He whines a bit too much, says dumb things once and awhile and is as averse to walks as Trump supporters are to logic.
But the kid can play.
Update projections have him as our 2nd most valuable player. He makes 500K a year and is under control for another 4 years. Durable, plays a premium position and his wife trolled Barry Davis.
He has defied the odds, the haters and the hive and become one of the faces of our franchise.
All hail Pillar!!
Mackenzie came out with his latest mock draft. 2/10 scouts now take Laine, the rest take Mathews. I think Edmonton takes Laine if they cant find a deal beforehand.
Leafs are going to pick Tkachuk if at 4. IMO he is the safest bet, has the highest floor. If I had the first pick though I'm probably taking Laine. Size, shot, IQ and the way he dominated the finish league, he is going to be a stud.
I don't know the numbers but I bet catchers age worse than most positions. And yeah, I don't think any team would take that contract from us now, even though that's completely understandable due to age and the back loading nature of the contract. But add in decline in performance and we are stuck with him till the end.
77 wrc+ In August & September
71 wrc+ In 8 playoff games
An abysmal spring training
15 wrc+ In 17 regular season games
Eye test should generally agree he has looked off since the last two months of the 2015 regular season. Still provides above average defense
and is at a premium position. But at 20 mill for three years AFTER this one, this is looking like a contract that the Jays will regret. The hive can't
always be right.
JD is a beast... Question though, what's the reason for Bautista batting behind JD shouldn't it be the other way around. Bautista good OB % and JD is clearly the superior homerun hitter.
He could be a potential candidate for the sample size video on Youtube, or we could have another strong outfield prospect on our hands. DJ and JD #2 can both be the man. More the merrier.
http://http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jeff-hoffman-surprisingly-polished-in-return-from-surgery/
^Chris King on Hoffman's first start.
Summary: Better than expected for a guy coming off Tommy John surgery.