Blue Jays Discussion: Beyond the Braves.

[Discoverer]

While he doesn't show such a significant change in approach, Smoak's massive increase in contact rate has been equally shocking/impressive.

 

[Eyedea]

While he doesn't show such a significant change in approach, Smoak's massive increase in contact rate has been equally shocking/impressive.

Also tied with Matt Kemp at 25 in this fancy new xwOBA stat with a .404.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/stat...aunch_speed&sort_order=desc&min_abs=0#results

 

[Hoverhand]

It was yesterday or the day before Smoak walked 3 times in one game. His contacts improved, his plate disciplines improved, or more specifically he's not biting at every curveball in the dirt.

Keep him in the starting 5.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

TV dive

Revere would have gotten there standing up.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

Yonder Alonso and Justin Smoak are having a renaissance for the 2008 first round draft class 1B college sluggers.

Somewhere in an indy ball league, Brett Wallace and David Cooper are out chere raking.

 

[Discoverer]

It was yesterday or the day before Smoak walked 3 times in one game. His contacts improved, his plate disciplines improved, or more specifically he's not biting at every curveball in the dirt.

Keep him in the starting 5.

It feels that way, for sure, but that's mostly just anecdotal. Yesterday he had a couple takes on close breaking balls that he probably would have hacked at in the past, but overall he has the highest O-Swing% of his career.

Really, he's just making a ton of hard contact and not swinging through so many pitches.

 

[TootooTrain]

If Biagini comes up with a hit, Gibby better start him in the 6 hole next game.

 

[Eyedea]

It feels that way, for sure, but that's mostly just anecdotal. Yesterday he had a couple takes on close breaking balls that he probably would have hacked at in the past, but overall he has the highest O-Swing% of his career.

Really, he's just making a ton of hard contact and not swinging through so many pitches.

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.as...eam=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=7,d

 

[Discoverer]

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.as...eam=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=7,d

Exactly. It's bizarre.

2016: 227th out of 268 batters
2017: 3rd out of 188 batters

How the hell does that happen?

 

[metafour]

Bichette: 2 for 2, 2B, 2 BB

 

[Discoverer]

Bichette came into today's game with a 189 wRC+ and has a single, double, and two walks in four plate appearances today (and a stolen base for good measure).

I can't imagine he lasts too much longer in Lansing.

 

[Loosie]

He does dive/jump at any ball hit his way. Yesterday was a good example, pretty routine fly ball and for some reason he jumps up as the ball goes into his glove. One of these times its not gonna work. And ball will bounce out

I was in the car for that play, the guys on the radio made is seem like he misjudged where he was on the field and thought the wall was closer than it actually was.

 

[TF97]

Yonder Alonso and Justin Smoak are having a renaissance for the 2008 first round draft class 1B college sluggers.

Somewhere in an indy ball league, Brett Wallace and David Cooper are out chere raking.

More like "somewhere in his home, David Cooper is happy to not be paralyzed"

 

[sabremike]

At the rear CN Tower side of Skydome up the stairs by gates 1,2,3 there is an outside discounted merchandise area. Do NOT get a Grillicheese they're horrible. Buy the 710ml cans of beer that are only at certain stations as they're only $2 more then the 473ml cans. You can bring in any unopen non alcoholic beverage 600ml and the vendors on Front St charge $1 for water the ones on Bremner and closer charge $2.

Thanks. BTW are the beers Molson/Labatts or crappy Bud? Also the metric system is confusing the hell out of me

 

[zeke]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-prospect-report-quick-promotions-unlikely-teenagers/

On jansen:

The moment Danny Jansen started playing after he signed as a 16th-round pick in 2013, he started making fans in the Toronto Blue Jays system. Coaches and player development staff loved the way he receives and how he carries himself behind the plate, and often mentioned him as a player to watch.

"Danny is an old throwback guy who just takes a beating," catching co-ordinator Ken Huckaby, Jansen’s manager at single-A Dunedin last year, said earlier this spring. "And you never hear a peep out of him."

While his defence has largely earned him notice over his first four pro seasons, the 22-year-old’s bat is making plenty of noise so far this season, too. A .369/.422/.541 slash line in 31 games at Dunedin earned him a promotion to double-A New Hampshire, where the six-foot-two, 225-lb native of Elmhurst, Ill., looks to continue his progress both at the plate, as well as behind it.

"One thing I’ve kind of struggled with, just because I’ve put so much work into catching, making that my craft, is I haven’t devoted as much time to hitting as I’ve really needed to," Jansen said during spring training, when he spent some time in big-league camp. "You’ve got to find a balance. You’ve got to devote two days a week to just really focus on hitting, maybe if you’re not in that day, get in there early and really focus that day on hitting. Catching is always the main focus, doing a lot of work on it, and then find time every day and then maybe more two days a week to really bear down on hitting."

Jansen was projected to go much higher in the draft but his stock slipped when a foul tip struck him on the wrist and broke the pisiform, a pea-shaped bone where hand meets wrist, during the third game of his senior season at Appleton West High School in Wisconsin. A couple of months of recovery truncated his season and though he caught a playoff game with a brace on his wrist, his situation changed.

"A lot of teams backed away," says Jansen. "That’s when I really thought about college because a lot of teams went out the window and that was really stressful for me."

The Blue Jays stayed on him, however, and signed him for $100,000.

"I’m grateful for it every single day," Jansen says. "I really wanted to play pro ball – college is always going to be there."

Last year he played in 54 games at Dunedin and earned a trip to the Arizona Fall League, a showcase loop typically reserved for players parent teams are bullish on.

"I’ve come a long way (defensively) but I’ve still got many places to go with it and get better with it every day," says Jansen. "The beauty of catching is everybody has their own style. I love the way Russ (Martin) catches, Buster Posey, Yadier (Molina) and you pick bits and pieces from everybody and you make your own hybrid. So it’s really cool to watch people and when I watch a baseball game, I watch the catcher."

Other notes:

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

Notes: Since opening the season .156/.276/.297 in his first 19 games, first baseman Rowdy Tellez recovered with a .271/.397/.407 line over his next 19 games before hitting another skid, riding an 0-for-14 heading into Wednesday’s play. The turnaround is similar to last year, when he got off to a slow start at double-A New Hampshire before acclimating to the level and taking off. … Outfielder Dalton Pompey returned to action at extended spring training this week, his first games since suffering a concussion playing for Canada at the World Baseball Classic. … Infielder Jon Berti, also working back from a concussion, has resumed baseball in Dunedin.

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher-Cats

Notes: Catcher Reese McGuire is working his way back from a strained left oblique in Dunedin and is expected to miss several more weeks. … Hot-starting centre-fielder Anthony Alford could be a couple more good weeks away from a promotion to triple-A. … Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley has allowed three runs over a combined 10 innings over two starts after a rough beginning to the season during which the Blue Jays feel he might have been pressing a bit. He’s also been making an effort to incorporate his change-up more regularly.


Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays

Notes: Cuban prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr., has restarted baseball activity as he continues to rehab a strained right hamstring in Dunedin. The Blue Jays are trying to get him to work through some muscle imbalances in his body so the hamstring issue doesn’t become an ongoing problem. … Left-hander Ryan Borucki, added to the 40-man roster over the winter, struck out eight batters in a 3.2-inning outing earlier this month. The Blue Jays have been trying to keep his pitch count down as he comes off his first full season of pitching to ensure he finishes the year strong. … Max Pentecost has caught seven games so far as he returns from multiple shoulder surgeries, throwing out his first would-be base stealer. His receiving draws praise and has been working with manager John Schneider on improving his blocking.

Low-A Lansing Lugnuts

Notes: Despite their video game numbers out of the gate, a quick promotion for teenagers Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Bo Bichette is unlikely. The Blue Jays see little benefit in pushing them through the system too quickly at such a young age. … Blue Jays staff have been impressed with the way starter Justin Maese has incorporated a change-up into his mix.

 

[doorman]

Thanks. BTW are the beers Molson/Labatts or crappy Bud? Also the metric system is confusing the hell out of me

No worries man. There are lots of different choices except the tall cans those are Bud or Bud light. Mill St and goose island for example have draught stations. Here's a link to the beers offered http://mlb.mlb.com/tor/fan_forum/beer_bar_experience.jsp

 

[phillipmike]

2017: Revenge of the First Baseman

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/2017-revenge-of-the-first-baseman/

 

[theaub]

Tulowitzki back 'maybe' on the weekend. Donaldson definitely not back on the weekend.

 

[Canada4Gold]

****, I missed this thread because it didn't have the blue colored label Blue Jays discussion, and started my own. Oops, my bad

 

[dredeye]

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.as...eam=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=7,d

Smoak at 3 and Pillar at 8

 

[habamillions]

If Biagini comes up with a hit, Gibby better start him in the 6 hole next game.

Probably wont even get a chance to hit in this game at this rate

 

[Muston Atthews]

Pillars probably going to get suspended if the MLB has any half decent lip readers

 

[Swervin81]

Pillars probably going to get suspended if the MLB has any half decent lip readers

The Jays should be proactive and treat this the same way they did the Escobar situation. Take the initiative, give him at least 3 games and have his forfeited salary matched by the team (and preferably an accompanying donation by Pillar himself) donated to LGBT causes.

There is no room whatsoever for what he said. Inexcusable.

 

[PG Canuck]

Not the biggest fan of Jose anymore but I'll always be a fan of Jose's HR walks. Let's go.

 

[Swervin81]

Not the biggest fan of Jose anymore but I'll always be a fan of Jose's HR walks. Let's go.

Seriously... take some advice from David Price... "if you don't like it, pitch better". Don't get angry, just laugh at him for celebrating when his team is down 4 and point to the scoreboard. There's no need to get personally offended over a ****ing batflip

"Why you heff to be mad? Is only game!"