ESPN - JAYSON STARK
Jose Bautista is ready for face time
For just about everybody else on this "Who are these guys?" kind of roster -- for Travis Snider, for Octavio Dotel, for even the manager, John Farrell -- the Photo Day duties consisted of a pose here, a snap there and see ya later.
But not for Jose Bautista.
He stood. He kneeled. He swung the bat. He waggled the bat. He smiled. He glared. He did everything but pose for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover.
Jose Bautista is the face of the franchise, and as the face of the franchise you get your picture taken -- a lot. He stared into the camera for 15 minutes. And there's a good reason for that:
Jose Bautista is now the face of this franchise.
A year ago at this time, Bautista owned the same career OPS (.729) as Tony Graffanino. You could look it up. Then this man went out and thumped 54 homers, became the first American Leaguer to hit 50 since A-Rod (in 2007), won the Hank Aaron Award, even got a first-place MVP vote.
Turned out to be a life-changing event -- "in a million ways," Bautista said.
"If I was only worried about covering my own butt," Anthopoulos said, "the easy thing to do would have been to just say, 'Look, he's only done it a year. We need to see it again.' And that's very fair. And then, if we see it again … I could say, 'You know what? I can't blame myself for deciding to wait because that was the prudent thing to do.'
"And now, potentially, it's more years and more dollars than we want to spend … so we're going to let the player walk, and … everybody would completely understand. So if I was more worried about me, and the perception of me, and taking criticism, that would be the direction."
TORONTO STAR
Jays’ Francisco expected in 2nd week of spring training schedule
Blue Jays reliever Frank Francisco won’t appear in a spring training game until the second week of the schedule, but says that’s normal procedure for him at this time of the season.
“It’s nothing to worry about, it’s just me, how I start every year,” Francisco said.
The right hander, who is projected to be the Jays closer, is suffering from soreness in his shoulder. He was taken off bullpen sessions for a second straight day Tuesday, with no immediate timetable for a return to the mound.
In the meantime, Chad Corderro, who is in a battle for one of the bullpen spots, has also been taken off mound sessions.
And Travis Snider, who has yet to take batting practice in spring camp, is expected to hit off a batting T Friday.
EXAMINER.COM
The Blue Jays have too many quality relievers. Is that a problem?
The Toronto Blue Jays have been busy rebuilding their bullpen; Octavio Dotel, Frank Francisco, and Jon Rauch. With these three legitimate relievers, someone has to be the odd man out in the Jays pen.
That leaves one out of the following to make the opening day roster; Casey Janssen, Josh Roenicke, Robert Ray, Jo-Jo Reyes, Chad Cordero or Carlos Villanueva. And don’t forget Canadian, Scott Richmond and spot starter Brad Mills will stand their ground when the time comes.
Reports out of MLB.com suggest Janssen is the odd man out, which makes a lot of sense. The top five guys in the pen are the best right-handers the Jays have at this moment.
Norwich Bulletin
Baseball: Local big leaguers prepared for season
Eastern Connecticut may have more players than ever before affiliated with big league teams, which should make summers more exciting than ever.
Let’s not forget one of, if not the most revered local, John McDonald of the Toronto Blue Jays. McDonald will begin his 13th season in the majors after starring at East Lyme High School.
Speaking at the World Baseball Coaches Convention at Mohegan Sun last month, McDonald said he was ready to get going around Christmas. Now that the time has arrived, the anticipation and excitement of a summer filled with optimism is overflowing.
“I can’t get any more excited for it, because this is as excited as we get every year,” he said. “It’s already there, I’m amped up. I’m ready to go.”
Davis, McDonald’s friend and Blue Jays teammate, is in the best shape of his life and has designs for not only besting his 50 stolen bases from last season, but becoming the first man in over 20 years to swipe 100 bases.
“I’m focused on this season, I’m focused on how good our team is gong to be, how much better,” Davis said recently. “Just with me doing my homework and believing I’ve gotten better this offseason and bringing that mindset, mentality into camp, I believe it will rub off and I expect it to rub off. I just expect us to go out there and play as winners.”
MLB.COM
Plethora of relievers puts Janssen's job at risk
The club is currently faced with a heated competition for the final two spots in the bullpen. At least eight relievers are being considered for the jobs, and manager John Farrell conceded on Monday afternoon that who makes the team will be his most difficult decision in Dunedin.
"First and foremost, there's going to be competition here in camp, and that's only a healthy thing," Farrell said. "Guys are going to come in and they know what's at stake here, so that's going to bring out the best in each guy.
That leaves just two spots up for grabs, which will come from a group that includes Casey Janssen, Carlos Villanueva, Chad Cordero, David Purcey, Jesse Carlson and Jo-Jo Reyes. Potential starters such as Marc Rzepczynski and Scott Richmond could also enter the mix if they are unable to win a spot in the rotation.
Farrell said ideally the last two positions would be filled with a pitcher who can match up against left-handers and another reliever that has the ability to throw multiple innings.
One of Farrell's deciding factors could ultimately come down to which players are out of options. Left-handers Purcey and Reyes both fall into that category, and the club must find a spot for them on the 25-man roster or risk losing the pair through waivers.
"I can't be oblivious to see what additions that we have made," said Janssen, who went 5-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 2010. "I know I have an option. I'm sure Alex knows I have an option. Do I want to use it? No. Do I plan on using it? No. But it's my job in the spring to show them that I deserve to be here."
"Depth is great, but just to do it doesn't always make sense," said Janssen. "If I'm deserving to go to Triple-A, then you have to go, but at the same [time], I believe I'm a big leaguer and I believe I can get people out up there."
TORONTO SUN
Jays give Sierra a third (base) look
Two years ago in spring training young outfielder Moises Sierra, coming off a good year at Class A Lansing, impressed a lot of people not only with his bat but with his strong outfield arm.
That arm has led the club to experiment with Sierra at third base.
“It’s exploratory,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
