Blue Jays Discussion: Spring Training is over. The season begins today

[The Nemesis]

Last thread: Blue Jays Discussion: - Spring Training Discussion: Countdown to the Season (Thursday at 3pm ET/noon PT)

Decided to start a fresh thread for the beginning of the season. Carry on.

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[Amadeus]

Burn the boats, guys!

 

[Nineteen67]

I’m expecting a big year out of Bo. Top 5 in the AL MVP voting type of year.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

The team is going to have really good piching this season and is going to be a run prevention type of team. I’m encouraged by the hitting of Kirk and Springer during the preseason. I’m predicting another 89 win season. “OK, Blue Jays, Let’s…play…ball”.

 

[Anthrax442]

Cant wait. I got tix for next Tuesday's game

 

[fancy lad]

Took a looks at the schedule and yikes. It's pretty tough.

Tampa. Houston, and Yankees.

Damn. Really hoping they start the season on the right foot. Worst thing would be to start slow and get home with a 3-7 record or something. It would just suck for the morale of this fanbase (more for the fanbase than the actual team) given the lackluster off season.

Fingers crossed they start well today.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I like our chances to make the playoffs based on our pitching. Berrios , Bassitt , Gausman is a pretty strong backbone. If Manoah can get his shit together and Kikuchi has another decent season maybe we'll get another shot at playing an actual post season series. It's been too long. But I can't even watch baseball until after the NHL draft. Still holds more interest than the sad sack Raptors though. Go Jays Go.

 

[ACC1224]

Took a looks at the schedule and yikes. It's pretty tough.

Tampa. Houston, and Yankees.

Damn. Really hoping they start the season on the right foot. Worst thing would be to start slow and get home with a 3-7 record or something. It would just suck for the morale of this fanbase (more for the fanbase than the actual team) given the lackluster off season.

Fingers crossed they start well today.

Don't they always struggle with Tampa? Seems like it to this casual fan.

 

[fancy lad]

Don't they always struggle with Tampa? Seems like it to this casual fan.

oh for sure. Especially at that garbage stadium of theirs.
Not sure of the jays' record in tropicana field the last 3 years, but it can't be good.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I like our chances to make the playoffs based on our pitching. Berrios , Bassitt , Gausman is a pretty strong backbone. If Manoah can get his shit together and Kikuchi has another decent season maybe we'll get another shot at playing an actual post season series. It's been too long. But I can't even watch baseball until after the NHL draft. Still holds more interest than the sad sack Raptors though. Go Jays Go.

Also, I think watch out for Bo Bichette. I think he is going to have a big time season. MVP type. Bold prediction: Bo and Vladdy are going to be both top 5 in MVP voting.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Also, I think watch out for Bo Bichette. I think he is going to have a big time season. MVP type. Bold prediction: Bo and Vladdy are going to be both top 5 in MVP voting.

Would love that. Vlad and Bo are like the Jays version of Matthews and Nylander. Both are dynamite but lacking post season results.

 

[Discoverer]

Don't they always struggle with Tampa? Seems like it to this casual fan.

They've kind of settled in against them the last couple years at 15-17. Not great, obviously, but good enough considering how good TB has been. They had a long history of struggling against them before that, though.

For all the talk throughout last year about their inability to win against the AL East, the only actual problem was the Orioles, who they went 3-10 against. They finished 6-7 against TB, NYY, and BOS.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I look forward to all of the overreactions in the next few weeks.

 

[weems]

I know spring training isn't worth much but it's given me confidence that something hitting approach wise was the most influential reason why our offense unexpectedly sucked last year.

The players on offense that need to either rebound or take the next step (Vladdy, Kirk, Varsho, Springer) all had good camps.

It will be interesting to see how much production we could get from Votto, Manoah and Rodridguez. Not one of those three is starting the season with the big team and the range of outcomes of what they give you this season is pretty wide.

 

[Discoverer]

I look forward to all of the overreactions in the next few weeks.

It's hard to gauge exactly how good the team is right now, but we all know that, within the next week or so, everyone on the team will be absolute trash.

 

[leafs in five]

I am starting Eflin in fantasy as an emotional hedge

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Cautiously optimistic that they'll somewhat exceed expectations and hit 92 to 94 wins.

I'm expecting a slight regression from the pitching (albeit hopeful with the same relative health as last year), countered by an improvement from the offence.

The talent is there to contend. It's a matter of it coming together now, finally.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I want Shapiro and Atkins to GTFO if the Jays fail to make the playoffs. They bungled the competitive window.

 

[red devil]

 

[tmlfan98]

 

[Discoverer]

I know he hasn't lived up to expectations, but I'm still surprised to see them cut Zulueta this quickly.

 

[The Nemesis]

Don't they always struggle with Tampa? Seems like it to this casual fan.

They mostly struggle  in Tampa. Because the Trop is one of the nine circles of Hell made manifest on Earth.

 

[Bjindaho]

 

[trellaine201]

Cole put on the 60 day. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy or team.

 

[EpochLink]

The boys of summer are back! Let’s go Jays!