tools minus power. They viewed him as a high floor, low ceiling potential super sub.

 

https://baseballprospectnation.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/scouting-report-joe-panik-inf/

[Ryu In My House]

Like the signing. Drury must be Paniking right now.

 

... had to be said.

 

What a dull joke. As in yes, they've signed Dull again!

 

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/blue-jays-ryan-dull-returning-to-blue-jays/

[Beans]

This could certainly turn out to be a nice under the radar type pickup like Eric Sogard. I sort of struggle to see how Panik would see much playing time though, unless the Jays decided to move Cavan Biggio around the diamond.

 

I hope he gets cut. He's potentially taking away playing time, even on the bench, from younger players who could show us something. All Panik shows is that a good walk rate doesn't mean s*** if you can't hit the ball hard, or in the air, or run very fast. His exit velocity, launch angle, and sprint speed are among the worst in baseball (among those with ~500 PA) . He plays good enough D, but he's a scrub.

 

Unless he starts lifting the ball like Sogard did last year, there's no upside, and even then it wouldn't be that much.

[Orgfiller]

I hope he gets cut. He's potentially taking away playing time, even on the bench, from younger players who could show us something. All Panik shows is that a good walk rate doesn't mean s*** if you can't hit the ball hard, or in the air, or run very fast. His exit velocity, launch angle, and sprint speed are among the worst in baseball (among those with ~500 PA) . He plays good enough D, but he's a scrub.

 

Unless he starts lifting the ball like Sogard did last year, there's no upside, and even then it wouldn't be that much.

 

Joe Panik isn't taking playing time away from anyone lmao. He's a minor league signing which means the team expects nothing out of him and somewhat improves our awful infield depth. Injuries exist and Biggio and Bichette aren't likely to both play 162 games, Joe Panik of all people isn't going to be the reason why one of them isn't playing.

[EMK19]

What a dull joke. As in yes, they've signed Dull again!

 

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/blue-jays-ryan-dull-returning-to-blue-jays/

 

All work and no play makes Ryan a Dull boy.

 

...so hopefully for him he’ll get more than a game this time.

[Carlos Danger]

I hope he gets cut. He's potentially taking away playing time, even on the bench, from younger players who could show us something. All Panik shows is that a good walk rate doesn't mean s*** if you can't hit the ball hard, or in the air, or run very fast. His exit velocity, launch angle, and sprint speed are among the worst in baseball (among those with ~500 PA) . He plays good enough D, but he's a scrub.

 

Unless he starts lifting the ball like Sogard did last year, there's no upside, and even then it wouldn't be that much.

 

Don't Panik man!!

[Beans]

Don't Panik man!!

When is someone going to make a reference to that song by The Smiths?

[Beans]

Joe Panik isn't taking playing time away from anyone lmao. He's a minor league signing which means the team expects nothing out of him and somewhat improves our awful infield depth. Injuries exist and Biggio and Bichette aren't likely to both play 162 games, Joe Panik of all people isn't going to be the reason why one of them isn't playing.

Right, and I didn't say he'd take away from Biggio or Bichette. My post was a direct response to the idea that he would get much playing time this year.

 

I prefer youngins who could show us something—or even the other guys we picked up recently as depth pieces—maybe one of them breaks out when one of the little Bs get hurt. Like you said, no one is going to play 162 games this year. But Panik not only sucks, he is all but guaranteed to suck, whereas with a youngster there's still a chance to catch lightning in a bottle.

 

He's a replacement-level player, the kind of which we already have, by definition.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Beans

[Bobthe4th]

Right, and I didn't say he'd take away from Biggio or Bichette. My post was a direct response to the idea that he would get much playing time this year.

 

I prefer youngins who could show us something—or even the other guys we picked up recently as depth pieces—maybe one of them breaks out when one of the little Bs get hurt. Like you said, no one is going to play 162 games this year. But Panik not only sucks, he is all but guaranteed to suck, whereas with a youngster there's still a chance to catch lightning in a bottle.

 

He's a replacement-level player, the kind of which we already have, by definition.

 

TBF the player who is most in danger of losing out is Valera (who is s***). It'd be annoying if Panik was taking game time in MLB or AAA from Espinal, but even if that happens it's probably because Panik plays well and might be able to be flipped at the deadline, or that Espinal sucks anyway.

 

As others have said, he's a low risk depth signing.

[Deadpool]

TBF the player who is most in danger of losing out is Valera (who is s***). It'd be annoying if Panik was taking game time in MLB or AAA from Espinal, but even if that happens it's probably because Panik plays well and might be able to be flipped at the deadline, or that Espinal sucks anyway.

 

As others have said, he's a low risk depth signing.

 

Are we absolutely sure Valera is s*** though? Put up a 130 wRC+ in just shy of 400 ABs with the Yankees in AAA last year, and in 17 MLB games was worth 0.2 WAR.

 

I think there might be an alright bench piece there, as he has covered 2B, SS, 3B and all 3 OF positions in his career (minor league fielding stats aren't great, so I don't know how WELL he's played any of those positions).

[Laika]

Love to see the team getting guys like Dull and Panik on minor league deals.

[Jimcanuck]

Panik has a .334 career OBP and is just 29 yrs old. A change of scenery bounceback candidate. A good minor league signing.

[Bobthe4th]

Interestingly, Bichette wouldn’t have been changing positions had Gregorius been signed, as the Jays planned to use Gregorius as a second baseman. GM Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro gave Bichette a heads-up about the Gregorius pursuit, with Bichette saying, “It was presented to me as, ’We’re going after Didi, don’t worry, we’ve already told him you’re our shortstop.’ I’d imagine that’s probably a reason why he didn’t come here.”