General Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2023)

[max silver]

Yes, he has 4 years and 158 days of service time.

 

Apparently Cimber has now reached 5 years of service time and can reject a AAA assignment outright.

 

 

A player is deemed to have reached "one year" of Major League service upon accruing 172 days in a given year.

 

https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/service-time

[Jonn]

Apparently Cimber has now reached 5 years of service time and can reject a AAA assignment outright.

 

 

 

 

https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/service-time

 

So the Jays are going to use his DL stint + a full rehab stint instead lol

[Ehjays]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/nate-pearson-more-at-peace-as-he-rejoins-blue-jays-bullpen/

 

TORONTO — The last time Nate Pearson pitched in a major-league game was Oct. 3, 2021. He tossed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in the Blue Jays' 12-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles, marking his fifth straight appearance without allowing a run.

 

There was some semblance the hard-throwing right-hander was finally about to make good on his tantalizing potential, but that didn't last long. Mononucleosis and a lat strain limited Pearson to just 13 minor-league games the following year in what was essentially a lost season.

 

Reflecting on his journey Monday afternoon in the home dugout at Rogers Centre, Pearson summed it up succinctly.

 

"I've been through some stuff," Pearson said, "So, it's good just to be able to be here early in the year and help the team out. I'm excited."

 

The Blue Jays summoned the 26-year-old from triple-A Buffalo Monday when reliever Adam Cimber was placed on the 15-day IL with a right rhomboid strain. The hope is that this is a different Nate Pearson than the club has seen in the past and Pearson acknowledged as much, highlighting the mental growth he's undergone since his last stint in the bigs.

 

"Just more at peace," he said. "Accepting whatever outcome, as long as I'm competing. Definitely a lot of peace in that. I'm healthy and feel good."

 

Selected by the Blue Jays in the first round (28th overall) of the 2017 draft, Pearson began his pro career as a starting pitcher. Beginning in 2020, though, he oscillated between life as a starting pitcher and reliever, largely due to an array of injuries that stunted his development.

 

However, this past off-season, the Blue Jays offered him stability with the directive that he'd be pitching exclusively out of the bullpen.

 

"He's been a back-and-forth starter, reliever, bulk guy," said manager John Schneider. "Diving into the reliever role has been really good for him ... I think messaging that to him in spring training was kind of a sigh of relief for him and [we] love the way he's gone about it so far."

 

Pearson has been a force to open this campaign, sporting a 2.16 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 8.1 innings out of the Bisons’ bullpen. He allowed five hits to go with five walks and notched the first save of his pro career on Friday.

 

The right-hander features an electric fastball that can touch 100 m.p.h., along with a slider and improving curveball, and says he's been focusing on working quickly and attacking hitters, trying to get ahead early in counts.

 

Schneider says that was evident from the reports he received during Pearson's time in Buffalo.

 

"I think it was 60 per cent strikes with all of his pitches," said the manager. "And when we talked in spring, it was trying to get two out of the first three strikes. So [it's about] just continuing that."

 

Pearson was available during Monday night’s 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox, but didn’t get into the contest. Schneider said game situations will determine how the club utilizes Pearson, at least in the early going. Factors could include where the opposing team is in their lineup and who they have available to pinch hit, he noted, adding the club would try to use Pearson “probably earlier [in a game] to kind of err on the side of caution now, but not afraid to bring him in if he needs to come in and strike somebody out.”

 

Pearson says he's gained a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed out of the bullpen. The life of a reliever is vastly different than that of their starting pitcher counterparts and if he needs a reminder of what a successful transition can look like, he can simply peer a few lockers over toward the stall occupied by teammate Jordan Romano.

 

The Blue Jays’ closer spent four years as a starter across four levels in the organization's minor-league system before he was moved to the bullpen by the Texas Rangers in the spring of 2019. Romano — a Rule 5 selection — returned to the Blue Jays in late March of that year and briefly yo-yoed back into starting before finally getting the chance to gain comfort as a member of the relief corps.

 

"It should be an easy transition, right?" Romano said. "You're just trying to go out there and get outs. But it's not. The bullpen is so much different. Learning that, and getting your routine locked in in the bullpen, is a big deal.

 

"Once I was in the bullpen full time, it's like you learn your routine and that's when you get really good," he adds. "Knowing I was just going to be in the bullpen really just gave me peace of mind, not trying to juggle the idea of maybe going back to starting."

 

Romano says mindset is a critical component to success out of the pen and for him, that involved structuring his time differently.

 

“When I first came up, I was really loose and joked around and then the phone would call and I'd get on the mound and then start throwing, but felt like I wasn't completely locked in. Now, I need a few innings to really lock it in and not let my mind wander so I could be fully locked in for the game. So, that's my thing. I start my routine in the sixth inning when I'm usually pitching the ninth.

 

“Sixth inning hits, I'm not really talking to anyone anymore,” he continues. “I'm not joking around. No distractions. I'm prepping to go in the game and do work … I know that now. Before, I didn’t and I felt like it really hurt me.”

 

Pearson, for his part, says he's honed a mindset and routine that works for him and is excited for the chance to once again deploy it in the majors.

 

"I know I'm going to go out there for a short amount of time, just competing to get outs and get the guys back in the dugout to hit,” said Pearson. “Try to be out there, make it quick as I can and limit the pitch count and how deep I go into each batter.

 

“Just compete and have fun, really. That's all I’m focused on."

[Orgfiller]

Kirk (after the 3 walks today) has more BBs than Ks, career.

 

Kirk has a .409 OBP and you could argue he hasn't even found his stride at the plate yet. He's a very gifted hitter. Once the power regresses to his career numbers he's going to be a force with how good his plate discipline has been this year.

[The Iceman]

Jesse Carlson? haha

 

Not sure if the Jays had a Lemon.

 

Jays played against Chet Lemon for 15 years.

[Solaxys]

Lol after the bases loaded 103.1 mph/xBA of .510 groundout, Springer with "that's the story of my f***ing season."

Just unfortunate how unlucky he has been.

 

.255 wOBA vs. xwOBA .335

.304 SLG vs. xSLG .459 (difference of .155!!!!)

 

Dude has legit been hot with the approach though, barrelling a lot of balls.

[Jonn]

I’m not overly worried about Springer. The numbers aren’t showing yet but he crushed some balls without success. He’s kind of like Matt Chapman last Season.

[Governator]

Hey guys - I've never cared to go to one of those giveaway days but my fiance is taking me to the game Friday for my birthday. There's a Springer jersey giveaway going on. How early do you got to get there to make the cut for the first 15K? (If it's too early, I'm not wasting my time lol)

[Ryu In My House]

Kirk has a .409 OBP and you could argue he hasn't even found his stride at the plate yet. He's a very gifted hitter. Once the power regresses to his career numbers he's going to be a force with how good his plate discipline has been this year.

 

Before last night's game, his wRC+ was 107. Also good, before finding his stride.

[wilko]

Hey guys - I've never cared to go to one of those giveaway days but my fiance is taking me to the game Friday for my birthday. There's a Springer jersey giveaway going on. How early do you got to get there to make the cut for the first 15K? (If it's too early, I'm not wasting my time lol)

 

You'll probably have to camp outside the stadium the night before.

[Stangstag]

Hey guys - I've never cared to go to one of those giveaway days but my fiance is taking me to the game Friday for my birthday. There's a Springer jersey giveaway going on. How early do you got to get there to make the cut for the first 15K? (If it's too early, I'm not wasting my time lol)

 

It really depends how popular the giveaway is. I went to game 2 (vlad bobblehead) started waiting in line at 5pm and just missed getting it. Meanwhile the year before game 2 was Gausman bobblehead and im pretty sure we showed up at like 6pm and got them.

 

I would think Springer jersey would be the 5pm scenario since its A) free clothing and a friday night

[Jonn]

I never understood why they do so many Friday and weekends promotions when they are already going to get big crowds.

 

Need the Monday promotion which turns a 26k crowd into 30k +

[Brownie19]

I'm pretty sure last year we showed up about 2 1/2 hours before the Springer jersey giveaway game and the last ones were handed out right before we got in. Kids were thrilled with that.

 

To be honest - it's not f***ing worth it. The jerseys are like XXXL and are garbage. I'll never stand in that bloody line again when I can buy knock off jerseys (that fit) for like $50 online. I'd probably spend $150 to just buy a jersey than show up that early again and waste so much time for one.

[Omar]

Hey guys - I've never cared to go to one of those giveaway days but my fiance is taking me to the game Friday for my birthday. There's a Springer jersey giveaway going on. How early do you got to get there to make the cut for the first 15K? (If it's too early, I'm not wasting my time lol)

 

3 hours minimum. Not worth the stretch.

[Terminator]

I'm pretty sure last year we showed up about 2 1/2 hours before the Springer jersey giveaway game and the last ones were handed out right before we got in. Kids were thrilled with that.

 

To be honest - it's not f***ing worth it. The jerseys are like XXXL and are garbage. I'll never stand in that bloody line again when I can buy knock off jerseys (that fit) for like $50 online. I'd probably spend $150 to just buy a jersey than show up that early again and waste so much time for one.

 

Did the jersey have an ad on it?

[Pendleton]

https://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-nate-pearson-stopped-beating-himself-up-and-may-have-saved-his-career

 

There was the time back in 2018 when he threw a fastball 104 miles per hour in an Arizona Fall League game, an eye-catcher that took the Nate Pearson hype to silly levels.

 

A day before Vlad Guerrero Jr. stole the show at the Home Run Derby in Cleveland in 2019, there was a dominating Pearson inning in the Futures Game, an all-star week showcase for the game’s top young players.

 

And of course, there were all those years as the Blue Jays top prospect, a fireballing right arm waiting to be unleashed but never quite getting there.

 

It hasn’t worked out as predicted for the Jays’ 2017 first-round draft pick, who has had more downs than ups but isn’t out yet.

 

And it is with a fresh new attitude that the 26-year-old returned to the major leagues this week — for the first time since October 2021, in fact — embracing a new role and a new lease and look at baseball life.

 

“I was way too hard on myself,” Pearson told the Toronto Sun, minutes after walking on the Rogers Centre field, beaming at the place he’s been pining to call home since he was drafted by the Jays.

 

“The expectations I put on myself were sky high. And when expectations aren’t met, it can really get you down. And that’s exactly what happened. I went through a lot of stuff.”

 

The list of stuff reads like a classic tale of an overhyped prospect failing miserably. But there was far more to Pearson’s story than failure, especially given how he’s picked himself up and focused on being a shut-down reliever. In that regard, the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder is a tantalizing possibility for the Jays bullpen should things work out this time.

 

There was injury, almost too many to list, but enough to almost completely write off two seasons of a career that has forever been seeking traction.

 

There was self-doubt, often visible in his mound presence when things got tough in an inning or even an at-bat.

 

And then there was being a slave to the radar gun as he became almost a cult hero with prospect devotees blown away by his extraordinary fastball heat.

 

All of those are in the past, as Pearson showed up in the Jays clubhouse this week healthy, confident and ready to make an impact.

 

“Being here now, it’s just peace of mind,” Pearson said. “Just knowing I can have fun playing baseball again and I’m here at the Rogers Centre with the guys really for whatever happens but mostly ready to just go out there and compete.

 

“I’ve definitely grown mentally. Just accepting whatever comes.”

 

Just being here in April — anywhere in uniform in April — is a big thing for Pearson. As the hard-throwing righty noted, for example, he hasn’t made it out of each of the past two spring trainings due to injury.

 

When you’re looking to prove yourself all over again, running into roadblocks makes it a challenge. But you can add perseverance to Pearson’s toolbox now, a character trait the club has noticed.

 

“He’s matured a bunch,” said Jays assistant pitching coach Jeff Ware, who worked with Pearson in triple A Buffalo last season but was also the organization’s pitching coordinator from 2017-2019, the formative years of the prospect’s career. “The first couple of years he was with us, he didn’t have a whole bunch of innings and that was difficult.

 

“But being around the game year after year, you grow, you learn, you know what it takes and you see what other big leaguers around you do to be successful.

 

“He’s learned a lot about those things and he’s starting to mature. Hopefully he can have a long, successful career.”

 

If that indeed happens, the turning point may well have been when the team told him that his best place to be an impact arm in the big leagues would be in the bullpen. Pearson accepted and then dove into the challenge.

 

“You can see it in him now, you can see that confidence,” Ware says. “He knows what his plan is to get hitters out and what he’s going to do to execute that plan. You definitely see the fire in him now.”

 

Along the way, there has been an important shift for Pearson, a move to release the self-imposed pressure and compete.

 

“I definitely feel different and I’m happy to get this opportunity again,” Pearson said. “It’s been a long journey for me.

 

“Last year was a long year with a lot of time in rehab and I realized I had to find a way to get guys out. You can’t survive on talent and velocity alone.

 

“All those years as a top prospect — I had big expectations of myself and I let myself get too far ahead. I definitely have a different mindset now. It’s focused on the day-to-day and let the opportunities take care of themselves.”

 

The approach is getting places, both in the eyes of the front office and the coaching staff working with him.

 

“This is the best spot he’s been in in his career and he had to fight to get here,” Ware said. “I’m so happy for him that he’s here and getting an opportunity again.”

[Governator]

I'm pretty sure last year we showed up about 2 1/2 hours before the Springer jersey giveaway game and the last ones were handed out right before we got in. Kids were thrilled with that.

 

To be honest - it's not f***ing worth it. The jerseys are like XXXL and are garbage. I'll never stand in that bloody line again when I can buy knock off jerseys (that fit) for like $50 online. I'd probably spend $150 to just buy a jersey than show up that early again and waste so much time for one.

 

 

yea that's my take, I just don't care myself but it's her first game and she'll probably want. I have multiple jerseys, I don't need a Springer replica that I'll never wear.

[Virgil_Hiltz]

Hey guys - I've never cared to go to one of those giveaway days but my fiance is taking me to the game Friday for my birthday. There's a Springer jersey giveaway going on. How early do you got to get there to make the cut for the first 15K? (If it's too early, I'm not wasting my time lol)

 

Went to game 2 for Vladdie bobblehead and got in line about 4pm and the lines were long at that time. From Gate 12, the lineup went up the stairs, down about 150' down Blue Jay Way. We were at the 150' mark and we got the bobbleheads.

[Pendleton]

[Eat My Shatkins]

Was just watching some Jays content, they were talking about Manoah.

 

Apparently last season he ranked 189th out of 205 qualified pitchers for amount of time between pitches, and it took him an average of 20~ seconds between pitches.

 

No wonder he's effing struggling so bad out of the gate. The guy has had to shave 5 seconds of the time he's used to taking between pitches lol

 

He will get used to it and get back on track I'm thinking. Just going to take some time.

[Brownie19]

Did the jersey have an ad on it?

 

Yes. And of course mine was f***ing RED - barf. At least this Friday you get a nicer powder blue one, but it will have TD or some other sponsor on the arm. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it.

 

EDIT - maybe I'm wrong (shocked they give you something without a sponsor logo on it though). The red jersey burns my retinas. f*** those things. I remember getting hats at another game with a TD logo on it.

[Stangstag]

Did the jersey have an ad on it?

 

No, but they aren’t legit jerseys.

 

Cheaper material and the logo/writing is printed directly on (like a tshirt) rather than stitched/glued on like the Replica and Authentic jerseys sold.

[Brownie19]

 

This looks like the cheat code glitch in MLB The Show '23. Low and in sinkers - can't hit it.

[Stangstag]

Yes. And of course mine was f***ing RED - barf. At least this Friday you get a nicer powder blue one, but it will have TD or some other sponsor on the arm. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it.

 

Ah wasn’t aware of the added logo advert. That definitely kills it.

[Orgfiller]

 

Disgusting. That pitch starts at the middle looking like a meatball and then moves enough to saw you off. Unhittable stuff.

[Krylian]

 

Brandon League used to have a FB like that when he first came up.

I remember Mike Timlin's used to have great movement and was HEAVY too.

[jaysblue]

No, but they aren’t legit jerseys.

 

Cheaper material and the logo/writing is printed directly on (like a tshirt) rather than stitched/glued on like the Replica and Authentic jerseys sold.

 

Yeah those jerseys likely don't even cost $10 to make. Cheap material and not official at all. Not worth waiting in line 3 hours before the game IMO.

[jaysblue]

Went to game 2 for Vladdie bobblehead and got in line about 4pm and the lines were long at that time. From Gate 12, the lineup went up the stairs, down about 150' down Blue Jay Way. We were at the 150' mark and we got the bobbleheads.

 

I'd rather buy the bobblehead from someone on FB Marketplace or Kijiji for like $40-$50 in a couple of weeks or at the end of the season.

[jaysblue]

Brandon League used to have a FB like that when he first came up.

I remember Mike Timlin's used to have great movement and was HEAVY too.

 

Brandon League in 2006 was dynamite.

[Laika]

Brandon League used to have a FB like that when he first came up.

I remember Mike Timlin's used to have great movement and was HEAVY too.

 

Yeah Pop's fastball is very similar to League's. They also have eerily similar mechanics and tempo, if my brain is remembering League correctly.

 

League had several very good years including some closer time later in his career, but he never got a lot of strikeouts and he had a few stinker seasons by ERA/FIP (probably due to not missing many bats and therefore being subject to batted ball and HR rate randomness).