General Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2023)

[Jimcanuck]

Talent is still the most important factor. The job of the front office is to put together championship caliber pieces and then the chips will fall as they may. Teams that win are still usually among the best teams, you still rarely see underdogs win it all.

 

The probability piece is driven by talent. The luck piece is not insignificant. Remember the goddamn Royals?

[Masterbather]

The probability piece is driven by talent. The luck piece is not insignificant. Remember the goddamn Royals?

 

It's rare though, and those f***ers were cheating, I know they were. There's some ******** in some of the stuff they were hitting like they knew it was coming.

[Stangstag]

Look at his batting stance/swing path, hes not a good hitter.

 

He actually kinda reminds me of Tim Anderson in that regard

[Stangstag]

I obviously don't expect Clement to hit .380 the rest of the Season. But I just feel in general he can do a lot more positive things on a Baseball field than Santiago Espinal. Espinal f***ed up his body. That dude can't move and is below average in every defensive and offensive category. He's actually a trainwreck. His Baseball Savant page is like the Baseball equivalent to crippling depression. The fact that he has spent the entire Season on an MLB Roster is nothing short of a miracle.

 

Im like 99% sure Espinal has some kind of leg/foot issue. Could be bad knees, plantar fasciitis, or shin splints or something. But the dude walks/moves around like he’s 90 years old

[Olerud363]

Talent is still the most important factor. The job of the front office is to put together championship caliber pieces and then the chips will fall as they may. Teams that win are still usually among the best teams, you still rarely see underdogs win it all.

 

I don't think that is true. I started vaguely following in 85 and saw under-dogs win all the time. 85 Royals, 87 Twins, 90 Reds, 2000 Yankees, 2003 Marlins, 2006 Cardinals, 2014 Giants,

 

That's 7 underdogs in 40 years. If it was random and 8 teams made the playoffs, you'd only expect 1/8 underdogs to win by chance anyway, so 'underdogs rarely win' is true, but only because every type of team rarely wins. Of course the number of teams making the playoffs has changed every decade or 2 since 85, and I'm just eye-balling sub 90 win teams who weren't that highly regarded (Reds were 90 on the dot I believe but huge under-dogs against As).

 

And then the super-teams that didn't make it all the way. 1990 As, 1993 Braves, 1995 Indians, 2001 Mariners, many Dodger teams

[Sammy225]

Absolutely, anything can happen. It's all part probability and part luck in the playoffs.

 

Phillies and SD are good examples of teams coming into the Wild card hot. Anything can happen comes playoff time, I always said if the Jays make it their pitching can keep them in games and who knows with our Offense.

[Olerud363]

It's rare though, and those f***ers were cheating, I know they were. There's some ******** in some of the stuff they were hitting like they knew it was coming.

 

The 2014/15 Royals were insane. Off the top of my head

 

2014 - super improbable comeback against As in wild card game, make it to 9th inning of game 7 of World Series with tying run at 3rd with a truly mediocre team.

2015 - Down 6-1 in 8th against Astros about to be eliminated, but rally improbably (some luck but a lot of hard hit balls).

2015 - Estrado unhittable down the stretch but Royals get to him in game 1

2015 - Price leading 3-0 in 7th Royals string together a bunch of hit at exactly the right time (admittedly some luck with the pop-up, but isn't part of the story that someone from the Royals dug-out called "I got it")

2015 - I didn't watch the World Series closely but seem to remember several improbable rallies against the Mets with a bunch of hits at "just the right time".

 

I don't know. Maybe I am hallucinating cheating, but Royals existed in the middle of the cheating era, and if a mediocre team was going to only use a cheating system sparingly, only at critical moments, this is probably what it would look like.

[wilko]

Im like 99% sure Espinal has some kind of leg/foot issue. Could be bad knees, plantar fasciitis, or shin splints or something. But the dude walks/moves around like he’s 90 years old

 

I noticed that all year. He's never been a speedy guy, but damn. Kirk puts him to shame.

[Dick_Pole]

I 100% thought the season was over after the Texas sweep. I wasn't even angry, just resigned to our destiny and was starting to think about 2024.

 

Dick Pole never doubted for a second once the Donaldson trade whining started to drop.

[Dick_Pole]

Definitely have to give the team credit for bouncing back really strong after that Texas series. A lot of teams might have folded, but they came back to sweep Boston and have won 2 of 3 against the Yankees and Rays.

 

Nice to also roll into the WC matchup playing hot like they have been. Hope the lineup can keep this up!

 

This is the best the offense has looked all year

 

Even with 2 big bats missing. Good time to be hot, would be very nice if they could remain hot for a few weeks.

 

And it couldn't be happening at a better time either. The issues with hitting with runners in scoring position is thankfully a thing of the past, but if the team can finally start hitting with the type of power that was expected of them that's a massive development with the playoffs right around the corner.

 

The rotation is setting up nicely for the playoffs.

 

Gausman vs. King

Berrios vs. Cole

Bassitt vs. Weaver

Ryu vs. Littell

Kikuchi vs. Bradley

Gausman vs. Rays

 

Good chance we will have clinched by that final game so Gausman's last start can be skipped and we can head right into a Gausman, Berrios, Bassitt turn in the WC Round. Gausman will have an extra day of rest too which usually makes him even more effective.

 

 

Good lord you tools are going to cause the Jays to blow this. Not even Olerud's insane rants are keeping the board in check anymore. 0-6 at home confirmed.

[Sorrow]

I noticed that all year. He's never been a speedy guy, but damn. Kirk puts him to shame.

 

I think a lot of it is the bulking he did in the winter to hit for more power. It's like he got big but stopped doing anything to retain flexibility.

[Governator]

I know you guys are super confident right now if went to Trop for WC... but if we got overtaken by Astros and end up 3rd WC, I kinda sorta like that path much better. Granted it's obv best to head to the post season with all cylinders firing whoever we play for the confidence factor.

[Olerud363]

Good lord you tools are going to cause the Jays to blow this. Not even Olerud's insane rants are keeping the board in check anymore. 0-6 at home confirmed.

 

I just report the truth. If you don't like it complain to reality. I don't think I've ever posted one thing that is insane. Just things that are real and uncomfortable for corporate bros.

 

Like I posted long diatrobes about Shapiro kicking home plate lady out of her seats and what that says about Shapiro as a human being.

 

The corporate bros don't like those type of posts, because they honestly feel bad that home plate lady is getting the boot... but they also can't acknowledge it, as they don't get their corporate bro goodies if they acknowledge reality in front of people like Shapiro.

 

Me: Poor home plate lady is getting the boot by that ******* Shapiro (but longer and angrier)

 

Corporate Bros: NVIDIA stock is still doing good but is only the beginning of it's run, and that Olerud sure is insane.

 

Me: What? NVIDIA stock is crazy, someday this s*** will end. And I was talking about poor home plate lady getting the boot by Shapiro. Home Plate lady. Don't you feel bad about that?

 

Corporate Bros: That Olerud sure is crazy. Now let's get you set up with some tech investments for 2024.

 

The CBs don't even like Shapiro, just a learned behavior that they get lots of money if they ignore the bad things Shapiros do.

[Terminator]

I know you guys are super confident right now if went to Trop for WC... but if we got overtaken by Astros and end up 3rd WC, I kinda sorta like that path much better. Granted it's obv best to head to the post season with all cylinders firing whoever we play for the confidence factor.

 

Yeah Minnesota will be easy to beat. Tampa will also be easy to beat, but not quite as easy as Minnesota.

[wilko]

Yeah Minnesota will be easy to beat. Tampa will also be easy to beat, but not quite as easy as Minnesota.

 

Plus if they play the Twins they will get the Rangers after that (if everything stays the same). I'd rather the Rangers than the Orioles.

[BigCecil]

Yeah Minnesota will be easy to beat. Tampa will also be easy to beat, but not quite as easy as Minnesota.

 

Rays lost the equivalent of Bo and Gausman plus to IL and suspension. On top of that Lowe and Arozerena etc injuries. Still competitive. Team is hard to kill.

[Sammy225]

If we clinch by Friday what are the possibilities of us seeing a Ricky T Start against Tampa?

[Stangstag]

I know you guys are super confident right now if went to Trop for WC... but if we got overtaken by Astros and end up 3rd WC, I kinda sorta like that path much better. Granted it's obv best to head to the post season with all cylinders firing whoever we play for the confidence factor.

 

Heading to the Trop for a wildcard series and losing yet again would be devastating.

 

I’d rather lose to the Twins. I’d rather WIN, but if we had to pick a team to lose to I’d pick the Twins

[Stangstag]

If we clinch by Friday what are the possibilities of us seeing a Ricky T Start against Tampa?

 

I’d say 0. More likely to see Bowden Francis or that other guy that got called up

[Omar]

[L54]

Imagine if Vlad goes beast mode for the next month. What a turn of events that would be

[hanton]

 

"barrel tips more" = he's getting his bat on the proper swing plane/path = getting behind the ball = hitting the ball high and far

[Brownie19]

I have to agree with Joe. Based on those few photos, Vlad is still not turning the barrel and getting behind the ball like he was in 2021. That steep, hit down, create backspin swing isn't a great approach. Swing like Barry Bonds and Ted Williams FFS.

[Terminator]

Good lord you tools are going to cause the Jays to blow this. Not even Olerud's insane rants are keeping the board in check anymore. 0-6 at home confirmed.

 

Relax we are a lock

[Omar]

"barrel tips more" = he's getting his bat on the proper swing plane/path = getting behind the ball = hitting the ball high and far

 

Plus the hinge at the hips.

[Terminator]

 

Glad to get Belt back. Should have enough time to get his timing back before the playoffs where we will need him. Jackson is also an upgrade over Pearson, sadly.

[Laika]

Pearson is horrendous. I dunno what happened; it looked like he really found it, for a window of time.

 

I guess it's just that the piss poor command leads to meltdown outings too often. He has several blowups of 3+ or 4+ earned runs. If he had enough to keep those to 1 or 2 ER outings his ERA would be significantly lower.

 

His K/BB rates aren't bad.

 

Definitely this is the next Merryweather. He will give Toronto nothing then end up in Atlanta as a closer, clinching AA's third Word Series in a few years.

[Olerud363]

 

Glad to get Belt back. Should have enough time to get his timing back before the playoffs where we will need him. Jackson is also an upgrade over Pearson, sadly.

 

I assume like Manoah they won't really report to the minors and just hang out in Toronto... like they are not really going to the Florida Complex League.

 

Unlike Manoah this will be team approved and they will be waiting around in case they are needed.

 

Why the Florida Complex League though? When all leagues are out of business do you still have to option players to a 'league' even if they aren't going there and the league isn't even playing?

 

Or is the Florida Complex League still playing? Or still working out maybe?

[Terminator]

Pearson is horrendous. I dunno what happened; it looked like he really found it, for a window of time.

 

I guess it's just that the piss poor command leads to meltdown outings too often. He has several blowups of 3+ or 4+ earned runs. If he had enough to keep those to 1 or 2 ER outings his ERA would be significantly lower.

 

His K/BB rates aren't bad.

 

Definitely this is the next Merryweather. He will give Toronto nothing then end up in Atlanta as a closer, clinching AA's third Word Series in a few years.

 

Yeah he looks terrible. Thankfully he's got one more option year otherwise the team might have to consider cutting bait on him. Hopefully next year he has a big year and can be a setup man moving forward.

[Omar]

I assume because there is no maximum of how many players you can roster in the FCL that the Jays just send them there by default.