Jays mailbag: Where will Adeiny Hechavarria be in 2012?

It's been an interesting spring training with the Jays widely touted as the up and coming team in the AL East by many gushing U.S. media sources.

Alex Anthopoulos tried over the winter to add helpful-to-the-winning-cause pieces – not Prince Fielder and Yu Darvish – but he was thwarted and is now going with the hand that he has been dealt. That hand, in fact, is deep in talented young prospects, which is the big reason why the Jays are one of the top teams in the Grapefruit League standings.

Their minor-league hitters are mounting late comebacks and their minor-league pitchers are nailing down the final victories. Opening Day is April 5 in Cleveland. The home opener on April 9 vs. the Red Sox and that game has already been sold out. Every team is tied and life is good. On to the mailbag.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Please explain the logic of Ben Francisco. His stats do not impress. He is unlikely to play a significant part of the Jays plans. The organization clearly thinks that Snider and Thames have serious upside, and yet one of them is going to get sent down while Francisco is handed a roster spot uncontested.

I understand that young guys need playing time, yadda, yadda, yadda. But sending Snider back down to beat up on AAA pitching in Vegas is not going to help him at this stage. I'd much rather keep Snider and Thames and get creative about fitting them in -- parsing some DH at bats from Encarnacion against righties, for example. Maybe platoon them in left a bit. Providing a strong left-handed bat on the bench for late innings. To my mind Francisco brings zilch. What am I missing?

Kevin S., Peterborough

A-I agree with you that both Travis Snider and Eric Thames are better players in the long and short run than Francisco. However, in speaking with Anthopoulos this spring it's clear that existing minor-league options on the contract, the ability to send down and bring players back up without waivers, for his players is a very important part of the Jays equation. Snider has one option left and Thames has two. The fact is if one of the two batted right-handed, there might be a chance to platoon or partially platoon, but there is never enough at-bats out there when you're talking three players for two spots.

I don't think Francisco's roster spot is 100-per cent guaranteed all year, but he is an experienced major-league asset and AA doesn't like to just give away his assets unnecessarily. The Jays role is a limited one for Francisco. Play a little defence in left if it's Thames that wins the position. Start occasionally in left or right to give the starter a day off. Maybe pinch hit against lefthanders late in a game –- although how effectively is in question. Snider and Thames are both major-league players. This is a case where options are not your friend.

RELATED: Blue Jays emerging rotation key to contending 

Q-Hi Richard,

Travis Snider has been hitting a lot of home runs this spring, but striking out a lot too. Last year Rajai Davis led the team in home runs and he didn't carry that into the regular season. Am I still the front-runner to head north with the Jays?

Eric Thames, Toronto courtesy of M.Siddall

A-Yes Eric you are the front runner and thank you for pointing out the obvious. Sheesh!

Q-Any chance Ben Francisco would be released to free up another spot? What is his contract status, and is his 2012 contract guaranteed?

Thanx,

J. M. ("Mel") Norton, Burlington, ON

A-Francisco has a one-year deal with 4-plus years of major-league service. Francisco is 30-years-old and fills a role right now that might be deemed superfluous by the end of the season. He is a right-hand outfield bat and a defender at the corners. The cost is reasonable. 

Q-Dear Richard,

I've been watching baseball over 50 years. Please tell me why The Jays bring in a demonstrable failure like Rick VandenHurk, following the tradition of bringing in a Brian Tallet (twice!), and other dreck named Bullington, Burres, Reyes, Eveland 
et al. It was obvious these washouts would fail in Toronto. What a waste of time, effort and money bringing these guys to a pitching-rich organization. I know clubs need “filler " at AAA. This seems to be an affliction AA has inherited from Mr. Ricciardi. 
What am I missing ? You can't create a silk purse, etc.....

Thanks,

Selby Martin, Toronto

A-I think your negative reaction is a little strong to the former presence of Mr. VandenHurk, claimed on waivers by the Indians, and other non-roster spring training invitees of the past. Oh, and don't forget John Thomson, Tomo Ohka and the  less-talented Zambrano -- Victor.

No, the art of signing other teams' released free agents during the winter and then inviting them to your spring training is a time-honoured tradition, usually when you're not quite sure about the back end of your five-man rotation. It's not that expensive an exercise, really, with no cash-money guaranteed if a player is in camp on a minor-league deal. You're just paying his meal money and housing expenses. If the pitcher does make your staff, it's usually for a million dollars or less.

I don't think Jo-Jo Reyes should be included in your group, even though it did not end well for the plucky left-hander. He was, in fact, part of the trade that brought Yunel Escobar to the Jays. Anthopoulos believed that he saw something major league in Reyes. In fact, this spring it seemed like the Jays actually brought in fewer such pitchers as starters. Aaron Laffey and VandenHurk were really the only two with any shot as major-leaguers. This is an internal signal that they feel any extra needs can be filled internally by talented kids that they have developed. Next year will see fewer invitees.

Q-Being a Blue Jays fan all my life, it saddens me to see how the fanfare surrounding the team has diminished over the years. How can the Jays get back to the glory years (1989-1994) when they sold out all their home games and broke the 4 million mark for home games attended in a season?

I think they need to buy some great players to make this team a true contender now. We've been waiting 20 years for a post-season game. Give the city something to cheer about. We certainly can't count on the Leafs for that!

Dean Brunton, Toronto

A-Anthopoulos' belief is that once the Jays reach the anticipated position where they are contending for one of the three playoff spots available – AL East winner or one of two wild cards – for the first time, the theory is that the Jays' contending status will be sustainable for many years to come because of the depth of their farm system. It's a solid philosophy, but hard to stay patient for a fan-base that has been waiting 18 years for a return visit to the playoffs since the World Series years.

Wandering the Mattick centre during the Jays' mini-camp in February, the young talent that was on display there was amazing. In fact there are some Venezuelan and Dominican kids not at that camp that have not yet reached the Baseball America radar because they are too young -- 16-17-years-old. But there are some talented kids – mostly position players -- that need to fill out physically and are 5-6 years away from the majors. The Jays arrived at this point being one of two or three teams that took advantage the last two years to stock up on international free agents, mostly from the Caribbean, and draft choices before the new CBA levelled the playing field with financial restrictions that were rammed through and help the lazy scouting teams.

Throwing money at major-league free agents is rolling the dice, paying for past accomplishments, that rarely works unless you are already building through the farm and have a couple of holes that need filling. The formula of two big ticket free agent stars that you have just outbid someone for surrounded by four iffy major-leaguers at starting positions is not a winning formula. The Jays' reasoning this past winter was more about trading for a starting pitcher. AA tried that route, but it did not work out for various reasons. Without that experienced young starter, they still have a chance to contend, but too many things need to go exactly right. 

Q-Hi Richard,

Can you tell me if Dustin McGowan will be on an innings limit this season?

thanks,

Marcus Heinrichs, Stouffville

A-McGowan, even if he remains healthy all year, will be on a pitch limit of around 150 innings. The formula actually relies more on pitch count, but at the top end of pitch count that assumes 20 pitches per inning – which is high – or about 3000 pitches. The Jays are already thinking ahead in the case of McGowan. They have decided that young Drew Hutchison will himself be on an innings count. They have Hutch starting the year restricted to 2-3 inning starts so that by August, he will have enough innings left in his personal gas tank that he could possibly come up and finish off McGowan's fifth starter role for the Jays. However, if something was to happen to McGowan early on and he can't make it that far into the season for whatever reason, they have Aaron Laffey as a non-roster possibility, or Kyle Drabek, Chad Jenkins and Deck McGuire ready to go and stretched out. But they will ride McGowan as far as he can physically carry them to a max of 150 innings.

Q-Richard,

With Hechavarria seeming to have solid at bats during spring training could you see him pushing Jays management getting him into the every day lineup this season? I wouldn't think Kelly Johnson has a great amount of trade value, but if he was packaged with Snider or Thames, do you think that would net the Jays a pitcher like, G. Floyd? If not what level of pitcher could a package starting with those players be able to net?

Scott Cochrane, Niagara-on-the-Lake

A-Adeiny Hechavarria has impressed everyone this spring, but he still needs his Triple-A at-bats in Las Vegas. The plan would be as the season goes along that is there is a disablement to either Yunel Escobar or Kelly Johnson, that Hechavarria would come up and fill in as the starter at that position, while the backup at the major-league level – presumably Omar Vizquel – remains the backup. But by next year, Hechavarria will be on his last option and after the 2013 season, he needs to make the Jays to stay or someone will definitely claim him on waivers. They would probably like to have Hechavarria start the 2013 season as a major-leaguer after a year at Vegas and thus still have one option left. The decision would then come of how to align Hechavarria and Escobar in the middle infield.

Johnson this year would have zero trade value because he was a free agent and nobody made him significant offers the, so why would they look to him now when they have to give up a player. The White Sox want a lot more than that for Gavin Floyd. That's why he's still a Chisox.  

Q-Mr. Griffin,

There is much discussion in regards to the Jays lack of a 4th or 5th starter. Who might the Jays GM be targeting? Also, will we ever see Scott Richmond at the major league level again?

Gord Robertson, Oakville

A-Right now, Brett Cecil, Henderson Alvarez and Dustin McGowan are the 3-4-5 guys. During the winter the Jays made a run at, or else considered and rejected, all the familiar names that were eventually dealt, like Mat Latos, Gio Gonzalez and Michael Pineda, but nothing happened so the Jays are staying in-house for their rotation answers. It's a tough call for the Jays with those final three guys that combined for just five major-league wins in '11. The rule of thumb is you need about 65 wins out of your rotation to contend for the post-season. Jays' starters were 51-61 a year ago, with a 4.55 ERA. The five guys that are starting the year in the Jays '12 rotation combined for a 31-38 record a year ago. Do the math. Tough to make up those wins.

As for Scott Richmond he is the ultimate minor-league warrior. I talked to him at the Team Canada-Jays game and he is healthy and understands that he must rock and roll at AAA-Las Vegas to stay ready in case he ever gets the call, or maybe another team has a need. He knew he was going to start in Vegas, but nothing in his baseball life has ever been given to him. He is the ultimate underdog story and we hope it turns out well. But if not, it won't be for a lack of trying.

Q-Hi Richard,

I've read in a few places about the 'great vibe' in the Jays clubhouse. I'm just wondering if you can comment on that? Does a good clubhouse translate into wins on the field? Do you think AA tried to create a clubhouse with good chemistry? Finally, fans like me are keen to know more about what the players are really like. Reporters get to see things that fans don't. I understand you have to be careful about what you can divulge, but what can you tell us about the Jays vibe and personalities? Any fried chicken and beer?

Robert Brander, Sydney, Australia

A-The Jays do have a good clubhouse. When the spring started there were 65 players in that clubhouse so it was kind of hard to get a read on what it would be like once it was pared down. But it tells you a lot when a veteran like Francisco Cordero, at 36-years-old and coming in as a free-agent, says that after three days in the clubhouse he felt like he had been there before, that he somehow was at home. The vibe in the clubhouse comes from the lack of cliques based on demographics. You're as likely to see Brett Lawrie over at Jose Bautista's locker, or Kyle Drabek and J.P. Arencibia with Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow sharing a laugh. Then there's the country boys, Jeff Mathis and Colby Rasmus. There's a lot of smiling and banter going on in the Jays' room, rather than slumped over brooding in front of lockers. Off-season social networking among the players has had a lot to do with the fact that when they show up at camp they are already involved in each other's lives. Good vibe going on.

However, that being said, it's a long season and once the season schedule starts, the reverse to your question happens. It won't be a good clubhouse that translates into wins. It will be wins that translates into a good clubhouse. AA has not been worried about building the clubhouse vibe, but he does focus on bringing good people, solid personalities into the organization. He is focusing on the individuals, but when you bring all those solid individuals together, the result is a good clubhouse. As for the chicken and beer question, after a KFC small bucket and a six-pack of Yuengling it's off to work for me.   

Q-Hey Richard,

Re: Jays AAA relocation -
 Has there ever been any discussion of having the AAA team in the GTA?
The fans seem to know about the Jays' prospects so presumably attendance would be good, plus there's such a big population in the region.

Thanks,

D'Arcy Draper, Richmond Hill

A-The fans in Toronto know as much about their own minor-league prospects as any fans in major-league baseball. In fact, I was listening to MLB radio on my satellite car radio on my drive to Kissimmee this spring when the co-host suggested that of all their MLB radio listeners they get more response on fan questions and polls from Jays fans than any other. He suggested it was a cult and there must be a secret handshake. Kind of funny, kind of flattering to Jays fans.

Which leads to the answer to your original question. Say there was a 15,000 seat stadium built somewhere at the corner of 401-and-whatever for the AAA-International League Jays. How embarrassing would it be on a given night for the real Jays to be out-drawn by their local farm team. No, the Jays need to build their major-league brand in Toronto before they can think of bringing in a second product. The Leafs and Marlies is not a good example, because the Leafs sell out every night.

Oh, by the way, the satellite radio is good for listening to MLB radio on those long drives to Jays' road games, but I think I was bamboozled. When I booked the car online, I added satellite radio for $100 for the 34 days. The guy in the parking lot took the zip-up bag and leaned into the front seat and hooked up the radio that sits on the dash and is harder to manipulate than a Rubik's Cube. I started the car and drove away and realized the car had a built in satellite radio. Hmm.

Q-Thanks for your blog, good reading. I was just viewing an article about DH in the NL. Best solution -

one, have somebody PH for the pitcher in both leagues, but leave the pitcher in the game if you still need him. Simple and effective.

 Two -- increase the roster to 27 (and the protected to 42) to cover the added guys needed to PH. Remember, PHs can only be used once. The union will love this, and that will get them onside. PHs are cheaper than DHs -- that'll get the owners onboard.

 But all of this won't happen, because it is too easy to do...

What do you think?

Dean Tudor, Toronto

A-The DH question will not be solved with any compromise. It's either DH or no DH and since every league in the world except the National League operates with the DH, I fear that will be the winner. I hate it because it will take away from a lot of the strategy that makes baseball so interesting to discuss sitting in the stands or the press box. The balance of more offence against more strategy is simple. For true baseball fans, the winner would be more strategy. But there are no fantasy baseball categories that include strategy, so the fix is in for the demise of nine-man baseball. However I already agree that with most teams carrying 12 pitchers these days that it's time to increase major-league rosters to 27 players.

Q-Richard,

I'm still drinking the AA Kool-aid despite a rather meek winter. Unlike other Toronto teams, you get the sense with the Jays that they're building the right way with high-end talent that they can either bring to Toronto or trade for the final parts. 

That being said, there's one big concern I have with the Jays ability to compete in 2013 (a more reasonable playoff goal). It seems our talent is lining up where Gose will be the starting CF; Hechavarria the starting SS and D'Arnaud the starting C. All 3 rookies, starting at the most critical defensive positions; right up the middle; trying to adjust to MLB life while making a playoff push. 
With 3 rookies at 3 key positions in 2013 won't it take until 2014 or 2015 until they and the team have matured together to compete?

David Major, Richmond Hill

A-I believe the Jays were indeed aggressive in trying to trade prospects for major-league players this winter, but AA's problem might be that most of his valuable minor-league prospects were still 2-3 years away and harder for other GMs and organizations to project than those from other organizations that may have been less talented in the long-term but more advanced in the now-term.

I see the question you're asking abut all those rookies at the same time. I can see Gose beginning his major-league career filling both the Rajai Davis and Ben Francisco role as the disruptor off the bench and as the defensive replacement and fill-in for occasional starts at all three outfield positions. As for D'Arnaud, the Giants won the 2010 World Series with rookie Buster Posey behind the plate. And Hechavarria will be 24 early in the 2013 season and his defence he brings will negate his rookie inexperience. That's not to say all three of those things will happen, but the Jays want to contend and will not give up that dream just for the sake of getting the three rookies into the lineup. Having Arencibia and D'Arnaud is a nice problem for the Jays to try and figure out.      

Q-Hey Richard,

Here's one for you:

 What are the odds we could blow-out the seldom-used 'Windows' restaurant in centre field and pop-in an open air beer garden? 

How sweet would it be to sit at some communal tables, sharing adult beverages, and shagging fly balls? 

Best seats in the house as far as I'm concerned. 

I can only assume that there is some rule prohibiting fans to be sat in dead centre field (distracting hitters - *insert "man in white" comment here*), but a man can dream,  no?

Thanks

A-I think that's a great idea, however considering the location in dead centre field in the batter's line of vision, you're right, there would have to be a dress code at the beer garden of nothing but men and women in black, with nothing but Guinness on tap and no drinking while a pitch is being delivered. Oh wait, that was the rule in the Red Sox clubhouse last year. However, really, if they took your concept and extended a concrete platform down the left field line towards but inside the foul pole that extended from the Level 300 overhang out towards the field and put picnic tables and umbrellas and servers in blue lederhosen and barmaids in Oktoberfest outfits, what a concept. But, of course Jays fans might be confused by the confusing concept of baseball AND October.

Q-I have no question or comment. I am a lifelong Pirate fan. I have no explanation.

Terry Olynik, St. Catharines

A-As they say in Quebec, “Quel dommage.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jays mailbag: Remarks show Jose Bautista is comfortable with extra drug tests

Less than three weeks until spring training and the Jays' recent State of the Franchise assures us that all is well -- sort of, I guess.

Once again they Jays are hoping for development from players on hand. In other news, we found out: a) there may be real grass at the Rogers Centre soon, b) Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Yunel Escobar will each have bobblehead giveaways, c) there will be more choice added for women in terms of Jays wear, not just pink and girly and includes more players' names, d) former catcher Kevin Cash has been hired as an advance scout for the major-league team, e) manager John Farrell rates himself a C for his rookie year, f) the sixth year and beyond of their contracts scared the Jays off of Yu Darvish and Prince Fielder and g) uh, wait until next year. 

There were no fan questions Monday regarding Jose Bautista and, by his own count, the 16 drug tests he has undergone in two seasons since breaking out as a star. It was not a leak, if you'll pardon the pun. He was asked at a charity event in the Dominican by future Hall-of-Famer Pedro Martinez and he replied in matter of fact manner. If it doesn't bother Jose, why does it bother so many of us.

Some fans and media were outraged at his 16 tests, which is strange because for years between 2004 and 2010, guys like Dick Pound and the Olympic people were making fun of baseball for having a toothless drug testing policy, with gaps in credibility because of not enough tests and players sometimes getting advance warning.

Now, you have the top slugger of the past two seasons being tested more times than would be anticipated and not complaining about it, almost saying “Bring it on,” and, now, outside people deem it necessary to step up in his defence. I admire Bautista for his views, because at one point in his breakout year some media suggested that those questions of performance enhancers needed to be asked. It seems to me it has been answered. He's not asking for sympathy.

Nevertheless, it seems an awful lot of random tests for one player.

Upon further review, here are the mandated guidelines as per collective bargaining. Every player undergoes two mandatory urine test seeking traces of any of a total of 58 listed PEDs and a dozen banned stimulants. The first urine test takes place during the team medicals at the start of spring training and one other happens at some point during the season. In addition, for 30 teams times 25 players plus DL, say 800 players in all, there will be 1,200 random tests selected by computer during the season and 375 maximum tests at random during the offseason. That works out to an average of two mandatory tests per player and, using the law of averages, what might be two more in 12 months from the lottery. It seems that Lucky Jose has doubled what might be an anticipated total of eight tests over two seasons. However, there is a kicker to the math.

Extra tests can be administered for “probable cause” as recommended by the Mitchell Report. There does not even need to be evidence, just suspicion, as baseless as anonymous phone calls or the like.

It seems likely, in order to reach that inflated number, that provision may have been triggered during 2010 speculation where Joey Bats was forced to deny steroid use. But that accounts perhaps for a couple of extra tests. Checking further into the penalty portion of the negotiated CBA, we all know that for testing positive for PEDs the first time, the automatic penalty is a 50-game suspension. That happened to Manny Ramirez and, more recently, Ryan Braun. There are a total of 58 PEDs on that list.

However, for testing positive for one of a dozen banned stimulants, some of which may be in weight loss products or in other innocuous pharmaceutical products, the penalty for a first failure is not a suspension, but becomes six more mandatory tests over the next 12 months, above and beyond any other tests. The whole process is absolutely confidential and the only way the current Bautista controversy started is because Bautista himself said something to a peer back home. There will be no more information forthcoming from baseball or the union, but Bautista is comfortable with the facts and for people to know that his 97 homers over two seasons are clean. Good for him.

On to the mailbag.    

Q-Hi Richard,

First of all, I just want to say that I check thestar.com/sports and Drunk Jays Fans as often as I check my e-mail. Thanks for being one of my sources for Blue Jays information throughout the year! I always look forward to reading your mailbag.

 I often hear mention of Sabermetric baseball measures that I don't have a reference point for: xFIP, DICE, PERA, etc. Which of these, take pitching for example, do you think are really valuable indicators of a pitcher's abilities? Fans debate all day whether wins are a good indication of a pitcher's worth. What would be a "great xFIP" (or another measure for that matter) in the same way people say an ERA around two is great?

Thanks Richard,

Jeff R., Toronto 

A-For most of those Defence Independent Pitching stats, like the ones you mention in your question, there is value in knowledge, although they are not my favourites.

It seems to me that all of these stats that try and remove defenders from the equation and isolate the skills of the individual, that the results  they produce are more geared towards predicting future performance, which makes me believe they are best for Fantasy Baseball type purposes not for ranking all time pitchers. In a vacuum, these analyses are great, but there are times when “pitching to contact” is what a pitcher is told, even if he is capable of missing bats with the best of them.With a big lead for example and to conserve pitch count.

There are times also when I question the consistency of those recording the types of contact, fly ball, line drive, groundball, that produce these specialized numbers. All of these stats have their place in evaluating performance and kudos to those that have made the effort to analyze, but, you're asking for my own preference. When I'm looking through pages of minor-league stats, the first thing I start with in looking for top prospects is guys with high Ks per IP and among those guys, a strikeout to walk ratio of 3:1. That is solid through all levels of the minors. I used to be a “wins first” old school guy but reasonable arguments through the years -– not those that lash out with condescending anger towards dinosaur writers -- have swayed me and that's ultimately why I changed my mind in the end and voted for Bert Blyleven for Hall-of-Fame, although he still does not seem to appreciate those who finally came around and got him in.  

Q-I was wondering what your opinion of free agent starting pitchers Brandon Webb and Jon Garland is and whether they would be a good fit in the Jays starting lineup. I think a stabilizing/mature/ mentor type starter could be helpful with our young starters. Maybe even Roy Oswalt ?

Rob Linton, Espanola, ON

A-Webb, 32, was the '06 Cy Young winner, but has had two shoulder surgeries since then, including last August. The Jays already have one twice-repaired recovering right-hander in Dustin McGowan. The 32-year-old Garland made just nine starts with the Dodgers and had his option declined after shoulder surgery. Rotator cuff and other shoulder surgeries are not as predictable in terms of recovery time and ability to return to previous performance as is Tommy John elbow surgery. Teams tend to stay away from free agents with shoulder history. There are others that I can't understand why the Jays don't pursue with an invite to compete for a rotation spot at spring training, led by Rich Harden. 

Q-Hi Richard,

Thanks for the great columns! I completely agree with you that spring is the best time of the year and I heartily recommend fans getting to spring training, if they can. They won't be disappointed, especially with all the teams clustered around the Tampa area. I attended a week of spring training for the first time last year and loved every minute of it.

I have two questions. First, I am wondering what you think of the Blue Jays outfield situation in the short and medium term. I see a potential logjam. I've always liked Travis Snider and Eric Thames is interesting, but I saw Anthony Gose last year and was impressed by what he brings to the table. Do you think the Jays hierarchy envisions a Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus, and Gose outfield in 2013? Gose looks too good to keep down for long and the Jays lack a basestealing threat among their regulars. Also, last year I was struck by how the Yankees have such a foothold in Tampa during the spring. Does this cause some embarrassment for the Rays since one of their chief rivals has such a successful presence in their hometown?

Roy Parisien, Montreal 

A-As for the Jays' outfield, let's just already give a backup role to Ben Francisco at the corners and another bench spot to Rajai Davis if he has recovered fully from his leg injury. Davis can play occasionally in centre field and steal a base off the bench in late innings. With Bautista in right and Rasmus in centre, that leaves room for just one of Thames or Snider. Assuming it is a wide-open, fair fight and that the decision has not already been made, internally, my guess is that if Snider wins the job then Thames would return to Las Vegas and play every day at Triple-A, but if Thames wins the job, then AA might look for a trade for Snider, given the depth in the outfield and the number of prospects coming fast, like Gose and Jake Marisnick.

Just as a side note, the fact that the Jays may carry five outfielders, plus Edwin Encarnacion, reduced the value of super-sub Mike McCoy and allowed AA to invite an infield-only, super glove man in the 44-year-old vintage shortstop, Omar Vizquel. Besides, Vizquel's agent, Adam Katz also represents Cuban free agent Yoenis Cespedes and goodwill with an important agent never hurts, now or in the future.  

The Jays' outfield of 2013 is another interesting question. AA talked recently about the reason for acquiring Rasmus being that it's tough to find 25-year-old quality starting outfielders and that he had to take the opportunity when presented since his own young outfielders weren't ready yet. Not a ringing endorsement for a long future in Toronto. The Jays will have a choice when Gose is ready. They can have him co-exist with Rasmus, or they could trade Colby for other pieces. He still has real value with other teams. It all depends on how fast Gose progresses at Triple-A this year.  

Q-I am very disappointed in the Jays offseason moves there is something missing all that has happen is a new closer and spare parts.
 I think the Jays general manager has missed the boat on getting help for the starting pitching and lethal bat in the lineup.

Sean Morris, Mississauga

A-Every winter, the easiest things to do via free agency is to fill needs at backup catcher and in the bullpen. Nice job, Jays. So the fact that Anthopoulos was able to trade for Jeff Mathis, Sergio Santos and Jason Frasor and sign Darren Oliver and Francisco Cordero is like coming back with a boatload of fish from the Grand Banks. But it's the top-of-the-rotation arm and the power bat that were the real challenges and the Jays came up empty on both counts – although there's still time. There are still too many question marks in the rotation, although a lineup that ranked fifth in runs scored, has the possibility of being better in 2012 without the addition of a lethal bat. And the bullpen will be good.   

Q-Great content in your blog. I'm confused for the last 3 years the Blue Jays have not had a problem scoring runs fifth over all last year I believe and if pitching is the most important part of a team's success shouldn't we be more concern that we didn't get a starter than a big bat and isn't it more prudent to find out what the Brent, J.P., Colby and left field can contribute before we spend big money.

Brian Sharp, Chatham, ON

A-That is a good question that relates to the previous question and answer. I truly agree with the concept of the offence perhaps being even better. A healthy Bautista will be able to maintain his status as one of the top power hitters in baseball. I believe Adam Lind will bounce back because of his second season at first base, with better conditioning and his second year being married and settled down as a father. Arencibia is more comfortable defensively and can now turn his focus back on hitting. Lawrie is at third base for a full season and Escobar is an underrated offensive player. Kelly Johnson, Rasmus and the starting left fielder will all have a full season to settle into the role. Encarnacion can hit.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Heading to Dunedin in March with a couple of friends, it's dream come true! Any recommendations on food, drink, or attractions while not at Dunedin Stadium?

 Much appreciated,

Giuseppe L., Toronto

A-Let's see. On game days, find a free parking spot on Main Street Dunedin around 9 a.m. Walk down Douglas to the ballpark in time to see early batting practice. You don't need tickets for that. They will kick you out around 11:15 a.m. The Jays make everyone leave and come back through the turnstiles. At that point, head across the street for breakfast at Iris's. The right field corner is where the Jays clubhouse is located and guys coming out of the game in the fifth inning and beyond will stop and sign. After the game, wander back north on Douglas to Main Street about 2 km and have a post-game libation at any of the wonderful bar/restaurants along the street. Perhaps the Chica-Boom Room attached to Kelly's. Martinis are their specialty. Uh, please appoint a designated driver.

If you get a chance during your week also go to the Phillies ballpark along Highway 19 and watch the game from the outdoor Tiki Bar beyond the left field fence, especially if it’s during March Madness. The hoops will be on TV. You can wander over and lean on the rail over the bullpens and talk to the guys or farther out, lie down on the grass above centre field and get some sun. The Tiki Bar stays open a couple of hours after the game. Appoint a designated driver. In the evening, at least once you should go to Clearwater Beach and drive to the north end along the main street. There will be a huge parking lot on your left, right on the beach with Frenchy’s at one end and the Palms at the other. Both bars back onto  the beach and after going for a long walk in the surf, you will have surely worked up a thirst. Other destinations, at the end of Gulf to Bay, just before the Courtney Campbell Causeway to Tampa is another series of bars and restaurants. Tips? Stay away from Hooter’s, even though it is the original location. I believe they have some of the original staff. However Pete and Shorty’s, right next door has a great pub menu and is where George Steinbrenner had lunch with David Wells cinching a Yankee deal over a plate of sliders his second time around with the Bombers. Right next door is Razzel’s, with a live DJ on weekends and sketchy clientele, but the beer is cold and it’s where Cole Hamels got in a fight in the spring of ‘05, breaking a bone in his hand punching a local. If you want to hang out with the “swells” then go to Liquid Blue on Ft. Harrison near Clearwater Beach and smoke cigars next to a great dance floor with throbbing music that precludes conversation balanced by plenty of visual distractions. 

Across the Tampa causeway, a visit to the Yankee ballpark is a must. It's clearly the Mecca of spring training with a great baseball gift shop. Close to Steinbrenner Field are Mons Venus and the Pink Pony, two player approved gentlemen clubs that are iconic spring training watering holes. In fact Mons is where fellow Star reporter Mark Zwolinski and I went on a reconnaissance mission to find Boomer Wells for quotes after he was traded to the Jays from the Yankees in the spring of '99. War is hell! Do you know how tough it is to get a receipt for a lap dance? At least once on your trip, make it to Ybor City in east Tampa just off Highway 4. Great party venue for major Spanish-American Holidays – like St. Patrick's Day. It's where Todd Stottlemyre and Dave Stewart were arrested on bogus charges so be careful. Check out the Lightning schedule for home games at the downtown arena. There is a great outdoor March Blues Festival in St. Pete. Tampa Bay Downs has thoroughbred racing. Culturally, check out Ruth Eckerd Hall for live music and the Tampa Aquarium for live fish.  Enjoy your trip.         

Q-Hi Richard,

AA is all about seeking out “value” in trades and FA; AA is also all about having “options” regarding players on his own roster. 

In your opinion, when is the right time to abandon this value/option equation and to go for it? The best pitching prospects in the system are Daniel Norris and Noah Syndergaard in the low minors, and they are at least 2-3 yrs away from TO.

 If AA is to adopt the Rays way of building a rotation from within, do you really see a stacked TO rotation until these 2 are ready for the majors? Is it time to build up (or not torch) the trade value for Deck McGuire, Chad Jenkins, Drew Hutchison as possible trade baits much like Molina?

 Thanks and please keep up the good work!

James Ho, Vancouver

A-For me, this year would have been the right time to abandon the “building” policy and begin going for the gold. But somewhere along the line, spending money to get better was replaced by Rogers ownership needing a “guarantee” for the playoffs. Since this is pro sports and a team game, guarantees don’t exist so the Jays can excuse themselves for all their inactivity. It’s an easy out. It’s a chicken and the egg argument where the egg is winning and the chicken is Rogers.

I got to thinking about why the Jays are sitting on all this very deep and very talented inventory of young starting pitchers. The only thing I could think of was that since most of the inventory is two years away from being able to contribute to anyone’s major-league effort, that perhaps other GMs are waiting to see what 2012 brings for youngsters like Justin Nicolino, Syndergaard, Aaron Sanchez, Asher Wojo, Norris, Hutchison, Jenkins, McGuire, Evan Crawford and even Kyle Drabek. I think if the Jays had actually landed one of Mat Latos, Gio Gonzalez or Michael Pineda, they would have accelerated the search for a bat and would have gone for the gold this year, but the first domino didn’t fall so the policy of seeking out value and making decisions based on remaining options continues. 

Q-Lost in the rhetoric of “spending money when the time is right” is the question of what does Rogers do when that moment arrives? I think it is safe to say that no matter what the hype, attendance will not increase without more winning. 2012 will probably be a lost season with fans waiting on results and Rogers waiting on fans. Is it reasonable to expect the Jays to win at least 85 games in 2012? Will 85 wins be promising enough or do the Jays have to win 90 and contend before attendance increases? How many tickets do the Jays have to sell before Rogers authorizes a competitive budget? And why must budget increases be predicated on absolutely increasing attendance. I always thought it was a synergy thing for Rogers since they own all the parts of the Jays’ revenue stream. Surely the broadcasts alone make a substantial profit? So what happens when the moment arrives and attendance is still abysmal. As the team gets better, will Rogers spend what is necessary to keep it together? Or will the Jays find themselves in an unending cycle of developing players for other teams?

Vilip Mak, Etobicoke

A-There is a universal truth in major-league baseball that attendance reflects the previous year’s finish. Bank on it. Most ticket purchases of a serious nature, whether season, groups, or mini-packs take place in the off season and reflect the success or failure of the previous season. In that case, you are right about 2012 being an attendance write off even if the Jays manage to win 85 games. That’s why the Jays’ off-season mantra of “come and we will win” is misguided to the max. Sure, they have since backed off of that logic, at least publicly, but have not promised a timetable of investing in a winner.

The Jays will be spending about $85 million and that should, in fact, be a competitive budget, but won’t be. The Yankees and Red Sox spend their extra money on depth and are able to absorb injuries better than the Jays. The Rays are unbelievable in their ability to compete on less money, but their rotation is young and talented and homegrown which the Jays can match but to a lesser degree in each category. That is the Jays true chance moving forward to become like the Rays, is for their rotation to become more defined and developed. Romero, Morrow and Henderson Alvarez is a good start.  

Q-Richard,

I’m concerned about the Jays payroll moving forward. They’re not yet in the competitive range, yet their payroll this season is already around $85 million and if you consider internal raises without adding any free agents, they will surely be in the $90s next year with only 2 established/bona-fide starts in Romero and Bautista. AA has always cited the Rays as being an excellent model to follow yet the Rays payroll will be half that of the Jays with two legit stars (Longoria and Shields). 

I also don’t like the fact that the Jays have all these young prospects and relievers in the minors that they really aren’t giving a chance to. Carreno, Farquar, Magnusson, and Beck all seem to have the stuff to compete in the pen. Yet, the Jays stack their pen with veterans or guys with some experience (Janssen, Zep, etc.) leaving no spot for any raw youngster to develop. Perez only came up last year due to injury. Most teams tend to leave room on their roster to carry 1-2 young relievers and let them learn/develop. That’s how the Braves and Angels found their stud closers and the Yanks, BoSox, Brewers, A’s etc. found very serviceable Rps.

J.T., Toronto

A-I don’t believe that the payroll drifting north of $90 million next season is an issue for Rogers. It’s not going to stand in the way of taking the next step which they keep promising to do when ready. In terms of the Rays, recall that in the second half of ‘07 then ‘08 when they surprised the baseball world by going to the World Series, they completely rebuilt the bullpen, adding veterans to go with their young starters. Given that model, I don’t begrudge the Jays choosing to add veteran relievers now. The teams that you mentioned, specifically the Braves and the Angels, yes they added young relievers, but specifically those farmhands were mostly studly guys that could tickle 100 mph on the radar gun. These are the types of high-ceilinged youngsters that can come in raw and blow three hitters away in middle relief without worrying about sequences or the art of changing speeds. The Jays with Farquhar, Magnuson and Beck as your examples, have guys that don’t throw as hard and need to learn how to pitch in the minors before being moved up. However, that being said, the next generation of Jays pitchers are all long and lean and hard-throwing and mean. That’s when you’ll see some young starters, maybe with only two major-league pitches in their repertoire, brought up early to work out of the pen and maybe stay in the majors in bigger roles as they learn how to pitch at the highest level.   

Q-Hi Richard -

AA has created high expectations through some great work over his first 2 years. I’ve noticed a lot of people grumbling about this offseason and where hopes have not met expectations (yet). Other than the Napoli trade, I don’t think AA has been bested in a deal yet.
 Now to my question - how do you see the team’s middle infield situation unfolding over 2012? Escobar and KJ are locks to start, but where does Adeiny fit in? It would seem that he is a player who has the defence to push for a job sooner than later, and his offensive trajectory appears to be coming along. Do you see the Jays looking for a new 2nd baseman in case KJ bolts after this year, or letting Escobar and Adeiny settling that?

Dan Olson, Port Moody, BC

A-There has been a lot of grumbling, but if there was no grumbling then there would be only apathy and the Jays should appreciate the interest that fans and media are showing in their unfinished symphony. Anthopoulos is still on a learning curve. You don’t come in and re-invent the role of GM – uh, unless you’re Billy Beane. Track record? Let’s see, now, in his first two seasons, AA traded away a Cy Young winner, a playoff MVP and handed over three key members of a world series champion pitching staff while managing two fourth place finishes. Lucky he hasn’t been bested, right?

As for the middle infield situation, the Jays will begin with Escobar and Kelly Johnson, with Hechavarria getting comfortable at Vegas – which, karma-wise, is very much like Havana before the revolution. If either Jays’ middle infielder is injured, Adeiny gets the call and provides great defence while batting ninth. At some point over 162 games that is likely to happen. If Hech takes advantage of his opportunity and with KJ a free agent at the end of the year, the Jays will have options.    

Q-It seems that AA is trying for a cheap 500 season: bullpen help, but no starters, reserve position help, but no starters. Ben Francisco? Either he vastly overrates the kids or he knows something he’s not telling. Seems to me it’s 81 wins and “ wait till next year”!

Peter Thomson, Elizabeth City, NC

A-Alex always knows something he’s not telling. In any case, I’m predicting 81 wins.

Q-Hi Mr. Griffin,

Thanks for all you insight over the years, I look forward to checking your site daily in hope of finding a new column. Looking for some advice with this question. I will be attending my first spring training game this year on March 11 when the Jays SS are playing Atlanta at the Disney Complex. I am looking for some advice on how to get the most out of this experience for my family, specifically my 6 and 8 year old boys. They told their mom that they would be willing to take a few hours out of their Disney schedule to take Dad (me) to the Blue Jays game as “Dad would love to see the Blue Jays”. I’m happy to just sit in the sun with them and watch the game, but is their anything in particular we should try to do? I realize that an away SS game will not have many of the regulars, but my boys will not know the difference, and I am just has happy to see some of the young guys I read about all the time. Anything you could offer would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Jason MacDonald, Amherst, NS

A-The Jays Disney dugout is on the third base line. If you buy tickets get them on that side. For BP you can get right down to the rail at the outfield end of the dugout and some of the young guys will come over and sign for the kids. Maybe you could just crouch down real low so they only see the boys. During the game, I’m not sure if it’s just open seating but behind left field has grass that you can sit on and watch the game and get some sun. It will be very hot. If you get there early, before going into the park, wander around the complex and there is always something going on whether it’s soccer, football or cheerleading competitions. There is a pub-restaurant right outside the turnstiles with sports on TV and, importantly, air conditioning. It would probably be someone like Don Wakamatsu managing, with a lot of the young players that will be stars by the time your boys grow up. Have fun.  

Q-Hi Richard.

Please give us another mailbag soon. Hope you are feeling well.

Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A-I’ll do my best with the mailbag. But I’ll be feeling better when Air Canada 903 touches down in Florida with me on it in a couple of weeks.

Griffin: Winter Meetings baseball roundup

DALLAS - The winter meetings finished Day 1 on Monday with the biggest names, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder still no closer to signing contracts. On the opening day, the spotlight was on Pujols agent Dan Lozano, who arrived at the Anatole and reportedly met with the Marlins, the Cubs and the Cardinals. The Marlins are major players for Pujols, even after signing former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes for a reported six years, $106 million. The Cardinals are said not to be interested in another Lozano client, shortstop Jimmy Rollins even though they need middle infield help. Fielder's agent Scott Boras is expected to take centre stage before the meetings are much further along.

*Boras is expected to explore interest for Fielder from the Mariners and the Orioles. New O's GM Dan Duquette suggested to Baltimore media that the Fielder bid may have stemmed from owner Peter Angelos, not the first time he has stepped in. The Brewers have  taken heart by the fact that the market for Fielder seems to be shrinking. As such they coyly said they have no interest. If they re-enter it will be under new terms.

*The Marlins officially announced that free agent shortstop Jose Reyes had signed a six-year, $106 million contract. That move see the Marlins former shortstop Hanley Ramirez move to third base. His first reaction on the MLB Network was to insist he was still a shortstop, but owner Jeffrey Loria said there is no intention to trade Ramirez and that they will find a way to make everyone happy.

*The Marlins also took centre stage to announce that closer Heath Bell has signed a three-year, $27 million deal with an option for a fourth at $9 million.The loss of Bell by the Padres means they are now interested in the A's young closer Andrew Bailey. Other teams, including the Reds and the Jays are also interested in Bailey, who has two years left before his free agency, but may have priced himself out of Oakland.

*The Twins have agreed to terms with their own free agent righthander Matt Capps to a one-year contract for $4.5 million, plus an option of $6 million, including a buyout of $250,000. Capps had done the job for the Twins in 2010 in the absence of Joe Nathan, but struggled late in the 2011 season and was not regarded as a closer.

*The Twins were expected to non-tender lefthander Kevin Slowey, but instead are now shopping him in trade. The Jays were interested in Slowey at spring training. If they acquired him, he could compete for a 4-5 spot in the rotation or work in long relief.

*The C.J. Wilson derby has heated up with the Angels, Nats, Cubs, Marlins and Rangers all reportedly showing interest. The Red Sox have denied that they are one of the teams bidding on the Rangers lefthander.

*It seems that the Reds' negotiations for an extension with second baseman Brandon Phillips could all come down to the number of guaranteed years. If the extension talks fall through the Jays are high on Phillips.

*Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has become the top middle infielder on the market now that Reyes has signed. Rollins, another Boras client, is expected to return to the Phillies, although the Brewers are rumoured to be interested.

*Following the visit by new manager Bobby Valentine to the Dominican during his charity golf tournament just before the meetings, David Ortiz is expected to accord the Red Sox front-runner status in re-acquiring his services.     

*The market for Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes will become more focussed now that his agent has declared that he wants at least twice as much money as was given to fellow Cuban Aroldis Chapman. That means he will be looking for at least $52 million.

*The rumour surrounding free agent lefthander Mark Buehrle is that the most important factors are a four-year guaranteed deal and a no-trade clause. The Twins, Nationals, Marlins and Rangers are said to be the front-runners. The Jays may have been interested, but on Monday Anthopoulos emphasized his preference for no no-trade clauses.

*In addition to the Jays, Red Sox and the Reds, the Padres are now interested in A's closer Andrew Bailey after losing Heath Bell to the Fish.

*The Dodgers signed free agent infielder Jerry Hairston, Jr. to a one-year deal. The Brewers and Reds are interested in former Jays righthander Octavio Dotel.

Sources for this Day 1 wrap-up include Fox Sports, ESPN.com, CBS Sportsline, SI.com, MLB.com, MLB Network and others. The meetings continue through Thursday and the Rule 5 draft.

Jays Mailbag: Remembering Neil MacCarl and Brett Lawrie's debut

 

By Richard Griffin

It was extremely sad news on Saturday to hear that The Star's esteemed and respected former baseball beat writer Neil MacCarl had passed away of pneumonia at the age of 83. He had covered baseball for The Star, from the days of the Triple-A Maple Leafs, to the Jays and their first World Series, from 1949 until Mike Timlin flipped Otis Nixon's bunt to Joe Carter in Atlanta, the first World Series win ever for a team based outside of the U.S.

What a way to go out, a championship for the team that you covered every day. MacCarl always appreciated and smiled at the circumstances of his own departure. Nicknamed Sam, he retired three years before I joined the Star, but I had known him as a gentleman and a gentle man through Ian MacDonald, his BBWAA chapter chairman equivalent in Montreal and from Winter Meetings and World Series, where I encountered him through Howard Starkman, my P.R. equivalent in Toronto.

A constant presence at spring trainings during his retired years, with a winter home in Clearwater, he treated me as a friend and an equal, giving me tips about people I should get to know and tips on Jays stuff he had read, mine and other scribes, on the web. Neil was a great storyteller from his days with the old Maple Leafs, including covering in Havana at the time of the Cuban Revolution and his arrest and departure from the country. Baseball has changed, covering the game has changed, but Sam and his love of the sport was a constant and will be sorely missed.     

Q-Hi Richard,

It has been quite the season for the Blue Jays. At this point, they are pretty much where they were expected to be, even though they took a different route to get here (no one expected an improved Bautista and no one expected the bullpen to struggle so mightily in late-game situations). While this is the year to see what we have going forward, I can't help but think we would be in a pennant race right now if A.A. pushed hard to re-sign Scott Downs and if he decided to keep Marcum. I understand Lawrie represents the future, but it seems to me that Marcum could have represented both the present and the future. I'm excited about Lawrie, no doubt, but in your opinion could Marcum in the rotation (5-7 more wins than Jo-Jo) and Downs in the pen (4-7 less blown saves) put us in a "win now" and a "win later" situation? Thanks again, Richard. I appreciate it.

Andrew I., Dartmouth 

A-I agree somewhat about maybe they should have re-signed Scott Downs as a veteran presence to lead the bullpen and at least share the closing role, but the Jays received two draft picks in the top 74 prospects in the June '11 process from the Angels for Downs and that's an AA priority.

As for Marcum, they had him through 2012 before his free agency. They have control of Lawrie through at least 2017. The Jays are, as you point out, pretty much where we expected them to be bouncing back and forth around the .500 mark. I think keeping Marcum and Downs would have perpetuated the same questionable philosophy from the Ricciardi Era that kept the ceiling so low for eight years. Sure it may have meant a few more wins now, but at the expense of 2012 and beyond. The philosophy from '02 to '09 was always about maximizing the present.       

Q-Hi Richard,

I'm sure you've been getting a lot of questions about Travis Snider this week. It looks like his Blue Jay career may be over with the addition of Rasmus. I remember being surprised when he first came up, do you think he was rushed to the majors? Was it a matter of Ricciardi trying prove his draft picks were major league stuff?

Grant P., Guelph

A-I'm not sure that we can say Travis Snider's Jays career is over due to the addition of Rasmus. The fact is that the Jays needed a centrefielder in the short term moving forward and Snider, as willing as he was to leap into that breach, was not the answer. If you believe the manager and the GM back in Tampa when Snider was shipped out for the fourth time in the last three years, then it could just as easily have been Eric Thames and in that case would anyone have been saying Eric Thames career as a Blue Jays was over?

If Thames struggles in the next month and Snider shows increased patience and strike zone awareness in Vegas, then when he returns in September he may actually get more of the left field playing time again. There has been no winner declared yet. And don't forget that Snider is 15 months younger than Thames, making his Jays debut in August '08 at the age of 20.

When Snider was originally brought up and took over in the outfield at the start of '09 the then-GM J.P. Ricciardi believed he was ready. But he wasn't. Today, Snider is a better defender, is more mature and is in better physical shape than he was back then. He still struggles for consistency at the plate and that's what earns him the constant junkets back to Vegas.

It's silly to think that Ricciardi was trying to prove his draft picks were major-league stuff, but his outfield options were rather thin at the time because of his drafting. Also recall that Thames is also a Ricciardi pick and a shrewd one since he had been projected as a late first or second round pick at Pepperdine University but was coming off injury and was still available in the seventh round.

Q-Hi Richard,

A thought about the fallout from Brett Lawrie's call up...My theory is that AA wants to keep Encarnacion in the lineup because his (waiver) trade value is only rising during his current hot streak. Someone might need a solid bat off the bench for a playoff run, or to add a piece in the offseason. I think AA's comment about E-5 having a club option for next year is a subtle effort to boost his stock even further. Am I way off base?

M.T., Ottawa

A-Certainly AA's not-too-subtle reminder to media and fans that the Jays have a club option on EE for 2012 is being heard by other GMs, but any club interested in the 28-year-old DH already knew that. That's the first thing other GMs check is contract status. One of the main reasons that AA wants to keep EE in the lineup is that, as he constantly reminds us, his word is his bond and a handshake is as good as an extra paragraph in a contract. When he signed EE to his contract in the off-season, Anthopoulos told him and his agent that he would get his 600 at-bats, just not at third base. AA told them that he would DH and back up at first base and get his daily at-bats. It's the same promise he made to catcher John Buck to get him to sign last season so when J.P. Arencibia debuted last summer with a four-hit, two-homer performance against the Rays, the Arencibia Era had not arrived. The catching job reverted to Buck and stayed with him through the end of the year. He cashed in with a nice contract with the Marlins. On the other hand, if someone came calling and asked about EE in a waiver-trade, AA would listen, but he would need to get something back since extra salary is not an issue. Besides, EE with a hot streak has an outside chance of earning Type B status and as a free agent would earn a draft pick.

Q-Hey Richard,

First of all love the blog. My question comes down to the pitching after seeing the bullpen blow 2 saves last night and then taking a look at some alarming pitching stats. The Jays are 23rd in ERA (4.22) 25th in WHIP (1.37) 7th in most Runs given up with 510 and 22nd in Opp BA (.260) and converting 23 saves out of 42. In my opinion we have 2 starters maybe 3 depending on if Cecil can continue like he has since coming back from the minors. So we need at least one solid starter coming in and hopefully one coming from the minors, like Drabek, Alvarez. In the bullpen right now Janssen is the one who I hold the highest, Camp can be there as well the rest is nothing special, I think we need to revamp the bullpen to have any chance to contend in 2012. What is your take on the Jays pitching?

Alexander T., Malma, Sweden

A-That's a pretty fair evaluation of the club's pitching. The Jays pen would be better if it hadn't had to pitch so many innings through the first half of the season. But now that you have Romero, Morrow and Cecil expecting to go seven or more innings, it allows for a lighter workload from the pen. The statistic of 19 blown saves is slightly skewed in that there are two games with two blown saves and the BS stat includes middle relievers that lose a lead in the sixth inning and beyond where the starter would have earned a win, when clearly the middle reliever with the blown save was never going to pitch the ninth. For example, if the Jays have a 3-2 lead after five and don't score again and the opponent scores two in the seventh, that's a blown save. The Jays' two closer-guys, Rauch and Francisco have 21 saves and nine blown saves between them. That's the stat that should be examined when comparing to other closers. Of course even that is not very good, but not as mind-numbing as 19 team blown saves.

Rebuilding a bullpen given the huge number of free agents relievers on the market in the offseason is probably the easiest exercise for a GM. Finding the right closer for a contending Jays team will be the challenge, especially as loath as AA is to give up the compensatory picks from signing a Type A player. 

Q-Brett Lawrie is finally come up. I suppose it's way too early to start the parade route, but with expectations sky high for Lawrie I wanted to ask you what a good first year would be for him. I'd be happy if he made less than 10 errors at third and had an OPS of .750.

Jason S., San Francisco

A-I don't think errors should be in the mix when evaluating Lawrie's final two months with the '11 Jays at third base. They will be watching closely his development as a defender via his reactions to certain plays on balls off the bat, whether he has a third-baseman's instincts and anticipation. Roving infield instructor Mike Mordecai has seen a lot of Lawrie this summer and was impressed. I would say .750 is fair as an OPS, but he will add some steals and run the bases aggressively which carries a lot of weight with this manager and this team in terms of fitting in with their style of play moving forward.

Q-Richard,

With Thursday's meltdown in the bullpen was just the summation of the season for the Jays bullpen. The Jays had leads in two innings in the 10th and 11th, both of which were squandered by the bullpen. How much more can Jays fans take these late inning losses, what is it now 18 or 20 blown saves? If A.A. had started the season out with a top-of-the-line closer where would the Jays be right now in contention for a wild card? Even with winning 15 of those blown saves the Jays would be in contention. Why was this not addressed either at the trade deadline or earlier in the season? I am a very strong Jays fan but these blown saves are easily fixed aren't they?

Scott C., Niagara on the Lake

A-The answer to the earlier mailbag letter explains the skewed stat of 19 blown saves. Rauch and Francisco have combined for nine BS. Most AL closers, even the best ones, have a handful of blown saves and even when a team blows a save, it doesn't necessarily mean they lost the game. A lights out closer for the Jays from opening day might have meant an extra 3-4 wins but the acquisition of such a player would have mixed the message of where this team was meant to be headed this year. A No. 1 MLB closer with a young starting rotation and a developing lineup is Gucci shoes with Gap jeans.

Q-Any word on whether the Jays are going to be in on the Yu Darvish sweepstakes? It would be a great way to show fans that the Jays are ready to spend some cash on the team by over-spending to get him. It may also bring more fans to the Rogers Centre, bring more electricity to home games.

Leif M., Vancouver

A-The Jays will participate in the Yu Darvish sweepstakes whenever he becomes available from his Japanese League team, but, as they always do, the Jays will have a well-thought-out number in mind and will not go beyond that dollar figure. The Jays were in the final three on Aroldis Chapman and won out on Adeiny Hechavarria with $10 million for four years and are always in the mix on international free agents that can help them win. The 24-year-old Japanese right-hander is one of those free agents that can help them win. He is charismatic and talented and would be a good but expensive addition to enter into a Top Three of the rotation with Romero and Morrow. The Jays would be a long shot.

Q-Richard,

Enjoy reading your blog, and always enjoy your Q & A session. When do the Blue Jays have until to sign the picks from the 2011 draft? Should we be worried that we have only signed 3 of our top 10 draft picks? I was excited when we took some high ceiling players with risk then to draft "safe" picks. However, we need to sign more than we have. When should we start getting worried? Lovin' the way the Jays are playin' ball now. Thanks for your time.

Andrew S., Alberta

A-To me — and this has not been verified by the club as they are very close-mouthed about such things — the reason that many of the top picks have not been announced is because the Jays are going far above slot for their high-school-player-but-college-committed guys and the goal is not to set the bar too high for other picks from other teams that are waiting to ratchet up their own negotiations. There is a bit of selfishness in there too, because if their generous contracts raise the ante with others at the same level of the draft then it affects next year's negotiations. I would not be surprised if the Jays have a long list of signings on August 14-15. I would start worrying at the deadline if they have no announcements.  

Q-Now that the trade deadline has passed, and the closer situation still seems "fuzzy", at least from my couch, what do you see as the plan in this area? Who are the potential free agents that might come into play this offseason? Within our own system, I noticed that Dustin McGowan may be back in September — a potential closer audition? He is certainly mentally tough, coming back from injuries. And prior to injury, his stuff was awesome - but it may not be anymore.As always, appreciate your thoughts!

Jon E., Woodstock

A-You've got Heath Bell, Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Cordero, K-Rod, Jose Valverde, Joe Nathan plus others a notch below. We will know if the Jays are serious about contending in 2012 if they make serious overtures for any of these guys and sign one of them. If they try and find an option from within or else settle for second tier closers like Rauch and Francisco again, then you know they are looking towards 2013. What I would do if I was AA and I was going to contend is just what the Yankees did in '95 when they signed John Wetteland as a free agent and had homegrown Mariano Rivera as his setup man, then in '96  won the World Series. The year after that Wetteland was gone and Mariano took over and they kept winning. I would sign one of the above closers, then look for a homegrown setup man as his eventual successor. For me it would be Henderson Alvarez currently working as a starter at Double-A New Hampshire with a 97 m.p.h. fastball, a devastating changeup and a breaking ball in progress.

As for Dustin McGowan, the Jays announced at spring training that he was being converted to the bullpen, but a week later changed their mind when Dustin balked. To me, the Jays intent in bringing McGowan up in September and getting him in a game is to reward his unbelievable perseverance and give him an achievement he will never forget even if his unlikely comeback stalls again. Face it, it is still a long shot for a pitcher to have two shoulder surgeries, miss more than three calendar years and then come back to a normal career as an every fifth day starter on a winning team. You can only hope because he deserves the best for what he has done with his work ethic.

Q-Griff!!!!

You're the man and my main source of insight into the Jays. Where has the mailbag been? Hope to get a new one soon. I figure I might as well get a question too. With the promise of the Jays competing with the likes of NYY and the BoSox in 2012, do the Jays have enough pieces now where they can go out and get a big price/big talent bat or another starting pitcher via free agency to put together the final pieces? Also, is Bautista's injured ankle effecting his power at the plate? It seems he's not hitting as many home runs as we're used to.

Shan M., Detroit – Toronto native

A-They do have enough core pieces, but they do need another starter. I would not go free agency, instead I would trade for a 3-4 years of service guy that is pricing himself out of a small market. I think less than the ankle, Bautista is being affected by the back-and-forth of pitchers that are changing speeds and looking to hit their spots, spots where if Bautista hits the ball hard, it won't leave the yard. Besides, don't tell me you were expecting him to hit more than 33 home runs by August 8.

Q-Hello Mr. Griffin,

Long time reader of the column. I love it! I look forward to Fridays so that I have something to read at work. Anyways enough brown nosing for me.What are your thoughts on the Rasmus trade? are the Jays projecting that Gose will take longer than expected to make the big jump? How will this move affect Snider or Thames? Anyways I look forward to your insight. Cheers,

Adam Meger, Niagara Falls

A-The Rasmus trade was merely the addition of another core player under control through 2014 and beyond. He will not be the one to lead them to the Promised Land and is not going to take anything away from Jose Bautista as the leader of this team. However when you add Rasmus to Lind, Escobar, Bautista, Arencibia, Lawrie, Romero and Morrow, plus Thames, Snider and Cecil you have a reasonably priced core to build around and add on to.

As for Gose, he still needs a season of 500 at-bats to be ready for major-league pitching. But if they want to compete in 2012, Rasmus is the man. Rajai Davis is a nice fourth outfielder. 

Q-Richard,

Not only does Brian Tallet have a pretty gaudy ERA this season, it seems he is on the disabled list due to an injury sustained through violent sneezing (not exactly Glenallen Hill's spider nightmares, but still an embarrassing way to injure yourself). Apparently tests in his rehab have revealed some sort of kidney problem. Is Tallet okay? Is he likely to pitch for us anytime soon?

David W., Toronto

A-Talked to Tallet in Florida last week and he had just thrown a bullpen session at the Mattick Complex. He is looking forward to re-joining the Jays when he's healthy which won't be until September. Yes it was a sneezing accident. Dumb, but the dumbest disablement I've seen was catcher Bobbie Goodman, selected in the draft the round ahead of Gary Carter by the Expos. He was at AA-Quebec City re-stringing his catcher's glove when the leather thong let go and he stabbed himself violently in the middle of the chest with an awl.

Jays mailbag: Getting ready for the return of Roy

Problems come in all shapes and sizes.

While some in baseball worry about how the Dodgers are going to meet their next payroll because of fallout from the rancorous McCourt divorce, filing for bankruptcy protection, there are others with a much broader vision of life that continue to worry about Gary Carter and his radiation treatment and his future survival after the discovery of Stage 4 brain cancer.

While Jim Riggleman frets about the Nationals' refusal to guarantee his option year in 2012 and resigns after a big win, Carter's younger daughter Kimmy Bloemers continues to report on the family's website, the progress of her father who still has more than three weeks of radiation therapy remaining from an original 6-1/2 weeks.

Carter is halfway done with his radiation treatment, his daughter wrote Monday night on a private family website, as reported by ESPN NewYork.com which has been granted access to the site.

According to Kim, her father will continue with chemotherapy treatment for a full year and will also have an MRI performed in August to gauge the effects of the radiation treatment. Induction weekend at the Hall of Fame for Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven and Pat Gillick is July 23-25 at Cooperstown and a lot of people will be thinking of and praying for The Kid. On to the mailbag.

Q-Hi Richard,

I have an etiquette question for you. I'm travelling to Toronto to take in the Canada Day weekend series against the Phillies. Thankfully for us Jays fans, Roy Halladay looks like he will toe the rubber on Saturday, for his first start in Toronto since being traded. The question is, how will (and how should) Blue Jay fans treat Halladay, as well as the game in general? I will definitely stand and applaud him in the first inning. After that, I am confused. Do I want the Jays to win? Do I want Halladay to win? Do I want to see Doc dominate or get lit up? Say that it's the ninth inning, Jays are down 1-0, two runners on base, who should I cheer for, Halladay or the Blue Jays? In the grand scheme of things, it's only one game, but I really want to be there to see Doc. Thanks again for your mailbag. It's a highlight of my week.

Andrew, Dartmouth, NS

A-To my way of thinking and from my experience, there is an easy progression for what should transpire on Saturday afternoon when the iconic ex-Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay faces the Jays for the first time since being traded to the Phillies on December 16, 2009.

First of all, it's very important for fans to be in their seats before the game. There's nothing worse than an empty stands while heartfelt tribute is being paid. There will be warm applause as Doc pops out of the dugout on the first base side and heads out to the right field bullpen to warm up at around 12:50 p.m. There will be a large number of fans above the bullpen in the seats cheering him on as he prepares for the game -- unless of course the Jays' overly officious ushers tell them to go back to their seats or tell them to be quiet.

When Doc's name is mentioned in the starting lineups there will be a loud roar. But the key to the welcome back is that when he emerges from the dugout for the first inning and all the while that he throws his pre-game warm up pitches, there should be a long standing O throughout as he prepares to face his first hitter. But as Escobar steps into the box and digs in it's now game on.

Thanks for the memories Doc, but now we want to kick your butt. That's the way Halladay would want it. Two runners on in the ninth, down 1-0, as a Jays fan you're cheering for the hitter. As a baseball fan you're just happy that you were there.  

Q-Richard,

I like the Blue Jays, but I get the feeling that too many people in the media are busy worshiping at the feet of Mr. A.A. When do we start holding him accountable? It's OK to praise when needed and to give tough opinions when needed, but no one is doing it. I read your mailbag and it sounds like an apology letter for Mr. A.A. please stop trying to explain away his errors. Make him do that. He is not perfect; just look at, well everything not named Bautista or Lind. This season is unravelling and the kid are all back on the farm, not what the vision of this year was supposed to be. Don't get me wrong Mr. A.A. has done some good, but he has also miscalculated on many occasions and that should be pointed out as well. I think that the media is a little too lenient on him and all too willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Your thoughts?

Blair, Brookline

A-Excuse me while I go round up a couple of goats and a chicken and a couple of gold shekels for my trip to the Anthopoulos Centre. You see, he expects his tribute from the media once a homestand. Actually there's a lot about your question that I don't get. You say “It's ok to praise when needed...” I think praise is something that's earned rather than needed. You say “Please stop trying to explain away his errors...” I think it's more a case of trying to explain his errors rather than explain away.

The moral crisis of conscience on this side comes if, as a commentator and critic, I had once agreed with an original move that eventually turned into an egregious error. Like the one that had Kyle Drabek making the opening day roster. I agreed with that at the time. I am not one to leap on the obvious and turn the blade. I always like to first-guess, not second-guess. If I ever disagreed with Cito Gaston, Tim Johnson, Jim Fregosi, Buck Martinez, Carlos Tosca, John Gibbons, Gaston, or John Farrell be sure it had been discussed as a possible mistake before it turned sour, otherwise not likely to be criticized.

As for Anthopoulos's aura of infallibility with the media, even while Ricciardi still held the GM's office and it was obvious the end of his tenure was near, my opinion was that his young assistant Anthopoulos could step up to the job. Given AA's mission to build a contender and re-build the farm system through the draft and international free agency, given the fact that he made the Halladay trade and received a nice bounty even though there was only one team in the running, given the fact that I always backed the signing of Bautista to a long-term deal even if he had only one good season, given the fact that AA has by and large resisted the temptation to speed up the process to which he has committed, it would be dishonest to leap on your tenuous point that he has “miscalculated on many occasions.”

Besides, AA has been criticized in the media for stuff like installing Edwin Encarnacion as third baseman even though he had been signed as a DH, for leaving Brett Lawrie in the minors even though everyone agreed he was ready and then got hurt and for sending the hard-working Travis Snider down to Vegas when he was struggling instead of working with him at the major-league level since this was not the year they projected to compete and for being overly secretive and close-mouthed even with info that the public should know. But to criticize for the sake of criticizing would just make the media, especially the print media, a bunch of a-holes. We're not there yet. Feel free to disagree. 

Q-Hi Richard,

It's no secret that the late, great Expos seemed to have a special rapport with Latin American ballplayers. Was that perception or reality? I've always felt that many Latin players have no special affinity for playing in the USA and that a more multi-cultural environment like Montreal or Toronto would be conducive to allowing these players to relax, enjoy themselves and play well. Are the Jays leveraging that factor?

Timothy, Toronto

A-It's true that Latin players always enjoyed playing for the Expos, especially in the years when the iconic Felipe Alou was the manager. It's clear that Latin players were comfortable with the fact that Montreal was a fan base and a general population used to dealing with a second language and unlike young American players that are dubious about playing in a foreign country – see Mark Lemongello who was obtained for Alan Ashby: Do they speak American in Toronto? - players from Latin America are forever playing in a foreign country.

Many of the same things that made Montreal attractive to players from the Caribbean and South America also make Toronto attractive.

Finally, following the J.P. Ricciardi years in which Caribbean scouting meant looking for an attractive vacation destination, the Jays are once again serious about Latin American free agents. They were in heavily on negotiations for Aroldis Chapman and won the battle for Adeiny Hechavarria.

Under director Latin American operations, Marco Paddy, the Jays are at the forefront of Caribbean scouting, staying in contact with young players and their families. Toronto is once again an attractive option. It begins with their star player, Dominican-native Jose Bautista who performed as a Jay, was rewarded and is now the clubhouse leader for all languages and nationalities. Free agents and unsigned young amateur free-agent players can see that opportunity for themselves.

Q-Outfielder Anthony Gose, the player acquired in the Brett Wallace deal, has been tearing it up in AA, with over 30 steals so far. But, his BA has plummeted this month. True, he's only 19. But if can get on base, seems clear he'd be spark plug. Is he a legitimate prospect?

Brian, Los Angeles

A-This kid is a prospect. Gose, who is just 20-years-old, was hitting .249 through Monday, has stolen 35 bases and been caught nine times. At A-ball last year combined with Clearwater and Dunedin, surrounding his trade odyssey from the Phillies to the Astros to the Jays, he stole 45 but was caught an astounding 32 times. He's getting it. His walk total is not that bad, but he has struck out 71 times in 71 games. His pitch recognition needs to improve, a common problem for young players, especially when they're moved up quickly, but he's only 20. He has not made an error in centre field and has a great arm. Give him another year in the minors and think about Opening Day 2013.

Q-Hey Richard,

What's the plan with Carlos V? He's been pitching very well in what was supposed to be a couple of spot starts in the rotation. I don't want to take anything away from him, but this is awfully familiar to when the Jays called upon Brian Tallet a couple of years ago, by the end he was run out of town after he couldn't find his rhythm in the rotation or the bullpen after having some success in a couple of starts. Do you fear Villanueva might have setbacks if he gets pushed back to the pen when/if Drabek or Cecil make it back up? And if he continues to pitch this well, why move him anyway?

Thanks Griff, great job as always

Matthew, North Bay 

A-Carlos Villanueva was acquired from the Brewers just before the winter meetings last December and expected to compete for a spot in the Jays' bullpen. He earned a spot at spring training because of his history of being able to pitch two or three innings in relief and be the long man. When given the opportunity as an interim starter while the Jays looked to solve the Rubik's Cube that was the rotation,  Villanueva took the ball and ran with it. It's not fair to Carlos V. to compare him to Brian Tallet.

First of all he doesn't have the funky hat collection Tallet had and secondly, he has a better major-league track record and has a very intelligent baseball mind with an understanding of how to attack hitters with the stuff that he's got. If eventually he goes back to the pen, he can handle it, but for the moment, when a guy goes out there, gives you 5+ every time and you win most of them, why change?  

Q-Kyle Drabek got shelled Thursday night in Las Vegas. I don't think he made it out of the first inning. Given the reputation of the PCL as a hitter's league and Drabek's sudden inability to find the strike zone, would it make more sense to send him further down, perhaps all the way to A-ball, to work on the zone? Who is the pitching doctor in the Blue Jays organization? It seems like Drabek needs some serious therapy. I worry that, as you said in the last mailbag, that some pitchers are ruined permanently by pitching in the majors. This is Drabek's first taste of failure, and I worry it will devastate him rather than teach him humility.

Thanks,
 Richard

A-The Jays do not normally like Las Vegas as a development stop for their hot young pitchers. They explained however in this case that they chose not to send Kyle to Double-A because last season he was already the Eastern League pitcher-of-the-year and had learned everything he could at that level. It's likely they wanted to take the immature Drabek out of any comfort level he may have found in Manchester, New Hampshire and throw him in somewhere that he has to battle hard to regain his major-league spot.

So far in this new battle after two starts, it seems they have cast Drabek as General Custer at Little Big Horn. If they had sent Drabek to A-Ball, he could get by with his stuff, just by throwing strikes without having to command the strike zone.

In Vegas all the cards are stacked against him. The Triple-A level is largely a holding tank for major-league hitters either on the way up or the way down. They know how to hit and how to better approach young pitchers.

The 51's pitching coach is Tom Signore, while the roving doctor in the organization is Dane Johnson. Maybe, like Halladay did back in the day, Drabek has to hit rock bottom before he can build himself back up. His first two starts in Vegas have been awful, but he's the same talented pitcher that earned a major-league spot at training camp. Maturity is not something you're born with. Failure is part of gaining maturity. I believe that the family background with his father, Doug, being a former Cy Young Award winner with the Pirates, that Kyle will rebound to fulfill his potential. However, maybe not this year. Brett Cecil went down in much the same fashion and has earned his way back.   

Q-Hi Richard,

Love the blog. I'm a big Jays fan, but I must admit my favourite team will always be the 1979 Expos. That was the team that made me fall in love with baseball. Ellis Valentine's arm, crazy Bill Lee getting guys out with junk, Chris Speier making the most of what skills he had, Tony Perez, vegetarian Dave Cash. I can name the entire lineup and starting pitchers by memory. Remember when everyone was excited to move into the Big O? Sigh. 
My question is this: when Jose Bautista, for example, is being intentionally walked, why doesn't he take a swing or two to make the pitcher either throw more intentional balls (to get them off their stride) or make them pitch to him? Is it a matter of etiquette or are there rules against it?

Darren, Sudbury

A-Interesting that you bring up the '79 Expos. On the last Jays road trip I talked to Chris Speier, now a coach with the Reds, and with Larry Parrish, now a coach with the Braves, and both of them swear that the best times they had in baseball was with those Expos teams from at the late '70s, start of the '80s and that they didn't realize at the time how good it was. Now they do and both said that whenever they get together with former teammates from that era, that good time in Montreal is what they talk about.

Another point about that specific '79 team that won 95 games, there was just one player on the disabled list all year, that was Speier from July 1-15 surrounding the all-star break. The Expos in 160 games needed just 14 pitchers, despite playing 15 doubleheaders, including seven in September alone.

As for the Bautista part of the question, I have seen hitters swing at pitches during the issuing of an intentional walk when the pitch gets too close to the strike zone and the infield defence is relaxed and not paying attention. Many times the results have been good, but to swing at a pitch far wide of the strike zone to keep a pitcher throwing is not a matter of etiquette as much as intelligence. If someone did that while my pitcher was issuing an intentional walk, the next pitch would hit him in the ass.  

Q-Richard,

With the signing of Escobar are we seeing the beginning of a few moves for A.A. in the coming month? Does this lead to Hill being traded and Hechavarria being promoted to see what they have for the 2012 season? What does this signing mean to the Blue Jays short and long term?

Scott, Niagara on the Lake

A-When Escobar signed a possible four-year extension for a possible $20 million he became the fourth Jays player signed beyond 2013, along with Ricky Romero, Adam Lind and Jose Bautista. They have not said it about Hill because a lot can happen, but if things remain the same then you can look for the Jays to not pick up Hill's two option seasons at the end of the year. If Hill projects as a Type B free agent, you can look for the Jays to hang onto him and take the drat pick compensation. If Hill is not a Type B, then they will at least explore trading him at the deadline at the end of July. He is somewhat attractive to another team because of the “change of scenery” angle, plus the two option years remaining at a reasonable price for a starting second baseman.

As for Hechavarria, since he is on option, they could bring him up and send him back at any time, but his understanding of the strike zone will likely prevent that until rosters expand in September. There is room for Escobar, Hill and Hechavarria on the same roster, even with Lawrie at third base, but they must make their Hill decision and it seems that he will be the odd man out unless he regains what he once had.  

Q-Hi Richard,

You are the Impresario of the Mailbag. Keep up the great work. My question is regarding the designated hitter. Do you think the Jays made a mistake by passing on Johnny Damon? He's having a good season for Tampa Bay, still has some pop, runs well and is a left-handed bat which the Jays sorely need. I think it's a travesty how the Jays DHs have been performing as a group collectively and Alex A. should be held accountable for this. This is the one position in the line up where a batting avg. below .200 is unacceptable. What do you think? Do you think the Jays are looking around for a DH to help them compete? Edwin E. is not the answer.

Howard Adler, 
Toronto

A-Not signing Johnny Damon is not a mistake by the Jays. He is a big stage, bright spotlight kind of guy and is still in love with the Sox and Yankees. He plays in Tampa because he is a Florida native. If he was in Toronto, he would be looking around for his next team, trying to re-establish himself with the Jays and then be traded. The “trying to re-establish himself” part would be a good thing because he would be focussed on his numbers, but inside the clubhouse things would change. No the Jays are better off without him. What I would do if I was AA is give EE a chance to DH between now and the trade deadline, then if he's not working out I would look for a Type B one-dimensional veteran on the block, then let him play out the year as DH and let him go as a free agent, taking the draft pick.

Jays mailbag: Should the Jays also start Arencibia at DH?

In the moments immediately after the game in Atlanta on Wednesday, a frustrated John Farrell talked about looking for a “spark” to get his team out of its offensive doldrums.

As usual, Jose Bautista is a part of the solution, moving to third base for the short-term to make room for another bat in the outfield. By signing Yunel Escobar to a two-year deal plus two option years, the Jays have identified another core player for the future. You now have Bautista, Escobar, Adam Lind and Ricky Romero under contol through at least 2014.

The sophomore GM Alex Anthopoulos has said in the past that he only works on one contract at a time when it comes to extensions. So who's next? As soon as Brandon Morrow gets his groove back, which he is on the way to doing, it says here that he will be the next player locked up for at least four more years. On to the Mailbag.   

Q-Hi Richard,

I am very confused about the Jays this year. They say it is a building year, then they go and re-sign EE... they sign stop-gap players for the bullpen in Octavio Dotel, Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco, but at the same time they cannot seem to find a DH who can hit above .250 and a third baseman who hits above .200 (I know they are waiting for Lawrie, but that's probably next season).

 Basically if this year is for building and they don't really care about attendance, then why all these past their time veterans and not let some of the Triple-A guys get some experience here in Toronto?

Rob, Toronto 

A-Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos has admitted that he is learning something new every day and one thing he is finally coming to grips with is the fact that you can't orchestrate the rate of each player's development and there are dangers in trying to manipulate service time – see Brett Lawrie. I had no problem with the Jays signing Encarnacion in the winter because at the time they insisted he was simply a DH with some backup duties at first base. The Jays completely lost sight of what they were doing and what they had promised the day they appointed EE as the starting third baseman just as spring training was winding down. As for the stopgap members of the bullpen, I have no problems with that either. They didn't need a lights-out closer in the short term because they weren't ready to compete, but they did need a deep, veteran bullpen to back up a young rotation. If anything they have too many of those guys but it has helped keep the Jays on an even keel.

I think they need to settle on a primary DH and that, at least until the all-star break in mid-July, should be Encarnacion who performs far better at the plate when he's not being asked to field the position. With Eric Thames coming up to play, with Travis Snider's return when healthy, with Lawries's promotion with health, that will give the Jays a healthy dose of young talent under 30, with Arencibia, Lind, Hill, Escobar, Lawrie, Thames and Snider.

Meanwhile, young starting pitchers are another story. They need to be put in positions to succeed on their way to the majors. For any organization, bringing a young pitcher up to the majors and having him fail and continuing to have him fail at the major-league level can set him back, perhaps forever. The Jays mix of young starting pitchers thus far in 2011 demonstrates that. They had identified a pool of 8-10 starting pitchers at spring training and have mixed and matched with them until they have proven they need more seasoning – see Brett Cecil and Kyle Drabek. The biggest surprise in that regard has been the competence of middle reliever Carlos Villanueva in a starting role.

Q-Richard,

With interleague play, I took a quick look at the AL East and who the NL opponents are and noticed a shocking disparity. As of June 16 the Rays, Yankees and Sox played NL teams with a combined won-loss of -3, -2 and -2 below .500. The Orioles play teams with a combined +15 above .500. Alarmingly the Jays play teams with a combined +36. My question is twofold. Why do the teams in say the AL East not all play the same teams in the corresponding NL division - ignoring the couple of "rivalries" with Rays-Marlins and Yankees-Mets? Without this the opportunity for a level playing field is not really possible; as this years plus minus clearly shows. Second, with 2012 negotiations underway will the interleague play be tossed to the trash heap?

Henry, Port Perry

A-The original concept of interleague was for one entire division to play another entire division and to rotate the three opposite-league divisions through every three years so that fans can see every star from the other league, plus there would be one other team designated as a natural rival. That would add up to 18 games total. However not every team has a compelling natural rival like Mets-Yankees, Cubs-White Sox, Giants-A's, Dodgers-Angels. Further to that, the concept of natural rivalries in interleague evolved into a home-and-home series eating up six of the 18 games. Add to that when your division is scheduled to play the NL Central, it's a division with six teams. Remove the six games for natural rivalries – which for the Jays this year became the Philles and Braves, not coincidentally their two World Series conquests in '92 and '93. You're left with 12 games or four series. The Central teams that the Jays drew were the Reds, Cardinals, Astros and Pirates. That's not a bad balance with two good teams and two bad, but the Yankees of course get their six games with the Mets who are having a multitude of problems both on and off the field.   

Q-Hey Richard,

I love the Yunel Escobar extension. I think he's going to continue to improve and the contract will look like a steal two years from now. That being said, what implications does this have about Adeiny Hechavarria? The Jays "future" shortstop? His BA in AA is down around .235 and his OBP is only .263. Is this guy the player the Jays envisioned him to be or is he a bust? How long until he at least gets a shot in the big leagues? Thanks,

Josh, Thornhill

A-The reason the Escobar extension works for me is the way that it's structured. We were talking about it the night before in Cincinnati with John Lott of the National Post and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.com. Coincidentally, the question arose about whether we would consider giving Escobar a long-term deal like was given to Bautista, not the same dollar amount of course. But I thought that it would be risky to guarantee five years as it is for many young players who tend to let down in the first couple of years either through being self-satisfied or by putting too much pressure on themselves. But the way the Jays did it, Escobar is playing out his two arbitration years for slightly above market value, but must perform at his best because the next two seasons, the first two of potential free agency are club options. There is no opportunity for “long-term letdown.” If he performs it will look like a steal in a year or two.

As for Adeiny Hechavarria, the Jays are already paying him a major-league salary of $10 million over four years from 2010-13. As such they will move him along and stay with him as quickly as possible. He has four options and won't have to pass through waivers until spring of '14. For me, Hechavarria's future is at second base with the Jays, at least until Escobar moves on to another club. Look at a guy like Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians, who started at second base and now is a fine starting defensive shortstop. Hechavarria surprised me at spring training with his size and strength. He does not get overpowered by pitchers but he has a long way to go offensively. He will be in the majors at least by the end of 2012.  

Q-Hi Richard,

I was curious to know why Farrell isn't DH-ing JP Arencibia on his days off? Giving him days off at the plate has more to do with the grind of catching then it does with complete rest...no? Wouldn't JP be a better option then EE as DH? JP tends to have a great game and then sits the next one out - why not let him continue his hot streaks?

 Thanks!

Jimmy, Toronto

A-I agree with the way Arencibia has been worked in. He's still a work in progress.

Catching is the most physically demanding position on the field and Arencibia has been nicked and battered, with his left hand hurting more than he lets on. His hot streaks lately are few and far between and that may have to do with the mental challenges of handling a young starting staff while at the same time grasping the concepts that catching coach Don Wakamatsu is trying to instill.

My belief is that the days off from catching are important for Arencibia. If he was to DH, that would not quite be a day off for him and besides, his bat doesn't demand that he be in the lineup every day. The other factor, of course, is that J.P. as DH, if Molina gets dinged and has to come out of a game then Arencibia goes into the lineup and the pitcher must go into Molina's spot. The Jays have shown in this interleague swing through the three NL cities that they do not perform well with the pitcher hitting. Now consider the Jays' pitcher hitting AND the opponent having the DH. Not a fair fight.   

Q-Hey Richard,

Love the mailbag. Quick question: in light of Brett Wallace's strong performance to date, should we start re-evaluating the Gose trade?

Tom, Ottawa

A-It's a little too early to re-evaluate the Gose trade. In terms of who has the higher ceiling, Gose is the one. In terms of who has done more thus far in his career, it's Wallace. Nobody expected Wallace to be a complete stiff, otherwise the Astros would not have made the deal and Wallace would not have been a first-round drat pick. But the fact is he is not a power hitter at a position where you would like power. If you believe that Adam Lind has a long-term future with the Jays at first base, then the deal is worthwhile for the Jays because of Gose's potential as a Kenny Lofton-type impact centre fielder. 

Q-Griff,

I read one of Farrell's quotes stating how he may have put too much emphasis on a small sample size when it came to Rzep facing two right-handed batters. They had both faced him less than 10 times. For me, there is no point looking at any sample less than 50 at bats. Why do managers place so much emphasis on 15 or so at bats which most likely carry zero statistical significance as any researcher would probably agree?

Scott, Toronto

A-Farrell is 48-years-old but he is a rookie nonetheless. To his credit, after the Jays lost that game, as you indicated, he admitted that he may have lent too much importance to such a small sample size. The problem is that in most cases coaches have no idea what kind of hits they are, whether it was a bad scorer's call, a bloop, a bleeder or a rocket off the wall. And in most cases with relievers you are not going to have a huge number of at-bats from which to make a decision. Sometimes one thinks that there is too much information out there. But Farrell will not repeat that mistake. 

Q-My question concerns philosophy and is not a trade suggestion.

There are rumours that the Mets might be willing to trade K-Rod and the Padres Heath Bell, both excellent closers.
 
My question is whether you think that one of these closers would be a good acquisition for the Blue Jays at this time assuming of course a trade could be made.

 I have heard some people say that a closer is the last piece to worry about. What are your thoughts?

Stan, Toronto

A-The shelf life of many closers is very short. There are exceptions, like Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith. The Jays do not need to line up their real “we're going to be a contender” closer until they are ready to spend the $120 million on payroll as they have promised and they are ready to win.

A classic example of what can be done through luck and hard work or what can surprise you is Canadian closer John Axford of the Brewers. Axford was signed as an undrafted player in August of '06 and released a year later. The hitting coach on my current Oakville A's midget team, Tyler Moe recalled playing against Axford in Intercounty ball and recalled him being lit up regularly. All of a sudden, one surgery and a few breaks later and he's taking over from Hoffman for a Brewers team that shows it wants to be a contender. For the Jays to be at least a year from contending and to go get a K-Rod or a Heath Bell would not be the most intelligent use of resources. There will be free agent closers, guys in off-season trades, plus they may stumble into an Axford.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Love the mailbag. What would I do without it? My question is about the Blue Jays catcher of the future. J.P. Arencibia is really having a nice season. It looks like he could be a .250/.300/.500 guy (AVG/OBP/SLG). Not all-star calibre but nothing to sneeze at either. In the minors the Jays have Travis D'Arnaud who is their top catching prospect. He could possibly be ready next season after the all-star break (if he has no setbacks). What do you think the Jays will do? Do they stick with J.P. Arencibia and trade D'Arnaud, or do they go back to the beginning of the learning curve with D'Arnaud and trade Arencibia? I don't believe the two can co-exist. Would love your thoughts and what you think either of them could bring the Jays in a trade.

Howard Adler, 
Toronto

A-Think Mathis and Napoli of the Angels in the last decade. They co-existed for a few years in which the Angels were a playoff team, with one being recognized more for his bat and the other for his glove. I truly believe that in the long run, D'Arnaud will be the starting catcher for the Jays, but Arencibia will be the man in 2012 and maybe into 2013. That is a great problem to have for the Jays who have not developed a starting catcher of their own, pretty much since Pat Borders. D'Arnaud impressed the Jays' coaching staff this spring because he was on a lot of road trips even as a non-roster player because they only bring one of the regular catchers for Grapefruit League games. He impressed them because through most of the early part of the games he was at he would sit right next to the manager and pitching coach, listening attentively, asking about strategy and what they were thinking. Impressive.  

Q-Kyle Drabek, do you think he is currently uncoachable? With an all-star dad and great record in the minors he seems to lack humility and his poor record in the majors is "just a little bad luck". His response to a demotion will be telling. I hope he comes around and returns. His potential is A-1.

Gord, Maple

A-His immediate reaction to being demoted was a 3-2/3 innings start at Vegas throwing 106 pitches. Not good, in fact really bad. Since then, the Jays have taken away his cut fastball because he was using it as a pacifier. He needs to command his two-seam and four-seam fastball before he throws his cutter, which he went to because he could throw it for quality strikes more than his regular fastballs. But the Jays are into high ceilings and Drabek's high ceiling is as a power pitcher not a finesse guy with five options.

Let's see. Humility? Hmm! Here's a kid who grew up in major-league clubhouses with his dad, played high school ball at a Texas powerhouse where he was not just the best pitcher but also a power-hitting shortstop, is a good looking kid with mischief in his smile, who looks like the life of every party, was drafted in the first round and traded for the best pitcher in baseball, was a Double-A pitcher of the year and came to the majors touted as a rookie of the year candidate. Humility is a four-letter word. But this adversity of being shipped out and failing will only help him gain perspective and equilibrium.

Jays mailbag: What you see is what you get with Yunel

A lot of the talk in the last week has centred around a Jays' rotation that continues to average under six innings per start, placing a huge burden on the talented relief corps.

The bullpen has by and large been great, with a favourable matchup ready for every occasion. They should know what they're doing with pitchers, with John Farrell, Bruce Walton and rookie bullpen coach Pat Hentgen pooling their knowledge.

As an aid to understanding where the next generation of Jays' starters is coming from, here through May 4 is a list of pitchers that have made starts at AAA-Las Vegas or AA-New Hampshire.

In Vegas: Brad Mills (2-2, 2.03); Scott Richmond (1-1, 7.04); Mike MacDonald (1-1, 7.13); Luis Perez (1-1, 6.89); Randy Boone (1-1, 1.00); Brett Cecil (1-1, 10.64); Willie Collazzo (0-0, 5.52); Chad Cordero (0-2, 10.66) and Jesse Litsch.

In New Hampshire: Zach Stewart (2-1, 2.64); Rei Gonzalez (3-1, 1.38); Chad Beck (3-0, 2.42); Joel Carreno (0-3, 6.56); B.J. LaMura (1-1, 1.80) and Collazzo. Highly touted No. 1 picks Deck McGuire and Chad Jenkins are both at A-Dunedin. On to the mailbag.

Q-Yunel Escobar is a great defensive shortstop. I was at the games at Yankee Stadium and he made some great throws and started a few tough double plays. However he seems to have fallen off at the plate, and I'm wondering if it's a matter of concentration. On Sunday, he made a bonehead defensive play that ended up leading to an extra run when Curtis Granderson hit a homer. Do you think Escobar can ever put together a consistent season that is indicative of his immense talent?

Jason S., San Francisco

A-Escobar was 3-for-23 on the New York and Tampa portions of the recent road trip. His ideal spot is in the 2-hole with Jose Bautista batting behind him. When he was forced to bat third in Tampa with no Bautista in the lineup, he saw different pitches because they didn't have to challenge him as much. You don't want to walk him with Bautista coming up. His hitting has been a little streaky at times with the Jays and will likely continue to be, but, physically, his excellent, sometimes flashy fielding abilities have gone under the radar since he joined the Jays.

Mentally Escobar still has lapses as he did on that play in New York where he tried to throw out the speedy Brett Gardner at third base on a tag play instead of taking the routine out at first base that would have been the second out of the inning. It would have made some sense to take that chance with nobody out. If you give him third with nobody out then you have to bring the infield in with a one-run lead. But with two out and Gardner on third they were going to play the infield at normal depth. Give it to him.

Following this Yankee play, a discombobulated Jesse Litsch drifted a fastball back over the plate and Granderson took him deep and the Jays never came back. Escobar has made fewer of those funky decisions this year than he did last. But in terms of a monster, breakout season, at 28-years-old it might be that what you see is what you get and that's not really a bad thing to have on your side.  

Q-Hey Richard,

Heard you on TSN Radio the other day and you were talking about how the Jays need someone to step up in the rotation to have that Halladay-like presence in which you know you will get a win every 5th day. Do you think that when the Jays are ready to compete they will find someone from outside the organization to fill that role? i.e. a Jack Morris or Dave Stewart type move? Or will one of these five guys right now develop into that role (or someone of the farm)?

Thanks for the insight!

Matt S., North Bay 

A-The conversation wasn't so much specifically about a win every fifth day as it was a guy that could be counted on for 7-9 innings every fifth day to help schedule your bullpen some rest. We had that same discussion with John Farrell in the dugout in Tampa on Thursday. Until the Jays have someone right here, right now, step up as that workhorse guy, the Jays' bullpen will seem perpetually overworked. No major league bullpen should need eight relievers. Even seven in the pen should be more than enough to get you through a busy stretch with no off days. Farrell pinpointed Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow as the two guys on this current staff that could become that Doc guy – but they haven't yet.

You make a good point though. If the Jays want to compete in 2012, the year of the second wild-card, I could see them reaching out short-term for a veteran free agent for one plus an option or two years, a guy with a track record and one good final bolt of lightning in him. By the time that guy has served his purpose, someone in this generation of Jays' starters – my guess is Morrow – should have stepped up. 

Q-Hi Richard,

I am a long time reader of your mailbag. Over the past couple of years I have felt like player moves and lineup changes seemed to be obvious far before they were ever made. This year I am starting to think that the opposite is true. What are your thoughts on the numerous pitching moves and the Snider situation?

Matt M., St. Catharines

A-I think a lot of times in the past Jays moves have seemed obvious because they have been rumoured beforehand from various U.S. media sources. The difference this year is that Jays moves seem to come out of the blue because the entire organization has a closed-mouth policy. Anthopoulos has made himself the only spokesman for the club in terms of personnel moves and he knows within his own organization who knows what he knows. So if there is a leak, he knows the likely sources.

As for the moves themselves, the Jays this year are high on maintaining inventory. If the choice has been between a player with options and a player without, they have gone with the decision that will keep all players in the organization. Even when they designated David Purcey for assignment after his Seattle meltdown, AA made sure he got a player back for him in former Jays' minor league reliever Danny Farquhar. I asked AA during the winter if he had an ideal roster in mind with three months to go until opening day. He said he did not and instead if there was a move that would make his club better that he would make it. That helps explain the off-season ratcheting up of his closer situation from Octavio Dotel to Jon Rauch to Frankie Francisco. With Jason Frasor, Shawn Camp and Marc Rzepczynski, Dotel's role is diminished, but he can still pitch at this level, so that's not a bad thing.

Travis Snider I believe was the victim of options and service time. He was struggling at the time so it made the decision to send him down easy, but honestly, who would you rather have in your lineup, Snider or Juan Rivera? Snider is still dangerous in hitter's counts and has been in a bad streak of guessing wrong when major-league pitchers gets ahead. He's not going to improve in that aspect by going to the minors and facing pitchers that have no idea how to approach him unarmed as they are from extensive scouting reports. The only way at this point to get rid of Rivera is to designate him or release him, but as a player he has at least some value for Anthopoulos in a year they are not planning on winning – although not the $5.25 million value his contract would suggest. I would not be surprised if since spring training, AA has been looking for some value for Rivera.

But Snider had an option and with 1 year and 126 days of service time would likely have been a Super-2 arbitration eligible player. That's the top 17-percent of players with two plus years. If the Jays keep him in the minors over a month, he would likely lose that status and be under club control in the off-season of 2011-12. This Jays front office has all of the numbers and angles ahead of anyone.            

Q-Hey Griff,

As a continued connoisseur of the A.A. Kool-aid, I continue to marvel at the brilliance of parlaying V.W. at $86 million for 4 years into Bautista at $65 million for 5 years. Now leading every important offensive category in the AL outside of RBI, is Bautista's April the greatest April offensive performance in team history?

Benjamin C., Toronto

A-Bautista's April could have been greater except for the opposing pitchers pitching around him with a plethora of semi-intentional walks. There have been some great Jays Aprils in the past that rival Jose's. In April 1992, Hall-of-Famer Roberto Alomar hit .382 with three homers, 19 RBIs and eight steals. In April 1993, John Olerud hit .450 with three homers, 18 RBIs and 36 hits. In April 1994, Joe Carter hit .312 with nine homers and 31 RBIs. Bautista's month ranks right up there. 

The key for Anthopoulos is that he pays attention to every detail of every conversation he has and is constantly trying to organize three-ways so that most times before he picks up the phone, he knows what the other GM is looking for. When the Angels failed to sign Carl Crawford and failed to land Adrian Beltre, he knew that they were still looking for a middle of the order bat and that they had money to spend. It's also how he got Anthony Gose when finally the Phillies let him go to the Astros in the Roy Oswalt deal. He picked up the phone and offered Brett Wallace. Done.

Q-So I just read your mailbag reply to the question of demoting Travis Snider - about how it would make no sense at all. Now that he actually has been sent down, what do you think AA is thinking, and what this means for Snider's future in the Jays organization?

Thanks,

Scott P., Burlington

A-That question is answered above and I believe if the Jays were able to carry two more bench players instead of a full roster of bullpen pitchers, they could have worked with Snider at the major-league level with Dwayne Murphy fixing any flaws. But they can't afford that so they cleared him off the deck for a short period of time. I believe he still has a bright future with the Jays, especially if they don’t have to go to arbitration with him until after the 2012 season.

Q-Hi Richard,

The one thing that really sets me off is when I see overweight baseball players and they are referred to as an "athlete". I was watching Jesse Litsch pitch against the Rangers the other night, and I was quite alarmed by his girth compared to what I remember him from the past. I know that there have been (and there still are) highly successful overweight players (David Wells, CC Sabathia, Babe Ruth, both father and son Fielders, etc.), but in this day and age of athletic conditioning, it seems moronic that teams do not implement a system where players are forced to come into camp in peak physical condition such as in basketball and hockey (and to a certain extent football). If say Jesse Litsch and Jo-Jo Reyes were in better physical condition, would this not help their performance that much more, especially from a stamina perspective as they're pitching late into games? Do the Jays not enforce conditioning upon its athletes?

Thanks.

Zaki A., Milton

A-I for one am relieved to see the return of everyman bodies to the major-league scene. It means steroids are in hasty retreat. Certainly guys that are carrying a little extra weight could not play in the NHL (where by the way they don't have mandatory testing for PED) but in basketball, you can play eight minutes a game carrying extra poundage. What about Oliver Miller? For pitchers it's more about cardiovascular fitness and with some guys like Litsch and Boomer Wells, Rick Reuschel, Fred Gladding and many others, as long as their legs and heart can support the weight, teams are fine with it. You want an example of a guy that became trim and muscular and lost his sport's mojo, how about David Duval on the PGA Tour. Ranked No. 1 in the world as a chubby golfer, he went to the fitness trailer and the gym and came away an Adonis, but one with a five handicap. 

Q-Hi Richard,

Thanks for keeping us informed, love the mailbag. My first question has to do with the seemingly stubborn decision to keep Jo-Jo Reyes in the rotation. I know it’s only the end of April, but how long will they stick with him? There are clearly better options available (Brad Mills, Zach Stewart, Scott Richmond) and the Jays have been talking about the need for a second lefty in the pen. If they want to keep their 'assets' so bad, why not put him there? Second, EE has become close to unbearable at third. Why have the Jays flip-flopped so many times so far on what to do with him? He has cost them more than one game with his glove. That to me is not fielding your 'best team' as they promised.

Isaac O., Thornhill 

A-Reyes is the classic example of a guy forever teetering on the brink of losing a roster spot. If he had arrived at spring training with a minor-league option remaining, he would be pitching in AAA-Las Vegas right now. But they wanted to keep his arm in the organization and felt he would not clear waivers from 29 other teams. Then Morrow was disabled at the end of camp and the decision was easy. Each major league start is an audition for Reyes and he has tantalizingly jumped back and forth between bad starts and good starts. Every time he has a start that has him with one foot out the door, he comes back with an encouraging outing. If Jo-Jo knew what was coming next he'd be psychic.

As for the second lefty in the pen, that's what I would do as soon as one of the young guys down on the farm is ready to contribute. Rzepczynski is going to be worn out by August unless they get another lefty out there to help him and the obvious choice is Reyes.  

Q-With the Jays' pitching woes and Cincinnati Red's pitcher Homer Bailey out of options in a competitive rotation, do you see A.A making a move for a former promising prospect a la Brandon Morrow?

David W., Toronto

A-You throw the term “pitching woes” around pretty loosely. Bailey has a lot in common with the assortment of pitchers the Jays are currently going with and nurturing on the farm. Bailey is 25-years-old, a former first round draft pick, has had an up-and-down minor-league career and is coming off of recent shoulder woes that put him on the DL. He made a successful six inning start for the Reds on Wednesday and is in the rotation of the defending NL Central champs. I think the closer you pay attention to any one team, the more critical you are of what you've got. Morrow was a case of a player being used in the wrong role and needing a fresh start. He made adjustments and is on the rise. The M's eventually ended up with a closer in Brandon League. Besides, A.A. likes guys with options. 

Jays mailbag: How about sending the Triple-A 51s to Montreal instead?

Note to Paul Beeston regarding the staging of a Jays' exhibition game in Montreal. Keep that bone in your pocket Mr. Beeston, right next to your Cubans.

Montrealers don't need your charity if all it involves is playing a one or two-game exhibition series at the Big O coming out of spring training. That's a no-win situation for that city's knowledgeable ball fans.

Montreal deserves professional baseball but it has to be more substantial than that. Those striving-to-impress exhibition games in any sport are horrible for a city, especially one trying to re-assert itself as a baseball town. Think of the Bills in Toronto. People were using that opportunity as an indicator of the city's NFL interest. But the whole Bills experiment has been counter-productive with the NFL.

As for Montreal and pro baseball again, Jays' no-name pitchers in games with minor-league players as the real major-leaguers rest up for opening day. No, keep it. Montreal is already a baseball town. The Montreal Royals played in that city from 1897-1917 and from 1928-1960. Then the Expos came on board as Canada's first major-league team and played with pride from 1969-2004.

As an ex-Montrealer, we don't need your table scraps.  

Hey, instead, how about the Jays working with established corporate money in Montreal and coordinating an ownership group to bring Jays' Triple-A baseball back to Montreal as a top farm club in a new 12,000 seat stadium built somewhere near the downtown core.

Now that would be a worthwhile project.

The Jays will be trying to get out of Las Vegas after 2012 and GM Alex Anthopoulos ( a native Montrealer) while still an assistant GM three years ago talked about the hypocrisy of major-league baseball taking all its affiliate minor-league teams out of Canada and how that should change.

A man of his word, A.A. as GM has already put a short-season A team in Vancouver.

Forget the exhibition concept for Montreal. Olympic Stadium was not a good playing surface at the best of times, bordering on the dangerous. Any potential baseball configuration of that stadium has already been put in the rear-view mirror by the Quebec government with the letters reading “Warning. Objections may be closer than they appear.”

What Montreal needs is a new 12,000 seat minor-league ballpark funded privately with the potential to be expanded to 40,000, built in the style of that ballpark in Buffalo you drive by on the way to a Sabres game. Yes, that would be the first step to re-establishing Montreal as a baseball town after the Expos were purposely sabotaged by major-leaguer baseball with the complicity of the Jays who wanted Canada for themselves. They took franchises out of Milwaukee, Seattle and Kansas City and they all have franchises again. Why not Montreal, but first they need success at Triple-A.        

Q. Griff - What a start! I have a humdinger of a question for you which concerns Juan Rivera. It is clear that he has become the odd man in the lineup and his demotion from the field is proof of this. Would they consider simply releasing him or sending him to the minors via waivers? The roster spot could be used by any number of guys knocking on the door (if not Lawrie, then perhaps Thames). At this point, who is going to take him - even if we eat his salary? My feeling is that it is time to cut our losses and accept an addition by subtraction situation. Help me out with this one.

Mauro Cavazzon, Markham

A. The moment of truth for Juan Rivera and his future with the Jays will come maybe as early as when Corey Patterson is ready to return from what looked very much like a concussion when hit in the head by Daniel Bard.

However in the meantime there always remains the likelihood that another injury will affect the roster makeup and postpone his departure, something like maybe Wednesday's knee to the head of Yunel Escobar.

At the end of the spring, there was room for both Rivera and Patterson when Jose Bautista was a third baseman but now that the MLB home run king is back in right, they don't need five outfielders. As for teams willing to take Rivera, if the Jays would be willing to pay the lion's share of his $5.25 million in a trade, which they would, there are teams out there that would easily take him as a fourth outfielder.

He's not an awful player, he just stands out as a bad fit on this Jays' team moving forward. They would have to designate him for assignment before they released him, if it came down to that, and there is very little likelihood, since the contract is guaranteed anyway, that Rivera would accept assignment to AAA-Las Vegas.

Besides, the outfield in Vegas of Eric Thames, Adam Loewen and Darin Mastroianni needs to play every day. At some point in the not too distant future, Rivera will no longer be a Jay and the salary the club is forced to eat won't be a factor. It balances nicely against the $23 million they saved when Vernon Wells took his services to the Angels.

Q. Hi Richard, I'm just wondering what the Jays' thinking is behind assigning Zack Stewart to New Hampshire instead of Vegas.
They can't be that apprehensive of sending young prospects to the desert can they? There's also the weather
 factor, cold start early in the year versus warm climate.
 Now, far be it for me to make these judgements but I just can't come up with a logical reason that Stewart (and
 Jon Diaz for that matter) are back at AA to start the year.
 Also, why hasn't Brett Lawrie been assigned to any team yet? 
Maybe you can shed some light.

A. The Vegas schedule starts on the road on Thursday and they open by playing four in Fresno and four more in Sacramento before the home opener on April 15. The brightest-light prospects of the Jays' organization's advanced minor league starting pitchers include Stewart (at AA),  Henderson Alvarez (DL), Chad Jenkins and Deck McGuire, all at A-Dunedin. None of the fab four is pitching in the bright lights of Vegas. On purpose? Well, yeah. Guys like Brad Mills, Robert Ray, Luis Perez, Mike MacDonald and Scott Richmond are starters in Vegas. Clearly, the Jays do not want their prime young pitching prospects in Sin City. Kyle Drabek spent the entire season in 2010 at New Hampshire and went right to the majors. It's not an impediment. Double-A is the most important level. The Jays are looking forward to the day they can replace the poor playing conditions of Vegas with another Triple-A city closer to Toronto – like maybe Ottawa. As for Lawrie, the studly native of Langley, B.C. Is indeed opening the season with the 51s at third base. Maybe not for long. 

Q. Hi Richard. I read your blog every week and each one of your columns. I'm 31, and I've been a long-time Jays fan, and I'm really excited about this team, and about the work of AA. So I was a bit dismayed to read your characterization of the "mostly younger crowd in the upper deck, the MTV reality, life in the raw generation, to whom drinking in excess, bad language and physical confrontation mean only one thing — Jersey Shore."

While 31 is not all that young, I would still consider myself a 'younger' fan. And I just wanted to make clear that many of us 'younger crowd' considered the behaviour exhibited at Friday's home opener to be disgraceful and ridiculous. I come to watch the games, not to watch drunken idiots punch each other in the stands. I'm not sure when the Jays home opener became the gong show that it now is, but I really wish the Rogers Centre would take a much stronger stance in responding.

From my seat (Section 532, Row 6), I witnessed no less than 4 incidents. Each one was allowed to continue for quite some time before a response, which was usually one lone usher trying to deal with 25-30 drunk and rowdy individuals chanting in his/her face. This is no way to manage a crowd. If the Jays truly cared about the fan experience, they would have a much larger (in numbers) and more effective (in response time) security staff for Opening Night.

While the energy of a full Rogers Centre is great and a fabulous home-field advantage, there is a big difference between being amped up for your team to win (which I really enjoy being a part of), and attending an event where you pay no attention to what is happening on the field because you are too busy hurling insults at the equally-intoxicated idiots around you in anticipation of sparking a fight.

So please don't lump us all into the same category. There are many young fans out there who AREN'T part of the "Jersey Shore generation".

Julie G.

A. I received quite a few e-mails with variations on that theme. President Paul Beeston apologized on Sunday for some of the opening night hooliganism, pointing out that the Jays had extra security on hand realizing it was a Friday night and that thousands might have had an afternoon head start towards their own personal brain-numbing oblivion.

It just seems to me that back in the day there existed more “happy” drunks as opposed to these days when alcohol seems to make more younger people angrier and more combative. From what you and others are saying that supposed extra security was really nowhere to be seen when push came to shove. The majority of fans were all good, full of energy and passion for the exciting opener that was unfolding on the field. All it takes is about 300 fighting fools to make it a bad experience for 47,000 that were there to celebrate the opening of another baseball season.

Q. I read and enjoy many of your articles that you publish in the Star. I have a topic that I would like to cover among Blue Jay fans and team management and maybe you could lead the way on this topic; Blue Jays Logo. I was at the game yesterday with some friends and we were comparing the current logo with the original logo.

The current logo does not look appealing at all and for a sports team to build its brand and foundation a team must keep certain aspects of its organization the same, for example its logo. Teams like the Leafs, Yankees, Red Sox have had the same logo for many decades.

Many teams in professional sports keep the same logo where it eventually becomes a brand and is recognized globally. The Jays had its best years with its original logo and I think, as many other do, that the Blue Jays should bring back their original logo.

Thanks, Jiries N.

A. It's a nice thought, not uncommon among old-school baseball fans, but the Jays won't ever go back to the old logo for exactly the same reason they jettisoned the powder blue unis that they had favoured on Flashback Fridays the past few years.

The feeling at Rogers is the future is now. While Paul Godfrey as ex-club president in the early '00s tried unsuccessfully to boost the team's flagging fortunes by putting all his eggs in the basket of nostalgia, constantly honouring and celebrating the championship Jays of Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick from the '80s and '90s while downplaying the current teams much to that team's annoyance, new/old president Paul Beeston now back for a second tour, wants none of that sappy “the way we were” stuff.

Beeston would rather have fans look to the future as envisioned by his new GM Alex Anthopoulos which means, necessarily, having a new logo, new colours and a ban on Kelly Gruber sightings waving to fans from atop the dugout.

The other thing to consider about the ever-changing Jays' logo is that since the great strike of '94, Jays' swag in all of its incarnations, has been one of the lowest selling properties in baseball. They keep trying to come up with an idea that will change that trend and make the Jays logo a best seller again. Note to Jays. The idea is called winning. It's why the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cardinals never feel the need to experiment.       

Q. A few years ago folks watching Jays home games on TV were shown via a roof cam whether or not a pitch was over the plate. Obviously this was not shown in the stadium. This feature has disappeared and I would like to have it back. Can you tell me why and ask if this service could be restored?

Lloyd Sayer, Amherstburg, Ont.

A. I could never understand, still can't understand why baseball is the only major sport that sets its officials up to fail. I don't agree with umpires often, but I'm with them on this one.

The high home overhead cameras to which you refer would always show if a pitch was slightly off the plate or caught the edges, but could not show high or low. If you want to know whether a pitch is a strike, pay attention to the man in street clothes standing directly behind the catcher.

Tip No. 1: If his right hand shoots up in the air and he bellows or grunts, then that is a strike. That's the final word, folks. But in the baseball playoffs, especially, you will see live on-screen, an omni-present strike box. As a pitch is delivered TV will show everyone at home where the pitch crosses the plate.

The MLB umpires are then in a can't win situation. If the pitch is shown as in the zone and the umpire calls it a strike, hey, it's supposed to be a strike, but if it is slightly off the square and a strike is called, woe to the umps.

Fans at home will throw their hands in the air and question the competency of the game officials. And, trust me, that happens a lot. To their dis-credit, baseball allows the judgment of its arbiters to be placed in doubt on every pitch.

Why would major-league baseball continue to allow this? Super slo-mo replays provide enough second-guessing. We don't need the high overhead shots to further second-guess and distract from the game because there is no depth perception and the angle of camera positions can be deceiving.    

Q. Hi Richard. Love the mailbag. I've noticed the new "pitchers bench" that was added to the Jays dugout and it had me wondering why they don't have more comfortable seats in baseball like they do in professional soccer? Those wood-looking community benches don't look very comfortable and the new pitchers bench has no back support. This probably isn't good when watching a four-hour baseball game. Soccer has individual comfy seats that are locked together with what looks like great lumbar support, not to mention they're pretty snazzy looking. Thanks for your thoughts.

Cameron Runte, Vancouver

A. The new backless wooden benches bolted to the floor, one at each end of the Rogers Centre dugouts about four human major-league butts wide, were installed along with the new protective nettings that have been placed as a safety measure at the top step on each side the length of the dugouts.

Prior to this, the Rogers Centre dugouts were prone to line drive foul balls being ripped in and scattering players, those that were even paying attention. It was a solid safety addition, but necessarily changed the sightlines for those sitting on the regular benches at the back of the dugout.

Now, with the new benches and the ability to drape your arms over the padded barrier and watch the game, there are fewer players left on the regular back benches as the game goes on. I do not believe that the comfort of the players, as per pro soccer, was of concern to anyone. Face it. The cameras never linger on the benches in soccer because it's not important. In baseball, within Jays' games, there's nothing that would piss off TV viewers more than having the home team down by four runs in the eighth inning and the cameras pan to the dugout to show players lounging back in padded seats with their lumbars all comfy, cozy.      

Q. Hi Richard. Your blog on baseball and first loves got me reminiscing. My first love actually taught me how to score a baseball game. She had a part-time job scoring for a men's recreational softball league. Since we were quite young it gave us a legitimate reason to spend time together. My question is that scoring is a lost art. Could you suggest to the Jays that they hand out scoring sheets to the crowd as a means to get more involvement and increase the knowledge level. As for the other scoring as I recall I was being waved home but missed the sign. Thanks.

Bo Buczko, Toronto

A. Scoring with ones girlfriend for four hours is indeed a lost art. I hate to always bring it back to what the Expos did -- I know fans get annoyed sometimes at all the back-in-the-day references -- but I agree with you about the Jays needing to find a way to make scorecards available to more fans.

What the Expos did at Olympic Stadium was, that with every game program sold, they included a four page scorecard insert with both teams’ rosters and a basic printed primer on the art of scoring.

The cardboard scorecard was loose but was included with the official $5 magazine. You could also buy just the scorecard itself for 50 cents, which was the key difference. It changed each series with updated rosters. That way if you were going to attend all three games of a series you didn't need to fork out the money for a new magazine every night just to score the games. If the Jays ever did have a scorecard available for even a dollar, more fans of all ages would learn to score and enjoy and understand baseball better. Being able to re-create a baseball game years later via the scorecard is a huge part of the sport's charm. 

Jays mailbag: Lawrie shows he's close, very close

The Jays have had a relatively injury free spring thus far and that has as much to do with youth as it does anything else.

John Farrell on Wednesday insisted that he feels he has a solid offensive nucleus at every position and that allows flexibility, meaning that he could afford to carry one or two light-hitting or slumping bats in the lineup.

That being said, there is thankfully room for the classy John McDonald on occasion filling in around the infield, or room for a struggling J.P. Arencibia out of the chute even combined with the ever-light hitting Jose Molina.

They can afford to be patient with one or two slumps.

An interesting exercise, though, is to go around the diamond offensively and ask the question: Who would the Jays miss the most if he was injured or disabled for a significant period of time.

At catcher, Molina could take over from Arencibia and they would eventually find a way to promote Travis D'Arnaud, depending on how far into the season it was.

If Lind went down at first base, Edwin Encarnacion could handle it.

If Jose Bautista was injured it would speed the promotion of Brett Lawrie.

If any of the outfielders or the DH went down, that means Scott Podsednik or Corey Patterson could step up, or else they would do the Bautista/Lawrie position/promotion shuffle again.

But right now, the toughest Jays to replace for any significant length of time are the two guys up the middle in Yunel Escobar and Aaron Hill. Johnny Mac could fill in but eventually they would need to find an option that can provide more offence and still play major-league D. There is talent in the minors at the middle infield positions, but is it ready for prime time?

On to the mailbag.

Q. Hey Richard! I am really enjoying being able to read the boxscores again!! Spring is in the air!

I read a piece today that Kevin Slowey might be on the trade block in Minnesota. I also seemed to remember that they had been kicking tires on Jason Frasor last year. Any chance of the Jays going after another young (26), controllable (2 more years of arbitration) starting pitcher?

Also, have you heard any rumblings on a possible deal for a third baseman, or a new home for Juan Rivera?? Enjoy the Florida sun!

Jon Empringham, Woodstock

A. As for the case for acquiring Slowey, see the blog item I posted on Wednesday evening.

Sure the Jays have an overabundance of bullpen guys, but remember that the Twins did not value Jon Rauch enough to re-sign him during the winter, so now would he be among the type of guys that they want to give up their sixth starter for.

The 26-year-old Slowey is a guy with major-league credentials, but in the long term is he even a better fit with the Jays than some of the guys fighting for the fourth and fifth starter's spots right now?

As I say in the earlier blog posting, it would make some sense for the Jays if it was setting up another move for GM Alex Anthopoulos involving another current starting pitcher.There are no fresh rumblings about a trade for a third baseman.

I believe that the coaching staff is really high on Brett Lawrie's future and the future is near. I believe that Juan Rivera is merely keeping the right field seat warm for the day in mid-season when Lawrie is promoted to play third base and Jose Bautista is shifted back to right. That is the alignment that Jays' fans want to see sooner rather than later. That is the alignment that will be part of the contending Jays in a year, moving forward.

Forget about trading for a third baseman. The future of the position is already here.

Lawrie has been impressive this spring, making plays that nobody thought he was prepared to make, yet.

Q. Hi Richard. So one of the guys that seems to be getting a lot of play and doing well with the Jays this spring training is Eric Thames. What do you think his chances are of filling the hole at first base at some point this season?

Jon Weier, Toronto

A. Eric Thames has opened eyes this spring and is etting a lot of playing time. The northern California native had a great year at AA-New Hampshire in 2010 and then worked on his own with an unusual batting coach, YouTube, over the off-season, checking out videos of Jose Bautista and J.P. Arencibia among others watching for an improved timing, getting prepared earlier, the key to J-Bau's tremendous power surge.

He is not the fastest runner, the most powerful hitter, hit for the highest average, the best defender or have the best arm, but he does everything well enough to play in the majors at some point.

I don't see him as a first baseman, but he will make it as an outfielder at some point. Nice kid too.

Q. How patient are the Jays going to be in regards to Hill's poor hitting average?? One month? Two months? Or the entire season?

Brian Saville, Peterborough

A. The key with Hill will be whether the Jays decide to pick up his options for 2012-14, which they have to decide by Opening Day.

If they wait until the season starts, then they must decide by the start of next year's free agent deadline whether they want to pick up 2012-13 options. If not he becomes a free agent after 2011.

My personal belief is that the Jays will let this year's deadline pass and then they will watch Hill as if it is a free agent year for him. The pressure, albeit a positive pressure, will be on the player and therefore, I believe they need to stick with Hill as a starter all year, no matter the struggles, and see what they have moving forward.

If they benched him in a season in which they are trying to find things out, that would be counter-productive.

Many players take a deep breath and play their best when they know they are playing for the next contract. Basically that is where Hill would find himself if the Jays decided not to pick up all three years of the option by April 1.If he plays well, they can lock up the reasonable option years through 2013 and play it by ear after that.

Q. How has David Purcey looked? Everyone seems ready to annoint him as the Scott Downs replacement, but Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco fare pretty well against left-handed batters too. Is Purcey going to be consistent enough to be counted on over the course of a season?

Jason Sinnarajah, San Francisco

A. People should remember that at 29, which is the age Purcey will be pitching at this year, not even Scott Downs had become the replacement for Scott Downs. It wasn't until he was 31 that Downs became the reliable lefty specialist and part-time closer that he became.

Purcey in his last appearance walked all three batters that he faced, but that is the battle that he always has. He needs to be more consistent so that in game situations the manager can rely on him to come in and throw strikes.

Manager John Farrell addressed the Purcey question on Wednesday: “It comes down to consistency. You can look back to a number of different relievers. If they become an everyday reliever or more established reliever it can happen at all stages. Some come later. Some come earlier. We're not near the spot where we're going to turn the page and give up on him. We just have to get him in a position to deliver more consistent strikes.”

Regarding having a second lefty Farrell said: “It would be helpful, particularly when you look at our division. To go in without some depth left-handed is a little bit of a naked feeling. That doesn't mean we're going to take left-handers just for the sake of taking left-handers. We'll take the best pitchers, but with some balance we're probably a better team.”

As for righties that get lefties out, Francisco is one but he's going to close. Carlos Villanueva and Shawn Camp are pretty good, also. As for a second lefty, maybe Marc Rzepczynski or Jo-Jo Reyes. The other plethora of lefty guys have been pitching themselves out of the picture as time goes by.

Q. I wish that MLB would go to the DH everywhere, as pitchers never hitting in the minors makes them extra useless in MLB.

Drop The Gloves, via Twitter

A. I believe that as long as Bud Selig is the commissioner that the DH will never be a part of NL play. But of course he's leaving office as early as next year. The next guy in that office may consider it but not before the next Basic Agreement is negotiated, not the one that expires in 2011.

I used to be a NL supporter of no DH all the way, but after being in the AL covering the Jays and the World Series for 17 years now, I have turned around and believe one set of rules is the only answer and since the union will never allow the DH to be banished (they are usually high-priced veteran guys that help set the salary bar at a higher level) then I am all for the DH everywhere.

Most pitchers are athletes, but the fact that from high school through the minors has the DH makes it silly to make them hit in the majors.

Q. Hi Richard. When anyone brings up the benefits of the Blue Jays being in the AL Central you always point out that the Blue Jays would lose out on revenue by reducing the number of home games against the Yankees and Red Sox.

While this is true, I feel that the reason for the terrible attendance at Rogers Centre is not only the lack of playoffs since 1993 but also the lack of meaningful games in August or September since that time. It appears that fans have simply lost hope with the Blue Jays and it is hard to argue against that.

If the Jays were in the Central I find it difficult to believe that they would not have made the playoffs at least a few times in the last two decades.

Every year games would actually mean something as it would not be a foregone conclusion that they would miss the playoffs. Give the fans hope and I would think that instead of having crowds of 11,000 against less desirable teams the crowds would probably at least be in the 20,000 or above range thereby more than offsetting the effect of having the Yanks and Red Sox here 6 less times per year. Do you agree that Jays fans have lost hope (remember it has been two decades)?

Greg Huzel, Winnipeg

A. Jays fans have not lost hope. Hope is just hiding out in the witness protection program.

Fans were brainwashed under the J.P. Ricciardi/Paul Godfrey regime into blaming the Red Sox and Yankees and their huge payrolls for the competition woes that the Jays have had.

In the meantime, other medium payroll teams have gone on and advanced to the World Series from the American League.

The new regime of Alex Anthopoulos/Paul Beeston believes that if you've got to beat these guys anyway to get to the Series, why not play in the same division and just outwork, outscout asnd outsmart them. It can be done. The problem with believing that being in contention in August will increase attendance significantly is that historically it's never happened before.

The Jays need to reach the playoffs and then they will be able to sell tickets in that next offseason and have 1.6 million sold by Opening Day. You can never rely on the walkup crowd to make your attendance; it's the pre-sales, season and groups, areas that the Jays have struggled with since the '94 strike.

Q. Richard, A comment and a question. I spent a week at spring training this year and I'm sold. I want to do it every year.

I recommend checking out the Jays (meagre) practice facility. Fans can really get up close and interact with the players. In fact I snuck into their gym and got the clubbies to give me some free Jays paraphenalia. But that's a long story. Great trip all around.

Do you see the Jays giving Lawrie the third baseman gig? He's done nothing but impress thus far at camp, and he looks like the hardest working guy on the roster.

Peter Maslow, Hamilton

A. Hey, I have never been able to sneak into the gym. I am jealous.

As for Lawrie, I have a feeling there is a significant voice in the coaches room and front office that would love to see him in the majors sooner rather than later.

He is a pure athlete and so the transition to third base has seemed effortless. He makes that quick feed to second base as well as anyone I 've seen in a while and has good baseball instincts. He works hard and prepares hard.

So what if one time somebody duct taped huge vats of liquor to his hand. Who hasn't had that happen? My thinking is that will let him get his feet under him at AAA-Las Vegas and then bring him up and move Jose Bautista back to right.

Q. Dear Richard: My family will be vacationing in southern New Hampshire and Boston in August. We have already purchased Fisher Cats and Red Sox tickets. Do you know of any restaurants or other attractions in and around both Manchester, N.H., and Boston, Mass., that we should experience?

Paul Raphael, Mississauga

A. The best idea is to log onto a website like www.HelloManchester.com and see what strikes your fancy. Eric Thames spent last summer there and described it as “like Boston in the woods”. Thames said everything is “wicked this and wicked that with a lot of Sam Adams beer.” As for Boston, the Paul Revere Trail and Harvard University are can't miss. The original Cheers bar is disappointing. Fenway Park and the surrounding neighbourhood with its famed restauraunts and bars are wicked.

Jays mailbag: Inside the Michael Young trade demand

One of the wonderfully unique aspects of major-league spring training is to wander around the camps of the long-established iconic franchises and see the old-time superstars of the game in uniform, wanting to help out, wanting to stay connected, always eager to stop and chat baseball. For many former greats, baseball is for life.

Such was the case at Tigers camp in Lakeland on Tuesday, standing out near the home clubhouse in the right field corner watching the rain pelt down and having Hall-of-Fame outfielder Al Kaline push through the door and wander by a group of Toronto scribes, in full uniform.

I shook his hand and asked Kaline his thoughts about the late Duke Snider. It should be noted that Snider and Kaline shared the stage in 1980, when both were greeted to Cooperstown and baseball immortality.   

“Duke was a great gentleman,” Kaline said. “When you go into the Hall at the same time, you sort of get a bond between the two of us. We got to be pretty close and for the couple of years he came back (to Cooperstown) it was always great seeing him. He was a super guy, just a great man.”

“The ability to treat people with respect is just the way I've always seen him. He was perceived as a real friendly guy and he appreciated the fact that he was able to play baseball. In New York, in the heyday of baseball (with three teams) it was Mickey, Willie and The Duke. It was a great song and it was tremendous for him to be compared to those two great players.”

There is no doubt that 1980 was a great year for the Hall-of-Fame.

On to the mailbag.

Q. This is not about the Blue Jays but rather your article on Duke Snider...a man who along with Gordie Howe, was my childhood hero. Here's a little story that tells all about the Duke. When my son was 10 years old, I planned to take he and his pals to an Expos game. On a whim, I checked the Montreal telephone directory and lo and behold, there's Duke Snider's name and number. (Now tell me, how many celebrities list their contact information in the phone book? Most are hiding their identity.) Anyway, Duke agreed to meet me, my son and his pals before the game, he spoke with the kids, signed their baseball gloves and overall, was just a great guy (not to mention giving me a thrill). A real gentleman and a great player.
Paul Newman, Oakville

A. I have thought further about Duke Snider, the person, and what likely made him so revered and respected. He is not unique in what he did in social situations, but is still special as a sports icon. I'm a keen observer of life and there are a lot of celebrities who treat people well in one-on-one conversation by self-effacingly, with doses of false humility, taking a step down, trying to convince their audience that, hey we're all the same, we all put pants on one leg at a time. That's good but when the moment is over, they know it's not true.

There are other celebrities like Duke Snider who was comfortable with his status in life as a sports hero and didn't try to hide it. He tried to share it. For the short time they are together, athletes like Duke elevate their new friend du jour to their own level and make them feel for a shining moment that they also are very special, more important than when they entered the room. Duke never apologized for celebrity and was always willing to share it generously. 

Q. Richard. Your story on the 'Duke' was superb, I listened for years to Dave & Duke on CFCF in Montreal and he was a great announcer and 'colour commentator'. It is truly a shame that he won’t make the Hall of Fame with Dave Van Horne. As an old Dodgers fan, the Duke must be close to the last of the Brooklyn players left. It’s always sad to say goodbye to those players who meant so much to us when we were growing up.
David Delcloo, 
Kingston

A. What's amazing to me is that the list of Expos' TV analysts before Duke Snider included Don Drysdale, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. That's a pretty impressive list. As far as the remaining living Dodgers from the final Brooklyn team in 1957 before they moved to Los Angeles, that list includes a higher total than you might imagine: Charlie Neal, Gino Cimoli, Don Zimmer, Randy Jackson, Joe Pignatano, Jim Gentile, Rod Miller, Don Newcombe, Denny McDevitt, Roger Craig, Sandy Koufax, Ed Roebuck, Carl Erskine, Ken Lehman, Bill Harris and Fred Kipp. As for Dodger fans, they are seemingly immortal.

Q. Hi Richard. Can you tell me why draft picks are never traded in baseball?
Thanks.
J. Fleming, Huntsville

A. I admire major-league baseball for not allowing the trading of draft picks. It would allow bad general managers to compensate for incompetence in scouting by trading their long-term choices for instant gratification thus burying their franchise in perpetuity.

Shrewd GMs could all of a sudden trade minor-league excess depth for future draft choices, while bad GMs could cover up incompetence with temporary Band-aid solutions.

In fact, the current system of free agency Types A & B is almost like trading picks. It's a system that allows teams compensation picks for lost free agents, helping teams that are losing players either obtain extra picks for their departing player or else have a floor of talent from which to operate in terms of trade demands.

For example at the July 31 trade deadline if you are looking to trade a Type A free agent for a half season, you know you must give up at least the equivalent of a late-first-round pick and a second round talent from your system. It won't change soon.

Q. Almost 20 years now since we had baseball in October. I would like to know who to blame for that. Was it Paul Beeston and Pat Gillick who, hot with recent success, lobbied for inclusion with the two-headed monster of the East or did that decision come out of the league? Flip the Jays and the Indians and Toronto gets a history of playoff races and good rivalries with Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota.
J Galli, Windsor

A. That's a very interesting question trying to trace the demise of the Jays since the strike in '94. The Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992-93 then came the strike and the change in division and playoff structure.

Since the addition of two teams to the MLB playoff hunt in 1995, the brainchild of Bud Selig, in the ensuing 16 years only the Yankees have ever won back-to-back World Series (1998-2000).

As for Beeston or Gillick being at fault in deciding they wanted to join the AL East, I would prefer to blame world geography for the alignment that has the Jays tilting at windmills. It's pretty well impossible to argue that Detroit or Chicago or Cleveland is farther east than Toronto. I Googled it.

Besides, both former Jays executives realized that nine home games with the Red Sox and the Yankees each could make their attendance numbers sing, which is worth more than the possibility of winning a wild-card in the weaker AL Central. There would be no guarantees in that circumstance, ether. The fact is even with a second wild card being hypothetically added going back to '95, the Jays give the standings would only have made the playoffs once.   

Q. Hi Richard. A few weeks ago, you piqued my interest with the possible interest by the Jays in Michael Young. Whatever happened? Why did he remain with the Rangers if there is no home for him there? Love your column and thanks for your insights.
Ryan Maxwell, Meaford

A. The Jays were definitely interested in Young and inquired at the winter meetings in December after the Adrian Beltre signing by the Rangers. It would have been $48 million for the next three years, minus what the Rangers were willing to pay, but the Rangers had with sincerity told him they wanted him to be DH, super-sub. He is a clubhouse leader for the young Rangers. After that while the Rangers furtively explored trade options and pissed him off, the Jays remained on the periphery.

When Young found out about the back-door negotiations for his services, he then demanded a trade. The Rangers have tried hard to heal the wound and it seems under control, but if Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos could find a good deal for his club, especially if it included a third team with multiple players, then he would go back to work. Young is not necessarily a Ranger for the opener.   

Q. After enjoying the NBA all-star festivities, it got me thinking about the MLB game. Why don't they try to mix things up by adding different skills competitions instead of just a home run contest? Why not get some of the other players involved, perhaps the most accurate throw from the outfield, or fastest around the bases? Any ideas?
Matt Hazel, Antigonish

A. I'm pretty sure that at a particular all-star game in the '80s there were other skills competitions than the Home Run Derby. If I recall correctly, someone got hurt by over-throwing or running too hard.

The extra baseball skills would be far more stressful and dangerous to valuable team properties as far as expensive players are concerned than the NBA's skill set. How do you hurt yourself by shooting three-pointers or throwing a bounce pass into a barrel? But running the bases and throwing from the corner, especially the length of time that TV draws out these events. The home run derby concept goes back to the days of Mickey Mantle and Henry Aaron as a TV event and the fact of the matter is the Monday ratings at the All-Star Game are great. If it ain't broke...

Q. Richard. Hope you're enjoying spring training in Florida. I see that Baseball America has released their top-100 prospects list. I'm interested in your take on the list. Kyle Drabek, Travis D'Arnaud, Brett Lawrie and Deck McGuire made the list. But Anthony Gose, J.P. Arencibia, and Adeiny Hechevaria were nowhere to be found. There were 15 pitchers rated higher than Drabek. Our top-rated prospect at No. 29 is the lowest we've had in a few years. Is our farm system truly on the upswing or is it overhyped?
Frank S, Toronto

A. First of all you have to consider that on a Top 100 list with 30 major-league teams that the average per organization would be 3.33 players per organization. The Jays have four.  So it would be pretty tough to be that much far above the average considering the Jays' farm system in the recent past has been ranked in the 20s out of 30 for the past four years. For me, in the top 100 prospects, I would have five Jays – Drabek, Lawrie, Gose, Arencibia and Hechavarria. It's a very hit-and-miss list almost as tough as when you are drafting players...but not quite. D'Arnaud is very mobile and athletic behind the plate but has a long way to go offensively and rating him in the Top 100 is a leap of faith. Arencibia has already been PCL MVP and should be rated ahead of him. McGuire is a nice prospect but has a lot to learn and before he approaches the majors and may in fact be passed by the more experienced Zach Stewart and a bunch of other Jays' 2010 June picks, some of whom were invited to minor-league mini-camp. Regular readers know how strongly I feel about Gose's future. Good kid. Good player.  

Q. In your years since covering the team as a columnist, would you say that (in Travis Snider, Scott Podsednik, Corey Patterson, and Juan Rivera) this is the weakest of all Jays' outfields, as far as home run power and offence/arm-strength is concerned?
Darrell Holtze, Guelph

A. You forgot about Rajai Davis. However I don't think the addition of Davis improves the scenario for the outfield in the skill areas you describe. Without the departed Vernon Wells and without third baseman Jose Bautista in the Jays' outfield, at the moment it is not very good. This group in any Fantasy League advice magazine does not feature an outfielder in the top 50. Yes it might be the worst going into a season, but if Snider becomes the player he is expected to, it may improve.

Q. I was reading recently a statistic that said only 5 per cent of young prospects who sign a contract with an MLB team actually get to the bigs. Makes we wonder about all the talk about the renewed vigour in the Jays farm system. Realistically, how many new stars are we likely to be seeing per year come out of the farm system? And of the high profile more advanced prospects like Gose, Lawrie, Hechevarria etc., what percentage of that crowd are likely to meet the high expectations that are held for them?
Thanks.
Donald Wright, Los Gatos

A. That's a very good comment and helps to explain the reason why the Jays were right to sign Jose Bautista and not even think about waiting until the trade deadline to obtain two or three prospects.

The Jays already are suddenly deep at Double and Triple-A. Why keep feeding the minor-league beast when optimistically, only about three players from each level are going to make a true impact in the majors.

However, it should be considered that baseball has 50 rounds times 30 teams, plus sandwich compensation which amounts to 1,530 players drafted per year, some 1,200 of whom sign. Looking back unscientifically, it seems about an average of four or five players per franchise ever reach the majors. That's higher than the NBA which of course has two rounds and 12 players.

The Jays farm system is certainly re-invigourated in the last two years and it's good that fanatic Jays fans seem to have as much interest as they do in the guys on the farm. The fun now is in following the many potential hopefuls throughout the year and trying to guess which players are going to make it. Just remember when the experts are rating the Top 100 it's all an educated guess.


Q. Hello Mr. Griffin. Thanks as always for you information and insight into the Jays. Would the Jays ever consider having Kyle Drabek start the season in the bullpen? Similar to Chapman did with the Reds last season? This could give him MLB experience and make the 4th and 5th starters decision easier? Thanks.
Phil McCloskey, Orangeville

A. The Jays would never consider moving Drabek to the bullpen, even though one of their many young starters is eventually going to become the closer.

Keeping him on the major-league roster as a long reliever would be counter-productive not only to Drabek but to the Jays. It always seems like long relievers enter after a starter has been ya-hammered in a game and, in that case, where's the improvement, the learning curve.

There's an uncertain pitching pattern in long relief and never seems a stressful situation that is the difference between winning and losing when you enter a game with your team far behind. In Drabek's situation or anyone that soon has a chance to be a major-league starter, the season is long and every year a major-league team needs at least a depth chart of nine starters. Better to have Drabek pitching every five days at Triple-A and catch a flight from Vegas in a moment of need than have him waiting on the sidelines in Toronto with no flow to his year.