General Blue Jays Thread

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Bird’s Eye View: Everything isn’t ‘fine’ with Jays, Atkins speaks, prospecting – The Athletic

Atkins speaks

Jays GM Ross Atkins spoke with reporters earlier this week, and while there was nothing especially revelatory in what he said, there were a couple of quotes I think deserve attention.

On winning:

“One of the hardest things, we talk about it often, is going from a competitive team to a winning team. We’re confident that that’s going to happen, it’s hard to put a hard timeline on it.”

If I recall correctly, this was one of the reasons it seemed logical to keep around some of the Jays’ old guard of veterans — guys like Josh Donaldson or Marcus Stroman — rather than to fully tear down the team and go for a rebuild. Didn’t exactly work out that way, did it?

On the hitting struggles:

“I think it’s youth, is what we’re seeing. We knew that. We expected that there would be bumps. There were times last year where we saw our youth. One of the biggest differences in the major leagues — obviously talent is a big difference in the major leagues — but it’s also game-planning and the ability to really prepare for lineups and prepare for hitters, and hitters needing to make adjustments to that. So I think that will happen. Our hitters are talented and they’re going to make adjustments, and you’re seeing a time that, over the last 13 games, the pitchers have executed pretty well on us, we’ve faced some good pitching."

“Our hitters will adjust. They recognize that we’ve been a little bit too aggressive. It’s extremely subjective and probably too subjective to even say, but I’ll say it: I do think there’s a little bit of guys, just because they believe so much in one another and themselves, of trying to do too much. They’ll settle in. These guys have all done it in the minor leagues. Some of them have done it in the major leagues. We’re confident in the talent level, and most importantly we’re confident in their character and resilience.”

They clearly showed both talent and resilience on Wednesday night, at least at the plate.

On Vladimir Guerrero Jr.:

“Vladdy has not traditionally been a guy that has been as aggressive as he’s been or chased as much as he’s chased, and he’s put the ball in the air a good bit more. I think it’s back to the first thing that I mentioned. One of the biggest differences, not only is it talent and the power and the shape of pitches, it’s also the ability to consistently execute and game plan and prepare for different swings and approaches. And Vladdy will adjust. He has the innate ability to manipulate the bat and the bat path and to make consistent contact, and I think really the biggest factor — it’s not a significant fundamental adjustment, it’s not a significant mental adjustment — it really is, for him, to get more confident so that he is sticking to his plan and approach, and getting deeper into counts, and swinging at balls that he can drive in advantage counts"

“I think once that happens that talent level and that innate ability to hit, you’re going to see a different walk and strikeout line than we’re seeing right now for him. Or just the swing-and-miss line.”

It’s still very early to be worried about his future, but things have been awfully rough. Perhaps the home run on Wednesday will help him to turn it around.

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Pitching likely to be focus at deadline, with Blue Jays looking to add - Sportsnet.ca

TORONTO – Considering the 2020 season is just four weeks old, the Toronto Blue Jays have already experienced their share of disappointment. Between the lines, they’ve seen winnable games slip away too often and injuries to Ken Giles, Bo Bichette and Nate Pearson have weakened their roster. This is not the way the Blue Jays drew it up.

And yet, they’re undeniably a contender as the midpoint of the season approaches. In a year that eight teams per league make the playoffs, a team that hovers around .500 is absolutely in the mix – and potentially in the post-season. After two wins over the Phillies Thursday, the 12-11 Blue Jays took possession of the last playoff berth in the American League.

Jarring though it may be, that reality will inform the Blue Jays’ decision making in the 11 days remaining before the Aug. 31 trade deadline. They’re looking to add, according to general manager Ross Atkins, and have already started conversations with all 29 other teams. While deal-making will certainly be more difficult than usual this summer, Atkins expects to see plenty of trades before the end of the month.

“We’re going to be thinking about how do we make this group better? How do we add to it? How do we complement it?” Atkins said Thursday morning. “That doesn’t mean we won’t consider some level of subtraction. But if it is something, we’re thinking about making this foundation stronger for 2020 and 2021 and 2022.”

The Blue Jays will be open-minded to any player who makes the team better. But pitching, rather than hitting, will likely be the club’s focus. And, to be a little more precise, the Blue Jays would like to upgrade a rotation that’s now without Pearson.

“If I had to say just one (area), it would be starting pitching. If there’s ways to continue to build upon that depth, we will look to do that,” Atkins said. “Thinking about pitching and preventing runs is where the focus will be.”

Of course finding capable starting pitching will be easier said than done. Expanded playoffs means fewer teams than usual are clear sellers, which might limit the number of starters on the market. Those that are available may then become more expensive, forcing contenders to weigh the benefit of four or five starts against the cost in prospect capital.

Plus, assessing the value of prospects is especially difficult at a time that teams are isolated from one another. To some extent, teams are bridging that information gap by sharing video and data from their alternate training sites, but it doesn’t compare to the quality of scouting and statistical information available during a typical season. As such, Atkins believes we may see more “baseball deals” where clubs exchange players from their major-league rosters.

[SharoneWright]

This is NOW our time to get hot.

After this Tampa series, we see Boston, Baltimore, and Miami for the next 13 games. 7 of which are Boston. Very weak extended schedule coming up, and with Boston starting to unload assets.

Forget 6 in a row. Let's get another game or 2 against Tampa and aim for 18/19 of 21.

[polo007]

The method behind Jordan Romano's pre-pitch madness – Sportsnet.ca

The mental aspect of relief pitching is just as important as the physical. Every tendency and beat is part of a careful concentration routine intended to clear the mind, settle the heart rate and prepare the body to deliver the next pitch with maximum effectiveness and conviction. They aren’t ticks — they’re cues.

Do you often watch the Toronto Blue Jays? In that case, perhaps you’ve noticed the Jordan Romano wiggle as he looks in for a sign.

Or you’ve watched him perform a pre-pitch squat before he comes set and delivers.

Or you’ve seen the 27-year-old straight-up talking to himself on the mound.

Romano never did any of this stuff when he was a starter. Maybe he’d mutter something under his breath here and there. But now that he’s facing high-pressure situations as a reliever, he’s finding a lot more things to say.

All that talking is partly about blocking out any negative thoughts, partly about firing himself up to attack with his next pitch. The wiggle and the squat are purposeful, too. Romano picked up the latter one from watching teammate Ken Giles, who has a pair of squats in his methodical delivery — one before he gets the catcher’s sign and one after.

“I really feel like when I go down into that squat position and come back up, that’s me being ready to throw. It separates each pitch from one another. It really helps me lock in that pitch,” Romano says. “That’s something I wanted to be better at this year — making each individual pitch and not thinking about the last one as much.”

It’s all part of the more focused and dialled-in Romano Blue Jays fans — and even teammates like Bo Bichette — have seen this season. One who’s overhauled both his physical and mental approach to the game, pitched his way into the club’s eighth-inning set-up role and looked like a closer waiting for an opportunity.

“He’s a beast, man,” Bichette says. “The way he came to summer camp was unreal. His mentality — you could see it in his eyes. You could see it in the way he went about his business. I think that he’s going to be good for a long time.”

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[carnage24]

I like this pickup but... we have vladdy and tellez as our 1B. Both of which alternate as DH sometimes. Where does Vogelbach even fit

[Metallikid]

I swear to god the Blue Jays have had 3 seasons the last 30 years where the pitching and hitting did well together. We can't go a month without one of the two completely falling apart. This year it's been hitting struggles the first month now pitching struggles the second month.

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Mariners trade Daniel Vogelbach to Blue Jays for cash considerations | The Seattle Times

Mired in a prolonged slump dating back to late June of last season with minimal signs of improvement, and actually decreased production in the shortened 2020 season, Vogelbach became expendable. It forced the Mariners to make a decision on what they wanted to do with the roster spot and the designated hitter role moving forward in this rebuild process. The opportunity to get more prospects at-bats became more important than Vogelbach finding his way out of a slump and adjusting to the flaws that pitchers had exposed.

Vogelbach’s failures at the plate, particularly against left-handed pitchers, and his lack of another position besides DH produced a simple question with an obvious answer: Why would the Mariners continue to carry a slumping platoon designated hitter with no defensive value?

He came into Wednesday with a .094/.250/.226 slash line in 18 games and 64 plate appearances. He had just five hits — two homers, a double and three singles in 53 at-bats — with four RBI, 11 walks and 13 strikeouts.

“Vogey is kind of locked in (to one spot),” manager Scott Servais said in a video conference call Wednesday. “We tried to play him some at first base last year, not his strength. His strength is in the batter’s box and hopefully hitting it over the fence. He doesn’t bring a whole lot other than the bat. When the bat’s your big carrying tool, you have to hit. It’s a do-good league. Where we are at right now, we’re just going to give some of those at-bats and opportunities to some other players.”

The decision was made easier when Vogelbach showed up to summer camp after the baseball shutdown about 20 pounds heavier per Mariners sources. The organization was also frustrated by what it perceived to be a level of inactivity during the shutdown months, sapping his bat speed while his body was slow to react to daily baseball activity.

[Trilogy]

Vogelbach's a pretty nice get for just cash and the reasoning above for moving him isn't really that good. Giving up on a guy because he's been non-productive in just 64 PA's is kind of dumb. Coming back into camp out of shape isn't good but I'm personally a bit more forgivable for guys with that kind of thing with the pandemic going on.

He probably spells the end for Tellez eventually. He's just a more interesting 1B/DH guy. His profile as a batter is actually interestingly along the lines of Biggio. Very good plate discipline numbers and walks a ton but has some issues with making contact. Good power. That's the type of profile that could turn out very good with more seasoning. I am a sucker for guys with good plate discipline/walk numbers though.

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[Schad]

Vogelbach's a pretty nice get for just cash and the reasoning above for moving him isn't really that good. Giving up on a guy because he's been non-productive in just 64 PA's is kind of dumb. Coming back into camp out of shape isn't good but I'm personally a bit more forgivable for guys with that kind of thing with the pandemic going on.

He probably spells the end for Tellez eventually. He's just a more interesting 1B/DH guy. His profile as a batter is actually interestingly along the lines of Biggio. Very good plate discipline numbers and walks a ton but has some issues with making contact. Good power. That's the type of profile that could turn out very good with more seasoning. I am a sucker for guys with good plate discipline/walk numbers though.

I don't have a lot of faith in Vogelbach, because he's so very bad at so many things, but he's pre-arb and did hit 30 HRs with one of the best walk rates in baseball last year. Certainly falls into the "I don't see why not" category; we could do with some cheap bench power.

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[Raider917]

what kind of player could a guerrero trade get?