Ehjays

Lol You never know he might be a BJMB member

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/addison-bargers-push-for-power-earns-him-a-spot-on-blue-jays-40-man-roster/ Addison Barger's push for power earns him a spot on Blue Jays' 40-man roster TORONTO – Over their past two seasons together at low-A Dunedin, advanced-A Vancouver, double-A New Hampshire and, most recently, the Salt Rivers Rafters in the Arizona Fall League, Addison Barger and Zac Britton would say a phrase to each other before their games. It’s, well, the NSFW version of, “Fuzz it.” “Because that’s the attitude you’ve got to have out there,” explains Barger, the slugging shortstop prospect the Toronto Blue Jays added to their 40-man roster last week. “I tell myself, you know what? I'm just playing for fun, who cares what I do, how I do. I'm just here to have fun. And that usually relaxes me and keeps me mentally stable, as weird as it sounds.” The attitude has certainly worked well for the 23-year-old, who’s bulked up since being selected out of Tampa’s C. Leon King High School in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, transforming himself from an all-around, high-contact hitter into a left-handed power bat. In 124 total games at Vancouver, New Hampshire and triple-A Buffalo this past season, Barger slugged .555 with 26 homers, 33 doubles and two triples before going deep twice more in a relatively quiet 16 AFL games. While there was certainly a lot to like about his numbers, to Barger “my ability to bounce back and stay consistent was what I was most happy about.” “I could have a couple bad games, maybe a bad week, and then be mentally stable enough to go out the next week and do something, win player of the week or have a really good week,” he continues. “You're going to have times when you struggle, but you've got to stay afloat, keep your mentality straight, you can't get too down. I was able to do that pretty well.” Pretty well enough that he’s now ranked as the club’s No. 5 prospect by Baseball America and is part of the infield depth mix with the Blue Jays, alongside Otto Lopez and Vinny Capra, who was non-tendered Friday but re-signed Sunday to a minor-league deal. Britton, Barger’s pre-game mantra partner, is a catcher/outfielder whose development also bears watching. Intriguingly, Barger is also one of three left-handed bats added to the 40-man roster in the last two weeks, along with outfielder Nathan Lukes and first baseman/outfielder Spencer Horwitz, as the Blue Jays build some balance beneath whoever they end up adding to the big-league club. No matter what those moves are and how they pan out, they’re still going to need some help to emerge from the system over the next couple of years, both to support the roster and create some of the financial efficiency necessary to extend members of the current core. That certainly leaves open a pathway for Barger, who has plus-arm-strength, enough ability to stick at short or slide over to other infield spots and, most importantly of all, that left-handed power swing. It wasn’t always that way for him, as he was a sixth-round pick more because of his all-around game rather than projections that he’d one day hit homers. Often the smallest player on the field growing up – “My junior year I was 5-4, 100 pounds and even when I got drafted I was 150 pounds,” he says – Barger decided that “he wanted to be physical, wanted to get bigger” and capitalized on the cancelled 2020 season’s downtime. When he took the field again in 2021, he said he weighed in at 210 pounds and had become “a completely different hitter.” “Coming out of high school, I was more a guy that would just try to put the ball in play. There's no problem with walking, obviously, but I would be kind of looking for walks,” he says. “I decided I want to be a power hitter, I wanted to be an aggressive hitter and I worked really hard to try to become that and it's working for me.” The strength and weight gain didn’t come by chance, but instead was a product of his own planning and sessions with trainer Jason Riley, whom he’s worked with since he was 14. Barger “took a lot of time to actually research biomechanics” independent of the Blue Jays because “a lot of guys do what they're told and maybe it works for them, maybe not,” and he wasn’t going to leave things to chance. “I feel like as players, we need to take initiative and figure out what works best for us,” he says. “Some things work different for other guys, but if you're only concern is not getting injured, you're probably not going to be working that hard.” So, he spent “a lot of time in the gym” and did “a lot of eating,” all while continuing to work out in the backyard batting cage and infield at his family’s Tampa home. By taking groundballs as he filled out, Barger maintained his co-ordination and athleticism ranging for balls to his left and right, while at the plate, he adjusted to the benefits of newfound strength. “The ball just jumps off the bat differently,” he says. “You feel like you don't have to swing real hard to hit the ball hard. It was definitely weird going from a smaller guy having to swing real hard to hit anything and then now that you have the size and strength, like wow, you can let it come to you.” The difference showed that season in which he played 91 games at Dunedin and five more at Vancouver, hitting a combined 18 homers, 22 doubles and two triples. Still, the production came at a price as he struck out 129 times in 393 plate appearances, a worrying 32.8 per cent clip, that could have been a danger sign as he moved up the system. Instead, he ate into that number as he climbed the ladder, dropping his strike out rate to 24.9 per cent while maintaining a walk rate of nine per cent while also pushing his batting average up from .244 to .308. Part of that improvement was catching up for the lost time of 2020 as his approach remains “jumping on the pitch you like early on in the count and crushing it.” And Barger isn’t resting on that, either, having already returned to the gym to rebuild the size and strength lost over a long year and programmed a couple of pitch shapes that gave him a tough time this season into the iPitch machine he bought last off-season. “I’ll hammer that down a lot,” he says. All of which will set Barger up for his first big-league camp next spring, and a period of opportunity to follow.

Where will Barriera be placed, Dunedin?

And Doughty, I laughed about him " Doughty is a fringe-average" like he is not even fringe elite he is only fringe average.

I got halfway through the write up and thought do we have a FRINGE FARM system 8. Cade Doughty | 2B/3B Doughty is a fringe-average defender at second base with an average arm. He's a fringy runner who isn't a threat to steal bases. 7. Tucker Toman | SS/3B He's a fringy runner with fringy arm strength that plays up with a quick release and solid accuracy. 6. Orelvis Martinez | SS/3B Martinez is a fringy defender at both shortstop and third base 5. Addison Barger | SS/3B He's still a fringy hitter who doesn't walk much, but he makes enough contact to get to his power. Always enjoy reading about our prospects, I guess this list was done before the trade.

Yeah I feel the same about that Jays Nation but I thought we were starving for some baseball news so. I will refrain from any future posts from him, Im not meaning to grind your gears.

Vinny Capra Re-Signs With Blue Jays By Maury Ahram | November 20, 2022 at 12:13pm CDT Infielder Vinny Capra is re-signing with the Blue Jays on a Minor League deal, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. Capra had been non-tendered by the Jays on Friday and had received “strong interest elsewhere” before opting to remain with Toronto, per Murray. Capra, a 20th-round pick in the 2018 draft, made his MLB debut in early May. He had one hit, two walks, and a strikeout in seven plate appearances before being sent down to Triple-A Buffalo near the end of the month. He had three separate stints on the 7-day IL before undergoing left middle finger tendon surgery in early October and being placed on the 60-day IL. Despite several injuries, Capra had a productive season at Buffalo, hitting .283/.378/.403 with five homers and six doubles. Perhaps most impressive was his low strikeout rate (13.1%) and high walk rate (13.1%). Capra will likely receive an invite to Spring Training and attempt to earn a spot on the Blue Jays’ bench for the 2023 season.

Time to move on from Richards Thornton, Kay, and in some degree Hatch and let the other guys have a shot like Zulu Gage etc. I know we need starting pitching depth but hopefully that depth is White and Kikuchi. Also if relief pitching is selling high right now, you may be able to add one of these guys to a package. if not lets just move on and DFA them. Heck, Oakland took Kirby Snead as part of the haul for Chapman, maybe we can send a couple of these pitchers to Oakland for Ramon Laureano who has 3 years left.

I cant picture myself ever cheering for that scumbag KK, these come to mind amongst a lot of others. I think he would be a negative effect on the clubhouse.

Here is the Sportsnet breakdown of the trade. They do the overlay of his fastball and splitter and touched on Kirks exceptional skills...here is a sample...... And you can bet the Blue Jays thought about how important Alejandro Kirk’s exceptional receiving of low pitches was for pitchers like Gausman and Alek Manoah when acquiring Swanson to bolster the back end of their bullpen. Baseball Savant has graded Kirk as a top-three framer across baseball each of the last two seasons on pitches at the bottom of the strike zone. And where does Swanson locate his splitter and that slider he’s trying to steal strikes with? https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/what-new-acquisition-erik-swanson-brings-to-the-blue-jays-bullpen/

Atkins talkin about the trade

I thought this was wild how close their stats were

Dan Shulman walks away from ESPN baseball, hopes to call a Blue Jays World Series for Canada https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2022/11/14/dan-shulman-says-goodbye-24-years-espn-baseball/10698355002/ One night, he’s fighting his way through the frenzied crowd in the streets of Houston, through a packed hotel lobby, just to get back to his room with a cold beer after Game 6 of the World Series. Six days later, he’s sitting on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego, calling the Peraton Armed Forces Classic college basketball game. Now, on Tuesday, he’s at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at the Champions Classic, featuring three top-10 college basketball schools with Kentucky and Michigan State playing the first game, and Kansas and Duke in the nightcap. Welcome to the life of ESPN broadcaster Dan Shulman, who pulled off perhaps his most successful feat of his illustrious career. He managed to keep from crying, at least until he was off the air, broadcasting his final Major League Baseball game for ESPN after 24 years. “I don't appear to be it on the outside,’’ Shulman tells USA TODAY Sports, “but I'm actually a very sappy, sentimental, nostalgic person. And anytime a chapter closes, I feel it a lot. So I thought about it a lot. This has been an unbelievable opportunity. What a blessing and what a privilege. “I will miss this. I will miss this a great deal.’’ Shulman nearly broke down when broadcaster partner Eduardo Perez played a 2-minute, 10-second sound clip of Shulman’s most famous calls after the World Series ended. The clip included everything from the Steve Bartman play, to the Chicago Cubs’ first World Series title in 108 years, to the Astros’ first World Series title in franchise history in 2017, to the Kansas City Royals’ first title since 1985, to the Dodgers’ first championship since 1988, to the Washington Nationals’ first World Series in franchise history. Shulman, 55, will continue calling 35 to 40 college basketball games for ESPN, but no longer baseball, deciding to stay exclusively doing the Toronto Blue Jays for Sportsnet in Canada. Shulman grew up in Toronto, watched his first game at Exhibition Stadium, broadcast his first game with the Blue Jays and badly wants to be behind the mic when the Blue Jays win their first World Series title since 1993. While TV broadcasters for the 29 other Major League teams no longer can broadcast during the postseason, Sportsnet has the rights to do its own playoff broadcasts, meaning Shulman can stay with the Blue Jays through the final out. He really didn’t want to be calling games for ESPN radio if the Blue Jays were in the World Series and not broadcasting for his own network. “It would be tough to be there all year doing the regular-season games,’’ Shulman said, “and then to not be there if they make a run deep into the playoffs. It just made sense to me that if I'm all in on the Blue Jays, I'm all. That's my home, and sentimentally, that's where my heart's at right now for baseball, and the opportunity to call playoff games across Canada on TV. “So now it's clean. It's baseball in Toronto. It's college basketball in the U.S.’’ Shulman, who stepped down as the lead voice for Sunday Night Baseball in 2017 after he remarried, was able to broadcast his final ESPN baseball game with Rob Thomson as the first Canadian to manage in the World Series and Dusty Baker becoming only the third Black manager to win a World Series. “I couldn’t be happier for both men,’’ Shulman said. “We take a lot of pride in our Canadian baseball community, so I was thrilled for Rob Thomson, and how can you not root for Dusty, too? It was going to be great for me either way.’’ There would be no greater satisfaction for Shulman, of course, than seeing the Blue Jays return to the top of the baseball world. He saw the Blue Jays’ inaugural game on April 7, 1977, at the old Exhibition Stadium. He was at the SkyDome when they won their first World Series in 1992, and again in 1993, too, with Shulman as the pre- and postgame host on the Blue Jays Radio Network. “I thought I had the best job in the entire world,’’ Shulman says. “My family and friends are all Blue Jays fans, and to be around the teams that won the World Series, and as a young kid to be around Dave Winfield and Jack Morris, it was unbelievable.’’ The memories will be cherished forever, the good, the bad and the comical. There was Game 6 of the 1993 World Series in Toronto when Shulman was getting into position for his postgame show with Blue Jays losing, 6-5, to the Philadelphia Phillies. He decided to take a freight elevator to save time, the one with the only metal door closing before the main door. ‘It was like right out of a movie,’’ Shulman says, “and we were stuck. I heard this unbelievable noise. I thought it was like an earthquake. It was Joe Carter hitting the home run. I missed it. I got there in time for the show, but I missed it. “One of the great regrets of my life.’’ Shulman’s favorite World Series game was Game 6 of 2011, the David Freese game. It was Shulman’s first World Series for ESPN, and he was watching an instant classic. Two times the Texas Rangers were within one strike of winning the World Series. Two times, the St. Louis Cardinals came back, with Freese tying the game with a run-scoring triple in the ninth inning, and winning it with a home run in the 11th for a zany, 10-9 Cardinals victory. “First, I can't believe I'm lucky enough to do the World Series,’’ Shulman says, “and then to have a game like that. I'll never forget it. I saw him years later at Dodger Stadium, and I told him, 'I know that was pretty big for you, but it was some kind of fun for me.' ’’ The most emotional game Shulman ever broadcast was Game 5 of the American League Division Series between the Blue Jays and Texas Rangers. In particular, that seventh inning of the Jose Bautista bat-flip game. “That inning, from top to bottom,’’ Shulman said, “was the most emotionally charged event I’ve ever been at.’’ The game was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning when the Rangers scored the go-ahead run in bizarre fashion. Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin’s throw back to the mound with two outs inadvertently hit off Shin-Soo Choo’s bat while standing at the plate. It caromed into foul territory, permitting Rougned Odor to score from third base. The crowd went bonkers. “Everybody in the place went nuts, everybody in the ballpark were throwing cans and bottles, it was bad,’’ Shulman said. “It was the fifth and deciding game. It looked like they were going to lose. I was really worried about what the fans might do after the game,’’ Shulman said. “My parents were there with two of my sons. I text them and I said, “If they lose, don’t go anywhere. Stay in your seats. I’ll come get you.’’ Everything changed in the bottom of the inning. Bautista hit a three-run home run into the upper deck, violently flipped his bat, and the place erupted. Two innings later, the Blue Jays were playing in the American League Championship Series. “I text him, 'You’re good. We’ll see you at home. Everything’s fine. That’s the loudest I’ve ever heard a place.’’ The World Series event that perhaps caught him most off-guard was Cleveland outfielder Rajai Davis’ dramatic two-run homer in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. The Chicago Cubs had been cruising the entire game, leading 6-4 with two outs in the eighth. Davis, who had only 55 home runs in his career, and was hitting .132 in the postseason, hit a game-tying, two-run homer off Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman. It was bedlam. “It’s actually the call I’m most unhappiest about in my career,’’ Shulman says. “I was so stunned, I think I ran out of breath in the middle of the call. It’s an awful call. You won’t find it anywhere. I was just trying to say too much, and I couldn’t get to the finish line. That was such a stunning moment. “It’s definitely one of the most memorable games I’ve ever done, I just didn’t like the call.’’ Three innings later, he was calling the Cubs’ first World Series championship since 1908. Shulman says his friends still find it strange that he’s a Canadian, born and raised in a country obsessed with hockey, but is a beloved baseball broadcaster. He loved baseball, listening to Ernie Harwell in Detroit, Harry Caray in Chicago, Vin Scully in Los Angeles and Tom Cheek in Toronto, and became one of the most iconic voices in the industry. “You know what, hockey is obviously a bigger deal than baseball is in Canada,’’ Shulman says, “but there are seven NHL teams in Canada. There's only one baseball team. So hockey is a bigger deal, but the Blue Jays, in my opinion, are the most national brand there is.’’ Now, after calling wonderful baseball games, famous World Series moments and iconic collegiate basketball games, just one item remains on his bucket list of broadcasting. “I’ve been blessed, I’ve gotten a lot of breaks, had some good timing, and I was just lucky to come along when I did,’’ Shulman says. “These are special jobs, and to have one in your hometown, I feel very, very lucky. “But I will say this, after everything I’ve done, if the Blue Jays make it to a World Series, and I'm able to call it for millions of people up in Canada, that just might trump it all.’’ An entire country will be watching and listening.

Morosi has this earlier, Jays analysis starts halfway through, mostly catching, but an interesting Bo/Acuna + FA SS segment. Bo and Acuna have identical 94.1 median values on BTV. 1 for 1 trade then sign Correa/Turner, trade a catcher for a top end starter, sign a good pen arm and win 158 games next year

I know, but there is no way their projections are correct, With Kikuchi and Corbin and Manoah on the other end. I dont believe it. Hopefully there are teams out there that use these projections and contact us about Kikuchi. lol