Adam Lind has been placed on the 15 day DL, retroactive to May 8. He can return on the 23rd. Eric Thames has been summoned from Las Vegas. RHP Robert Ray has been designated for assignment to make room for Thames on the 40 man roster.
Nice addition to the roster. Certainly opens up a lot of options for Farrell. If they are going to run a 3 man bench, it helps to have 3 actual healthy players - the Jays have played with a 2 man bench for far too many games this year. They face 5 straight RHP in Porcello, Hellickson, Davis, Rodriguez, and Myers so hopefully Thames can add some much needed punch from the left side of the plate and perhaps play a better LF than Patterson.
If Thames hits I think he stays..
E5 is showing no extra base power, Rivera has scuffled and is almost at the point where he might not be worth a 25 man roster spot, and the Jays are carrying too many relievers. I think if Thames takes the ball and runs with it, he can stick.
I feel like hes kind of been a dark horse in the Jays prospect world, draft status and age have seemed to hold him back a bit, but ultimately hes always hit and I'm excited to see what he can do.
E5 is showing no extra base power, Rivera has scuffled and is almost at the point where he might not be worth a 25 man roster spot, and the Jays are carrying too many relievers. I think if Thames takes the ball and runs with it, he can stick.
I feel like hes kind of been a dark horse in the Jays prospect world, draft status and age have seemed to hold him back a bit, but ultimately hes always hit and I'm excited to see what he can do.
He can`t throw. He has average or better speed. I get the feeling that the Jays were less than enamoured with his outfield defence.
from what's been said in interviews and such, the between the lines implication is that Thames has plenty of talent to play good defense (other than a below average arm) but that he needed a lot of repition because of all the time he missed via injury.
I love the move but i'll like it even more if Farrell just installs him in left for the next week and see how that works.
I love the move but i'll like it even more if Farrell just installs him in left for the next week and see how that works.
unlike Cooper, whose callup I thought was always just the "promote the low-upside guy with the good approach temporarily as a lesson to Lawrie and Thamesto take more pitches", I think that Thames actually has a legit chance to stick here for the longterm.
A good performance from Thames over the next week and Rivera or EE may be facing the music when Lind is activated.
A good performance from Thames over the next week and Rivera or EE may be facing the music when Lind is activated.
Right on TamRa.
This is the start of the future. Let the kid play LF for a few weeks and see what happens. I have a very good feeling about Eric - the guy is wired.
On the clock now is - Brett Lawrie.
This is the start of the future. Let the kid play LF for a few weeks and see what happens. I have a very good feeling about Eric - the guy is wired.
On the clock now is - Brett Lawrie.
speaking of roster moves, the Chad Cordero experiment is over.
Tough outcome for a guy who's been through a lot.
Tough outcome for a guy who's been through a lot.
It'll be nice just to see a promotion in the hopes of replacing E5 or Rivera.
I'm excited to see one of the better power prospects this organisation has produced in the last decade.
The Jays currently have the longest winning streak in the majors, and they've moved into a 2nd-place tie in their division. And they've achieved this in a rebuilding year, with several players under-performing, with their top hitter absent for one-fifth of the season, and with their 2nd-best hitter injured for the past eight games. Nice.
Congratulations to Eric Thames -- couldn't have happened to a harder-working guy. It's unclear how long he will be in the majors, but I really hope that people don't turn on him if he fails to produce good numbers in his first 30 major-league plate appearances.
What happened to the theory that Juan Rivera would improve as the season goes on? He's batting .171 over the past 10 games. If Thames does well, I hope the Jays get rid of Rivera. He's going to be gone at the end of the season anyway, so there's no point in keeping him if he is blocking Thames.
I'm hoping that Nix gets another shot at 3B for an extended period. In 54 plate appearances, he has a .793 OPS for the Jays. That's far above his career norms, but the Jays have sometimes been able to improve the hitting performances of scrap-heap veterans, so maybe they can do it with Nix. It's clear that Encarnacion does much better as DH than as 3B. In fact, Encarnacion has a pathetic .483 OPS when he's playing 3B this year. If the choice is between John McDonald and Nix at 3B, I hope that Nix gets at least half of the work (until Lawrie is ready, of course).
What about Kyle Drabek? He allowed only 3 hits in 7 innings last night -- fantastic. Yet he allowed 6 walks, and he was already the MLB leader in walks, with a 5.86 BB/9 entering the game. It's a bit of a paradox. I don't know whether to annoint him as the next Ricky Romero or the next David Purcey.... The latter is unlikely, of course, since Purcey never showed Drabek's ability to limit hits. But Drabek really needs to develop better control if he's going to fulfill his potential.
E5 is showing no extra base power
You mean he's not hitting homeruns. 40% of his hits this year have been for extra bases which is also his career average.
With regard to Robert Ray: I wonder if the Jays are gambling that nobody will pick him up because of his injuries and the fact that he's almost finished his option years, so that the Jays can re-acquire him and continue to rehab him? Otherwise I would have rather dumped Roenicke, who is almost 29 years old and is having another mediocre year at Las Vegas.
Yes.
The 51s sometimes had Thames in right field despite his weak arm. He runs well, and should be at least an average defender in left.
The 51s sometimes had Thames in right field despite his weak arm. He runs well, and should be at least an average defender in left.
My mistake -- Woodward is not on the 40-man roster any more. But Roenicke is still on the 40-man, and I would have preferred it if he was removed instead of Ray. (Unless the Jays have simply decided that Ray cannot possibly return to good pitching health from his latest injury.)
unlike Cooper, whose callup I thought was always just the "promote the
low-upside guy with the good approach temporarily as a lesson to Lawrie
and Thamesto take more pitches", I think that Thames actually has a
legit chance to stick here for the longterm.
A good performance from Thames over the next week and Rivera or EE may be facing the music when Lind is activated.
What he said. Even in retrospect I am not sure why Cooper got the call over Thames. It's fairly evident why he got it over Lawrie - Brett isn't coming up until the club think's he's ready, organizational need notwithstanding.
A good performance from Thames over the next week and Rivera or EE may be facing the music when Lind is activated.
What he said. Even in retrospect I am not sure why Cooper got the call over Thames. It's fairly evident why he got it over Lawrie - Brett isn't coming up until the club think's he's ready, organizational need notwithstanding.
The Jays currently have the longest winning streak in the majors, and they've moved into a 2nd-place tie in their division. And they've achieved this in a rebuilding year, with several players under-performing, with their top hitter absent for one-fifth of the season, and with their 2nd-best hitter injured for the past eight games. Nice.
I think you are underselling Bautista here, China Fan ;).
As for the winning streak, one has to think/hope that if the Jays hang in for long enough it augurs well - Bautista has been Ruthian, Lind, Escobar and the catchers are doing well for their position, the pen's been great and RickyRo is pitching like an ace. Everyone else, not so much, as the Jays have basically received replacement level production from 2B, 3B, LF and DH and been avg. in CF. There are in-house options in left (Thames, Snider recovers), and 3B (Lawrie or Nix, who really isn't that good), and the hope that Davis and Hill improve. There isn't an obivous solution at DH other than EE or a trade, but it is the easiest position to fill. Not everyone is going to necessarily hit as well, but hopefully they will be healthier.There is also room for improvement with the pitching, with several other options (Cecil again, Zep, Mills) ahead of Reyes and perhaps Drabek. The bullpen seems likely to perform worse going forward though, but Brandon Morrow better - his FIP and xFIP are some 2 runs below his ERA at the moment.
Brandon Morrow better - his FIP and xFIP are some 2 runs below his ERA at the moment.
And last year is FIP was about a run below his ERA.
Another thing I noticed: last year his BABIP was a freakishly high .344. This year Morrow's BABIP is...... .344. His career mark coming into 2010 was .275.
And last year is FIP was about a run below his ERA.
Another thing I noticed: last year his BABIP was a freakishly high .344. This year Morrow's BABIP is...... .344. His career mark coming into 2010 was .275.
As impressive as it was to see Drabek battle through last night's start, at some point you have to consider sending him to the minors to work on his command. Having a 6.12 BB/9 in the AL East is a real recipe for disaster, and it's even worse when you are barely striking out that many. Drabek's BB rate is 2 full batters more than the next worst in the AL, Gio Gonzalez' 4.12 BB/9. With Cecil pitching well on the same schedule as Drabek, it makes for an easy swap if Drabek's control doesn't improve vs. HOU.
Drabek's doing a decent impression of Roy Halladay c. 1999 - you watch him and you understand what all the fuss is about, then you look at the numbers and start waiting for the Bad Times.
Drabek didn't have serious control problems in the minors, so one can hope he'll work through this. At some point, though, hitters are just going to stop swinging at anything that isn't a fastball down the middle of the plate.
Drabek didn't have serious control problems in the minors, so one can hope he'll work through this. At some point, though, hitters are just going to stop swinging at anything that isn't a fastball down the middle of the plate.
You could have almost guaranteed this move - he bats left. Other than Corey Patterson, no one else does. I would be surprised to see Eric Thames go down when Adam Lind (bats left) returns. (Of course, if he's not hitting). Should Travis Snider (bats left) finally put it all together, the decision would be tougher.
I believe Drabek will figure it out. Gotta remember that he's 23 years old, has an electric arm, and has started only 12 games in the majors. Morrow had similar control issues during his first few seasons (when he was in his early 20s) before getting straightened out.
J Mac played 3B instead of Nix last night. IMO defense but we will see.
Maybe Thames is a better hitter than Cooper. But Thames runs better, could help in inter league games . EE has 1st all to himself until A LInd comes back, 1st/DH was the original plan for EE, Farrell says Thames to LF/DH which is the same as Rivera's positions.
I agree with Magpie, I don't know anything, but who sits & who plays will make things clearer. Maybe Thames sits, I don't know.
Maybe Thames is a better hitter than Cooper. But Thames runs better, could help in inter league games . EE has 1st all to himself until A LInd comes back, 1st/DH was the original plan for EE, Farrell says Thames to LF/DH which is the same as Rivera's positions.
I agree with Magpie, I don't know anything, but who sits & who plays will make things clearer. Maybe Thames sits, I don't know.
Thames is not being called up to sit. There's zero point to that. Rivera will sit until Thames proves he can't handle the job.
The thing with Drabek is that even though the walks are a serious concern, they're literally the ONLY concern for him so far. All other key numbers are very encouraging for a 23 year old rookie.
6.30k/9 (6.31 career)
47.0gb% (50.8% career)
.257avg (.263 career)* - (.293babip/.299babip)
unlike many other young pitchers with control problems (even guys like Roy), he's not showing any other weaknesses, and just not getting hit hard at all.
the walks are a big concern, but they don't seem to be hurting the rest of his game the way they hurt guys like Roy at the same age (or guys like Morrow or even Daniel Cabrera).
6.30k/9 (6.31 career)
47.0gb% (50.8% career)
.257avg (.263 career)* - (.293babip/.299babip)
unlike many other young pitchers with control problems (even guys like Roy), he's not showing any other weaknesses, and just not getting hit hard at all.
the walks are a big concern, but they don't seem to be hurting the rest of his game the way they hurt guys like Roy at the same age (or guys like Morrow or even Daniel Cabrera).
In his career, Rivera has averaged a .673 OPS by the end of May. It's part of what makes him so hard to trade is his absolutely terrible first halves. I imagine DFA is the only-case scenario unless he gets really red-hot.
I'm waiting for Drabek to re-use his plus plus curve. That ought to help.....when and if he does so.
Is he just trying to develop his other pitches? I think it was 92-93 who has been asking "Where has Drabek's curve gone?" as well. If he's got it in his bag, why isn't he at least "showing" it more? Or do the Jays want him to develop his other pitches and then when he's comfortable with them, bring the curve back? Just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense though, when you are still actually trying to win a ball game.
It's looked to me like something has been bothering Drabek's ability to release the ball since the beginning of the season. Maybe all he needs is a manicure but the guy checks his hands an awful lot after delivering pitches, and I really hope he isn't pitching with a blister.
Looks like someone's not so happy he got passed over for a promotion.....Lawrie's 2/2 with a HR, 2rbi, and a sac bunt so far today. Has his OPS up to .989 now.
so how long do they have the balls to keep him down for...especially when they have a JMac/Nix platoon going on at 3rd?
so how long do they have the balls to keep him down for...especially when they have a JMac/Nix platoon going on at 3rd?
Thames is getting his first crack at major-league pitching tonight. He is in the starting lineup, at DH, batting 7th. Nix is at 3B, batting 8th, while Encarnacion is at 1B, batting clean-up. No sign of Rivera. I like this lineup, although it will be a lot better when Lind returns.
That is good. Batting order is of far less importance than who is in the lineup.
The Yankees Posada fiasco shows how delicate a situation the batting order can be. It doesn't bother me that Hill hits 5th and has been terrible all season, but at some point it's probably in both the team and Hill's best interest to move him down to a spot where he can try to right himself without the pressure of hitting in the middle of the order. When you're on a 6 game winning streak there's no pressing need to switch things up, but Farrell has to be concerned with Hill's performance out of the 5 slot.
Make that 3/3, with a HR, triple, sac bunt, 2 R, 2 RBI (and no errors) for Lawrie. He's now hitting .337. It must be awfully tempting for AA to call him up, irrespective of Super-Two eligibility. The Jays could probably slot him right in as their #2 hitter, between Escobar and Bautista (realistically, the Jays would probably drop him down in the order to start). A lineup with Lawrie hitting second could look something like:
Escobar SS
Lawrie 3B
Bautista RF
Lind 1B
Hill 2B
Encarnacion DH
Arencibia C
Thames LF
Davis CF
Escobar SS
Lawrie 3B
Bautista RF
Lind 1B
Hill 2B
Encarnacion DH
Arencibia C
Thames LF
Davis CF
You wouldn't want Lawrie batting 2nd immediately when he comes up, from a development perspective. Right now, he basically has Arencibia's profile, but with more speed. He has significant pop, but needs to work on his strike zone control. If and when he gets the call, you want him to develop his strike zone control outside the #2 slot in the order where this skill is so important.
I don't think super-2 has anything to do with Lawrie being down on the farm - everyone seems to agree that this provision will be eliminated in the next CBA anyway.
I think more to the point is that he is 21, and has ~825 PA above A ball and is learning to play 3rd. He's coming up, but I imagine the club is not going to rush him.
I think more to the point is that he is 21, and has ~825 PA above A ball and is learning to play 3rd. He's coming up, but I imagine the club is not going to rush him.
On the subject of Lawrie: I wonder if the Jays are increasingly of the conclusion that Snider was brought up too early. He, too, was a 21-year-old who was mashing at AAA and seemed ready for the majors, and everyone was clamoring for his promotion. In retrospect, would Snider have benefited from another full season in the minors? Would it have instilled a more disciplined swing that wouldn't need repairing and rebuilding later? I don't know at all, I'm just asking the question, but it must weigh on the minds of the Jays braintrust. Of course Snider did have a fair amount of success in stretches of 2009 and 2010 so maybe the question is irrelevant. Or maybe not.
The fact that Snider hasn't had 550+PA in any major league season is the most likely reason for his struggles. Every time he goes into an extended slump he feels the threat of demotion because he has been demoted so many times.. All hitters go into slumps - veterans are allowed a long leash to work things out; young players are not.
Best way for a young hitter with great upside to develop is to let him work through his struggles and see what he does over a full year.
Best way for a young hitter with great upside to develop is to let him work through his struggles and see what he does over a full year.
the Snider-Lawrie comp is an interesting one at this point
They were both 21 in AAA, though snider had 80 or so AAA pa the year prior. Snider was called up after about 200pa that year.
AAA at 21:
Snider: 204pa, 28xbh, 2/5sb, 28bb, 47k, .337/.431/.663/1.094
Lawrie: 188pa, 26xbh, 9/10sb, 13bb, 32k, .337/.395/.615/1.010
according to fangraphs, Snider had a .395babip there, while Lawrie had a .358babip as of 2 games ago (they haven't updated it yet).
More walks from Snider, but many more strikeouts as well. His moderately superior line was also aided by a isgnificaintly higher BABIP.
Not sure exactly what this tells us, but interesting nonetheless.
They were both 21 in AAA, though snider had 80 or so AAA pa the year prior. Snider was called up after about 200pa that year.
AAA at 21:
Snider: 204pa, 28xbh, 2/5sb, 28bb, 47k, .337/.431/.663/1.094
Lawrie: 188pa, 26xbh, 9/10sb, 13bb, 32k, .337/.395/.615/1.010
according to fangraphs, Snider had a .395babip there, while Lawrie had a .358babip as of 2 games ago (they haven't updated it yet).
More walks from Snider, but many more strikeouts as well. His moderately superior line was also aided by a isgnificaintly higher BABIP.
Not sure exactly what this tells us, but interesting nonetheless.
What do you do if you dicked around in math class in high school and years later found yourself writing for a sports web site? You'd criticize those who didn't dick around in math class, of course.
This is the last Toronto/Detroit game of the season. Would be a shame to reschedule it.