specialiste

Everybody on Heineman's case, but what about Varsho, Lukes and Mr Ego George Springer himself? Varsho can't throw. Today he tried to reach second base from 30m and his throw was 10m off mark. 0 for 3 at the plate. Lukes, hit a fly ball with 3 men on base on his first AB, a soft roller to 1b on what was a 4th ball with Vlad on deck. Now, Mr Ego. Mr Ego is 0 for 4 again today. After his miraculous 2025 season in which he stopped his 3 years decline, it seems George lost the advantage he had last year. Perhaps he's having difficulty intercepting electronic signs this season.

As much as I like Ray, he still plays only 1 time every 5 days. Semien can plays 162 games. So it's a no brainer for me.

In itself those (Brantley and Springer) are 2 very good acquisitions. However, I hope this will not end up with Gurriel Jr being shipped out for a pitcher. You just don't replace a very good young player with an older one going into the final years of his carreer. Let Grichuck be the bait, add one-sided Tellez and a prospect in order to bring the starter or the solid 3rd baseman we need. Brantley won't be able to play the artificial Rogers Center surface every day, he'll end up sonner or later at DH, and we already have 3 potential DH (Vlad, Tellez, Kirk). I expect a significant trade for a 3rd baseman and a starter before long simply because Atkins can't let the Jays go into spring training with 5 regular outfielders, no 3rd baseman and 2 holes in the starting rotation. If no trades are coming, will Gurriel play 3rd? What will become with Hernandez? Things are just getting interesting.

No, but I'm saying decisions like that won't help attendance. Moreover, Montoyo should take a hard long look at himself. What positives results can he expect when he keeps Brito hitting first or second? What about the 34 years old hitting coach? Is this serious? You have a rookie as a manager and a 34 years old hitting coach to help and supervise a line-up full of players under 25 or 26 years old. Perfect recipe for disaster. Shapiro and Atkins INHERITED a contender from AA, with Vlad Jr as a bonus, and they wasted it all. They traded Donaldson a year too late for nothing, kept piling up infielders via the draft or trades when the 2 obvious deficiencies in the farm were the outfield and pitching...Please don't insult my intelligence with the so-called good job they did in Cleveland. The Indians won nothing with Shapiro and Atkins, even after the Montréal Expos gave them Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee for half a year of Bartolo Colon. In fact, they began winning AFTER Shapiro and Atkins left. God I miss Paul Beeston

"How can the Jays sustain the fans interest with, for instance, Socrates Brito hitting first"? Can anyone on earth explain why Montoya keeps playing and hitting first or second Brito, after an horrific .175 BA in spring and a loud and clear .000 in the regular season? What I'm seeing from Montoya's 11 games sample is not good at all. Losing is one thing, but losing while doing the same unexplainable mistake over and over will drove fans away. Montoya already looks clueless, and like Jonah Keri pointed out, 2 of the Blue Jays 3 or 4 best players will probably won't see time in Toronto this year. If Shapiro, Atkins and Montoya's plan is to keep the fans away from the seats at Rogers Center, they are doing a mighty good job of it. I, for one, won't visit if they keep losing what it looks almost like on purpose.

I noticed yesterday with absolute horror that Sportsnet added the strike zone box right over the plate. That box is a clear and undesirable constraint, as we have to deal with 4 white lines obstructing the path of the pitch and the contact between ball and bat. I'm wondering if Buck and Pat have the “benefit” of the K Zone right over the plate on their monitors… Over the years, the K Zone was on the right side of the screen, away from the action, for God’s sake keep it there. The joy the viewers had to follow the throw and the contact is taken away, with absolutely NO ADDED VALUE to the broadcast. If the K Zone over the plate isn’t deal with fast, and put in it’s right place where it belong outside the field of play, I will cancel my subscription to Sportsnet, it’s as simple as that. We are not imbeciles who has to be told where the strike zone is. If you agree, please write sportsnet at: 'feedback@sportsnet.rogers.com'

No, Happ was signed by Tony LaCava, weeks after AA left and weeks before Atkins got in.

The Jays offense will be pathetic this season. Low on-base %, slow, no one really knows how to lay down a bunt or hit behind the runner. You'll get, like the first 2 games, the occasionnal solo home-run, but not much else. I read some faithful saying our "braintrust" is building something...Where? Vlad Jr was AA's signing. No pitching coming down from the farm system. Martin is pretty much done and no reliable or obvius replacement coming down the pipe. Our "braintrust" had an MVP player they could have trade for solid prospects last winter, no move was made. Who will play and support Bo Bichette and Vlad Jr in 2 or 3 years? Who? This forcast for the Jays future is not pretty.

Can anyone explain to me why the player with the second most AB in camp, who lead in: HR, RS, RBI, SB, was second in BA and had a 1.000 FA ISN'T ON THE ROSTER? Here's a simple question: are the Jays better with Pearce on the roster? Are they better with Granderson? One more time, our 2 clowns just proved how stupid they are.

If the intend was to rebuilt after this season, you don't do it with a 2 year deal with Pearce and a 3 year deal with Morales. The problem is Atkins went halfway, he signed over the hill veterans (Bautista, Pearce, Howell, Salty, Smith) who won't get you any closer to the World Series and in so doing pushes back the much needed rebuilt. Let me tell you this, I hope Atkins is enjoying his tenure as GM because that's the last GM job in the majors he'll ever get. Another thing, yes, Atkins and Shapiro came in with a somewhat thin farm system. However, I don't recall anyone disagreeing with the David Price and Tulo trade. Sold-outs Rogers Center can attest to that. So, back then, AA did the right move, hey, just getting rid of Jose Reyes was FANTASTIC! It got us 2 runs at the big prize, isn't that the objective?

Gibbons is not to blame for the dismal start. He's got to juggle with what Atkins signs as players. Grilli, anyone with half a brain could see late last season he was spent. He pitches with heart and guts alone. The stuff is gone. Pearce, why give such a contract to a guy who never was a regular, who on his best season, surrounded by Machado, Davis, Jones and Nelson Cruz coudn't even reach 50 RBI'S. I won't mention Saltalamacchia and his 15 or so record K's in a row, that would be unfair... Atkins can't built a bullpen, the Jays arguably have the worst in the majors. So, as much as I can't trust Gibbons, he still as to work with no 1st base, no regular left fielder and no bullpen. Even Terry Francona would have headaches with such 25 men roster. Why bring Jose back? Declining numbers, injury prone...a waste of a roster spot and money. Ask yourself, can I find a solid prospect or an establish solid every day player who came aboard on Atkins watch? I can't. Some say the time to rebuilt has come, wait until July and trade Donaldson, Tulo, Happ, Jose, Martin...clean house and get high ceiling propects in return. However, do you really think Shapiro and Atkins will make the right trade? Bring in the right young players. I don't. If ownership don't clean house with the front office, be ready for 10 years of misery.

Just one. Normally I attend 5-6 games ( I'm from Montreal) but it's real hard, near impossible, to buy good tickets on the Jays website. I don't like to get rob either by StubHub.

I don't understand, the dynamic duo should have offered Hutchison and a prospect for Matt Moore. Not Hutchison for a starter who can't find the strike zone and a unpredictable prospect.

If they put Sanchez in the bullpen they are completely insane. If they replace him in the rotation with Liriano, we won't make the post-season. You read it here first.

Prediction number one: First chance he gets, Shapiro will fire Gibbons Prediction number two: Eric Wedge will be the new skipper Prediction number 3: Jose will be an annoying source of distractions all season long Prediction number 4: Sadly, Marco Estrada will soon discover that Russell Martin isn't as good a game caller as Dioner Navarro Prediction number 5: Kevin Pillar will continue to swing at bad pitches and won't progress at the plate, may eventually lose his starting job to Dalton Pompey Prediction number 6: Drew Storen will close until Gibbons is fired Prediction number 7: If Devon Travis returns healthy and productive anytime during the season, the Shapiro/Atkins tandem will look to trade Tulo

Ben Revere - C Josh Donaldson - C Jose Bautista - A Edwin Encarnacion - C Troy Tulowitzki - B+ Chris Colabello - B+ Russell Martin - D- Kevin Pillar - B+ Ryan Goins - B- Justin Smoak - C- Cliff Pennington - Incomplete Dioner Navarro - C Ezequiel Carrera - Incomplete Dalton Pompey - A (pinch running) David Price - C+ Marcus Stroman - A- R.A Dickey - C Marco Estrada - A+ Aaron Loup - Incomplete Brett Cecil - A Ryan Tepera - E LaTroy Hawkins - F Liam Hendrix - A- Mark Lowe - B Aaron Sanchez - B+ Roberto Osuna - B+ John Gibbons - F

We have a lot to be grateful about this season. I, for one, I'm grateful for: Having Josh Donaldson, Marco Estrada, Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Revere, David Price, Chris Colabello, Devon Travis and Russell Martin on this team, all tremendous acquisitions by AA during the course of the last 12 months. The emergence of Roberto Osuna, Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins. The unbelievable defensives plays of Kevin Pillar, Ryan Goins, Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson Having the pleasure of watching Mark Buerhe and RA Dickey every five days. Watching Aaron Sanchez grow as a starter and excel as a reliever. Watching EE having an incredible offensive run in august and september. Jose Bautista still being Jose Bautista at 35. Russell Martin gun down steal attemps. Making the post-season. And last but not least, waving Jose Reyes a long overdue goodbye. So, a very fun year. If you like baseball as much as winning it all, 2015 was an excellent season, a season to remember. The image I will forever keep of the 2015 season is Josh Donaldson selfishly leaping into the stands to save a perfect game for Marco Estrada, get back up and smiling from ear to ear with balll in glove. What Blue Jay fan can ever forget that? Boy, that was fun!

Here is what I posted on the Yankees's board today: Hope you enjoy: Jays fan here. I was in attendance for the 11-5 Jays's win on sept. 11th in gorgeous NYC. First observation, on a beautiful friday night, in a close pennant race, half the seats were empty when the game started between the 2 top teams in the AL east. By the 3rd inning, one could say 3 seats out of 4 would have found takers. How many of those were occupied by us Jays's fans? 15%? 25% more? Hard to say at this point. Very dissapointing in a presume baseball town, a beautiful friday night with perfect weather, with the home team only 1.5 game back. Second though: very silent home crowd. Only showed support for home team when something ALREADY happened like a run scored, a hit...No support at all for the home team. I was surronded by Yankees "fans" until the 7th and I would have though I was alone with my wife in our section (Grandstand right behind home plate). Speaking of the 7th, Yankees's fans deserted the premises like a fire alert was on. If you threw the towel on the pennant (way to early to do so), at least don't you like baseball enough to hang around? Yankees fans who attend home games are like Canadiens's fans in Montréal, they leave early if the home team is on the way to loose. No apparent love for the game, only winning counts. Last observation, I can certainly say that, beginning with the top half of the 8th, at least 60% of the remaining spectator on hand were Jays fans. We were so dominant that when we began chanting "Let's go Blue Jays", there was not enough Yankees fans left to try to counter. Bottom line, maybe the Yankees players deserves at shot at the post season, but, from what I could see, the average Yankees fan do not. You are, as a whole, only interested in winning, baseball is an afterthough for you. Case in point, look at your own forum right now, all the top topics aren't about baseball. Boy, you deserve no post-season.