2019 Blue Jays General Discussion Thread

[hockeyfan1]

vs



Starting Pitchers:
Friday September 27  7pm
Tylor Glashow RH Rays   6-1  1.92 ERA  vs   T.J. Zeuch RH Blue Jays  1-1  4.58 ERA

Saturday September 28  3pm
Ryan Yarbrough LH Rays  11-5  4.08 ERA  vs  Trent Thornton RH Blue Jays  5-9  5.00 ERA

Sunday September 29  1pm
Blake Snell LH Rays  6-7  4.21 ERA  vs   Clay Bucholtz RH Blue Jays  1-5  7.00 ERA

All games on SN & The FAN 590.


Source:   MLB.com,  CBSsports,  theStar.com


The Tampa Bay Rays (95-64) visit the Rogers Centre for a three-game season-ending series against the Blue Jays (65-94).

The Rays are in the hunt to lock an  A.L. WC position, being 0.5 GB the Oakland A's for the first WC spot, and 1 G ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the second spot.  They will no doubt be eager to win whatever games remain, and hope that the Indians or the A's falter.

Which brings us to the Blue Jays playing the role of spoiler.
Some extra motivation for the blue birds this weekend as the Jays close out the season.  Toronto will also want to continue winning to the end n a bid to simply add to their win column.

Even though the Jays have no fear of losing 100 games, still, their w/l record for this year will be among the fifth-worst in franchise history.

Don't expect concussed Bo Bichette to play in these last few games.  It's highly doubtful the team will risk him at this stage.

Saturday & Sunday will be part of the Fan Appreciation Day at the ballpark.

GO JAYS GO!

[hockeyfan1]

The Rays beat the Jays 6-2  last night, meaning that Tampa Bay gets a WC spot.  They'll need to play the Oakland A's in a WC game next week.

Toronto's Téoscar Hernandez keeps on chugging along.  He hit a two-run homer that helped the Jays on the scoreboard later in the game.

Jays starter T.J, Zeuch took the loss in allowing three runs on four hits and striking out four in five innings on the mound.  Certainly Zeuch has seen better days pitching on that mound.  This wasn't one of them. (hint: little support from the Jays bats).

Highlights:

Téoscar!
[tweet]1177755888700010497[/tweet]

More Téoscar:
[tweet]1177931021775523840[/tweet]

Biggio!
[tweet]1177728344881876993[/tweet]

D-fence:
[tweet]1177729946892083201[/tweet]

Hi-lites & more:
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/rays-vs-blue-jays/2019/09/27/566942#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=566942

[hockeyfan1]

Blue Jays win 4-1 led by Téoscar Hernandez's solo home run plus offensive contributions by Grichuk, Telkez, & Ureña.
Toronto staked out an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, a lead they never relinquished thanks to...

...Jays starter Trent Thornton who had a stellar outing on the mound, striking out eight and allowing the Rays just one hit in five innings.  He got the win.
The relievers kept up the momentum with Gaviglio giving up the lone Tampa run.
Giles closed out in the ninth for the save.

Highlights:
Téoscar!
[tweet]1178034820758286336[/tweet]

Thornton!
[tweet]1178059915002339329[/tweet]

Mr. Reliable:
[tweet]1178078269473775621[/tweet]

Biggio!
[tweet]1178046247090954241[/tweet]

[tweet]1178119985358659585[/tweet]

Hi-lites & more:
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/rays-vs-blue-jays/2019/09/28/566943#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=566943

[hockeyfan1]

Blue Jays win big in final game of the season, an 8-3 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon.

A three-run homer by Téoscar Hernandez, a solo by Breyvic Valera (obtained earlier from the Yankees), plus some RBIs from Justin Smoak (who may have possibly played his last game as a Jay, thus receiving a loud ovation from the faithful), were the Jays offensive contributors.

Starter Clay Bucholtz three six strikeouts and allowed one run in five innings for the win.

Highlights:

Smoak!
[tweet]1178392825802772480[/tweet]

Téoscar!
[tweet]1178417300367654918[/tweet]

Biggio!
[tweet]1178400202530668545[/tweet]

Thank you, Moakie!
[tweet]1178430999614689280[/tweet]

A tip to the fans:
[tweet]1178408631081078791[/tweet]

Fan Appreciations:
[tweet]1178383953495040000[/tweet]

[tweet]1178014136699179009[/tweet]

Hi-lites & more:
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/rays-vs-blue-jays/2019/09/29/566944#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=566944

[sickbeast]

I have become completely disenfranchised with the team.  Losing Tepera for nothing was the last straw for me.  I'm no longer going to watch or follow the team until Atikins and Shapiro are gone.  These guys are worse than Ferguson Jr. was for the Leafs IMO, and that's saying a lot.  They have completely botched the rebuild and have recouped very little from what was once a star studded roster.  The best they did was the Osuna trade and to some extent the Stroman trade.  The rest is a mess.  The whole Donaldson thing screams of dysfunction.  To have all these players publicly saying how unhappy they are says something.  Keeping the players happy is important, also.  You could tell when AA was here that he loved the players and the players really appreciated him.  Beeston seemed like a cool guy also.

Anyhow that's all for my rant.  I really hope Rogers doesn't extend these clowns' contracts.  We will be lucky if we have a team left at all by the time these dummies are finished.

/rant

[Nik]

This is about "not getting anything" for a reliever who had an era of just under 5 in 20 or so innings last year?

The Jays last year had three young infielders with WAR's over 2 in half a season or so but we're focusing on the handling of Ryan Tepera as being somehow a key element of the success of this rebuild? Not Gurriel looking like a long term solution in left or a really good young catching tandem?

Alright...

[sickbeast]

This is about "not getting anything" for a reliever who had an era of just under 5 in 20 or so innings last year?

The Jays last year had three young infielders with WAR's over 2 in half a season or so but we're focusing on the handling of Ryan Tepera as being somehow a key element of the success of this rebuild? Not Gurriel looking like a long term solution in left or a really good young catching tandem?

Alright...

Did you even read my post?

I said Tepera was the last straw.  The Jays had a star studded roster under AA.  Shapiro and Atkins parlayed those players into sweet nothing, pretty much.

[Nik]

I said Tepera was the last straw.  The Jays had a star studded roster under AA.  Shapiro and Atkins parlayed those players into sweet nothing, pretty much.

Why would you have expected the Jays to get much of anything for a relief pitcher who was hurt this year and not particularly effective when he wasn't hurt? Why would that mean more to you and what the team is doing with their rebuild than the actual players on the team they're developing?

At Tepera's absolute best he probably fetches a middling prospect the way someone like Hudson did this year. If that's going to make or break your fandom...

Again, alright. You are free to stop following this team full of exciting young players for whatever reason you want.

[sickbeast]

I said Tepera was the last straw.  The Jays had a star studded roster under AA.  Shapiro and Atkins parlayed those players into sweet nothing, pretty much.

Why would you have expected the Jays to get much of anything for a relief pitcher who was hurt this year and not particularly effective when he wasn't hurt? Why would that mean more to you and what the team is doing with their rebuild than the actual players on the team they're developing?

At Tepera's absolute best he probably fetches a middling prospect the way someone like Hudson did this year. If that's going to make or break your fandom...

Again, alright. You are free to stop following this team full of exciting young players for whatever reason you want.

The team is a hot mess.  They desperately need pitching and they let a guy like Tepera walk.  If that was their plan they should have traded him long ago.

Again, this is reading comprehension fail on your behalf.  I keep telling you that Tepera is the straw that broke the camel's back for me.  I guess you don't remember what happened with Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion, just to name a few players.  The list goes on and on.  Management completely messed up the rebuild process of this team.  In the process they pissed off a bunch of players and probably made Toronto that much less desirable to free agent players.

In Cleveland they were celebrating when these two clowns left.  Shapiro in particular has no clue.  Atkins is his little puppet.  They remind me of Smithers and Mr. Burns.

[Nik]

The team is a hot mess.  They desperately need pitching and they let a guy like Tepera walk.  If that was their plan they should have traded him long ago.

Yeah, again, a "Guy like Tepera" meaning what? A relief pitcher with a career ERA of 3.64? As we saw with Hudson last year, guys like Tepera can be signed off the scrap heap literally whenever the Jays want. It's genuinely meaningless.

I keep telling you that Tepera is the straw that broke the camel's back for me.  I guess you don't remember what happened with Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion, just to name a few players. 

No, I remember all of that and didn't want to rehash old arguments. It's just genuinely shocking to me that since the Stroman trade we've seen real meaningful evidence of this management team's ability to draft and develop good young players and the Jays look set for at least the next 5 years in the infield and behind the plate and none of that bought enough goodwill to outweigh...not getting anything for Ryan Tepera.

But, once more, ok. Don't cheer for the Jays then. Their loss, I suppose.

[sickbeast]

The team is a hot mess.  They desperately need pitching and they let a guy like Tepera walk.  If that was their plan they should have traded him long ago.

Yeah, again, a "Guy like Tepera" meaning what? A relief pitcher with a career ERA of 3.64? As we saw with Hudson last year, guys like Tepera can be signed off the scrap heap literally whenever the Jays want. It's genuinely meaningless.

I keep telling you that Tepera is the straw that broke the camel's back for me.  I guess you don't remember what happened with Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion, just to name a few players. 

No, I remember all of that and didn't want to rehash old arguments. It's just genuinely shocking to me that since the Stroman trade we've seen real meaningful evidence of this management team's ability to draft and develop good young players and the Jays look set for at least the next 5 years in the infield and behind the plate and none of that bought enough goodwill to outweigh...not getting anything for Ryan Tepera.

But, once more, ok. Don't cheer for the Jays then. Their loss, I suppose.

Drafting well relies on your scouts.  Developing players well is a team effort.  If those are your reasons for liking Shapiro and Atkins, all I can say is "wow".

The real role of the GM is to acquire good players, either via free agency or trade.  On that level, current management has been an abysmal failure.

I kind of blame Rogers as much as I do Shapiro.  I personally see Shapiro as Rogers' corporate puppet/shill.

[Nik]

Drafting well relies on your scouts.

Right. And who is it that hires the team's scouting staff?

  Developing players well is a team effort.

Sure. It depends on many, many coaches and scouts and analytics experts, all of whom are hired and evaluated by the front office.

  If those are your reasons for liking Shapiro and Atkins, all I can say is "wow".

So, just to be clear, you don't think we should be judging the front office on their ability to draft and develop players. You think that the fact that the team right now has a lot of good young players on it isn't a valid reason to like the work of the guys responsible for putting the team together.

Well, that's certainly a way of looking at things.

[Arn]

Pretty cool little video of Bo Bichette being a pretty nice guy

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_VChgn48a/?igshid=8y46s9w203fd