2013 Jays Spring Training Discussion Thread

[LittleOzzy]

Broadcast Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 23, Toronto @ Detroit, 1 p.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, and Pacific)

Thursday, Feb. 28, Toronto @ New York Yankees, 1 p.m. ET (FX Canada)

Saturday, March 2, Philadelphia @ Toronto, 1 p.m. ET (Sportsnet Ontario, West, and Pacific)

Sunday, March 3, Toronto @ Philadelphia, 1 p.m. ET (Sportsnet Ontario, West, Pacific, Sportsnet ONE)

Thursday, March 7, Toronto @ Baltimore, 1 p.m. ET (FX Canada)

Sunday, March 10, New York Yankees @ Toronto, 1 p.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific)

Saturday, March 23, Atlanta @ Toronto, 1 p.m. ET (Sportsnet Ontario, West, Pacific, Sportsnet ONE)

Sunday, March 24, Toronto @ Minnesota, 1 p.m. ET (FX Canada)

Wednesday, March 27, Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. ET (FX Canada)

Thursday, March 28, Toronto @ Philadelphia, 1 p.m. ET (FX Canada)

Friday, March 29, Toronto @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, and Pacific)

Saturday, March 30, Toronto @ Philadelphia, 1 p.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, and Pacific)

[MGD24]

I wonder if they will broadcast more games this year on TV? I think they will.

[Ado05]

This just makes it harder to wait for the season to start

[LittleOzzy]

I wonder if they will broadcast more games this year on TV? I think they will.

I thought the same thing too until the NHL decided to settle.

I doubt we see more than 5 games at this point. Likely just 3 or 4.

[satyr9]

I wonder if they will broadcast more games this year on TV? I think they will.

I thought the same thing too until the NHL decided to settle.

I doubt we see more than 5 games at this point. Likely just 3 or 4.

I think it's a fairly deliberate decision to not broadcast the majority of ST games. If you're Rogers you do not want to give potential newcomer bandwagon fans a chance to burn out watching a dozen ST games. They'll whet your beak with a couple weekend day games and a preamble to the season game, but they want the initial fan surge to happen when the season starts.

Once you're the Yankees or Leafs and fan support is secured, you wring every last dollar you can out of meaningless stuff, but until then you don't want to give too many opportunities for potential revenue to disappear 'cause someone got bored watching Yohan Pino pitch two innings against the guys who will make up the roster of the 2013 Altoona Curve.

[LittleOzzy]

Gibbons, Blue Jays eager to get to Spring Training

John Gibbons could not have asked for a better situation to have returned to.

After serving his first Major League managing stint with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2004-2008, Gibbons is back with the team, hired once again to manage the Jays last November.

Since then he has been handed a roster through a series of trades and free agent signings that would have any manager salivating.

The biggest deal came right before Gibbons came back on board as Toronto completed a major deal with the Miami Marlins, bringing in pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, shortstop José Reyes and utility man Emilio Bonifacio.

The Jays followed that up with another massive acquisition in December as they landed National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey in a trade with the New York Mets.

Add free-agent singings Maicer Izturis and Melky Cabrera and trades for pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Esmil Rogers, among other moves, and suddenly the Blue Jays were being touted as World Series favourites by many professional prognosticators.

Not a bad way at all for Gibbons to start his second stint in Toronto.

"Just to get another opportunity was great, but to see then put together the team they have, it's impressive," said Gibbons, who was in Edmonton on Saturday for the final stop on the Blue Jays Winter Tour, presented by TD, as they traveled through western Canada. "We've really beefed up this team and we like our chances. It's nice to manage a team that you feel you have a legitimate shot to have a successful season with. I'm very excited about it. We feel we have a team which can make a run at a World Series title. But you can talk all you want about how good we look on paper, that doesn't win you anything. We have to go out there and do it. But we feel really good going into Spring Training and expect this will be a big year. Everybody is expecting things from us now, and it is time to go out there and do it."

Gibbons said it is hard not to get excited when you look at the talent level on the Jays roster for the upcoming season.

"We have a very good lineup," he said. "There are really no holes, if you look at it honestly. We have great team speed and a lot of guys who can hit home runs. We should have a very good defensive team, and we've got a strong pitching staff. We really have everything you are looking for. Now we have to bring them together as a team, especially when you bring so many people in from the outside. A lot of guys came from Miami and had played together, but you still have to form a team and have them pushing in the right direction. If that all falls into place, good things can happen."

Gibbons credited Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos for giving the team such a competitive boost.

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/ar ... r&c_id=tor

[LittleOzzy]

Full squad reports in 30 days.

[Duffman100]

I'm making it to the mar 14,15,16 games, will post some pictures and updates while I'm there.

[satyr9]

Just because I seem to have taken complete ownership of the most recent posts, I have to say something here; I look forward to photoshopping Duffman images into all the pics you send upload. If he's a RH bat, he can platoon with Lind, as long as he shaves those sideburns.

[RyderMike]

Duffman images into all the pics you send upload. If he's a RH bat, he can platoon with Lind, as long as he shaves those sideburns.

Is Mr. Burns our manager now

[flatjacket1]

I'm making it to the mar 14,15,16 games, will post some pictures and updates while I'm there.

I'm going to 5 games. Will do the same.

[N31L]

I'd really like to go, but sadly, I'm not. So excited though. Hopefully they have a bunch on TV.

[flatjacket1]

I'd really like to go, but sadly, I'm not. So excited though. Hopefully they have a bunch on TV.

Spring training sucks in that sense. All you get is stat lines, they should televise way more games tbh.

[Wo1verine]

I'd really like to go, but sadly, I'm not. So excited though. Hopefully they have a bunch on TV.

Spring training sucks in that sense. All you get is stat lines, they should televise way more games tbh.

Indeed. I mean, Sn1 would actually be put to use

[baulderdash77]

Despite the off season being so eventful there are still some key match ups to be decided this spring training before the roster is set.

1. 2nd Base. Bonifacio or Izturis The most interesting battle in camp and it could go either way. Izturis is more solid defensively but Bonifacio can be electric offensively.

2. Backup C. Thole vs Blanco. This looked decided until we just signed Blanco. AA has said he could see Blanco winning it but we'll have to see.

3. DH Spot. Lind vs Cooper. It's Lind's spot to lose and he's lost it before. This is the last chance to rebound for Lind. If Lind has a bad camp don't be surprised to see him sent down through waivers again. Remember he's only here because nobody in all of MLB would take him last year.

4. 4th Bench Spot. ? AA was on the radio last week and said that he could still make a move for a 25th man. There's no obvious player for this spot right now. You'd have to call it a 3 person race between Cooper, Sierra and Gose right now but it really could go any way.

5. Bottom of the Bullpen. Right now we expect that Janssen, Santos, Oliver, Happ, Lincoln & Delebar have spots. Lincoln & Delebar are projections and not guaranteed b/c they have options. However competing for that last spot is Cecil, Jenkins, Rogers, Loup & Jeffress in what will be the most competitive race in a while for a bullpen spot.

[HangTime]

Afte his suspension is over, how long do you think it'll be before we see Stroman with the Jays.

Is he allowed to attend spring training?

[baulderdash77]

I think last year when we were so depleted it was certain that Stroman would have been called up; but we're a lot deeper right now than we were then.

I'm sure we'll see Stroman up this season at some point especially b/c the bullpen can be so volitile. The earliest I think it would be is June unless there's a lot of injuries.

[9er_4life]

^ I'd actually really like to see them give Stroman a shot at starting again. He might still end up a closer-type, but stretching him out (and giving him more innings) could hasten his development and let them see if he has the potential to be a 2-3 starter. His success as a starting prospect could soften the blow of trading so many starting prospects the past year. They also seem to have more than enough bullpen depth this year without him.

[LittleOzzy]

1 Month until the first game!

[akakalakin]

whats up with Perez?