John_Havok

Manfred on the automated strike zone via The Athletic: “I do think that improved application of technology in the calling of balls and strikes over the long haul is a really good thing,” Manfred said. He then spoke about 2 main issues they see with ABS No. 1, there is a body of the MLBPA unit … they refer to them as ‘framing catchers,’ that kind of make their living in the major leagues on their ability to frame pitches,” Manfred said during a luncheon hosted by the Paley Center for Media. “And you know, unions are kind of one for all, for one, I like unions, it’s a good thing, and it’s sort of a nice concept. And you have to understand that when you’re making a change, and it arguably could eliminate a certain kind of player — not a guy or two, but a certain kind of player — that’s an issue.” The second issue is that ABS, at least thus far, interprets the strike zone differently than umpires. “(Umpires) are really skilled and dramatically more consistent than 15 years ago as a result of the application of technology in the training process,” Manfred told moderator Tom Verducci. “Literally after every game, they get an email with the pitches they missed. They must log in and look at the ones they missed. And there’s commentary about how they missed, and why they missed. “But what they call — you know, the rulebook strike zone’s a rectangle, above the middle of the plate — they call an oval. So they don’t call that inside corner, and that outside corner. There’s a reason they don’t call it: because you can’t hit that. Okay, so while we have the technology, it’s kind of right — accurate — there are issues that we need to work through before it’s ready for prime time.” MLB is testing two applications of ABS in the minor leagues. With one, the umpire is told on every pitch what to call. The other is a challenge system, where a team has three challenges to an umpire’s call per game. He says the one where ABS calls everything is less liked. “In the minor leagues, we have tested the umpire using (ABS) for every pitch in the game,” Manfred said. “Players know these things because they’re players — it does cause a problem with these corner pitches … because nobody has ever been trained to treat those as strikes, or hit them.” But the challenge system, meanwhile, carries an appeal that’s similar to instant replay. “The theory of instant replay was: fix the big miss,” Manfred said. “And we decided, well, why don’t we try the same theory? We’ll give pitchers, catchers, and hitters all the right to challenge a pitch, certain number per game. … It’s a very appealing way to correct a problem, or a miss, in a game where it can be a high-leverage situation.” But I think it’s an example of players … become more accepting of technology on the field, and then dictating how and when it’s going to be used. “The automated strike zone, this is another place: you know, you whiff sometimes. I held this belief for a really long time: if we could get a system that was … accurate to a tenth of an inch on every pitch, that everyone would carry us around on a big gold chair. We know that every pitch was right. It has not been received that way by players, and there are actually good reasons for it.” Manfred said the system is today actually accurate to a tenth of an inch. Although ABS has been referred to as the “robo ump,” Manfred emphasized Wednesday that it’s a misnomer. “I get emails from fans talking about the robot,” Manfred said. “There’s no robot. The umpire has an earpiece, it tells him what to call, he calls it just like he calls it today. It looks the same for the fan.” So, is ABS going to arrive in 2024? “The short answer is, I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward,” Manfred said. “I’m trying to get through this year’s change. We have some work to do, I think, on ABS.”

I dont think anyone is headed to the bridge and ready to jump over this. Moreso that it's the off day before the season starts and there's nothing else really to discuss. Hairs will be split.

Like we saw last season with Zimmer. God that was hard to watch

He was working on the power last year according to some report i was looking at, 11 HRs in under 500 PAs... Yeah I know, he's not a REAL power threat, but he's about the best one they have that's left handed and ready to play a bench role.

McDavid the first player to hit 140 points since 95-96. That's not nothing Though I think that guy down in San Jose is also having a pretty quiet monster season too. If he hits 100 points it will be first 100 point season by a D-man since Brian Leetch in 91-92.

I feel like Lopez is going to be some sort of Espinal/Biggio hybrid. He won't be quite as good defensively on the IF as Espinal, but will better defensively in both the IF and OF than Biggio. Not sure where his power will eventually settle, but probably in the same ball park as Espinal where 10 HR per year would be the max expected output.

Could have gone either way, I would have taken Lopez just for maximum defensive flexibility, but as the 26th man, Lukes will be fine as a pinch runner and lefty with some pop off the bench. Realistically, the Jays don't really need their 26th man to be specifically an IF or OF... the roster they have already have 5 OF (the 3 CFs along with Merrifield and Biggio) and enough IF (Merrifield, Espinal, Bo, Chappy, Biggio, Vlad, Belt). All they need their 26th man to be is a guy who can pinch run late in games for Kirk, Jansen, Belt and/or Vlad and pinch hit for the lighter hitting RHH like Espinal, Merrifield, maybe Jansen if they get matched with a tough righty. They've got enough RHB on the bench as is, so Lopez, while he certainly has more defensive utility, would really be wasted in that role. I get the move even though Lopez is probably a better overall player.

Here's the schedule I wrote up looking like a 4 year old with a crayon. 1 - Manoah - normal rest, 6 starts 2 - Gausman - normal rest, 6 starts 3 - Bassitt - 6th start would be on 5 days rest 4 - Berrios - 6th start would be on 6 days rest 5 - Kikuchi - 1st start would be on 7 days rest (since he pitched today but not a full outing) then the 2 starts after the first would be on 9 days rest each Now, there's lots of room for changes to this if they wanted to give guys an extra day of rest instead of rolling out every 5th day, but I get the feeling that Manoah and Gausman would not want that so early on.

hows the rotation looking for the frist month or so. early in the season there's always a bunch of offdays so the #5 spot in the rotation is only needed a few games. I think obviously Manoah and Gausman will be going on 4 days rest no matter what with team off days, giving them each 6 starts before the end of April Who's 3-5 ? Bassitt probably the 3 and then Berrios or Kikuchi as the #4 ? I ask because with all the off days, the #5 guy is only needed for 3 starts in all of April so one of them is going to get lots of off days Who would you want pitching 5 games vs 3 as of this moment, Kikuchi or Berrios?

Excellent news for everyone playing them this season.

f*** that. All Star or GTFO

It's all about nuance. For pitchers, you care about certain things like spin rates, velo, new pitches being added or pitch sequences changing... all of that matters. Staying healthy matters. For hitters, you care about seeing their swing paths being consistent, swing decisions (but not as much...) and seeing them implement any changes that they're working on, or any meaningful changes in exit velocity, GB or FB rates, though even those youre dealing with relatively small sample sizes. For younger guys you are trying to crack a roster, you care about all of the above depending on pitcher or position player, as well as getting a better feel for their baseball IQ. For older guys like Jay Jackson, almost everything matters. Wins and losses are meaningless. For full time no doubt roster players, stats are not meaningless, but they also generally arent meaningfull. ST is important for looking at stuff behind the stats, not the stats themselves.

Honstly, he's probably #1 on the callup list ahead of Pearson depending on the situation.

Agree with this 100%. The Jays are in a really good spot in that everyone is healthy except the swing man, and if a guy like Richards or Pop stinks it up early, they’ve got Pearson to go to right away, among others. If halfway through the season something happens, Green takes over and adds another level of filth. Still would love to see a legit Lefty though. Just can’t shake the feeling not having one will bite them in the ass at some point in a really big spot

Just named 5th starter for the Cubs too. That slider is nasty

Darin Ruf was DFA by the Mets, would qualify as a lefty masher with experience. Complete disaster defensively though so would only want him swinging and not doing anything else. Career vs LHP wRC+ of 143, last season 116.

Hadn't seen this yet but I know alot of us have noticed Bowden Francis has seen an uptick in velo this spring - this helps explain why! https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-francis-went-searching-for-his-fastball-and-found-it-in-puerto-rico/ DUNEDIN, Fla. — Pitching in Puerto Rico this winter, Bowden Francis experienced some pretty wild stuff. There was a brawl in the stands one night. There were the hostile crowds trying to throw off his delivery with air horns. There was the mid-game delay when the mascot for Francis’s Criollos de Caguas got into it with the opposition’s dugout. “There was always something crazy going on,” Francis says. “It was just another thing to work on — the mental game. Getting in your zone, getting in your Zen. Just finding success through those loud noises, those external things that are trying to knock you off your game. It’s just about staying inside and not letting those external factors affect the task at hand. “You just try to breathe and be present. Because if you’re worried about all the stuff around you, you’re out of the game already.” Francis has been thinking deeply about his game like this for some time. His pre-game routine includes mindfulness exercises and focused breathing. He’s been known to burn sage at his locker and walk barefoot into centre field on start days to meditate in the sun. On the mound, he utilizes breathwork techniques to control his heart rate when things aren’t going his way. It’s all meant to help him remain stoic and poised in competition, performing with consistent mettle regardless of whether he’s striking out the side or giving up back-to-back bombs. But coming off a rough 2022 in which he ran a 6.59 ERA over 98.1 triple-A innings and was outrighted off Toronto’s 40-man roster, Francis wanted to delve deeper into the chaos. And the Puerto Rican Winter League provided a fitting environment. Of course, Francis wanted to keep working on some mechanical things, too. Amidst his 2022 struggles, he’d gotten into the lab with Blue Jays developers to search for the tick or two of fastball velocity he’d lost from the time he entered pro ball in 2017. Using motion capture technology, the Blue Jays analyzed Francis biomechanically and found the issue. It was in his hips. “We worked on it a lot during the year. I needed to stop being so linear. I wasn’t staying closed, I wasn’t coiling my hips towards second base,” Francis says. “I wasn’t using the slope of the mound. Now, I’m riding it down, getting into my hips at the right time. It’s all timing.” To help instill the movement patterns he was trying to learn, the Blue Jays had Francis work with a Core Velocity Belt. The training tool uses a harness wrapped around the hips, attached to a long, kinetic bungee cord anchored to the ground, to force athletes to resist being pulled in one direction or another. The more a pitcher practises their throwing motion while countering that tug, the more their muscle memory adapts to move that way without the external drag in games. It’s the same tool Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Carlos Rodon have credited for helping fine-tune their mechanics and juice velocity. “I’d seen it before on social media. I know it’s really popular with the White Sox guys. So, I gave it a shot. And it definitely helped a lot. It let me find different ranges of motion,” Francis says. “It’s kind of like what a hitter would do as they coil and load up to swing. I used to be just up-and-down, straight to home. Now, my lower body is going towards second base a lot more. I’m just more collected over my back leg. “It took a bunch of reps. Like, a bunch of reps. But I finally got to a place where I found that groove without thinking about it. You can’t think about it. You’ve got to just feel it.” And once you feel it, velocity follows. Francis was operating in the 90-94 m.p.h. range last spring, topping out at 93 while making his MLB debut from Toronto’s bullpen in April. But towards the end of the season with Buffalo, he was consistently working between 91 and 95. And in Puerto Rico, that velocity range ticked up to 92-96. In a short relief appearance last Tuesday against the Yankees, Francis sat 95 and reached 96.5. Four days later, facing New York again as a starter, Francis sat 94 but still hit 95 repeatedly over his three innings. Of the 48 pitches he threw, 36 were fastballs — 9 of which generated a swinging strike. “His velo’s been really good the entire spring,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Francis’s start against the Yankees. “The way he was coming after hitters, getting through the lineup a second time — I just loved it. Loved the conviction he was throwing with.” That fastball-heavy approach is one Francis honed over the winter in Puerto Rico, where he was determined to challenge hitters with his best pitch until they proved they could hit it. More often than not, they couldn’t. Francis pitched to a 1.51 ERA over 35.2 winter ball innings, striking out 47 while walking only 9. “Confidence is a big thing,” Francis says. “Going out there, having fun, being myself out there was a great time. It just helped me gain confidence in my pitches, confidence in myself. Having feel. Not taking that time off in the off-season, I feel like I have an advantage coming into camp with feel for my pitches. Especially with the heater.” Francis’s fastball gets decent ride and a good amount of vertical movement, which lets him run it up-and-in to right-handed hitters. And he releases it from a three-quarter arm slot — unusually low for a pitcher of his height — which creates deception and perceived velocity for hitters unaccustomed to seeing pitches flying at them from the lanes he uses. It’s similar to how Chris Bassitt has leveraged his own unorthodox release to generate consistently weak contact with his deep arsenal. Organizationally, the Blue Jays are perpetually on the hunt for pitchers with unique fastballs. Downhill sinkers thrown from unusually high angles. Gravity-fighting four-seamers riding off back-spin. Ones that approach the plate on a weird plane, confusing the eyes of hitters in the two-tenths of a second they have to make a swing decision. That can be enough to move pitches off barrels and soften the high exit velocities that create damage. But velocity helps, too. And now that Francis is putting some legitimate heat behind his unique fastball, the Blue Jays are hopeful he can put last season’s struggles behind him. The organization has been experimenting this spring with using one-time starters like Francis — think Thomas Hatch, Trent Thornton, Nate Pearson — in hybrid bulk roles that see them pitching multiple innings at various points in ballgames. Opening for a couple frames; taking the third trip through a lineup behind a starter; maybe the occasional shorter stint in the sixth or seventh if matchups make it particularly appealing. It's a valuable role in today’s matchup-driven game featuring shorter starts and more dynamic bullpens. And it’s one Francis could potentially fill at the major-league level if his fastball continues playing as well as it has. He plans to use it anywhere from 65-70 per cent of the time this season, working his big, mid-70’s curveball off of it. He has a high-70’s slider, too. But his fastball’s been so overpowering this spring, he hasn’t had much need for it. It's the best weapon a pitcher can have — an effective fastball. Somewhere along the line, Francis lost what made his play best. But through biomechanical labs, countless reps attached to a bungee cord, and winter ball’s hostile environment, he feels like he’s discovering it again. No one would ever accuse Francis of not thinking deeply enough. But this season, he figures simplicity is the way forward. “I feel it on the mound. I feel gathered. I feel slow. I feel relaxed. Until that last second, when I just exhale, and slap it down,” Francis says. “I’m just trying to challenge hitters, attack them. If I can throw with full intent, I know the outcome will be in my favour.”

Wonder why Chappy is sitting. Anyone know?

Boooooooooo, Yankees TV feed on Sportsnet

If there’s one thing the Jays have very nice depth in, it’s the bullpen. They have plans B through L sitting in Buffalo ready to at the earliest sign of someone sucking. Would be nice to have someone that throws with their left hand though

Pop is Pearson with a sinker instead of a 4 seamer. That’s about it.

RHP Jay Jackson was released from his minor league contract as per the clause contained in it that calls for his release as of today if not added to the major league roster.

Trying to see if he had any nickname in college ball, cannot find any mentions.

Teixeira was 6’3 and he could field with the best of them at 1b. Can’t think of anyone else bigger who was really good defensively there.