Gentlemen....give your opinions without malice to other posters..........you all know my opinions......great line up, bat Tulo fifth esp now that Revere is hitting, hope I am wrong but Pillar not a major league hitter, Gibbons and Walker are liabilities....stand not sit when you are managing.....Price is great but not invincible ...don't leave him in too long.........Kathleen has legs from heaven (the one indisputable opinion)
Blue Jays: 2015 edition
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Bluebird Banter breakdown on the figures of (primarily) the Tulo vs Revere leadoff controversy.
http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2015/...adoff-hitter-for-the-toronto-blue-jays-lineup
Rundown on the pitchers' respective stats and performances over the last 2 weeks.
http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2015/8/24/9199349/whos-up-whos-down-blue-jays-pitchers
http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2015/...adoff-hitter-for-the-toronto-blue-jays-lineup
Rundown on the pitchers' respective stats and performances over the last 2 weeks.
http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2015/8/24/9199349/whos-up-whos-down-blue-jays-pitchers
I don't get the knock on Pillar. This is first full year in the bigs. He came in slotted as the #4 outfielder and quickly became the Jays CF. Defensively solid. Offensively . 261 is not shabby, and he has a meager 65 Ks, which is very good. I can't say I don't get concerned when he comes up with runners on, but as I guy that hits at the bottom of the order he does a pretty good job of setting the table. Would like to see a little more pop in his bat but overall I think he is just fine. No real prolonged slumps and he does seem to work with his coaches to improve. With Revere in left and Bautista in right, the outfield is solid defensively and above offensively.
Gibby says he's "cautiously optimistic" Stroman might pitch for Jays in September:
http://m.bleacherreport.com/article...would-be-final-nail-in-al-challengers-coffins
http://m.bleacherreport.com/article...would-be-final-nail-in-al-challengers-coffins
Ubaldo Jimenez chewed for 7 earnies as O's down in the 8th to KC.
I tried to watch the tedious game between NYY and Astros, which simply reinforced my PoV that Astros have dick-all offence away from Minute Maid and cannot win on the Road, but have a kick-ass pitching staff to draw out the boredom and misery into the late innings. NYY slithers back into a tie for 1st place w a 1-0 walk off.
O's lose (predictably, playing at KC) and go 7 back of Jays and Yanks. Can probably officially say that the AL East is now a 2 team race.
I tried to watch the tedious game between NYY and Astros, which simply reinforced my PoV that Astros have dick-all offence away from Minute Maid and cannot win on the Road, but have a kick-ass pitching staff to draw out the boredom and misery into the late innings. NYY slithers back into a tie for 1st place w a 1-0 walk off.
O's lose (predictably, playing at KC) and go 7 back of Jays and Yanks. Can probably officially say that the AL East is now a 2 team race.
Love love love Pillar, and sad to see him go through this slump. He reduced his leg-kick earlier in the year, did well and then either teams adapted or things changed in his swing. I think the leg kick is a little bit more pronounced lately, not sure if that is a deliberate adjustment or something gone off. Don't think he's hit a home run since the double-header with the Nats (around the time he adjusted his swing) but really doesn't need to hit for power, just needs to get his obp up a bit more. Attitude also seems a lot better than last season (eg the melt-down when he was pinch-hit for last year)
He's actually second on the team in hits (he has 118, Donaldson has 145), partially because he's played in I think every game but one this season. He's cut down on strikeouts, but still isn't taking as many walks as he should. Still vulnerable to the low and away pitch out of the strike zone - he flails away there like a helpless grade-schooler.
Still, for league minimum you're getting elite defense in centre field. I think he has upside with his bat, he's hit well at every level he's played in.
Gosh, I should start a Kevin Pillar Fan Club.
Pillar has the second highest WAR value on the team , surprisingly more than EE, Bautista and Martin.
He also scores a lot of runs for a player with sub-.300 OBP. Scores on doubles from first base and on singles from second with ease. He's run into outs on occasion being too aggressive but his speed on the bases is a huge plus near the bottom of the order.
He needs to learn how to work the count, he falls behind 0-2 and 1-2 way too often then starts hacking away at everything.
The Jays scout who drafted him should get an award. 979th overall in 2011, $1000 signing bonus LOL
He already has a fan club, the person that made this video must be the Club President.
He also scores a lot of runs for a player with sub-.300 OBP. Scores on doubles from first base and on singles from second with ease. He's run into outs on occasion being too aggressive but his speed on the bases is a huge plus near the bottom of the order.
He needs to learn how to work the count, he falls behind 0-2 and 1-2 way too often then starts hacking away at everything.
The Jays scout who drafted him should get an award. 979th overall in 2011, $1000 signing bonus LOL
He already has a fan club, the person that made this video must be the Club President.
I believe that the environment in which they play is affecting the O's.
Camden Yards is a gorgeous ballpark but it sits just beyond the Harbour District. The area due west of the park is a no man's land, since the riots the murder rate has surged. There were 45 killings in July alone. Baltimore is one of three of the USA's most segregated cities, the other two are St Louis and Milwaukee. Since the Cardinals play in the well heeled white district it doesn't seam to affect them. But I can see them going into decline in the near future.
And I still remember the 1978 World Series where The Bronx burned in the background.
Camden Yards is a gorgeous ballpark but it sits just beyond the Harbour District. The area due west of the park is a no man's land, since the riots the murder rate has surged. There were 45 killings in July alone. Baltimore is one of three of the USA's most segregated cities, the other two are St Louis and Milwaukee. Since the Cardinals play in the well heeled white district it doesn't seam to affect them. But I can see them going into decline in the near future.
And I still remember the 1978 World Series where The Bronx burned in the background.
IV,
You forgot Detroit. Southeastern Michigan, which includes Detroit, is absolutely the most segregated area in the U.S. Virtually no white people, other than a number of civil servants living in an enclave in northeastern Detroit because of their conditions of employment, live in Detroit. A few used to live in southwestern Detroit and around the old Tiger Stadium, but those have mostly moved out. In the predominately white suburbs of Sterling Heights, Troy and Bloomfield Hills, the raccoons and opossums outnumber blacks.
I live in Windsor, just across the river from Detroit and know first-hand the problems of Detroit.
White flight has taken place for over fifty years in Detroit and was punctuated when Coleman Young became mayor and instructed all whites to "hit Eight Mile" (the city's boundary). As the environment has become more hostile to whites and the general futility of the police department has become conducive to extensive criminal activity, only poor blacks live in Detroit. Those who have any money at all escape to Southfield and Royal Oak.
In short, Detroit has been and always be the most segregated city in the U.S.
Riiiiiiiiiight. Sarcasm, of course it was :biggrin1:
You realize Gibbons is trying to get Stroman back within next couple of weeks just before the playoffs, dont you??
(assuming Jays make the playoffs of course).
What does this say, busternut?? I even bolded it for you since you seem to have reading comprehension problems:
http://m.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article/145101734
His BA at .261 is OK, his 7 homers and 41 ribbies is simply too low for a major leaguer.
Thats the knock against him.
But since its only his first full year, and if he can raise those stats to say around 15 to 17 homers and 60 to 70+ ribbies next year or the year after I think he'll be okay. The question however is can he do that?? It remains to be seen
In his 5 years with the Jays, Devon White never batted higher than .283, hit more than 17 home runs and never drove in more than 69 RBI's. I think Pillar is capable of meeting those numbers but stolen bases is another matter.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitede03.shtml
Seriously, look at BA and production around the league. It's down for everyone. Offence is crumbling and pitching rules to the extent that MLB is going to have to look at it as a problem if the trend continues.
When Josh hit his 100 rbi, the announcers made the point that the last BJ to be first in the AL to drive in 100 RBI was Carlos in 2003 when he did it by late July - not late August. This is symptomatic of the general problem. Remember when Juan Gonzalez hit about 160 RBI one season? Josh will be lucky to hit 130.
There are guys starting for decent major league teams hitting under .200 this year. Never happened before. Times have changed.
In the new era, Pillar's stats are perfectly good - above average even.
When Josh hit his 100 rbi, the announcers made the point that the last BJ to be first in the AL to drive in 100 RBI was Carlos in 2003 when he did it by late July - not late August. This is symptomatic of the general problem. Remember when Juan Gonzalez hit about 160 RBI one season? Josh will be lucky to hit 130.
There are guys starting for decent major league teams hitting under .200 this year. Never happened before. Times have changed.
In the new era, Pillar's stats are perfectly good - above average even.
Mickey Mantle, superstar of superstars, Hall Of Fame and overall good ol' boy, batted .267 with 13 homers and 65 rbi in 1951, his first year in the majors. Like Pillar, he ran like the wind and could track down anything hit into that huge centre field at the House that Ruth Built.
Al Kaline, another Hall of Famer, batted .276 with four homers and 43 rbi in his first full year. He had a bullet arm that could nail anyone at any base. In his prime, his arm was clearly the best, reminiscent of Jesse Barfield in his prime.
And here we are squawking about Pillar and his .261 average with 7 homers and 41 rbi in his first full year in the majors. Like the two Hall of Famers above, he may have lots of offensive upside, but clearly he is a distinct improvement over Pompey or Rasmus in the field.
Al Kaline, another Hall of Famer, batted .276 with four homers and 43 rbi in his first full year. He had a bullet arm that could nail anyone at any base. In his prime, his arm was clearly the best, reminiscent of Jesse Barfield in his prime.
And here we are squawking about Pillar and his .261 average with 7 homers and 41 rbi in his first full year in the majors. Like the two Hall of Famers above, he may have lots of offensive upside, but clearly he is a distinct improvement over Pompey or Rasmus in the field.
First the fact that you bolded something doesn't mean I must agree or that it's correct, it's just my opinion. Second, you took my statement out of context-I was responding to someone's remark that if Stroman were to reinjure himself it would be ok, and I don't think that's true. I have as much right to that opinion as you have to yours, but you actually are just choosing to try to discredit me personally instead of contributing to the thread. The fact that you place importance on that is sad, but that's your choice. I guess i'm flattered by your obsessive attention.
