General Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2024)

[Eat My Shatkins]

Early returns are a little scary. Springer and Kirk off to terrible starts in particular.

 

Bo too.

[Terminator]

Dean claimed he could see the "F U T U R E" when he said a guy would hit a home run and the at bat ended in a strike out.

 

He also bizarrely signs off on all of his posts as "M I K E D E A N" when his name is clearly Dean Mike as shown in his username.

 

He's just not living in reality folks. Given that and the bizarre manic meltdown we saw yesterday which included numerous death threats, I am truly worried about his mental health.

 

I pray that he gets the help he needs.

[Terminator]

It’s been a frustrating start to the season but I’m going to give it until the end of May before I come to any conclusions about the team. Kirk looks like June 22 to present Kirk which has been like a 660OPS bat, Varsho looks a bit better than last year but still has holes but I think a more league average season can be in the cards. KK looks cooked and Clement and Schneider have looked fine so far.

 

Springer, Bichette and Guerrero need to do something and we need Jansens bat back.

 

Mayza is the only core reliever who looks wrong and his velocity looks like it’s down 3mph. Starting has looked for the most part decent but we’re only on the 2nd turn so need to give it a bit more time.

 

Welcome to Team Not Panicking Yet my friend.

[connorp]

Not trying to troll at all. I'm just pointing out those two pitchers particularly are not as terrible in the recent past. The Jays hitting has been terrible and should have everyone worried about it given how it has looked and how it was last year. I'm not sure why anyone would expect differently given they more or less decided to roll it back with minimal changes in personnel. I'm sure privately Schneider is worried too but he's smart enough to know saying it in a post game interview will do no good.

 

I was talking about Laila

[leaffie]

Proud to stand strong with my even-keeled and always rationale friend Spanky. Together we are on Team Not Panicking After 7 Games (It's really just the 3 game Astros series because we scored 20 runs against the Rays).

 

Will be expecting full apologies from the remaining 99% of the board after we are proven right.

 

I will be thrilled to be proven wrong. But the team as it stands now, is an unlikeable, underachieving mess, and it was put together by a management group that doesnt know what it is doing.

And if I am wrong, I will gladly buy you Swiss Chalet gift card.

[Daniel Labude]

 

[Laika]

Blue Jays are so far behind the times, it's pathetic

[glory]

Coaching at the big league level means more than it used to. Development at the minor league level means more than it used to.

 

Our best hitter is Justin Turner because he has no exposure to our coaching. Most (literally all?) players on our roster have experienced gradual declines.

 

Guys can even pop during rookie years and decline from there like Kirk and Manoah.

 

A good mlb transaction is a nice skill to have but ultimately is very low on the most important skills because eventually those guys get exposed to your system and decline.

 

Like I said, I'd rather be the team that churns out coachable 40+ FVs and bumps them to 50s with coaching and preparation than the team constantly trying to add via FA or trade.

 

Also I don't care what anyone says, Mattingly knows nothing. Pete Walker knows nothing compared to other pitching coaches. No one here can seriously believe they are cutting up edgertronic video and forming excel databases. Montoya and Hudgens were clowns. We hire dinosaurs.

 

Yeah this is a big issue and it has long term ramifications as it bleeds into the minor league system as well. The young players on this team aside from Bichette all seemed to perform at their highest during 2020-21 when they played like 90% of their games in a minor league facility, and then 2022-23 saw declines. Some gradual, some steep. The only SP they developed in 8 years went from good to absolute dog s*** in a span of like 6 months. They can't seem develop even swing man quality pitchers in nearly a decade of sample size. Something is not right with the coaching in this organization, and the fact that they think promoting Don Mattingly was going to fix/help the offense is kinda sad.

[Krylian]

Yeah - that pretty much sums it up for me too. This is a disastrous start. Everyone who hates everything about the Blue Jays can dunk all they want (hope it makes you feel really good). The Jays are unwatchable and this board is unreadable. This Vlad/Bo era has been super disappointing. I do love a good rebuild though. Bring it on.

 

I don't think any fan feels good about this at all. I just don't like to ******** myself in believing something I just don't believe. I would love to be wrong and have all the bats return to what we know they're capable of doing...I don't believe it will happen unfortunately.

[Abomination]

Vladdy is fine. He's getting unlucky. He has a 70.6% HardHit% according to Statcast with an xSLG of .574, xwOBA of .420, and average EV of 98.5.

Springer is also fine. He's getting BABIP'd a bit.

Bichette has been terrible, but he has the track record to suggest we shouldn't be concerned. April has been by far the worst month in his career. He's a slow starter.

IKF and his -1.4 launch angle is a bit concerning. Worms would be in danger if he was hitting the ball harder.

Varsho's start is concerning. If you average his LA and IKF's launch angle, we'd be getting somewhere.

Kirk's start is very concerning. Thankfully, Jansen should be back soon.

Kiermaier is actually making some decent contact, but it's all on the ground. Less concerned about him.

[Laika]

Vladdy is fine. He's getting unlucky. He has a 70.6% HardHit% according to Statcast with an xSLG of .574, xwOBA of .420, and average EV of 98.5.

Springer is also fine. He's getting BABIP'd a bit.

Bichette has been terrible, but he has the track record to suggest we shouldn't be concerned. April has been by far the worst month in his career. He's a slow starter.

IKF and his -1.4 launch angle is a bit concerning. Worms would be in danger if he was hitting the ball harder.

Varsho's start is concerning. If you average his LA and IKF's launch angle, we'd be getting somewhere.

Kirk's start is very concerning. Thankfully, Jansen should be back soon.

Kiermaier is actually making some decent contact, but it's all on the ground. Less concerned about him.

 

It's too early to look at most of this stuff though. It's all over the place.

Better in this sample to just scout the players

 

Vlad has looked like trash for most of these games, unless he is walking. Lots of bad swings when he does swing.

[Brownie19]

The Jays are the first team since 1901 to be victimized by a no-hitter and a 1 hitter in the first 7 games of the season. Historically bad! Start the rebuild.

[Doubleplay21]

Manager Schneider computer simulations not working yet, but the computer will win out in the end

[Abomination]

Manager Schneider computer simulations not working yet, but the computer will win out in the end

 

Player Schneider needs to reprogram the simulation. Schneiderashi Maru FTW.

[BatFlip]

Proud to stand strong with my even-keeled and always rationale friend Spanky. Together we are on Team Not Panicking After 7 Games (It's really just the 3 game Astros series because we scored 20 runs against the Rays).

 

Will be expecting full apologies from the remaining 99% of the board after we are proven right.

 

 

Marcus Aurelius himself would be envious of the stocism on display by Team Not Panicking. It's a sight to behold, similar to that of the Spartans facing insurmountable odds against the hordes of unwashed masses.

 

While I would be honored to join you, I'm not going to lie to you. One more of these no-hitter or 1-hitters and I might lose my composure.

 

signed F L I P B A T (we miss you DeanMike).

[Krylian]

The Jays are the first team since 1901 to be victimized by a no-hitter and a 1 hitter in the first 7 games of the season. Historically bad! Start the rebuild.

 

Small Sample Size

[Brownie19]

It's too early to look at most of this stuff though. It's all over the place.

Better in this sample to just scout the players

 

Vlad has looked like trash for most of these games, unless he is walking. Lots of bad swings when he does swing.

 

Vlad looks like he's trying to sabotage the team's chances. Like he's trying to force a trade.

[Terminator]

 

General Spanky standing strong as Team No Panic finds itself under attack early in the 2024 season

(April 2024, colorized)

[Stangstag]

 

 

Meanwhile Donny Baseball is probably telling everyone to “hunt the fastball”

[Laika]

Donny Baseball - "lay off the offspeed, Vladimir. wait for the fastball in your happy zone"

 

Ronel Blanco - proceeds to throw 41 straight changeups.

[Brownie19]

Donny Baseball - "lay off the offspeed, Vladimir. wait for the fastball in your happy zone"

 

Ronel Blanco - proceeds to throw 41 straight changeups.

 

Donny - "what's going on? I didn't knew he threw a changeup"

[BCZ]

Garbage team is garbage

[Brownie19]

Garbage team is garbage

 

f***ing right bruh!

[Eat My Shatkins]

Man, if the Yankees have their way with the Jays this place will be pure misery to visit.

 

Stroman complete game 2 hit shut out incoming?

[glory]

 

Do other organizations talk about a young player's weaknesses to the media to justify not playing them like this? Schneider (the dipshit, not Davis) could have just said "we think this is the best lineup for the matchup today" and left it at that. I mean that would have been BS too but at least it wasn't shedding a spotlight on a perceived weakness of one of your own players.

[Jays333]

Its a good thing we have ++outfield defense. Cause its way more important than offense. Atkins knows whatsup

[mphenhef]

 

Do other organizations talk about a young player's weaknesses to the media to justify not playing them like this? Schneider (the dipshit, not Davis) could have just said "we think this is the best lineup for the matchup today" and left it at that. I mean that would have been BS too but at least it wasn't shedding a spotlight on a perceived weakness of one of your own players.

 

meh, it's not exactly a secret and Davis himself has talked about it on broadcasts. I'm more curious if a 92 mph fastball is really the type that Davis struggles against?

[mphenhef]

I'm not even sure this narrative makes sense when comparing Davis to IKF. Here's their batter run value on four seam fastballs last year.

 

[Laika]

It seems dumb to me. He might whiff on REALLY GOOD fastballs up in the zone but he can still bang. Just watched all of his homers from 2023.

 

At least three were high fastballs, very top of the zone.

A 92mph stinker from Syndergaard (which means nothing)

A 94mph heater from Gore

93mph from Dany Jimenez

90mph from Logan T Allen

 

The rest seemed like middle middle hanging breaking balls.

 

What he is is an expert mistake pitch destroyer. Everybody makes mistakes once in a while.

 

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=6759c5dc-d911-4d30-9905-100af2958b24

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=422ff1fc-88d0-4179-ae57-5d8c6a05c4cc

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=71165c47-e65e-41d9-bf50-d28fcf173e0b

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=fd42ed62-65f0-41a3-80d9-869b0f11681c

 

If the team was benching him for a LHB that crushed pitchers like Javier, sure, go ahead I guess, but they aren't. They are benching him because IKF might poke a single through the right side once a game???

 

Like, this is exactly the same problem as the Jose Berrios decision last playoffs. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater by trying to be "objective and smart."

[G-Snarls]

It seems dumb to me. He might whiff on REALLY GOOD fastballs up in the zone but he can still bang. Just watched all of his homers from 2023.

 

At least three were high fastballs, very top of the zone.

A 92mph stinker from Syndergaard (which means nothing)

A 94mph heater from Gore

93mph from Dany Jimenez

90mph from Logan T Allen

 

The rest seemed like middle middle hanging breaking balls.

 

What he is is an expert mistake pitch destroyer. Everybody makes mistakes once in a while.

 

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=6759c5dc-d911-4d30-9905-100af2958b24

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=422ff1fc-88d0-4179-ae57-5d8c6a05c4cc

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=71165c47-e65e-41d9-bf50-d28fcf173e0b

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/sporty-videos?playId=fd42ed62-65f0-41a3-80d9-869b0f11681c

 

If the team was benching him for a LHB that crushed pitchers like Javier, sure, go ahead I guess, but they aren't. They are benching him because IKF might poke a single through the right side once a game???

 

Like, this is exactly the same problem as the Jose Berrios decision last playoffs. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater by trying to be "objective and smart."

 

Yeah

 

It's not like he would have been facing Cole, Strider or Glasnow