Blue Jays 2010

[Kilgore Trout]

They lost 1 - 0 in 12 innings.
Poor hitting team.
Zero runs scored in 21 innings over first 2 games of playoff series.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/...ent_id=14494150&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&sid=t463

------
This Chris Sale of White Sox is looking really good.
He's already playing at MLB level after being drafted in June a couple of spots after Deck McGuire.

I followed the draft live back in June and was perplexed and disappointed the Jays didn't take Sale. My worries the Jays would regret this move one day are already coming true.
Sale had really fantastic stats coming out of college, - much better than McGuire. Plus he signed right away for slot money because he was eager to start up his career.

Hope McGuire has a clue or two about how to pitch because the big pitcher they took in the first round last year, Chad Jenkins, did not pitch all that great in his first year in minors and odds of him making it to big leagues are not good.

Sale Stats MLB:
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=519242

Deck McGuire College: 2.96 ERA 9.4 K's per 9 innings, 2.6 BB per 9 innings
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Deck-Mcguire.shtml

Chris Sale College: 2.01 ERA 12.8 K's per 9 innings 1.2 BB per 9 innings
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/Players/S/Chris-Sale.shtml


On the other side I heard Keith Law say that Deck McGuire is a better pick because he thinks Sale will have a short career due to arm problems because his frame is too small and his delivery puts too much stress on his arm.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Jays could finish season under .500.
Now at 72 -70 after losing today with 20 games left.
If they shut down any more starting pitchers for the rest of the season due to inning count they'll be doing a lot of pitching with a Triple A lineup and Zep and Mills and Co. have been getting killed out there by MLB hitting.

 

[tribunus]

Jenkins is looking like a shitty pick, especially when guys they went after him killed it this year, like Kyle Gibson, Mike Trout and Nick Franklin. That's why I hate drafting safe, signable guys. High ceiling guys win you games and put asses in seats.

And like KT stated, September has clearly proven that stiffs like Mills, Zep...etc aren't going to cut it.

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Just like every other year season will be done?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Big news as the top prospect in the Jays minor system, Kyle Drabek, is being called up to the Blue Jays.

He will make his MLB pitching debut on Weds. Sept 15/10 in Baltimore.
He's scheduled to make 3 starts from now to the end of the season, also pitching September 22 and September 28.

Jays are also going to a 6 man rotation to minimize the wear and tear on arms in starting rotation from now till end of season.

http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=333549

 

[Rockslinger]

Big news as the top prospect in the Jays minor system, Kyle Drabek, is being called up to the Blue Jays.

It's good that he is starting against a non-contending team like Baltimore.

The Jays are not letting down against the contenders. The game against the Rays they almost won yesterday and the game they won to-day is proof of that. They play the Red Sox and the Yanks 3 more times this year.

 

[gcostanza]

The Jays are not letting down against the contenders. The game against the Rays they almost won yesterday and the game they won to-day is proof of that.

Yesterday was Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays eked out a 13-1 squeaker over the Toronto Blue Jays.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=300911114&teams=tampa-bay-rays-vs-toronto-blue-jays

 

[Rockslinger]

Yesterday was Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays eked out a 13-1 squeaker over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Oops. Of course, I meant the game where the Jays came back to tie on the strength of 2 Bautista home runs and then lost because of Escobar's throwing error.

Note to self: You got to stop taking dancers to afterhours booze cans on Saturday nights as you can't even remember what happened earlier on Saturday afternoon. Hee, hee, hee.

 

[Mervyn]

Jays could finish season under .500.
Now at 72 -70 after losing today with 20 games left.
If they shut down any more starting pitchers for the rest of the season due to inning count they'll be doing a lot of pitching with a Triple A lineup and Zep and Mills and Co. have been getting killed out there by MLB hitting.

Since making the playoffs is not realistic, then going for a .500 record is meaningless. Use the chance to see what the young guys can, or can not do.

 

[Rockslinger]

Since making the playoffs is not realistic, then going for a .500 record is meaningless. Use the chance to see what the young guys can, or can not do.

Cito said that they will still field their "A" team against the contending clubs (Red Sox, Yanks, Twins) to preserve the integrity of the game. The Jays still have 6 games left with Baltimore so maybe they will use a bunch of AA and AAA players in those games.

 

[The Oracle]

Cito said that they will still field their "A" team against the contending clubs (Red Sox, Yanks, Twins) to preserve the integrity of the game. The Jays still have 6 games left with Baltimore so maybe they will use a bunch of AA and AAA players in those games.

In this case Cito is right.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Keith Law impressed by performances of Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart in Double A playoffs:
-----
Drabek:
"Kyle Drabek came to Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade this past offseason and ranked No. 40 on my Top 100 prospects coming into the year, but Wednesday night he brought the best stuff I've seen (or heard of) from him, with two plus-plus pitches and an aggressive approach. He started out 93-97 in the first inning and was 91-96 by the end of his outing, hitting 97 at least three times over the first two frames. His power curveball at 84-86 was a big league out pitch, with depth and a very sharp break -- and he threw it for strikes in addition to burying it for swings and misses.

He barely used -- or needed -- his straight changeup, but it's also not yet on par with the other two pitches. He worked to both sides of the plate and overpowered most of the hitters in Trenton's weak lineup. Drabek takes a long stride toward the plate and generates great arm speed from it, although he doesn't rotate his hips much and is off the rubber very quickly. I'm more concerned by his tendency to throw across his body when going to his glove side because of how he cuts himself off in his landing. Those two pitches do give him ace potential that I hadn't seen from him, although the lack of a solid third offering and the minor delivery issues probably give him a realistic ceiling just below that."
----
Stewart:
"Stewart showed four pitches, pitching at 90-96 with sink and some tail with a tight, out-pitch slider at 83-87 that he threw for strikes, even back-dooring it to left-handed hitters for called strikes. His changeup was the biggest surprise, as another scout at the game told me he hadn't seen it this good before; it's mostly straight but has good separation from the fastball at 81-85 and his arm speed is excellent. He also used a fringy curveball with good depth, but he didn't command the pitch as well as he did the slider.

Stewart worked aggressively with everything and had good tempo. He stays over the rubber before driving forward with a long stride, although his arm action is a little long in the back and he pronates relatively late in the delivery. I know several scouts see Stewart as a sinker/slider pen guy, but I see four pitches, a good frame, and a pitcher who likes to attack hitters, and I see a potential No. 2 starter, maybe a No. 3 if the changeup isn't always where it was tonight."

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=123&p=24933805

 

[TGirl Nikki]

Keith Law impressed by performances of Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart in Double A playoffs:
-----
Drabek:
"Kyle Drabek came to Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade this past offseason and ranked No. 40 on my Top 100 prospects coming into the year, but Wednesday night he brought the best stuff I've seen (or heard of) from him, with two plus-plus pitches and an aggressive approach. He started out 93-97 in the first inning and was 91-96 by the end of his outing, hitting 97 at least three times over the first two frames. His power curveball at 84-86 was a big league out pitch, with depth and a very sharp break -- and he threw it for strikes in addition to burying it for swings and misses.

He barely used -- or needed -- his straight changeup, but it's also not yet on par with the other two pitches. He worked to both sides of the plate and overpowered most of the hitters in Trenton's weak lineup. Drabek takes a long stride toward the plate and generates great arm speed from it, although he doesn't rotate his hips much and is off the rubber very quickly. I'm more concerned by his tendency to throw across his body when going to his glove side because of how he cuts himself off in his landing. Those two pitches do give him ace potential that I hadn't seen from him, although the lack of a solid third offering and the minor delivery issues probably give him a realistic ceiling just below that."http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=123&p=24933805

Considering how Drabek has already had one Tommy John surgery, I hope he's able to develop that changeup into an effective pitch. Two pitches aren't enough to excel in the big leagues, and iffy mechanics coupled with an over-reliance on the curve ball are a recipe for long-term arm trouble... and the Jays can't afford to damage the top prospect in our farm system!

I love how Bruce Walton has emphasized the changeup in our rotation's repertoire, it's probably my favourite pitch. It keeps the hitters guessing, throws off their timing, and best of all, it's easy on the arm. Hopefully Walton helps Drabek understand the value of a third pitch, and helps him develop it during the off-season.

I might go down to the dome for his start on the 28th, we're playing the Yankees that night; we'll see if he has the stuff to take on the best offense in the league.

 

[Rockslinger]

Two pitches aren't enough to excel in the big leagues,

An exception for relief pitchers.

we're playing the Yankees that night; we'll see if he has the stuff to take on the best offense in the league.

Is Cito actually going to start Drabek against the powerful Yankees?

 

[shack]

An exception for relief pitchers.

Too bad the comment was not in relation to a relief pitcher. Drabek is a starter.

Is Cito actually going to start Drabek against the powerful Yankees?

And what is wrong with that? He will go 0-1 in his MLB career and his confidence will be shattered? Or maybe it will blow out the Jays chances at the post-season?

Sounds like a couple of negative comments with no merit. Strictly for the sake of being able to be negative.

 

[Rockslinger]

He will go 0-1 in his MLB career and his confidence will be shattered?

I guess there could be worse things in life than losing the game and shattering his confidence. Should we also put him on a 200 pitch pitch count?

 

[shack]

I guess there could be worse things in life than losing the game and shattering his confidence. Should we also put him on a 200 pitch pitch count?

Just wondering why you seemed to imply that giving him his first MLB start against the Yankees is a bad idea.

 

[Rockslinger]

Just wondering why you seemed to imply that giving him his first MLB start against the Yankees is a bad idea.

I would not throw an AA pitcher against the Yankees his first time in the majors. Sort of like leading a lamb to the slaughter. Agree or disagree, that is my view. BTW I hate watching those damn Yankees. Every one of their hitters take forever to complete an at bat.

 

[TGirl Nikki]

Just to clarify, Drabek is pitching on the 15th against the Orioles (in Camden yards), then he's projected to pitch here on the 22nd against Seattle, and again on the 28th against the Yankees. So, the game on the 28th will be his third major league start. Also, he's only in Double-A because our Triple-A affiliate plays in an extremely hitter-friendly park, and it would have been a bad place for him to develop.

If he was pitching at home against the Orioles I'd probably go see that one, but instead it's a toss-up between Seattle and NY - pretty easy decision for me.

Lastly, it's not uncommon for a young stud pitcher to dominate during his first few starts in the majors, because hitters haven't seen him before. Against a patient lineup like the Yankees, an as-yet-unseen flamethrower stands a pretty good chance of success, as long he attacks the zone with quality fastballs and a good offspeed pitch... either way, if I make it to the game, I'll be sure to write about it afterwards.

 

[SkyRider]

Is MLB the only major professional sport that has two winners of every individual award? For example, there are two batting champions, two Cy Young winners, two MVP's, etc. In the NHL, there is only one scoring champion, only one MVP, only one Norris winner, etc.