[Official] Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball thread

[Wilbur]

Lol, Danny Jansen has more RBI's than hits.  I feel like that's a weird stat.

[RUPERTKBD]

I came across this article this morning and it immediately resonated with me. The reason is, just last night, I was thinking the exact same thing. Cavan Biggio comes into the game to pinch run for Brandon Belt and 2 batters later commits the Cardinal Sin of straying too far off base on a line drive, Biggio was doubled off at second, basically killing a Jays rally in the crib.

 

Later on, he had a chance to redeem himself in the batter's box, but instead pops out to shallow center field, ending yet another chance for the Jays to win in regulation.

 

Now this isn't to say that he didn't have company. There likely wasn't a single Jay in the lineup who didn't miss a chance at an RBI with a runner in scoring position. The difference is, Biggio has been doing it all season long.

 

Here's the article:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/mlb/it-might-be-time-for-the-blue-jays-to-send-cavan-biggio-to-triple-a/ar-AA1bm2ol?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=b37bcc816da44e75a270acf379723aa5&ei=45

 

Quote

 

Heading into the 2023 season, there was no clear-cut second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. The club had Whit Merrifield, Santiago Espinal, and Cavan Biggio all fighting for playing time at the spot but both Merrifield and Biggio can slot in other positions, mainly in the outfield and first base (Biggio), while Espinal can also slot over at shortstop or third base if Bichette or Chapman need an off-day as well.

 

As the season is now past the quarter mark in the year, the clear-cut winner for the second base position is Merrifield, who is holding his own in the batter’s box and in the field as well, slotting in left field when Varsho moves to centre field and working 20 games on the right side of second base, leading the rest of the group. While Espinal has seen his fair share of struggles this season, Biggio is faring worse in the batter’s box.

So far this season, Biggio has 62 at-bats through 23 games while being used as a defensive replacement and a pinch runner on occasion, mustering eight hits on the year. The power has been on display for the Notre Dame product, who has three extra-base hits (37.5% of all his hits) with two being home runs, but his  .129/.182/.242 slash line with 25 strikeouts and .424 OPS is seeing his playing time dip dramatically compared to his counterparts. As a rookie, Biggio really excelled at generating walks and getting on base, a value that has dropped dramatically this season (albeit the small sample size) with the former fifth-round pick sporting a 4.6 BB% this season.

With all this in mind and a costly baserunning error last night that saw him get doubled up at second base after hesitating towards third on Alejandro Kirk’s lineout, it might be time to send Biggio back to Triple-A, a move the Jays utilized last season when the lefty-batter was struggling in the batter’s box and also coming back from COVID-19 in late April. Last season, Biggio battled numerous injuries and inconsistency at the plate, amassing a .202 average and a .668 OPS with 85 strikeouts through 257 at-bats with the Blue Jays. The straw that broke the camel’s back on the potential demotion talk was the baserunning error during Wednesday’s contest, which really destroyed the momentum of the rally that was picking up steam in the eighth inning with the score tied at 0-0, where Biggio came in as a baserunning replacement for Brandon Belt who got the inning started with a leadoff single.

Right now, the bat is not playing well and a move to Triple-A, where Biggio can get regular reps with the Bisons, might just benefit both parties. Down in the minors, the lefty-batter can refocus and get back to his game away from the spotlight while the Jays can call upon another bat, whether it be a player on the 40-man like Spencer Horwitz or Otto López (Addison Barger is on the IL) or potentially go off the board and bring up someone like Jordan Luplow, Rafael Lantigua, Cam Eden, or Ernie Clement to take his spot on the roster. This could also benefit Biggio as he tries to see some increased reps in the outfield as well from a defensive standpoint, a move the 28-year-old expressed desire for earlier in spring training.

Overall, Biggio is struggling right now and it’s getting to a point where the Jays may need to make a move sooner rather than later even with Biggio’s ability to cover multiple positions.

 

I think the reason that Biggio has stuck around as long as he has, is the fact  that he's a lefty....but I can't help thinking that maybe Nathan Lukes should get a chance in some of those situations....

[Gurn]

^ It is sad to see that Cavan has not really progressed.

At one point he looked like a core guy, but time is proving otherwise.

I wonder if his Dad's old team would be interested in a  trade?

[Mj2345]

A programming reminder…Fridays Blue Jays game is only on AppleTV…so in place of it SN has Yankees/Reds 3:30pm then Red Sox/Padres 6:30pm

 

TSN2 has Guardians/Mets at 4pm

[Wilbur]

Don't give Aaron Judge anything to hit for the rest of the game.  Don't care if all he gets is walks.

[Gurn]

17 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

Don't give Aaron Judge anything to hit for the rest of the game.  Don't care if all he gets is walks.

seems like they should walk him every at bat.

 

I'm sure some one has done the math on this? , but I'd be tempted to take the sure thing, than gamble on him hitting a hr(62) or a double (28)

[Gurn]

I'm getting a bit concerned that  Buck Martinez is starting to decline.

Couple times today I think he called Aaron, Eric; 

Year long he seems more prone to just repeat what Dan said, than branching out into his own thoughts.

 

Hoping it is just me, and admittedly I'm dealing with a parent that is starting to slip, so I can be over alert to this.?

 

[shiznak]

That was pretty disappointing only getting one run, with the bases loaded and no outs.

[RUPERTKBD]

49 minutes ago, shiznak said:

That was pretty disappointing only getting one run, with the bases loaded and no outs.

I think that's putting it mildly...

 

It's pretty telling when people are all excited about their superstar hitting a Sac fly....

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

"Alright team let's make sure we don't... 'betray the identity of forthcoming pitches and convey that to Aaron Judge.'  Got it?"

 

Pitchers: "Uhhh. . ."

[shiznak]

One major problem with the lack of offence is, other than Bichette and a Vladdy. No one is scared of the Jays’ players, when they come up to bat. Especially, the middle of the lineup. Chapman has gone cold since his red hot April start. Varsho is looking like a 7-9 guy. Kirk off to a very slow start. And then you have Springer who can’t buy a hit. 

[RUPERTKBD]

11 hours ago, shiznak said:

One major problem with the lack of offence is, other than Bichette and a Vladdy. No one is scared of the Jays’ players, when they come up to bat. Especially, the middle of the lineup. Chapman has gone cold since his red hot April start. Varsho is looking like a 7-9 guy. Kirk off to a very slow start. And then you have Springer who can’t buy a hit. 

There was a Sportsnet article by BNS that was talking about the lack of production from the bench, specifically Biggio....

 

I couldn't help but agree with one person who commented on the lack of production from the regulars, as well.....when the guy who's getting the clutch hits is Danny Jansen, you've got issues on offense.

[van_ws]

Jays offense has been ice cold at home lately. Where are the supposed stars in these important games? Can't keep losing too many games in your division. It the rest of the teams keep beating on them they are merely bottom feeders in the division if not already.

 

[shiznak]

Times like these makes you miss Teo and Lourdes on the team. They were below average defenders, but at least they made up for it on offense. 

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

On 5/18/2023 at 10:43 PM, shiznak said:

One major problem with the lack of offence is, other than Bichette and a Vladdy. No one is scared of the Jays’ players, when they come up to bat. Especially, the middle of the lineup. Chapman has gone cold since his red hot April start. Varsho is looking like a 7-9 guy. Kirk off to a very slow start. And then you have Springer who can’t buy a hit. 

You mean Springer the leadoff king

[Wilbur]

Watching the game at a restaurant without volume, why did Manoah have to leave the game?

[Brad Marchand]

12 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

Watching the game at a restaurant without volume, why did Manoah have to leave the game?

Two mound visits in one inning means you have to make a pitching change. Apparently Schneider forgot that Walker had made a visit earlier that inning. Manoah's fine.

[Wilbur]

8 minutes ago, Brad Marchand said:

Two mound visits in one inning means you have to make a pitching change. Apparently Schneider forgot that Walker had made a visit earlier that inning. Manoah's fine.

Thanks, kinda what I thought but couldn't quite tell 

[van_ws]

Season is still early but this game pretty much says it all about this team, they are not contenders, nothing but overblown media hype. Schneider is not the solution can't manage the bullpen at all. Today was a gong show, Jays had plenty of chances to win and they blew every single opportunity.

 

This group much like other Toronto teams don't have the right core players that are willing to do what is needed to win. 9th inning, all you need to do is bunt to advance the runner to 3rd and then Sac fly will win in. Nope they keep swinging away. Pathetic.

 

That is it. Throwing in the towel on the Jays season. I seen enough from this group and management team to know they are not good enough to win a playoff game. At least you can say they are the best last place division team ever.

 

I am done with this team until we get a new group and management.

 

Edited May 20, 2023 by van_ws

[Bounce000]