Richard Griffin's Mailbag: Of Buffalo, Escobar, Farrell and Blue Jays' hope

Well, with the signing of a two-year agreement with the Buffalo Bisons, the Jays have now completed all five suggestions I wrote in my column of Aug. 3 suggesting the five things the Jays needed to do in August.

None were done at the time: Move J.A. Happ into the rotation. Move Brett Cecil to the bullpen. Promote Adeiny Hechavarria. Give Chad Jenkins or Deck McGuire a chance to pitch at a higher level and may they would respond well. And move to Buffalo. You're welcome.

It can't be overestimated how important the move of the Jays' Triple-A affiliate will be from Las Vegas to Buffalo. There can't possibly be more moves between the majors and Triple-A than there were this year, in 2012, but it will be so much easier in terms of travel, logistics and with families.

For instance, it's even possible that if a player is optioned to Buffalo at any point during the season, he might not even need to change their residence. It can be a commute from Toronto, or any points west of the city along the lake. The season is long enough, enough of a grind on players and families without all this three time-zone travel in a hitters' league. It should be a great improvement.

On to the mailbag:

Q-Hi Richard,



As a former PR director, what do you think of the way the Escobar press conference was handled?

 Why not release Escobar? It sends a message and dumps the contract of a player who just sabotaged his own trade value.

Nigel Tufnel, Toronto

A-There's not very many good ways to handle a press conference of that siginificance. It was in New York, so perhaps I would have had a podium and invited representatives from MLB (Joe Torre), the MLBPA (Bobby Bonilla or Phil Bradley) and Jays' president Paul Beeston.

Clearly the decision for a three-game suspension was a joint decision by the Jays and MLB, with huge input from the union, so have someone there to discuss why it was impossible for the Jays to go much beyond the three games. I would not have necessarily had GM Alex Anthopoulos at the head table. This was not a baseball matter for AA and his roster. It was a societal matter, a community mater, a fan-base matter, an organizational issue and Beeston should have been there.

I would have started the press conference with Yunel Escobar reading an apology in English and Spanish, followed by a statement from Beeston. The release was out there already with details of Escobar's suspension, fine and future sensitivity training. That was good but pre-emptive statements from the other party's may have defused the prickly Q&A. Plus, there was no real explanation by Escobar of the line of thinking that led him to put Sharpie to eyeblack.

As for the “Why not release Escobar?” that is ludicrous. Athletes are given a second chance for drug addiction, alcohol dependency, various scrapes with the law, etc.

If you release Escobar and pay him the remainder of his contract, $5 million for 2013, then you have established club policy. You have created a second tier of free agency for one organization. You have traditional “six-year free agency” and you have created an “insensitivity free agency.” Any Jays player who was not happy with the organization would merely have to insult a minority group publicly to be released, available to sign with the highest bidder. What, is the organization moving forward going to determine that, “Hey he just did that so we would release him. We're going to teach this guy a lesson by hanging onto him.”

In any case, the public expression from GLAAD and other organizations is that education is the better solution to the problem. The Jays have already indicated a huge leap in their involvement with and support of the gay community in Toronto and across Canada. It seems to me that the Jays had no intention of trading Escobar this winter, so sabotaging his own trade value is a moot point.

Q-Hi Richard,

I have a question about next year's schedule. Have you looked at it and seen how bad the draws are for the weekend games? I live three hours away and my buddies and I usually go see about three series a year always on weekends since we live out of town. Usually try and see games with good crowds, Yanks, Boston, Tigers or good teams like the Angels or Phillies. Next year the Yanks and Sox only come in April (for a weekend).

The only good draw from May to Auguest is Texas. (Rays are boring to watch as a Jays fan). 23 per cent of all home weekend dates are against the Orioles (no thanks, despite this year's run). Do the Jays have any say in these matters? I don't like their chances of getting me to the park much next year due to this sched and my guess is that the team still two years away from contention but that is a whole other area of frustration.

Thanks,

Scott Sauve, North Bay

A-North Bay in only three hours. Damn, you must be flying down the 400. Some years the schedule does fall like that. The only way for the Jays to make up for that is to put a winning product on the field. The O's and Rays may not be a good draw as far as you are concerned, but if Anthopoulos has been paying attention, this winter, he will have copied the O's plan of attack this season in getting veteran short-term players with talent to fill in at positions of weakness and go for it right here, right now. Rather than sign veteran backups to 1-2 year contracts behind their young talent, the O's signed veteran starters to 1-2 year contracts, ahead of their young talent. If they build it you will come.

Q-Hi Rich,


Is it just me that notices that Miguel Cabrera of Detroit is close to the Triple Crown? He is first in average, RBI and second in HRs. I haven't seen a word written. This is a major achievement if he does it. I can only think of Carl Yastrzemski of Boston that won it a long time ago. Do you have a list of players who have achieved this milestone?

Dave Mulholland, Scarborough

A-Actually there is much being written now about Cabrera and whether he will win the AL MVP even if he does go ahead and win the Triple Crown. The more popular MVP choice in 2012 seemed to be Mike Trout, because the rookie embodies everything good about baseball's game changing back to the “five-tool” concept. It's tough to ignore a Triple Crown winner for MVP but it's been done before. Just ask Ted Williams' head. Following is a list of Triple Crown winners, since 1900:

1901 Nap Lajoie, Philadelphia A's

1909 Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers

1922 & 1925 Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals

1933 Chuck Klein, Philadelphia Phillies

1934 Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees

1937 Joe “Ducky” Medwick, St. Louis Cardinals

1942 & 1947 Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox

1956 Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees

1966 Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles

1967 Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox

Q-Thank you for your thoughtful article on Escobar's punishment. I am glad the team is taking this seriously. I find his punishment satisfactory but I would like to see one thing added.

 Make him walk onto the pitcher's mound with a microphone and have him state his apology directly to the crowd before he can play again. That would have meaning.

Richard Paris, Cripple Creek, CO

A-I'm not so sure that would mean anything more than what he said at the press conference. I think something away from the park, like going to certain events representing the ballclub, events sponsored inside the gay community would have more of an impact. Just your phrasing of “make him walk onto the pitcher's mound” sends the wrong message. If you have to make him do it, then it's not worth it.

Q-Hi Richard,


While Brett Lawrie has real talent, and was a breath of fresh air when he first arrived, there seems to be reasons to be concerned. As the season has progressed the 110 per cent enthusiasm he showed earlier is turning more and more to arrogance, bad judgement and in some cases petulance. I know it's early days but maybe someone should remind him that he is not exactly Scott Rolen yet. Should we be concerned?


Frank Taker, Ottawa

A-First of all, Brett Lawrie is a tremendous talent and is just 22-years-old. I don't mind young athletes with attitude –- in any sport -- as long as they move forward in learning to play the game the right way. But for players to make a mistake and then say it wasn't a mistake and that's just the way I play the game and I'm not going to change, that's when you start to worry. Lawrie has made some bonehead plays on the basepaths, in the field and with regard to umpires. On not many of those occasions has he admitted anything was a mistake. That's the only concern I have, because just on talent alone he could become a Gold Glove third baseman and a key top of the order hitter. The other concern is just the nine home runs for a player of his size, strength and bat speed is puzzling. If he was racking up 45-50 doubles, with 10 triples, that would be one thing, but he's not.

Q-Richard,

Two part question with a similar theme. It seems that there have been a number of baserunning and fielding gaffes this year that have left John Farrell with a confused or exasperated look. 
Combined with the recent Lawrie post-game comments that seemed to contradict Farrell's take on baserunning, it appears that Farrell is not completely in control of this young team - from Sierra's goofy fielding, Lawrie/Davis/Rasmus running into outs, Escobar still fighting with umpires, Romero's... well, whatever is wrong with Romero. Here are the questions:
 Is this a Bosox clubhouse in the making in its lack of discipline?
 Is this lack of a firm hand the major difference between the young O's and the young Jays?

Andrew Ponsford, Surrey, BC

A-There had been definite mixed messages in the transition from Cito Gaston to John Farrell. Some of those messages have led to some of the looks of confusion on the manager's face that you allude to. Players are on their own in many areas, but are they ready to make those key in-game decisions?

Under Cito it was go to the plate with a plan. Attack the first pitch if it was a pitch you are looking for. Damn the bases-on-balls, full speed ahead. Much of the offence was station-to-station unless you were a player that had earned Gaston's trust and there weren't many Robby Alomars in the 2008-10 dugout.

Under JF in his first year the philosophy was that it was the middle relievers that are the weak point of most opponents, so work the counts early and build up the starter's pitch total so the Jays can get into the opponent's bullpen in the middle innings. But to do that you need good two-strike hitters with a knowledge of the strike zone. Also confusing in 2011 was it was the same hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy delivering a modified hitting philosophy. Pitchers took advantage and constantly got ahead in the count, as the Jays' young hitters chased pitches when the strike zone expanded with two strikes.

Then in JF's second year it became a combination of the two philosophies. That leads to being able to second-guess any failure, plus it didn't help with injuries and their young replacements. There were safety squeezes and sacrifices, bunting for hits, stealing third with two outs and taking an extra base at the wrong times, sometimes resulting in key outs that did not fit the game situation. The young players understand that Brian Butterfield is aggressive, but Butter understands specific game situations, when to take a chance and when not to. The young players are aggressive without that same understanding of game situations. As such, there is a lot of teaching done after the damage is already done. Farrell at least has learned which players need to have their green light taken away. Hopefully.

Romero's woes have been the most interesting failure this season, because there is no apparent explanation. Farrell at times has let his frustration show in terms of explaining to the media his ideas on why Romero has struggled (e.g. Where's that tough kid from East L.A.?) This, at times, has not sat well with Romero. You can see the great divide when they walk past each other in the clubhouse, when Farrell goes to the mound to remove him from yet another game. Two starts ago, Ricky strode off without looking at his manager and even failed to complete the handoff of the game ball because he was in such a hurry to leave. That drew a glare from Farrell. But that will change with renewed success on Romero's part. When will that be? That's a separate question.

Q-Dear Richard,



I enjoy your column very much. My question is: What's your opinion on the Jays' poor on-base percentage? The current roster features six regular players (LF, CF, SS, 2B, 1B/DH, C) who will finish 2012 with an OBP of around .300 or below, which resembles anything but a championship-calibre offence. Most of these players will return in 2013 as core players and this really worries me. On a separate note, what is your opinion on a trade proposal involving Rasmus and Arencibia for Yankees' LF Gardner and one of their better 2B/infield prospects?

Henry Ip, Toronto

A-Whenever I get a chance to watch the Jays on TV, specifically games I am not covering, I can't help but marvel, from the centre field camera, at the Jays' propensity to chase pitches out of the strike zone compared to the opposing team's hitters that always seem to show more discipline. If Ricky Romero was able to face the Jays, he may have a winning record.

That is a huge problem with all of those positions you mention in the question. The two players that show any knowledge of the strike zone and an ability to hit with two strikes are Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. It's not just a question of taking pitches to run up an opponent's pitch count, it's a case of making sure you are swinging at strikes to run up an opponent's pitch count. If you make him throw a strike, you have a better chance of getting in a hitter's count, of finding a good pitch to hit, of reaching base and of running up an opponent's pitch count. Simple to explain, tougher to do.

I don't like to speculate on trade suggestions because that's all fantasy league stuff. But dealing your starting catcher and your starting centre fielder for a guy that's been injured all year and has had one good season when healthy and a prospect does not seem like a great idea to me.

Q-I'm rather interested in the idea of the Buffalo Bisons being the Triple-A affiliate for Toronto. I'm looking for an affiliate introductory lesson. When Toronto players are there, who pays the players salary and expenses? Financially speaking, are the owners of Triple-A teams in it for the love of baseball (like many Junior Hockey Team owners) or is their opportunity for the owners to make some decent money? Is there a financial benefit for Buffalo to pick team A over team B, or is that regulated by Major League Baseball? Who pays for Triple-A spring training? As you can see, I'm looking for a little schooling about down on the farm.

Kevin Anyan, Bowmanville

A-For instance, with Buffalo next year, the Jays will supply the players, a combination of members of the 40-man roster, minor-leaguers on the rise that don't have to be protected yet, or six-year minor-league and released free agents to fill out the 25-30 man roster. The Jays will take these players to spring training and foot the entire bill. The coaching staff and trainers are all Jays employees.

The Bisons organization is responsible for finding housing for the players, of selling tickets, planning promotions, transportation on road trips, etc. There are a finite number of AAA, AA and single-A franchises registered with the Natioal Association of Baseball Clubs. For instance there are 30 AAA franchise between the International League and the Pacific Coast League. A city like Ottawa, for example, can't just announce that we are forming a minor-league team. They need an existing franchise to decide they need to move to a new city. That has nothing to do with major-league teams or affiliatons, that has to do with local ownership purchasing a franchise frm existing ownership. So even if the Jays would like to put a AA team in Ottawa they need a franchise to be in place.

The owners can make decent money, but it's the same as anything else, it needs to be run well. The Jays are a natural fit with Buffalo, in terms of concessions, jerseys, marketing to southern Ontario and putting a winning team on the field. It should be an affiliate match made in heaven.

Q-Hi Richard,

With all of the talk of Boston going after John Farrell in the offseason to manage the Red Sox, I would like your opinion on whether JF is a guy who can take this team to the next level? Without specific early season example, I see JF as a guy who makes decisions like a front office person or GM rather than a manager trying to win. Is that how he is running things or is he being micromanaged by AA?

Matt Meisner, St. Catharines

A-I am not quite sure if Farrell can take this team to the next level, but this was a bad year to truly judge. I think as big a question is this. Is Alex Anthopoulos the GM to take this team to the next level. He seems to admit more and more through the adversity that is 2012 that he is learning the position. He approached it at the start like he was re-inventing the role of GM. Other GMs have caught on to his techniques. For instance, phone rings, it's Alex. Is he really interested in your player or just the knowledge of what your player will bring in trade? Now other GMs believe the latter.

I think he is ready to do a lot more traditional things this winter, like signing short term veteran free agents, like trading packages of prospects for one solid major-league talent. When this team is in place and healthy, it will be easier to judge both JF and AA. In the meantime, when you are not playing for a post-season berth, it sometimes may look like you are not managing to win every game. Sometimes the Jays are managing to learn. Frustrating for fans but a reality.

Q-Hi again -

I wondered if you would take a moment and answer a question of curiosity but of absolutely no importance to the Blue Jays future chances, namely are the bat boys hired by the team? sons/relatives of team personnel? Do they travel with the team or does the home team provide a bat boy for the visiting team? Always wondered, never asked.

Eleanor Pakoz, Port Colborne

A-The bat boys are approved by the team, but hired by the clubhouse managers. For instance, the Jays' bat boys would be hired by Jeff Ross and Kevin Malloy, with other duties inside the clubhouse pre and post-game. During the game they hustle bats and bring the umpires new balls, etc. But otherwise they are there for a 10-hour work day. It's not all glamour. They don't travel with the team, maybe once in a while as a reward and sometimes at home there are honourary batboys or someone won a contest, etc. But those duties ar one day and in-game only. The home team provides the visiting team batboys.

Q-Richard,

I read the blog religiously and I anxiously await the mailbag every time. Keep up the good work. I was wondering if anywhere in the Jays organization has room for Omar Vizquel? Do any of the farm teams make sense for Omar? Does he have other organizations in mind? His intentions for coaching are clear but I haven't heard where or how. He does help our young Latin players a lot and a hall of famer in the organization would be great.



Thanks Again
,

Martin Aguirre, Owen Sound

A-I don't believe there is any room for Vizquel in the Jays' organization next year. Omar has himself on the fast track and is looking for a major-league managing job right away. His heart is not with the Jays' organization. His first love is Cleveland, but if any other jobs are available, you can be sure he will be involved in the interview process. The Jays farm system, as well as it is stocked with players, is also stocked with highly regarded minor-league managers with major-league potential like Marty Brown, Sal Fasano, Mike Redmond and John Tamargo, Jr. Then you have the major-league coaching staff with managerial candidates Don Wakamatsu, Brian Butterfield, Torey Lovullo and Luis Rivera. The Jays gave Vizquel a chance to do some nice things in his final active year, but the association stops there.

Q-Hi Richard.

Long time reader, first time writer. A lot of people, especially those in the media, talk about this being a "lost season" for evaluating the 2012 Blue Jays squad given all of their injuries. But I think a lot of people are confusing evaluating talent with evaluating team success.

I have heard a lot of folks say we have no idea what to expect in 2013 based on this year. I would beg to differ. Many of the injuries this summer were to players to whom we know what we can expect. JPA and Bautista to name two. Outside of Perez, the others were mostly to young starting pitchers that were never going to be real difference makers in the near future.

I think what the injuries only proved is that you can never have enough veteran starting pitching, and that in order to compete, this team is going to need to upgrade starting pitching regardless of injuries. We also learned, Kelly Johnson is a not a long-term solution at second, and that Gose and Hech are still a year or two away from being consistent productive hitters in the majors.

All I think we didn't get to find out this year was if we had been able to stay healthy for most of the season, could we have made a similar type of run for the divison/wild card like Baltimore with the team that broke spring training given Boston falling off this year. What do you think?

Jason Meller, Toronto

A-I agree wholeheartedly with you that the Jays were in fact able to learn a lot this year. I agree with you about knowing what many of those other injured guys can do already. Even Farrell agreed that many of the young players that came up and had mixed success have, on a positive note, skipped an essential step in the development process and are that much closer to being ready.

As for the part of the question about whether these guys were ready to compete a la Baltiore if they had remained healthy, the fact is nobody remains healthy and that's something AA now understands. He is ready to move forward in the O's mode and get some talented mercenaries with their own bullets for a year or two to help win here and now in 2013. He's not looking for the home run as he heads into the off season as he is the four consecutive hits in an inning. Not every deal has to be a blockbuster.

Q-In The Star, Alex Anthopoulos, the GM for the Toronto Blue Jays, stated that Carlos (Villanueva), the pitcher that has been helping the Blue Jays out for a few months, will probably not be a starter next year for the Blue Jays as he does not think that he could play all of the innings required and does not know about his endurance. I am very upset. I think Carlos is excellent compared to their opening lineup, especially Ricky Romero who has been dreadful. Is the real reason for the above that Rogers does not want to pay for Carlos so he will probably get rejects like the rest of the Blue Jays?

Linda Chousky, Toronto

A-I think the injury to Villanueva back in 2011, with tired arm and significant time on the DL coming out of the pen for two months as an emergency starter, hurt him in terms of the organization's perception of him as a full-time member of the rotation. But I think the organziaton made a mistake in labelling him publicly as a good swingman earlier this summer –- and in fact still. Their minds are being changed with every Villanueva start, but there are other organizations that will show him the love as a starter in the off-season, even teams like Milwaukee where he began his MLB career. He would be a great NL starter. I think the Jays blew it with him and he will never forget the public disrespect and doubting he got in 2012 when it comes to signing his next contract this winter. I hope I'm wrong.

Q-Hi Richard,



I read AA's interview in The Star, and his wish list sounds depressingly like last year's: starting pitching, a reliable mid-lineup bat, and a quality left fielder. He apparently didn't pay attention to his own pronouncements last off-season.

 Oh, and by the way, are we so pitching-rich that he can afford to waffle on Villanueva and how many innings he can pitch?

How about all the young, up-coming pitchers whose innings are so carefully guarded and counted? Try not to blow hot and cold at the same time, eh. To that we now add a second baseman (KJ will be gone -- is Hechavarria the answer? TBD).

Beyond that, though, I have a wish list about which I'd be interested in your thoughts:

 First, re-sign Omar Vizquel, either as a utility infielder again, or, even better, as an assistant coach in the organization. He's a class act, and would be a valuable addition. If we don't re-sign Omar as a player, find an upgrade to Mike McCoy. No knock on McCoy -- he's been a really great utility defender, but he doesn't hit well enough for a contender.



Send Ricky Romero to some kind of pitching specialist in the off-season. He still has the arm of an ace, but I think his problem is simply that he's lost his confidence, reminiscent of when he struggled in the minors. We need him badly, so let's get him some help somewhere.



Give Alvarez an ultimatum: either learn how to throw a quality off-speed pitch in the off-season (which may not be a slider) or we'll move you to the bullpen. He could prosper there with what he has, but has proven he can't make it as a starter.



Tell Lind he's on the bubble in Spring Training, so be fit and ready. He can be so good - and so maddening when he's not on. We need him to produce consistently, or else we need to find someone to fill his place.



Beyond that, tell all the young studs that making the team is no longer enough. they've got to prove that they can be more than just pretty good players. Here I'm particularly thinking about Rasmus, Escobar, Lawrie, and Arencibia. Send them home with the thought that they need to get even better in the off-season if they want to help the team get to the post-season. No coasting! 

Finally, and this is a big one, AA needs to do a Halladay with John Farrell. Ask point blank if he wants to go to Boston. If not, negotiate a contract extension now so the players (and the fans!) know he's going to be around. If he wants to leave, trade him now and get something good in exchange rather than lose him a year from now. Then promote Brian Butterfield on a one-year contract rather than go through all the upset of doing a complete manager search. Butter is (probably) good enough (you never know until you try), and certainly deserves the opportunity if JF is not the man.



Richard Worzel, Toronto

A-Obviously a lot of thought went into that. Many of those suggestions are slam dunks. Many are already being incorporated in the organization's off-season planning. The only one that is a definite not is bringing Vizquel back. He's not going to play anymore and he wants to be a manager.

Thanks, until next week.

 

 

Blue Jays mailbag: Competition with Red Sox will continue into offseason

Suffice it to say the Jays have never had a season quite like the one they are currently having. Season-ending injuries to key players, including the two-time defending home run champ, plus two starters and a closer. Add to that a healthy starting ace who has now lost 12 decisions in a row. 

The struggling Jays head to Boston to face a completely different Red Sox team that looked disinterested and listless on their recent West Coast trip. The Sox must be viewed in a different light than ever before. It's like looking in a mirror.

After shedding $260 million in future payroll via a huge  trade with the Dodgers, the Sox are setting themselves up to likely be going after the same free agents and the same players in trade as are the Jays in an effort to reload into an instant contender — with different faces to redo the clubhouse culture. They're looking for high character guys with talent that can step in and create an immediate winner.

What?? So, it seems, are the Jays.

Oh, by the way, the Red Sox may also be interested in seeking permission from the Jays to speak to manager John Farrell as a replacement for Bobby Valentine, who is greasing his own skids daily with some decidedly erratic behaviour, including an offer to punch a local radio host in the mouth for asking a question in a phone interview that he didn't appreciate.

Should the Jays even consider letting the Sox talk to their manager with a year left on his contract or should they start negotiating an extension to lock up Farrell for another three years beyond 2013? That's an internal discussion that will continue for the remainder of the season, because that process won't start in Boston while Valentine still sits in the manager's chair.

Recall those same Farrell-to-Boston questions arose last October before Valentine was hired, but at the time the Jays skipper who was pitching coach in Boston from 2007-10, had just made his debut and had two years left on his contract. Plus, the Jays believed they could contend in '12 so they changed their own rules about accommodating their baseball personnel that wanted to leave and now say that they will now not allow their employees to leave for a parallel move. The Jays would love to finish with fewer than 90 losses, meaning they need 12 more wins.

On to the Mailbag:     

Q-Richard,

My problem all year long has been the use of the 25-man roster. Why 13 pitchers which seriously depletes your bench strength? Then on Sept. 1, they recall two more pitchers when the rosters expanded! With no bench strength, the playoffs will be a dream only. You can't just play the same eight (players) game-in and game-out — you're just looking at someone breaking down.

Dave Mulholland, Toronto

A-I agree with you. I have never understood 13 pitchers and 12 players and the Jays insisting that that balance is a necessity. There have been so many games this lost season where it has come down to late innings and the bullpen has six pitchers staring through the fence and the dugout has just one healthy body to play a position. This decade, maybe even this organization, has been ridiculous in terms of babying bullpen arms. Relievers used to pitch 3-4 games in a row several times per year with at least one or two of those being multiple innings. But the Jays have run into situations where Omar Vizquel has had to remain in a game when another player would have been better, but none was available. It's not even just having 12 position players, it's having some of those guys with nagging one or two game injuries that has even hampered the best match-ups against certain pitchers. It's been wrongheaded. 

Q-Is there some reason why the Jays aren't giving Carlos Villanueva the respect he deserves? He's only done everything they could have asked and more, and has really stepped up this year. He's a free agent at the end of this season, but if I were he, I certainly wouldn't give the Jays any home discount. Is there something more to the story that fans don't know about? Does he have horrible BO or something? Thanks,

Richard Worzel, Toronto

A-I agree with you that if Carlos Villanueva has not noticed the disrespect he's been getting from the Jays as a future member of the rotation, then he's not paying attention. But he is. If the Jays continue to regard him as the ultimate swingman, rather than as a No. 5 starter, then they will not offer him nearly enough to be competitive with other teams that have been scouting the Jays in the second half. Villanueva is a consistent 6-7 innings, 0-4 earned runs guy that can throw 100 pitches and keep his team in the game every time out. That is the definition of a fifth starter on a good team. I think you may be digging a little deep looking for reasons. I would not be surprised the more starts Villanueva makes the more the Jays begin seriously thinking about making him an offer as a rotation guy for three years.  

Q-Hey, Read your column every chance I get. Love to hear your baseball knowledge.

Had an idea on next year. Maybe outside the box a bit, and far from complete but an idea. So. Watching Rajai Davis and Anthony Gose running, wow, love to see both. Like Buck Martinez always says on broadcasts, “look what speed does.” So, Gose in right, Davis in left. Jose Bautista always says he will play where the team needs him. Back at third. Need a second baseman next year? Brett Lawrie works. He played there before. Edwin Encarnacion at first. Yunel Escobar, short. Colby Rasmus, centre. Leaves options for injuries or trade options for pitching? Just an idea. I know Davis isn't perfect defensively but maybe speed on basepaths makes up for it.

Curious to see what you think.

Dan Frook, Fergus

A-I love baseball speed, also, dating back to my NL days. But for baseball speed to pay off, it has to have the ability to reach base on its own and to play defence in order to bolster a pitching staff. At this moment, Gose can play defence, but can't reach base enough to merit a starting role. Davis, for his part, can't play defence well enough to reflect his blazing speed and when he does play on an everyday basis his offence starts to fall off. Gose, I believe, needs another half-season of seasoning. Davis needs to be in the role the Jays imagined, to be a fourth outfielder on a good major-league team, complementing a left-handed hitting starter and coming off the bench as a pinch-runner, a disruptor in late innings. 

That being said, if Bautista was going to change positions, I would ask him to shift to first base. First base can be a leadership position if shortstop is not. By leadership, I mean the ability and willingness to walk to the mound and calm a young pitcher down or to make sure everyone is on the same page in defending bunts, etc. It was something Carlos Delgado did. The Jays haven't had that first baseman ever since. If Bautista was at first base, Encarnacion could be the primary DH with the ability to play first base as well. There is no reason to think that Lawrie has not already found his best defensive position at third-base. He is fearless on ground balls and makes beautiful feeds to second base on double plays. However, if Gose is not ready to take a regular position and Sierra is not an everyday right fielder yet, then that change of Jose to first base could wait. As for second base, I would head to spring training and give Adeiny Hechavarria a chance to win the second base position.     

Q-Hello Mr. Griffin,

This might be a dumb question, but you have talked about the idea of having two hitting coaches with the Jays as being a good idea. With the Las Vegas season being over do/could the Jays (or any team), call up coaches, like they call up players to be with the major league team until the end of the year? Thanks,

Chuck Giles, Washago

A-Yes, I am in favour of the Jays' utilizing Dwayne Murphy and an associate hitting coach, in this case Chad Mottola, who has been the Triple-A hitting coach the past three years and has worked with virtually all of the home grown players. The Rangers and the Cardinals both had such a setup with two hitting coaches last season and they each went to the World Series.

Mottola has been called up already from Vegas, but will not be in uniform for games. In September, major-league teams are able to add one coach in uniform and this year that will be Luis Rivera, who has been with the team all season. Last September, Mottola was also called up and was in uniform. I think the time has come to add him as an associate hitting coach for the year. Another pair of eyes on the hitters during games could not hurt. They have worked well together for the last three springs.    

Q-Richard,

I love the mailbag and it's the highlight of my (baseball reading) week when it happens. With a few Jays farmhands starting to find time with the big club, I've started to wonder how good these guys will actually become when they're ready for the show. I've heard (Justin) Nicolino called a Tom Glavine in waiting, (Travis) D'Arnaud the next Brian McCann and Gose the next Kenny Lofton. Are any of these projections reasonable or are they far beyond what we should expect? How good are the Blue Jays' top prospects? Which players (current or former) would you say provide the best comparison?

Thanks,

Joseph C, Toronto

A-I think Justin Nicolino would prefer to be compared to Cliff Lee, which is not a bad choice. Nicolino has a full repertoire that needs to be pared down to his four best pitches before he gets to the Show. He's got two- and four-seam fastballs, change, slider and curveball. It will probably come down to the two FBs, the curve and change. As for D'Arnaud, as a right-handed hitter and at his size, a better comparison might be to Buster Posey of the Giants. The Jays hope that D'Arnaud has that same leadership quality as the Giants' star and the ability to provide some solid offence to the mix. The Gose/Lofton comparison has been an obvious one since the first spring training that the Jays' youngster was invited to play in spring games. It's never the right question to ask is a player the next so-and-so. The comparisons are always just guidelines to think about when you first see a player. They will always develop their own personality if they're good enough. 

Q-Richard,

Always enjoy your column! The Blue Jays coaching staff preaches 'pitch to contact' with its starters. How common is this among MLB teams? Is this a philosophy based on the talent you have available? Does the philosophy extend down through an organization into the minors? How effective of a strategy do you think it is? It seems the most effective starters for the Jays — Carlos Villenueva, J.A. Happ and Brandon Morrow — seem to get a lot of Ks.

Thanks,

Mitch K, Toronto

A-I don't believe the Jays' coaching staff ever has preached “pitching to contact” as the be-all and end-all of pitching philosophy. They actually prefer “big arms with swing-and-miss ability,” guys like Steve Delabar. What is perceived as encouraging “pitching to contact” is when a pitcher constantly has a pitch count at, or over, 80 pitches through four innings, in that area of inefficiency. So what the Jays are looking for is establishing strike one and getting into pitcher's counts, meaning ahead in the count 0-1, 0-2, 1-2. When Brandon Morrow earlier in his Jays career was struggling with pitch count, they encouraged him to pitch to more contact earlier in counts and in the game in order to go deeper, but when the key moment comes, with runner on third and less than two out, they still prefer pitchers with swing-and-miss ability that are able to get the key strikeout when needed. For guys like Alvarez and Villanueva, guys that don't have that big arm, pitching to contact with quality strikes is the key.    

Q-Richard,

Unfortunately it's that time of the year again to start thinking about next year's roster and I was wondering what your thoughts would be about having Adam Lind move to LF. That would free up the DH spot for the Jays to test the free agent waters. Also, seeing as the FA crop for 2B is pretty thin and the homegrown talent cupboard seems frightfully bare, would the Jays entertain the thought of re-signing Kelly Johnson? Always appreciate your insight.

George O'Hagan, Guelph

A-It is indeed the time of year to start thinking about next year's roster, but one of the keys for the Jays, one of the mantras of GM Alex Anthopoulos' recent roster building has always been to become more athletic at every position. Moving Lind to left field would not be a step in that direction. He is a hitter. The most athletic first baseman on the current roster is Edwin Encarnacion. In order to remain on the team, Lind's best role would be as a DH with the ability to fill in at first base occasionally.

As for second base in 2013, Farrell and AA talk in a good AL lineup of being able to carry one bat that is less than level, as long as you have eight major-league hitters. If the Jays can bolster the offence with one more major-league bat, they could afford to start the season with Adeiny Hechavarria at second base and Yunel Escobar at shortstop. Re-signing KJ to play second would not seem to be in the Cards. See the above criteria of athleticism, which second base falls under that same requirement.

Q-Hello Richard,

I know that the Blue Jays young pitcher Henderson Alvarez is just that, young. He is a pretty good pitcher but although some commentators said that he has "ice in his veins" i.e. that nothing bothers him, I think that he has not too much going on upstairs as well because in spite of the fact that every one praises him and his pitching, they say that he should keep the ball down, but he repeatedly leaves a few up and those are hit for home runs and those are the runs that causes him to lose games.

In time he will be a great pitcher but it does not take age to learn from one's repeated mistakes. Any thoughts on this?

Tony D'Souza, Toronto

A-I don't think it's fair to say “he has not too much going on upstairs.” He's a young, 22-year-old Venezuelan who has not yet grasped his necessary second language, the bane of many young Latinos when it comes to public perception of their baseball smarts.

The reality with Henderson Alvarez is that he's going to have to earn a spot in the starting rotation in 2013. He needs to separate the velocity on his fastball and slider by more than he currently does. He needs to locate his sinker where the catcher sets up and not elevate it and leave it in the middle of the plate. He is one of the Jays most relaxed pre-game pitchers on days that he starts. He often has friends outside the clubhouse that he hangs out with. Everyone is different. I think the 95 mph fastball and a good changeup make him a solid pitcher, but he needs a quality third pitch, the slider to step up. If Alvarez does not make the starting five coming out of spring training the Jays will be pretty good.    

Q-Hi Richard,

I've been enjoying details of your pub crawls on the road via your Bullpen, but couldn't you combine them with pumping out some more mailbags? Seems to me that might be a good combination. Here's my question: in this crazy, disappointing, seemingly train wreck of a season, please give us fans five positives to take with us into 2013 based on on-field performance this year.

Many thanks,

Rob Brander, Sydney, Australia

A-We'll see what we can do about more mailbags.

Five Jays positives. Hmmm!

1-Edwin Encarnacion discovering that he can be a second Batman in the Jays order; 2-Steve Delabar challenging to be the closer at spring training with a 96 mph fastball and a nasty, nasty splitter; 3-J.A. Happ establishing that he can be a very useful 4-5 starter in a winning rotation; 4-The emergence of Aaron Loup added to a late season tryout by Brett Cecil, giving the Jays a chance to make an intelligent decision on picking up the option of Darren Oliver for 2013; 5-Marcus Stroman.

Q-Hey Richard,

If you were told back in Feb. of '95 when you joined The Star as a baseball columnist that the Blue Jays — coming off a World Series championship two seasons prior — wouldn't make the playoffs at all until 2013 at the earliest, what would your reaction have been?

Terry Bridge, Waterloo

A-First of all, I would not have believed that the Jays would not get back in all those years. Second, I would have thought that maybe it was me. The low point for me personally in terms of World Series and post-seasons came early in my time with The Star. I had, of course, spent 22 seasons with the Expos and the closest we came was the '81 NLCS loss to the Dodgers. “Monday, Monday, don't love that day.” Then in my third year with The Star there are the Marlins and Indians playing in the World Series. I travel down to Florida to cover the Series and the PR guy is a nice kid named Ron Colangelo who four years earlier had been interning for me at spring training in West Palm Beach, carrying my beer to the press box and printing and delivering my press notes on game days. He dreamed of getting a job in baseball and now here he is with the Marlins in his first year as a PR guy and he wins a World Series ring. Life's not fair. It took me a while to get over that. Ron's now a v-p with the Tigers.      

Q-Hi Richard,

I don't envy you having to watch this unfortunate season. My question concerns Monday's game in NYC. Russell Martin laid down that terrific sac bunt and clearly ran on the inside of the baseline. He was thrown out and no damage was done, but do you think the umpire would have noticed and called him out if the throw had been bad?

Ralph Levenstein, Thornhill

A-I honestly think that umpires in that situation, where it is so clearly obvious that a guy is running down the line in fair territory, that if a throw drills the runner in the back or is air-mailed into the right field corner that an umpire is more likely to call a player for the infraction and send the runner back to first base because of interference. If the catcher makes the play routinely, the ump doesn't bother calling it. Of course who's going to take that chance and intentionally hit a guy in the back or airmail the throw to keep the runner at first. In any case, the answer to your question is yes. I do think they sometimes are waiting before making the call.

Q-Dear Mr. G,

How disappointing to see Brett Lawrie is further desecrating his body with more tattoos; what a symbol of the dull-witted conformist underclass. I am among the few that hasn't anointed Lawrie for the Hall of Fame. He has room to grow, yes, but so far he looks more like a future utility infielder than a star. Pretty immature for 23.

Thank you,

Thea Varley, Toronto

A-I think he's pretty much already far more than a future utility infielder. I don't know about the tattoos. I have four children and the most mature of the quartet, third on the totem pole of life, 22-years-old and wanting to save the world once she gets out of Guelph University, is the only one of the four with ink. I'm not sure, even in my most upset moment that she would be described as “dull-witted, conformist.” So I'll cut Lawrie some slack on that one. If he stays at third base and if he cuts down on some of his ill-advised adventures, both offensively and defensively, he has a chance to be an all-star player for years to come. And yeah, he's got room to grow in terms of maturity, but nothing to do with tatts.   

Q-Can the Jays offer (Zack) Greinke $100 million for 4-5 years? I don't think he would sign but if possible it would solve the starter problem. Also, is Hechavarria our new starter at second base next year with Johnson obviously leaving? I also don't believe an offer could go out to David Ortiz because AA will want the DH spot open for Lind/D'Arnaud and the possible Gose/Sierra platoon. Do you agree?

Martin Aguirre, Owen Sound

A-The Angels will probably be interested in re-signing Greinke, to go with Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson. If they do, that could mean Dan Haren and/or Ervin Santana will be available because of expensive club options, but any which way, any one of those three Angels pitchers I would pursue, if he becomes available. Greinke would be nice at the right price because he's only 28-years-old at the moment and has pitched most of his career in the American League. It will be interesting to see what he demands and what he commands if the Yankees don't pursue, or other large markets that could shy away because of his well-documented mental health issues, dealing with large crowds and stress. I'm not sure why he would avoid at least listening to what the Jays have to offer.

Q-While watching a London, Ont., team play a team in Michigan during the first half of July, a batter with a full count swung at a vicious curve ball and missed, but the ball hit him in the lower stomach. He was called out. Why was he not awarded first base for a hit by pitch? Incidentally, he was in such agony that he had to be carried off the field by his managers without the benefit of a stretcher! This game was being televised by a London TV station, which I watched on Rogers Cable in my son's house in London.

James R. McGillawee, Oshawa

A-I believe my Oakville team that I managed in 2011 played in that same tournament, the All-American Baseball Classic tournament in Novi, Mich. as Major Midgets. We lost in the championship game because the umpires did not want us as Canadians to win. (N.B. That's the whiney manager in me coming out). In any case, if a player is judged to have swung at a pitch then even if he is hit, it's a strike. Usually that comes into play with pitches that hit the arms or hands, not full force in the stomach. The ball is dead and no runners can advance.

Q-Blue Jays have a history of keeping a "clean shop" regarding illegal matters and their players. In the past it usually is a ticket to be shipped out of Dodge. Do you think this will now happen because their pitching draft pick got caught and suspended 50 games? (These days I can't believe he did what he did and did not know what he was doing.)

Dave Butler, Toronto

A-The Jays for years have prided themselves on character and integrity on their players at the major and minor league levels. They had a second minor-leaguer suspended for 50 games on Thursday, this one a Dominican youngster in the Dominican Summer League. My guess is that when his suspension is over he will be released. As for Marcus Stroman, his suspension was for a stimulant that if he had been on the 40-man roster would have warranted merely a warning from baseball that no one would have heard about, but because he falls under the tougher minor-league testing program, not protected by the players' union, it became very public. The Jays are confident that Stroman is a youngster of character and made a mistake. Plus, they gave him $1.8 million to sign. If he ever makes another mistake, however, they need to make a decision. I can say that when AGM Tony LaCava was talking about the Stroman suspension in the Jays' dugout at Tropicana Field, he seemed very genuinely betrayed by the Jays' second selection in the '12 draft, 22nd overall, who was projected to be almost major-league ready.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Enjoyed your Bullpen and especially the Rant this week. It raised a question for me: Presumably, steroids and HGH have been developed for specific medical uses. Certainly some medical procedures have been developed that employ them (see Bartolo Colon). So if there is a legitimate reason to use such recuperative aids, then wouldn't it make sense to say that using them is appropriate for rehabbing players? They could easily put in a stipulation that they must document with MLB all such uses, and then they would be ineligible to return to the field for a reasonable period of time afterwards.

Your thoughts?

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A-Yes there are medical reasons for the use of some illegal substances on MLB's banned list, but the Colon surgery in which his own healthy fat and bone marrow was surgically implanted back into his shoulder and elbow in a stem cell procedure was an experimental operation that has not been approved in the U.S. and had to be performed in the Dominican. So nothing about the Colon surgery in the areas of steroids or HGH would have been cleared or acceptable for MLB.

Q-Hi Richard,

The Jays should write off this year and send all of their sickly birds to the Vet. It's probably the bird flu that they are all suffering from.

Regards,

Tony D'Souza, Toronto

A-And it looks, at least in September thus far, that it's Jays' fans that have flown the coop. Good way to end the mailbag.

Blue Jays mailbag: Toronto's 10-player deal opens trade floodgates

Less than a week remains to the MLB trade deadline without waivers.

Interestingly, the Jays 10-player deal with the Astros, with J.A. Happ as Toronto's main acquisition, seemed to open the flesh-trading floodgates early. Since and including that Friday morning announcement there have been 11 trades involving 28 players.

The most interesting of these was the Yankees acquiring Ichiro Suzuki from the Mariners for former Jays RHP Danny Farquhar and RHP D.J. Mitchell. Ichiro will take Brett Gardner's role as the Yanks have given up on getting their speedy left fielder back any time in 2012.

Amazing that the Yankees have Derek Jeter, A-Rod and Ichiro on the same roster, over 8,600 combined hits. Of course, an immediate response came from Ichiro's former teammate who drilled A-Rod and broke his hand putting the third baseman out for 6-8 weeks. The Yankees have time to go out and find a replacement as they cruise to the AL East title. It will be a busy week for Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos. However, whether he gets something done in his quest for more pitching is another story. On to the Mailbag. 

Q-Minor league management questions for you. What is the objective for each level of the minors? Winning or player development? I would think player development in the lower levels is the greater objective, but then I look at the composition of the Vancouver roster and wonder if they are more focused on winning and attendance. Secondly, what goes into the thought process around promoting or demoting players. I look at some stats (I know that is not the full picture) and wonder why some players are not promoted when they seem to have mastered their level (e.g. Pillar or the Big 3 at Lansing). Then I see others (e.g. Knecht in FSL) and wonder why they are not sent down as they seem to be overmatched at their current level. And then I see players who have been at the same level for years with no signs of progress and wonder why they have not been released (e.g. Ahrens, Balbino).
Tom F, Newmarket

A-The perfect minor-league system combines winning and player development almost equally, however that is never the case. But there is an argument, especially at the upper levels of any farm system. One side of the argument says that placing young players in a winning Triple-A environment is important to their development. They ask, “How can you expect a player to win at the major-league level if he has never won at the minor-league level.” That is a good point, but not the only one.

There are other organizations that populate Triple-A with their best young prospects and let them take their lumps without the calming contributions of the veteran arms and experienced players on the way down that other organizations sprinkle through top teams to promote winning.

As for Vancouver, that is a unique situation for the Jays. The A-Northern League Canadians are a pet project for Anthopoulos. He loves the ownership, he loves the stadium, he loves the fans and he strongly believes in letting his top prospects play in Vancouver to get a feel for playing in Canada. Get the feel of a pocket full of loonies and toonies and drinking milk from a plastic bag. When they arrive in Toronto, it will all seem familiar to them. That's why No. 22 overall pick and right-handed reliever Marcus Stroman started there.

As for promotion/demotion, again there are competing theories. It's like teaching young children how to swim. Do you give them lessons and take them step-by-step or do you strap on their diapers and throw them in the deep end? The Jays are nurturers by nature and want their athletes to feel success before moving to the next level. The Lansing pitchers, for example, were given a plan that involved building from 30 pitches to 90-100 pitches. Their stats have nothing to do with eventual promotion to the next level. For the Jays, player development is a process not a reward or punishment.      

Q-Hi Richard,
I enjoy reading your articles, blogs and mailbags whenever they are posted. IMO, they are required reading for any Blue Jays fan. I've read that Jose Bautista's recovery is ahead of schedule. That got me thinking...have the Blue Jays ever DL'd someone who recovered much quicker than the 15- or 60-day period and was ready to go, but had to wait more than a day or two for the period to end?
Tavis McLean, Chatham

A-Bautista has proved through his Jays years that he has a high threshold for pain. Recall in 2011, he suffered a neck injury in New York at the end of April and after three days of solid treatment in Tampa, managed to stay off the DL and return to action. Then after the 2011 all-star game, back at the Rogers Centre, he sprained his ankle in a horrible looking baserunning accident and again stayed off the DL.

In this case, with the importance to the swing of the left hand, Bautista was disabled as soon as the MRI showed it was not a break in his left wrist after a long foul ball against David Robertson in New York. On Tuesday, manager John Farrell discussed Joey Bats rapid recovery.

“He's making good strides,” Farrell said. “As the strength exercises that he's going through are increasing we would hope that in the coming days we'd be able to put a bat back in his hands to not only go through dry swings, but off a tee. That's adjusted with how he comes through daily treatment.

“This has improved quicker than I think we all envisioned. I'm not surprised, but definitely encouraged. Because he was in significant pain that night and the three days following that, there's been a lot of improvement. All that is positive and that's not just because of what he states, but the actual strengthening and the exercises and the treatment he's going through. That's being tested and once he's out of the woods, symptom free, that's when we'll put a bat back in his hands. The next thing he's doing is there's been more manipulation of the wrist side to side rather than just straight on exercises, so that's the progressive steps. There's been no reproducing of that discomfort in those controlled settings.”

Farrell suggested Bautista may be swinging a bat and taking live batting practice by the end of the week.

Certainly over the years there would have been players ready to come back prior to the end of a disabled period, but with 15 days, that can never be considered a mistake, more like erring on the side of caution. Some players on the coin-toss, ready-or-not side of 15 days actually benefit from the enforced time out and are encouraged not to push the envelope, not to rush back to the field. It's really never a situation that's embarrassed any team. You know what they say about “better safe...”

Q-Richard:
A promising trade announcement last week. If nothing else, a relief to Francisco Cordero haters like myself. And I stand corrected after my last question re: why not release Cordero outright? AA was evidently holding on to Mr. Batting Practice because he was still worth something on the trade market. Phew.
Best,
Matthew McKean, Ottawa

A-I really do like Cordero as a person, but on Tuesday the Astros were welcomed to his world as Drew Stubbs homered in the ninth and the Reds rallied for three runs vs. CoCo. Another blown save. At the same time, J.A. Happ was giving up his own three-spot in the seventh vs. the A's.

Q-Hello Richard,
Do you think that the Jays - given the fact that at least 3 of their starters are injured, may seriously work on getting a couple of experienced starters come the trade deadline?
Thanks,
Tony D'Souza, Toronto

A-I continue to insist that J.A. Happ is not the final move that GM Alex Anthopoulos is trying to do. He and the Jays could use another solid, controllable starter and even if he does not accomplish his goal by July 31, it doesn't mean he did not make every effort. Happ will be in the rotation soon.

Q-Hi Richard,
I really don't like AA's approach to waiting for last moment to possibly make a trade. He's too attached to his farm studs for one and secondly, by the time the Jays go through their tough schedule (Yankees/Red Sox) they will be well under .500 and now no Bautista. This team needs an extended winning streak and it can't happen with these starters at hand. It's a shame but the wild card hunt will have to wait till next year. The Leafs slogan can now be applied to the Jays..."There's always next year"
Kam H, Richmond Hill

A-I hope the Leafs are not taking credit for that version of the “Wait until next year” rallying cry that goes back to the pre-WWII Brooklyn Dodgers. As for AA allegedly waiting till the last moment to make a trade, he, in fact, always seems to be the most anxious man in the room to make a deal and make it right now.

The 10-man trade with the Astros set off a flurry of pre-deadline activity that may not have happened if AA had not pulled off his early deal. I'm not so sure he's overly attached to his draft choices, his farm studs, as it is that he wants to prioritize his inventory properly and not give away the wrong prospects. He deserves that right to not be rushed.

As for not being able to put together a significant win streak with this starting rotation, you are correct. It's something that will stall any Jays hopes for a wild card.   

Q-Hey Richard,

Just going to throw out a trade idea to hear your thoughts on why it could/couldn't happen from each end.

 The Marlins are slowly falling out of the playoff picture and are likely to become sellers. Do you think that there is a chance that for the right price they would be willing to part ways with their recently acquired SP Mark Buehrle? He has the type of contract that AA likes and can be here for a few years. The Marlins would likely ask for young OF prospects back and young pitching which the Jays have plenty of. Could you see the Jays giving up a combination of one of their Lugnuts pitchers, Gose/Snider/Thames and either Yan Gomes or another middle of the pack prospect? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks,
Josh Cymbalista, Thornhill

A-The Marlins seem to be in the mood to listen to offers on anyone, but the fact that the Jays did not seem that interested in signing Buehrle when he was a free agent makes it seem unlikely that they would be interested now, at a point in time when they would have to pay Buehrle's free-agent salary PLUS give up some prime prospects. If the price in players was cheap AA might be interested, but if the price was steep then why bother. They should have made their best effort when he was a free agent. 

Q-Thanks for the great blog. I am a fan of the Jays but still miss the Expos. 
My question is on J Bautista's fielding ability. During the last series with Boston JB played a ball off the fence poorly and the Boston commentators commented that he was a below average fielder with an above average arm. Is that the feeling around the league?
Thanks,
M Swain, Seeleys Cove

A-The rap that Bautista has picked up as a below-average fielder is one that some of the range-factor advocates have argued on paper through the past three seasons, so the myth is picked up by broadcasters and repeated as fact by those that have not seen a lot of the Jays in person. Bautista is not a below average fielder, if only because of his baseball smarts and knowledge of the game. He does have an above average arm. Bautista is appreciated more the more you see him play.  

Q-Hi Richard,
The more I watch Yunel Escobar in the field the more I am convinced that he needs to go. On two occasions in the last few games (the most recent being G2 at Yankee Stadium) he has come across the diamond to steal pop up outs away from what I see as an annoyed Kelly Johnson. Earlier in the same Yankee game Escobar flipped the ball behind his back with men on base to an unsuspecting Johnson. I believe that the relationship between the two is poor and that Escobar, his sense of entitlement and constant glances to the cameras while in the dugout need to be traded and replaced by Hechavarria who appears ready for the majors.
Thanks,
Adam M, Waterloo

A-There is an accepted priority on balls in the air that all baseball teams follow and in that century-old pecking order, the shortstop has priority over every other player in the infield. So if Escobar can comfortably catch a popup, it is acceptable that he can call off any of his infield mates.

The ball flipped behind the back was kind of silly for Escobar but there was never any danger of a runner advancing because it wasn't a hard toss towards an open part of the field.

Johnson has every right in the world at this stage of the season to look annoyed – but mostly at himself. His hitting ability has slowly faded and his ability to make contact has reached alarming levels of whiff-dom. If the relationship between Escobar and Johnson is poor, then why on earth should the survivor be Johnson? He is a free agent at the end of the year and the odds of the Jays moving forward with the 30-year-old are slim. Escobar can be frustrating and annoying as his snooty Braves teammates might tell you, but to dismiss his skills and contributions would be a mistake.

Let Hechavarria earn his spot, don't give it to him. If you are annoyed by Escobar glancing at you in your living room, then the problem is yours.

NOTE: He can't actually see you when he constantly looks into the camera. In fact, he might be more annoyed at the red light going on and the television camera invading his privacy than the other way around.

Q-With all of the injuries that are suffered by MLB pitchers, I've been wondering if it's time to implement the pitching version of Moneyball.

It has become clear over the years that throwing a baseball 90+ mph an excess number of innings is not sustainable for a large percentage of MLB pitchers. Injuries are inevitable, and many of those of the long-term variety requiring significant surgery and lengthy rehab. And with these injuries, huge chunks of roster salary are in effect wasted that in mind, I've been wondering if it is time to re-consider the whole concept of what constitutes a pitching staff and how that staff is employed.
 

Rather than spending in excess of $30 million, (or much, much more) on five starting pitchers, plus something like $8 million on one closer, plus an additional $12 million or so on 5 or 6 middle relievers, why not this: a group of 12 pitchers that pitch an average of 3 innings per game. 

On this roster, there are no starters, there are no closers, and there are no set-up men. They are interchangeable parts of an elite roster that can be mixed and matched to provide the best matchups every game.

Instead of your $50 million average pitching roster that is prone to breaking down, you could have an elite pitching roster at a cost of $30 million that is much less prone to injury.

Imagine the following pitching roster (approximate 2012 salary in brackets):
Vinnie Pestano ($490K)
; Jason Grilli ($1.1M); 
Joaquin Benoit ($5.5M); 
Sean Burnett ($2M)
; Mike Adams ($ 4.4M);
 Scott Downs ($5M)
; Sergio Romo ($1.6M); 
Matt Thornton ($6M)
; Luke Gregerson ($1.6M)
; David Hernandez ($1.25M); 
Sean Marshall ($2.4M); 
Tyler Clippard ($1.65M).

This staff would cost $33 million; give you an ERA of around 2.00, a WHIP of around 1.00, and a crazy K/9 innings rate. Basically, you'd have the best pitching staff in the entire league - by a mile.

If you employed a consistent strategy of rotating them in every 3 innings you get additional benefits: each pitcher would top out at about 120 innings per year, thus reducing arm/elbow/shoulder strain etc.; every game the opposing team would rarely have a batter see the same pitcher twice, which would in effect lower batting average against even further (batters can't develop rhythm, learn from previous at-bats, etc).

And the biggest benefit of all might be the extra cash available to spend on the offence. Imagine if the Jays maintained their current payroll parameters, but spending $20 million more per year on offense while carrying an elite pitching staff. WIN-WIN.

Scott Postma, Waterdown

A- I don't know what they're putting in the water in Waterdown, but that's so crazy it just might work. No, just kidding. There's no chance it will work and not because it does not have merit, but because innovation is something that must be widely accepted and at that point it is no longer innovation.

Recall that Canadian hero and Hall-of-Fame old schooler, Ferguson Jenkins had a shot as pitching coach of the Cubs for about half a season. His idea was that the Cubs would go back to a four-man rotation and throw a lot more between starts. The problem is that 29 of 30 teams still used the five-man rotation and all the kids coming up through all the systems were training to pitch every fifth day. Fergie may have had a good idea, but the players he was dealing with were not prepared to jump into such a system. The same with your 12 pitchers times three innings scenario.

These are humans. There are injuries, failures, etc. Looking back and analyzing what players have done in the past is different than actually having them go out and do it live.

Q-A big fan, but you've grumbled a few times about the Jays' draft strategy this season, and I'm still not clear about why you don't like it. It has been many years since players were selected solely on the basis of their talent level, and strategy has always played a large role. What is so different about the way the Jays approached the draft this year?
Neil Paris, Toronto

A-Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, but the new draft rules were instituted for bad reasons, as a soft salary cap in a sport that has managed to be very competitive with no salary cap, and teams like the Jays have invented ways to beat it.

I didn't agree with the new rules when they were announced and I don't agree with the Jays drafting an embarrassing list of undeserving baseball players from Rounds 4-10 and signing them for a total of $31,000 then using the savings to go after the guys they really want.

The report is that the Jays were within $541 of reaching the 5-percent over slot and thus losing a high draft pick in the 2012 draft. When an accountant needs to be in the draft room with a calculator then something is wrong with the system. The players union threw high schoolers and collegians under the bus and traded off their signing rights for something that card-carrying union members wanted.   

Q-Richard ...
How in the world did the Jays miss out on Ben Sheets?? Desperate for pitching, and they couldn't have taken a flyer on him .... and I gather he was unsigned as of June 30 this year?

 It's still early days on Sheets with the Braves, but my goodness, what was to lose?
David Williams, Oakville

A-That's a silly question. How did the Jays miss out on Ben Sheets? You've got to be kidding. The free-agent world is filled with guys like Ben Sheets and every team invites a couple of Ben Sheets to spring training or stage private off-season workouts in the hope of catching lightning in a bottle.

Wait until the end of the season before evaluating the Sheets experiment. It's like being in a hotel and pulling the blanket up over you and nestling down into a comfortable bed to watch Baseball Tonight. Everything is great, then six hours later you wake up and find out you've been short-Sheets-ed. What looked and felt great at one point turned out to be a mirage. Time will tell, but this is not the 2004 Ben Sheets.  

Q-Given the plethora of injuries to pitchers on just about every team, isn't it maybe time to consider adding a 26th man to the roster just to have that extra arm available instead of the constant - and confusing - shuffling of minor leaguers up and down?
J.D. Tamblyn, Lindsay

A-I have long been a proponent the past three or four years of adding two more players to every major-league roster and making it 27 active.

Back in the 80s, most teams went with a 10-man pitching staff meaning there were always 15 position players. That six-man bench, seven in the NL, made managing and second-guessing much more interesting. But the Jays for a while this year were carrying eight relievers and five starters, meaning there were just three players on the bench, one of them being a backup catcher that must stay on the bench in case of a catcher injury. Not much managing to be done.

The idea of 27 major-league players would cost each team about $1 million additional in salary plus travelling and living expenses for the season if they chose rookies with particular skill-sets, but that's chump change considering the money that's thrown around for nothing these days.

How about 27 players on the roster, but you must designate 25 of them to be active each night. That means that you could have your eight relievers, but activate just seven of them, or even six of them each night and give yourself more versatility as a manager. The union would love it and it would benefit the competitive nature of the game. It would not be favoured by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce that has seen a tourism boom of flights in and out of town since the Jays moved there. 

Q-Hi Richard.
Re the Jays pitchers' injuries: Your colleague Kennedy's column has the list. It appears as "bad luck". Nothing wrong with the basic routine. BUT what if the young ones lack fastball command? And therefore are taught-encouraged to throw pitches that can hurt? And, worst of all, get sent to T. John surgery as a matter of routine.

Is it too conspiratorial to think that THIS in fact has become the system? That the surgery means teams can load up on pitchers with lots of breaking pitches and their pain be damned. What a shame it would be if 100 years after the sidearm and submarine pitchers of yesteryear 
(throwing with a much more anatomically healthy motion - ours arms after all do HANG DOWN -) went the way of the dodo bird we now have a situation where almost no one pitches complete games, medical science rebuilds the broken. There are many ironies in this tale. It deserves more analysis.

Charles Novogrodsky, Toronto

A-How about this 10-man pitching staff of all-time sidearmers/submariners: Carl Mays, Ted Abernathy, Kent Tekulve, Dan Quisenberry, Mark Eichhorn, Steve Olin, Mike Myers, Chad Bradford, Byung-Hyun Kim and Mike Venafro. By contrast, the Royal Canadian Navy has just four submarines.
As for your conspiracy theory, I'm as big a fan of conspiracies as anyone alive, but this one about intentionally damaging elbows to perform Tommy John and bring them back healthy tests even my conspiracy-consumed brain. I wonder why Tommy John never copyrighted his name. If he was paid every time someone mentioned the surgery he'd be a very wealthy man.

Q-Hi Richard,
It seems to be the Year of the Pitching Injury. The last couple of seasons have seen more and more pitchers heading off to Dr James Andrews' clinic, but this year is ridiculous. A second Tommy John surgery for Drabek? Are managers tougher on pitchers? Are pitchers trying to throw harder? Or is it a statistical anomaly?
Cheers,
Paul B, England

A-I have a theory that won't be very popular at the Commissioner's Office. I believe that the new MLB drug policies have affected the number of pitchers that get injured. It's not just recreational drugs and steroids that are banned. The banned stimulant list includes 56 types of drugs:
Adrafinil Amfepramone (diethylproprion) Amiphenazole Amphetamine Amphetaminil Armodafinil Benfluorex Benzphetamine Benzylpiperazine Bromantan Carphedon Cathine (norpseudoephedrine) Chloroamphetamine Clobenzorex Cropropamide Crotetamide Dimethylamphetamine Ephedrine Etamivan Ethylamphetamine Etilefrine Famprofazone Fenbutrazate Fencamfamine Fenethylline Fenfluramine Fenproporex Furfenorex Heptaminol Isometheptene Meclofenoxate Mefenorex Mesocarb Mephentermine Methamphetamine (methylamphetamine) Methylenedioxyamphetamine Methylephedrine Methylhexaneamine (dimethylamylamine, DMAA) Methylphenidate Modafinil Nikethamide Norfenefrine Norfenfluramine Octopamine Oxilofrine Pemoline Pentetrazol Phentermine Phenpromethamine Prenylamine Prolintane Phendimetrazine (phenmetrazine) Propylhexedrine Pyrovalerone Sibutramine Tuaminoheptane.
The trade-off of cleaning up baseball is long-term gain for short-term pain. That's a good trade-off for the athletes well-being as humans in the long-run as they age, but right now, baseball is an everyday grind and 162 games is something that the human body is  not equipped to handle. For years, baseball players found artificial help to get through the season, but now they are being tested and penalized. The trade-off may be more trips to the DL. In addition, with the success rate for Tommy John surgery rising to 83-88 percent, clubs and players seem more ready to have the procedure done sooner rather than later so they can resume their careers while still young. 

Q-Hi Richard,
Just watching Sunday's Indians game and wondering about Derek Lowe. A crafty veteran who still has the right stuff - could he be the "Jack Morris" piece to next year's pitching puzzle? I believe he's a free agent after this season.

Cheers,
Rod Salloum, Vancouver

A-It's an insult to Jack Morris to compare him to Derek Lowe. The answer is no.

Q-Richard:
What's going on with the Jays pitchers. There have been too many with season ending injuries that are requiring surgery. It's too coincidental to have this many pitchers out in one season. Is it poor training or poor preparation. The bright side is that over the course of the next two years they will be back.
Doug Peat, Dorchester

A-See my column on Tuesday. The Jays are studying the issue.

Q-Hi Richard -
Baseball more than any other of the Big 4 North American sports places a strong importance of the history of the game. This year they're celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. Wrigley Field will be 100 in 2 years. (Personally I think it’s a sewer). But stadia such as Rogers Centre seem to lack a connection to the past (Other than the names listed on the Level of Excellence).

Could you suggest that they return to acknowledging 5th deck homers or those off the Windows restaurant) with permanent markers of where the balls landed for the Jays and other teams. Perhaps marking the seat where the ball landed with a different colour with a name and date. Might add some history to an otherwise sterile building.
Bo Buczko, Toronto

A-I agree with you about the hidden history of the Rogers Centre, uh, SkyDome. I would go back and have a fan poll about the 10 greatest moments in Dome history starting with Joe Carter's home run and commemorate them in a museum-like area of the main concourse. Maybe bring in the players involved in the 10 moments for a dedication of that area some time and keep adding new ones as they occur.

Let's see, No. 10 moment on my list would be Paul Godfrey bringing hot water to the taps of the main floor washrooms back in the summer of '05. Ah, those were the days.  

Q-Hey Richard
Love your work and appreciate your time to interact with the everyday Jays fan. I am hoping you can clarify something for me. With the trade deadline fast approaching, all you hear from the media is that with all of the injuries the Jays have faced they can't possibly be buyers this year. How does the loss of a few fringe starters affect their chances of making the playoffs? It's not like anyone could possibly believe they would succeed with any of the three rookies as the #3 starter so they were going to need to add pitching anyways.

 I get the loss of Morrow, but he appears to be on his way back and will certainly be healthy by the late push in September. And I would understand if Bautista was done for the year, but the way I see it this team could be right there to the end with one or two solid to great starters and at least one more reliever. Their offence is clearly as good as anyone right now. Am I completely off base? 

Also, a fun hypothetical trade question. Morneau for Lind. Who says no?
Jon K, Aurora

A-As you are suggesting, the injuries to pitchers may have been a painful blessing in disguise. Sometimes AA has the ability to overthink a situation. He did not chase Gio Gonzalez hard in the off-season because he didn't believe he threw enough strikes to be successful in the uber-patient AL East. GG then went to the NL East and became an all-star. As a result, AA goes out and gets J.A. Happ whose walks to strikeouts and walks to innings would lead one to ask the same questions about competing in the AL East. We forget that Anthopoulos is still learning his craft as well.

The painful blessing is that AA now realizes that he should have sacrificed inventory for veteran help in the off-season. They had confidence that Chad Jenkins and Deck McGuire would be ready by the time injuries hit, but the ended up with Joel Carreno and Jesse Chavez. They need help and they likely were not going to win with the five men that started the season, especially of the plan was to shut Hutchison down at 150 innings. Morrow will be back in mid-August if he stays healthy.
     
Q-Reading about Warren Cromartie's Montreal Baseball Project fills me with nostalgia about the great Expo teams.
 My question for you is this - If Montreal is able to resurrect a baseball team (AA or AAA since I don't think that they will be able to support a MLB team at this point), who do you think will be the likely MLB team to establish a farm system in Montreal?

In Edwin's recent contract I see the influence of Jose Bautista. You can see that the two get along really well and complement each other in the line-up. After watching the Home Run Derbies the past three years I can see the same sort of respect and admiration being expressed between Bautista and Big Papi (Ortiz wanted Bautista on the home run team in 2010 and this year he acted as an adviser to help him).  I know it's a long shot, but do you see the Jays aggressively pursuing Ortiz as a FA based on Bautista and Ortiz's perceived mutual respect and admiration.

I can easily see a line-up of Bautista in RF batting third with Big Papi as the DH batting fourth and Edwin playing 1st Base and batting fifth hitting a combined 100+ HRs - A modern re-creation of the Yankee's Murderers Row.
 That, coupled with an aggressive move to acquire a proven veteran pitcher like Cole Hamels or Cliff Lee would be enough for them to not only compete for the 2nd WC position but quite possibly win the Division
Forever an Expo's fan -

PS - Did you pick Miami's park as one of the worst because of the owner's former association with Montreal?
Mike Tremblay, Vernon, BC

A-Montreal would need an acceptable ballpark and would need solid ownership and would need to start at A or Double-A. The affiliate team is impossible to pinpoint at this point. Ottawa is in there as well. It would be nice to have them both with pro baseball.

As for Papi and Bats and Edwin, if the Jays were to pursue Ortiz in the off-season it would not be because he was friends with Bautista. There is no room for sentiment in baseball – unless it involves Dustin McGowan. At some point Papi is going to run out of bullets and that's a case where you're risking getting a player as he falls off a cliff with an empty gun.
The Jays are moving towards contending and it will be interesting to see which player inspires them in the off-season to spend money and take that final step to fill in the starting pitching hole.    

As for Miami's Stadium, the people who orchestrated the building of the stadium are friends of mine from the Montreal days, but in person the facility was a disappointment. However, if I had a ranking of best and worst owners, I would rank Marlins ownership the same as the stadium. THAT would be because of the owner's former association with Montreal.

Q-Hi Richard.
There are now other pitchers injured – Perez and Frasor. We were lucky that Alvarez is okay, but is he really okay? Morrow, Drabek and Hutchison are injured. And all the talk is going towards who can the Jays trade for? But let's change the focus. Who is going to figure out why all these injuries to pitchers have happened over the years? I am sorry but when you look back over the last few years at the pitcher injuries it appears to me that this is something more than bad luck. It continues to occur, and it is not being addressed.

 Let's look at the history that I can find on the internet:

In March 2006 a heading on the Jays' website said Scott Downs is the latest pitcher to go down; Downs was slated to step in as the temporary fifth starter in the first week of the season so A.J. Burnett can continue his steady recovery from an elbow injury in March. In April 16, 2006 the Jays took A.J. Burnett off the 15-day DL. Seven days later, Burnett was back on the DL again, citing a sore right elbow. On June 11 2006 left-hander Gustavo Chacin was headed to the DL with a strained left elbow. When the Jays activated Chacin, they placed Pete Walker on the DL with a shoulder injury. Walker came off the DL on June 28, and was back on it by July 8 with a right shoulder strain. On August 9, Justin Speier went to the DL with tightness in his right forearm.

In April 2007, pitchers that went to the DL with arm injuries included Brandon League, B.J. Ryan, and Gustavo Chacin. In June, AJ Burnett took his usual position on the DL. On August the 13, Brandon League again hit the DL in time for Burnett to return. 

Reliever Casey Janssen also suffered an injury that wouldn't see him return until early 2009. He missed all of 2008 due to shoulder problems.

In 2008, trips to the DL with arm related issues included Brian Wolfe, Shawn Marcum twice, Dustin McGowan twice and Brian Tallet. Their 3-4-5 pitchers in 2008 all underwent Tommy John surgery: Jesse Litsch, Marcum and McGowan. Dustin McGowan had right labrum surgery after the 2008 season. After the 2008 season Shawn Marcum had Tommy John surgery to repair ligaments in the pitching elbow. Marcum and Litsch underwent Tommy John surgeries in late 2008 and early 2009 respectively.

In 2009 Ricky Romero and BJ Ryan were placed on the disabled list. Others that have made a stop on the DL that year included Ryan, Ricky Romero, Bobby Ray, Casey Janssen, Scott Downs, Scott Richmond, and Roy Halladay.

In 2010 Richmond and Dirk Hayhurst were injured. 
A few years ago when these injuries occurred we were saying wait until Drabek and others came. OK we waited and now Drabek and Hutchison are injured. We traded for Morrow and he is injured. Now we are being told to wait again. How many more times do we have to go through this? Have the same training staff been with the team all this time? Is there any way to look back over the past six years and compare injuries to Jays pitchers to the injuries to the other 29 teams' pitchers? I strongly suspect that the Jays would be no. 1.Why is the cause of the problem not being addressed?
Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A-What's your point?

Q-Hi Richard,
I'm curious to know what is the cost/fee to perform Tommy John surgery? And do the Blue Jays receive a discount for their frequent business on the procedure?
Thank you
Omair Rana, Chicago

A-I asked AA and he said it's paid for by insurance so he's not really sure how much it is. That's the same attitude I have with my bills at home. Just sign it.

As for any discount, I'm not sure if there's a 2-for-1 special ever but I d know that I have been told never have Tommy John surgery on a Friday afternoon when the doc is headed to the cottage.

Q-Hi Richard
Always enjoy your column. Lots of talk about baseball rather than salaries or rumours.
 One of the most fascinating stereotypes in baseball involves small (short) right-handed pitchers. A small, left-handed pitcher is crafty and baffling. Whitey Ford (yes, I'm old) was the classic, Hall of Fame, crafty lefty. Small right-handed pitchers are, well, little guys. I recall that when the Expos got Pedro Martinez from the Dodgers, the experts lamented that he was a small, right-handed pitcher. i.e. not good. Ramon would have been a better guy to get. Should we in Jayland be pleased or worried about the Jays signing Marcus Stroman who's just a little guy?
Timothy Daniels, Toronto

A-There has been an unnatural bias against short right-handers. But there have been some good ones, led by Pedro Martinez, Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown, Smokey Joe Wood, Tim Lincecum, Tom Gordon and Jason Frasor. Stroman is a good one and that bias is disappearing. He will get a chance, perhaps as early as September, but, if not, he will surely get a spring training invite next year.

Q-Hi Richard,
Just wondering about something. When there is a rain delay, what happens with the players that are already on base, do they have to stay there until they continue play or call the game?  I heard someone on radio say that they have to stay on base, and when once the umps decided to continue a game the next day 
the poor guy had to stay all night. Is this really true?
Anne Guenther, North York

A-A fine question with which to end the mailbag. Someone left my catcher in the rain and I'll never have that recipe again.

This has improved quicker than i think we all envisioned. I'm not surprised, but definitely encouraged. Because he was in significant pain that night and the three days following that, there's been a lot of improvement. All that is positive and that's not just because of what he states, but the actual strengthening and the exercises and the treatment he's going through. That's being tested and once he's out of the woods, symptom free, that's when we'll put a bat back in his hands. The next thing he's doing is there's been more manipulation of the wrist side to side rather than just straight on exercises, so that's the progressive steps. There's been no reproducing of that discomfort in those controlled settings.”

Farrell suggested bautista may be swinging a bat and taking live batting practice by the end of the week.

Certainly over the years there would have been players ready to come back prior to the end of a disabled period, but with 15 days, that can never be considered a mistake, more like erring on the side of caution. Some players on the coin-toss, ready-or-not side of  15 days actually benefit from the enforced time out and are encouraged not to push the envelope, not to rush back to the field. It's really never a situation that's embarrassed any team. You know what they say about “better safe...”

 

 

Blue Jays mailbag: Colby Rasmus changing perceptions on and off the field

I am usually a huge admirer of Rays manager Joe Maddon, but his reaction to Nationals' manager Davey Johnson's obvious gamesmanship in calling out Rays reliever Joel Peralta on his pine-tarred glove is baffling to me. If I was Johnson, armed with the knowledge that Peralta, a former Nationals reliever, always pitched with pine tar on his glove, I would have done the same thing. It's all about winning. Even Charlie Sheen can tell you that.

The rulebook states that a pitcher may not “apply a foreign substance to the ball, or have a foreign substance in his possession.” Pine tar is clearly such a substance. The rule was broken. Umpire Tim Tschida had no choice but to eject the Rays' middle reliever. Maddon lost it on Johnson after the game. Johnson responded by telling Maddon to “read the rulebook” and calling him a “weird wuss” and “the guru over there.”

Great stuff in a sport that needs more characters willing to show some emotion.

However, the result, an eight-game suspension for Peralta, is something I'm sure Johnson was not angling for. That's a little excessive from baseball and Peralta is appealing to have the penalty reduced. The lesson, one guesses, is that bouncing a helmet one-hop off an umpire like Brett Lawrie did with Bill Miller, is only half as offensive in games missed as a little pine tar on the glove. That's dumb.

The strange thing is that Peralta was not necessarily cheating. He apparently sweats a lot on the mound and when his hand gets slick, he touches the tar with his fingertips and gets a better grip on the ball (or that's the story he's sticking to).

In a way it makes it safer for hitters that might be injured if a slick ball gets away from a pitcher. Recall left-hander Kenny Rogers in the '06 World Series and the extremely black brim of his pine-tar slathered hat that was zeroed in on by Fox TV cameras and the subject of mush discussion in the booth.

Rules change and maybe this one needs to. Up until two years ago, a pitcher on the dirt of the mound could not touch fingers to mouth or a ball would be called. Now he can do that as long as he makes a wiping move to his uniform. It's all about pace of the game.

Maddon is a smart guy. Maybe he was just deflecting attention away from his pitcher and his team, relieving some pressure on his reliever by going on the offensive against Johnson.

Maddon blustered this is one of those things where you have to “read between the lines” of the rulebook and allow the players to regulate themselves. The next time out, with his suspension under appeal, Peralta pitched again against the Nats, but this time using Jeremy Hellickson's glove. What? Pine tar can't be applied to that? In any case, Maddon said he was going to check every Nats reliever that came in, but umpires put the kibosh on that idea.

I like the whole brouhaha. Two really good managers playing mind games.

The fact is that Johnson was right. It wasn't about the glove. If you can throw an opponent off his game, all's fair. I remember managing against Whitby in a minor bantam tournament. A Whitby player was not seriously nicked and the manager came on the field to check on his kid. As he trotted off back to the third base dugout, he turned his head and said to his pitcher, “You okay?” I raced onto the field and made the umpire count that as a mound visit. Was I being unfair? Well, yeah. But the guy was really mad at me and may have missed a key decision later on.

Hey, maybe on his next road trip the brilliantly innovative and colourful Maddon can give his players the theme of dressing like “Sport's greatest cheaters.” That would be fun. There could be David Price as Boston Marathon cheat Rosie Ruiz. Or Ben Zobrist as Bronx 14-year-old Little Leaguer Danny Almonte. Or Carlos Pena  as '36 Olympic high jumper Dora Ratjen, the German who turned out to be a guy named Hermann. Or Jose Molina as figure skater Tonya Harding. Or Evan Longoria as Hand of God soccer cheater Maradona.

In summary, Johnson was right, Maddon was right for covering for his players. Baseball was wrong for handing out eight games and maybe the rules need to be modified.  On to the mailbag:

Q-Hi Richard,

With Rasmus starting to look like the keeper we hoped he would be and with the continued development of some of our top prospects in Las Vegas, I started putting the pieces together for 2013. What I realized is that aside from a potentially potent offence, we may have the best defensive team in the majors next year. The Jays could potentially have a starting OF of Rasmus, Gose and Bautista, an infield of Lawrie (3B), Escobar (SS), Hechaverria (2B), D’Arnaud (C) and your pick between Lind, Cooper, Gomes, Arencibia, or Encarnacion at 1B. That's a lot of youth in a starting side but would I be right in saying this would be the top defensive team in the league if you believe all the reports on Gose, Hech, and D'Arnaud?

All the best,

Aaron Hickey, Sydney, Australia

A-I must say I was wrong about Colby Rasmus. I have maintained that he doesn't fit in the Jays' clubhouse and might never ... but that was last year when he was struggling at the plate and having trouble finding close friendships. This year, since Day 1 of training camp, he found a kindred spirit in catcher Jeff Mathis, a central Florida kid with similar interests. They speak the same language. This has spun off into solid relationships with other teammates.

He has even showed a wry sense of redneck humour that includes making fun of media as they wander through the clubhouse. He has loosened up everywhere including his signature two-out, arm wheel and flourish to his fellow outfielders after he makes a catch. His dad, Tony, was in Toronto on Father's Day and noted Colby's new ability to be himself, which apparently was discouraged under Cards' skipper Tony LaRussa.

Manager John Farrell was asked if he thinks of himself as the anti-Tony LaRussa: “More than anything, you deal with people as they are -- differently. I'm not saying you take a custom approach. You've got some basic elements that you try and get across to everyone. Everyone has their own personality and you try and bring out the most in each guy. Thankfully, he feels good about himself and where he's at right now.” Farrell has much to do with that. By the way, Tony Rasmus looks like he would be fun to play golf with. 

As for the potentially potent defensive Jays lineup, I agree that if that was the rotation, it would be pretty good, especially in the outfield and up the middle of the infield. However, you're talking about three rookie starters – Gose, Hechavarria, D'Arnaud -- in a lineup that must be constructed to compete. It can be done, but it would be a giant leap of faith in some unproven youngsters.

Q-If the Jays continue to have bullpen issues, and can sign Marcus Stroman before the end of the month, do you foresee them bringing him up to the big club in August. Of all the college pitchers in the draft, Stroman supposedly is the most major league-ready.

Vladimir Guerrero seems to have overvalued himself. No other team has wanted his services ever since he decided to just leave and quit on the Jays. Do you think his career is over?

Why don't the Jays call up Deck McGuire and/or Chad Jenkins? At the very least give Scott Richmond another shot. Jesse Chavez, Carlos Villanueva and Aaron Laffey are all guys who are better suited to coming out of the bullpen and being the long guys. You might as well see what you have with McGuire and Jenkins even though they have struggled in Double A. AA really messed up this offseason by not signing a veteran innings eater like Kevin Millwood or Hiroki Kuroda.

Jason Sinnarajah, San Francisco

A-With regard to Marcus Stroman, even though the right-hander had a good season at Duke and is a mature college pitcher, if they do sign him, he would need to be seen at the minor-league level and, besides, bringing a pitcher to the majors right away has never been the Jays' style. First of all, it gets the major-league clock ticking and what if he does not succeed right away in the first two months. Then they send him down next April and that counts as a first option. The Jays would prefer to start 2013 with any of their first-year pitchers, including Stroman, on a regular minor-league contract so that they can start his major-league clock on their sked and maximize the control they have down the road.

Vlad definitely jumped the gun and overvalued himself. Of course we all think we're better and more valuable than we are. In Guerrero's case, I truly believe he surprised his own agent, Bean Stringfellow (love writing that name) by giving the Jays an ultimatum. AA never ever includes an out clause in  any of his minor-league invites for veteran major-leaguers.

Handshake.

The AA agreement is always if you want out just tell us and we'll give you your release. He feels that word of mouth among players and their agents that the Jays are men of their word and that a verbal agreement with Toronto is all you need is better. He feels that this trust inside the walls of the industry is important to establishing the Jays as major players in free agency. Whether that's right or wrong, he sticks to his guns. I agree with him.

As for who should be called up to start, I would take a chance with Chad Jenkins. The Jays at the major league level play better defence and have better scouting reports and some pitchers thrive in the majors when they struggled – at least statistically – in the minors.

“I thought Chad threw the ball very well at spring training and yet he's somewhat, I don't want to say plateaued,” Farrell said. “He's kind of going along at the Double-A level. We're in a situation where need might necessitate that faster development track and some guys may respond in a favourable way. I'll tell you this, if needs continue to arise because of unfortunate circumstances, we may just put ourselves in a position to say 'You know what, let's give them the ball, give them the opportunity and see how he fares'.”

Q-Three starters gone in one week. Totally unheard of and two of them won't be back until the 2014 season. AA is stuck. Getting a good ML starter for prospects isn't going to happen so do you try and move Escobar and Arencibia for pitching because you have two top prospects waiting in the wings to take over their spots. I would rather see them rush them up than watch young pitchers not ready for prime time get battered about. Guys in the clubhouse will lose their will to win if they have to score more than 6 runs a game. So does AA have any other choices?

Dave Walker, Scarborough

A-Three starters on the DL in one trip through the Jays rotation is something I have never seen in my 40 years in baseball. But it's a leap of lack of faith to say that two of them won't be back until 2014. The Tommy John procedure has reached the point where 12 months is a pretty good estimate to have a pitcher back on the mound. Of course it all depends on the individual effort that any pitcher is willing to put in. But we're not even sure yet that Drew Hutchison is going to undergo the procedure, while Kyle Drabek could be back by next year's all-star break if everything goes well. Granted, for Drabek it is his second Tommy John surgery. Dodgers' starter Chris Capuano is an example of a pitcher that came back to pitch in the majors after two such operations.

Also, how can you make that sweeping statement that “getting a good ML starter for prospects isn't going to happen.” Think Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Randy Johnson, Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos, the list goes on and on. In fact, that's the No. 1 way to get ML starters is with prospects. As for guys losing their will to win because they have to score six runs a game. That's the most ridiculous statement of the bunch. When a player puts on his uniform, he's not thinking about giving up on even one game, one at-bat, one pitch. It's his livelihood and pride takes over and a vision of his personal future as a professional baseball player is most important. You can't just rattle off your opinion as fact.

Q-Richard,

I am surprised that this question hasn't been asked yet, but here goes nothing...During the offseason AA and Beeston made mention that Rogers wouldn't have a problem supporting a larger payroll, when the players and fans show the support. It would seem to a fan that the players are really showing that they are ready to compete even after the loss of three starting pitchers in under a week, they have battled day in and day out for wins, and even when the lose they are right there in battle. So that is one point down, the players have shown they are ready to compete, AA has to stand up and now make his commitment to the team to take it to the next level. The second is the Fans. Aren't the Jays 5th in the largest attendance rate increase in all of baseball? The Fans are supporting the team at the stadium, and one would think the TV ratings have dramatically increased, oh and by the way, how about Jays merchandise, I read somewhere they are in the top five of merchandise sales now. The Fans and Players have stood up and showed that Baseball in Toronto is ready to compete, when will AA and Beeston show their end of the deal? Let's Go Blue Jays.

Scott Cochrane, Niagara-on-the-Lake

A-Those are good points about Beeston's off-season explanation of fans support leading to increased payroll, but the optimum time to add intelligent payroll is next off-season. Any Blue Jays payroll increase right now would likely be for expiring contracts for veterans from other teams poised for free agency. There are other, rare, opportunities for a guy like, say, 1B Justin Morneau if the Twins choose to go in that direction, trying to open a permanent position for Joe Mauer. Morneau has $14 million left for 2013 and I would do that if he proves he is healthy. But for Beeston and AA to respond moving forward properly to the promises they made, they must add new talent heading into 2013. To overpay now in 2012 yielding huge prospects for short term contracts, just because fans are calling them out, would be short-sighted. But let's keep your point in mind heading into the offseason. 

Q-I have a sort of off topic question - Cito Gaston. I have had heard many people wonder why he hasn't managed another MLB team since his World Series years in Toronto. Even Cito seems to wonder why this is.

 I remember during his first tenure with the Blue Jays as manager. In interviews and articles, he would always say that he never wanted to be a manager - always downplayed his desire to be a manager. Didn't seem to care if he was fired or not.

 Do you think his attitude is what kept him from managing another team? What team would want to hire a guy that did not seem to care if he got the job? I have always viewed Cito as a guy that wanted to manage again - but never showed a strong desire.

 He never was a great strategic manager, but his handling of players (especially the veterans) was excellent - he would always bring out the best in his players.

Chris Hiuser, Tecumseh

A-The most obvious response is that Cito was never given credit for what he did with the Blue Jays, because of the offensive talent on these two teams. The perception was that Gaston was a good batting coach reluctantly taking over a highly-paid, supremely talented Jays team as manager in '89 and just posting a line-up and watching them win. It was not a fair assessment. However, I guarantee one thing. If Gaston was white he would have managed again even after being fired by the Jays in '97.

Cito came close to managing with the White Sox. It came down to Ozzie Guillen and him. He had lunch with Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf at the Tampa Airport and Gaston recalled that it was a very positive get-together. The next day the Sox announced Ozzie as manager. The edge may have been in Guillen's history as a player with the White Sox.

After that, Cito interviewed with several other teams including the Brewers. At the last minute he withdrew his name from the Brewers' candidacy and from that point on he refused to just interview with teams. His feeling was that the commissioner's “affirmative action” mandate that every team needed to interview a minority candidate before naming a new manager – except, it seems, the Jays, when they hired John Gibbons full time. It made it seem like teams were just calling him in as a token interview to meet the requirement.

Gaston felt that his two World Series rings spoke more eloquently than any two-hour sit-down interview about personal philosophy ever could. “If you want me, just hire me.” Cito's not the only African-American to come to that conclusion. Hal McRae also stopped going to interviews.   

Q-Richard,

As a Canadian who moved from Canada between the Blue Jays World Series wins, I really enjoy your column and insight. With divided loyalties, I was fortunate to be at Miller Park last night for one the wildest games I can remember since game 4 of the 93 World Series. I was hoping to see Lawrie face Shaun Marcum, but it was still good to see Garth Iorg coaching first base. Aside from the 5 lead changes, 3 walked in runs, 1 hit batter run, a grand slam, consecutive home runs (3 and then 2), a strike out/passed ball to keep an inning going, there was lots of Canadian content.

Well everyone is familiar with Brett Lawrie (who played in Appleton), John Axford, Gord Ash and Doug Melvin, there were also pinch hit appearances by George Kottaras and Taylor Green. That makes 4 Canadians to play in a major league game. Do you know if that is a record? 

I am looking forward to the Lansing Lugnuts coming to Appleton next month to showcase the Jays upcoming talent. It's a nice park and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a community owned team, similar to the Packers up the road in Green Bay. Let me know if you come to town and I'll buy you a cold one at the Leinie Lodge.

Thanks
,

Scott Fraser
, Appleton, Wisconsin

A-The Leinie Lodge looks like a great spot to meet for a cold Leinenkugel and a brat. I agree with you about the craziness of that Tuesday Jays-Brewers game at Miller Park. The whole series reminded me of the series in May 2010 at Chase Field in Phoenix when Edwin went crazy in that high-scoring three-game interleague series against the D-backs. In fact the weather in Milwaukee this week was very Phoenix-like as well. As for the four Canadians in one game. I was asked that question in the press box by the irrepressible Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. My recollection is that there had been other games with four Canadians in the same box score. I think the day Lachine, Quebec's Denis Boucher made his debut for the Expos back on September 6, 1993, his catcher was Windsor's Joe Sidall and his right fielder was Maple Ridge's Larry Walker I looked it up. There were no Canadians for the Rockies that day, but as the P.R. guy I had to do the research on most Canadians in a game and I believe it was four. I just misplaced my notes from 19 years ago. Forgive me.   

Q-Hello Richard,

I want to thank you for including my daughter's question about Brian Jeroloman and Koby Clemens in Mailbag. She was thrilled. I've never been a fan of Paul Beeston, not sure what he brings to the table. It is repugnant to read he is friends with a creep like Clemens, who has laughably escaped prosecution. And what ever happened to the story that Clemens was dallying with the underage girl? 
Good message to the youth of the country. Barry Bonds, LeBron James, Dany Heatley, etc.....

Thanks again,

Selby Martin, Toronto

A-The legal process is what it is and the case against Clemens of perjury and obstruction of justice, for which he was found not guilty, was weakened considerably when Andy Pettitte remembered that he had mis-remembered his conversation with the Rocket from the early '00s. That left the prosecution as a he said/he said with Brian McNamee. I'm not sure how necessary it was for Clemens to be found guilty and spend any time in jail. The Rocket's legacy has been tarnished forever.

As for the mystery woman you ask about in Roger's past, that was country singer Mindy McCready who was linked romantically to Clemens in an explosive New York Daily News piece in '08. McCready has recorded five country albums, but when she is alleged to have met Clemens, it was as a 15 or 16-year-old karaoke singer in a Fort Myers bar in '92.

McCready tearfully confirmed the sexual relationship to the paper in April of 2008, two months after the Rocket had appeared in front of a congressional committee on performance enhancers, a tough stretch for Clemens. Clemens, through his lawyer Rusty Hardin, threatened the Daily News with a defamation suit, claiming the relationship with McCready was as a family friend and that his wife Debbie was aware of the friendship. McCready apparently mis-remembered, according to Hardin. And, hey, what did LeBron ever do except leave Cleveland and win an NBA championship, proving he is one of the Top 10 players in NBA history?

Q-What does the recent spate of arm injuries mean for the Jays' incremental arm development plan? We've been so careful not to overwork the arms, yet it doesn't seem to matter, eh?

Tony Baer, Baraboo

A-That's a very good question. The Jays are perhaps going to have to review their minor-league methods. The Jays traditionally take draft pick signees and nurture them in their first few years as pros. A kid may have been over-worked as a high school or NCAA stud, but the Jays send them to spring training and have them on strict inning and pitch counts as the season goes on.

For instance the Lansing staff is loaded with pitching talent, but for the first two months they piggy-backed at a maximum of three innings up to four, five etc. Then after they've been in the system a couple of years, they give each pitcher a total innings limit in the minors and again when he reaches the majors.

Major league pitches are considered more stressful. For example, the Jays had planned on limiting Hutchison to 150 total innings this year. A couple of years ago, they shut down Brandon Morrow and Brett Cecil in September and sent them home as healthy scratches. The options are like teaching a baby to swim by either giving him or her lessons for months or by throwing them in the deep end of the pool.   

Q-Hi Richard,

Two questions from me: 1) In my view, the team pile-on walk-off celebrations are getting out of hand. I thought streaming out of the dugout and jumping on each other was reserved for clinching a playoff spot, but now a Rajai Davis single in June will spark one. Is there an old guard vs new guard feeling about them in the baseball world? 

2) The Blue Jays voted to contract the Expos in 2001, and when they moved to Washington I boycotted MLB and the Jays by not buying game tickets. Will the Blue Jays ever apologize to Expos fans for that vote or should I see a therapist about learning how to let go? Thanks!

Seth Bernstein, Toronto

A-I agree with you on walk-off celebrations. I think the thought process in all things on the baseball diamond should be “What would Henry Aaron do?” If the Hammer hit a game-winning home run during the regular season, I have trouble in my mind seeing him taking a giant leap onto home plate and then bouncing around with teammates like Hannibal's troops going through the Alps on pogo sticks. I have trouble seeing Mr. Aaron delivering a shaving cream pie in the face to Eddie Mathews as he's sitting for a TV interview. So, no. Don't do it.

As for your displeasure with the Jays on voting for contraction back in '01. I too had a huge problem with that and have written as such through the years. It would have been a stand admired by other major-league owners if the Jays had stuck with the other major-league Canadian team. Bud Selig wanted a unanimous vote, well, other than the Expos. Carl Pohlad who abstained in Minnesota. But he stood to get a big payoff in contraction and he couldn't get approval for a new stadium, since built. Yeah, I hate the Jays for that one moment, but if you love baseball, let it go. Enjoy the game.    

Q-Hi Richard;

After a Jays game I go to their website and scroll through the box score. A batter that is hit by a pitch, or walks, or gets on due to catcher interference does not get credit for a base on the total bases line. But if the bases were full when this happened, he'd get an RBI. Someone like Bautista should be credited with over a hundred bases a year. Isn't a walk as good as a hit?

No one should feel bad about Vladdy being released. Talk to the Orioles about the rally-killing, inning-ending double plays that he grounded into. This has been a bad year for former stars. Vladdy, Moyer, Ramirez, and Matsui doing little with the Rays. Even Thome is not earning his salary.

Thanks Richard,

Art Hilderman, Winnipeg

A-That's why a stat like OPS (On-Base plus Slugging) is an important gauge for offensive contribution. It gives much credit to walks as part of the on-base and for power as a calculation of total bases divided by at-bats. It's not perfect, but if you go online and sort any team by OPS or career Hall-of-Famers, it comes out in a pretty meaningful order.

Vlad was not going to put the Jays over the top and I had already started to hear that inside the Jays' clubhouse, which is a very good environment right now, there was not a lot of sentiment to parachute Guerrero into the mix. That was even before Vlad quit I was hearing that. The last guy that came to the Jays because he needed some home runs for 500 was Frank Thomas and how did that work out?

Q-If Chad Mottola is so great at fixing broken Blue Jay swings (e.g. Lind, Snider, Encarnacion), why don't we just make him the hitting coach? Lind's recent statement to the Star that, when he gets recalled: "Chad won't be there and I'll have to be able to adjust by myself -- is kind of sad, no?

Tony Baer, Baraboo

Q-Hi Richard,

One consistent pattern for the Blue Jay minor league hitters is that, on going from AA to AAA, they almost always hit better, often significantly. This year's examples include D'Arnaud, Gomes, Gose, Hechavarria and Sierra while in the recent past, others were Arencibia, Lawrie and Thames. While there may be a 'Las Vegas' factor at work, I also wonder if the Blue Jays might improve by promoting Mottola to be the major league batting coach. What do you think? Also, in all the discussion of possible promotions, why isn't Moises Sierra mentioned? He is reported to be an excellent outfielder with good power and is currently batting over .300.

Bill Reynolds, Toronto

A-I thought back at spring training when Dwayne Murphy went home for a couple of weeks for some family issues and Mottola stayed in major-league camp, I believed that the Jays might be thinking about adding Mottola to the major-league staff as an associate hitting coach. In fact, both World Series teams last year, the Cards and the Rangers had already stumbled upon that process. Think about it, the pitching coach has the bullpen coach to bounce ideas off. The hitting coach as 13 players and one cage and one pair of eyes and ears. I think they should add Mottola as an associate. He came up last September and he and Murph are on the same page, with some differences. That's a good thing.

Q-Hi Richard,

I'm already thinking about next year and was wondering if the best route for the Jays to put plus players in every position would be to move Bautista back to third and move Lawrie to second base.

 I have to think that finding an outfielder with a left handed power bat would be far easier than finding a quality second baseman. I also foresee the possibility of a very flexible line-up with multiple options at OF/1B/DH and catcher however without Lind we are still in need of some left handed bats.

Andrew Blakeney, Toronto

A-I disagree on pretty much all of that. Bautista does not want to play third base and he is your best player. I might try and convince him to play first base. Lawrie is going to be  a Gold Glove third baseman. If he played second base I could see him on a double play pivot where a guy slides in hard, with Brett descending to sit on his chest and chew his face off. (sorry I'm in Miami and distracted) You would have to keep three catchers to have both D'Arnaud and Arencibia if J.P. was to move around other positions. That's the one with three catchers that may not be as problematic for me.

Q-When JP Riccardi came in he tried to implement an offence that had players work the count in hopes of getting to the middle relievers early. It failed miserably and Cito had to be brought back to fix things. Now Farrell comes in with the same mantra and look what has happened to the offence.This type of offence may work in Boston, New York or Texas where you have six all-star type players in your line-up but it has been shown that with our collection of castoffs it doesn't work here.

Don't you think it's time to go back to a Cito-type of offensive approach because everyone is sick of constantly watching Jays players take first pitch fastballs down the gut and then striking out on a curve in the dirt. Yes the Jays may get to the bullpen earlier but usually they are losing 4-0 by then and the fans have either left the building or turned off their TVs and radios.

Gus Bolin, Keene, ON

A-I've never been a fan of taking strike one and getting yourself into a pitcher's count right away. And when opponents know that a team philosophy is to work the count they become less reluctant to pound the strike zone on the first pitch. If they are aware, however, that you are looking for a certain pitch, certain spot and that even on first pitch you will crush it, they make a mistake, they become more careful and are more likely to miss on first pitch and all of a sudden the hitter is in charge.

Another problem for the Jays' young hitters is that under Cito, batting coach Murphy was delivering a message of controlled aggression. Then a year later, the same Jays guys step into the batting cage and Murph is suddenly preaching working the count and having 7-10 pitch at-bats to get the starting pitcher out of the game. It's like when Bob Dylan went through his Christian phase. “Say what, Mr. Zimmerman?” Don't think that mixed message is confusing? Ask Adam Lind.

Blue Jays mailbag: Is it time to bring up Gose, Hechavarria and d'Arnaud?

Adeiny Hechavarria at bat with the Las Vegas 51s. BRENDAN KENNEDY / TORONTO STAR

 

It's Father's Day weekend. Of all the major pro sports, the NHL and MLB seem to boast the most family connections, generation after generation of players and their sons.

As such, Happy Father's Day to these Blue Jays father-son connections: Sandy Alomar (Sandy Jr. and Roberto); Jesse Barfield (Josh); Mickey Brantley (Michael); Sal Butera (Drew); Jose Cruz (Jose Jr.); Doug Drabek (Kyle); Cecil Fielder (Prince); Tom Fletcher (Darrin); Dave LaRoche (Adam, Andy); Clyde Mashore (Damon); Gary Matthews (Gary, Jr.); John Mayberry (John); Dave McKay (Cody); Hal McRae (Brian); Bob Oliver (Darren); Gary Roenicke (Josh); Dick Schofield (Dick); Diego Segui (David); Chris Speier (Justin); Ed Sprague (Ed); Mel Stottlemyre (Mel, Todd); Dennis Werth (Jayson); Maury Wills (Bump).

And a special Father's Day wish to Jays' manager John Farrell. His 21-year-old son Luke, last October was being treated for a re-occurring tumour on the back of his skull. He spent over a month at a state-of-the-art clinic in Boston accompanied by father John and mother, Sue. The junior at Northwestern U. in Chicago, started back to class in early December and resumed pitching for the Wildcats for the spring season. Luke has rebounded well and earned a pitching spot in the highly-regarded Cape Cod Summer League near Boston. For Luke and the Farrells' two other sons, it will be a Happy Father's Day.    

Q-Hi Richard,

Your mailbag rocks. Please do it regularly. Rather frustrating when I try to look for it on Fridays and came out emptyhanded.

 Questions:

1-The current Washington Nationals team, any leftover from the Expos era, whether they are players or management?

2-What so good about Bryce Harper? 19-year-old playing every day?! Who would you compare him to?

3-If you have to point your finger, who will you blame for the current Jays' mediocrity? AA's bad assessment of the AL East state? Farrell's lack of experience? Lack of leadership/maturity amongst players? It seems like they lost something from last year.

4-When JP was in charge, he tried to trade Rios for either Lincecum or Cain. I think he would still be around if he were able to get that done, agree? Was this rumour real or not? Supposed Rios did live up to his potential (5 tools), would you still make that trade -- an all-star fielder for an all-star pitcher?

5-What is so good about Buster Posey? Is our d'Arnaud as good? How can he earn respect of his pitchers being so young? And batting cleanup too? He is no I-Rod, no?

Thomas Lam, Richmond Hill

A-I can relate to your curiosity in that first question about any leftover Expos from '04 when the franchise left Canada. When the Nats were in Toronto this week, I was looking to find out exactly the answer to that query, because in my own mind, I don't really connect the Nats with Montreal any more. It's a total disconnect. In fact when I did a preview of the Nats series I forgot they were ever the Expos. I always find it strange whenever they honour an Expos star like Andre Dawson on the field.

There are just three Expos connections that I could find: Rosie the clubhouse manager, who started with the Expos in the '90s. John Dever the P.R. director who replaced P.J. Loyello, now a v-p with the Miami Marlins, who had replaced me back in '95. F.P. Santangelo is a TV broadcaster and used to be a terrific utility man with the Expos in the '90s before moving on to the Giants.

What is so good about Bryce Harper? Damn, he's good. I was really looking not to like him, to walk in the Nats clubhouse and see this arrogant, punk kid walking around like he owned the place. I wanted to  dislike him after the SI cover at 16 years old, after the GQ interview, brief as it was, plus the fact that I was managing players his age, with my rep team in Oakville a year ago and could have used him on my team when the umpires screwed us out of a championship trophy in Michigan at the All-American Classic in June. But after seeing him in the Nats clubhouse treat the environment and the people around him with respect and after watching him play for three games, I think I'm a fan. He is going to be good for the game as long as he stays healthy.

Harper hit two ground balls so hard they accelerated past Kelly Johnson at second base for singles. His home run to centre off the “c” on their huge banner gave Blackberry an unexpected hard drive. In Game 2, with Lawrie stealing and not slowing down, Harper fielded a one-hop single in right and almost threw him out at third base. Then there was the drag bunt single that undressed Edwin at first base as he tried to field and tag in one motion ending up on his back in foul territory with the ball bouncing harmlessly away. That was the play that made me think Harper as Mickey Mantle. I saw Mantle play at the tail end of his career and that drag bunt was one of his signature plays. Harper has said that the 34 on his jersey is his 3+4=7 tribute to the Mick.

For Question 3, I blame the Jays' current mediocrity as an extension of last year's mediocrity when they finished 81-81. I blame the fact that AA came up short on the search for a veteran third starter, trying hard for Mat Latos and not so hard on Gio Gonzalez and coming up short in terms of satisfying the other teams' demands. He would have had to give up major-league ready talent for either guy and he felt that would be spinning his major-league wheels.

4-Yes, the conversations that Ricciardi had with the Giants for a starter were very real. But it was more a fishing expedition towards Brian Sabean with Alex Rios as the bait and when Lincecum ended up winning a Cy Young, the story became that the Jays could have had Lincecum for Rios, which is not quite true. Discussions between the Jays and Giants were ongoing and, at the time, Rios was at his trading peak. But there were many Giants names in the discussion that included Lincecum and Cain. The feeling was that the Giants, once discussions got more serious, would substitute other names in the mix to try and secure Rios. But it makes a good story.

5-Man you have a lot of questions. Buster Posey to me, if the Giants make the post-season, should be given serious NL MVP consideration. He's a rookie in '10 and they go to the World Series. He's hurt in '11 and they are awful. He's back healthy and they're in playoff position. Not much else needs to be said.  As for d'Arnaud, the past two seasons at New Hampshire and Vegas he has started slowly and come on strong offensively. Behind the plate, he is a sponge, soaking up information and using it correctly. His arm is strong enough and his footwork on throws is solid. There's only one Pudge – actually two, in Ivan Rodriguez and Carlton Fisk. But the good thing for d'Arnaud is that Posey proved that a team can win with a rookie catcher behind the plate.      

Q-Richard,

Maybe you can explain AA's thinking... I can understand wanting to give Cooper an extended audition...but keeping McCoy over Gomes seems to go the other way. Rajai over Vladdy still feels strange to me, and I really don't understand keeping Omar at .215 rather than bringing up a SS/2nd base of the future. We seem to be rebuilding, sorta, kinda, but not really! What's going on?

Peter Thomson, Elizabeth City, NC

A-”Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” Those are the immortal words of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy discovers that the Wiz ain't so big and smart as he likes to let on. Such might be the case with AA as he manipulates his roster through the middle of a disappointing stretch. Let's go down the list of players that you mention:

Cooper is not being given an extended audition. He is keeping someone else's seat warm and filling in for a stalled Adam Lind and a departed Eric Thames.

The Gomes demotion was simple. They needed his versatility for the games in National League parks. They used the 10-day rule twice (a player can't be recalled for 10 days after he is optioned except in the case of replacing an injured player). The first time they sent Gomes to Vegas 12 days before they headed to their first NL park and recalled him 10 days later. The second time they saw that Morrow would likely have to go on the DL, so they sent Gomes to Vegas and recalled Aaron Laffey and Evan Crawford. Gomes went and hid out at the SkyDome Hotel for 24 hours and then miraculously re-appeared on the roster replacing Morrow (15-day DL). He lost Airline points but got some extra Marriott points. The Gomes demotions are more about rules than merit.

Vlad screwed up the best-laid plans. His impatience in terms of waiting until the Jays' interleague trips were over cost Vlad a chance with the Jays. It will be interesting to see if he gets a major-league job before June 25, the date the Jays head to Boston after the interleague ends. The Tigers might be a good landing spot, since Dave Dombrowski was the GM when he signed in MTL.

Q-Hey Griff,

So now that the Jays season is over, who do they trade for prospects? I'm thinking anyone on a one-year deal, like Johnson, Oliver, Encarnacion, etc. Also CoCo if anyone bites (the number of GMs that believe in former closers is incredible), but I'm thinking he'd have to be waived. Though you could consider using him as an innings eater to save our young arms and get us a higher draft pick.

Rob B., Oshawa

A-The moment has not arrived yet, but there might come a time this season when the fan base needs a boost in order to remain the fan base.

In that case, if the Jays spiral out of the race in the next month look for any veteran on a one-year deal to be offered in trade to a legit contender. Darren Oliver is the kind of talent that contending teams are looking for down the stretch. Luis Perez and Evan Crawford can fill that LH relief role. If Johnson is traded, Hechavarria could begin his MLB career. I would not trade Edwin. I think AA wants him back but because of his injury history is not interested in negotiating during the season. As for CoCo Cordero, I love the guy and he has not been as bad as fans think. There is a mob mentality out there and all it takes is a groundswell of anti-CoCo crisping on platforms like the Wilner Show and the torches are lit and the pitchforks raised. “Bring me the head of Francisco Cordero!!” There is no doubt the next generation is pushing hard at Vegas.

Q-Hi, Richard.

What really happened with Guerrero? Is this good, bad or insignificant?

Chris M., Collingwood

A-It's insignificant, followed by bad. There would have been no problem for me in seeing him get a shot with the Jays. The guy can hit and the buzz would have been good for us in the media. See my blog earlier in the week for a full view on his departure.

Q-Hi Richard:

Although the Jays are still in tight contention for a wild-card, one gets the ominous feeling from watching them the past three weeks that their fortunes are on the decline. I'm not sure with an under-performing Romero and Drabek, injuries to Morrow and Santos, with only Hutchinson really performing as expected or better, this staff can really contend. We also have question marks at 1B/DH (bye bye Vladdy) and LF which remain unanswered. How do you envision Anthopoulos addressing these issues over both the short- (deadline) and long-term (end of season)?

Brian Campbell, Ottawa

A-I'm believing now that every time the Jays starter warms up at the Rogers Centre, they should pipe in over the sound system the theme music from Jaws.

“Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the mound.”

In the last stretch of games there was Betemit's line drive off Morrow, Aviles's line drive off Alvarez, Morrow's stabbing pain in the left oblique that led him to the DL and Drabek's popping in his elbow, making him sound much like the  Black Knight defending the bridge in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. “It's just a flesh wound!”  

Hutchison is performing well but he is on a 150-inning count. As for the other issues and the end of the season, I believe that whenever it is the Jays feel they are no longer in wild-card contention that the clock will start on the future stars like Hechavarria and Gose. The Jays need to know.

Q-Howdy Richard,

As much as I hate to see Morrow out for an extended period of time the curious conspiracy theorist in me is intrigued by the reaction of Ownership and Management in the next coming days and weeks. To me it seems like two roads can be taken, you ramp up any plans of bringing in Major league talent to the roster in order to stay competitive in the AL East Race or you start preparing your talking points for the end of the season along the lines of 'we battled inconsistency all year and the Morrow injury really put us back....yadda yadda, etc etc.'

My point being it is one thing to pass on a talent like Prince Fielder this past offseason when the asking price turned out to be understandably unreasonable but it is quite another to pass on pursuing pitching talent like Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, and/or Wandy Rodriguez when your team is above .500 and 4 games out of first place in the standings midseason.

 Do you think this situation will lead to some insight into the collective minds of management and Rogers or am I reading too much into it? Getting back to my inner conspiracy theorist, If ownership resembled a Mark Cuban, Maverick type, who runs his team with a passion to win, we think we know what path would be taken while an owner constantly checking balance sheets and quarterly profit margins they might see this as just the excuse they need not to take on salary to stay competitive.

Your thoughts? 

Derek from the East Coast

Derek Andrews, Fredericton

A-I don't believe the Jays will give up on this year til the mathematics dictate. As such, I can see them making a move for a starting pitcher before the middle of July, since they have injuries and Hutchison on an innings-limit. It would be a short-term acquisition with long-term possibilities. But after that, in August I can see the Jays throwing veteran one-year contracts overboard and bringing up their future core players to give them a better idea what they have to do in the off-season. If Hechavarria is a player, they may not need in '13 to go out and acquire a second baseman., If Gose is a player for the moment, they may not need to go out and find a leadoff man. The big question becomes behind the plate. 

Q-Hi Richard,

I'm really beginning to wonder the authenticity in Paul Beeston's statement that he expects the Blue Jays to make the playoffs at least three times over the next five years. The fact of the matter is that it is becoming quite clear that Rogers is not willing to make the commitment to make this team a contender. Take for instance the Blue Jays silly stance on the fact that they will not go beyond their own self imposed player value. Because of this, they did not trade for market value for Mat Latos. They will not sign free agents beyond 5 years, and hence the loss of Prince Fielder. They will not go beyond their own value on signing international free agents and thus have lost out on Aroldis Chapman and Yu Darvish. Imagine if Rogers had opened up their vault, and in a perfect world added Fielder, Darvish, and Chapman to this year's roster. All the cost would have been is money, and in each case, the Jays could have had all three. The irony of it all is that all these three players would have fit the exact needs of the current Blue Jays roster: a power hitting first baseman, a starting pitcher, and an elite closer.

I've always felt that the biggest curse to Blue Jays fans is the success of Tampa Bay Rays. Since they have shown that they can win on a very tight budget, I begin to wonder if Rogers is thinking the same thing, and will continue to rein in their millions of Rogers customers dollars.

Zaki Ameen, Milton

A-The Latos situation is interesting. The Jays had a nice package of prospects on the table for San Diego, but the Padres pulled the trigger on the Reds deal without getting back to AA. The difference was that they knew all Anthopoulos had to offer was excellent prospects that were still at low Class-A and the Reds had players ready for the 40-man roster and guys that could play right now. It doesn't seem to have affected in a positive manner the Padres standings in the standings, but if the Jays had to give up current MLB talent for Latos, they felt it would not be something they could afford or wanted to do.

The rest of the points you make – Fielder would never have come here, even with the ability to go beyond five years, Chapman would have been nice and I think the Jays made a mistake on Darvish by not competing hard. But, really, most major-league teams' fan bases could have the same complaint about their own ownership. If the Jays do nothing to add a player before July 31, send me another question. I may have changed my mind. Maybe all Rogers want from the Jays is “wireless content.”

Q-Jays fan, temporarily living in Chicago for the summer.


 What's the latest on Santos??

Omair Rana, Chicago

A-Sergio Santos started throwing from a mound on Monday June 4. He threw again on Wednesday and Friday that week, but suffered a setback and had to take a step backwards and has not thrown since. He is still working out cardio and strength, but will resume from Square 1 when his shoulder settles down. That's not a good report, but the Jays are still putting up a brave front. No timetable.  

Q-The Blue Jays have a pretty good team this year, is the rest of the league afraid there might be a repeat of the 1992-93, with the all bad calls against the Jays, are the umpires making sure that does not happen?

Shirley McArthure, Niagara Falls

A-There does not need to be a conspiracy of the men in blue. The umpires are just relying on their own short-tempered, elephant-like memory of Jays players reacting to calls. Do you think the Jays being in a World Series would be any worse than Tampa or Florida?

Q-When will Farrell pull the plug on Cordero? He's had a great career, but he's just not effective now. Yet Farrell has consistently gone to Cordero over Frasor in important situations. Cordero made sense when Santos first went down. But we've now seen that he doesn't have it anymore. Do you agree that Cordero should be moved down the depth chart? Personally, I'd consider cutting him loose and bringing up a kid. I was at one of the Boston games and the whole section groaned when Cordero got up in the bullpen. The natives are getting restless.

Kevin Siena, Toronto

A-Cordero's pitching has not been as bad as his record – as long as he stays out of the closing role. I recall a game where he gave up four hits in an inning. The first three were groundballs that found holes. The last one was a double off the wall. That's the one fans remember. Cordero clearly will be available in the final three months for any team that wants him. I think from what I've seen that he and Jason Frasor are pretty much interchangeable. There is no upside to cutting him loose. I think it's best to wait for some kind of an offer that will get some minor-league depth player in return.

Q-Hey Richard,

I wanted to get your thoughts on Wandy Rodriguez. I personally think he would be a great fit as a No. 3 starter behind Romero and Morrow. He's a guy who can give you close to 200 IP, hasn't had an ERA over 3.60 in the last 5 seasons and is under team control through 2014. He will most likely be available come trade deadline day if he's not traded before then. What do you think the Jays would have to give up for him? In addition, what are some other names Jays fans should keep their eye on leading up to the July 31st trade deadline as a potential starting pitcher? Finally, IF they do manage to bring in another starter who do you think gets sent down/moved to the pen? Thanks! Keep up the great work!

Josh Cymbalista, Thornhill

A-To me, I always thought that Rodriguez would have been a good offseason acquisition, but I don't think he's a No. 3 starter on a winning team. He'd be a solid No. 4 and if the Jays made a pitch for him at the deadline, he would give them a No. 4 that is under control through 2013 which is the final season of a three-year, $34-million deal, with another option for 2014. They could decide next winter to keep him or trade him. The Astros need young talent. The Jays have plenty of that. If it's not Rodriguez, I think the price for Ryan Dempster would be more reasonable than for Matt Garza. From the Brewers, Zack Greinke could be a nice short-term piece with time to make a long-term decision. The Jays and Brewers have had a good trading relationship, but players have a say in where they go. As for who goes to the pen, there is the innings-limit for Hutchison, plus the recent injuries to consider.   

Q-Hi Richard,

I enjoy the mailbag. It is my understanding that there are pay restrictions in place for the first year of a minor-league contract but after that the system is open. If this is correct, and with the new penalties in place for teams that exceed the MLB draft signing bonus, is there any indication that the Blue Jays or other teams may try to entice those hard-to-sign draft picks (like Anthony Alford) by paying them on the back end by offering rich minor league contracts.

Aaron Asee, Toronto

A-I'm pretty sure that MLB also monitors minor-league contracts and it would be pretty transparent if all of a sudden a second-year pro is pulling in a million bucks. What I worry about is that if GMs already were able to figure out how to beat the new system by drafting college seniors that are grateful just for the opportunity to play a year or two of A-ball, then they may have already figured out a way to beat the system in other ways that approximate the ideas that you suggest. Under the table?

Like the Scottish caddie at historic St. Andrew's who was asked by the  blustery American tourist whose bag he was on: “What do you call a Mulligan over here in Scotland.” He replied: “Cheating.”

Q-Dear Mr Griffin,

What do you make of the withering of Brian Jeroloman ? He is performing (?) atrociously at New Hampshire.
 And, why on earth did the Jays sign Koby Clemens, given the logjam of genuine first base prospects in AAA and AA?
 Thank you.

Thea Varley, 
Toronto

A-Jeroloman's high point and his low point crashed together in Toronto in August-September 2011. The Suffern, N.Y., native late in '11 was called up to the major leagues (high point) and never got in a game (low point). Meanwhile, the tsunami of Jays' catching prospects had formed a tidal wave of talent on the horizon that has caught up to and swept over the 27-year-old who was once considered a prime Jays' major-league prospect. There is Arencibia, d'Arnaud, Carlos Perez, Yan Gomes and when A.J. Jimenez went down earlier in the year, they brought Sean Ochinko up to Double-A to catch.

As for Koby Clemens, he was added to the minor league ranks as a favour from Paul Beeston to Roger Clemens, who was with the Jays in '97-'98, surprising the world by choosing the Jays as his free-agency landing spot. Clemens and Beeston are friends. The Koby experiment seemed like it was coming to an end at spring training when it looked like there might not be a spot for him at any level, but injuries and the fact that he has some tools have kept him in the system.  

Q-Greetings Richard,

Yesterday, my wife and I, retirees, watched the Jays nose under the .500 water line for the first time, and I suspect this bunch of deck chair shufflers will accelerate to the bottom, on merit.

We went to watch Strasburg pitch in any event, knowing he'd bury this weak Toronto bunch. 
It was a lovely sunny day, at least, and the beer (at $10 !) was cold. 
On two occasions we tried to buy food: the lineup for all food was approximately 15 minutes long, even during play, so we contented ourselves with the beer. Only one harried server worked each food counter. Isn't this mediocre organization smart enough to anticipate more customers on a day when the opposing pitcher is named Strasburg?

Must we be subjected to ear-piercing, gawd-awful "music" between each batter? Is the younger generation that bored? Do we require a command to "Make Noise" from the scoreboard? Our ears are still ringing. Doesn't this club need to create premium seating (not club boxes) for fans who want to watch the game away from the diaper changers (yes!), fans who arrive in the third inning, and the constant movement to the concession stands by the children and the grossly obese?
 Aren't we tired of AA's flanneling speeches that admit nothing? 
Doesn't he need to (quickly as possible ) package the likes of Drabek, Arencibia, Escobar, etc. onto another dull-witted organization? 
Are these enough questions?

 Thank You,

Selby Martin, Toronto

A-I hope the Blue Jays are paying attention. The music is one thing that is not going to change. Hey dude, the Big Band Era is over. Hip-hop rules.

 

The Blue Jays' sign-stealing controversy is back. In the same week that Men in Black 3 was released in theatres and dominated box office earnings, the baseball version, the Man in White sequel has made its green carpet return to the Rogers Centre.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bleachers... The O's Wednesday loser in the series finale, a sweep by the Jays, right-hander Jason Hammel, brought up the possibility of Toronto's men in blue stealing signs in a none-too-subtle rambling post-game rant in the wake of a 4-1 defeat in which he gave up four solo home runs.

Remember, this is Jason Hammel, for goodness sake.

“I don't know,” a miffed Hammel said. “They were taking some pretty big hacks on my breaking stuff, too, which leads me to believe something else. It is what it is.”

It should be noted the four solo home runs by Edwin Encarnacion, Rajai Davis, Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus were all on fastballs. Nobody was on second base to even offer location and 17,754 were in the stands, not too many in centre field.

“I've got to get the ball down,” Hammel continued.
 “Honestly, with the fastball command, when you're not locating your fastball, you're going to give up some home runs there. But the swings they were taking on the breaking stuff, it was pretty amazing to me. I don't think you can take swings like that, not knowing they're coming. I don't know. That's all I can say.
”

Apparently that was not all Hammel could say because he went on.

“There's rumours and things like that,” the right-hander said. “I don't know. I can't speak on that but they were taking very big, strong hacks on breaking stuff. It's something I've never seen before.
”

That's not quite right. Maybe the 29-year-old right-hander has seen it before –- like in 2011 when he allowed 21 homers, with a 4.76 ERA for the Rockies. Hammel has allowed 93 homers in 794 innings. There must be a whole lot of cheating going on wherever Hammel goes.

If you recall last summer, it was the Yankees that openly suggested the Jays were cheating, giving location and/or pitch selection to the batter in the box. The accusation came up because catcher Russell Martin was flashing complex signs to his pitcher, even with nobody on base.

An ESPN The Magazine exclusive report later suggested that one visiting team had noticed a man in a white shirt seated in the stands to the right of the scoreboard in centre field. ESPN did not send anyone to check it out for themselves. The mystery bullpen informants said the man in white was acting strangely and the feeling was that he was the Jays' spy in the sky(dome). It was later learned that the  opposition bullpen that had suggested the unethical Jays' behaviour had been the White Sox pen. Sergio Santos was a member of the Sox at the time, but refused to get into it after becoming a Blue Jay.

Last year in the wake of the controversy, Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos felt obligated to stage a press conference and call it the dumbest thing he had ever heard. He will not repeat the press conference although he likely will repeat the sentiment. The Jays host the Red Sox on the weekend.

Q-Hi Richard,

I recently read an article speculating about a trade of Edwin Encarnacion by the deadline for a maximum return while he's swinging one of the league's hottest bats.

There also seems to be a lot of online chatter about how the Jays will find a place in the line up for both J.P. Arencibia and Travis d'Arnaud for as early as next year, if not by the end of the season.

So here's the question, what are your thoughts on the likelihood of the Jays easing d'Arnaud into the catching role next year by having JP and d'Arnaud split their time between catching and DH'ing? 
Perhaps J.P. catches about 100 games, having some off days and DH'ing the rest while having d'Arnaud catches about 60 games and DH's the majority of the rest of games?
 While the team may not wish to put a rookie into the DH role, it allows for d'Arnaud to ease into the catching role while keeping both of their bats in the lineup.
 Perhaps in the possible absence of EE's bat and rather than making a big free agent splash to sign a DH, or re-sign EE, this could be a low cost option to allow for money to be spent on a starter or other area of need.

Cheers,

Robert Lynch, Ottawa

A-The change in the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the provision of no more free-agent compensation for Type A or B talent in the following June draft has changed the landscape of mid-season trades. There is now no advantage for Alex Anthopoulos to hang onto a player like Encarnacion if he is out of contention, over trying to gather young talent in return by the end of July.

But with that in mind, there are still some trade deadline options for AA to weigh. The Jays could keep the red-hot DH/1B and at the end of the season negotiate a long-term deal, which, of course, would be no longer than five years and no more than Jose Bautista's $65 million, just on principle. In order to ensure that they can keep negotiating with EE as a free agent, the Jays would have to make a post-season qualifying offer of one year and $12 million, minimum. Do the Jays want to make that long term commitment to Edwin with all the talent they have rushing up through the system?

As for a trade by the deadline, never say never, but what team will give anything significant for a half season of Edwin Encarnacion and will the Jays be out of the wild-card hunt by then? Likely not. AA always insists there is no player that is untouchable, but you need a trade partner with a fit. Not that easy. The Jays don't need prospects. They need major-league ready talent. Why would teams do that?

As for the Arencibia-D'Arnaud conundrum, the cliché is that it's a nice problem to have, but the reality is that it's a problem nonetheless. Arencibia is a former PCL MVP. D'Arnaud is a former Eastern League MVP and is heading in that direction this season in Triple-A Las Vegas. Why can't a rookie be the No. 1 catcher for a contender? See Buster Posey and the '10 Giants. The Jays will have to make a decision. If they do as you suggest and have both men catch and DH then you would need to carry a third catcher full-time. That would not seem likely. Therefore the Jays will have to make a decision for 2013 between the two players. If both men stay, D'Arnaud will catch and J.P. would have to learn to play first base. That is a possibility, but he needs to show improvement in his on-base ability. Four walks and 42 Ks, with a .245 average and a .273 OBP won't cut it for a starting first baseman. 

Q-Hi Richard.

I used to live in Toronto area and became a Blue Jays fan. Still I follow what is happening with the team. It looks to me the pitching staff is not very strong in left-handed pitching. I can see a prospect in Dunedin, named Sean Nolin who is 22-years-old, big guy and has pretty good numbers. My question is how much chance has he to pitch in the majors and how far along is he. The other question: What happened to Daniel Norris?

Elek Vaszko, Budapest, Hungary

A-That's sort of misleading to say the Jays are not very strong in left-handed pitching. The current ace is Ricky Romero and there are two talented left-handers in the pen, with Luis Perez and Darren Oliver. Lefty Evan Crawford has been up and down three times, while Aaron Laffey is at AAA ready in any emergency. That's it for major-league ready southpaws, but the pipeline is full. At AA-New Hampshire is Brett Cecil. At A-Dunedin is the aforementioned Nolin, with his 5-0 record and 2.25 ERA. At A-Lansing are Justin Nicolino and David Rollins, while at extended spring are Daniel Norris and Griffin Murphy. If there is a veteran lefty starter available, the Jays would surely be interested – excepting of course for the recently DFA'd almost-50-year-old Jamie Moyer. As for your specific question about Nolin, the 2010 Jays' sixth rounder, a native of Seaford, N.Y., has the size and stuff to make an impact, but likely in about two or three years. And there is stiff competition internally.

Q-Trying to get my head around recent dealings with reliever Ryota Igarashi.
 Called up. One poor outing. Demoted. Claimed on waivers by Yankees.
 Granted he failed in a previous ML stint and he didn't pitch well this time BUT he apparently throws in the high 90s and has been lights out in a Triple-A hitters' park in a hitters' league.
 I realize injuries etc. have started a carousel, but isn't AA's approach to this player short-sighted?
 There is nothing in the short-term position player quandary that couldn't be fixed short term by the Thames-McCoy switch.
 Maybe Laffey and Chavez provide more short-term versatility but at the cost of what could be a dominant late-inning reliever -- something the Jays could certainly use.
 Love what AA has done with the franchise but I certainly don't fathom this . The Yankees aren't giving him a shot for nothing. What are your thoughts?

Eric Emerson, Roslin

A-First of all, Igarishi just turned 33 years-old and the Jays' investment in his future was very short term to begin with. After a successful career with the Yakult Swallows, he had great numbers at Mets' Triple-A in 2011 and not-so-great numbers with the Mets. He had great numbers at Las Vegas for the Jays and they used their minor-league inventory as any team should, calling up a veteran with a live arm in a time of need. What happened then? They tried to clear him through waivers to get him back to Vegas and he was claimed by the Yankees. Que sera sera. You're AA, you roll the dice. Ryota's not Dice-K. Besides, it was two poor outings on consecutive days. He is not a Yankee right now.

Q-Lind, Gomes, Cooper, Igarashi, Laffey, Chavez,etc. I'm curious as to the rules regarding call-ups or 'sent downs' (I'm assuming there are guidelines). How many call-ups is a team allowed? Does it depend upon contracts, injuries, etc?

Jan Bortoski, Belleville

A-If a team actually had a 40-man roster with every player having minor league options remaining, you could move all players up and down to the majors as often as you wanted in one calendar year and it would only cost the team one option each. Evan Crawford is an example of that, up and down three times so far in '12. When a player is optioned to the minors he must remain for 10 days unless he is replaces someone being disabled. That's why Yan Gomes has not been able to return, though he could have been useful. A player needs to be added to the 40-man roster to be called up the first time and if the team is at 40, they must designate someone from the current roster to be removed or can transfer a DL'd player to the 60-day list where he remains on the roster but does not count against the 40.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Talk about a roller coaster! Still, I'm loving it and imagining what it will be like as all this pitching talent matures.
 On to the question: Perhaps a silly one, but I keep seeing all these players (and coaches!) eating mountains of sunflower seeds. When Rasmus comes to the plate he has a huge wad of them in his cheek. Several players do. They seem to work on shelling them and spitting the seeds as they go along. Seems like they put half a package in their mouths at one time. Two-part question ... Is this a uniquely 'baseball' skill to split, swallow and spit the seeds and shells? And isn't there a danger of someone falling and choking--they are athletes engaged in strenuous activities.

Cheers,

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A-Sunflower seeds serve a purpose, other than feeding the birds post-game at outdoor stadiums. Baseball is a game of relaxed intensity. It's not football. If you see a hitter in the box with a hard-set jaw, that's not a good thing. The tension from the face usually indicates tension through the rest of the body. The twitch-muscles are affected adversely. Chewing gum or working on seeds helps to relax everything. As for the choke factor, the body is a wonderful thing. Put a handful of seeds in your own mouth and try and swallow them in a bunch. Your body will not allow it. Contact or collision would end up at worst with a mouthful of seeds sprayed onto the ground. The skill is pretty much a baseball skill. Hockey players spitting seeds on the ice or basketball players onto the court would not be good. 

Q-Could you please explain the mandatory option year affixed to Adeiny H's rookie contract? 

Did he negotiate that he must be placed on the 40-man roster at the start of 2012, was it required that he reside there or have the Jays lose him in a rule 5 (or similar) draft, or was it simply the Jays choice?

Thanks,

Mel Norton, Burlington

A-There is no such thing as a mandatory option year. What happened was that when Hechavarria signed with the Jays as a highly coveted international Cuban defector free-agent, he was much in demand. The Yankees wanted him to be the eventual Derek Jeter replacement. His Jays' contract was four-years, $10 million with immediate inclusion on the 40-man roster, armed with four options, I believe the extra option was because he was not a college player and also because he was signed on April 13, 2010, with the championship season already underway. I have a feeling they waited until then to officially ink the deal in order to ensure that important extra option year through 2013.

Basically, the Jays have options on Hechavarria this year and next.

On Opening Day 2014, if he is not on the Jays' 25-man major-league roster, he would have to pass through outright waivers and would surely be claimed. As for the other CBA rules like arbitration and free agency, there is no change from any other player. He could be renewed by the Jays for 2014 at a maximum 20-percent cut from his 2013 salary -- $1.75 million plus the pro-rated $1 million of his signing bonus -- if the Jays so desired – which they wouldn't. They will negotiate a fair deal when that time comes. But once his major-league clock starts, he is just like any other player except his salary floor starts at a higher level. If Hechavarria made the Jays' opening day 2013 roster, he would be eligible for free agency only after 2018. Good deal for both sides.   

Q-Hi Richard.

Have you noticed any empty beer cans or fried chicken containers in the Jays' clubhouse? It seems that they have a disciplinary problem that's spilling all over the field, particularly in the direction of umpires. Rogers won't want it spreading into the box office. Is this the proverbial Litmus test for Farrell - to tame the so-called 'passion' and play disciplined baseball?

Chris McKee, Collingwood

A-It's less of a Jays' discipline problem than it is a self-control problem and an understanding of what's best for the team concept. The Jays play a very disciplined game in terms of the way the game is played. They bunt when asked, they go first to third and second to home. They pay attention to the coaches and respect each other and the game. The one issue they have is allowing their natural passion to spill over into demonstrations of unhappiness with certain umpires and their calls. The solution? Simply direct the passion and joy of playing the game into the dugout and towards their own side of the field and everything would be good. Umpires are human and not always right. It's part of the game. When a strike call is made that you disagree with or an out call is made on appeal, glare, ask a question, let them know that you disagree, then move on. The men in blue always have the last word. But it's not a discipline problem as much as anger management.  

Q-Dear Richard,

After seeing the Jays get schooled by the Rangers I believe all the major trouble areas for the Jays were exposed. Everywhere except for defence. By your next mailbag the Jays will be under .500 All the hoopla and the hype has now settled into reality. I'd like your thoughts on this matter.

One major question I have that I've tried to ask you before was about Thames (.243/3HR/11RBI/9BB) and his lacklustre defence. How much longer do you believe the Jays will give him. Clearly he's a waste of a roster spot.

Also does it concern you that the Jays top two hitters are hitting just over .270? (EE, Lawrie)

Kam H., Richmond Hill

A-Okay. It's my next mailbag and the Jays are three games above .500 and back in the hunt. They are 6-0 in games that they enter at .500 or on opening day at 0-0. Thames is gone. Rajai Davis has always felt he should be starting and leading off. He's starting and seems to be correct about that – but not about leading off. The Thames lack of defence was a major factor in the change being made. The Jays' defensive breakdowns seemed to snowball, creating doubt in the pitchers, leading to control issues. Decent Jays' starting pitching was made to look mediocre. The Jays need to put a team on the field that can make the plays defensively because they are not going to overpower teams on a nightly basis. The general rule of thumb seems to be, whenever it looks like the Jays are about to go on a roll, bet on them to tank for a little while. When it looks the bleakest, look for them to start a win streak.  

Q-Greetings Richard;

The circumstances seem perfect: 

The Minnesota Twins are a horrible, small-market team with a huge commitment to a resurgent Canadian Player (Morneau) who plays at a position where another player to whom they owe even more money (Mauer) may soon have to play.

 The Blue Jays need a power hitting corner infielder, are in the race, and would surely love to add another member of the Baseball Canada commercials to the clubhouse. 

So Richard, is there any possibility of a Morneau to Blue Jays trade this year?

Thanks,

Cory Snyder, 
Cambridge, ON

A-The Twins financial commitment to Morneau is not really that huge. Since they moved into beautiful Target Field three years ago, they have been around $100 million in payroll, topping off at $113 million this year. The Twins have the B.C. native Morneau signed this year and next for $14 million per season. It's likely that they will try and eventually create room at first base for the physically-challenged-to-catch Joe Mauer, who is the face of the franchise, being a Minnesota native. But there is no desperation to make a Morneau trade this summer. They have a commitment to the fans that came along with the new stadium, to put a winner on the field and trading Morneau for prospects would work against that promise to fans, at least in the short-term. The Jays might be better served to pursue Morneau, if he is completely healthy, in the off-season. Imagine Jays' Canadian infield corners of Lawrie and Morneau.

Q-Richard
,

When the DH rule came in, I was against it. I preferred the National League style of play, the strategy involved in that league was more intricate. However, I find that a split league of DH and no DH is not a good idea. Obviously, with the money invested by the AL in developing players for the DH role it appears they will never give that position up. Although I prefer no DH, I would rather both leagues use it for the sake of continuity. Besides, this game has changed so much now that using a DH is no longer so radical - heck, most fans today have grown up with the DH. What are your thoughts overall on the DH?

Kevin Layman, St. John's

A-I'm like you. Originally I was a baseball purist that the game should be played with nine men against nine men, the way the game was drawn up by Alexander Cartwright. But I have given up the ghost that both leagues will ever go back to the NL rules. Therefore, like you, I feel it's only fair for MLB to be played under one set of rules. It's like if the NBA Eastern conference had no three-point line. They'd be playing the same game when a West team came in, but the results would be dramatically different. Pitchers aren't taught to hit and even though most of them were position players as well as pitchers when they were kids, for most of them swinging the bat is an embarrassment.  

Q-Sorry Richard but I can't let this one go. What did Baltimore do right in the off-season that the Jays didn't do? We keep getting told to wait for next year, year after year, and then we will challenge for first. We keep getting told that our players have to develop, be patient. We have a lot of new players, still waiting. And yet the O's jump from finishing last place every year to first place, all at once, over the off-season. If the Jays had picked up a couple of those veteran players.....

Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A-It's May 31 and the Jays just swept the O's and the O's have lost eight of their last 10. I would hold that feel-good O's thought for another couple of months then re-submit the question to the mailbag.

Q-Hi Richard

Wonderful column --- much appreciated. My question relates to the situation recently where the Jays are away and batting first in the inning, We are in the ninth inning with the score tied --- the Jays send their "closer" Janssen to pitch. Would it not be better to hold Janssen in reserve until they scored a run, as it was, Janssen pitched a good inning, but was done.

 To me, I think the Jays wasted their "closer" this game.

 What am I missing.

Thank you

William Scott, Fenelon Falls

A-On the road, when you get to the ninth inning in the other team's park and the game is tied, it's like a save situation because if you pace yourself and send out a less talented pitcher that allows just one run the game is over. In the game situation that you pointed out, the thinking from Farrell was that if Janssen gets though the inning on a low pitch count and the Jays take the lead in the top of the 10th,  he has the option of sending Janssen back out for another inning. But since the Jays didn't score, the manager rolled the dice with another reliever. It's hard to preach the strategy of saving your best for later when later may never come. 

Q-Hi Richard,

Let's assume that Alvarez, Drabek and Hutchison continue to pitch well during the season and start to pile up innings. Given the trend to limit young starters' overall innings pitched, what do you see the Blue Jays doing with these three? Who would they replace them with and what would happen if we were in a playoff position?

Rob Brander, Sydney, Australia

A-Apparently Hutchison will be limited to around 160 innings, while Alvarez and Drabek are both being given a longer leash. There are specific things that can be done. As the season moves along, they can use off days to limit Hutch's starts and if not that, then by August, they would have to make a decision on who is most major-league ready from among the minor leaguers. They may also make a move at the trade deadline or in August for a veteran if they feel strongly about their ability to contend. That would be a nice problem to have. 

Griffin: How Blue Jays latest roster moves affect Adeiny Hechavarria

On Monday afternoon, the reeling Blue Jays announced a seemingly unusual roster change, purchasing the contract of left-hander Aaron Laffey from Triple-A Las Vegas and sending right-hander Chad Beck back to their top affiliate after one day in Texas, without being used.

Meanwhile, right-hander Jesse Chavez, who was promoted at the same time as Beck and pitched five innings in relief on Sunday, therefore rendering him unavailable for at least three more days, remained with the Jays. Beck has the fresher arm. What gives?

And Monday's unusual shuffling of the deck chairs took place one day after announcing the prior unusual roster change, with Beck and Chavez being called up to the Jays, that move coming one day after right-hander Ryoto Igarashi and first baseman David Cooper were summoned as reenforcements. How to explain?

These are becoming unusual times for the Jays as they struggle to stay within range of the rest of the deep and powerful AL East and the enticing second wild-card spot. 

Here's one interpretation of what it all means for the Blue Jays in the short term:

Laffey, 27, is a fresh left-handed arm to use in middle relief out of the pen against the Orioles with five lefty hitters, led by Nick Markakis and Xavier Avery and to turn two switch-hitters around, including Matt Wieters. He won't be needed that often, but he can also pitch more than one inning when called upon.

Then into town after the O's comes Boston, with four lefty swingers led by David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez and two switch-hitters including Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Laffey was 2-1 in his last four starts, with a 2.70 ERA at Vegas. His best spring outing for the Jays had been in Fort Myers against the Bosox in mid-March. When the Sox leave, all Laffey bets are off.

Chavez, 28, remained with the Jays, even after his five-inning relief stint, because the Jays need an alternate starting option for the short-term and Beck is strictly a reliever. The Jays may, in fact, be thinking about keeping Chavez and inserting him into the rotation, depending on the outcome of Drew Hutchison's start against the Orioles, Monday night.

Chavez impressed in his relief outing in Arlington on Sunday, shutting down the Rangers for the first three innings in aggressive fashion. Meanwhile Hutchison, at 21, could clearly use more developmental innings either at AA-New Hampsire or Vegas.

The problem with sending Chavez down instead of Beck on Monday, to bring up the fresh-armed Laffey is that, barring injury, Chavez, if they wanted him to make a start at the major-league level, would have had to remain in the minors for 10 days before being recalled. He stays.

Speaking of which, the Jays may have made a mistake when they sent utility infielder Yan Gomes back to Las Vegas to bring up and make room for Beck and Chavez. They likely discovered that when Yunel Escobar injured his groin in the first inning on Sunday and aggravated it in the fourth inning, forcing manager John Farrell to resort to a makeshift defensive alignment with Jose Bautista moving to third and Brett Lawrie to shortstop.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson is already hobbled with a left hamstring issue, meaning that Omar Vizquel, the only backup middle infielder, was playing second base, Sunday. Of course, Edwin Encarnacion can also play third base but he was the DH on Sunday and that would not have solved the shortstop problem. 

The Escobar groin and the Johnson hamstring are two areas for a baseball player, especially a middle infielder, that you do not want to take chances with. The Jays prefer to err on the side of caution, in any case. The solution for the Jays is that they monitor the situation on Monday night, then if they feel they have to disable one of the two infielders for 15 days, they can bring back Gomes for his versatility using the DL replacement rule.

At the same time, after Hutchison's start, the Jays can decide whether the next outing from the fifth spot -- that being Sunday aganst the Red Sox, or even pushed back to next week if they use the off-day to skip the fifth starter -- they can decide whether that start will be Hutchison or Chavez. The one of the two pitchers that is being sent to the minors can be replaced on the roster by Adeiny Hechavarria, the 22-year-old Cuban shortstop at Vegas, who can make his long-awaited debut where needed.  

Hechavarria, 23, is already on the 40-man roster and is already using a contract option this year, as per his original four-year, $10 million deal. The hotshot glove man is batting .314 with the 51's, with four homers, 34 RBIs and an .826 OPS. Farrell indicated at spring training that if either Escobar or Johnson was injured and on the DL, there was a strong likelihood, the team would take a look at Hechavarria.

That time may be at hand. These are tough times for the Jays.

Blue Jays mailbag: No love for Adam Lind and Francisco Cordero

The sleazy and ultimately disappointing Roger Clemens perjury case is in full swing in Washington D.C. The star witness for the prosecution, former Jays strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee is suggesting that he first administered steroids to the Rocket in his SkyDome Hotel apartment back in '98.

Clemens won consecutive Cy Youngs with the Jays and earned consecutive pitching Triple Crowns -- wins, strikeouts and ERA in both '97 and '98. The case seems weak. There are no other witnesses than McNamee, the former New York City cop, to say that they saw Clemens actually take steroids. A couple of Coke cans and old syringes with Rocket DNA are all that exists. Ryan Braun walked with more compelling and current evidence.

Andy Pettitte, whose memory of a conversation with Clemens in which his friend admitted taking performance enhancers has conveniently faded over the past 12 months to the point where the Yankee left-hander said he's only 50-50 sure of the conversation. That is not making the prosecution's case any easier.

McNamee's reputation and truthfulness will be easily questioned by the defence team led by lawyer Rusty Hardin, a real-life Matlock. The verdict in this trial will be all-important to Clemens in terms of his Hall-of-Fame candidacy. The Rocket's name will be on the ballot for the first time this December. The fact is Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, not necessarily so as a human being, but that should not matter. Cooperstown is full of scoundrels. In the late '90s it seems to me that using steroids stemmed from a character weakness for the purpose building strength. I am voting for Clemens to the Hall-of-Fame...and Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell.

On to the Mailbag.    

Q-I like John Farrell but sometimes I question his ability to manage this ball club. I was at the game on Tuesday against Oakland. Thames on third, Rasmus on first with one out and Arencibia up. Why did he pull JP out for Omar Vizquel? I can understand the desire to stay out of a double play, but Rasmus has speed and the infield was in. Why not send Rasmus and let JP who has been hot of late hit. Also, it backfired two ways: Omar tried to bunt and popped out but more importantly Jeff Mathis had to come in to play catcher in the 9th. The pitch selection was off and Francisco Cordero threw a 2-2 slider to Michael Taylor who had been late all game on the fastball. We all know what happened after that. Why not show confidence in JP, or is the organization getting tired of his low OBP.

 Adam Lind is also not playing well, so why not have Ben Francisco playing more against LH pitching as the DH, while Edwin plays first.

Jason Sinnarajah, San Francisco

A-I agreed with what you are saying now at the time and still can't figure out that John Farrell move to pinch-hit for Arencibia. By the way, neither can Arencibia. As you point out, the infield was in meaning that they were going to try and cut the run down at the plate, less likely to go for the double play. Although that A's infield alignment was with Vizquel batting and everyone thinking squeeze. With J.P. up they may have had corners in, middle at DP depth, but nevertheless.

With Vizquel up and the safety squeeze on instead of the suicide squeeze, even if that bunt had not hung in the air and been caught, but had dropped in front of Brandon Inge, Rajai Davis, who had run for Thames, would not have been able to score because he had to wait and see if the ball was going to be caught. If Farrell had been going to hit for Arencibia on that situation, how about if he had pinch-run with Vizquel, who is a veteran with decent speed and good instincts, and pinch-hit with Davis. The A's would have had to play the infield in because of Rajai's speed not being able to count on the double play and even if the plan was to bunt and he got to two strikes, he'd be a better option to swing away.

Arencibia had a difficult time with that decision and that's not just as an ego thing. The fact is that you talk up the catcher as a big part of the team moving forward and then, when push comes to shove and the game is on the line in a great RBI situation, you call him back as he's settling into the batter's box. That's a huge slap. Right after the game, with his emotions still high, I went over to talk to J.P. about the decision and as he started to speak, a teammate suggested to him that he not speak. He stopped and chose to speak the next day after he had a meeting with Farrell before the day game. Even though he was more controlled then, you could still hear the hurt. Maybe it was a reeling in the ego type of move by the manager, but even though Mathis is a good catcher, there were two balls that got by him in the ninth, one of them moving the winning run from second to third on a passed ball. Not good.

Q-Jays starters have won 15 of the 36 games played so far translating to a 42% rate. Applying this percentage through 162 games yields a 67 game win amount for the starters. If a 60 game minimum win amount for starters is the benchmark for playoff contention (according to some baseball analysts), does that statistic carry profound weight in playoff prediction?

Jan Bortoski, Belleville

A-What's been amazing about the Jays starting pitching is that 35 of the 36 starts have been made by the same five pitchers and the other one by Joel Carreno was a manager's decision and not an injury issue. The Jays over the past three seasons have averaged 12 different starting pitchers per season, so at some point there will be some injury issues that will cut into the very high 42-percent starter-win ratio.

I believe that a bullpen in many seasons will win around 25 games under normal circumstances, which means that to win 90 games and contend, a Jays' starting staff should win 65 games. Even though they are on pace for that now, the bullpen has posted four wins, which projects to just 18 for the year. The two together, at this pace add up to 85 Jays victories, which sounds about right for this team.

Q-Howdy Richard,

Wow, still can't believe I just watched another blown save opportunity for the Jays in the opener versus Oakland. As much as I'm thinking Cordero's days as closer are thankfully close to the end, I'm wondering why the manager left him in the game when he clearly couldn't throw anywhere near the strike zone? And his decision to lift Arencibia, one of your best and clutch, run producers in favour of an over-the-hill bench player was, well, dumb. Omar, as great as career as he's had, didn't help by popping up a bunt on a 3-1 count. It was sad, but again, it was the manager's decision. On the bright side, Kelly Johnson is playing all-star calibre ball right now. Hope he keeps it up. Of course, I always appreciate your point of view, once you stop retching after watching that hideous ending.

Paul Rudan, Campbell River, B.C.

A-I can't second guess the manager on that one. When the closer for any team comes into a tie game to start an ultimate inning you cannot have another pitcher warming up in the pen as he warms up on the main mound. You just can't. So when the inning started to unravel, you can't have someone run down to the pen and get ready. Things move too quickly. It was in Cordero's hands and he dropped the ball and the decision was made that he move back into middle relief with Casey Janssen the closer for now, until Sergio Santos returns to the team. They needed to find out about Cordero...and did. As for Kelly Johnson, he and Edwin Encarnacion are the unlikely leaders for team MVP.   

Q-Love the Q&A and am always interested to see it up when you are able to squeeze it in. The hard work is much appreciated. 

I have noticed over the past decade or so bullpens have increased from 5 to 7 people. As the major league rosters have remained stable at 25 this cuts down on the number of role players available, especially as every team carries an extra catcher, you end up with space for three (AL) or four (NL) position players. Inevitably the players chosen end up being 'super-subs' able to play multiple positions. Without the extra bench players some of the strategies of the past have disappeared, such as platooning (except for catcher), grabbing a Rule 5 player and sitting him on the bench (except for pitcher) or having a uni-dimensional player available for late inning situations, such as a speedster.

Has there been any discussions about increasing the size of the roster? The union would be for it for obvious reasons, and teams should be interested as it would drastically increase their options and end of bench players should in most cases be pretty low cost. If nothing else it would help situations like that for the Jays next year when hard decisions over Snider/Thames will be needed solely because Snider is out of options and there are no bench spots available.

Neil Somers, Thornhill

A-I agree with you on all your points. The ultimate Jays' bench of the '00s that reflects the expanded pitching roster was last season, early, when the Jays had John McDonald, Jayson Nix, Mike McCoy and Jose Molina, more super subs than Quizno's.

I would love to see the Jays cut back to 11 pitchers and five bench players. All that would mean is that a couple of guys like Luis Perez and Carlos Villanueva would have to go two or more innings more often and that middle relievers like Jason Frasor and Darren Oliver would have to pitch back-to-back games more often, which they would welcome. Sometimes when the starters for a team are going deep into games every night, certain pitchers are buried for a week.

Every time the CBA comes up for renewal, I look for the owners to use a 27-man roster as a bargaining chip to trade off with the union and make the game better. The Jays need a big bat, a uni-dimensional player to hit late in a game, not named Ben Francisco. How about if each team had 27 active players but had to designate 25 to be active at the start of every game. That would allow teams to carry a player with a strained hamstring for a week, instead of having to disable him for 15 days because their bench is too short, down to three players when one of them is hobbled. It surprises me they haven't.        

Q-I was watching game recaps of other teams today (which I don't normally do) and I kept saying to myself "our infield would have made that DP" and "our outfield would have run that down." When you look at the defensive abilities of this team, we're pretty solid. Leading the league in double plays allows our young pitchers to not worry about getting hit. Our pitching is also holding other teams to less points (RUNS 108), compared to our hitting (RUNS 133). On the plus side, we're not hitting as well as we could. This is a good sign of a balanced team going in the right direction. We're not that far from a playoff team and it’s exciting. GO JAYS GO!

Chris Read, Beamsville

A-The biggest improvement on this Jays' starting pitching staff has been the team defence. For every 2011 ball that dropped in between Rajai Davis and Juan Rivera or sailed over Corey Patterson's head landing on the warning track; for every 2011 ball that left a bat and your first instinct as a pitcher is “that's an out” while your second instinct is “oh crap, I better back up third”; for every 2011 grounder that was fielded cleanly by Edwin at third and then rifled off the first-base stands, for every non-error miscue that extended a 2011 inning and added pitches to their outings, those have mostly been replaced by balls run down and caught by Rasmus on the warning track and rockets on the ground turned into double-plays or outs at first base by Lawrie.

There are still some areas of the defence that could be improved, but by and large the difference in D has made the Jays' starting staff a 6-inning-plus contender. Only the Rangers and the Yankees in the AL have a better run differential than the Jays. They are not playing well, however, since the third game in Anaheim. A true contender would have been better than 4-4 on the recent road trip. When you speak of being “not far from a contender” you're right. The Rays will be just across the field on Tuesday...        

Q-Hi Rich,

Absolutely great blog, great commentary, great mailbags (which I look forward to every week -- or so!). Please keep them all coming. Okay, here's the question: Adam Lind said in an article recently that he did his best under Cito, and that going up there aggressively and putting a good swing on the first pitch if it looked good really worked for him. Now, however, he's trying to fit in with the new team philosophy, which is make the other team's pitcher throw you as many pitches as possible to get to the supposedly weaker middle relievers faster. And now he can't hit his sock size.

So, why don't they get Cito in, let Lind go back to the old way that worked for him, and just let the others keep on working the opposing pitchers deep? Is Farrell so inflexible that he'd rather have Lind hit once a week than to let the guy loose on the first pitch and get a hit or two a game? Is he worried that the others will ask to be allowed to swing at good first pitches, too? Is baseball really so one-size-fits-all in its strategies that it can't adapt when the anointed strategy doesn't work for a player? Last time I looked, getting lots of hits against a starter usually got you to middle relief early, too.

Free Adam Lind!

Thanks!

Allan Lane, Cincinnati, OH

A-Lind has, in fact, been told lately to be more aggressive, to return to his roots, to not look for walks and to not work the count because it's not working for him. I think that if this loosening of the coaching reins does not work, then the Jays will have exhausted all of their ideas to get Lind going and by the time Vladimir Guerrero arrives they may go in a different direction at first base, with Edwin Encarnacion at first and Vlad DH'ing, even if it means losing a left-handed bat in the starting lineup. It's up to Lind to earn his playing time moving forward. Even his defence seems to be suffering as he goes through this extended period of batting confusion. Lind says he's thinking too much, he's changing things from at-bat to at-bat and his “socks-up, socks-down” is a reflection of that confusion. The Jays would rather have Lind hitting the ball hard early in the count than working a six-pitch out. 

Q-Dear Richard,

Long-time reader, first-time question. The recent 2HR game for Jose Bautista is great and I hope it symbolizes the beginning of the end for his slump. But I think the fact that the Jays hit 4HR in that game and still lost (despite the iffy pitching) our problem is a lack of consistent hitting i.e. hitting for average...I know you've discussed the Batting Coach situation in the past, and that running the count high is the Manager's approach, but hitting for power is just not enough or does not seem to be enough. Our BA is too low throughout the lineup. I'd rather see more RBIs off of a few .300 hitters rather than scattered HR from the likes of .200-.250 hitters, especially in a 2-on, 2-out situation. A .300 hitter will more likely keep an inning going. Why aren't the Jays hitters hitting? Seems to be a copy of the situation from Cito's last year at the helm, is it the batting coach or the manager's approach that is not allowing players to hit for average? I find it hard to blame the whole lineup with the exception of our DH and 3B?

On another note, even with the excuse of the bunt execution option, the move just doesn't add up to pinch hitting for JPA?? Seems to be one of those trigger happy situations decision handling like the closers last year by Farrell. I would say this even if it would have worked out.


O.S., Tel Aviv

A-The Jays' batting numbers are nothing if not confusing. Fourth in AL runs scored, but 10th in batting average. A .302 team batting average with runners in scoring position heading into this home stand. Seventh in slugging percentage and eighth in AL on-base. A .713 OPS that ranks seventh and is ahead of both the Albert Pujols Angels and Prince Fielder Tigers. Only Edwin, Brett Lawrie, Jeff Mathis and Kelly Johnson could be said to be performing to expectations or above, offensively.

Q-Hi Griff.

Do you think a team with actual and realistic hopes for a playoff run can afford to have a Thames or a Lind (far less both) at a power position without them producing, well, you know...power? Or (in the case of Thames) a modicum of defence? How long before you see the Jays demoting them both to the minors (can't imagine anyone picks up Lind at his salary) and calling up Snider and Coop? Do you think that Thames has anything close to a high ceiling? I see a guy with very limited speed, zero defence, and no particular game plan at the plate, who tantalizes with the occasional mammoth home run but is as soft a .290 hitter as you'll ever see. And how long do you let Lind try and magically recreate his one excellent season?

Lee Zimmerman, Ottawa

A-I don't think the Jays are the only AL team with holes and question marks in the lineup. On Monday night, the Rays 6-9 in the batting order featured Sean Rodriguez, Will Rhymes, Chris Gimenez and Elliot Johnson. Not quite Murderer's Row. The Red Sox lineup has Cody Ross, Mike Aviles, Marlon Byrd, Ryan Sweeney and sometimes even Nick Punto. That's not the Red Sox we have come to know and hate. The Yankees and Rangers have the only really deep AL lineups. As for Lind and Thames, I think that the defensive aspect is more of an immediate concern. But Thames has certainly not lost the starting job he earned – or at least defended -- at spring training. As for Lind, he may have until about the time that Vlad is ready to hit in the majors to prove that he deserves to remain in the Jays' lineup.  

Q-The last time I checked the Jays lead The Majors, not the American League, but THE MAJORS in blown saves again (T3rd most last year). Is this another example of AA undervaluing higher priced closers that went to other teams in the off season? Was he hoping to get a "deal" on the closers that were left on the market in the off season?

The fact that AA brought in two closers (even though they stated that Cordero was going to be a set-up man) maybe indicates that they weren't 100 per cent convinced that Santos (a position player converted to pitcher) could handle the position. I thought this was the one area that they addressed in the offseason after not acquiring a big bat or starting pitcher. Watching the Jays blow late leads has got to be one of the most frustrating things. Your thoughts??

Also, a stats question, does the game that Lawrie hit the walk off home run on Tuesday count as a blown save even though the Jays won the game?

-From a lifetime Jays Fan,

Shan Manocha, Detroit

A-No, I don't think AA undervalued high-priced closers. I just think he got his man, Sergio Santos, early in the off-season then saw an unsigned bargain – relatively – available later in the winter in Francisco Cordero. It helped that AA had successful dealing previously with Cordero's agent Bean Stringfellow. I do agree with you that the reasons he got the second proven closer in Cordero is that he was not certain of Santos right now but likes him for the length of his six-year contract.

As for the blown saves stat, not all blown saves are created equal. A middle reliever can be given a blown save for surrendering a one-run lead in the sixth inning. A reliever can be given a blown save for coming in with the bases loaded and nobody out with a one-run lead and giving up a sac-fly with three strikeouts. On the other hand a guy can enter in the ninth with a four run lead and give up a game-tying grand slam and not have a blown save because he was not eligible for a save in the first place. Crazy. There was three times in 2011 in which the Jays had two blown saves in the same game. Blown saves is not really a black-and-white indicator of the quality of a team's closer, although they are frustrating. As for the Lawrie game-winning homer, it does not wipe out the blown save. Once blown, always blown. 

Q-At what point do we give up on Lind? Do you foresee any scenario where we could send Lind thru waivers and call up Snider w/ a 3 way DH/LF/1B rotation between Snider, Encarnacion and Thames?

Tony Baer, Baraboo

A-It's been a long time since I have seen so many fans down on one player as people are on Adam Lind. Last year it was Edwin when he was playing third base. I don't think it's possible or necessary for a DH/LF/1B rotation with those three players. I believe if Lind is not going to play that it will be Encarnacion as the everyday first baseman. When Vlad enters the picture it will not be to ever play a position so his DH time for the Jays will be dictated by his own performance. That leaves left field and a portion of the DH role to be divvied up...assuming that Vlad's arrival impacts Lind the most. They have no intention to try Snider at first base, otherwise he would be there right now in Vegas.

Q-Hi Richard,

A couple comments/questions:

 About Jose Bautista and his reaction to umpires, in last week's mailbag you and the mailer seemed to imply that this was new behaviour this year. But I noticed him doing this all of last year as well, even when he was hot (only difference is after making a big scene of the call he didn't like, he'd hit a homer). In fact, it seemed to be contagious (Escobar started doing it too). I don't think this is about the slump. And it’s not about being unhappy with a call. It’s about showing up the ump when you're unhappy. And Bautista could surely use from friends in the umpiring ranks about now.

Next, you have mentioned the possibility of Brett Lawrie hitting second, but how about leadoff? I realize he has his hitting issues this season, too, but leadoff hitters with power are no longer taboo, he's as good for on-base as just about every other Jay, and we could use the distraction on the base paths. I know last year Davis would steal and then they'd walk Bautista, but if any manager wants to walk Bautista right now I'll send him flowers. If this overall batting slump lasts much longer the Jays will need to start manufacturing runs, and that means speed at the top of the order.

Mark Acheson, London

A-I can easily see what you're talking about with Joey Bats a year ago. But last year his reaction seemed to be momentary disgust followed by a glare and some flair. This year it's been lingering Jose frustration with a negative trickle-down to teammates via thoroughly p.o.'d arbiters who look at the entire Jays' lineup as being a pain-in-the-butt reflection of Bautista. It needs to stop. If Johnny Rodgers was the Ordinary Superstar, Bats has become the Ornery Superstar.

In terms of Lawrie, I think second or third would be his best role even by the second half of this season. He has a huge burst home-to-first that would allow him to stay out of double plays. He can hit the ball to all fields with extra-base pop. He can score from first base on a ball in the gap. He can steal a bag and disrupt a pitcher when on base. Farrell has long talked about Escobar in the middle of his batting order and a Lawrie move to two would allow for that. I also have noticed as you mention that Farrell is no longer reluctant to open up first base with Bautista up and fewer pitchers are pitching around Bats.    

Q-Too many of the Blue Jays hitters are taking the first pitch for a strike.
 They are then behind in the count and swinging at bad pitches. Appreciate your comments.

Clary MacDonald, Merigomish, Nova Scotia

A-Nobody is asking Jays hitters to swing at all first-pitch strikes, but sometimes, if the first pitch strike is a pitch that you were looking for and in the spot that you were looking for and you didn't pull the trigger, that's what we're talking about. That was the best pitch you were going to see in that sequence. A bunch of hits can be as effective at getting to the bullpen as building the pitch count.

Q-Hi Richard,

In the chat, you mentioned that Brandon Morrow would be more dangerous if he went back to pitching for strike outs in lieu of ground balls. This will max him out at about 6 or 7 innings per start. Is that enough from their No. 2 hurler and is it more taxing on the arm to throw a strikeout pitch (reaching back for a little extra for that 3rd strike)?

I do believe it is less of a problem because B. Morrow pitches behind Ricky Romero, who is going to throw deep into the ball games, so it wouldn't be as taxing on the relief corps. If Henderson Alvarez pitches behind B. Morrow and keeps his pitch count low and throws deep into the games, it would be even better for the pen. Is it realistic to expect Alvarez to consistently pitch 7 innings each start to put less stress on the pen?

 This is my favourite edition of the Jays since the glory years.
 
Thanks for your continued insight,

Alex Henriquez, Toronto

A-I believe Morrow is settling in on a happy compromise between max effort and pacing. Morrow's 102-pitch complete game in Anaheim was what should be his ideal. Nobody is asking him to throw his 100 pitches in 6-7 innings, but pitching to contact as the be-all and end-all as he was doing at spring training was not the answer either. Morrow pitched well on Monday against the Rays but was betrayed by his defence. If you worry about power pitchers having shorter careers because of the extra effort of striking people out check with Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and others.

If the Jays' starting rotation averages six innings per game, that is not a taxing situation on a seven-man bullpen. Don't worry about the Jays' bullpen being overworked unless there is a series of extra inning games or starters are being knocked out in the third or fourth innings. Right now, Alvarez, despite critics that say he's not missing enough bats, is a solid Top 3 rotation pitcher. 

Q-Richard,

When will Farrell wake up, smell the roses and actually make some lineup changes based on strengths and weaknesses and put people in a position to succeed? For example, Yunel has been a better hitter in his career with runners on base and in scoring position than with no one on. Thames, on the other hand, hits about .200 with runners on base and about .160 with runners in scoring position and .300 when no one is on base. Time to flip flop those guys in the lineup and at least guarantee Thames 1 AB per game when no one is on base.

J.T., Toronto

A-Right now: Johnson-Lawrie-Bautista-Encarnacion-Escobar-Thames-Rasmus-Lind/Davis-Arencibia.

Q-Hello Richard,

I've been a big fan of your Jay's mailbag and columns.

 That being said, I was extremely taken for a loop in regards to one of your comments. A reader of yours disagreed with one of your statements and you responded by saying

 "Why is it that stats aficionados universally seem to have absolutely no sense of humour or sense of the absurd or the ability to see the game as a game. They are like the Christian right. Everything must be black or white, right or wrong and if your opinion does not agree with my opinion then you are wrong...and an idiot to boot.

"

I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I just can't understand why you would take such a cheap shot at Christians when the comment by your reader had absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. You apparently just saw an opportunity to take a swipe at people who believe in something you apparently do not and you took it.

 I base my life around the principles and teachings of the Bible and I certainly won't apologize for that.

I just wanted you to know that I won't be reading your work anymore.

Nathan Hoffman, St. Catharines

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

Q-Hi Richard,

I have been reading your blogs and mailbags for a while now and to this point have enjoyed your views and comments on the Blue Jays. But due to one of your comments in your last mailbag, I will no longer be reading your work. Someone criticized your views on a Prince Fielder comment, and for some reason you decided to result my faith of Christianity in response? I really do not see how the two are related, or why you would make such an insulting remark to the Christian faith. The irony is we Christians are easy to pick on because we are told to turn the other cheek. I doubt you would make such a jab at Islam, I'll bet its adherents wouldn't be as forgiving. I am sure it means very little to you but you have lost this reader.

Good day.

Eli Hoffman, Three Hills

A-I am sorry that some readers feel that way. But insisting my comment in a previous mailbag about the U.S. Christian Right and its well-documented rigidity in the interpretation of right and wrong is the same as criticizing all Christians is not right. It's like suggesting that my criticism of baseball's non-inclusive Stats-obsessed fans is a criticism of all baseball fans. Neither is true. Not that my own religious beliefs are significant to this discussion, but I am proudly Catholic and my children have all been brought up in the faith. Everything I write is with a respect for my late aunt Noreen from Scarborough. My bottom line is what would Noreen think of what I am writing. She was the strongest most flexible Christian spirit that I have known. It is in that light I am sorry you will no longer be reading, but do not feel the need to retract any comparison for literary purposes that I did make. In fact you no longer reading because of a comment you did not agree with may prove my point.

Q-Richard,

What are the special attributes of an outfielder that make him more suitable for right field than left field, or conversely, more suitable for left field than right field?

Thank you,

Stan the Man, Jr., Toronto

A-A right fielder usually needs to have a stronger arm than a left fielder because of the longer throw from right field to third base. A right fielder should have more speed because of the need to get to the foul line and cut off a ball before it gets to the corner and to intercept balls in the alley. A ball down the right field line or to the right-centre power alley that reaches the fence can often be a triple, while a ball to the left field corner is one the left fielder can still take his time on and it will be a two-base hit. That means that you can put a slower slugger type of hitter in left field. Using old-school references, think Greg Luzinski left field and Roberto Clemente right field.

Mailbag: Does Jose Bautista's frustration with umpires hurt his reputation?

The Texas Rangers are coming to town on Monday and the three-game series against the AL champs is well worth the price of admission. The powerful Rangers have been to the World Series two years in a row and seem even stronger this season.

How good are they? Consider that the Rangers rank first in the AL in runs scored, batting average and slugging and boast a team OPS of .847. And, oh yes, Yu Darvish is pitching the first game vs. the Jays on Monday, bringing a large entourage of Japanese media with him.

The Jays will continue on after hosting Seattle and Texas to tangle with the remaining AL West teams, the Angels and A's on the coast. Fans should have a good idea at the end of the coast trip as they head to Minneapolis, how the Jays stack up this season.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery from the latest physical setback to the tenacious Dustin McGowan and on to the mailbag.

Q-Hi Richard,

Been following you on twitter lately. Thanks for the replies and the RTs. My question for you is what's the deal with Bautista? And NO I'm NOT talking about his stats! Rather, from my perspective, he seems more cocky this year when dealing with umpires (e.g. will make faces when borderline pitches go against him, talks back to umps, etc).

I have a three-part question for you about this:

1: Is this actually happening or am I just noticing it this year because he's off to a slow start (e.g. this is a non-issue when you're hitting HRs)?

2: Assuming it isn't just in my head, does behaving this way hurt get you a bad rep among umps? In other words, is this going to come back and haunt Bautista? 

3: Assuming it earns Jose a bad rep, whose job is it to talk to Jose about it (e.g. Farrell, AA, teammates)?

Thanks,

Francis P., Ithaca, NY

A-I think cocky is a poor choice of words. Yes, Bautista has changed his demeanour this year unintentionally, but as you suggest, a lot of the facial expressions and anger come from frustration. I do believe the whiny reaction is hurting him with umpires and maybe even hurting his teammates by association, with the same umpires.

The Jays don't want to be known as a whiny team, although the Yankees are the worst at it and it doesn't seem to affect them too much. Since Jose is the clubhouse leader it's up to him to regulate himself. Trust me, he knows it's happening and he talks freely about the frustration and the close calls that don't go the Jays way. When he starts hitting it will ease.

Q-Hi Richard,

Two comments that maybe you can elaborate on.

John Farrell's use of his bullpen has not improved over last year and may in fact be worse.

Thames stat line for April will be worse than Snider's from last spring yet all we hear is that he will have a long leash, while Snider leads the world in every major offensive stat at AAA.

Matt Meisner, St. Catharines

A-In answer to your bullpen comment, I honestly believe that this year's Jays' pen is much easier to figure out than was the relief corps in 2011. Farrell has already been better this year after a season of experience.

At the start of last season, recall the Jays' closer role was up in the air. Frankie Francisco was supposed to be it, but he had always been a notoriously slow starter and was injured at training camp to boot. Jon Rauch became the closer by default, while Octavio Dotel was the equivalent of a right-handed specialist, with little ability to retire lefty hitters. 

Of course Dotel now has a World Series ring and looked great down the stretch with the Cardinals. He said he had been misused in Toronto. Marc Rzepczynski was a poor man's Scott Downs, whom he was replacing, and Jason Frasor was, well, Jason Frasor. Casey Janssen had not yet come into his own at the start of last season and Carlos Villanueva it seemed was the complement every five days to Jo-Jo Reyes, until taking over as a starter himself. Then came the trade with the Cardinals for Rasmus that decimated Farrell's bullpen.

This year is easier. I could manage this pen. Santos is the closer with Francisco Cordero as the setup man in the eighth. Janssen, Frasor and Darren Oliver are the seventh inning combo, while Luis Perez has come on like gangbusters passing everyone on the depth chart. Villanueva can be a solid long guy but hasn't had many opportunities. How do you screw that up as a manager. Farrell can't do anything about births or injuries that have cost Santos games, so to say he has not handled the relievers as well as lat year is somewhat a case of perception over reality. The 16 innings of relief in the first two games in Cleveland certainly did not get the pen off on a regular path and rhythm.

As for the Thames/Snider debate, this seems to be one of the hot topics of the season thus far. Snider has done this before in the minors, ripping it up then coming back to the majors and levelling off, falling off and returning to the minors again. Both Thames and Snider are Jays' assets. They are both young and they are both valuable either here or elsewhere without the thought of kicking either one to the curb. The situation will play itself out.

Q-Hi Richard,

Do you think Eric Thames will last in left field for the Jays? Looks like he's an average defender, with average speed, and average batting, with not much power. It also appears he doesn't have a plan when he's at the plate and has taken some awful swings. At this point I think Davis is a better option for the Jays. Your thoughts?

Paul Rudan, Campbell River, B.C.

A-Thames is an average to below average defender. He has average speed. It's tough at this early stage of his career to rate his batting average and his power. He has started to gain more plate discipline where he does not as often get himself into pitchers' counts by swinging at off-speed pitches down and out of the zone, but he's not all the way there. That perception of how a player looks on any swing should be minimized. That's why the rules give you three strikes, so you can have some awful swings on pitches that you guessed wrong on and then in the same at-bat, bounce back and get a big hit.

As for Davis, I love the reserve role that was outlined for him with the Jays this spring. A disrupting weapon in late innings off the bench and an occasional starter in the outfield against certain left-handers depending on matchups. He is not an everyday player, but he can be a significant contributor.

Q-Hi Richard,

I know the Jays made a committment to Thames to start the season, but when does that change? 
Snider has a hit in every game this year in Las Vegas and either a 2B or HR in 8/10. How much longer do we have to wait to see the true future left-fielder take his place? Thanks,

Adam G., Brooklyn, NY

A-These things have a way of taking care of themselves. If Vegas manager Marty Brown and 51's hitting coach Chad Mottola were adamant that Snider needed to play in Toronto and had nothing else to learn at Triple-A then I believe the move would already be made.

GM Alex Anthopoulos is not about winning games in Las Vegas or New Hampshire. He is about winning games in Toronto. I like Snider as much as anyone and to me, it was a coin flip at spring training, but their feeling was that it was Thames' job to lose and he didn't lose it. If Snider is gaining confidence with his great start, that's good for him.

Q-I like Eric Thames and his game but I am sad Travis Snider wasn't able to crack the lineup or live up to his lofty promise after such a strong start to his career. I am hopeful there is a place for him on the club at some point in the future if he can earn it as he just looks like he can be such a force if he can ever put it all together. My question is, should the Jays remain injury-free in the outfield and should Snider somehow NOT get traded this year do you think he would be a lock next year as the 4th outfielder considering how he would be out of options and the Jays seem to hate seeing players lost to another club for nothing? All the best and keep the bag coming...the best Q&A blog out there!

Aaron Hickey, Sydney, Australia

A-I remember being stunned in Minneapolis at the old Metrodome watching from the press box when Snider crushed two home run balls off the upper-deck facade in right field in the same game at the start of the '09 season. With his humble attitude and respect for his old coaches, his father and the game of baseball, it looked like the sky was the limit. Less than a month later he was gone back to the minors -- and that was not the last time he has been yo-yo'd to the farm. His defence improved last spring under the tutelage of coach Torey Lovullo, but he still has trouble with consistency at the plate. He's a year younger than Thames and they are both still not to their prime baseball years. Sometimes we are all too impatient.

As for next season, yes Snider will have no options left, but that is not a reason to keep him as a fourth outfielder. Between the end of this current year and the start of next year, it says here that the Jays will entertain offers for one of the two outfielders and that one of them will be traded.

Q-I haven't heard any talk of the Jays hosting the all-star game again. How long before that happens? It's been 20 years. With this up and coming team it would've been a perfect opportunity to put the Jays on the map again with the all-star festivities within the next few years.

Kam H., Richmond Hill

A-The Jays hosted the All-Star Game in 1991, the second full season that the SkyDome was open. It was the traditional carrot on a stick for the city of Toronto handed to them for building a new stadium. It's been 21 years since T-O hosted the midsummer classic and there are 30 franchises. Do the math. Besides, all-star games have become most times a bribe, a reward to municipal or state governments that are willing to bend over for baseball and take one for the team, usually by building a new stadium using some public money, then in a glitzy announcement they are awarded the big game from Bud Selig so they can present a questionable study that shows that hosting the game brings in a jazillion dollars in tourist money. If baseball is fair, then the Jays would get the next game in 2022.

Q-”Prince has been to the post-season one time and, in fact, Jose Bautista has as many WS rings." could possibly be the dumbest response to a very legitimate question I've ever heard in my life. 

For me, you lost all credibility with that answer. To insinuate that Prince's lack of rings at the relatively young age of 27 in a very team oriented sport such as baseball somehow justifies AA's non pursuit is at best moronic and at worst a frightening sign of your limited baseball knowledge.

Nolan Michael, Toronto

A-You are certainly pulling out just a small part of the response and opinion that was given in that mailbag and presenting it as me saying it is the only reason for not pursuing Prince Fielder. Why is it that stats aficionados universally seem to have absolutely no sense of humour or sense of the absurd or the ability to see the game as a game. They are like the Christian right. Everything must be black or white, right or wrong and if your opinion does not agree with my opinion then you are wrong...and an idiot to boot. The great thing about opinions in baseball is that everyone can have one and since it's an opinion it can't be right or wrong. That's what makes the game so arguably great. God bless you Nolan.

Q-As far as your comeback player of the year assessment goes, your criteria doesn't seem to hold for past winners like Aaron Hill and Cliff Lee - granted both came back from injuries (so maybe this is additional criteria)? Hill, for instance, never has a pre (nor even post) award OPS close to Rasmus' 2010 total. Similarly, Lee only had one decent year prior to his win and it was at 2.3 WAR versus Rasmus' 3.2 of 2010 (WAR being perhaps the best measure across these diverse positions).

Yes, Hill's previous .291 batting average and Lee's 18-win season stand out, but the value of Rasmus' OBP, defence, baserunning, and more shouldn't be underrated even if the focus on traditional stats tends to do that. You may be right about how many Comeback Player voters feel, but it doesn't negate the fact that Rasmus' 2010 was superior to the pasts of other winners and a monster 2010 could (and perhaps should) facilitate his being honoured thusly.

Derek Maisonville, Montreal

A-The comeback-player is not even an official award, so it's hard to say who the voters are, but one thing I do know is that if you are coming back from serious injury, you have a far better chance of winning it than, say, a Colby Rasmus who surely had a great OPS as a 23-year-old then slumped for a couple of years, maybe because of factors like “manager-angst” and “urban sprawl”. If you're young and healthy and coming back to some good numbers like Rasmus, that shouldn't and doesn't mean squat. I never doubted those readers that said Rasmus 2010 numbers were very good. But does that suddenly mean every hot rookie who encountered the sophomore jinx should be a comeback-player-of-the-year candidate. I just know and undersand how the comeback award is voted for and a guy like Rasmus has no chance. Besides, he's not coming back to defence, because defence, like rust, never sleeps.

Q-I think they should do something about the hitting coach, like replace him. What do you think ???

John Finch, Burlington

A-Many times, a major-league hitting coach is the one to take the fall for a team's failure to hit. Admittedly, it was a tough transition for Dwayne Murphy from Cito Gaston's philosophy where a 10-pitch at-bat, as Adam Lind put it this spring, would draw Gaston's response of “What took you so long,” to the John Farrell response of high-fives all around for wearing a starting pitcher down, even if you end up making an out.

Farrell believes that the weakest point of any team is its middle relief and if you can get to that early then you have a better chance of winning. Murphy had to convince some of his same pupils, the ones he had earlier convinced to be uber-aggressive under Cito to change their philosophy again. It's not easy and Murphy probably has the easiest target on his back if the offence continues to founder. But who knows, by the next mailbag they may all have turned it around and the Jays offence could be on a significant roll.

Q-Hi Richard,

Still anticipating your infamous mailbag. I know it's early but how much longer can the Jays wait for Lind to come around? I've had enough. I believe more in Thames' hitting ability than Lind. The Jays offence is a big question mark thanks to the lacklustre production of Joey Bats (whom I think will end up with a .265/30/95) and non-leadoff hitter Escobar. I really would like to see Davis playing almost every day. His career avg. is around .275. The lineup would be more productive with Davis leading off followed by, Johnson, Lawrie to start off and I'd put Colby to bat ahead of Lind. Any thoughts? April's a soft schedule and they should take the most advantage from it.  Any thoughts? or am I off in your opinion?

Kam H., Richmond Hill

A-The Jays' offensive success all comes down to the success of Jose Bautista. That's just the Jays' bottom line to winning and he knows it, his teammates know it, the fans know it and opponents know it. Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion hit better when Bautista is on a roll. If it was up to me and there was a clean slate for the Jays' lineup, I might at this point go: Johnson, Lawrie, Bautista, Encarnacion, Lind, Escobar, Rasmus, Arencibia, Thames. But that's just me.

As I discussed earlier in the mailbag, I prefer Davis in the role he fills right now. In the 8th or 9th inning, if Rajai is starting you will never be sure when he is going to be coming up or if he ever does come up in those key innings, you can't be sure whether he is going to reach base. Meanwhile, if you have him on the bench through seven innings you can control when he reaches base as a key weapon in late innings in a close game.

April may be a soft schedule and they needed more wins, but the thing about this year's Jays is that they are going to be better in August than they are in April, especially when it comes to the young startng pitching, which has been better than expected already. So that improvement should offset any issues about the schedule.

Q-I commend the work of AA in the last couple years and I believe that the Jays are two players away from truly contending for the next few years and that the dynamite lefty arm of Aroldis Chapman would be a great addition as the #3 starter.  What would it take to pry Chapman loose from the Reds and do you think that the addition of a top-3 lefty is needed? I don't want to wait for the kids in the minors! GO JAYS & GO SPOS 4EVER

Dave Loney, Ottawa

A-I'm with you about commending the work of AA, but from there on out with the rest of your letter I need to comment. When the Jays are finally contending, they don't want it to be for simply the next two years as you suggest. They want sustainability in contending and that means tapping into their own minor leagues for future bargaining chips in trade in areas of need and tapping into the farm system for solid major-league talent to replace other solid major-league talent. The Jays are two years away from opening that long-term door to future opportunity, especially with regard to outfielders, catchers and young starting pitchers. The cupboard is full.

As for your pitching suggestion, the Jays had their chance already at signing Aroldis Chapman when AA decided not to enter the Reds' stratosphere of over $30 million for four years for the Cuban free-agent. They will not go there, but they do have some minor-league talent that can be similar-type impact guys at a great financial savings. The Jays are being patient in that regard, understanding that help is on the way, but, for the record, they were foiled in their bid to get Chapman's teammate Mat Latos from the Padres.

Q-Did you see the latest SI power rankings based on team WAR? 

The Royals are ranked #7 while the Jays are down at #20.  The article says that the Royals are due for a turnaround based on their team WAR.
 My question is what do you think will happen in the likely scenario that the Royals finish near the bottom of the league?  Will FanGraphs admit that WAR is just plain wrong?

Eric E., Toronto

A-”WAR, huh, yeah, what is it good for
? Absolutely nothing, uh-huh. 
WAR, huh, yeah, what is it good for? 
Absolutely nothing
. Say it again, y'all.” Edwin Starr.

 

 

Q-Hi Richard,

Well I've been impressed and excited by the start so far, and I'm not greatly worried about AA's 'failed attempt' to get a #2 or #3 starter in the offseason. I just look at all the home-grown possibilites and wonder which one is going to be this year's Juan Guzman. Although with a longer career trajectory, of course. Who do you think has the best chance of that?

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A-The failure to get a #2-3 starter like Latos or Yu Darvish is what will cost the Jays a chance to contend this year. I agree that there will likely be a Juan Guzman-type surprise performer pop up either later this year or early next season, but the Jays needed someone solid all year in 2012 if they were going to seriously contend for a wild card. What it would take now is a huge season from Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow, plus someone else stepping up in the second half. I have a hard time seeing Henderson Alvarez as that guy because, despite his solid repertoire, he's won just once in 14 starts and despite the low regard in which Ws are looked upon, that is how they rank teams in the official standings.

Q-Hi Richard.

Why do the Jays have so many call-ups from Double-A? You would think they would come from Triple-A Las Vegas. Also, why do they say the Triple-A Pacific Coast league is so 'hitter-friendly'? Thanks!

Terry Fallat, Espanola

A-Basically. Double-A can be seen as a league for talented young players on the way up. Meanwhile Triple-A is a balance, a mixture of players on the way up and players on the way down. It is a holding tank for potential major-leaguers to fill in with the big club due to disablements.

In the Jays' case, they purposely don't send many of their best young pitchers, kids on the way up, to Las Vegas because it is such a hell-hole for pitching. Organizations know that before a player can establish himself as a major-leaguer, he needs to experience failure. Ask Ricky Romero. Ask Travis Snider. Ask Kyle Drabek. Most top draft choices never failed as kids. They never did in high school and they never failed in college. But it's a given they are going to fail as pros.

So, for your young pitchers, do you want their first failure to be at Triple-A? Not really. Pitching in Vegas and in the PCL is nasty. Most parks are at altitude where the ball carries. The air is light, the winds blow and the infields are rock hard and uneven because of the weather, usually hot and dry.

Meanwhile at Double-A, in the Eastern League and Manchester, New Hampshire, it's more sublime for the Jays' young stars – New England clam chowder, Sam Adams, warm summer nights and young baseball players just like you. Plus, in the Jays' situation, the kids are confidently aware from precedence that they might be just one step away from the majors. Trust me, the Jays would love to have their AAA affiliate somewhere like Buffalo.

Q-Richard,

I have a quick question on scoring in baseball. When the Jays use their funky defensive set up where the third baseman is lined up behind first base like against Tampa's Luke Scott. When he grounded to Lawrie is it still scored as ground ball to third and put out at first even though it was a ground ball to right field. How would it make sense in the box score later?

Brian Runciman, Oakville

A-That's one thing I have never agreed with. Yes, you're right, the play to Lawrie was scored a 5-3, so if you were looking at your official scorebook a year from now you would believe the pull-hitting Scott had gone the other way, unless you also chart direction. It basically is just a bookkeeping notation so that when the official scorer is adding up putouts and assists after the game for the league records, he has the right players involved and doesn't have players changing position for a batter at a time.

Recall that in the Cleveland series in extra innings, Farrell brought in a five-man infield with Omar Vizquel emerging from the dugout to replace Eric Thames, standing next to second base and giving the Jays three men on the left side of the infield and two on the right. Well, even though Vizquel never left the dirt of the infield, he was listed as the left fielder because he replaced Thames. It's now the only time he has played the outfield and is silly because he didn't really play the outfield. There has to be a better way because it does not re-create the game with accuracy and isn't that what scoring a game is all about?

Q-Hi Griff,

What is up with Joey Bats? I have seen him take more "ugly" swings this year more than ever. He was always patient to me, but now seems to be reaching at balls out of the strike zone. Is this cause for concern? Another point, Brett Lawrie is also struggling. Is he up too soon? I love my Jays, but this series with Baltimore is giving me fits.

Anton Forde, Freeport, Bahamas

A-Bautista has taken a lot of ugly swings, especially at balls up in the strike zone. He seems to be popping a lot of balls up and is not hitting as many balls on the screws as he has the past two seasons. It's cause for concern only if it continues indefinitely. Bautista is an intelligent player, an intelligent hitter. Once he gets back to only attacking balls in the strike zone, the numbers will all rise.

Lawrie is not up in the majors too soon. He is a free swinger that makes contact. He is a major-league player and will continue to get better.

Q-I was wondering if you believe there would be any benefit in signing someone like Vlad Guerrero as a threat off of the bench. Is he too expensive to have around as a pinch hitter and sometime DH? He's past his prime, no doubt, but he would also represent much more of a game changer than Ben Francisco, I think.

Mark Twain, Charlottetown, PEI

A-The Jays have worked hard since the Frank Thomas debacle to not hire aging one-dimensional hitters that can only DH. Vlad has reached the point where he is just such a player. Like Johnny Damon, Guerrero would not be an expensive sign at this stage of his career, so that's not the reason. But a player like Edwin Encarnacion is exactly what the Jays seek in a DH so that he can play a position in the nine inter-eague games in NL ballparks each year. Besides, Vlad has led an active life in baseball and may be done as a player. Your comment on Ben Francisco is a good one. If they don't have a defined role for Francisco, since he now doesn't even go in for defence ahead of Rajai Davis, then he has little use as a fifth outfielder.

Mailbag: Does Ozzie Guillen's admiration of Castro deserve a suspension

It's just nine days into the championship season and already commissioner Bud Selig and baseball are under fire. Already, the Marlins, their new, publicly financed stadium, Ozzie Guillen, Cuba, Fidel and world politics have sent ripples through the national pastime. 

There is no filter on Guillen's mouth once he starts offering his opinion on any given topic in any area of life. It's part of what makes him beloved by the media. So why was anyone shocked that he was at the centre of the most politically incorrect baseball moment since it was discovered former Reds' owner Marge Schott was proudly displaying Nazi memorabilia in the front hall of her Cincinnati home with no realization of any of the implications?    

Ozzie will always be Ozzie, loud and proud. It's part of the reason Jeffrey Loria and the Marlins brought him to South Florida to coincide with a new stadium and contending with a high-priced roster. They wanted to make being a Marlins fan cool for the huge Spanish-speaking population in the area. It was working -- until now. 

That the popular Marlins' manager, a World Series winner with the Fish as a coach and the White Sox as manager, a proud Venezuelan by birth, that he may be an admirer of Fidel Castro should not be a shock.

Consider that Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and Castro are BFF among Caribbean rim leaders. But why did Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria not see that possibiity and head the issue off upon hiring Guillen. Sit him down and explain the roots of the team's local fan base, the people who buy Marlins' tickets. Tell him he can Tweet and pontificate about baseball and pop culture to his heart's content, but for God's sake Ozzie, the people we are trying to bring onboard as high-rolling patrons are largely refugees, or children of refugees, that left Cuba because of Castro and his revolution.

That being said, technically Guillen has every right to his opinions under the free speech amendment of the U.S. constitution. That is why Bud Selig was correct in not suspending Guillen for those poorly-timed political views. Imagine if Ozzie was managing the Blue Jays. Hell, we vacation in Cuba and rank Top 5 among the island nation's trade partners. There would have been nary a ripple if he had been Jays' manager -- at least until the Jays' inter-league series this summer that may have drawn protests outside the ballpark.

That's why the only suspension for Guillen should have come from the Marlins, which it did, five games and an apology to the people of south Florida. It's like I have every right to express an opinion that, say, The Star sucks and I wish I had any other job in journalism. Yeah, I have every right to that opinion, but then who would blame my employer for deciding to slap me down with a suspension. That's their right. So with the Fish.

By the way, I love The Star. Pheww! On to the mailbag.   

Q-In recent weeks there have been several notable contract extensions signed (e.g., Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Ian Kinsler). In your opinion, which Jays would AA be wise to actively pursuing extensions for this year? The Rays organization has received lots of praise in the media for their very early signing of lengthy contracts for Evan Longoria and Matt Moore, should (and will) AA try to do something similar for Brett Lawrie at this point?

W. Henry, New Wesrminster, B.C.

A-The big question is why would the Jays, at this point in time, feel like they have to extend the contract of any player in his first full year? What's the hurry?

Let's take Lawrie as the prime example from the current Jays. The Langley native is not eligible for free agency until November of 2017. He is not eligible for arbitration until the end of the 2014 season. What would be the Jays' hurry in terms of offering him an extension. Besides, technically an extension would be a deal for 2018 and beyond since he's already tied to the organization for the next six years.

Take that timeline of control into account with the fact the Jays don't as policy, offer deals of more than five years and, also, only offer multi-year contracts that buy out at least one year of potential free agency. Because of this combination of Blue Jays' organizational policies, it behooves the Jays to wait until at least the end of 2013 before beginning to work on a Lawrie extension. Conversely, it is better for the player too. If Lawrie believes he is only going to get better and become more spectacular as a major-leaguer, it behooves the player to wait a couple of years to maximize his multi-year demands.

Just a note on the Rays and their Longoria deal. The truth is Longoria's extension done several years ago was modelled after the contract the Jays had signed with Aaron Hill some years ago. The Hill deal was constructed and sold to the agent and player by Jays' then assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos. So don't tell AA to use Longoria as a model.

Q-Opening day. Oh, what a feeling. Since that first opening day at the CNE with snow on the ground, I love it!
 I was so disappointed to see Brett Lawrie not singing our national anthem. What gives? I will excuse all other players but there is no excuse for Lawrie.

Karen Maxwade, Toronto

A-I think it's a minor point that Lawrie did not sing the anthem and I think we can cut Lawrie some slack. His first home opening day, the Red Sox waiting in the other dugout, two months of preparation racing through his head. Who knows what else racing through his head. Sometimes he even has trouble translating stuff racing through his head.

Everything about Lawrie races at 160 kilometres per hour. The fact that he did not sing the anthem is excusable even for other proud Canadians that belted it out. Maybe he was humming or singing in his head.

I think it's more important that the Langley Flash in the long term ends up like another B.C. major-leaguer, Larry Walker of Maple Ridge, wherein through the starry course of his major-league career he never forgot the Maple Leaf and wore his Canadian heritage proudly. Walker was the poster-boy for Canadian baseball for a decade and even when he moved his off-season home to the States, was an ambassador for the country in a good-humoured way while carving out a near Hall-of-Fame career.

Q-Hi Richard:

Nice to read your stuff again this year. Like to hear your take on Sergio Santos. Don't want to judge too quickly but the hype presented regarding Santos after the terrible closer record last year led a lot of fans to really look forward to this year. Were we sold a bill of goods or can this guy pitch better than he has shown. The hits were bad enough but the walks were worse. What a disappointment for the other pitchers in the game.

Bob Leatham, Ilderton

A-There is no doubt that Santos has a big arm. His slider is devastating and his fastball crackles, but the big issue for me is what happened at the home opener. It requires a look at history. The 28-year-old Los Angeles native was a shortstop all the way through school and the first seven years of his pro career. He only began pitching in 2009 and threw 28-1/3 innings TOTAL before he made his first major-league opening day roster in 2010.

This is not a prediction, but instead is a concern. On Opening Day at the Rogers Centre, it seemed that a big issue for Santos in falling to the Sox was losing his release point on his fastball, on overthrowing and yanking pitches into the ground as he fell off the side of the mound. The paucity of repetitions he has had as a pitcher because of his late start at the art could contribute to periodically losing his delivery points in moments of high stress.

As for any other concerns, again history. Santos began the '10 season with 20 consecutive scoreless innings. After that he allowed 25 ER in 43-1/3 innings down the stretch. Santos is still a work in progress as a pitcher despite his age. He will get better and more consistent, there is no doubt, but the fact is Santos has less experience as a pro pitcher than even the 21-year-old Henderson Alvarez.

Q-Why didn't Santos get a save in the opener?

Larry Hawken, Nashville, TN

A-When Luis Perez sprinted out of the dugout across the foul line to start the bottom of the 16th at Progressive Field with a 7-4 lead on April 5, it muddied the save waters for Santos. Someone would have had to tackle Perez before he reached the line, but since nobody did, under a new rule, he had to face one batter before being removed – unless manager Manny Acta had pinch-hit, then Santos could have entered right away.

Perez retired the first hitter and Santos got the last two outs – and no save. The save rule in layman's summary states: pitch one inning with no more than a three-run lead or pitch less than a full inning when inheriting a situation where the tying run is either in the on-deck circle, at the plate or on-base. If Perez had recorded an out but then had walked a batter, then Santos gets a save, or if the first batter had reached base, Santos save. But he didn't and he didn't. They should be able to credit Perez with a blown save for Santos.

Q-Hi Richard,

I've noticed in the first few games, the Jays have done a great job using their bench and versatility of their players by moving guys around and having them play different positions. My question is, if a player starts the game off as the DH, is he ever allowed to come into the game and fill a defensive position? Thanks.

Matt Hazel, Antigonish, N.S.

A-I agree with you. I love watching a manager actually manage. Last year the Jays' bench was sketchy at the start of the year. You had John McDonald and other guys that were variations of John McDonald. You had a fourth outfielder in either Cory Patterson or Juan Rivera that was worse defensively than the starters in the outfield. And you had backup catcher Jose Molina.

When you only have a four-man bench, when carrying 12 pitchers, you need each of them to have one specific, superior skill so you can use them as weapons in late innings.

Versatility and specific skills are the key to the Jays bench this year. Already at first base the Jays have used Lind, Encarnacion, Bautista and Vizquel. The Jays carry five outfielders, while the DH Encarnacion can play first, third and left field. Rajai Davis coming off the bench is a huge threat on the bases in late innings and can play all three outfield positions. Their best player, Bautista can play first, third, right and centre field.

As for the DH rule, it's very simple. If your DH enters the game at a defensive position, then the name of whoever is on the mound at the time must be inserted into the lineup in place of the defensive player that was removed. At that point, you have lost your DH for the rest of the game. So when that spot comes to the plate, you either would have to have the pitcher hit, which you don't want in the AL, or you must pinch-hit.

When the Jays were in extra-innings in Cleveland, Farrell wasn't sure how long the game might go on, so he didn't want to bring Encarnacion into the game defensively and then have his pitcher in the lineup. For example, with the four innings Luis Perez worked in during the 16-inning contest, that meant he would have had to swing the bat for sure without having taken any b.p. since last summer prior to inter-league.

Q-Richard,

I was pleasantly surprised to see Joey Bats play a bit of 1st base in Cleveland. Any chance he ends up there permanently sometime over the next few seasons? Do you think he adds anything by being able to chat with the pitcher and infielders on the mound during high pressure situations?

Mike Patton, St. John's, NL

A-Anything is possible. If, in a few years, the Jays discover that they have too many quality outfielders lined up that can help them win and that Bautista, with his additional ability to play a solid first base, can be more valuable at that position, then I could see the switch being made. But Bautista would have to be a big part of that decision.

Jose is eligible for free agency following a club option year in 2016 and in a couple of years from now, maybe even after this season, will be looking ahead to the next contract. I think that's a solid observation that you had about his increased leadership as a first baseman where he can bring a calming influence to the infield and real leadership to the younger guys. Imagine a 2014 infield of 1B Bautista, 2B Adeiny Hechavarria, SS Escobar, 3B Lawrie. Joey Bats is decent in right, but not exactly Roberto Clemente.

Q-Hi Richard,

I was hoping for some help to settle a bet. A co-worker and I were talking about Adeiny Hechavarria and it is my understanding that he signed a major league contract as a pro free agent so that once his 4-year deal is done (I am not sure there are any options) he becomes a free agent again. My co-worker argued that he would be under team control and arbitration eligible instead. I thought that Cuban free agents are different and not signed as amateurs like players who sign from the DR and Venezeula for example and therefore do not come through the system with the same team control rules (ie. arbitration). Care to help settle this one?

Rio Mitha, Toronto

A-You lose. There are no exceptions to major-league rules for Cuban refugees. He does not become a free agent after the current deal. The Hechavarria contract was a major-league guaranteed deal, $10 million for four years. The special nature is that he was added to the major-league roster right away, so that to be sent to the minors the Jays needed to use an option right away. He was given four options like a high-school draftee. That worked out to one for each year of the original contract that was signed in mid-April of 2010. After his fourth and final option year in 2013, he must then remain on the Jays' opening day roster, or else they would have to pass him through waivers and there is a 100-percent chance someone would claim him. He will be here before that ever happens. The guy can play.

Q-Liked your 5 question marks but I think you covered the real big one in your blog: who is Santos and why was he "stretching" instead of pitching in the spring? did Chicago dump him and are the Jays hiding him because he has a flaw or tell in his game? Can't see that getting by the Yankee or Boston scouts. A closer means everything to the season

J.Galli, Windsor

A-There's nothing physically wrong with Santos. At spring training whenever a guy's not pitching in games and is getting treatment you will normally see him wandering the clubhouse with ice wrapped around whatever the ailing body part is. He is often mopey and alone. Santos was never like that even when he was not pitching in games. He was either in the weight room, or throwing bullpens or warming up before exhibition games with his teammates, always with a smile on his face.

The Jays weren't hiding anything, but they did feel that as an inexperienced pitcher that maybe he was burned out in the final month of 2011 with the White Sox and they could keep him fresh by holding him back in the spring. It may be a flawed thought process, who knows, but at least it's a thought process. Oh, by the way, when you say “can't see that getting by Yankee or Boston scouts”. There is absolutely nothing special about Yankee or Boston scouts that any other scout does not have. They are all good at what they do.

Q-Richard,

Two questions: Is Cecil the kind of pitcher other teams look at and say OUR pitching coach can fix him? And, would it make sense for the Jays to make a pitch for Wandy Rodriguez (and I hope that Cecil can play into that move)?

 Obviously, not-so-young Rodriguez has a big ticket for two seasons and might be redundant as early as this September. Plus, I imagine Houston's price went up after the winter's ransoms paid for young pitchers in the way rising waters raise all ships. But a package of Cecil, one of the Single A guys and the salary relief would have to enticing to the new Astro GM, shouldn't it? Assuming the answer to the first question posed was yes ... at least as far as Houston's concerned.

 Toronto gets an innings eater to fill the third slot. Alvarez will be fine holding down four and the pitching tidal wave, starting with Drabek, should be able to handle the tail end.

Gary Mugford, Brampton

A-This is a hugely random suggestion of names for a trade that does not need to be made. That moment has passed. During the winter, the Jays were involved in trying to get that 2-3 type starter. They explored Gio Gonzalez, Mat Latos and Michael Pineda, but it did not work out. At this stage, any of the Jays' premium Class-A pitching prospects is too much to give up for Rodriguez, 33, who has forged his career in the NL Central instead of the high-pressure AL East. Nobody is looking at Brett Cecil in trade right now. You are right about one thing. The Astros asking price did go up after what hapened this winter, which is why they still have Rodriguez. 

Q-In an interview on SportsNet, Prince Fielder was asked how much of an option the Jays were as an off-season destination. His answer was that he was looking for a team that wanted him long-term, which in my eyes pretty much means it came down to money and years. As a Packers fan, I am a strong proponent of building through the draft, but even they splurged on a free agent in Charles Woodson. My question is if Anthopoulos or Rogers too stubborn with money to build a contender? I would think that with Lawrie's explosion onto the scene and Bautista's general brilliance Prince Fielder would have been that elusive "player to put us over the top" who AA always talks about when referring to budget.

Shawn Bank, Toronto

A-I am sure Prince Fielder knows that the Jays were never in the conversation which made his answer to SportsNet come out vague and slightly inclusive. The Jays never approached Scott Boras once it was clear Prince was looking for in terms of years. The constant inclusion of the Jays came from Boras himself, to whom the benefit is always never to exclude anyone when asked. That agent strategy annoys club president Paul Beeston much more than it does Anthopoulos, but it's why, historically, Boras is not one of the Jays' favourite agents to deal with. As for the Jays going over the top by signing Fielder, Prince has been to the post-season one time and, in fact, Jose Bautista has as many WS rings.

Q-Richard,

In regards to the final question in your last mailbag, you stated that Colby Rasmus would have needed to have had a really, really good season in the past to be considered for comeback player of the year.
Colby had an .859 OPS as a 23-year-old in 2010. That's a really, really good year... no?

 I think a lot of Jays fans just don't realize how good this guy has been in the past or could be in the future.

 Blue Jays fans all (rightly) love Devon White, but Devo never had an OPS like that. If Rasmus puts up another year like 2010, he runs away with Blue Jay comeback player of the year and nobody will be asking when we're going to see Gose.

Dave Vigon, Guelph

Q-Hi Richard,

How can you say in your last mailbag that Colby Rasmus hasn't had a great season yet? In 2010, he put up a .859 OPS as a CF.

Scott T., Toronto

A-I can't agree. That 2010 Rasmus season was far from “great” and certainly not a standard that would earn anyone comeback player of the year consideration -- unless the award was for "OPS Comeback Player of the Year".

Really, if you think the 2010 Rasmus stats of 128 hits, 66 RBIs, a .276 average, 144 games and 148 Ks in 464 at-bats is a good enough season to aspire to get back to in a comeback conversation at a still-young 25-years-old, then we're watching different sports.

Q-Hi Richard,

I can't seem to find a definitive answer on this. Is the Rogers Centre air conditioned? I remember in years past it wasn't, hence it's very muggy under the dome. Has Rogers installed air conditioning since they bought it?

Harry L., Markham

A-The Rogers Centre is not air-conditioned per se, but they do have the ability to move the air around inside to at least create some feel of air circulation. It is very muggy and humid with the roof closed at RC in the heat of the summer, but for many years starting in '95, the Jays found a time-worn solution, a way to make the Dome far less steamy and uncomfortable. They realized that by playing bad, bad baseball, they could keep the level of body heat down and make it more comfortable for those few fans that actually showed up. Thank God the Jays have decided fans prefer winning and sweating to losing and cool.

Q-Everybody is trying to make the wrong correlation between spring training success and success of the big league club. A good spring training means a good big league club sometime in the near future.

 19 spring training wins in 1985, 2 years later the Jays win 97 games. Great spring in 88-89, the Jays win 90+ games from 91-93.

The Jays may or may not be in the hunt for the wildcard this year, but I expect them to be at/near the top of the division in 2014.

Joe Miller, Mississauga

A-That's a solid analysis, but what it confirms is what we've been saying this spring, that if the Jays go 24-7, as they did this spring, management can brag that “Our minor-league system is deeper than your minor-league system.” Which translates well and optimistically into the immediate future, as you point out. However, it's not a guarantee of success two years down the road.

Now it is up to Alex Anthopoulos and his staff. They must decide as major-league ready players start to get churned out of the farm system. “Do we integrate the new guys on this Jays team or use them as inventory to obtain other parts that we need around the diamond to create a winner.” It's a nice problem for AA to have but there are still chances to make a mistake. It also bodes well for their goal of competitiveness on a sustainable basis.