4:00 PM Eastern
I was surprised enough that the Jays got their game in against the Rays yesterday amid the threatening conditions, but there seemed no way that they’d be able to play today. It was pouring when I got up, pouring when I got to the ballpark, and pouring when I did a hit with Mike Hogan at about 10:30. But at about 11:15, the rain stopped and the sky brightened.
Even though the bullpens were flooded, the field has really good drainage and there was very little standing water on the warning track. The tarp came off and it appeared as though the optimism on the part of the Jays’ P.R. staff that I had earlier mocked might not have been so badly misplaced. Until about five minutes to one. Then it got ridiculous again and they finally called the whole thing off just before the rescheduled 1:30 start time.
Brian Tallet, who was scheduled to start (in order to line him up in the 5th starter’s spot, for the April 11th start at Baltimore), went under cover and threw a simulated game to get his innings in.
So, in an overall sense, not much got accomplished today.
Yesterday, though, Shaun Marcum was brilliant again in throwing three innings of one-hit shutout at the Rays. No one seems surprised with how comfortable Marcum looks, but pitching coach Bruce Walton told me that he’s surprised at how good Marcum’s command has been so early on. The man they call “Pappy” says that there are two things for which one looks from a pitcher who is coming back from serious injury – the first is the arm. The angle, the release point, how the ball is coming out, whether he can repeat his delivery. The second is command. Marcum has passed both those tests with flying colours.
I also spoke to Joey Gathright yesterday, and he told me that he’d had a talk with Cito Gaston about what he’d have to do to make the team. He was reluctant to share details, but he said that if he has the spring he should have, he’ll be there. For that reason, and just the general sense I’m getting around camp, I’m thinking that the plan may very well be to have Gathright be the left fielder and (hopefully) ninth-place hitter, at least to start the season, while Travis Snider goes back down to AAA to tear it up.
I would love to see Snider in the line-up everyday, in a position of importance, with a chance to make a difference. But if he’s only going to play against righties and bat 9th when he does, I’d rather he be in Vegas and Gathright be up with the big club.
Something else interesting came out of that conversation with Gathright, too. He said that last year, he finally realized what kind of hitter he is, that he just has to get on base in order to be effective. He’s now really trying to use the bunt as a weapon, and says he might try to bunt for a hit twice a game once the season starts. He has been trying to bunt for hits almost that often so far in the Grapefruit schedule, but still has to refine his ability. He gets it past the pitcher, which is great, but often bunts it too hard past the pitcher, and the second baseman has been able to throw him out.
Wandering around the clubhouse as we worked our way towards the inevitable rainout today, I talked to Mike McCoy and Brett Wallace in order to set up interviews that we’ll use this weekend during the broadcasts. I have loved Wallace’s swing – his bat speed is tremendous – though he hasn’t had much success yet this spring. McCoy is a guy who values on-base and who has great speed. He thinks that if he plays his game he could eventually work his way into the line-up at shortstop, and so do I.
The thing that sucks the most about today’s rainout is that I was going to get the opportunity to call four innings, and it was more than likely my last play-by-play opportunity of the year. It’s the last mlb.com game for which I’ll be down here, and I was really looking forward to it.
I’ll take my more-familiar spot next to Jerry and Alan for the weekend over-the-air games against the Braves – they’re playing a home-and-home starting with tomorrow’s affair at Disneyworld. The JaysTalk will be back this weekend, as well. Saturday’s edition might be quick, because of the Marlies game, but Sunday’s will be at least a full hour long, so get those dialing fingers ready. We JaysTalked it up last weekend, too, though I don’t know how many people knew it was happening Sunday because we joined in progress after the Raptors’ game and stuff, so it wasn’t all that busy. Here, however, for your listening pleasure, is last Saturday’s edition of The JaysTalk:
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Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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“I got to the ballpark, and pouring when I did a hit with Mike Hogan”
did a hit with hogan eh?
- slobberfacesome of that sticky-icky!
Mike….Shortly after the Morrow/League trade, they showed Morrows’ one-hitter last year (as a Mariner) on one of the baseball websites..The batters were really having poor swings at his stuff. Granted it was the 2009 A’s and not the ’27 Yankees, but MLB hitters nevertheless. Did you ever see those clips from that strong outing Mike?
MW: No.
- chris m.It is hard to find the comments and discussion for your blog postings. I would like to read and even contriblute to them. How do we do this? Should I click that tiny little link at the bottom called RSS 2.0 feed?
Please give instructions on how to post and read comments.
MW: Didn’t you just post a comment? How did you get this on here?
- Allan BitzOK…that seems to have worked.
NOW…my question. I’ve been looking at the odds in Vegas and offshore sports books on the # of games the Jays should win this year. I am blown away.
The # of winds they expect is about 70½. At one major sports book they are giving odds of +116 for over 71 games won. This means that you get $116 for every $100 you bet if the Jays win over 71 games. Crap! As a fan I am wondering if the Jays are that bad this year or if there are factors they are missing. Lets call the “South of the Border Biases”.
What do you think? Is around 71 games won this year all we can expect, realistically?
MW: No. I think you can expect more.
- Allan BitzHey Mike! You have said you stay away from fantasy baseball for many reasons, but also said you play baseball simulation games. What would you say is the best simulation game that you have played?
MW: Dynasty League Baseball, for sure.
- Raj JaisinghNice to hear your voice again, Mr. Wilner. Have a great year!
MW: Thank you!
- Matt McLeanHey Mike,
I’m liking what I read and see in the boxscores so far. Seems to me the Jays pitching will be able to compete, I think they are back to (like always) needing that timely production from the corner infielders and center. I see lots of talk about Snider sticking and playing left, but I am wondering if they might look at keeping Lind in left and having Ruiz’ bat in the lineup as well- he seems to be gettin’ it done offensively more consistenly than any of Snider, Gathright or Jeremy Reed.
MW: Please don’t tell me you’re lending any weight to spring training stats.
- CurtisMW: You’re right, there’s no one on the major-league roster holding Arencibia back, but to say that he fared okay in AAA last year just isn’t true. He had a terrible year.
——–
I appriciate that you take the time to respond to all of us, but I think this is a result of you being too tired to put thought into my comment..
A catcher who OPS’s 730 faired better than terrible… My guess would be thats probably above average for a major league catcher, or at least around there.. And considering it was his first year at AAA at the age of 23, I think we can say he did okay…
MW: I don’t think we can. I mean, maybe you can. I appreciate your trying to rationalize my disagreeing with you, though. The fact is that the Pacific Coast League is overwhelmingly a hitters’ league and J.P. Arencibia hit .236 with a .284 on-base percentage. Without putting too fine a point on it, those numbers are horrendous. Yes, he slugged .444, which salvaged his OPS a little bit, and his isolated slugging is very impressive, but he wasn’t okay this year.
- Stevie H.Hey Mike, what does Mccoy’s defense at shortstop look like? His hitting would play up big time if he were even an average defender at ss.
MW: That’s what I have been trying to figure out down here. I haven’t seen him play enough, but I’m paying attention today!
- JoeI have to ask, Mike, is Encarnacion worth anything on the trade market? Or would it be better just to cut him loose and play Bautista at 5 and Snider at 9?
MW: Excellent use of numbers, but people don’t actually talk that way in real conversation. Encarnacion has value as the Blue Jays’ starting third baseman, I think.
- Sam McLeanA general sports question that does include baseball Mike if that’s okay. In baseball, fans are encouraged to make noise and distract the visiting team, especially in the bottom of the ninth, when the closer’s trying to finish off your team…In football that same noise is asked for by scoreboards or PA guys to throw off the visiting teams QB and his snap count..In basketball, they hand out thunder-sticks to bug the free-throw shooters from the visiting team..(Some idiots go too far like the nut-case who shone the laser at Miika Kiprusoff of the Flames which could be physically harmful and never condoned, obviously)…But if you cough, sneeze, whisper or utter a sound at The Masters when a guy is putting or driving, 5 sheriffs who would make John Daly look trim, will handcuff you and take you away..Same at Wimbledon…Is it a concentration thing?..Suppose you’re rooting for Mike Weir and not Ernie Els?.. or Roger Federer, not Rafael Nadal? …if it is a concentration thing, I can’t think of a harder think to concentrate on then a basketball hoop or a small “Rickey Henderson type” strike zone with an NBA title or World Series (see Mitch Williams) on the line…The rubber stamp, party-line answer to this question when I’ve asked friends and colleagues is usually “tradition” or the cop-out “apples and oranges” line, but Mike hopefully you can add to it with your sporting acumen?
MW: Golfers and tennis players are spoiled? I mean, I would think that’s it, no? It’s a lot tougher to hit a ball that’s coming at you at 90+ miles an hour than to hit one that’s just sitting there on the ground.
- chris m.I like your reasoning on Snider, Mike. He is only 22, and IMHO,he knows what he has to work on now. I would rather see him work on this in AAA rather than the bigs, where he won’t be dealing with the frustration that he was last year. Because a power bat depends more on timing, and out-guessing pitchers, they tend to take more time to develop, and Snider has that time.
MW: I’m not sure that’s my reasoning. I think Snider should be on the big club.
- George NormanHi Mike, Always admired your work starting with your time with the Welland Pirates. During the winter there was a bit of a buzz related to the Jays courting Cuban born 1B Jose Julio Ruiz. That seems to have diminished recently. What’s the latest in the Jays’ interest in Ruiz and how does he fit in an Overbay/Wallace immediate and future 1B scenario?
Thanks, Michael from Welland
MW: Nobody admired my work with the Welland Pirates – nice try. I haven’t heard anything about Ruiz in a couple of weeks, which probably means that something is going on. Last I heard, though, he could play multiple positions and could wind up being a fine corner outfielder.
- Michael ChupikMike.
Is that park at Disney World the same park the Jays were swept badly by the Rays 2 years ago?
I believe the Marlies play this evening so will there be a full Jays Talk? Speaking of, I want to call the Jays Talk, but just haven’t had the chance yet. I’m hoping this weekend Mike. I’ve waited all winter for it.
Peter, St.Catharines
MW: Yes, it’s the same park. I think we’ll have an edition of The JaysTalk both weekend days – definitely a long one on Sunday.
- PeterHi Mike; I have pretty much lost touch with Canada’s baseball team since i moved to New Brunswick. I thought I would be able to follow them via the fan over the web. Then I find out that blackout restrictions prevent this from happening. I cannot believe that the entire country is unable to listen on the internet. I am a thousand miles from the park. Does this make any sense to prevent me from listening ? I e-mailed the Jays website and received no reply. I am not much on conspiracy theories but is this not the same marketing plan that eroded Montreals fanbase. I grew up listening to Blue Jay broadcasts now they are a rare occurrance even though our local station is in the rogers communication family. Losing my religion in the middle of nowhere ( well no quite the the middle but u can see it from the porch)lol Thank you for the excellent blog and I forgive you for being a JP backer. I am sure you were coerced or threatened lol Keep up the great work
MW: Sad, your last sentence. Also sad that you think it’s a Blue Jays decision to not allow you to listen online. All baseball broadcasts on the internet fall under the purview of Major League Baseball. You can listen to every game if you cough up $15 to MLB.
- mikeGHey Mike,
So with all this young talent the Jays have, who do you think the Jays will call up during the season? And I dont mean call up cause of injury or anything of that sort but to be called up to become a part of the Jays for good..
Just quick question… Why didnt Zach Stewart didnt get the invite to camp?
MW: It depends on how the season goes in the bigs and how things go down below. I think the Jays would love for Kyle Drabek, J.P. Arencibia and Brett Wallace to earn a major-league look this year. Stewart was invited to big-league camp, he was sent out this week.
- EddieHi Mike,
Just wondering your thoughts on the Jays new pitching coach. By all accounts he is a great guy but given the state (i.e. young, hurt) of the Jays pitching corps I’m thinking that a more experienced hand would be called for. I know Bruce Walton (sorry if I got his name wrong) has been around for awhile but its one thing to be a bullpen coach and another to be 2IC of a Major League pitching staff. Your thoughts?
RM
MW: My first thought is that I don’t know what 2IC means. My next is that I only see one hurt guy on the staff, and that’s Jesse Litsch, so I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. I think Walton will be a fine pitching coach, he has a great rapport with the players and he knows pitching.
- RonMike
When Roy Halladay gets into the Hall of Fame, which cap do you seem him wearing?
Jays or Phils?
MW: It depends on how many World Series he wins with the Phillies and whether he comes back to the Jays to end his career.
- KelvinWith Brad Emaus playing mostly at third base this spring and with I believe no errors could the Jays possibly be grooming him to be our future 3B man. I would love to see him at the hot corner in a couple years with Wallace on the other side.
MW: He’s going to have to rebound from what was a pretty bad year at AA in 2009, but with Aaron Hill locked up for a while, it seems third would be the place for Emaus to be in the future.
- JaysonHey mike,
Alex Gonzalez. He’s pretty darn good defensively….but his knees are said to be wearing down. With the hometown turf, does he play as much as Scutero did last year? Does John MacDonald get into more games this year?
MW: I’m not so sure that Gonzalez is all that darn good defensively. I do think that McDonald will get into many more games this year than he did last.
- ScottyHBO ran the movie “61″ and I finally got to see the inside story of the Maris season in 1961. Ok well at least Billy Crystal’s version. I knew he had a tough time since he was chasing the Babe’s record, but man I didn’t realize it was that bad.
I thought it was a great baseball movie. Excellent pre-season choice.
I’m not sure if you saw it or what you thought of the movie. Did you know a former Blue Jay makes a cameo appearance ? Can you name this pitcher without using either a computer or your free Internets ?
MW: I saw the movie – it’s actually 61* – a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it. I don’t remember an ex-Jay making a cameo appearance, though. Was it Roger Clemens or some such?
- RezMike, I have to ask: In his review of Friday’s rain day, did Cito say “we were rained out as a team”?
MW: No, he didn’t. He hasn’t used that line yet this spring.
- NormRe: the ex-Jay in 61*. If I remember correctly, it was Tom Candiotti as Hoyt Wilhelm. Great movie, but the Mark McGwire bookends have made it a little awkward, in retrospect.
- AdamHi Mike,
Thanks for the response. Glad to see your confidence in Bruce Walton. 2IC = 2nd in command, by the way. Also my definition of “hurt” is players who has lost significant recent time to injury. By that definition “hurt” would include key members of the satff like Marcum, McGowan, Janssen. Didn’t Morrow miss time last year (though not arm, as I recall. Plus there are probly a few of the new guys AA has brought in that would fall in this category too.
Ron
MW: You and I have different definitions of hurt. Mine is players who are actually hurt.
- Ronre posts 21 & 23 it was Tom Candiotti indeed. Althought a really short appearance, it was a significant part of the story.
Baltimore brought in Wilhelm to face Maris on his final at-bat in his 154th game of the season. Maris was sitting tied with Babe Ruth and it was his last chance to beat Ruth’s record without the * since Ruth’s seasons were shorter. Wilhelm was a knuckleballer so I suppose that’s why Tom C got the part.
I love the line in the movie when the coach hands Wilhelm the ball. He tells him “if you throw Maris a fastball I’ll fine you $5,000″.
MW: Too bad Cito didn’t say the same thing to Candiotti (changing Maris to the Twins and fastball to curveball) about Game 1 of the 1991 ALCS.
- RezHi Mike,
Just a quick word of advice for your poster from New Brunswick complaining about not being able to listen to the games and to Jays talk because of internet blackouts… I also live in NB and am able to follow the Fan on TV… if you subscribe to either of the major digital TV subscribers you get a channel that is the FAN. Anyway, I guess if you have the TV package you could always just watch the game but its great to have the channel for Jays Talk. Also, the local news radio stations owned by Rogers usually broadcast the games. All this to say that just because you live in NB is no excuse to lose touch with the Jays! Looking forward to the season!
Adrian
MW: It’s true, I had forgotten about that. You can listen to us on your TV!
- Adrian