jaysblue

Wow, that's very reasonable. Here in Toronto, you have to take out a line of credit in order to afford Playoff tickets.

80% off at Pink Cherry, nice!

May 14 Vladdy - 1 Point - Jonn, JohnHavok Bichette - 1 Point - Chapman - 2 Points - Varsho - 2 Points - Springer - 2 Points - Spanky Belt - 3 Points - bones10 Jansen - 4 Points - JaysAllMighty, JaysBlue Merrifield - 5 Points - Omar, Gen.Disarray Espinal - 6 Points - Off the bench: 10 Points -

Chris Bassitt will be the AL Pitcher of the Month in May.

Definitely nice to see a starter pitch a complete game shutout. Don't see those much anymore!

I'll do Varsho for today

James Paxton allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over five innings, while striking out nine yesterday in his return to action.

2-0 Florida.

May 12 Vladdy - 1 Point Bichette - 1 Point Chapman - 2 Points Varsho - 2 Points Springer - 2 Points Belt - 3 Points - JaysAllMighty, JaysBlue Kirk - 4 Points Merrifield - 5 Points Kiermaier - 6 Points Off the bench: 10 Points

Springs, Glasnow, and now Rasmussen. Damn. Imagine if the Jays lost the equivalent of arms.

Kirk's floor is definitely higher given his high on-base skills and contact ability. If his bat ends up like a Gregg Zaun and if he could play around 100-120 games behind the plate, I'm happy with that. Kirk also still has a high ceiling if he can consistently be a 20-25 HR bat, providing some 4-5 WAR seasons along the way splitting time between C and DH.

Kirk wore down last season as you pointed out and only started 78 games behind the plate. You even now just admitted he doesn't have the build or body type to catch 130-140 games per season. I think we can both agree with that. I'm not sure Moreno comes with the same question mark. Yeah he'll wear down over a full season as well, but I don't think he'll have an issue starting 130-140 games behind the plate, as long as he stays healthy. Probably why teams like Arizona valued Moreno more than Kirk, but we don't really know. Blue Jays definitely have benefited having both Jansen and Kirk in the fold like you said. With Jansen, you don't have to worry about starting Kirk over 100 games. You can still keep him fresh and his bat in the lineup as a DH, and visa versa with Jansen who has had his own issues of staying on the field over the past several seasons. So overall, Blue Jays are in a good place with both Kirk and Jansen behind the plate over the next 2-3 seasons.

You're such a Blue Jay apologist and homer Brownie. There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism of certain players or pitchers or even the front office. Kirk is a great catcher when he's clicking on all cylinders. Right now he's not clicking in terms of power. Only 4 extra base hits so far this season is very disappointing. If he doesn't rediscover his power stroke, what is wrong with saying he will be around a .700 OPS bat? Heck even in a down season if he only hits .260-.270 with a .370 OBP/.350 SLG and 2-3 WAR with strong defense behind the plate and working well with the Jays staff, I don't think anyone would complain. I don't think anyone said Moreno is a guarantee to become the next Realmuto. It's a possibility if Moreno adds some muscle and develops more power over the next couple of seasons, he could turn into a similar bat as Realmuto in terms of hitting and power. I've also acknowledged that Moreno could just end up being a singles hitter with very little power. Nobody is saying you need an athletic freak as a catcher to be great defensively. Kirk is very solid defensively, though as well he's had the privilege of sharing the catching duties with Jansen the past two seasons, therefore keeping him fresh when he's behind the plate and also allowing him to focus on his hitting when he DH's. I wonder how Kirk's build holds up both offensively and defensively over a full season if he had to catch 140-145 games per season versus 78 games he caught in 2022. It's a luxury to have two solid catching options behind the plate who can both play solid defensively and hit as well. Lets hope Kirk can go on a hot streak with the bat over the next month or two.

Yeah I'm fine with keeping Kirk and Jansen and trading Moreno for 4 years of Varsho as well. We don't know who Arizona wanted or didn't want. I'm fine with keeping Kirk as the starting catcher and it definitely is a nice luxury having both Kirk and Jansen on the team. All I was saying his power numbers haven't been that great outside of May and June of last season. Like people on here think Kirk can be a 20-25 HR guy, consistent 5 WAR player, which is definitely possible but he could also be a guy who maxes at 10-15 HR's and 2-3 WAR seasons. Moreno will turn into a very good defensive catcher and likely will age better than Kirk given his athleticism. He might just end up being a singles hitter and that's it, or he could also develop some power later on his career. Over the next 2-3 seasons which is the Jays window to contend for a World Series, I prefer going with Kirk and Jansen.

Kirk has only displayed power for two months in the MLB, May and June of last season. He hasn't been consistent. Otherwise his power numbers have been pretty meh and so far he only has 4 extra base hits this season (2 doubles and 2 HR's) which is pretty disappointing. He might just be a high contact and on-base guy who doesn't generate much power, which is fine from behind the plate. I just don't think he's a stud unless he shows more consistency in the power department offensively.

Where did I say Kirk can't hit for power? I said if he doesn't improve his power numbers, he's likely just a .700 OPS bat. So far Kirk's May and June 2022 are the only two months he showed a power stroke. Otherwise he hasn't done it consistently and his overall numbers last season were driven by those two hot months he had. I love Kirk and think he'll be fine behind the plate whether he hits for power or not, but some posters on here praise him as he's going to be a stud. Lets see if he's a 4-5 WAR player this season or next. If Kirk doesn't develop into more power, he probably has a similar offensive ceiling to Gregg Zaun, which I have no issue with. I think longer term in regards to athleticism, Moreno will likely age better behind the plate and offensively. But yeah he could also just be a .280-.300 type guy who doesn't get on-base at a high clip and hits for very little power.

Yeah despite his struggles, he still has a .385 OBP which is excellent and a .722 OPS and a 112 wRC+ this season. Power has been lacking this season evident by his .337 SLG. He only has four extra base hits - 2 doubles and 2 home runs. He should improve on those moving forward obviously like you said once his timing is down pat and hits the ball harder.

Yeah if he hits for more power, he'll definitely reach those numbers. If his .OBP sits around .370-.380 and his SLG is around .400 or better, he'll near those numbers like last season. But he could also just be a groundball machine when hitting and he doesn't rediscover that power stroke this season, making him closer to a .700 OPS bat. Hopefully he makes the adjustments and starts hitting for more power. Regardless, with his defense and high on-base numbers, he's still a good bat behind the plate.

Last season his only standout months were May and June. Pretty much the other months he was just league average or worse. I'm not saying Kirk was awful last season, but a lot of his overall numbers were driven from a very hot May and June. Otherwise most of the other months his OPS was below .700 other than May, June and July (.721 OPS). Of course I'll take Kirk's production from behind the plate any day of the week, even his numbers this season so far despite the lack of power. He still makes a lot of great contact and gets on base at a very high clip. I'll take Gregg Zaun numbers offensively from him, not a problem.

Kirk really only had two standout months in 2022. All his power came in the month of May and June, otherwise he was awful offensively. He's still getting on-base this season at a high clip which is a plus, though I think many posters on this board overhyped him. I still think he'll end up being a great hitter for the Jays and still think he can turn it around. If he doesn't hit for any power though, he likely is a low .700 OPS type of bat. He's still young enough to improve though I do think longer term Moreno is the better option. I think Moreno can develop some more power in 2-3 years, like how Realmuto did at the start of his career with the Marlins. Though given the Jays situation, I understand why they kept Kirk over Moreno and have no issue with that. As well, who knows if the Dbacks preferred Moreno over Kirk anyways.

I think so. He better be starting tonight.

2.2 WAR so far in 8 starts. 2 year/$34M contract signed - what a steal by the Rangers. He did post a 5.7 WAR in 2021. Who knows if Toronto was in on him or if he wanted to come here. But damn what a pickup by the Rangers. Definitely would have been better than signing Chris Bassitt.

Pulls a muscle walking to Fenway this afternoon.

James Paxton pitching for the Red Sox tonight. How many innings does he last before getting hurt?