The Sports Xchange
MLB Team Report – Toronto Blue Jays – INSIDE PITCH
The Blue Jays enter the season as legitimate contenders for the first time in 20 years.
That was 1993, when they went on to win their second successive World Series championship.
It is premature to say another World Series is in their future. But the elements are there.
The good thing about the offseason rebuilding is that there does not appear to be pressure on anyone in particular. They’ve added quantity and quality to the rotation with R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. It makes the spring training struggles of Ricky Romero easier to take, with J.A. Happ taking over as a second lefty in the rotation. Brandon Morrow always had the stuff to be an ace.
Having both Casey Janssen and Sergio Santos back and apparently healthy gives the Blue Jays two closers. Janssen will remain the closer to start the season, the role he earned last season after Santos was lost in April to a shoulder injury. Darren Oliver postponed his retirement to add his experience to what should be an improved bullpen.
The same could be said about the offense. No longer is it up to Jose Bautista alone. Edwin Encarnacion had a career year in 2012 and has taken over as first baseman. Obtaining Jose Reyes gives the Blue Jays a leadoff hitter they have lacked for some time and Melky Cabrera will add punch at the top of the order.
If Colby Rasmus can start to realize some of the potential others see in him at bat and in center field, it would be a big plus. It helps that an improving Anthony Gose is far away in Triple-A Buffalo.
It also would help if Adam Lind returned to the form of 2009 and part of 2011. Third baseman Brett Lawrie will start the season on the disabled list with a strain in the rib-cage area and the Blue Jays hope that he benefits from their prudent approach.
But of all the questions that will be answered as the season progresses, the biggest is whether all the new parts mesh into an efficiently running team. That will be key.
John Gibbons, who managed the team in 2004-2008, gets another chance. He is the opposite in many ways of cold and controlling John Farrell, who left for perceived greener pastures in Boston.
Gibbons just might be the right guy to make it all work.
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MLB Team Report – Toronto Blue Jays – NOTES, QUOTES
–LHP Ricky Romero needs to work on his delivery in a setting that will feature minimal focus on wins and losses, the Blue Jays believe. That’s why he’ll open the season with high Class A Dunedin.
With the 28-year-old veteran optioned to the low minors, the Blue Jays’ No. 5 starting role will go to left-hander J.A. Happ.
Romero endured an 0-13 stretch last season en route to a 9-14 finish with a 5.77 ERA. The results weren’t any better this spring, as he had a 6.23 ERA in five Grapefruit League outings.
“He’s making strides, but like we told him, we just ran out of time to get him where he needs to be,” Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said, according to the Toronto Sun. “That’s ultimately what it came down to. ..
“From his standpoint, he understood. He’s a pro. It’s always a tough conversation but he knows he’s not as sharp as he needs to be and it’s going to take a little more time.”
Anthopoulos added that the team is asking Romero to adjust his delivery and landing spot.
“Ultimately with him it will come down to how does it look, how’s the command and how’s his balance going towards home plate,” Anthopoulos said, according to the Sun.
Happ has a 1.89 ERA this spring, but Anthopoulos said the decision to have Romero get work in the minors was unrelated to Happ’s performance.
–3B Brett Lawrie (strained left rib cage) will start the season on the disabled list but will be eligible to return after four games are played in the season. He suffered the injury March 6 while playing for Team Canada against the Cincinnati Reds to prepare for the World Baseball Classic. INF Mark DeRosa and INF Maicer Izturis will platoon at third in Lawrie’s absence. “Yeah you can go out there and suck it up for a few games, but what happens when I have to go back to the manager and say it’s a little sore again?” Lawrie said. “Then I have to go through this whole process again.” Manager John Gibbons said time ran out for Lawrie to come north with the team. “It’s not like he had a big setback or anything,” he said. “You look at the schedule, a week from tomorrow we’re starting (April 2). He had limited at-bats before he went to the WBC and he hasn’t had any since. Basically, we’re not going to be able to get him into enough games before the season starts to feel comfortable with it.”
–C Henry Blanco was named backup catcher and C Josh Thole was sent on option to Triple-A Buffalo. But Blanco will not become the personal catcher for knuckleballer RHP R.A. Dickey as speculated. Manager John Gibbons said Blanco and regular C J.P. Arencibia will each have a chance to catch Dickey. “They will both catch him,” Gibbons said before the March 25 game against the Phillies. “There will be nights when we want J.P.’s bat in there and it will also give Blanco a chance to catch some of the other pitchers.” Gibbons said the way Arencibia handled Dickey’s knuckleball in the World Baseball Classic alleviated any concerns he had about the catcher being able to deal with the knuckleball.
–RHP R.A. Dickey used 102 pitches in eight innings of a minor league game on March 22 and said he could have pitched a complete game on a regular day. “I got better as the game went on, felt strong in the later innings,” Dickey said. “It was a good day for me. I struggled kind of early with the feel of my knuckleball. I was able to get through that and capture a good one over the next six innings. I think I gave up a few runs in the first couple of innings and then I think I might have given up two hits in the last six innings.” The 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner was scheduled to make one more start before Opening Day.
–RHP Casey Janssen will be the closer when he returns, but with a week to go in spring training, the only question was whether he would be ready for Opening Day. Manager John Gibbons feels he would be ready to open the season after a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts against the Red Sox on March 22, his first Grapefruit League action after being brought along slowly after minor offseason shoulder surgery. But the day after, Janssen was cautious about whether he might be ready on Opening Day. “We’re working towards that and I think that’s everybody’s hope,” he said. “At the same time, I want to be hitting on all my pitches, to be able to throw a back-door curveball whenever I need to. I’ve got to be fair to them and honest with myself. I don’t want to give false hope and I’m probably more on the conservative side. But I want to (be ready for Opening Day).” A couple of days later, Janssen made his second Grapefruit League appearance against the Phillies and struck out the side. After that outing, Janssen said he felt more optimistic that being ready for Opening Day was a real possibility.
–RHP Brandon Morrow had one bad inning, the fifth, against the Braves in his second-to-last spring training start. He gave up four runs in the fifth and a total of five in 5 1/3 innings to push his ERA to 7.80. But he feels he has accomplished what he wanted. “It’s gone the way I expected it to go, brought my pitches along the way I intended and had them all working today,” he said. “I was cruising through 4 2/3 and just a hiccup there getting out of the fifth.” He admits that the warm, humid day during what has been a relatively chilly spell left him a little tired.
–OF Rajai Davis returned March 23 after missing the previous four games after having a tooth extraction. He hit a home run against the Braves in his first at-bat since March 17 and homered on March 24 against the Twins. He was 4-for-9 with two home runs after returning from the dental work.
–1B Edwin Encarnacion did not return to action immediately after helping the Dominican Republic win the World Baseball Classic. He jarred his right index finger during his final at-bat of the WBC when he hit the ball off the end of his bat and it was swollen when he rejoined the Blue Jays. “It swelled up a little and it was a little irritated,” manager John Gibbons said. “They X-rayed it and everything is fine but he won’t be playing for a couple of days. No concern. Plus he’s had plenty of work lately.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 — Major league teams that have been in their current spring training city longer than the Blue Jays: Pirates (Bradenton, Fla.), Phillies (Clearwater, Fla.) and Detroit (Lakeland, Fla.). The Blue Jays have trained at Dunedin, Fla., since their first season (1977).
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s a winning attitude. It doesn’t matter where you play. You can play Little League and, if you’re winning, that’s going to come to your mind and hopefully you can pull everybody behind you with the same passion too. I’m a guy who is going to be happy and try and enjoy the game and bring a lot of energy around my team. The chemistry that we had on (the Dominican Republic) team; hopefully we can do the same thing with the whole group of guys that we have here in this Jays clubhouse.” — SS Jose Reyes, on what he hopes to bring to the Blue Jays after helping the Dominican Republic win the World Baseball Classic.
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MLB Team Report – Toronto Blue Jays – ROSTER REPORT
The main concerns going into the season were whether LHP
Ricky Romero would be able to make the adjustments to improve his command before his first regular-season start on April 6 and when 3B Brett Lawrie would be ready to play. Romero was the Opening Day starter last year, but in a revamped lineup and coming off a poor 2012 season, he opens as the No. 5 starter. Lawrie will open the season on the disabled list with a muscle strain in the rib-cage area and there is no date set for his return, although he would be eligible to return after the season’s fourth game. Manager John Gibbons felt that RHP Casey Janssen would be ready to return as closer after being brought along slowly from an offseason shoulder procedure but the pitcher was a little more cautious about when he might return.
ROTATION:
1. RHP R.A. Dickey
2. RHP Brandon Morrow
3. LHP Mark Buehrle
4. RHP Josh Johnson
5. LHP J.A. Happ
It could be a good sign when the biggest problem in spring training was the fifth starter, LHP Ricky Romero, struggled with his command. While he works out his problems in the minors, Happ will fill his starting spot. A trade with Miami brought Buehrle and Johnson, and another with the Mets brought Dickey to reshape the rotation.
BULLPEN:
RHP Casey Janssen (closer)
LHP Darren Oliver
RHP Sergio Santos
LHP Brett Cecil
RHP Steve Delabar
LHP Aaron Loup
RHP Esmil Rogers
With 3B Brett Lawrie on the disabled list to open the season, there could be an eight-man bullpen while he is absent. That would open a spot for RHP Jeremy Jeffress. Janssen will retain his closer’s role, although it was not certain that he would be ready for Opening Day after being brought back slowly from minor offseason shoulder surgery. Santos was the closer last season before a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery ended his season in April. Oliver returned after considering retirement and adds experience.
LINEUP:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. LF Melky Cabrera
3. RF Jose Bautista
4. 1B Edwin Encarnacion
5. 3B Brett Lawrie
6. DH Adam Lind.
7. C J.P. Arencibia
8. CF Colby Rasmus
9. 2B Maicer Izturis
The lineup will have a different look on Opening Day because Lawrie will begin the season on the disabled list. He will be eligible to return after four games. INF Mark DeRosa and Izturis will platoon at third in his absence, with INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio seeing time at second. Reyes gives the Blue Jays a legitimate leadoff hitter for the first time in years. Manager John Gibbons feels that Lawrie deserves a chance in the fifth spot. Lind’s ability to hit left-handed pitching will determine whether he will be part of a DH platoon but he’ll probably be given the chance to hit against all pitching to start. Encarnacion has established himself as the first baseman and a finger injury was not expected to keep him from the Opening Day lineup.
RESERVES:
INF/OF Emilio Bonifacio
C Henry Blanco
INF Mark DeRosa
OF Rajai Davis
Blanco and regular catcher J.P. Arencibia will share the duties behind the plate with knuckleballer RHP R.A. Dickey. Consideration was given to making Blanco the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner’s personal catcher. Bonifacio could share second base with no clear-cut choice as the regular between him and Izturis. DeRosa will share third base with Izturis as 3B Brett Lawrie opens the season on the disabled list with a strain in the rib-cage area. Davis provides speed off the bench.
MEDICAL WATCH:
–1B Edwin Encarnacion (bruised right index finger) is expected to be ready for Opening Day.
–3B Brett Lawrie (strained left ribcage muscle) was injured playing for Canada in an exhibition game against the Reds in early March, and he hadn’t resumed game action as of March 25. He will open the season on the disabled list.
–RHP Casey Janssen (right shoulder surgery in November 2012) had a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts in his first spring-training outing March 22 against the Red Sox. He could be ready for Opening Day.
–RHP Dustin McGowan (right shoulder surgery in August 2012) was given extra rest at the beginning of spring training but pitched in a minor league game March 22. It was unclear if he’d be ready for the start of the season.
–RHP Kyle Drabek (Tommy John surgery in June 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list Feb. 25. He won’t return before midseason.
–RHP Drew Hutchison (Tommy John surgery in August 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list March 22. He isn’t expected to return until late in the season.
–LHP Luis Perez (Tommy John surgery in July 2012) went on the 60-day disabled list Feb. 23. He probably won’t be available until late in the season.
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