For this post, I will not be grading those players who are no longer with the organization, nor those who have had only a minimal impact on the team. Note that players have been rated based on overall performance, and not solely on numbers.
Starting Pitchers (W-L/ERA/WHIP):
Mark Buehrle: C+ After a shaky start to the season, Buehrle seems to have found his game. He is one of the more trustworthy starters on the team. (4-5/4.81/1.40)
R.A. Dickey: C+ Dickey has been the best and the worst pitcher on the team, at times. He seems to have found his knuckleball, which means an interesting second half is in store. (8-8/4.59/1.29)
Josh Johnson: D Before this season if you had asked me which player in the league I most wanted the Jays to acquire, I probably would have said Johnson. Unfortunately, he has been disappointing all season. (1-3/4.89/1.61)
Esmil Rogers: B A shaky reliever at the beginning of the season, Rogers has been the greatest surprise for the Jays this season. There is always a fear he will regress, though. (3-3/3.12/1.25)
Relief Pitchers (W-L/ERA/WHIP)
Brett Cecil: A Who would have expected that the player who struggled so much last season and in Spring Training would break the team record for most consecutive batters faced without surrendering a hit? (3-0/1.47/0.81)
Steve Delabar: A- The greatest thing he has done is not even his incredible performance: it is bringing Jamie Evans and the velocity program to Toronto. (5-1/1.58/1.25)
Aaron Loup: A- After coming out of nowhere last season, Loup has carried over his dominance--and confidence--into 2013. Loooooooooooooooooooup! (3-3/1.91/0.97)
Dustin McGowan: C+ After missing 2009, 2010, 2012, and most of 2011 with a myriad of injuries, McGowan finally looks healthy. His performance is starting to come around after a shaky start. (0-0/2.45/1.09)
Darren Oliver: B- Oliver was the team's second best pitcher in 2012, and he has been okay this year, but he has blown 2 saves before the ninth inning and looks hittable. (3-1/3.38/1.33)
Juan Perez: B He looked incredible in Spring Training, and he brought the magic of his unhittable dancing breaking ball to the Majors. (1-1/0.00/0.85)
Neil Wagner: B+ One of the few guys who seems to have control over his high-'90s fastballs. (1-3/2.45/1.09)
Closing Pitcher (SV-BSV/ERA/WHIP/W-L)
Casey Janssen: A+ The most deserving player on the team of an All-Star selection, Janssen has been lights-out for his third straight season. (17-18/2.03/0.71/2-0)
Catchers(BA/HR/RBI/OBP/F%/PB)
J.P. Arencibia: D A promising player who has shown flashes of brilliance, Arencibia has struggled with the bat since April and has struggled in the field all season. (.216/15/38/.244/.994/10)
Josh Thole: D+ After hitting .322 in the Buffalo, Thole has been cold with the bat in the Majors. But his defence has been stellar (as a catcher, not as a first baseman). (.103/0/2/.188/.981/0) * Only Catcher F% shown.
Infielders (BA/HR/RBI/OBP) (F%:position)
2B/UT Emilio Bonifacio: D- His speed is his only redeeming quality. He has been unable to hit, field, or bunt all season. (.210/2/13/.243/11) (2B: .973/OF: 1.000/SS: 1.000)
UT Mark DeRosa: C+ He is one of the best on the team in terms of baseball sense. DeRosa has also come through in the clutch a few times. (.205/5/24/.291/0) (1B: 1.000/2B: 1.000/ 3B: .900)
1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion: A- He has been best hitter on the team for the second consecutive season. He also stepped up when asked to play the dreaded hot corner. (.270/23/66/.350/3) (1B: .993/ 3B: .950)
UT Maicer Izturis: C He has finally found his swing and his glove after a very rocky start. (.228/5/20/.266/0) (2B: .973/3B: .959/SS: .956)
SS/2B Munenori Kawasaki: B His performance has been average--although he is very good at getting runners home from third. Kawasaki's personality has been a galvanizing factor for this team. (.224/1/18/.330/7) (SS: .977/2B: 1.000)
3B Brett Lawrie: D Injured at the start of the season, and now injured again, Lawrie struggled with the bat in his short time with the team. He defence was still stellar, although it seems he may have taken a step back since last season. (.209/5/14/.268/2) (3B: .955)
1B Adam Lind: A- Since 2009 he has struggled with the bat. Now he is the only player on the team batting over .300. (.322/11/33/.380/1) (1B: .994)
SS José Reyes: B+ Reyes is hard to judge due to his long injury, but he hit well prior to getting injured and now seems to be finding his bat again, albeit slowly. (.329/3/9/.383/5) (SS: 1.000)
Outfielders (BA/HR/RBI/OBP/SB) (F%:position)
José Bautista: B+ Bautista has been streaky this season, but he has come through in the clutch, hitting 4 game-tying home runs in the ninth inning or later. And do not forget his great defence and power-arm. (.264/19/50/.364/6) (OF: .977/3B: 1.000)
Melky Cabrera: B- Melky hit well in late-April/early-May, but has otherwise been fairly unnoticeable on the field. Hopefully his DL stint will give him the rest he needs to be effective. (.278/3/29/.321/2) (OF: 1.000)
Rajai Davis: B Davis seems to be working on his pitch recognition and has been much better as a starter than as a pinch-hitter this year. (.304/1/8/.345/21) (OF: 1.000)
Colby Rasmus: D Unlike Davis, Rasmus's pitch recognition has been awful this season, and he has racked up 101 strike outs. (.248/15/43/.321/0) (OF: .995)
Manager
John Gibbons: D- Early in the season, one could not blame him too much. After all, his players were not performing. Now, one starts to wonder if the lack of production may be because of him and not in spite of him. He has yet to make an innovative managerial decision, although he has made some questionable ones.
Team Outlook
The Blue Jays have made a fantastic comeback this season, although they have struggled since their 11-game winning streak ended. Nevertheless, they proved that they could win over that span. If not this season, the Jays are set to be contenders in 2014.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Blue Jays Quick-Hits: Arencibia; Second Base; Lawrie; Rasmus's Slide; Bautista
J.P. Arencibia took shots at Blue Jays commentators/analysts Dirk Hayhurst and Gregg Zaun on TheFan590 this morning. I understand that he is frustrated with his poor performance, but this is not the way to express his anger. This outburst would have been more appropriate if Arencibia's game were being picked apart despite his performing well. But he is not performing well. Since picking up 8 HRs and 16 RBI in April with a .253 BA, he has struggled to put together a 15/38/.216 line on the season. He has struck out 92 times. And we haven't even started talking about his defence. I do not care much about the Stolen Bases Against because it is an imperfect statistic, but the Passed Balls and questionable plate coverage are too much. Not to mention that he calls for way too many pitches outside of the strike zone. I think JP's tirade just confirmed what his performance already suggested: he needs some time in Buffalo. I believe he still has options. Who do they call up? Maybe recently-signed Ramon Hernandez?
The situation at second base for the Blue Jays is becoming unbearable, with Emilio Bonifacio making another error yesterday. Early in the season I was willing to give him a chance defensively, but that chance has expired. Maicer Izturis is performing better of late, but is more suitable as a backup, like Mark DeRosa and Munenori Kawasaki. If this team wants to contend, it is going to need a REAL second baseman--a true everyday player who is neither a hole in the batting order, nor the field. Darwin Barney is an interesting option who is presently available. Although his hitting will not be much of an improvement over the current quartet, he is known for his great defence. He also may be cheaper than other options, such as Chase Utley or Ian Kinsler. Utley is getting on and is owed a large sum of money, so it may be in the best interest of the team to avoid him. Kinsler is the most intriguing option. With Profar and Andrus up the middle, the Rangers are nearing the end of their need for the former All-Star second baseman. With a struggling rotation, the team may be interested in rent-a-player RHP Josh Johnson--who, granted, has not had the greatest of seasons, but has history on his side, as well as a familiarity with warm weather. Toss in a Darren Oliver (who will probably retire at the end of the season) or a Sergio Santos (who really does not fit in the Jays' powerful bullpen, anymore) as well as a prospect or two, and I think this deal could get done. Such a trade may also see one of the quartet heading to Texas as a backup plan.
As Brett Lawrie recovers from his eerily José-Reyes-esque ankle sprain, one major question arises: should he be recalled? Lawrie has a lot of heart and an intense attitude--something that has endeared him to some and antagonized him to others--and his glove would be an invaluable asset in the infield, but his bat has been weak all season. I think he should stay in the Minors until that aspect of his game comes around, otherwise he is more of a liability than an asset. As for his attitude, while he does go a little overboard on occasion, I do not mind the fire most of the time. He is still young (23), and the rougher edges will likely soften over time. He has too much talent to give up on, now.
Colby Rasmus kept his cleats down as he made a good, clean baseball slide into second, last night. The Tigers are still reeling from a heated series in Tampa, they are upset about how close Cleveland is to them in the standings, and they do not appreciate that their second baseman got injured. But honestly, they have to suck it up and stop whining. It was a clean, albeit unfortunate, play.
This is related to an issue I stumbled upon a few weeks ago--long before this Blog existed. Many people were upset with José Bautista's ejection on June 9th. I did not mind it. Bautista has exercised a lot of control this season, arguing much less. In fact, this was the first time I had seen him argue since early in the season. Furthermore, as it was the ninth inning and he was unlikely to come up again, there was really no better time to get ejected. To be honest, the most irritating thing about the whole play was the way John Gibbons downplayed it and calmed the situation rather than trying to keep the fire alive under Edwin Encarnacion, who could have tied the game or even won it, had there still been any energy alive. The manager MUST get ejected when his star player is ejected.
The situation at second base for the Blue Jays is becoming unbearable, with Emilio Bonifacio making another error yesterday. Early in the season I was willing to give him a chance defensively, but that chance has expired. Maicer Izturis is performing better of late, but is more suitable as a backup, like Mark DeRosa and Munenori Kawasaki. If this team wants to contend, it is going to need a REAL second baseman--a true everyday player who is neither a hole in the batting order, nor the field. Darwin Barney is an interesting option who is presently available. Although his hitting will not be much of an improvement over the current quartet, he is known for his great defence. He also may be cheaper than other options, such as Chase Utley or Ian Kinsler. Utley is getting on and is owed a large sum of money, so it may be in the best interest of the team to avoid him. Kinsler is the most intriguing option. With Profar and Andrus up the middle, the Rangers are nearing the end of their need for the former All-Star second baseman. With a struggling rotation, the team may be interested in rent-a-player RHP Josh Johnson--who, granted, has not had the greatest of seasons, but has history on his side, as well as a familiarity with warm weather. Toss in a Darren Oliver (who will probably retire at the end of the season) or a Sergio Santos (who really does not fit in the Jays' powerful bullpen, anymore) as well as a prospect or two, and I think this deal could get done. Such a trade may also see one of the quartet heading to Texas as a backup plan.
As Brett Lawrie recovers from his eerily José-Reyes-esque ankle sprain, one major question arises: should he be recalled? Lawrie has a lot of heart and an intense attitude--something that has endeared him to some and antagonized him to others--and his glove would be an invaluable asset in the infield, but his bat has been weak all season. I think he should stay in the Minors until that aspect of his game comes around, otherwise he is more of a liability than an asset. As for his attitude, while he does go a little overboard on occasion, I do not mind the fire most of the time. He is still young (23), and the rougher edges will likely soften over time. He has too much talent to give up on, now.
Colby Rasmus kept his cleats down as he made a good, clean baseball slide into second, last night. The Tigers are still reeling from a heated series in Tampa, they are upset about how close Cleveland is to them in the standings, and they do not appreciate that their second baseman got injured. But honestly, they have to suck it up and stop whining. It was a clean, albeit unfortunate, play.
This is related to an issue I stumbled upon a few weeks ago--long before this Blog existed. Many people were upset with José Bautista's ejection on June 9th. I did not mind it. Bautista has exercised a lot of control this season, arguing much less. In fact, this was the first time I had seen him argue since early in the season. Furthermore, as it was the ninth inning and he was unlikely to come up again, there was really no better time to get ejected. To be honest, the most irritating thing about the whole play was the way John Gibbons downplayed it and calmed the situation rather than trying to keep the fire alive under Edwin Encarnacion, who could have tied the game or even won it, had there still been any energy alive. The manager MUST get ejected when his star player is ejected.
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