Avoiding the Ashes: The 1994+ Toronto Blue Jays

[Daletiel]

April 1, 1994

On the eve of a season where they attempt to become the first three-peat World Series champion since the 1972-74 Oakland Athletics, the Toronto Blue Jays have announced a major change in their front office, naming Winston Neumayer as the team's third General Manager in franchise history.

The move comes on the heels of the sudden resignation of Pat Gillick, the architect of Toronto's success since the mid-80s. When asked for comment, an official close to the negotiations said, “We've taken our time in finding who we hope is an excellent, far-seeing general manager. It's hard to lose Pat, especially with the recent success we've had, but we respect his decision and wish him well. Now we look to the future and to winning three in a row.”

***

And so we begin my first attempt at trying to write a dynasty for a few years. If you know your Blue Jays history, Pat Gillick really did resign, albeit after the strike-shortened 1994 season. He was replaced by then-Assistant GM Gord Ash, who took the franchise through a tumultuous 7 years characterized by mediocrity and high-profile bad decisions (the Mike Sirotka trade and over-spending on older players). It was a stark and sudden fall for a franchise which had played at a consistent high level for almost a decade.

And I can do it better.

[Daletiel]

A couple of housekeeping things before we get started. Settings-wise, most things are remaining at their default levels with a few exceptions.

As I've seen a couple other dynasties try, I'm going to gradually increase the trade frequency as the season goes on, from Very Low in April through to Very High for the second half of July for the trade deadline. Once the deadline passes, it'll go back down to Very Low until the next season.

I'll be trying out 10/40/30/20 evaluation settings, my first attempt at going with settings that aren't the default, so I'll be curious to see how that changes things.

Apart from that, the only other thing I did was turn International Scouting Discoveries, Established International Free Agents and Independent League Free Agents all on to Very Low. Historical minors are on, but no other major leagues. Now we get to see how things play out.

[Daletiel]

[Daletiel]

April 3, 1994 – Opening Day!

On the job a couple of days, and there hasn't been a whole lot going on. After my introductory press conference, I got some face time with my boss and the owner of the Jays, Jody Paul, so we could go over his expectations for me going forward. Considering where the club is coming from (4 playoff berths in 5 seasons and back-to-back World Series titles), it's not all that surprising: Win the Championship and Build a Dynasty. His final, more mundane request is to upgrade at 3B. Considering what I have to work with, I'm not terribly surprised. Mr. Paul made it clear that his priority is winning, and that he intends to be pretty hands-off and let me do my job. I get the impression he's a pretty lenient man, and he may be charitable with the purse strings if I approach him about any budget-related matters.

I've started by filling a couple of front office holes stemming from my predecessor's departure, bringing in Ken Concialdi to be my Assistant GM and William Rios to be our incumbent manager Cito Gaston's Bench Coach.

Concialdi's been in the business 26 years, and has the excellent reputation and contacts I'll need going forward. His focus skews towards prospects, and I hear his abilities when it comes to the Rule IV Draft are second to none. We got him for 3 years at $200k/year.

Rios has 13 years of experience and a similarly excellent reputation to Concialdi within industry circles. He's a pretty conventional bench boss, and seems to already have a good relationship with a good portion of our 25-man roster. He should be a solid compliment to Gaston's more easygoing personality. He signed on for 2 years at $150k/year.

The pickings are pretty slim overall in available personnel, so I made the decision to play the year out and evaluate how everyone does. The majority of my staff throughout the minors are unproven and their contracts expire after this year, so their results will be looked at and extensions offered on a case-by-case basis. I would have liked to part ways with incumbent Scouting Director Ryan Haggerty, whose abilities I don't think are to the level I want in a head scout, but there just isn't anyone better on the market.

After my talk with Mr. Paul I felt comfortable with pouring some additional money into our long-term plans, bumping up our total scouting budget to $10M and our player development budget to $5M.

***

Now that the front office is taken care of, time to shift focus to the guys taking the field, starting with the starting rotation.

#66, RHP Juan Guzman (27 y/o) – went 14-3 with a 3.99 ERA in 221 IP, good for a 3.9 WAR season with a 105 ERA+. He's a groundball pitcher, and having a solid defensive pair up the middle as we do should lead to some success. Cito has him slotted in as the Opening Day starter; long-term, he's probably more of a solid #2 or high-end #3, but the flashes he's shown in the last two post-seasons make me dream he could be more. He's arbitration eligible at the end of the season, and is going to be due for a pretty solid raise.

#41, RHP Pat Hentgen (25 y/o) – went 19-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 216.1 IP, putting up a 1.5 WAR season with a 108 ERA+. He came up a bit short in the playoffs last year, but OSA and my scouting department are both in agreement that he has the potential to be a top of the rotation arm for years to come. He's also arbitration eligible.

#28, LHP Al Leiter (28 y/o) – went 9-6 with a 4.11 ERA and 2 saves in 105 IP, putting up 0.8 WAR with a 101 ERA+ as a swingman. His control needs a bit of work, but OSA and our scouts feel like he'll develop into a solid mid-to-top of the rotation arm. He's signed through 1996 at $1.22M/year.

#30, RHP Todd Stottlemyre (28 y/o) – went 11-12 with a 4.84 ERA in 176.2 IP, putting up 2.9 ERA with an 86 ERA+. He's definitely got some room for improvement, with a K/BB ratio (1.42) that leaves much to be desired, but his FIP of 3.90 seems to indicate he was the victim of a bit of bad luck. I'm hopeful he'll be able to develop into a solid middle of the rotation arm. He's making $375k and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

#34, RHP Dave Stewart (37 y/o) – went 12-8 with a 4.44 ERA in 162 IP, putting up a 0.3 ERA with a 94 ERA+. He's definitely on his last legs these days, hovering just below replacement level for a couple of years now. He'll probably be okay to eat some innings at the back of the rotation, but not much other than that. He's making $762k and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

***

While the rotation is looking pretty good, the bullpen… maybe not so much.

#69, LHP Tony Castillo (31 y/o) – went 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 51 games and a 124 ERA+. We're looking at small sample size syndrome, because that's one good year and Cito has him as the closer. Our scouting director is distinctly less kind to him, so we'll have to see. I'm not optimistic, though. He makes $225k and is up for arbitration.

#8, RHP Woody Williams (27 y/o) – went 3-1 with a 4.38 ERA in 30 games and a 95 ERA+. His FIP is only slightly better (4.09) and he has a K/BB ratio of 1.09, which I'm less than enthused about. Cito has him as our 8th inning arm, and scouting has him projecting to be a pretty solid arm down the road if his control improves. He's making league minimum, and isn't arbitration eligible yet.

#31, RHP Randy St. Claire (33 y/o) – went 6-10 with a 4.05 ERA and 3 saves in 67 games between three different AAA teams. Cito has him penciled in for the 7th, but I don't see him as more than filler. Making league minimum, and isn't arbitration eligible.

#40, RHP Mike Timlin (28 y/o) – went 4-2 with a 4.69 ERA and 1 save in 54 games and an ERA+ of 89. There are conflicting opinions on whether his control will improve enough to be useful, and his peripherals aren't great either. Cito has him as a middle reliever. He's making $135k and is arbitration eligible.

#3, RHP Les Lancaster (31 y/o) – went 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 50 games and an ERA+ of 141. He slightly outperformed his peripherals (3.78 FIP), but scouting doesn't like him for anything other than mop up. Cito doesn't trust him either, pegging him as low leverage long relief. He earns $290k and is a free agent at the end of the year.

#36, RHP Darren Hall (29 y/o) – went 6-7 with a 5.14 ERA and 13 saves in 60 games with Syracuse in AAA, for an ERA+ of 78. He's a warm body, and I don't expect much from him.

#54, RHP Duane Ward (29 y/o) – our ex-closer went 2-3 with a 2.13 ERA and 45 saves in 71 games, with an ERA+ of 195. Unfortunately, he's been suffering from some biceps tendonitis, and I'm not expecting him to be his old self, though I'll be pleasantly surprised if he has. Cito has him penciled in as a righty specialist, possibly in an attempt to shelter him in case his arm improves.

[Daletiel]

It's time to shift the attention to the position players, where I'm feeling we're in a much better position to make another run at the title.

Catchers
#6, Carlos Delgado (L, 21 y/o) - .303/.430/.524 with 25 HR and 102 RBI in 140 games with AA Knoxville. He'll still need to develop his other tools, but his eye and power are both major league ready, and he grades out as average to slightly above average as a catcher, with some ability at first base and left field as well. Cito has him penciled in as the starter, but we'll have to see how he handles his first prolonged taste of major league action. He's making the league minimum and isn't arbitration eligible.

#10, Pat Borders (R, 30 y/o) - .254/.285/.371 with 9 HR and 55 RBI in 138 games and an OPS+ of 76. The 1992 World Series MVP came back down to earth in '93. He's solid enough as a backup, and probably be tolerable enough as the starter if he needs to step in for Delgado. He's under contract for $212k and is a free agent at the end of the season.

Infielders
#19, 1B Paul Molitor (R, 37 y/o) - .332/.402/.509 with 22 HR and 111 RBI in 160 games and an OPS+ of 145. Molitor kept up the same torrid pace he had with Milwaukee in his first season north, leading the league in hits and being runner up to his teammate Olerud in a number of other offensive categories. He's 508 hits away from 3000, and will likely hit that milestone sometime in 1996 barring anything unforeseen if he can keep up the pace. Cito intends to give him every opportunity, slotting him in at #3 in the batting order. He's earning $4.84M through end of the year, and has a vesting option for 1995 if he hits 550 PA.

#9, 1B John Olerud (L, 25 y/o) - .363/.473/.599 with 24 HR and 107 RBI in 158 games and an OPS+ of 189. He lit up the league with a breakout season, and though he likely won't repeat those numbers somewhere between them and the numbers of his previous few seasons will be more than sufficient to keep his bat in the heart of the order. He's earning $1.24M and is arbitration eligible.

#12, 2B Roberto Alomar (S, 26 y/o) - .326/.408/.492 with 17 HR and 93 RBI in 153 games and an OPS+ of 143. The final piece of Toronto's 3-headed batting monster, he's been getting steadily better and provides highlight reel defense at the keystone base. Unfortunately, he's made it clear that he doesn't want to sign an extension as long as Cito is manager, which will be a tricky situation to deal with considering he's a free agent at the end of the season. He's earning $1.7M.

#14, SS Dick Schofield (R, 31 y/o) - .191/.294/.236 in 36 games. Your proto-typical glove-first middle infielder. At least he and Alomar will make a formidable double play combination, but it will definitely be an area to target for improvement. He makes $340k and is a free agent at the end of the year.

#11, 3B Darnell Coles (R, 31 y/o) - .253/.319/.371 in 64 games. He's being pressed into a starting role this year, as Cito has him ahead of fellow third-bagger Sprague. He definitely isn't a long-term solution. He earns $340k and is a free agent at the end of the year.

#33, 3B Ed Sprague (R, 26 y/o) - .260/.310/.386 in 150 games and an OPS+ of 88. I'm not sure why Cito has him on the bench behind Coles, but he'll be ready to step in if Coles falters. He's earning $135k and is arbitration eligible.

#46, 2B Ray Giannelli (L, 28 y/o) - .253/.316/.397 with 11 HR and 42 RBI in 127 games with AAA Syracuse. He's got poor hitting skills, but a solid eye for working a count and will provide good defensive flexibility at 2B, 1B and LF. He's earning league minimum.


Outfielders
#26, LF Mike Huff (R, 30 y/o) – split time between AAA and the majors with the White Sox organization. He looks to be around replacement level, and should be a decent stopgap for the time being. He's making $195k and is arbitration eligible.

#25, CF Devon White (S, 31 y/o) - .273/.341/.438 with 15 HR and 52 RBI in 146 games and an OPS+ of 110. With 5 of the past 6 Gold Gloves under his belt, Devo is arguably the top defensive center fielder in the league, and solidly average-to-above average with the bat to boot. He's making $4.8M and is a free agent at the end of the season.

#29, RF Joe Carter (R, 34 y/o) - .254/.312/.489 with 33 HR and 121 RBI in 155 games, an OPS+ of 114 and the single biggest sporting moment in Toronto sports history since the Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. He remains an offensive force in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup, but he also isn't getting any younger and is locked up through 1997, when he'll be 37 years old. He's earning $5M this year, which drops to $4.4M for the following two years and $3.6M in the final year. Certainly more palatable, but still cringe inducing long-term.

#15, OF Shawn Green (L, 21 y/o) - .283/.339/.367 in 99 games with AA Knoxville. He's still green, but in lieu of better options he'll start the year as the fourth outfielder. If a better option comes up on the waiver wire or through free agency, I'll hop on it to send him down to AAA for more seasoning. Barring that, we'll give him a good long look. He's ranked the 32nd prospect overall, so we'll probably give him a bit of leash. He's making league minimum.


Evaluations Summary
Overall, I'm reasonably satisfied with the 25-man roster as constructed, but there are definitely some areas for improvement. The bullpen can use an impact arm or two, and though the offense will likely be pretty potent, the left side of the infield concerns me somewhat. With not much in the way of reinforcements coming from within, I'll have to look without for some of those solutions.

[Daletiel]

Game 1: White Sox spoil Toronto's home opener, 6-2

Julio Franco went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, pacing Chicago's offense as they capitalized on a pair of Toronto errors en route to an easy victory to begin the season. Mike Huff did all he could to help the Jays claw back, smacking a pair of late-game triples and scoring a run.

WP: Jack McDowell (1-0)
LP: Juan Guzman (0-1)


Game 2: Tight Tilt Goes to Blue Jays, 4-3

A game ending double play spoiled Chicago's attempt at a comeback and sealed the win for Todd Stottlemyre, who went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs and fanning 9 for the victory.

WP: Todd Stottlemyre (1-0)
LP: Alex Fernandez (0-1)
SV: Tony Castillo (1)
HR: John Olerud (1)

GM Note: A day or two ago I put in a waiver claim on Pittsburgh knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, in the hopes of being able to sneak him through to the minors, but the Mets swooped in and snagged him ahead of us.


Game 3: White Sox mow down Blue Jays, 9-3

Frank Thomas did all the damage himself, going 2-for-4 with a homer and driving in 3 runs, walking twice and scoring on both freebies. Jays fielders committed a trio of errors, making 5 in three games and a rather disturbing early season trend.

WP: Wilson Alvarez (1-0)
LP: Dave Stewart (0-1)
HR: Frank Thomas (1), Ron Karkovice (1), Devon White (1)

[Daletiel]

Game 4: Molitor strokes #2500 in Toronto's 4-1 victory

Molitor ends his 3-for-3 night with #2500 and Pat Hentgen went 7 strong innings to take the series opener. Ken Griffey Jr. belted his 5th homer of the year to drive in Seattle's only run.

WP: Pat Hentgen (1-0)
LP: Dave Fleming (0-1)
SV: Tony Castillo (2)
HR: Ken Griffey, Jr (5), Paul Molitor (1)


Game 5: Griffey blasts Mariners past Blue Jays, 11-1

The man they call Junior continued his tear to start the season, going 4-for-5 with a walk and 2 RBI, coming a double shy of the cycle. Jays starter Guzman imploded and was yanked after 5 innings, ending with 5 earned runs on 7 hits despite a sterling 8-to-1 K/BB ratio on the day.

WP: Roger Salkeld (1-0)
LP: Juan Guzman (0-2)
HR: Mike Blowers (1), Ken Griffey, Jr. (6), Devon White (2)


Game 6: Johnson shuts down Blue Jays

The Big Unit tossed a 2-hitter across 8 innings with 8 strikeouts. Stottlemyre gave up 10 hits across 6 innings for Toronto, whose rally in the bottom of the 9th was snuffed out by a gorgeous throw from Griffey to gun down Molitor, who was trying to go first-to-third on John Olerud's 1-out single.

WP: Randy Johnson (1-1)
LP: Todd Stottlemyre (1-1)
SV: Bobby Ayala (1)
HR: Reggie Jefferson (1)

[Daletiel]

Game #7: Blue Jays turn back A's, 7-5

We batted around in the 7th and came all the way back from a 4-0 deficit thanks in large part to a bases loaded 2-run single from Devon White. Dave Stewart's outing wasn't pretty, allowing 4 earned runs in 4 innings.

WP: Darren Hall (1-0)
LP: Dave Leiper (0-1, BS)
SV: Tony Castillo (3)

Game #8: Jays prevail in extras, 6-4

Ron Darling's 3-hit, 8 inning performance wasn't quite enough, as Carlos Delgado played the hero in the 11th with a 2-run blast. Al Leiter's solid 7-inning performance ended with him getting a no-decision, with Tony Castillo blowing his first save of the season.

WP: Randy St. Claire (1-0)
LP: Vince Horsman (0-1)
HR: John Olerud (2), Carlos Delgado (1)

Game #9: Toronto survives 9th inning scare to complete sweep of Oakland

It was a scary sight in Oakland, as the A's managed to get the tying and winning runs on base, but Duane Ward managed to get the final strikeout to seal the 1-run win. John Olerud had a big game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI.

WP: Pat Hentgen (2-0)
LP: Bob Welch (1-1)
SV: Duane Ward (1)
HR: John Olerud (3), Troy Neel (2), Scott Brosius (2)

[Daletiel]

Game #10: Dopson keeps Jays offense under wraps

We may have gotten to the Angels starter in the hits column, but we couldn't produce when it counted, scoring only a single run in John Dopson's 7.2 innings of work. Mike Huff produced that lone run with an RBI double in the 9th, when the game was already out of reach. Juan Guzman had another rough game, dropping his third straight decision.

WP: John Dopson (1-1)
LP: Juan Guzman (0-3)
HR: J.T. Snow (1)

GM Note: I got some good news after the game from head scout Ryan Haggerty, who believes he's found a potential superstar in 16-year-old Venezuelan catcher Carlos Lopez. He's going to get some time in our International Complex for seasoning, and I'll be keeping a close eye on his development moving forward.

Game #11: Finley cruises to 1-hit Shutout

Chuck Finley was absolutely dominating, fanning 7 for the complete game win on yet another night where our offense was stifled. Todd Stottlemyre was doing well until getting lit up in the 5th inning; Duane Ward pitched the remaining 2.2 and was solid, the final earned run on a solo homer to Bo Jackson, his only hit allowed.

WP: Chuck Finley (2-1)
LP: Todd Stottlemyre (1-2)
HR: Chili Davis (4), Tim Salmon (3), Bo Jackson (1)

Game #12: Stewart bounces back, Jays rally late to prevail 2-0

"Smoke" showed flashes of his previous form after two sub-par efforts to begin the season, scattering 2 hits across 7.1 innings. Unfortunately, our offense remained as silent as California's and he was stuck with the no-decision. Ed Sprague was the hero in this one, delivering a 1 out, 2-RBI single in the top of the 9th to seal the win. Tony Castillo struck out the side in the bottom half to secure his 4th save of the year, but not before making it interesting by alternating those punchouts with walks.

WP: Woody Williams (1-0)
LP: Joe Grahe (0-1)
SV: Tony Castillo (4)
Injuries: Chili Davis had to leave the game in the 8th after suffering a concussion fielding a Paul Molitor flyout.

GM Notes: More good news after the game in the form of an email from Chipper Jones' agent that he's accepted my contract offer. It's an 800k guaranteed pact, but he's not even arbitration eligible yet so he's got team control. Ryan (Haggerty, scouting director) isn't as high on him as OSA scouts are, but he still projects him as a solid regular for years to come. It's a gamble, but I can see him being a staple at the hot corner so I feel it's worth the risk.

Roster Moves: RF Shawn Green demoted to AAA Syracuse, 3B Chipper Jones assigned to AAA Syracuse, 1B/OF Jack Daugherty called up to MLB Toronto

Game #12: Elder Leiter wins battle of the brothers, Angels shut out Jays

On this night, the older brother laid down the law. Mark Leiter held our offense off the scoreboard on 5 hits, and outdueled younger brother Al, who only lasted 4 innings and took the loss.

WP: Mark Leiter (1-2)
LP: Al Leiter (0-1)
HR: Tim Salmon (4), Rex Hudler (1), Damon Easley (2)

[Daletiel]

Game #14: Jays let game slip away in extras

This was our game to lose, and we did. With men on second and third and no outs in the 9th, we couldn't capitalize, and allowed the Rodriguez's (Ivan and Juan) to drive in the go ahead run with back to back doubles.

WP: Tom Henke (1-1)
LP: Randy St. Claire (1-1)
SV: Rick Honeycutt (2)
HR: Carlos Delgado (2)

Game #15: Carter drives in 3 as Blue Jays trounce Rangers

Joe Carter went 4-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI, and Pat Hentgen went the distance to improve to 3-0 and split the series with Texas.

WP: Pat Hentgen (3-0)
LP: Steve Dreyer (1-1)
HR: Chris James (2)

[Daletiel]

Game #16: Jays win wild one, lose Stottlemyre

Todd Stottlemyre had to leave the game after 1 inning, while the bullpen stepped in to take the game home in this raucous affair. Joe Carter had the big day today, going 3-for-5 with a home run, his first of the year.

WP: Woody Williams (2-0)
LP: Jim Deshaies (2-2)
SV: Randy St. Claire (1)
HR: Joe Carter (1), Shane Mack (2)

GM Notes: Thankfully the prognosis looks good for Stottlemyre, just a sprained ankle. He shouldn't miss his next start.

Game #17: Twins come up short in Toronto

Another strong game from Dave Stewart, going 8 innings and giving our bullpen a chance to recover after last night's tilt. Paul Molitor doubled 3 times in the victory, improving his batting average to .406.

WP: Dave Stewart (1-1)
LP: Mike Trombley (1-2)
SV: Tony Castillo (5)
HR: Joe Carter (2), Dave Winfield (1)

Game #18: Twins score late, avoid the sweep

Tony Castillo takes the loss in this one on his second blown save attempt of the year. Joe Carter continues to heat up, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs driven in.

WP: Carl Willis (1-0)
LP: Tony Castillo (0-1)
SV: Rick Aguilera (7)
HR: Scott Leius (2)

[Daletiel]

Game #19: Hentgen stellar in win over Royals

Pat Hentgen was pivotal in this one, pitching into the 9th and allowing 3 runs (only 2 earned) on 6 scattered hits for the victory. Rookie catcher Carlos Delgado drove in 5, improving his batting average to .222 on the year.

WP: Pat Hentgen (4-0)
LP: Kevin Appier (2-2)
HR: Wally Joyner (1), Dave Henderson (1)

Game #20: Blue Jays lose a barn-burner in Kansas City

Al Leiter didn't make it out of the 2nd inning in what looked like it was going to be a long night, but Delgado helped keep us in the game by going 1-for-2 with a home run, a pair of walks and 3 RBI. Ultimately the bullpen let us down, with Duane Ward blowing the save and taking the loss to split the mini-series with the Royals.

WP: Neil Atkinson (2-0)
LP: Duane Ward (0-1)
SV: Jeff Montgomery (7)
HR: Carlos Delgado (3)

[Daletiel]

Game #21: Blue Jays squeak past Rangers

Todd Stottlemyre's strong performance (his first after his sprained ankle) was almost washed away by closer Tony Castillo, who let the tying and winning runs reach base before settling down to end the game.

WP: Todd Stottlemyre (2-2)
LP: Kenny Rogers (2-1)
SV: Tony Castillo (6)
HR: Joe Carter (3), Jose Canseco (3)

Game #22: Rangers prevail 7-5 over Toronto

Jose Canseco was the hero for Texas, delivering a triple in the bottom of the 8th to put the Rangers ahead for good and wasting a solid effort from Toronto's lineup to come back and force Texas' bullpen to blow the save twice.

WP: Cris Carpenter (1-1)
LP: Mike Timlin (0-1)

[rpriske]

I'll be following!

[Daletiel]

Originally Posted by rpriske

I'll be following!

Glad to hear it! Hope you're enjoying it so far!

[Daletiel]

Game #23: Twins trounce Jays to improve to 14-10

Another rough start for Juan Guzman, who only lasted 3 innings. Dick Schofield continued his hot play at short, going 2-for-4.

WP: Travis Miller (2-2)
LP: Juan Guzman (0-4)
HR: Devon White (3)

Game #24: Hentgen stays perfect, Jays top Twins

Pat Hentgen scattered 7 hits in 7 innings, allowing a single run to improve his ERA on the year to 1.69. Ed Sprague put the game firmly in the win column, with a pinch hit 2-out, 2 RBI single to start a 4 run inning.

WP: Pat Hentgen (5-0)
LP: Kevin Tapani (4-2)
SV: Tony Castillo (7)

Game #25: Blue Jays demolish Minnesota 13-4

Al Leiter almost went the distance, and Devon White went 3-for-4 with 2 triples on a night when 7 of the 9 starters got at least one hit.

WP: Al Leiter (1-1)
LP: Scott Ericksson (3-1)
HR: Shane Mack (4), Bernardo Brito (5)

[Daletiel]

First month is in the books, and I'm not wholly thrilled with where we're at as a team. Sure, we're a game up for the division lead, but at least some of that is due to luck. We've outplayed our Pythagorean record by a couple games, and have a run differential of -11.

The biggest surprise thus far has to be Dick Schofield, who is triple slashing .398/.500/.494 with an OPS+ of 162. Unfortunately, that's being fueled by a .465 BABIP, so he's bound to fall back down to earth.

Robbie Alomar has been slumping to start the year, but he's been suffering some bad luck on the back of a .245 BABIP, and I'm hopeful he'll be able to start trending upwards toward his true skill level. On the plus side, he's softened his stance and is willing to talk extension, but he's looking for a 7 year agreement, with an opt out after Year 2 and a Player Option for an 8th to take him through his Age 34 season. Not a contract I'm terribly keen on, but it may make sense to get something worked out soon while he's in a production slump and bank on him bouncing back.

Despite grading out above average so far in pitching, there are definite areas of improvement. A couple of bullpen pieces (Timlin and Ward) are getting a decent amount of work and not doing well, may be worth making a change there. Guzman and Leiter have both been slow to start the season, hopefully they can start to turn it around so we can start to pull ourselves away from our divisional opponents.

[Daletiel]

April 6: Kirby Puckett earned his 2000th hit in Minnesota's 5-0 win over California.
April 11: Minnesota's Kirby Puckett suffers a sprained thumb, out for 6 weeks
April 11: Robby Thompson signs a 5 year, $19M contract with San Francisco, with a player option for the 5th year.
April 15: Atlanta's Jeff Blauser suffers a sprained lat, out for 5 weeks.
April 15: Seattle's Randy Johnson throws the season's first no-hitter, the second of his career, in a 6-0 victory over Milwaukee.
April 16: Pittsburgh's Jon Lieber suffers a ruptured UCL, done for the year.
April 18: California announces Chili Davis done for the year with a concussion.
April 19: Montreal's Larry Walker suffers an intercostal strain, out for 4 weeks.
April 24: Pittsburgh's Andy Van Slyke suffers a fractured finger, out for 5 weeks.
April 26: Greg Maddux signs a 6 year, $31.8M contract extension with Atlanta.
April 27: Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games played streak ends at 1,918 games after suffering a shoulder injury that will keep him out for 2 weeks.

Top Pitchers: Greg Maddux (Atlanta), Randy Johnson (Seattle)
Top Batters: Jeff Bagwell (Houston), Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle)
Top Rookies: Bob Hamelin (Los Angeles), Trent Hubbard (Colorado)

[Daletiel]

Game #26: Royals lose 9-5 at the Skydome

Kansas City's Greg Gagne was great on this night for the Royals, going 2-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBI, but a big 6-run 6th inning was too much for the visitors to overcome.

WP: Mike Timlin (1-1)
LP: Hipolito Pichardo (1-2)
SV: Tony Castillo (8)
HR: Greg Gagne (2), Devon White (4)

Game #27: Sprague Walks Off in 11

Juan Guzman only last 4 innings, but the rest of the bullpen came through with 7 scoreless innings on his heels to set up Ed Sprague's walk-off RBI in single to seal the win. It was a rough night for injuries, as the Royals' Vince Coleman and Dave Henderson, along with Jays reliever Darren Hall all left the game due to injuries. Hall's diagnosis is still pending, hopefully he won't be out long as he's been one of the anchors of the bullpen.

WP: Woody Williams (3-0)
LP: Rusty Meacham (0-3)
HR: Greg Gagne (3), Carlos Delgado (4)

Game #28: Blue Jays bridle Royals to complete sweep

Pat Hentgen was stellar in 7 strong innings, improving to 6-0 with a 1.83 ERA to lead the American League, and is in the top 10 in strikeouts, K/9 and K/BB rates.

WP: Pat Hentgen (6-0)
LP: Kevin Appier (3-3)
SV: Duane Ward (2)
HR: Devon White (5)

[Daletiel]

GM Note: Darren Hall's prognosis came back as a finger blister, he's out for 2 weeks. He's going on the 15 day DL, and AAA closer Danny Cox (1-2, 4.35 ERA, 5 SV) is coming up to take his spot.

Player's Note: When I was looking over my AAA roster I discovered that there is a duplicate Randy St. Claire down there. It's unfortunate that I didn't discover it sooner, but there's nothing to be done now. I'm going to rename him and shortlist him, so that I can easily force retire the clone at season's end. Can't be getting too far ahead of the scientific curve, after all...

Game #29: Brewers pummel Blue Jays

This was one to forget. We were held to 4 hits while every Brewers regular had at least one, including a 5-for-6 performance from Kevin Seitzer, and brought our win streak to a halt at 5.

WP: Bill Wegman (1-4)
LP: Dave Stewart (1-2)
HR: Jose Valentin (4), Dave Nilsson (2)

Game #30: Toronto returns the favour, downs Milwaukee

Me and Cito were both very pleased with how the guys responded in the wake of such a trouncing; every regular except Carlos Delgado had at least one hit, with Devon White leading the way with 3.

WP: Al Leiter (2-1)
LP: Cal Eldred (0-3)
HR: Devon White (6), Mike Huff (1)

Game #31: Jays bullpen implodes, Brewers come back in 9th to win

Tony Castillo blew his third save of the year and threw away a great performance from Todd Stottlemyre in this one.

WP: Ricky Bones (4-1)
LP: Tony Castillo (0-2)
SV: Graeme Lloyd (5)