that is one of the strangest calls I have ever seen. When Bautista was hit by a pitch. I was confused if he were saying it hit the bat or he didn't try to get out of the way. I thought the ump was saying that it was a foul ball and it hit the bat. Very strange...
I'm glad the ump consulted with the other umps there. That should be done more often. Especially if more instant replay isn't going to be incorporated.
It's really good to see Escobar having good at-bats lately. Now all that's missing is the 3-run HRs from Bautista.
If Vlad was being brought into the big league roster then this would be a serious bang your head on the wall signing.
But like Q said I highly doubt that we see Vlad put on the Jays uni. He's going to extended spring training and then probably to AAA, if he shows he has anything. So even if he does prove enough, he wouldn't make the bigs until probably August at the earliest.
If Vlad was being brought into the big league roster then this would be a serious bang your head on the wall signing.
But like Q said I highly doubt that we see Vlad put on the Jays uni. He's going to extended spring training and then probably to AAA, if he shows he has anything. So even if he does prove enough, he wouldn't make the bigs until probably August at the earliest.
Vlad will be on this team before July. This team is hitting 238, right at the bottom of the AL. Vlad hit 291 last year.
There is no question that he is worth 1.3 million at the end of the bench. He is a hall of famer who had 35 hrs 2 years ago.
I know everyone loves Ben Francisco, but Vlad is a slight upgrade. Even as a pinch-hitter when a lefty is brought in, or to platoon.
In anticipation of possible midseason trades, the Blue Jays have asked the Phillies about left-hander Cole Hamels and center fielder Shane Victorino, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Though GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said the Phillies could become sellers and Hamels and Victorino are on track for free agency this offseason, no deal is close or likely.
....
Meanwhile, Amaro told Rosenthal that he needs to be mindful of the Phillies’ short and long-term goals.
“I can’t shut any doors down,” he said, without addressing specific trade scenarios. “You try to be creative. And there are a lot of creative GMs out there who have different goals.”
No need for Victorino. If the Jays want Hamels then why don't they just sign him in the offseason instead of giving up something of value for a rental? This would go against everything that the Jays have done with their long-term vision recently.
Ken Rosenthal is generally a very good reporter when it comes to breaking stories. I don't buy the Jays being interested in renting Hamels though.
...The Jays rank high in errors and low in fielding percentage. But their defence is responsible for almost four of their first 16 wins because of the number of runs it "saved" from scoring, according to a company that pioneered defensive metrics.
Through May 3, Toronto led the majors with 37 Defensive Runs Saved, a metric invented by Baseball Info Solutions (BSI), publisher of The Fielding Bible.
Rule of thumb: 10 runs saved is roughly equivalent to one win, says company founder John Dewan.
Using that guideline, Brett Lawrie is responsible for a win all by himself, without even picking up a bat. Lawrie leads all third basemen with 12 runs saved. Last season, in just 43 games, his defence saved 14 runs, according to the DSR findings.
Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay led all third basemen last year with 22 runs saved.
"Lawrie's on pace to destroy that. He's on a fantastic pace," said Ben Jedlovic, a BSI research analyst, whose recent article for ESPN.com focused on the Jays' defence.
"What it comes down to with Lawrie - and part of this is due to some very optimal positioning by the Blue Jays - is that he's making plays in places where very few third basemen are making those plays," Jedlovic said in a telephone interview.
Put simply, the Defensive Runs Saved stat indicates the number of runs a player saves on defence compared to an average player at his position.
Players get extra credit for exceptional plays and lose points for errors and other plays they should have made.
Defensive metrics remain somewhat controversial, and according to some critics, unreliable, in part because the process begins with human observation rather than objective facts.
If a batter gets three hits in 10 at-bats, his batting average is inarguably .300. If Lawrie makes a play that most third baseman do not make, BSI awards him a numerical credit based on an eight-part formula that includes where the ball went and how hard it was hit.
Quote:
BSI's video scouts watch every pitch of every game - live and using replay when needed - and assign values to defensive plays. The next day, staff review each game (sometimes twice) to collect more data and double-check the earlier findings.
An average player earns a DSR rating of zero. BSI says a +10 is "great" and a +15 is worthy of a Gold Glove. On the other side, a -10 is "poor" and a -15 is "awful."
So far, two other Blue Jays' infielders - shortstop Yunel Escobar and second baseman Kelly Johnson - have joined Lawrie as DSR leaders at their positions.
Escobar has saved seven runs and Johnson six, according to the BSI stats.
Colby Rasmus leads all centre-fielders with seven runs saved.
Jedlovic said Johnson has taken a step up after compiling a -3 rating over the past three seasons. BSI's metrics have always rated Escobar as an above average but flawed shortstop, he added.
"He's got a good plus-minus score - 28 over the last three years," Jedlovic said.
"He's been good on double plays as well. But he makes a lot of what we call defensive misplays - little plays that cost a base or cost a run here and there, like not handling throws from other fielders, little things that add up. But range-wise, we have him as one of the best shortstops in baseball the last few years."
While many fans regard Jose Bautista as an elite rightfielder, the DSR ratings say he is slightly below average. This year he has earned a -3. Last year he wore a -7.
"His range is actually pretty bad," Jedlovic said. "It's among the worst in baseball for right-fielders the last few years. But his arm and ability to throw out runners and prevent them from taking the extra base, that's what saved him almost as many runs as he's lost with his range."
A significant factor in the Jays' top DSR rating is their frequent use of an over-shift against notorious pull hitters...
...Another respected defensive metric - Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) - also uses BSI's data but does not give credit for runs saved by shifts.
Jedlovic said some defensive experts believe good coaching and strategy are more responsible for runs saved by shifts than player performance. But BSI believes in crediting the player.
"We've elected to leave it in there because it shows that when guys are shifting, they're saving runs for their team," he said.
Jedlovic acknowledged that DSR is better at logging what has happened than projecting whether a current trend will continue. But he does not think Lawrie's play is a coincidence.
"A guy like Lawrie, playing this extremely well, that's remarkable," he said.
"Chances are, there's something there. It's not entirely a fluke. It was in the sample last year and he's repeating it this year."
* Some of BSI's defensive data, including far more than covered in this article, are available online at Fangraphs. com.
*BSI's website is at Baseballinfosolutions.com.
I hate Cole Hamels, doesn't seem like he'd fit in, HE'S A F@G.
BRING BACK DOC.
Those sound like totally rational reasons to not bring in a 28 year old hard throwing lefty with a career ERA of 3.36, FIP of 3.59 who strikes out 8.5 players per game.
No need for Victorino. If the Jays want Hamels then why don't they just sign him in the offseason instead of giving up something of value for a rental? This would go against everything that the Jays have done with their long-term vision recently.
Ken Rosenthal is generally a very good reporter when it comes to breaking stories. I don't buy the Jays being interested in renting Hamels though.
I'd think the trade would be predicated on Hamels coming to an agreement on an extension with the Jays. If it were to happen, it'd be because AA doesn't think they have a shot in hell of landing Hamels if he gets to free agency (read: Helllooooo Dodgers!)
I'd think the trade would be predicated on Hamels coming to an agreement on an extension with the Jays. If it were to happen, it'd be because AA doesn't think they have a shot in hell of landing Hamels if he gets to free agency (read: Helllooooo Dodgers!)
And for that exact reason, I don't see any reason why Hamels would ever agree to an extension now. Other than him and Greinke, who are the big name free agents coming up? I assume he'd get more on the open market than negotiating only with the Jays right now. Plus he'd get to actually choose where he goes to.
Re: Toronto Blue Jays 2012 Season Thread
