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Steelo Green · Post #41 » by **Steelo Green** » Fri Mar 3, 2017 10:50 pm

The spin job on Smoak is always fun. I will enjoy is usual below average year.

The_Hater · Post #42 » by **The_Hater** » Fri Mar 3, 2017 10:57 pm

RaptorsFTL wrote:The spin job on Smoak is always fun. I will enjoy is usual below average year.

I'm not sure how anyone could expect him to miraculously learn how to hit a curve ball. He's likely to get worse before he gets better as pitchers just throw him a higher percentage of junk.

Post #43 » by **JaysRule15** » Sat Mar 4, 2017 5:47 am

Yeah, I would totally give Lawrie a shot. Maybe getting cut is a wakeup call for him to get his head out of his a** and start utilizing his talents more effectively. Guys like Tulo and JD can also keep his ego and hyperactivity in check.

With Travis so injury-prone (this latest bone bruise injury has been bugging him for months now), I'd much rather have Lawrie on second base for an extended period than Goins or Barney. If Travis is healthy, Lawrie could be one of the bench infielders alongside one of Barney or Goins.

As for Smoak, I'm hoping April is enough is show everyone that it's the same old Smoak. If Tellez tears it up in the minors to start the season, I have no doubt he'll be up here before the all-star break.

vaff87 · Post #44 » by **vaff87** » Sat Mar 4, 2017 6:08 am

JaysRule15 wrote:Yeah, I would totally give Lawrie a shot. Maybe getting cut is a wakeup call for him to get his head out of his a** and start utilizing his talents more effectively. Guys like Tulo and JD can also keep his ego and hyperactivity in check.

With Travis so injury-prone (this latest bone bruise injury has been bugging him for months now), I'd much rather have Lawrie on second base for an extended period than Goins or Barney. If Travis is healthy, Lawrie could be one of the bench infielders alongside one of Barney or Goins.

As for Smoak, I'm hoping April is enough is show everyone that it's the same old Smoak. If Tellez tears it up in the minors to start the season, I have no doubt he'll be up here before the all-star break.

Lawrie actually wanted to be released, according to the wiretap.

DreamTeam09 · Post #45 » by **DreamTeam09** » Sat Mar 4, 2017 6:15 am

Can Lawrie play 1st?

Post #46 » by **JaysRule15** » Sat Mar 4, 2017 6:27 am

vaff87 wrote:
JaysRule15 wrote:Yeah, I would totally give Lawrie a shot. Maybe getting cut is a wakeup call for him to get his head out of his a** and start utilizing his talents more effectively. Guys like Tulo and JD can also keep his ego and hyperactivity in check.

With Travis so injury-prone (this latest bone bruise injury has been bugging him for months now), I'd much rather have Lawrie on second base for an extended period than Goins or Barney. If Travis is healthy, Lawrie could be one of the bench infielders alongside one of Barney or Goins.

As for Smoak, I'm hoping April is enough is show everyone that it's the same old Smoak. If Tellez tears it up in the minors to start the season, I have no doubt he'll be up here before the all-star break.

Lawrie actually wanted to be released, according to the wiretap.

Wow, just saw that. I wonder why he wanted to be released. Maybe he felt the White Sox weren't going to start him anymore.

polo007 · Post #47 » by **polo007** » Tue Mar 7, 2017 6:22 pm

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polo007 · Post #48 » by **polo007** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 5:55 pm

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Are you confident heading into this season?

I feel confident. I did not grow up as a confident person or a positive person. Even now — recently, the last couple years — it’s been hard for me to say freely, openly, that I am confident. But I’ve gotten better at that. At being able to say, “I am a good pitcher. I’m a really good pitcher. I’m one of the best pitchers in the world.” Now I can say it freely and believe it.

That’s huge.

I’m confident about my mindset and my mechanics and my pitches and my ability to be a better teammate in the future and grow and learn and improve. I believe I have a lot to still improve on, which I think is a good sign for my future. I’m excited about this next season and bothering my teammates for another year. [Laughs.]

Is the goal to start?

I’ve always enjoyed starting because I’m a routine-oriented person and I enjoy being able to plan out my workouts and my bullpens and my schedule. I always liked knowing when I was gonna pitch. I think the ultimate goal down the road would be to get the chance to start. I believe that I may be in the mix this year but I don’t really have huge expectations for that because of how good our starting rotation is already. I’m happy to just have a spot on the team. If I get the opportunity, I’d be excited about it. I would be excited to contribute on this team in any fashion whether that’s water boy or janitor or centre fielder.

What’s your best pitch?

Whatever works, I guess? I feel like my fastball is my best pitch because it has a little bit of sink on it. When I throw it low in the zone, I feel like it’s pretty effective. I would say last year the cutter, surprisingly, was one of my best pitches. I was lucky to have that because I was struggling with my changeup a little bit all season, which I’m working on now. My changeup used to be my main pitch. With improving my mechanics I had to readjust how I was wanting to throw that. But it was a little frustrating to be searching for it most of the year. For right now, my most effective is probably the cutter. The curveball is one that I save for important situations. I don’t want to take that one for granted either. I just basically named all of them for you.

The_Hater · Post #49 » by **The_Hater** » Wed Mar 8, 2017 9:06 pm

DreamTeam09 wrote:Can Lawrie play 1st?

Doesnt matter. He hits about the same as Smoak which is much worse than Pearce who should be getting most of the AB's.

Raps_Swingman · Post #50 » by **Raps_Swingman** » Thu Mar 9, 2017 5:18 pm

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/look-here-for-your-justin-smoak-optimism/

But anyway, I won’t waste your time. Justin Smoak is 30 years old. He’s coming off a 90 wRC+ and a WAR of -0.1. He already has seven seasons of big-league experience, and in precisely zero of those has he measured in at even one win above replacement.

Smoak’s exit-velocity numbers were quite good, and he didn’t struggle at all to generate lift. Maybe there’s just something about his approach that holds him back, but then, maybe he’s better than he looked.

Kind of interesting look at Smoak. He was a serious prospect coming out of high school who was probably rushed and never really learned how to hit. I'm not optimistic, but it's something to keep an eye on anyways.

polo007 · Post #51 » by **polo007** » Thu Mar 9, 2017 6:18 pm

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Skin Blues · Post #52 » by **Skin Blues** » Thu Mar 9, 2017 8:22 pm

So our starting LF against RHP has a career 79 wRC+ against them (71 wRC+ in 2016). For context, the worst starting LF in MLB last season (none other than Bossman Junior himself) had an 84 wRC+. There is no reason to have both Carrera and Upton on the roster. They each have the same "strengths" and weaknesses, and Upton bests Carrera in practically every category. I hope Pearce "factoring in" means he's playing LF unless his arm falls off, allowing Smoak and his 100 wRC+ to handle 1B vs RHP.

Raps_Swingman · Post #53 » by **Raps_Swingman** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:57 pm

Skin Blues wrote:So our starting LF against RHP has a career 79 wRC+ against them (71 wRC+ in 2016). For context, the worst starting LF in MLB last season (none other than Bossman Junior himself) had an 84 wRC+. There is no reason to have both Carrera and Upton on the roster. They each have the same "strengths" and weaknesses, and Upton bests Carrera in practically every category. I hope Pearce "factoring in" means he's playing LF unless his arm falls off, allowing Smoak and his 100 wRC+ to handle 1B vs RHP.

I think the WBC probably comes at a perfect time for Pompey. He looked really good in his first game and he's playing legitimate teams right now. If it was me, I'd run with him to start and see how he does. You know what Upton & Zeke are, why not see what the younger player has to offer.

Skin Blues · Post #54 » by **Skin Blues** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 2:17 pm

Raps_Swingman wrote:
Skin Blues wrote:So our starting LF against RHP has a career 79 wRC+ against them (71 wRC+ in 2016). For context, the worst starting LF in MLB last season (none other than Bossman Junior himself) had an 84 wRC+. There is no reason to have both Carrera and Upton on the roster. They each have the same "strengths" and weaknesses, and Upton bests Carrera in practically every category. I hope Pearce "factoring in" means he's playing LF unless his arm falls off, allowing Smoak and his 100 wRC+ to handle 1B vs RHP.

I think the WBC probably comes at a perfect time for Pompey. He looked really good in his first game and he's playing legitimate teams right now. If it was me, I'd run with him to start and see how he does. You know what Upton & Zeke are, why not see what the younger player has to offer.

Well, there are a few reasons why not to use Pompey. First, he's likely worse than both Upton and Carrera. Definitely worse vs RHP than at least Upton. And if he's not going to play every day in Toronto, he should be playing every day somewhere. We'd also need to clear roster space to bring him up, which means we probably lose somebody to waivers that we otherwise could have kept, or we send down a useful player like Biagini. Spring Training is the time to "see what the younger player has to offer" when it's a guy that's barely league average in AAA and has actually gotten worse during his age 23 season. We can't afford another month or two trial at the big league level unless he shows some real improvements.

The_Hater · Post #55 » by **The_Hater** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:14 pm

Raps_Swingman wrote:http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/look-here-for-your-justin-smoak-optimism/

But anyway, I won’t waste your time. Justin Smoak is 30 years old. He’s coming off a 90 wRC+ and a WAR of -0.1. He already has seven seasons of big-league experience, and in precisely zero of those has he measured in at even one win above replacement.

Smoak’s exit-velocity numbers were quite good, and he didn’t struggle at all to generate lift. Maybe there’s just something about his approach that holds him back, but then, maybe he’s better than he looked.

Kind of interesting look at Smoak. He was a serious prospect coming out of high school who was probably rushed and never really learned how to hit. I'm not optimistic, but it's something to keep an eye on anyways.

Perhaps this is true but it's more likely he never had the capacity to hit MLB pitching. He tore the cover off the ball in college and was a 1st round pick as a result. But some hitters, no matter how talented they look at the lower levels, will always have trouble with nasty MLB breaking stuff. It happens all the time. The only thing I expect to see is pitchers throwing him an even higher percentage of junk going forward.

Steelo Green · Post #56 » by **Steelo Green** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:55 pm

Raps_Swingman wrote:
Skin Blues wrote:So our starting LF against RHP has a career 79 wRC+ against them (71 wRC+ in 2016). For context, the worst starting LF in MLB last season (none other than Bossman Junior himself) had an 84 wRC+. There is no reason to have both Carrera and Upton on the roster. They each have the same "strengths" and weaknesses, and Upton bests Carrera in practically every category. I hope Pearce "factoring in" means he's playing LF unless his arm falls off, allowing Smoak and his 100 wRC+ to handle 1B vs RHP.

I think the WBC probably comes at a perfect time for Pompey. He looked really good in his first game and he's playing legitimate teams right now. If it was me, I'd run with him to start and see how he does. You know what Upton & Zeke are, why not see what the younger player has to offer.

Pompey might be one of those 4A players because of his inability to hit the ball at the big leagues. He might be passable with the fast stuff, but completely lost with anything slow.

Just a guy who may be too good for AAA but not good enough for the big times. Not surprising at all, more common than not. Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things in sport.

phillipmike · Post #57 » by **phillipmike** » Mon Mar 13, 2017 4:10 pm

Steve Phillips of TSN predicts the Jays to win the AL East with a record of 94-68.

http://www.tsn.ca/talent/pitching-will-carry-blue-jays-to-al-east-title-1.694961

And Jonah Keri remains underwhelmed.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/jonah-keris-spring-training-tour-blue-jays-fighting-war-to-compete-on-two-fronts/

polo007 · Post #58 » by **polo007** » Mon Mar 13, 2017 8:55 pm

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BigLeagueChew · Post #59 » by **BigLeagueChew** » Tue Mar 14, 2017 12:11 am

That was Smoak's approach his final year in Seattle, then the Jays went back to telling him to lift the ball more, now we're back to singles and line drives again.

Also hearing that JD and Travis will play their first games tomorrow.

Lateral Quicks · Post #60 » by **Lateral Quicks** » Tue Mar 14, 2017 1:55 am

BigLeagueChew wrote:That was Smoak's approach his final year in Seattle, then the Jays went back to telling him to lift the ball more, now we're back to singles and line drives again.

Also hearing that JD and Travis will play their first games tomorrow.

I'm open to anything at this point with Smoak. He desperately needs to make more contact. If he does that, he'll still get more than his share of home runs.