Ruiz, Bautista battling for playing time in Toronto
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, MLB,
It’s almost time for managers to select their 25-man rosters. We’re less than two weeks away from Opening Day, and still several teams have tough choices to make at various positions. The Toronto Blue Jays are no exception. In a season that many expect to be a write-off before the first pitch is thrown, the Jays have the opportunity to really test the depth of their organization. One such battle for playing time comes in the form of first baseman/designated hitter Randy Ruiz and third baseman/outfielder Jose Bautista.
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Marcum tasked with replacing Halladay
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
It was the audition that was Shaun Marcum’s to lose. Toronto’s new No. 1 pitcher is far from an ace, but to ask him to fill the shoes vacated by former Jays star Roy Halladay is asking far too much. Marcum came into training camp expected to be at the top of Toronto’s rotation, and so far he’s not disappointed the masses with his solid outings, and has been rewarded with the first Opening Day assignment of his career.
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Lee was part of the trade, too
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB, Trades,
Cliff Lee has been traded. Everybody knows it, but nobody is talking about it. Cliff Lee is arguably one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball, but was just a pawn in the Philadelphia Phillies’ attempts to secure Roy Halladay as a long-term piece of the pie. In 2008, Lee finished ahead of Halladay in voting and won the Cy Young Award, largely because the voters weren’t paying attention, but since then, Halladay has shown that he is in fact the “one” to Lee’s “one-A”.
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New kid Anthopoulos had the best toy
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Front Office, MLB, Trades,
Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos is like the new kid in school with all the best toys. As the most recent man in baseball to be given the “GM” title, all eyes were on the 32-year old former scouting coordinator. However, that’s not why other GMs were interested in the kid. The fact that he held Roy Halladay, arguably the most valuable player available this offseason, made Anthopoulos and his Blackberry the most important man of the hour.
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Jason Bay’s future is in his hands
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Front Office, MLB,
Is Jason Bay selling out? This is always a tough question to ask, and fans are often polarized by such a question. By not agreeing to any of the offers given to him by the Red Sox, he is testing the patience of the Boston fan base. Some would say that Bay is fully entitled to test the free agent market. He has earned the right to play where he wants and for as much money as he can get. Others would say that Bay has a good thing going in Boston. The fans love him, the team loves him, and he’s just plain good. Both arguments are correct. It just comes down to what Bay wants to do.
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Roy Halladay sweepstakes getting thicker
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Front Office, MLB, Rumors,
The Roy Halladay Sweepstakes Part Two have just became more interesting. With rumors swirling that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have both shown interest, joined by reports from the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week, it seems like the Toronto Blue Jays – controller of the most sought after non-free agent – may have a tough decision ahead of them this winter. Reports say that the rumors now include the Chicago Cubs. The sad part is that this is not news. Any team with any interest in winning in 2010 is going to be looking at Halladay. The only question to be asked is who can afford him?
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AL Silver Sluggers announced with few surprises
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Kudos, MLB,
The American League Silver Slugger Award winners were announced recently, and six of the nine selections came out of the East, which further goes to show just how powerful – literally – this division is. The New York Yankees had repeat winners in Mark Teixeira at first-base and Derek Jeter at short. The Boston Red Sox’s Jason Bay was honored with his first, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria at third, and the Toronto Blue Jays each had first-timers with Aaron Hill at second and Adam Lind as the designated hitter. The rest of the league squeaked in Joe Mauer, catcher for the Minnesota Twins with his third, and Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners and Torii Hunter from the Los Angeles Angels in outfield, with their third and first, respectively.
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Canada’s team may not be for Canada’s Bay
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB, Trades,
Jason Bay has a history of success. Being a 22nd round draft pick by the Montreal Expos, not many expected much of him. He was traded from the Expos to the San Diego Padres to the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2002-2003, making his MLB debut along the way. However, 2004 was the year he made the greatest impact. He hit .282 in 120 games, and lead all rookies 26 home runs, 82 RBI, .550 slugging, 54 extra base hits and 226 total bases. His accomplishments earned him the 2004 NL Rookie of the Year Award; the first time for any Canadian. In 2008, he was traded to the Red Sox to replace Manny Ramirez, and he has fit in perfectly.
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Roy Halladay; 2009 Cy Young Winner
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays may not have been the best pitcher this year. His August certainly saw to that (2-4, 4.71 ERA), but he is still one of the best pitchers, and he certainly deserves to win the American League Cy Young award. Some argue that the “Roy Halladay Sweepstakes” at the trade deadline threw him off his game enough to inflate his August numbers. Fourteen of his last 18 starts came against the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or Tampa Bay Rays. That’s some pretty stiff competition. The sad part is that when the writers vote for the Cy Young winner, few of them will probably look deeper than his 17-10 record with a 2.79 ERA.
However, if there was a Cy Young award for the decade, Halladay certainly would be the American League’s top runner. Since 2000, Halladay has 139 wins to 69 losses for a ridiculous .668 win percentage, with a 3.40 ERA. Go ahead and try to find a pitcher who has been better over the last ten years. Here’s the thing – you won’t. He also has 47 complete games in 267 starts. Roy Halladay isn’t normal.
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John McDonald Cracks Number…Two
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
John McDonald is on a tear. Last night, he cracked his second home run of the season; a three-run shot that gives him a whopping seven RBI in 2009. The blast brings him within one of tying a season high and he now totals 11 home runs in his 11 year career. Like I said, John McDonald is on a tear.
Realistically, McDonald is a bench player. As the backup shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays, McDonald has suffered from limited playing time in the last few seasons, but when his name has been scratched into the lineup, he’s wowed fans on a nightly basis with acrobatic defensive stops and highlight-reel plays. The only thing that has kept him out of the everyday lineup is his below-average bat. His under-.240 batting average over his career has been enough of a hindrance to his team to drop him to a utility position with the Jays.
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