Five Thoughts On... The 2013 Toronto Blue Jays Competition

Over the next week, West Collier Street will be previewing the upcoming Toronto Blue Jays season in a feature called "Five Thoughts On..."

The last installment here will look at the competition the Blue Jays will face in trying to complete their dream season:


1. New York Yankees

Doubting the Yankees hasn't been this popular since Don Mattingly wouldn't trim his sideburns. Sure, they're missing their starting first baseman, shortstop, centrefielder and the highest paid player in the history of the sport, and sure they're relying on the likes of Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Juan Rivera, Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner to produce runs, and sure their shortstop is 38 years old, their right fielder 39 and their best relief pitcher 43, but these are the Yankees and... um... wow. That is sad.

Nope, I'm not buying it. The Yankees still worry me because throughout all these injuries their pitching staff has remained mostly intact. C.C. Sabathia is still monstrous, Hiroki Kuroda is still quietly excellent, Andy Pettitte can still put that put cut fastball wherever he wants and David Phelps is a guy who I think will really open some eyes this year. The fact is that the Yankees still possess a starting rotation good enough to keep them in games, and as long as that part of the team stays healthy I expect them to still be in the playoff mix come September.

2. Tampa Bay Rays

They lost B.J. Upton to free agency, but here's Desmond Jennings to replace him. They traded away James Shields, but good thing they still have David Price and Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson and, well it goes on. Tampa Bay is a team with such absurd minor league depth and if you're curious why look so further than the trade that sent Shields to Kansas City. The Rays got back an uberprospect in Wil Myers, a promising young arm in Jake Odorizzi, and a talented pitcher who has fallen from grace in Mike Montgomery. Not to say it's going to work out perfectly for the Rays (I sure as hell hope not) but these are the kind of moves they constantly pull off, and it seems there are more successes than failures. Also it's going to be very annoying if Kelly Johnson and or Yunel Escobar rediscover themselves this season for the Rays. Very annoying.

3. Boston Red Sox

It seems like the Red Sox plan this offseason was akin to a dart player grabbing ten darts and throwing them all at once at the board. A couple of them will probably hit the bullseye, but it's impossible (or at least extremely unlikely) that all of them land in the centre, and that's kinda what Boston is counting on. I mean sure, Jacoby Ellsbury could stay healthy and rediscover his 2011 form, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey could start pitching like it's 2010 again, but those are a lot of "coulds" and I'm getting very close to a run-on sentence here. The Red Sox offense likely will be dangerous (assuming good health, also a "could") but I really don't believe in that pitching staff, even with whatever magical pitching advice John Farrell was saving until his dream job became available.

4. Baltimore Orioles

There's just no way they can do that again. No way. I mean, last season they were like 1000 and 3 in one run games and 50-0 in extra innings and there's no chance they do that again. (I'm too lazy to look up the actual numbers) That being said, I still think this is a solid team, particularly in the bullpen, and there are enough interesting young players that could take a step forward. Guys like Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy sure look impressive, but I don't think this is the year they make a big impact. At the very least, the Orioles will be a tough opponent for our hometown heroes.

5. The American League West

If you look at the other American League divisions, the AL West certainly looks like where one (if not both) of the wildcard spots will be claimed. Much has been made of the Angels being a much improved team yet again, adding Josh Hamilton to an already formidable starting nine. The Rangers have lost some key players but still boast a deep lineup, strong starting pitching and a fertile farm system. The Oakland A's of course are the defending division champs, riding the emergence of several young arms they're certain to depend upon this season. Let's also not forget the factor of the Houston Astros joining this division, a team not likely to win more than a third of their games and thus adding a few more wins to each contending AL West foe. If the Blue Jays are fighting for a wildcard position down the stretch this season, one of these teams will be in that mix.

Thanks for reading my sorta kinda preview of the upcoming Blue Jays season. I'll have some more thoughts as the season goes but for now I have only one thing left to say: let's play ball!

      

Five Thoughts On... The 2013 Toronto Blue Jays Hitters

Over the next week, West Collier Street will be previewing the upcoming Toronto Blue Jays season in a feature called "Five Thoughts On..."

This, the second installment, looks at some of the hitters:


1. Jose Bautista

Man, hurting your wrist must suck. Seriously. If the injury is to your dominant hand, it would hurt to use a pen or play guitar or high five someone, or after you've looked at pictures in a magazine to... uh yes, back to baseball!
There's no denying the offensive force that Jose Bautista has been the past few seasons, but there is doubt about his future excellence because of the wrist injury he suffered last season. The wrist is a very delicate part of the body, with many fragile bones that once damaged may never heal properly. A good sign though is that Jose has been belting home runs again this spring. Sure, these might not be bombs off of the likes of Sabathia or Verlander but what's important is that the strength in his swing is still there to hit a pitched baseball that far. Even minor league pitchers still throw in the 80s and 90s, and for Jose to still have enough quickness (and hands are a huge part of that) to turn on these balls is a tremendously positive sign.
One more point I'd like to make is about what a smart baserunner Bautista is. He might not have speed like Reyes or even Melky Cabrera, but if you're a pitcher and you forget about him out there he will take that base from you. A great mix of aggressiveness and awareness.

2. Anthony Gose versus Colby Rasmus

Both players are enormous talents with perhaps larger flaws. Rasmus is incredibly inconsistent as we saw last year, going through stretches where he seems like the game's next great outfielder and other stretches where you wonder if he should seriously try curling instead. Gose is an electric player, possessing such incredible speed that once he gets on base you stop what you're doing, because you're likely going to see something amazing. Anthony's major flaw though is his difficulty making contact, and really at this stage if you gave him a full major league season he'd likely set the major league record for batter strikeouts, and it would be a very secure record. Yet many fans of the team prefer Gose over Rasmus and it's easy to see why: Gose still has that shiny prospect status that tends to cloud our judgement now and again, and he's such a dynamite defensive outfielder that people argue, correctly, he can help the big team now that way. With Rasmus, we think we know what he is and what he will be, but for Crying Out Lind the guy is only 26 years old, and many hitters haven't completely figured themselves out by then (see Bautista, J. and Encarnacion, E.) At this point in time I prefer Rasmus, though I do love Go-Go. (I really hope that nickname catches on) Both players have incredible potential, but Colby is more likely to fully unleash that potential (and thus help the team more) this season than Gose. Besides, the kid is only 22. What's the rush?

3. Adam Lind

I dunno. He had a great spring, but it's spring. He seems healthy, but he's seemed healthy at the start of every season. He can't hit a left-hander to save his life, but you know he's going to have to face more than a few this year. I'm probably wrong, but I think his back issues has been the poison to his swing. The team put the poor guy at a position he had never played professionally (First Base), and wanting to prove himself he pushed himself too hard to learn it. First base can be surprisingly harsh on the back, as you're constantly having to quickly bend down and stretch yourself out as far as you can. I've got no problem with him being on the team as long as they aren't throwing him out there against C.C. Sabathia in August.

4. Speed

Consider this possibility: the 2013 Blue Jays could have three 40+ base stealers this year. With good health, you have to assume Reyes and Bonifacio get there, the rest depends on how much Rajai Davis plays. Oh and that Gose guy will probably swipe a few bags at some point. As a pitcher in a hardball league I can tell you if given a choice between surrendering a home run to a slugger, or surrendering a station-to-station run to a speedster, I'll take the home run. A home run is quick and efficient: you have to stand around like an idiot while some jerk runs happily around you (I don't like giving up home runs), but it's over quickly and you move on to the next batter. With a speedster, once they get on base your whole approach to pitching changes. You start overthinking your delivery, knowing you've got to be quicker to home plate to try stopping this guy. Sometimes it's just an inevitability: the runner is so fast and so smart that he's going to find a way to get to second base and there's nothing you or your catcher can do about it. Speed is an invaluable distraction, at any level of baseball, and boy is it fun to watch if you're not the one on the pitcher's mound.

5. The Melkman

Melky Cabrera was the talk of baseball last season, for better or worse. His breakout season with the Giants was cut short and tainted by his positive elevated testosterone test and suddenly so much skepticism surrounded him. There were questions of whether his improvements the past couple of seasons were natural or enhanced by performance enhancing drugs. Once in line for a hefty payday, now any team that signed Cabrera would surely be in store for an unwanted media firestorm of questions upon questions and questions about the questions. Fortunately for Cabrera, the team he signed with happened to be the Blue Jays, who this passing offseason added so many high profile players that Melky wasn't the main focus of media attention. I feel like Cabrera has been the "Where's Waldo" of the 2013 Blue Jays offseason: he's there somewhere, and if you're looking for him you'll probably find him eventually, but there's so much else going on that it's easy to lose sight of him. As to what I think he'll do this year, I have no clue, (what am I, a psychic?) I will say though, performance enhancing drugs seem to give players a greater chance to succeed, without automatically guaranteeing success. The player must be the one to put the advantage to good use, for what that's worth.

That covers the hitters. In the last upcoming installment, the competition!

Five Thoughts On... The 2013 Toronto Blue Jays Pitchers

                                 


Over the next week, West Collier Street will be previewing the upcoming Toronto Blue Jays season in a feature called "Five Thoughts On..."

This, the first installment, looks at the pitching staff.


1. Ricky Romero

If you visit any Blue Jays baseball blog, the topic being constantly argued about these days is what to do with Romero. It seems to me though, and it hurts me to say this because I've always been a fan of his, that having Romero start the season in the rotation is likely to be a disaster. Confidence is so important as a pitcher, as you are throwing an object towards people who are trained and capable at hitting said object hundreds of feet away. You need to be focused and certain of your abilities, and yet understand that even at your best sometimes these sluggers will still get the best of you. Ricky cannot seem to remember that. Every time he pitches the slightest sign of imperfection, whether it be a leadoff walk or home run or wild pitch, he seems to completely lose himself both physically and mentally. He tries to overcompensate, get five outs with one pitch: he has to be perfect after all. No pitcher is perfect, not even a healthy Roy Halladay, and so flawlessness is an impossible standard to live up to. I believe Ricky Romero will rise again, I really do, but it will take a while and there must be signs of improvement along the way. Until then, a major league starting rotation is the worst place for him to rediscover his confidence.

2. The Running Game

The stolen base is an underrated weapon. Players who have that ability can turn leadoff singles or walks or whatever, into runs with just another single or a wild pitch or a sac fly or anything really. Offensively this will be a key for the Blue Jays this season, but it will also be a major factor for Toronto's own starting pitchers, as in their ability to neutralize the oppositions running game. RA Dickey is no slouch in this department, Remember his excellent pickoff move to nab a Dominican Republic baserunner in the WBC? Dickey has very quick feet (like Casey Janssen actually) a key component for right handed pitchers to hold baserunners at first. Brandon Morrow has also improved significantly in preventing stolen base attempts. (17 in 2010, 22 in 2011, only 5 in 2012). To my unprofessional eye, a simplified quick delivery to home plate has made a universe of difference for Morrow in this regard. That Buehrle guy seems to be good at it too.  

3. The Closer

There seems to be a fair amount of skepticism regarding Casey Janssen as the 9th inning man. Some folks clamour for Sergio Santos to close out games because he's got '"closer stuff", the evil slider and the upper 90's fastball which seem to excite people. Janssen doesn't have any of that, but I find him a joy to watch anyway. He seems to carve up the strikezone as he pitches, like a skilled chef in a kitchen full of cooked turkeys (Similes are not my strength.) Whether it be those precisely placed cutters or that slow curveball, Janssen can throw anything at any time, anywhere. Plus he does that twiddling his hands thing before every pitch, also cool.

4. The Forgotten Man

Remember that guy who, at the time of the Marlins trade, was considered the centrepiece of the deal? Remember that guy who's 28 years old, has a 56-37 career record, a 3.15 career ERA and is also a free agent at the end of the year? It seems that with Ricky Romero's growing malady, Mark Buehrle's saga for the dogs and the constant mystique of R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson has seemed almost an afterthought during spring training. Spring numbers mean nothing of course (though Johnson's look sick, wicked and nasty) and the two questions on JJ remain: How will be pitch in a new league during a contract year, and can he stay healthy? As a guess to the first question, I would say pretty well. He'll be facing a bunch of hitters who have ever seen him before and the advantage usually goes to the pitcher there. Second, I think questions of his health while valid, are overblown. Three of the last four years he's reached at least 180 innings, while only two Blue Jay pitchers did that last season and neither are on the big league team anymore.

5. Depth

With Ricky Romero optioned to Dunedin (just hours ago as I type this, in fact) the depth chart for Blue Jays starters doesn't look as strong with J.A. Happ now in the rotation. Guys like Justin Germano, Dave Bush and Ramon Ortiz certainly have plenty of previous experience as big league starters, but none of them are guys you'd want to see beyond a spot start or two. This is why I believe it's such a big year for the likes of Chad Jenkins and Deck McGuire. Both are high draft picks coming off very disappointing performances last year (though I thought Jenkins looked okay for the Jays last year, small sample size sure) but an opportunity might arise if one or both of them are pitching well and the big club needs somebody later in the season. Tall lefty Sean Nolin is another one to keep an eye on, possibly as a September callup if all goes well.

That does it for the pitching staff. In a few days, the hitters!

Grading Toronto LCBOs By Beer Selection

As some of you know, I'm a bit of a beer aficionado (or snob) and I can be very selective about the beers I choose to spend money on. For this reason, I've decided to compare some of Toronto's different LCBOs (what we call liquor stores, for those of you outside of Ontario) and see how they stack up in terms of variety, availability and other factors. School grades apply (A to F)

Here are a few LCBOs in no particular order.

Danforth/Greenwood

When I first moved to the east end of Toronto this past September, my first trip to this location was actually exciting. (Yeah, I have a problem) Seriously though, I was delighted to discover many of my personal favourites here: Denison's Weissbier, Muskoka Cream Ale and Weihenstephaner. Bizarrely, the once plentiful options at this store have dwindled over the past several months. They replaced Denison's with Miller Light (yep), and they're almost always out of anything that isn't sold at sporting events. The space inside is rather compact, so I can understand the limitations coming from that. I just wish Canadian didn't have it's own damn shelf.


Beer Grade: D+ 

Leaside

The beer section is buried in the corner (seems that's the case with most locations, now that I think about it) but once you find it you're not likely to be disappointed. Seasonal beers and local microbrews are well represented, it seems like they hardly run low on anything, and perhaps best of all most of it is on a refrigerated shelf. The only flaws might be that international beers could be better represented (or chilled), and also Leaside is damn hard to get to without a car or a good bicycle.

Beer Grade: A- (Denisons Weissbier +1 bonus point)

Coxwell/O'Connor

On the outside, it doesn't look like much. Actually it looks pretty bad, like the liquor store you imagine your neighbourhood hobo would go to after scrounging enough change for some Laker Ice. On the inside, it looks dated. Blank walls, old shelves and windows, the whole place feeling kind of boxy and square. The beer selection though is excellent. The rare but delicious Wellington Imperial Russian Stout is usually there, along with a solid assortment of Ontario's well known craft breweries. My only complaint (aside from the asthetics of the place) would be that many of the beers aren't cold, so you'd have to wait for a bit once you get home.

Beer Grade: B (Denisons Weissbier +1 bonus point)

East York Town Centre

Yeah it's in a mall, and a kind of bland outdated one at that, but come on. There is almost nothing here for somebody of discerning or even ordinary taste. It's small, cramped, and you can probably count the number of different beers they have before you even approach the shelf. At least there's bowling nearby.


Beer Grade: F
 

 
Summerhill

If you haven't been, go. If you have, go again.

Beer Grade: A+++ (Denisons Weissbier +1 bonus point)

5 A.M, Sunday Morning

Wilburn became tired of cruising internet videos and the social media updates of his friends, demonstrating his fatigue with an extended yawn. He had smartly changed into his pajamas some hours ago, but not feeling sleepy at that time he had continued watching episodes of television shows long ago forgotten by passing time and networks. Now the sky outside was calm, the trees steady against the young morning breeze, the streets empty aside from a raccoon sniffing ways to break into Mr. Yensoo's garbage bin. Wilburn shut his computer and lay his head to his pillow. Another day would soon be upon him, another day of possibilities and perhaps, unseen opportunity.