2022 Post Mortem Thread

[Omar]

Well, it's all over but the crying. Time to put your thoughts together and do some analysis about the season that was 2022.

 

Most valuable players this season? Manoah, Romano, Stripling? Who was this years MVP?

 

Most improved player? Which player moved the needle this year the most?

 

Biggest dissappoint of the season? Some easy answers here but I know there are also some controversial opinons to be had. Vlad didn't put up 2021 numbers but was he a dissappointment?

How do you rate the front office? Where does Shapiro and Atkins stand?

How do you rate the Coaching Staff? Who should stay who should go? Do we clean house here?

John Schneider........Manager

Pete Walker.............Pitching Coach

Giullermo Martinez....Hitting Coach

GAPS Analysis. What were we missing the most this year? 4th outfielder, swing and miss arms in the pen, front line starter, LH bats, a top of the line defensive shortshop? Vetrin presents?

 

Overall team culture. Does this team have the right mindset to win? Or does this even matter?

 

What say you BJMB?

Edited October 9, 2022 by Omar

[Omar]

[Stangstag]

Most valuable players this season?

Manoah, Gausman, Romano, Kirk

 

Most improved player?

Kirk, Manoah, Stripling

 

Biggest dissappoint of the season?

Berrios and Pearson. Kikuchi too perhaps.

 

How do you rate the front office?

Shapiro - A

Love his renovation plans. Beer at the dome was much improved this season. The food needs to be better.

Atkins - C

No shrewd moves this year. No impact players at the deadline. Gausman signing looks good, Berrios extension and Kikuchi signing look bad. Tapia got way too much playtime.

 

How do you rate the Coaching Staff? Who should stay who should go?

They can all stay for 1 more year IMO.

 

GAPS Analysis. What were we missing the most this year?

A shutdown bullpen guy to put out fires. Think Andrew Miller, Wade Davis, etc.

 

Overall team culture

fun group but young and unfocused. They have strong chemistry but need to work on the fundamentals.

[Omar]

Okay, I 'm kind of surprised there is not much traction on this thread. Post Mortem analysis is a great way to see where we are at before making changes. I know Ross Atkins reads these threads first thing every morning with his coffee (decaf) and blueberry muffin so I will add my two cents.

 

Most valueable player this season? I give this to Manoah. Without him I don't think we sniff the playoffs. Always came up with a big win after a loss.

 

Most improved player? Here I go with Stripling. He has moved the needle more than anyone else in this lineup.

 

Biggest dissappointment? Vladdy Guerrero Jr. There I said it. I am basing this on expectation versus outcome. Come at me bruh.

 

Front Office rating? I give them a B+. They improved the team record vs last season. Made the playoffs. The Chapman acquisition. Yes the trade deadline was a little lacklustre, but the market is what the market is. We didn't get Castillo, but neither did the Yankees. Overall the bullpen was improved.

 

Coaching staff rating? I think Schneider did a good job. He changed the lineup around more than once. He was a steady hand. Yeah, he is a bit of a greenhorn but who isn't in their first season as manager? Pete Walker and the rest? I give them a passing grade.

 

Gaps analysis? We were missing swing and miss out of the pen. Maybe Pearson fits the bill next season. Unlike others I don't see huge changes next year in the pen. Maybe the addition of one arm. I would move Springer to full time dh (playing 30 games tops in the field) and seek out another fielder, preferably a LH bat.

 

Overall team culture? I understand every team has cliques. I don't like the latin guys at the end of dugout in the "barrio". Maybe I'm old school but that's not what I consider great team culture. I don't see it on opposing teams either. My gut tells me Chapman, Jano, Gausman etc. don't like it either.

[bluejaysinternNo5]

Most valuable player: Alek Manoah. Providing 196.2 innings of 2.24 ERA / 3.31 FIP ball in his first full season. Absolute workhorse.

 

Most improved player: Ross Stripling. Provided stability in the rotation where Berrios and Kikuchi couldn't.

 

Biggest disappointment: Vlad. He had a good year with a 132 wRC+ but only 2.8 fWAR. After his 2021 campaign it's hard not to be let down.

 

Front Office: Shapiro gets an A. Hard not to love what he's doing as president. Atkins can get a C+. Overall a good GM but there are areas to improve upon and I would like to see some more aggressive moves.

 

Coaching Staff: Schneider was just what we needed in the second half but I'd like to see an experienced manager from Day 1 next season. Walker can go. Martinez can stay for 1 more year.

 

Gaps: We're missing a pitching pipeline of random guys that can be effective in the pen. Probably not an easy fix if we don't have it already. Outfield defence could be much improved by acquiring a glove first guy in center such as Trent Grisham or Alek Thomas and moving the aging Springer to a corner, which also comes with the benefits of keeping Springer more healthy.

 

Team Culture: I think it needs a shift. It's good to have fun. But winning is the most fun at all. To me it's Vlad who sets the tone and I don't think anything changes without him also changing.

[Spanky99]

 

[Stangstag]

How are people saying Vladdy is most disappointing when Berrios and Kikuchi exist

[Omar]

How are people saying Vladdy is most disappointing when Berrios and Kikuchi exist

 

Good point. I'm still salty over the loss on Saturday so I'm taking it out on Vladdy.

[Terminator]

How are people saying Vladdy is most disappointing when Berrios and Kikuchi exist

 

Vlad's season was 3.5 WAR worse this year than it was last year. Berrios dropped by 2.9 WAR and Kikuchi dropped by 1.8.

[Daniel Labude]

Most valuable players this season?

SP: Manoah

Hitter: Vladito

RP: Romano

 

MVP: Manoah. So consistent and one of the top 3 pitchers in the AL. With an offense that remains high or low not much in between Manoah was absolutely special and carried the pitchers for parts of the season

 

Most improved player? As a hitter: Espinal As a fielder: Vlad As a SP: Stripling As a RP: Romano (improved consistency) Which player moved the needle this year the most? Stripling though I dont trust it to continue

 

Biggest dissappoint of the season? Fan expectations. Vlad and Bo didn't live up to precived expectations, but they were abnormally high. If I had 1 absolute disappointment it would be Bo's defense. Kept going backwards

 

 

How do you rate the front office? A on the minors, drafting, and development. F on team construction for the season and longterm currently...outside of the young players the future seems a little merky

Where does Shapiro and Atkins stand?Atkins can go and Shapiro can get another go at it

 

How do you rate the Coaching Staff? Who should stay who should go? Do we clean house here?

John Schneider........Manager: Loved him. Give him a 3 year contract and see how he does with the young core

Pete Walker.............Pitching Coach: not good, as good as he was last year he was bad this year...id fire and find someone new

Giullermo Martinez....Hitting Coach: kick him to the curb. No business still having a job unless he changes the overall hitting philosophy

 

GAPS Analysis. Must get 2 more SP (1 of which is a #2), and basically a whole new pen that knows what a K is

 

Overall team culture. Love the culture Does this team have the right mindset to win? Yes. Mostly young or gaps needing filled

Edited October 11, 2022 by LetTheBallFly

[jaysblue]

Most valuable players this season? Manoah, Gausman, Romano, Kirk

 

Most improved player? Stripling

 

Biggest dissappoint of the season? Berrios

 

How do you rate the front office?

 

Shapiro: A

- he has a great vision for this organization and has done an amazing job in improving the baseball experience at the Rogers Centre with the building improvements and renovations over the years. On the business and marketing side of things, I think he's been a genius. You're not going to find a better President and baseball mind leading this organization.

 

Atkins: C

- I was impressed by him making some big additions during the offseason such as Gausman and trading for Chapman. Pretty much he replaced Ray and Semien and did even better which was tough to do. So kudos to him for that! However he ignored other parts of the roster such as the bullpen and roster depth, which we saw impact the team this season and was a reason why they couldn't even win on Saturday. It's frustrating because this team does have a solid young core and the window is now. He pretty much wasted 2021 and 2022 in my opinion by cheapening out and not addressing other areas on this roster that needed to be addressed for this team to take the "next level".

 

How do you rate the Coaching Staff?

 

John Schneider: I think Schneider did a fantastic job taking over for Montoyo though his managing decisions in the most critical game of the Jays season were frustrating. I'm sure he'll learn from his mistakes, though I question his decision making in a big game after what we witnessed on Saturday. Whether it was him making the calls or the FO, it was one of the worst managed games I've ever witnessed since watching this team. If there is a more exeperienced manager available than sure, but I'm ok with Schneider working with this team for another year and having a full ST under his belt as the main guy.

 

Pete Walker: I don't really have an issue with him. It wasn't his fault Berrios sucked this season. As well, with Kikuchi, he could only do so much. As for the bullpen, it's not like he could transform all of those arms to 10-12 K/9 guys. I don't think Walker is a Pitching God like he was made out to be, but also don't think he's bad. He deserves to stick around.

 

Martinez: the hitting took a step back this season. I would like to see him work with Guerrero in elevating the ball more rather than hitting the ball into the ground. We never saw Guerrero make any adjustments in the second half and that worries me about Martinez, but I guess one more year won't hurt.

 

 

GAPS Analysis. What were we missing the most this year? : High K bullpen arms; a solid reliable 4th outfielder who could field and also hit. I know some people hate this but I think this team needs another left-handed bat in the lineup. Rotation depth, though they got by since Gausman and Manoah along with Stripling stayed healthy. Otherwise this team would have been in trouble.

 

Overall team culture: they're still a very young and immature group IMO. I think they have great chemistry, but they talk more with their mouths more than focusing on what they do on the field. Like Vladdy saying "this is my house" or Manoah talking about pressure, or them wearing a damn home run jacket everytime some hits a HR. They need to let their play on the field do the talking. They seem like a bunch of spoiled kids who have no discipline. This team needs a tough manager, someone who tolerates no BS. Having a beta type manager won't work with this group IMO.

[leaffie]

Most valuableplayer manoah

 

Most improved Stripling

 

Biggest disappointment The entire batting order. This team struggled the entire year to move runners and score runs. How many times did they get the lead runner on on and couldnt score him. The entire bottom of the order was practically useless. Tapia, zimmer. Bradley jr. Biggio sitting on the bench. Biggio would finally get to play, start hitting and he would be on the bench for Tapia. Jansen was hurt, springer was hurt. Bo was struggling for for at least a third of the season and vladdy, while not bad, couldnt seem to adjust to how the pitchers were pitching him.

 

The entire season, the team always seemed to be hitting with two out. I dont know if that is just my perception, but they certainly were not the powerhouse that all the experts seemed to,think they would be.

 

Coaching staff. Definitely improved when Schneider joined. Yes he made some terrible mistakes in WC. I thought he should have started Gausman, then Manoah. Less pressure for a kid.

 

Atkins

 

I think he should be fired, but probably wont be. Shapiro will protect him. They have had 7 years to accomplish turning this team into a team with a pipeline of good young players. Everyones response when they were hired was well now we will have a great farm team and a winning major team. Well we still have neither . So far the good young players are attributed to AA. I am not saying they have done nothing right. Of course they have the team won 92 games. But still have won nothing.

 

Overall culture. I hate all this Barrio, HR jacket ice throwing crap. Grow up and be professional.

there seem to be no consequences for standing around admiring balls. When you watch a team like the Guardians, everyone of them runs every hit out. They play hard, always trying to advance to next base.

 

I do think Schneider will improve that.

 

From the start of the season, I thought there was something not right about the team, always waiting for that game saving HR, but really couldn't put my finger on it. But pitchers who cant go,three times through a line up and a bullpen that was mediocre at best, and barely better than the mess last year is what did the most damage to the hopes of jays fans.

 

If this embarassing exit doesnt fire up the FO, neither of them will last another year and I am too old to old for another rebuild.

[John_Havok]

Most valuable players this season?

SP: Manoah

Hitter: Vladito

RP: Romano

 

MVP: Manoah. So consistent and one of the top 3 pitchers in the AL. With an offense that remains high or low not much in between Manoah was absolutely special and carried the pitchers for parts of the season

 

Most improved player? As a hitter: Espinal As a fielder: Vlad As a SP: Stripling As a RP: Romano (improved consistency) Which player moved the needle this year the most? Stripling though I dont trust it to continue

 

Biggest dissappoint of the season? Fan expectations. Vlad and Bo didn't live up to precived expectations, but they were abnormally high. If I had 1 absolute disappointment it would be Bo's defense. Kept going backwards

 

 

How do you rate the front office? A on the minors, drafting, and development. F on team construction for the season and longterm currently...outside of the young players the future seems a little merky

Where does Shapiro and Atkins stand?Atkins can go and Shapiro can get another go at it

 

How do you rate the Coaching Staff? Who should stay who should go? Do we clean house here?

John Schneider........Manager: Loved him. Give him a 3 year contract and see how he does with the young core

Pete Walker.............Pitching Coach: not good, as good as he was last year he was bad this year...id fire and find someone new

Giullermo Martinez....Hitting Coach: kick him to the curb. No business still having a job unless he changes the overall hitting philosophy

 

GAPS Analysis. Must get 2 more SP (1 of which is a #2), and basically a whole new pen that knows what a K is

 

Overall team culture. Love the culture Does this team have the right mindset to win? Yes. Mostly young or gaps needing filled

 

Hate to break it to ya, but Espinal was very much worse with the stick this season vs 2021. He had maybe 2 good months, then hit the skids for the rest of the season

[Spanky99]

Hate to break it to ya, but Espinal was very much worse with the stick this season vs 2021. He had maybe 2 good months, then hit the skids for the rest of the season

 

It's not like he watches them everyday or anything, lol.

[Brownie19]

Overall team culture? I understand every team has cliques. I don't like the latin guys at the end of dugout in the "barrio". Maybe I'm old school but that's not what I consider great team culture. I don't see it on opposing teams either. My gut tells me Chapman, Jano, Gausman etc. don't like it either.

 

So the whites don't like the latino's? Got it. It's not like they have massive cultural differences or anything.

 

I wonder what George Springer thinks of the culture. He's the "vetrin presents" on this team who's been front and center on a sustained winner who won the WS. He seems to be right in the thick of it on the bench having fun with the rest of the team. If he was speaking out about the culture or separating himself from the "barrio" then I'd be worried.

 

The reality is this team wasn't going to go past Round 2 anyway. They simply didn't have the horses to do it when Berrios had an awful year, Vlad had a down year and they got nothing out of Nate Pearson or Moreno.

[Krylian]

So the whites don't like the latino's? Got it. It's not like they have massive cultural differences or anything.

 

I wonder what George Springer thinks of the culture. He's the "vetrin presents" on this team who's been front and center on a sustained winner who won the WS. He seems to be right in the thick of it on the bench having fun with the rest of the team. If he was speaking out about the culture or separating himself from the "barrio" then I'd be worried.

 

The reality is this team wasn't going to go past Round 2 anyway. They simply didn't have the horses to do it when Berrios had an awful year, Vlad had a down year and they got nothing out of Nate Pearson or Moreno.

 

I don't think he means they don't like their teammates. I think he's referring to the separate groups hanging around in the dugout, rather than everyone mingling together as a cohesive collective.

 

Maybe I misunderstood though

[Daniel Labude]

Hate to break it to ya, but Espinal was very much worse with the stick this season vs 2021. He had maybe 2 good months, then hit the skids for the rest of the season

 

His hard hit % went from 23% to 32%. Still pretty much last on the team. But that jump is very significant. Question was most improved...not best numbers compared to last season

[John_Havok]

His hard hit % went from 23% to 32%. Still pretty much last on the team. But that jump is very significant. Question was most improved...not best numbers compared to last season

 

his wRC+ went from 115 to 99. He didn't improve. Hard hit rate is 1 measure, not some be all end all thing that indicates significant improvement. He's not a power hitter, never will be, so he should stop trying to be one and get back to doing what he was successful at, which is hitting from line to line. If he hits the ball harder while doing so, great! Might mean a few extra base hits over singles, but he has got to get this idea out of his head that he needs to be a power hitter. It broke his approach and made him less valuable as a hitter

[Omar]

I don't think he means they don't like their teammates. I think he's referring to the separate groups hanging around in the dugout, rather than everyone mingling together as a cohesive collective.

 

Maybe I misunderstood though

 

This exactly. I didn’t say anything about “whites”. I could have included Jackie Bradly Jr. in that list as well but he hasn’t been around long enough to develop a distaste for the hijinks.

[Brownie19]

This exactly. I didn’t say anything about “whites”. I could have included Jackie Bradly Jr. in that list as well but he hasn’t been around long enough to develop a distaste for the hijinks.

 

Sorry man - but you referred to the latin guys in the 'barrio' (which refers to a spanish speaking group) and then listed off 3 white guys who you said they probably don't like that either. I'm certainly not one to pull out the race card, but that seemed too obvious. And I'm not even sure it's true. I'm pretty sure Bo, Springer, Manoah, etc. all hang out with that group too.

 

Could that group be more inclusive? I mean - I guess? As you pointed out, you'll always have cliques.

 

Could the group be more serious? I'm sure they could, but I'm sure there are studies that show there are performance advantages to 'staying loose' and not being super serious the whole time. I don't know what the right answer is. Maybe they'll look at the remaining teams in the playoffs and notice none of them have rituals or gimmicks after home runs (did SD do away with that chain?) and decide that's all the evidence they need to can it.

[Jimcanuck]

Possible the "barrio" exists mainly for language reasons. Same reason Ryu kind of was on his own.

[Daniel Labude]

his wRC+ went from 115 to 99. He didn't improve. Hard hit rate is 1 measure, not some be all end all thing that indicates significant improvement. He's not a power hitter, never will be, so he should stop trying to be one and get back to doing what he was successful at, which is hitting from line to line. If he hits the ball harder while doing so, great! Might mean a few extra base hits over singles, but he has got to get this idea out of his head that he needs to be a power hitter. It broke his approach and made him less valuable as a hitter

 

I dont think he is trying to be a power hitter and increasing his hard hit% from the worst in baseball is a huge improvement. The variation in wRC+ comes from doubling his ABs imo. Another year of increased hard hit% and his numbers should go up

[John_Havok]

I dont think he is trying to be a power hitter and increasing his hard hit% from the worst in baseball is a huge improvement. The variation in wRC+ comes from doubling his ABs imo. Another year of increased hard hit% and his numbers should go up

 

Just gonna let the graphic speak for itself. You can decide for yourself if his hard hit rate, barrel rate, avg EV and max EV indicates expecting an above average hitter.

 

[Laika]

his wRC+ went from 115 to 99. He didn't improve. Hard hit rate is 1 measure, not some be all end all thing that indicates significant improvement. He's not a power hitter, never will be, so he should stop trying to be one and get back to doing what he was successful at, which is hitting from line to line. If he hits the ball harder while doing so, great! Might mean a few extra base hits over singles, but he has got to get this idea out of his head that he needs to be a power hitter. It broke his approach and made him less valuable as a hitter

 

he also slowed down quite a bit while bulking up

 

I think he should try to lose 5 lbs this offseason and be somewhere in between 2021 and 2022 Espinal.

[John_Havok]

he also slowed down quite a bit while bulking up

 

I think he should try to lose 5 lbs this offseason and be somewhere in between 2021 and 2022 Espinal.

 

Somehwere in between would be ideal for him yes. a right handed Jeff McNeil, though not as much pop

[Daniel Labude]

Just gonna let the graphic speak for itself. You can decide for yourself if his hard hit rate, barrel rate, avg EV and max EV indicates expecting an above average hitter.

 

 

Show last seasons lmao...yes if there is a continued increase in those things like there was this year

[Omar]

he also slowed down quite a bit while bulking up

 

I think he should try to lose 5 lbs this offseason and be somewhere in between 2021 and 2022 Espinal.

 

Should land him somewhere between not good and bad:p

[John_Havok]

Show last seasons lmao...yes if there is a continued increase in those things like there was this year

 

Unfortunately he didnt have enough PAs in 2021 to have a full slate of numbres from savant. Same for 2020

 

 

And please understand I'm not saying he's some trash can unworthy of a roster spot or anything. I'm just saying that he needs to get back to his all field approach. Him trying to be more of a pull/power hitter just doesnt make sense to maximize the results of his skillset.

[Daniel Labude]

Unfortunately he didnt have enough PAs in 2021 to have a full slate of numbres from savant. Same for 2020

 

 

And please understand I'm not saying he's some trash can unworthy of a roster spot or anything. I'm just saying that he needs to get back to his all field approach. Him trying to be more of a pull/power hitter just doesnt make sense to maximize the results of his skillset.

 

I agree...but he still improved dramatically on hard hit % this season, but needs to keep improving and apply it in a different aspect, especially vs RHP

[John_Havok]