TheHurl

I think it's more reinforcing long time "learned" stereotypes rather than putting new information in their heads. I always thought that was a given.

There are some amazing studies done on how stereotypes effect people and performance. An easy one to explain would be with Asian-American Female and math tests. Asian females were tested in math and were all given a second test. A test group were told before testing that females are terrible at Math. They across the board scored worse. Another test group were reminded how good Asians are at math. They all scored better. The group just asked to write the second test without any discussion before scored virtually the same. The word racism is thrown around a little too much these days but lets not understate the negative powers of stereotypes. Hurl Talks will be here all week!

First of all, Not all Japanese people have the same accent. That is learned behaviour, and a very good reason why we shouldn't have people in public positions continuing with these stereotypes But let's take this from an MLB lens. Stereotype threat leads to a vicious circle. Stigmatised individuals experience anxiety which depletes their cognitive resources and leads to under-performance, confirmation of the negative stereotype and reinforcement of the fear (A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. Steele, Claude M.). You potentially have several stars in the MLB right now who don't publicly speak English. Included in this is Ohtani and Vlad Jr. Getting them to speak publicly in English would do wonders for marketing these stars. Having a Hall of Famer "making fun" of accents of non-English speaking isn't helping these players confidence in moving towards trying to speak English. Brushing this off as a joke gone wrong and not at least turning it into a teaching moment is not a good way to handle this from a business point of view. For those around here which see it as just a "slip" the positive is that there are people on this board willing to be your mentors to be better.

I think what's abundantly clear here is that whether he was trying to do an Elmer Fudd accent and it sounded like he was mocking the Japanese, or he was trying to mock the Japanese and he ended up sounding like Elmer Fudd...he is absolutely awful at all things to do with announcing.

and everyone else who does "Elmer Fudd" accents.

Oh no, Jack Morris, he didn't really do that.....

I went through quickly and didn't see the org rankings. Oh well last time I use someone else's account and post for you all then. I can better spend my once a week I show up now

BA midseason org rankings 10 Toronto Blue Jays Notes: Top 100 Prospects (5): Gabriel Moreno, C (10); Nate Pearson, RHP (51); Orelvis Martinez, SS (54); Jordan Groshans, SS (77); Alejandro Kirk, C (79) The Skinny: RHP Alex Manoah has graduated, but C Gabriel Moreno and SS Orelvis Martinez provide a next wave of big bats to follow up the recent arrivals in Toronto of 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., SS Bo Bichette and LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

It kinda is... regardless it is Mod's exclusive rights to decide if you are going to use them around here, you will be removed.

6-8 66 runs for 66 runs against

Hates Dinger too

1. Gabriel Moreno, C Age: 21. Team: Double-A New Hampshire Moreno just keeps getting better. Signed out of Venezuela as an athletic catcher with good hand-eye coordination, Moreno made a lot of contact early in his career, but without much impact. He had a breakout season in 2019, then showed signs that the arrows were pointing up even more last year between the alternate training site and winter ball in Venezuela. In 2021, Moreno has developed into one of the game's premier prospects, behind only Baltimore's Adley Rutschman among the top catchers in the minors. A broken thumb sidelined Moreno at the end of June, but he has shown an exciting blend of hitting ability, power and athleticism behind the plate. 2. Nate Pearson, RHP Age: 24. Team: Toronto Pearson teases with his stuff and upside, but durability continues to be an issue. A first-round pick in 2017, Pearson threw 1.2 innings before a line drive broke his right forearm to end his season. The 101.2 innings he threw in 2019 with a carefully managed workload are his career high and probably will still be after the 2021 season, with an elbow injury last year and a sports hernia limiting him to just one big league game and six minor league appearances this year. Pearson still has the stuff to be a high-end pitcher when healthy, but his medical history is concerning. 3. Orelvis Martinez, SS/3B Age: 19. Team: Low-A Dunedin Martinez was one of the top international signings in the 2018 class and ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in his pro debut in 2019. The arrows have continued pointing up in 2021. Martinez hit for power before but he has started to tap into his plus raw juice even more this year. It has come at the expense of some extra strikeouts, but Martinez has shown advanced feel for hitting for his age, with a good chance he finds the right balance of contact and power as he matures. He's playing shortstop and third base now, projecting best at third. 4. Jordan Groshans, SS/3B Age: 21. Team: Double-A New Hampshire A first-round pick in 2018, Groshans hasn't played much since signing due to injuries and the pandemic. When he has been on the field, the results have been good. Despite playing just 23 games in Low-A in 2019, Groshans received an aggressive assignment by skipping High-A to become one of the top hitters in the Double-A Northeast. He has spent most of his time at shortstop, but he likely fits best long term at third base, where he has also gotten reps. 5. Alejandro Kirk, C Age: 22. Team: Toronto A left hip flexor strain sidelined Kirk for most of May and June, but when healthy he has continued to show the elite barrel skills that have been his trademark throughout his time in the minors. Kirk has good pitch recognition, strike-zone discipline and a short stroke that helps him square up both fastballs and breaking stuff with good plate coverage. While the emergence of Gabriel Moreno has given the Blue Jays a good problem to have regarding who is going to be their catcher of the future, Kirk has the skill set to be a regular behind the plate. 6. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP Age: 21. Team: None Hoglund looked on track to be a top 10 pick this year until he left his May 7 start for Mississippi and had Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays snapped him up with the 19th overall pick. He won't pitch in games for them until next summer, but he has a promising three-pitch mix, throws strikes and has a good track record in the Southeastern Conference. 7. Otto Lopez, 2B/CF Age: 22. Team: Double-A New Hampshire. Lopez doesn't have big power or speed, but he's an instinctive baseball rat who continues to hit at a high level. He's an aggressive hitter who makes frequent contact with good bat control, winning a batting title in 2019 in the Low-A Midwest League and contending for another one in the Double-A Northeast this year. 8. Miguel Hiraldo, 2B/3B Age: 19. Team: Low-A Dunedin. Hiraldo has had a bat-driven profile since signing with the Blue Jays out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He has good hand speed from a short, simple swing and uses his lower half well, though he hasn't shown a ton of power this year despite his bat speed and strength. Hiraldo split time between shortstop and second base last year, but he's now playing third and second base this year, with an offensive-minded profile at those spots. 9. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP Age: 20. Team: High-A Vancouver. Kloffenstein is one of Toronto's top pitching prospects, but he has had trouble syncing things up through the first few months of the season. Skipping a level to High-A Vancouver this year, the 6-foot-5 Kloffenstein has walked too many hitters, but he's still just 20 in High-A with an assortment of pitches that project to be 50-55 offerings on the 20-80 scale. 10. Manuel Beltre, SS Age: 17. Team: Dominican Summer League Beltre was the headline player from Toronto’s international class when the 2020-21 signing period opened this year on Jan. 15. Making his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, Beltre is a polished hitter for his age with a short, simple swing and a good understanding of the strike zone, leading to a high contact rate and the potential to be a high on-base threat. Prospects 11-30 11. Estiven Machado, SS 12. Victor Mesia, C 13. Yhoangel Aponte, OF 14. Luis Garcia, SS NEW The Blue Jays signed Garcia out of Venezuela in January. He had shown slick defensive skills as an amateur with plus speed and a strong arm from a frame that lacked strength, but his offensive game has been impressive early on as well. 15. Sem Robberse, RHP 16. Ricky Tiedemann, LHP NEW Toronto's third-round pick this year out of Golden West (Calif.) JC, Tiedemann is a 6-foot-4 lefty who sits at 89-92 mph and touches 94 with a plus changeup that he uses to miss bats and get off-balance swings. 17. Irv Carter, RHP NEW The Blue Jays' fifth-round pick, Carter signed for an above slot bonus of $847,500. He's a 6-foot-4 righthander who has some effort and stiffness in his mechanics with a low-90s fastball that reaches 95 mph and a hard slider that could develop into an out pitch. 18. Kevin Smith, SS/3B NEW Smith has been an enigmatic prospect, following an outstanding 2018 at two Class A levels with a floundering 2019 that saw his strikeout rate skyrocket as his swing looked out of sync all year. Now in Triple-A, Smith is hitting well again, cutting down on his swing and miss while also hitting for power. 19. C.J. Van Eyk, RHP 20. Eric Pardinho, RHP 21. Thomas Hatch, RHP 22. Chad Dallas, RHP NEW Toronto’s 2021 fourth-round pick, Dallas is a 5-foot-11, 206-pound righthander who filled the strike zone at Tennessee with a fastball that sits at 91-93 mph and touches 97. He has a hard, downer curveball along with a mid-80s slider that both can miss bats, with an occasional changeup that’s a distant fourth pitch for him. 23. Patrick Murphy, RHP 24. Samad Taylor, 2B/OF/3B NEW Taylor struggled to hit much at either of his Class A stops, but he's a plus runner who has performed well this year at Double-A New Hampshire and shown occasional power as well, albeit with a high swing-and-miss rate he will need to cut down on as he faces better pitching. 25. Leonardo Jimenez, SS 26. Tanner Morris, SS 27. Rikelvin De Castro, SS 28. Josh Palacios, OF 29. Will Robertson, OF 30. Dasan Brown, OF

Jays are +20 against the Red Sox and 6-9. Just flipping that alone to a record that reflects a +20 would at a minimum leave a virtual three way tie between Sox, Jays and Yankees.

Or at least moved into their own city.

Reason to love the Rays. They have a s***** situation and make the best of it. They force the MLB to make changes, as it kills the already dying fanbase. They prove everyone wrong every day, every year. Fun fact they have beat their pre-season over under number 12 of the past 14 years. Betting the Rays over is the Amazon investment of sports betting. It for some reason annoys everyone here that I became a fan of this team when I couldn't stand AA no longer. Since dropping the Devil 14 years ago they have had the second most 90 win seasons and are 5th in wins. Proving they are doing the lord's work. The Lord being Friedman of course.

As long as you are okay with my longterm inactivity I'll be staying. I say we make J4L break away. He's a hockey expert.

I suppose having all your power over a 1 week span is better than average power

This is Kyle Glaser from BA's take on Martin now. Martin was considered a possibility for the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft but instead fell to No. 5. He jumped immediately to Double-A New Hampshire to start his pro career this season and hit .281/.424/.383 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 55 games while splitting his time almost evenly between shortstop (27 games and center field (26 games). Martin has a very good approach at the plate. He works counts, doesn’t expand the strike zone and has solid bat speed through the zone. More pure hitter than masher, Martin doesn’t make much impact when he connects and projects for average power at best. He is a divisive player among scouts: some see a good athlete who controls the strike zone and has handled an aggressive jump fairly well, while others see a light hitter who will have to add significant defensive value to be an above-average everyday player. Martin was drafted as a shortstop, but his actions and below-average, erratic arm don’t fit at the position. He has a good first step and instincts in center field and has shown the ability to pick up the position quickly. His arm strength and lack of accuracy precludes him from playing the left side of the diamond or right field, so he’ll have to find a way to stick in center field or bounce around between center, left and second base.

Simple. The Dodgers package was objectively better. Also the Rays and Jays were not in on the Scherzer deal as both were on his NTC. The Rays offer was reported to be Baz and one of their top prospect bats (for comp sakes I'll throw out Xavier Edwards) for Berrios. Sometimes it's timing, preference, as well as other factors.

The difference for me is where the team is. This team is filling an important hole for next year. That trade was paired with another horrible trade which traded even more depth from a team that lacked it in the first place. It also put JPA firmly in a starting role on a team which just upped it's payroll by $40M. You don't need to keep selling to hopefully dig out of a hole this trade left you in. The 2012 offseason did. In other words this deal leave the Jays with Groshens, Smith and Lopez as the next IF'ers. 2013 Jays were left with Bonifacio, Melky and JPA in starting roles.

ewww. Look at that OF. They have zero depth at all outside of the pen. Those starters better be on their game at playoffs time. Only thing they really have going for them is they can rest because their division is the worst. Much like last year I remind everyone...White Sox get it done playing bad teams well (which is good). They are 39-15 with a plus 122 against sub .500 teams. 7-13 against current playoff teams. This is a good team in a much better situation but will be run into the ground with continued stupidity.

The pitching is pretty bad on the teams which are selling right now too. I just can't see the Rockies saying yes to this package for Marquez. Phillies (Nola) and Braves have the same playoffs odds as the Jays. Marlins have no one healthy and probably are not selling an answer for the Jays. Twins were in a great position

We essentially just added Hand, and whatever 2 starters (counting Pearson) don't start. Unless someone is giving us a reliever for our 40 man drops...I don't see them adding.

Don't love it from a value point of view but with Ray and Matz Free Agents next year you had to think about filling that hole if they decide to walk. Getting it done now cost them a shitload of prospect capital but no one that would have helped them in 2022 anyway. I would have much rather seen them go for a 2023 FA pitcher for that price but I trust they did their research. I was always the low man on Martin around here anyway (but loved Sim)

I think we can all agree that this loss is solely on Grant.