MLB 2012 - The Toronto Ban Jays

[Griever20]

It's an exciting day in Major League Baseball, as the 2016 first-year player draft is held today. The first five picks go to Milwaukee, Colorado, Kansas City, San Diego and Milwaukee. BNN has scouted the class and thinks these ten players are the best available this year:

1. George Rudolph, 19 year-old CF out of high-school.
2. Kurt Zavala, 18 year-old CF out of high-school.
3. Jesus Garza, 18 year-old SS out of high-school.
4. Lalla Vega, 23 year-old SS out of college.
5. Jim McConnell, 20 year-old CF out of college.
6. Ryan Braithwaite, 18 year-old LF out of high-school.
7. Juan Puente, 21 year-old CF out of college.
8. Will Gautreaux, 18 year-old 2B out of high-school.
9. Mark Stasny, 23 year-old C out of college.
10. Casey Hicks, 20 year-old CF out of college.

1st Round, 1st Pick(1st overall) Milwaukee Brewers select CF George Rudolph(19, 0.5/5*) out of Glenn High School (Norwalk, CA)
Average Competition: .645-23-74 2.304OPS 41G 9.7WAR
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $5M
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Leader, Adaptability, Work Ethic, Financial Ambition, Loyalty
Hitting in ways that make the term ‘video game numbers’ look like an understatement, Rudolph adds Gold Glove defense to an elite hitting tool. A high schooler with some risk, the ceiling is certainly there for a 1-1 pick.

1st Round, 26th Pick(26th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 2B Matt Linville(19, 0.5/5*) out of Baltimore Talent Development HS (Baltimore, MD)
Average Competition: .552-20-63 1.953OPS 40G 7.8WAR
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $380k
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Baseball IQ, Work Ethic
Our scouts really like this 19-year old right-handed hitter who, while not an elite hitting prospect, is rated 55/65/70/50/55 potential with solid defense, and great personality skills. His defense will need some work… but that’s our specialty in the D-Lab, isn’t it?

2nd Round, 26th Pick(70th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHRP Travis Sanders(18, 1.5/5*) out of Clearfield High School (UT)
Average Competition: 6-0 0.34 151K 5.7WAR 79IP
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Baseball IQ
The annual tradition of picking a relief prospect early in the draft. Throwing a slider and a cutter that is already mid 90’s, the main question is, will the command and control come. Can go multiple innings, but in itself a 2-pitch reliever. Not the brightest bulp, the HS senior will need some time to develop his pitches, but if he can, the stuff is elite.

3rd Round, 27th Pick(98th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select CF Mark Gensel(18, 0.5/3.5*) out of Agua Dulce High School (TX)
Average Competition: .539-16-55 1.880OPS 6.6WAR 35G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $340k
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Loyalty, Adaptabiliy, Work Ethic
A good defender (surprise) that has a 65/70/60/45/70 potential bat, Gensel adds a good personality and above average speed. Seems like we are going high school heavy again.

4th Round, 30th Pick(130th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 3B Josh Smith(19, 0.5/4*) out of Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR)
Average Competition: .497-18-59 1.783OPS 6.9WAR 40G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $450k
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Loyalty, Leader, Adaptability
Another high school senior with a great personality, Smith figures to be a 65/55/55/50/70 potential bat that lacks a serious additional tool… as Smith is a subpar defender at third base… we may transition him to first. But, given the bat, the guy deserves to be picked here with his bat alone.

5th Round, 30th Pick(160th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP Ernest Desjardins(21, 1.5/3*) out of University of Louisville (Louisville, KY)
Great Competition: 6-3 3.13 113K 2.6WAR 18G/14GS
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Loyalty, Adaptability, Work Ethic, Baseball IQ, Financial Ambition
The trademark Canadian native pick of the draft, Desjardins features one of the nastiest fastballs of the draft and an equally nasty cutter with an average curve and a sinker as emergency option. One of our scouts said that “ this guy is too clever for baseball,” but we hope that he can use this cleverness to develop his curveball further and become a dominant force.

6th Round, 30th Pick(190th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHRP Omar Ruelas(18, 1.5/4*) out of West Harrison High School (Gulfport, MS)
Average Competition: 3-0 11SV 0.96 68K 1.7WAR 17G/2GS
Signability: Extemely Hard, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Adaptability
Another good relief prospect, Ruelas throws a low to mid 90’s heater with a curveball but unsurprisingly, control and command are issues to address, but he is a nice little prospect that won’t cost us much.

7th Round, 30th Pick(220th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select CF Jimmy Baize(18, 0.5/3*) out of West Las Vegas High School (Las Vegas, NM)
Average Competition: .518-14-50 1.823OPS 6.2WAR 35G
Signability: Extemely Hard, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Unknown
Solid all around player that can hold down a corner outfield slot very well defensively. There may not be a lot of upside tho.

8th Round, 30th Pick(250th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select LHSP Jeff Crum(18, 1/3*) out of Philadelphia Electric Charter (Philadelphia, PA)
Average Competition: 9-1 1.74 117K 4.3WAR 13GS
Signability: Hard, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: Normal
Personality: Financial Ambition, Baseball IQ
Run of the mill pitcher with no real out pitch, but a wide assortment of pitches with a bang on 90mph cutter for heat, his best skill is… to go deep into games.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
July 5th – 1B Ricardo Camacho(26, 2.5/3*, .342-6-17 .944OPS 1.1WAR 32G) was placed on the 15-day IL with a fractured hand 4-5 weeks. We will go with 25 man on the roster as Joe Sokolow will return on the 7th .

July 23rd – In a 2-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals, RHSP Marcus Stroman(25, 3*, 8-5 4.30 99K 2.1WAR) had to leave the game with elbow pain… which turned out to be bone chips 6-7 weeks.. He was placed on the 15-day IL and we welcome back LHSP Daniel Norris(23, 2/3.5*, 5-9 5.28 85K 1.6WAR AAA).

July 29th – Thanks to some great rehab work, 1B Ricardo Camacho(26, 2.5/3*, .342-6-17 .944OPS 1.1WAR 32G) was activated off the IL and with a heavy heart… or not… 1B Adam Brzezinski(27, 2.5*, .286-1-13 .799OPS 0.2WAR) was sent to AAA.

Series:
1-0 vs CWS (LF Nick Castellanos 3-4 2R 4RBI DB 2HR(17))
2-1 @ LAA (SP Henderson Alvarez III 6IP 3H 0ER 3BB 6K W(8-5 3.83), C Devin Mesoraco 2-4 2R 5RBI BB HR(11))
1-2 @ CLE (SP Henderson Alvarez III 7IP 4H 0ER 0BB 5K W(9-5 3.58))
3-0 vs BOS (SP Marcus Stroman 5.1IP 5H 2ER 1BB 5K ND(7-5 4-50), Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 5H 0ER 0BB 6K ND(9-2 3.46), SP Noah Syndergaard 5IP 2H 1ER 0BB 5K W(9-4 3.91))
2-1 @ TBR (3B Anthony Rendon 3-5 3R 2RBI BB HR(7), SP Marcus Stroman 6.1IP 4H 0ER 2BB 7K W(8-5 4.26))
3-0 vs OAK (SP Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 1H 0ER 2BB 7K W(10-2 3.27), 1B Joe Sokolow 2-3 2R BB RBI HR(10), SP Juan Gonzalez 5.1IP 3H 1ER 1BB 7K W(2-1 4.55))
1-2 @ KCR (SS Jim Hatfield 5-6 2R 3RBI HR(21))
3-0 vs BAL (SS Jim Hatfield 2-4 2R 2RBI BB DB HR(22), 2B Brad Finkbeiner 3-4 2R RBI DB)
3-0 @ NYY (LF Jesse Winker 3-44 2R 3RBI 2HR(18), SP Daniel Norris 5.1IP 4H 0ER 1BB 5K W(1-1 5.62), C Devin Mesoraco 2-4 2R 4RBI BB 2HR(15))

Record:73-35 , 1st in AL East, 19G lead over NYY
July: 19-6
Runs Scored: 553(3rd)
Batting AVG: .269(3rd)
OBP: .337(3rd)
Home Runs: 167(1st)
Stolen Bases: 71(4th)
Runs Against: 407(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.90(2nd)
Bullpen ERA: 2.82(1st)
Defensive Eff.: .707(1st)
Zone Rating: +40.9(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: see below 😊
Toronto Position Player of the Month: DH Eugenio Suárez .326-9-18 1.072OPS 18R 1.5WAR

The train continues to roll as we really picked up pace in June and never stopped in July. Looking around the AL, there seems to be no team talented enough to stop us… but that means… basically nothing in a playoff scenario.

Yes, Daniel Norris had a good and a bad start and Juan Gonzalez has not been the best thing since sliced bread (so far), but the offense is rolling and the bullpen is absurdly good. Buchanan is on pace for a 47 saves season with a 2.28 ERA and 1.2WAR… that is a
Reliever of the Year in my book.

Also, Devin Mesoraco may just be getting hot as he had a torrid 1.264OPS week at the end of July and Eugenio Suárez is on pace for 51 home runs with 123RBI’s and leads the AL by whooping 7 home runs. Good boy.

Another good boy? Clayton Kershaw is 8-7 1.99 176K 6.5WAR on a losing team… yet will win his 5th Cy Young Award barring injury… at age 28.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA RHCL Jorge Diaz(20, 2/5*) 1-0 7SV 0.96 24K 1.1WAR 12G 18.2IP
R LHRP David Lares(20, 1.5/2.5*) 1-1 9SV 0.69 20K 0.6WAR 11G 13IP
R DH Carlos Perez(20, 1/3*) .429-16-51 1.421OPS 2.0WAR 25GS
won Monthly Awards

We still cling on to the best minor league system in baseball… which won’t last when Gonzalez becomes ineligible as the Houston Astros have the #1 and #2 prospect…

Now, another guy to watch… is AAA catcher Bobby Cary. The 20-year old scouting discovery is the #36 prospect, rated 50/50/70/55/50 potential… and ‘would’ make him better rated at the plate as Mesoraco… stay tuned.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
LHSP Antonio Velez(16, 3*) 55/50/55 93-95mph fastball, 55 stamina from the Miami Marlins.

In Other News:

July 1st – Kansas City C Salvador Perez(26, 3.5*) hammered three home runs today in a 11-4 rout of the Red Sox, going 3-5 3R 6RBI 3HR. The 4x All-Star is batting .297-13-49 .777OPS 1.9WAR in 74 games.

July 4th – Diamondbacks 3B Edwin Encarnacion(33, 3*) collected career home run #300 today! The 3x All-Star and 1x Silver Slugger is a career .262/.342/.482 301HR 840RBI 830R 1425H 94/125SB 34.2WAR hitter in 1504 between CIN, TOR, TBR and now ARI.

July 7th – Atlanta C Luke Maile(25, 2.5*) lost an impressive 20-game hitting streak in a 10-0 loss to the Brewers. The 2013 Rule 5 draftee is batting .288-9-28 .825OPS 2.8WAR in 78 games.

July 7th – Cardinals SS Rick MacDonald(26, 3*) joined Maile in losing his 20-game hitting streak, with both being tied for the longest in the NL and the second longest in the majors this year. MacDonald is batting .3766-6-35 .957OPS 2.7WAR in 81 games and 57 starts this year.

July 11th – Tampa Bay 1B Sean Rodriguez(31, 2*) dumped five hits in a 12-7 win at Yankee Stadium today, going 5-5 3R RBI TP for the game. Many say that the 31-year old is on his last leg, batting .213-5-26 .574OPS -0.8WAR in 89 games.

July 11th – San Diego 1B Prince Fielder(32, 3.5*) slammed career home run #400 today, cementing his legacy as an elite slugger in the 2010’s. The 7x All-Star and 5x Silver Slugger is a career .292/.398/.552 400HR 1127RBI 1006R 1769H 57.3WAR hitter in 1713 games between MIL, DET and now SDP.

July 17th – Oakland 3B Aramis Ramirez(38, 2*) may be in the twilight of his career, but still managed to hit career home run #400 today. The 2x Silver Slugger and 2x All-Star is a career .277/.335/.481 400HR 1450RBI 1168R 2369H 47.6WAR hitter in 2304 games between PIT, CHC, MIL, PHI and now OAK.

July 17th – In the first big trade of the trade season, the struggling 45-50 Los Angeles Dodgers have traded away RHCL Kenley Jansen(28, 4*, 2-3 18SV 3.41 45K 1.0WAR) to the 49-45 Seattle Mariners for a minor first base prospect. Jansen is a free agent this winter.

July 18th – Atlanta CF Manuel Margot(21, 2.5*) does not usually hit a lot of home runs, but today, went deep thrice, going 3-4 3R 3RBI with three home runs, albeit in a 6-3 loss to the Phillies. The 21-year old dynamite defenser and base stealer is batting .202-12-31 .586OPS 16/16SB 0.5WAR in 93 games in his rookie season.

July 18th – Reds LF Carlos Quentin(33, 2.5*) is well on pace for another 35HR season and added to that with a 3 home run game, going 3-3 3R 5RBI BB 3HR in a 10-1 win over the Nats. The 3x All-Star is batting .231-21-55 .836OPS 0.5WAR in 89 games.

July 20th – Pirates RHSP Rogerio Contreras(26, 2.5/4*) showed some life in a difficult season, pitching a complete game 3-hitter with 2BB and 7K in a 7-0 win over the Marlins. His biggest weakness is his third pitch, the sinker, and it shows this year as he is 10-6 5.74 93K 0.3WAR in 19 starts.

July 22nd – Rays RHSP Alex Cobb(28, 2.5*) blanked the Tigers today with a 5-hit shutout, walking two and striking out 6 in a 5-0 win. A consistent double digit game winner the last three seasons, Cobb is only 5-7 5.45 102K 0.7WAR in 19 starts.

July 24th – St. Louis 3B Rick MacDonald(26, 3.5*) collected a rare 6-hit game, showing off his 80-rated contract ability, going 6-6 2R RBI DB in a 9-8 win over the Diamondbacks. The 26-year old is batting .391-6-38 .982OPS 3.1WAR in 93 games.

July 27th – The 51-53 Arizona Diamondbacks are reunited with veteran RHRP J.J. Putz(39, 3.5*, 4-1 2SV 2.91 48K 1.3WAR) as they acquired him via trade from the Cubs for a minor prospect.

July 29th – Probably the biggest reliever of this year’s trade market has joined the 57-48 Miami Marlins as they traded for Kansas City RHCL Greg Holland(30, 4.5*, 0-3 6SV 3.42 55K 1.3WAR) in exchange for prospect A RHRP Allan Botos(21, 2/3.5*).

July 29th – Adding a star catcher was one priority of the 55-50 Pirates, and they did so by adding C Jonathan Lucroy(30, 3*) from the 41-64 Milwaukee Brewers. Absorbing 80% of his remaining $14.8M contract, the Brew Crew get back a trio of prospects highlighted by AAA LHRP Chris Robinson(21, 2/3.5*, 5-6 16SV 3.32 25K 0.7WAR AAA).

July 29th – Houston LHSP Ross Detwiler(30, 2.5*) dominated one of his former teams, the Oakland Athletics, 13-0 with a complete game 3-hitter with 0BB and 6K. The Rule 5 draftee last winter is 6-4 4.42 83K 1-5WAR in 21 starts.

July 31st – In a last minute deal between two contending teams, the 59-49 Angels added LF Marcell Ozuna(25, 2.5/3.5*, .280-1-57 .824OPS 2.6WAR) from the Marlins in exchange for #41 prospect AA RHSP Alberto Figueroa(20, 2/4*)… odd move by a 58-50 team.

August 1st – Cleveland C Carlos Santana(30, 3*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .384 with 7 home runs, 19RBIs and 17 runs scored for the month. The 4x All-Star is batting .276-18-67 .496OPS 3.9WAR in 91 games.

August 1st – Phillies LF Tyler Colvin(30, 3*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .352 with 8 home runs, 22RBIs and 18 runs scored for the month. A first time All-Star this year, he is batting .295-30-93 .946OPS 3.1WAR in 103 games.

August 1st – Toronto RHSP Henderson Alvarez III(26, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month for the second month in a row after going 4-0 1.95 24K in 32.1 in 5 starts for the month. The 2014 AL All-Star is 11-5 3.53 82K 1.2WAR in 21 starts.

August 1st – Nationals RHSP Jordan Zimmerman(30, 4*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 0.98 33K in 36.2IP and 5 starts for the month. The 4x All-Star is 9-4 2.03 132K 5.1WAR in 22 starts.

August 1st – Seattle LHSP Johnny Cline(23, 2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 4-0 2SV 1.23 17K in 22IP and 9G/2GS for the month. The 11th rounder in 2012 is 5-5 7SV 3.81 51K 0.0WAR in 27G/6GS.

August 1st – Colorado LF David Dahl(22, 2.5/3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .326 with 7 home runs, 14RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. Regarded as a fairly good contact hitter, he is batting .315-16-64 .920OPS 2.0WAR in 75 games.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
August 1st – Following a 5-0 win over the Giants, we had to place RHRP Joe Szczygiel(26, 3*, 4-1 3SV 2.35 51K 0.8WAR) on the 15-day IL with a sore elbow 2 weeks. We recalled RHRP Arodys Vizcaino(25, 2*, 1-1 2.01 27KK 0.6WAR AAA).

August 13th – Following a hero dive on a fly ball to center, CF Jake Marisnick(25, 3*, .229-15-47 .691OPS 2.1WAR) had to be carted off the field, and the diagnosis was swift and painful. Torn posterior cruciate ligament (knee) 10 months. The 3x Gold Glover was placed on the 60-day Il. OF Anthony Gose(26, 2*, .320-3-27 .822OPS 32/38SB 1.1WAR AAA) was recalled.

August 17th - RHRP Arodys Vizcaino(25, 2*, 1-0 8.79 7K 0.0WAR 13G MLB) was banished to AAA as RHRP Joe Szczygiel(26, 3*, 4-1 3SV 2.35 51K 0.8WAR) returned from the IL.

August 21st – SS Chris Hatfield(24, 3.5*, .270-26-73 .852OPS 5.1WAR) took an aggressive, yet awkward slide at second base today in an attempt to break up a double play… and it cost him. He was diagnosed with a torn meniscus (knee) 3-4 month, ending his season early. He was also placed on the 60-day IL and drawing straws, we decided to put 2014 8th rounder 2B/3B/SS Carlos Gandara(25, 2.5*, .319-16-78 .879OPS 4.0WAR AAA) on the 40-man and call him up to give him a shot at short…

August 28th – And another one bites the dust. Following a collision at third base, DH and AL home run leader Eugenio Suárez(25, 4*, .284-41-97 .947OPS 4.0WAR) was placed on the 15-day DL with a bone bruise (wrist) 3 weeks. OF Ian Dellaripa(23, 3/3.5*, .377-31-118 1.124OPS 5.6WAR AAA) was recalled.

Series:
3-0 vs SFG (SP Noah Syndergaard 6.1IP 3H 0ER 2BB 9K W(11-4 3.78), SP Juan Gonzales 6IP 2H 0ER 1BB 6K W(3-1 4.05), RF Nick Castellanos 3-5 2R RBI 2DB HR(25))
1-2 vs MIN (SP Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 5H 1ER 0BB 7K ND(11-2 3.32))
2-1 @ DET (1B Ricardo Camacho 1-1 R 4RBI HR(7), C Devin Mesoraco 2-3 2R 3RBI BB HR(18))
2-1 vs HOU (3B Anthony Rendon 4-5 R 2RBI HR(9), SP Juan Gonzales 7IP 5H 3ER 0BB 10K ND(3-1 4.71))
2-1 @ SEA (LF Jesse Winker 2-4 2R 3RBI 2HR(20), 2B Brad Fínkbeiner 3-4 2R 5RBI 2HR(6))
3-0 vs TEX (SP Noah Syndergaard 5.1IP 5H 2ER 1BB 7K W(12-5 3.88), SP Juan Gonzales 6.2IP 3H 1ER 0BB 8K W(4-1 4.31), CF Kevin Kiermaier 3-4 2R 3RBI HR(5))
2-1 @ CWS (LF Jesse Winker 3-5 R 4RBI BB DB HR(22), 4-4 2R DB)
1-2 vs LAA (CF Kevin Kiermaier 2-3 R 2RBI BB)
2-1 vs CLE (SP Noah Syndergaard 7.1IP 7H 2ER 0BB 5K W(13-6 3.93))
2-0 @ BOS (RF Nick Castellanos 3-6 3R 4RBI DB HR(31))

Record: 93-44 , 1st in AL East, 27G lead over NYY
August: 20-9
Runs Scored: 728(2nd)
Batting AVG: .274(1st)
OBP: .341(2nd)
Home Runs: 217(1st)
Stolen Bases: 87(4th)
Runs Against: 538(1st)
Starters ERA: 4.05(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 2.98(1st)
Defensive Eff.: .707(1st)
Zone Rating: +49.1(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Jeremy Komosinski 1-0 2.08 43K 1.6WAR 5GS 30.1IP
Toronto Position Player of the Month: C Devin Mesoraco .302-8-22 1.004OPS 1.0WAR 25G

The good news away first. With the rest of the AL East falling apart, we have CLINCHED the division on September 1st. Seriously. We are on pace for 110 wins and another playoff berth… despite the rash of injuries.

Now, sorting things out, Suárez and Stroman, who suffered a setback from injury last month, will be back mid- to end of September, adding the best home run hitter of the AL and someone who is definitely a better pitcher than Daniel Norris back to the rotation. Norris HAS been a sad sight… Where is the guy that had a 4.25 ERA in 2014… at age 21. His development is stalled… more whining about that below.

Positively, our offense certainly has picked up the pace with Nick Castellanos having another strong season, Devin Mesoraco picking up steam and, with a little sad sigh, we balked and inserted 2B Brad Finkbeiner into the lineup for Hechavarria. Finkbeiner responded by hitting .320-4-15 .895OPS 0.5WAR in 23 games… above what we expected, but helps.

Having a first baseman that actually produces positive WAR and has an OPS+ of 119 certainly helps despite him not being a prototypical slugger, but for a 7th rounder from Junior College, he has been a bright spot… but it took a critical success in the dev lab to get him over the edge.

Now, some silverware talk. We have no shot at the MvP title as Justin Rimmerle is posting a .359-25-97 1.077OPS 14/22SB 9.8WAR line and on pace for 11.6WAR… that’s done. The Cy Young is wide open with four players around 4.3WAR… so, I dare to say, a strong September could win that one for Jeremy Komosinski… just a little bit of Splitter development and the kid could be great… Oh, and my bet stands on Buchanan for Reliever of the Year.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA 1B/DH Carlos Puentes(26, 2/2.5*) .336-6-19 1.002OPS 1.3WAR 28G
AA LHSP Heath Molinari(21, 2/2.5*) 5-0 3.48 29K 0.3WAR 6GS
A 1B Hugo Ramos(19, 1/2.5*) .313-7-27 1.018OPS 0.8WAR 21G
S A 2B Daniel Alvarez(19, 1.5/3.5*) .286-4-19 .892OPS 1.1WAR 29G
R C Peter Kilgore(19, 1.5/5*) .387-7-19 1.169OPS 1.3WAR 26G
R 3B Francisco Aragon(18, 0.5/3*) .320-8-28 .990OPS 0.9WAR 28G
won Monthly Awards

The amazing news is, our rookie league teams are doing well, there is a ton of talent down there, and they are genuinely .500 or above. The thing that concerns us: this has been like that for years, and the success has not translated to short A and above this season. S A Vancouver fell from a .571 winning percentage to .483, A Lansing has not posted a .500 season since 2013 and Dunedin is a whooping 33-88 this season… The talent arrives in rookie ball, but does not really move forward through A-ball.

The boulevard of broken prospects I guess. 17th overall pick in 2014, CF Steve Snyder has arrived in AAA and is batting a hot .311-12-58 .884OPS 2.9WAR clip, but his ceiling dropped significantly to 3.5*… he still may be fighting for a job against Marisnick one day, but he wasn’t the top prospect we hoped.

2014 5th rounder Tommy Erikson has now had his 24th birthday and is getting lit up with a 5.09ERA in AAA… his ceiling keeps rising as out scouting department rates him as a 4.5* potential arm… but at 2* current… he will never become an ace. 7th rounder (2014) Bobby Olenick will suffer the same fate. 23, 1.5/4* rated, in single A… and out for 10 month with a torn labrum. College kids have not worked for us.

Instead, we are still very optimistic about our 2015 3rd rounder Peter Kilgore who we reached on with a $2M offer to lure him away from college. His hitting skills have genuinely developed well and all we need him to do is work on his defense in the offseason.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
RHSP Rodolphe Menchaca(15, 3*) 55/50/55 60S neutral tendendy pitcher with a fastball, changeup and cutter from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In Other News:

August 2nd – White Sox 2B Marcus Semien(25, 3/4*) banged out five base hits in a heated 9-7 win over the Red Sox, going 5-5 R 2RBI 2DB for the night. The 2015 AL All-Star is batting .275-11-38 .773OPS 2.4WAR in 83 games.

August 11th – Yankees RF Carlos Gonzalez(30, 3.5*) hammered 5 hits today in a 16-4 win over Seattle, going 5-5 4R BB DB SB. The 2x Silver Slugger is on pace for a career year, batting .325-28-79 .977OPS 5.2WAR 112 games.

August 11th – Tigers C Alex Avila(29, 2.5/3*) blistered the Houston Astros in a 9-5 win, going 5-5 4R 3RBI 2HR for the night. The 2011 AL Silver Slugger is batting .264-13-49 .801OPS 2.9WAR in 106 games in his 8th season with Detroit.

August 12th – The Atlanta Braves and star RHCL Craig Kimbrel(28, 5*, 3-1 34SV 1.54 62K 1.6WAR 52.2IP) agreed to a 3y/$66.6M contract extension today. The 2x Reliever of the Year, 6x All-Star and 2011 NL Rookie of the Year may be the best closer in baseball right now.

August 22nd – Orioles LF Will Vanble(33, 2.5*) may be starting to turn around his seaso, going 3-3 3R 4RBI BB 3HR in a 10-3 win over the Guardians. The 2012 NL Gold Glover has been unable to repeat his 4.6WAR 2014 lately, batting .234-12-43 .684OPS 13/19SB 0.6WAR in 99 games.

August 27th – Braves 1B Mark Teixeira(36, 2.5*) got a big milestone out of the way today, the 2000th career hit for the switch hitter. The 3x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glover and 3x All-Star is a career .267/.361/.505 434HR 1386RBI 1208R 2000H 54.4WAR in 2048 games between TEX, ATL, LAA, NYY and now ATL again.

August 28th – Braves RHSP Julio Teheran(25, 2.5*) was very happy when he put the finishing touches on a complete game 4-hitter with 1BB and 9K, beating the Brewers 9-0. A double digit game winner for three years in a row now, he is 12-11 3.74 160K 2.9WAR in 27 games.

August 29th – Cardinals RHSP Chris Carpenter(41, 3*) has been a phenom for years now, and he garnished a long, successful career with win #200 today. The 2005 NL Cy Young Winner and 4x All-Star is a career 200-135 3.71 2362K 56.4WAR pitcher in 485G/467GS and 3073.2IP for TOR and, since 2004, for STL.

August 29th – Houston 2B Jose Altuve(26, 3.5*) added another 5-hit game to his career record, going 5-5 4R 3RBI 2DB HR in a 9-2 win over the Rangers. The 3x Silver Slugger is batting .316-16-65 .839OPS 2.1WAR in 129 games.

September 1st – Houston C Jason Castro(29, 2.5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .365 with 8 home runs, 23RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. The 5th year pro is batting .279-22-67 .846OPS 3.5WAR in 117 games.

September 1st – Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton(26, 3.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .339 with 10 home runs, 34RBIs and 23 runs scored for the month. The 4x All-Star is batting .295-33-124 .923OPS 5.3WAR in 130 games.

September 1st – Tigers RHSP Dan Sellers(23, 3.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 2.48 35K in 40 in 6 starts for the month. The 2012 3rd rounder is 12-9 3.45 132K 4.1WAR in 27 games after winning 15 games last year.

September 1st – Giants LHSP John Burris(23, 3.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 1.12 37K in 40.0IP and 6 starts for the month. The 16th round selection in 2012 is 14-8 2.71 201K 4.6WAR in 28 starts, leading the NL in K/9 with 10.5.

September 1st – Tigers 3B Ryan Rua(26, 2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .294 with 9 home runs, 20RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month. The Rule 5 Pick from COL is batting .262-26-70 .785OPS 1.8WAR in 132 games.

September 1st – Colorado LF David Dahl(22, 2.5/3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month for the second month in a row after batting .353 with 4 home runs, 16RBIs and 15 runs scored for the month. A prime candidate for RotY, he is batting .325-20-80 .949OPS 3.3WAR in 103 games.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
September 3rd – Following a hard throw from right field, RF Nick Castellanos(24, 3.5*, .309-32-82 .946OPS 4.5WAR) came up with back stiffness one week. Using the option of an extended roster, we recalled OF Avsail Garcia(25, 2.5*, .271-2-7 .787OPS 0.3WAR 13G MLB).

September 6th – RHSP Marcus Stroman(25, 3*, 8-5 4.30 99K 2.2WAR 21GS) was activated off the IL today.

September 14th – C Devin Mesoraco(28, 4*, .252-23-80 .788OPS 3.5WAR) strained his back today and will be day-to-day for one week. Instead of IL’ing him, we called up AAA C Ken Whicker(25, 2*, .243-1-6 .633OPS 0.0WAR AAA) and let Devin ride the pine for a week.

September 19th – DH Eugenio Suarez(25, 4*, .284-41-97 .947OPS 4.1WAR) was activated off the IL.

Series:
1-1 @ BOS (SP Noah Syndergaard 7.1IP 3H 0ER 1BB 5K W(14-6 3.74))
2-0 vs TBR (SP Juan Gonzales 7.2IP 3H 0ER 1BB 5K W(5-1 3.74), DH Ian Dellaripa 2-4 R 2RBI BB HR(2))
2-1 @ OAK (3B Anthony Rendon 2-5 2R RBI HR(11), 3-4 R 2RBI 3DB)
2-1 @ KCR (3B Anthony Rendon 3-4 3R RBI BB, LF Jesse Winker 2-4 2R 2RBI 2HR(26))
2-1 @ BAL (LF Jesse Winker(2-5 R 3RBI HR(27), 3-4 3R 6RBI 2BB 2HR(29))
3-0 vs NYY (SP Noah Syndergaard 5IP 3H 0ER 2BB 7K W(16-6 3.68), RF Nick Castellanos 2/3 2R 3RBI HR(33), SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.1IP 9H 2ER 1BB 8K W(14-8 4.15))
1-2 @ SFG (SP Marcus Stroman 7.1IP 4H 2ER 3BB 5K W(10-6 4.47))
2-1 @ MIN (SP Noah Syndergaard 6IP 4H 1ER 1BB 10K W(17-6 3.60, LF Jesse Winker 2-4 R 4RBI BB DB)
1-2 vs DET (LF Jesse Winker 3-5 R 3RBI DB)

Record: 109-53 , 1st in AL East, 32G lead over NYY
September: 16-9
Runs Scored: 860(2nd)
Batting AVG: .276(1st)
OBP: .342(2nd)
Home Runs: 246(1st)
Stolen Bases: 96(4th)
Runs Against: 626(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.96(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 2.91(1st)
Defensive Eff.: .704(1st)
Zone Rating: +50.4(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Noah Syndergaard 4-0 1.54 27K 0.8WAR 4GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: LF Jesse Winker .326-6-26 1.015OPS 1.1WAR 25G

Playoffs baby! We happily await the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Chicago White Sox(87-75) and the Cleveland Guardians(89-73) with high hopes for a deep playoff run. We set up our rotation with two year in a row AL ERA king Jeremy Komosinski, Syndergaard, Stroman and Gonzales. Overall, we got through the season pretty healthy and yes, I personally will terribly miss Jake Marisnick…. But Kiermaier was not that bat.

The silent hero of September? Carlos Gandara, who hit .351-3-10 .914OPS in 23 games, good for 0.8WAR, right out of the gate in his first cup of coffee and will be our shortstop for the playoffs. I bet even he did not see that one coming, but it helps tremendously knowing that we have good defender that can hit in there.

As for the backup outfielder, we were able to choose between Ian Dellaripa(offense) and Anthony Gose(defense)… and we went with Dellaripa for the hot bat off the bench.

Now, some leaderboard appearances:
DH Eugenio Suárez 42 HR – 1st
RF Nick Castellanos .596 SLG – 2nd
DH Eugenio Suárez .575 SLG – 3rd

RHSP Jeremy Komosinski 3.17ERA – 1st
RHSP Jeremy Komosinski 3.49 FIP – 4th
RHSP Jeremy Komosinski 4.5WAR – 5th
RHRP Kevin Buchanan 39SV – 1st
RHSP Noah Syndergaard 17 W – 2nd
RHSP Noah Syndergaard 9.8 K/9 – 4th
RHSP Noah Syndergaard 4.3 K/BB – 5th
RHSP Henderson Alvarez III 15 W – 3rd

Around the league, Clayton Kershaw once again misses the playoffs with a monster season, 14-9 2.10 258K 8.1WAR in 33 games while Justin Rimmele posted a 11.12WAR season, placing himself first on the revised WAR leaderboard (I deleted all retired players to get a leaderboard of players active at 2012 and beyond), 1.5WAR ahead of Albert Pujols’ 2003 season.

Talking about pitching and a team effort, the Atlanta(98-64) are the epitome of that. Led by veteran Brandon Beachy(30, 2.5*, 12-11 3.18 198K 3.8WAR) and 3x All-Star Kris Medlen(30, 3.5*, 16-5 3.33 162K 3.9WAR), the loss of Freddie Freeman to Minnesota seemingly didn’t hurt them as they led the league in runs against while being a solid 8th in runs scored thanks to anyone in their lineup producing, from veteran Mark Teixeira(36, 2.5*, .246-27-83 .811OPS 2.4WAR) to rookie CF Manuel Margot(22, 2.5*, .243-19-61 2.4WAR 32SB), a Rule 5 Draftee from BOS.

Minor League Report and Awards:
S A 2B Daniel Alvarez(19, 1.5/3.5*) .289-6-20 1.001OPS 1.0WAR 24G
R DH Carlos Perez(21, 1.5/3*) .323-12-32 1.204OPS 1.1WAR 24G
won Monthly Awards.


AAA RHRP Jorge Diaz(20, 2/5*) PCL Reliever of the Year 3-7 29SV 3.75 53K 0.9WAR 52G 60IP
AAA LF Ian Dellaripa(23, 3/3.5*) PCL MvP .377-31-118 1.124OPS 5.5WAR 111G
AA LHSP John Hall(23, 2/4*) EL PotY 10-6 3.71 134K 2.5WAR 29GS 157.2IP
AA CF Jake Harris(22, 2.5/3*) EL MvP .356-9-83 .941OPS 19/34SB 4.8WAR 137G
A LHSP Javier Guzman(20, 2/3.5*) Midwest League PotY 6-7 2.97 123K 3.4WAR 27GS 127.1IP
S A LHRP James Saunderson(18, 2/3*) Northwest League Reliever of the Year 7-7 30SV 2.41 58K 1.0WAR 59.2IP 54G
won Seasonal Awards

As mentioned before, our AAA team is pretty barren of MLB ready talent… apart from C bobby Cary… rated 60/50/50/55/55 with 60/50/70/55/55 potential… he is pushing for a job… and a batspeed D-Lab job. He is also our highest rated prospect at #42… followed by a glut of guys in the lower half of the top 100.

The biggest question is… do we invest a D-Lab spot in guys like 24-year old Tommy Erikson(24, 2/4.5*) to bring him over the hump and keep his hopes of becoming a star alive? Looking at him… waste of time.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
none

In Other News:

September 2nd – New York 2B Robinson Cano(33, 2.5*) became the latest Yankees player to reach 2000 career hits today. The 5x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger and 1x Gold Glover is a career .301/.347/.493 253HR 1066RBI 977R 2000H 37.0WAR in 1734 games, all for NYY.

September 2nd – Atlanta RHSP Brandon Beachy(30, 2.5*) celebrated his recently signed 3y/$29.1M contract with a complete game 5-hitter with 1BB and 11K in a 10-0 win over the Cubs: veteran is a strong 11-9 3.14 183K 3.8WAR in 28 games for the second best team in baseball.

September 8th – Cubs 2B Javier Baez(23, 2.5/3*) moved one home run shy of his career high of 20 with a 3HR day in a 17-12 win over the Braves, going 3-4 3R 8RBI 3HR. The fourth year pro is batting .244-20-66 .712OPS 2.9WAR with strong defense in 134 games.

September 9th – Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop(24, 2.5*) banged out five base hits in a 17-6 rout of the Yankees, going 5-5 2R 3RBI DB. The 2015 AL Gold Glover is batting .269-32-92 .795OPS 4.1WAR in 134 games, a career year.

September 19th – Padres C Yasmani Grandal(27, 3*) is also having a career year and added to that one with a 3HR game, going 3-47 3R 6RBI BB 3HR in a 14-2 win over the Marlins. The 2x All-Star is batting .262-22-68 .828OPS 5.2WAR in 133 games.

September 24th – Giants 1B Victor Martinez(37, 2.5*) collected career hit #2000 today, being a regular for a playoff bound team at a high age. The 4x All-Star and 1x Silver Slugger is a career .295/.357/.445 199HR 1098RBI 892R 2000H 35.8WAR hitter in 1825 games for CLE, BOS, DET and now SFG.

September 28th – Minnesota Twins 2B Justin Rimmele(26, 5*) won the AL Batting Title, batting .3500-28-110 1.066OPS 129R 56DB 12TP 11.1WAR in 157 games.

September 28th – Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig(25, 4.5*) won the NL Batting Title, batting .346-25-72 1.020OPS 6.0WAR in 131 games.

September 30th – Minnesota Twins CF Aaron Hicks(26, 3.5*) agreed to a 5y/$63.52M contract extension, buying out arbitration and the first two years of free agency. The 2016 AL All-Star had a strong .282-26-93 .881OPS 5.5WAR season in 157 games.

October 1st – Baltimore 1B Chris Davis(30, 2.5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .353 with 10 home runs, 26RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. The 2014 home run king is batting .241-36-93 .809OPS 1.4WAR in 155 games.

October 1st – Giants 1B Brandon Belt(28, 4*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .382 with 8 home runs, 25RBIs and 26 runs scored for the month. The 2x All-Star is batting .268-28-102 .856OPS 5.4WAR in 159 games.

October 1st – Twins LHSP Matt Moore(27, 2.5/3*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 2.28 46K in 27.2IP in 5 starts for the month. Traded for a veteran arm in 2012, he is 18-6 4.82 196K 1.5WAR in 32 starts.

October 1st – Dodgers LHSP Clayton Kershaw(28, 5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 0.78 37K in 34.2IP and 5 starts for the month. The 4x Cy Young Winner is 14-9 2.10 258K 8.1WAR in 33 starts and for his forth Cy.

October 1st – Blue Jays LF Jesse Winker(23, 3/3.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .326 with 6 home runs, 26RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month. The #85 prospect prior to the season is batting .264-29-98 .861OPS 2.8WAR in 156 games.

October 1st – Padres RHSP Tyler Griffin(22, 2.5/3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after going 4-1 3.58 23K in 27.2IP and 5 starts for the month. A 13th rounder in 2012, he is 15-7 3.06 141K 3.2WAR in 33 games.

[Griever20]

AL Wild Card Series:

Detroit Tigers 7 - Minnesota Twins 6
DET 2B Eddie Rosario 2-4 2R 2RBI TP HR(1)
Detroit Tigers lead series 1-0

Detroit Tigers 2 - Minnesota Twins 0
MIN SP Matt Moore 6IP 2H 1ER 5BB 4K L
Detroit Tigers wins series 2-0, advances to ALDS. Goodbye Justin Rimmele.

Chicago White Sox 4 - Cleveland Guadians 3
CWS LF Mark Davis 2-4 R 3RBI BB DB HR(1)
Chicago White Sox lead series 1-0

Chicago White Sox 4 - Cleveland Guadians 1
CWS SP Chris Sale 7IP 5H 1ER 0BB 5K W(1-0 1.29)
Chicago White Sox wins series 2-0, advances to ALDS.

NL Wild Card Series:

Colorado Rockies 4 - Cincinnati Reds 7
CIN 1B James Loney 3-4 R 4RBI 2DB HR(1)
Cincinnati Reds leads series 1-0

Colorado Rockies 4 - Cincinnati Reds 6
CIN SP Michael Pineda 6IP 4H 1ER 0BB 6K W(1-0 1.50)
Cincinnati Reds wins series 2-0, advances to NLDS.

Washington Nationals 12 - Philadelphia Phillies 1
WSH RF Bryce Harper 3-4 3R 3RBI BB 2HR(2)
Washington Nationals lead series 1-0

Washington Nationals 4 - Philadelphia Phillies 11
PHI SP Cole Hamels 6.2IP 5H 2ER 2BB 9K W(1-0 2.70)
Series Tied at 1.

Washington Nationals 1 - Philadelphia Phillies 3
WSH SP Hiroki Kuroda 6.1IP 5H 2ER 1BB 2K L
Philadelphia Phillies wins series 2-1, advances to NLDS.

--

The Chicago White Sox:

Well well… there is a team in the midst of its contention window. Making the playoffs five years in a row while achieving the feat of being the first team with a losing record to win the World Series in 2014, the team of veteran manager Robin Ventura has been sneakily good in the playoffs, making the World Series the last three years.

Speaking of sneakily good, the ERA’s in the regular season weren’t quite there, but be aware of LHSP Chris Sale(27, 3.5/4*, 12-9 4.02 246K 5.4WAR) and LHSP Jose Quintana(27, 3*, 14-10 4.11 182K 4.4WAR)… they are both strong, and veteran RHSP Ubaldo Jimenez(32, 2.5*, 9-6 3.02 86K 1.9WAR 19GS) had a nice year when healthy. As for their bullpen… there is a lot of middle of the road relievers… and maybe the best reliever in the AL as closer in LHRP Jake McGee(30, 5*, 7-6 33SV 2.88 73K 1.6WAR)… the biggest rival for the Reliever of the Year for Buchanan.

The lineup can be cut into two pieces. #1-#6, highlighted with former Nationals stud 1B Ryan Zimmerman(32, 3*, .275-27-99 .810OPS 3.2WAR), 2012 2nd rounder LF Mark Davis(26, 3.5/4*, .291-26-101 .883OPS 4.2WAR) and 2013 3rd rounder 3B Mikey Clements(25, 3.5/4*, .313-31-106 .973OPS 6.1WAR)… and a lot of crap that has combined for -1.3WAR #7-#9.

Overall… strong team with a strong core… will be a tough nut to crack.

American League Division Series Game 1:

October 3rd, 2016

Chicago White Sox - Toronto Blue Jays @Sky Dome

CWS: SP Jose Quintana(L, 14-10 4.11)
TOR: SP Jeremy Komosinski(R, 14-2 3.17)

Having lost only one game in 32 tries, Komosinski was a lock for this first start. Luckily, the Sox used Chris Sale in the Wild Card series… our chance to get ahead early in the series? Komosinski surely was on form early, striking out a pair, and another big question would be answered in the first. Was Eugenio Suárez really ready for the playoffs after only hitting .250 since his injury? The answer was… yes, and he showed that by taking Quintana deep for a solo shot that travelled 401ft to deep left center.

An error by Gandara (the kid was a bit nervous) put Pence on with two outs and a walk by Stephen Drew got them two on with two outs in the second… but their bottom of the order did as expected and we got out of the inning with a popup. Their top of the order wasn’t a match for Komosinski… until they were. Two soft lineouts to second in, Ryan Zimmerman ambushed the first pitch he saw… for a double… and Mark Davis took a page out of that playbook… and homered. CWS 2, TOR 1.

Things moved fast in the next innings with Nick Castellanos the only guy reaching base (and getting thrown out stealing…) before Devin Mesoraco woke up and homered a big one to make it 2-2 bottom 4th. That solo shot became a shy rally as Brad Finkbeiner doubled on a slider one out later… and Jesse Winker, tasked with a runner in scoring position and two down… got in the driver seat in a 2-1 count and hit a looong flyball to right center… OVER THE GLOVE OF PENCE… 3-2 TORONTO! Gandara hit a carbon copy of that one to make it 4-2… but Kiermaier lined out to end the threat…

Bad news, Ryan Zimmerman was on fire today. 0-2 Marcus Semien made it 1-2 with a single… and the top of the order once again was too much for Komosinski with Zimmerman hitting a 2-piece to make it 4-4. In a game like this, the question always is… who can stabilize first. It wasn’t Quintana who was sent back out for the bottom 5th and walked Castellanos to lead the frame… and left the game after Anthony Rendon saddled him with an RBI-triple that baffled two outfielders with its awkward hop. Suárez grounded out weakly, bringing up last year’s MvP Devin Mesoraco… and now… HE GETS INTO ONE… DEEP RIGHT CENTER… GOONE! HAVE A NIGHT DEVIN MESORACO!

Hoping that #5 starter Jarrod Parker could come back from that, he was left in by Ventura… and when he finally was completely off the hook… it was a 10-4 Blue Jays lead. DON’T YOU DARE BLOWING THAT!

Long story short… they didn’t and Suárez added another 2-run shot for fun.

SP Jeremy Komosinski 6IP 4H 4R 4ER 2BB 2K W
RF Nick Castellanos 2-4 R 2RBI BB
3B Anthony Rendon 1-5 R RBI TP
DH Eugenio Suárez 2-5 2R 3RBI 2HR PotG
C Devin Mesoraco 2-5 2R 3RBI 2HR
2B Brad Finkbeiner 3-4 2R DB
LF Jesse Winker 1-3 2R RBI BB DB
SS Carlos Gandara 1-3 2RBI BB DB
CF Kevin Kiermaier 1-4 R
HR CWS: Davis(3), Zimmerman(1)
HR TOR: Mesoraco 2(2), Suárez 2(2)
W: Jeremy Komosinski(1-0 6.00) L: Jose Quintana(0-1 13.50) SV: none
CWS 4 TOR 12 TOR leads ALDS 1-0
I would’ve picked Mesoraco for PotG but whatever.

[Griever20]

American League Division Series Game 2:

October 4th, 2016

Chicago White Sox - Toronto Blue Jays @Sky Dome

CWS: SP Ubaldo Jimenez(R, 9-6 3.02)
TOR: SP Noah Syndergaard(R, 17-6 3.60)

Based on performance, it was Thor to go here as you can’t go wrong with a 17-game winner, right? Both starters had traffic on the bases, but it was Syndergaard who… well not cracked, but got a little bruise when catcher Jeff LeBeau homered to make it 1-0 CWS early, but we got that one run back right away with Rendon scoring on a Castellanos double and one inning later, Joe Sokolow got us in front with a hard single to right… we had 6 hits by then, and three walks… Jimenez walked on the brink of catastrophy early.

Now, catastrophy. Colby Rasmus, he who once was a Toronto Blue Jay, popped out to end the 5th, but -0.1WAR hitter Hunter Pence dumped a single over the head of Finkbeiner, and -0.1WAR hitter Chris Nelson then doubled to right center… PENCE HOLDS AT THIRD AS CASTELLANOS UNLEASHES A MONSTER THROW TOWARDS HOME! Next up, #9 hitter LeBeau, he who homered earlier… K ! Semien, in the leadoff spot, grounded out to second… catastrophy averted.

Unexpectedly, the game suddenly became a pitcher’s duel with nobody reaching second base for a while, and while we loved the work of Syndergaard… Nick Bannister gave him the handshake after seven innings of 5-hit, 1-run and 11K ball, calling for James C. Eaton and Kevin Buchanan to close out the game… and they did in style.

SP Noah Syndergaard 7IP 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 11K W PotG
3B Anthony Rendon 0-2 R 2BB
1B Joe Sokolow 1-3 RBI
RF Nick Castellanos 2-4 RBI DB
DH Eugenio Suárez 1-4
LF Jesse Winker 0-3 BB
C Devin Mesoraco 1-4
SS Carlos Gandara 1-3 R
HR CWS: Jeff LeBeau(1)
HR TOR: none
W: Noah Syndergaard(1-0 1.29) L: Ubaldo Jimenez(0-1 2.57) SV: Kevin Buchanan(1 0.00)
CWS 1 TOR 2 TOR leads ALDS 2-0
YES BABY! Great start by Syndergaard.

[Griever20]

American League Division Series Game 3:

October 6th, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays - Chicago White Sox @U.S. Cellular Field

TOR: SP Marcus Stroman(R, 10-7 4.55)
CWS: SP Chris Sale(L, 1-0 1.29)

They entrust the ball to their ace, and we entrust the ball to our most experienced starter apart from Alvarez III. We set the tone early as Suárez collected home run #3 in the first to silence the home crowd… at least for a moment. On the other hand, Stroman looked dialed in early, generating groundballs… and when he needed, he struck out the side after a Davis double.

Then, it was our barrage of lefty killers that provided the next action when Suárez led off the 4th with a single to go 2-2, Mesoraco moved him to second… he THEN stole third on a baffled Sale/LeBeau and scored when Joe Sokolow worked a full count and singled up the middle with a groundball that had eyes. Another promising rally in the fifth saw Gandara score as our bottom of the order continued to annoy Sale, but with the bases eventually loaded… Sokolow struck out this time. 3-0 TOR after 5.

Stroman had a runner at third that inning, courtesy of a double and a wild pitch… but the groundball came through again. Things really got hairy in the sixth then when the part of the order that Jeremy struggled in game 1 with … started to do things. Matt Joyce hit a groundball that actually found a hole, and Zimmerman muscled a breaking ball into right for a base hit. That brought up 2-2 Mark Davis… and Stroman didn’t want to play with him… bases loaded after a walk.

Nick Bannister was on the brink of taking Stroman out with the bases loaded and one out, but Stroman threw a scarly look towards him and eventually got to face Mikey Clements… groundball… to THIRD… THROW HOME… ONE DOWN… THROW TO FIRST… DOUBLE PLAY!

Sale was gone by then, and Stroman’s heroic day was over as well with Cosens getting the ball and retiring #6-#9 with only a shy single allowed, and that meant Eaton in the eighth… save inning, right? No, not at all. By the time the TV commentators had finished joking about always forgetting the C. on their scorecards, the bases were loaded with nobody out and Mark Davis, who was on a mission today, at the plate. His mission ended when he whiffed on a slider… and that brought up Mikey Clements up… again with the bases loaded, and again with one out.

And again, he hit into a carbon copy 5-2-3 double play to end the inning… and broke his bat over his knee. The Sox brought in Jake McGee to keep it close in the 9th… and to add insult to injury, the bash bros of Rendon and Castellanos combined for another run… before Buchanan brought home the sweep with a no-nonsense 9th.

SP Marcus Stroman 6IP 5H 0R 0ER 2BB 5K W PotG
RF Nick Castellanos 2-5 R
3B Anthony Rendon 3-5 2RBI DB
DH Eugenio Suárez 2-5 2R RBI HR SB(1)
1B Joe Sokolow 2-4 RBI
2B Brad Finkbeiner 1-4
SS Carlos Gandara 2-3 R BB
HR TOR: Suárez(3)
HR CWS: none
W: Marcus Stroman(1-0 0.00) L: Chris Sale(0-1 2.84) SV: none
TOR 4 CWS 0 TOR wins ALDS 3-0
The Stro-Show!

[Griever20]

AL Division Series:

Detroit Tigers 3 - Los Angeles Angels 2
LAA SP Phil Hughes 8IP 5H 3ER 0BB 11K L
Detroit Tigers lead series 1-0

Detroit Tigers 4 - Los Angeles Angels 16
LAA RF Kole Calhoun 3-5 2R 6RBI BB 1 2HR(2)
Series Tied at 1

Los Angeles Angels 3 - Detroit Tigers 4
DET 3B Ryan Rua 3-4 R 2RBI HR(1)
Detroit Tigers lead series 2-1.

Los Angeles Angels 1 - Detroit Tigers 6
DET SP Scott Kazmir 8IP 5H 1ER 2BB 4K W(1-0 0.93)
Detroit Tigers wins series 3-1, advances to ALCS.

NL Division Series:

Philadelphia Phillies 1 - Atlanta Braves 13
ATL SP Kris Medlen 7IP 3H 0ER 0BB 8K W(1-0 0.00)
Atlanta Braves leads series 1-0

Philadelphia Phillies 2 - Atlanta Braves 7
ATL 1B Adam Lind 4-4 3R 4RBI 2HR(2)
Atlanta Braves leads series 2-0

Atlanta Braves 3 - Philadelphia Phillies 4
PHI SS Elvis Andrus 3-4 R 2RBI HR(1)
Atlanta Braves leads series 2-1

Atlanta Braves 2 - Philadelphia Phillies 5
PHI SP CC Sabathia 6.2IP 3H 1R 0ER 0BB 7K W(1-0 0.84)
Series tied at 2.

Philadelphia Phillies 0 - Atlanta Braves 2
ATL SP Kris Medlen 7IP 4H 0ER 2BB 6K W(2-0 0.00)
Atlanta Braves wins series 3-2, advances to NLCS.


Cincinnati Reds 1 - San Francisco Giants 4
SFG SP Madison Bumgarner 7IP 3H 1ER 2BB 8K W(1-0 1.29)
San Francisco Giants lead series 1-0.

Cincinnati Reds 4 - San Francisco Giants 2
CIN SP Jose Avalos 6.1IP 4H 0ER 1BB 7K W(2-0 2.19)
Series tied at 1.

San Francisco Giants 9 - Cincinnati Reds 6
SFG 1B Victor Martinez 2-4 R 4RBI BB HR(1)
San Francisco Giants lead series 2-1.

San Francisco Giants 9 - Cincinnati Reds 1
SFG RF Charlie Culberson 2-3 2R 4RBI BB 2HR(2)
San Francisco Giants wins series 3-1, advances to NLCS.

Blue Jays Move on to League Championship Series
stadiumreport.bbn

October 6th, 2016

The Chicago White Sox were simply overmatched by the Toronto Blue Jays in the Division Series.

The end result was a sweep, as Toronto has cruised to the League Championship Series, with the final win coming at U.S. Cellular Field by a score of 4-0.

"We're clicking and running on all cylinders at the moment," said Eugenio Suárez, who was named MVP of the Division Series. "We're a dangerous team when we play like this."

For the series, Suárez hit .357 with a .357 on-base percentage. He had 3 home runs, drove in 4 RBI and scored 4 runs.

The Toronto Blue Jays don't know who they will face in the next round. They will play the winner of the Detroit Tigers - Los Angeles Angels series. Detroit leads the series 2 games to 1. The League Championship Series schedule will be announced after the Division Series finishes.

[Griever20]

The Detroit Tigers:

Year one after Miguel Cabrera was a successful one as they at least managed to sneak into the playoffs with a 81-81 record, through the Wild Card, in a weak American League. Managed by Mike Shelly, who joined them in 2013, has held out three bad years to finally get here, but his reputation is still spotty as many fans think, he is not the long term solution for them.

What he has done, is win when he needs to win. Their pitching is heavily reliant on SP Dan Sellers(24, 3.5*, 14-12 3.72 150K 4.7WAR), the 2012 3rd rounder and control artist. The rest of the rotation is below average… greetings to LHSP Scott Kazmir(32, 2.5*, 6-17 5.79 144K 0.6WAR). Their bullpen is… facing the same problems. RHCL Jeurys Familia(27, 2/2.5*, 5-8 34SV 3.38 74K 1.5WAR) had a strong season, but the talent level… is definitely lower than ours. Overall, they were 8th in runs against.

Stunningly… they scored 714 runs… 14th in the AL. The guy to avoid is another old friend… RF Jose Bautista(35, 3*, .259-35-107 .867OPS 2.0WAR), usually batting third in front of 1B Eric Hosmer(26, 2.5*, .280-24-79 .786OPS 1.4WAR KCR/DET). Bautista is in the first year of a 3-year contract after four straight 2.8+WAR years with WSH… but he is slowly getting old.

Around those two, C Alex Avila(29, 2.5/3*, .264-17-62 .804OPS 3.9WAR) had a career year and Rule 5 draftee 3B Ryan Rua(26, 2.5*, .261-26-74 .772OPS 1.7WAR) was a major find… but in my opinion, we have the more talented team.

American League Championship Series Game 1:

October 11th, 2016

Detroit Tigers - Toronto Blue Jays @Sky Dome

DET: SP Luke Hochevar(R, 10-5 3.98)
TOR: SP Jeremy Komosinski(R, 1-0 6.00)

The SkyDome was rocking to start the game, and Komosinski vowed that he would have a better start in some pregame interviews. Well, he promptly loaded the bases without giving up a base hit, starting with a Anthony Rendon error, and two walks. He got out of it… without a base hit as he reached back and struck out two in a row to get out of an inning that made me take some heart pills early.

That was the start of a pitching oriented first third of the game where Brad Finkbeiner getting stranded on second base in the third was the next best thing to something interesting… but the fourth saw some movement. Alex Avila did something he usually does a lot… he walked with one out. That brought up Ryan Rua who promptly singled and got us into real trouble. An ill-fated swing on a bombastic sinker by Eddie Rosario got us into one out of getting out of this one… but former Nats prospect and trade deadline acquisition Michael A. Taylor tattooed one to left field… and gone. DET 3, TOR 0.

A double play ball by Devin Mesoraco promptly ended our chances to rally back in the bottom half, and after a scoreless 5th, 90 pitches into his outing, Komosinski was hooked out of the game by Nick Bannister for Mike Bishop, but in the end our biggest problem was… DET 3H 3R, TOR 4H 0R… we just could not break through against Luke Hochevar… or their pen as Jeurys Familia pitched a two inning save.

SP Jeremy Komosinski 5IP 3H 3R 3ER 3BB 7K L
RF Nick Castellanos 2-4 DB
DH Eugenio Suárez 1-3 BB
LF Jesse Winker 1-3
CF Kevin Kiermaier 1-4
2B Brad Finkbeiner 1-3 DB
HR DET: Taylor(1)
HR TOR: none
W: Luke Hochevar(1-0 0.00) L: Jeremy Komosinski(1-1 5.73) SV: Jeurys Familia(2 2.70)
DET 3 TOR 0 DET leads ALCS 1-0
Well, what to say when you got shut out big time.

[Griever20]

American League Championship Series Game 2:

October 12th, 2016

Detroit Tigers - Toronto Blue Jays @Sky Dome

DET: SP Dan Sellers(R, 1-0 2.70)
TOR: SP Noah Syndergaard(R, 1-0 1.29)

Round two, and we need to be in better shape than yesterday. A 1-2-3 inning by Thor helped us out big time to get the jitters out of the system and rookie Joe Sokolow got the first hit on the board two batters later, but 12 pitches later… all we had was two groundouts. Not a groundball was hit by Jesse Winker in the bottom 2nd as he led off the inning, talking two strikes, taking two balls, and then taking Dan Sellers deep for a 434ft home run to straight center field.

Problem was, the Tigers 2B Eddie Rosario then led off the 3rd with a single, bloody Michael A. Taylor also singled and then, their completely useless shortstop singled off the glove of Brad Finkbeiner to make it 1-1. Joey Bats himself made it 2-1 two outs later… and thankfully, Eric Hosmer flew out to left to finally end the frame… and we fall back again.

While Syndergaard got back into his groove and started collecting quality strikes and strikeouts again (apart from a two out triple), Sellers was starting to show some cracks and an elevated pitch count when he needed 23 pitches to get Castellanos, Winker and Kiermaier out, plus two singles that also cost him 10 pitches, to get out of the 4th.

The 5th was when things got hot as Carlos Gandara turned the lineup over with a 1-out single, and our top of the order finally came through has Rendon singled, and Joe Sokolow then hit a HARD liner to right that caromed of the wall for a 2-run double that finally got the fans back in it. The noise level was pulling up… but couldn’t get Suárez to hit more than a loud popup to end the frame.

Given a shy 3-2 lead… Syndergaard was at 90 pitches and done. That brought in Joe Szczygiel and he struggled thanks to a leadoff error by Finkbeiner, a stolen base by Eric Hosmer, a self-inflicted walk… and another stolen base by Ryan Rua. Two in scoring position, and one out. The unfavorable lefty-righty matchup with Eddie Rosario… GROUNDBALL TO THE RIGHT SIDE… FINKBEINER GOT IT ON A SLIDE… RUNNERS HOLD… TWO DOWN.

Next up, Michael A. Taylor, the bane of our existence… strike one… strike two… STRIKE THREE! Inning OVER! Osuna followed that up with a scoreless one and with both bullpens in full action, things got hairy for the Tigers. Righty Fernando Rodriguez Jr. promptly walked Rendon to start the inning and while Sokolow was fooled by a curve, a single and another walk later, the bags were full for Jesse Winker.

Winker swung through two strikes, but the deciding 3-2 pitch… he watched without moving a muscle… as it went by for ball four and a run scored. Devin followed that up with a sac fly and suddenly, we were in for a three game lead and in our sharp end of the bullpen… and those guys came through for us.

SP Noah Syndergaard 5IP 6H 2R 2ER 0BB 7K W PotG
3B Anthony Rendon 1-4 2R BB SB(1)
1B Joe Sokolow 2-4 2RBI BB 2DB
RF Nick Castellanos 1-5 R
DH Eugenio Suárez 1-3 BB
LF Jesse Winker 1-3 R 2RBI BB HR
C Devin Mesoraco 1-2 RBI BB
CF Kevin Kiermaier 1-4
SS Carlos Gandara 2-4 R
HR DET: none
HR TOR: Winker(1)
W: Noah Syndergaard(2-0 2.25) L: Dan Sellers(1-1 3.68) SV: Kevin Buchanan(2 0.00)
DET 2 TOR 5 ALCS tied at 1.
We beat their best arm.

[Griever20]

American League Championship Series Game 3:

October 14th, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays - Detroit Tigers @Comerica Park

TOR: SP Marcus Stroman(R, 1-0 0.00)
DET: SP Tom Durand(L, 1-0 3.00)

We are getting matched up with a 21-year old that has made four MLB starts before the playoffs, with a 5.60ERA and three losses, including a 2.2IP 6H 5R 3ER performance against us on September 27th. He HAS talent and was a 3rd round pick in 2013 but boy… this could be a bit early for Durand. And speaking of early, Eugenio Suárez was juuust a bit early on a heater by Durand that otherwise would’ve went over the fence… but died at the track… that would’ve been a 2-run jack in the first. A passed ball later, Devin had a runner at third as Castellanos had walked and stolen 2nd… but he grounded out to David Luna at short.

As Stroman nailed the Tigers with his autumn collection of groundball inducing pitches and the occasional strikeout, it was #9 hitter Kevin Kiermaier who finally got a hit for us with one out in the third, singling over the head of Eric Hosmer into right field. That got Castellanos in, and after two more balls, he took a hack at a curveball outside… muscled into left. BACK… WAAY BACK… GOOONE! 2-run home run!

Stroman on the other hand was cruising like the captain of the Queen Mary with four no hit innings, and nobody was concerned about a leadoff Alex Avila walk to start the 5th. The following fielders choice at second even put another out on the board… but then, Eddie Rosatio dug out a sinker… flyball to right center… KIERMEIER RACING… OVER HIS HEAD… THE TIGERS ARE ON THE BOARD WITH AN RBI-DOUBLE.

Game 1 danger Michael A. Taylor was due next and was not fooled by a couple of balls… but the next swung he took was grounded… towards third, the throw by Rendon… PAST SOKOLOW! ROSARIO TO THIRD AND TAYLOR REACHES ON AN ERROR. The tying run at third, time to get a strikeout my man. Instead David Luna hit a groundball towards short… sharp one… THROW TO HOME… GOT HIM! Span grounded out on the next pitch… and the lead was intact, 2-1 TOR.

The celebration was pre-emptive unfortunately as, with much less drama, a Hosmer double and a Alex Avila single eventually tied the game in the sixth, marking the end of Marcus Stroman in a tied game. The bullpen became involved as Danny Foxhoven pitched a scoreless 7th against the bottom of their order, but the avid reader may realize… we were anemic on offense. Three hits in eight innings of play… and then, Joe Szczygiel, or rather, his fastball made contact with Jose Bautista’s bat…. His ninth postseason home run. DET 3, TOR 2. Jeurys Familia on the mound to close.

The game ended on a strike three swinging by Brad Finkenbeiner with the tying run at second base.

SP Marcus Stroman 6IP 3H 2ER 2BB 6K ND
RF Nick Castellanos 1-3 R 2RBI BB HR SB(1)
1B Joe Sokolow 1-4
CF Kevin Kiermaier 2-3 R
HR TOR: Castellanos(1)
HR DET: Bautista(2)
W: Jeurys Familia(1-0 2.08) L: Joe Szczygiel(0-1 4.50) SV: none
TOR 2 DET 3 DET leads ALCS 2-1.
Four stinking hits each.

[Griever20]

American League Championship Series Game 4:

October 15th, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays - Detroit Tigers @Comerica Park

TOR: SP Juan Gonzalez(R, 6-1 3.65)
DET: SP Scott Kazmir(R, 1-0 0.93)

I had a bad feeling about this one before the game. That was before Castellanos, Rendon and Suárez reeled off three straight singles to make it 1-0 Toronto, Castellanos walked… and then we started to sabotage ourselves as Sokolow hit Devin for an interference out… and the inning sizzled out. The second saw our back end of the order go down quickly, meaning two down for Nick Castellanos… who grounded one to Rua… who then threw it past Hosmer for an error.

Kazmir was visibly enraged, and it affected his pitching to Rendon as he was losing his command… and then Rendon to a loud double to right field that scored Nicky. Given a 2-0 lead, Gonzalez was… struggling, giving up a double in the first, and then walking two and then hitting Taylor to load em up with one down. This was about the time where Devin Mesoraco started bailing him out by fooling the umpire, stealing three strikes en route to two strikeouts in long at bats…. That were STRESSFUL.

Finkbeiner made it 3-0 with a solo blast in the third and cashed in for more fun when Mesoraco waited for him at second in the 5th… RBI-single. That was the end for Kazmir after 4.2, and Gonzales followed him after four messy, yet scoreless innings, in line for the W. That lead however, was in danger.

Bringing in Carlos Bustamente was a costly mistake as bloody Bautista tattooed him for a 2-run home run, and Hosmer and Rua collected their third run on two singles. With the bottom of the order coming up, we brought in Danny Foxhoven again… and when he left after a single, a walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch, and a fielder’s choice RBI… DET 6 TOR 5.

Trying to give them a new look and hoping to keep things close, Henderson Alvarez III got his gig and pitched two scoreless to get to the ninth. Familia seemingly was finally gassed after pitching 2 inning outings two times already. That brings up 7.02 righty Fernando Rodriguez Jr.… and he got Mesoraco, Sokolow and Finkbeiner in order.

SP Juan Gonzalez 5IP 1H 0ER 0BB 8K ND
RF Nick Castellanos 2-5 2R
3B Anthony Rendon 3-5 RBI 2DB
DH Eugenio Suárez 2-5 R RBI DB
C Devin Mesoraco 1-4 R RBI BB
1B Joe Sokolow 1-5
2B Brad Finkbeiner 2-5 R 2RBI HR
LF Jesse Winker 1-4 DB
SS Carlos Gandara 1-4
HR TOR: Finkbeiner(1)
HR DET: Bautista(3)
W: Ryan Madson(2-0 2.08) L: Danny Foxhoven(0-1 3.86) SV: Fernando Rodriguez Jr.(1 9.00)
TOR 5 DET 6 DET leads ALCS 3-1.
As I said. Bad feeling.

[Griever20]

American League Championship Series Game 5:

October 16th, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays - Detroit Tigers @Comerica Park

TOR: SP Jeremy Komosinski(R, 1-1 5.73)
DET: SP Luke Hochevar(R, 1-0 0.00)

A rematch of game one (that we lost), and we have our backs firmly against the wall. At least, we got the first hit on the board right away as Castellanos tripled with two outs, but was left there by Suárez. It took the Tigers no time to get into action themselves as Bautista, batting .308 in the playoffs, singled with two outs and Hosmer walked, bringing up Alex Avila. Komosinski showed again why experts called him ‘overwhelmed’ by the playoffs and threw a wild pitch to get two into scoring position… before Avila watched a sinker go by for strike three.

A couple of groundballs got him out of trouble in the third with a walk ending up at second… but we were once again baffled by 33-year old Luke Hochevar… however, the 4th looked promising as Joe Sokolow doubled down the left-field line to start the frame, and was moved to third on a groundout by Castellanos. Suárez, hitting over .300 prior to the game… struck out, Winker walked… and Mesoraco showed once again that he isn’t in MvP form as he hit a lazy flyball to center for the final out.

Pitching dominance continued despite us trying everything to bring runs in, even when Sokolow walked to lead off the 6th and Castellanos then got hit… Suárez moved to 0-3 with a popup and Hochevar subsequently collected strikeouts #6 and #7 to end another threat. Komosinski was at 52 pitches through five and also got the sixth… but that was when he came to a screeching halt as Mike Cordero, their second baseman today, walked on four pitches, was moved to second… and scored on a 2-out single by bloody Eric Hosmer… first blood for the Tigers, 1-0 on three hits compared to our two.

Hochevar came back for another hitter, his final line: 6.1IP 2H 0ER 3BB 7K… Osuna and Eaton delivered scoreless innings… but so did their pen… and all came down to the top of the ninth, 1-run down… and left-hander Drew Smyly(27, 2*, 2-1 1SV 6.88 14K -0.9WAR) on for the save… SIX POINT EIGHT EIGHT ERA!

Here is the broadcast of 122.3 FM Toronto:

0-3 Eugenio Suárez at the plate… 2-2 pitch… soft liner… one hop to David Luna at short… one down. Next up… a pinch-hitter… young Ian Dellaripa to get the right-lefty matchup, replacing Jesse Winker… 3-2 pitch… he checks the swing… BUT IT IS STRIKE THREE CALLED! TWO DOWN.

Here is Devin Mesoraco, the 2015 AL MvP, with the season on the line… He is hitting .172 in the playoffs, albeit with two home runs… full count pitch… BALL FOUR! The EXPOS WIN ONE MORE BATTER… and it is Kevin Kiermaier. The Expos and Nick Bannister are out of pinch-hitting options that can play the outfield… 2-2 pitch… towering high flyball to right… dropping quickly… IN FRONT OF BAUTISTA… BASE HIT AND KIERMAIER IS RUNNING… A DOUBLE WITH MESORACO HOLDING AT THIRD!

And here is Brad Finkbeiner, the 13th rounder from 2012, hitting .250 in the playoffs after a strong .327 year in the regular season. No need for a pinch hitter here, what they need tho is a base hit. Another 2-2 count… Smyly delievers… SWUNG ON AND MISSED! THE TIGERS WIN THE PENNANT!

SP Jeremy Komosinski 6IP 3H 1ER 2BB 3K L
1B Joe Sokolow 1-3 BB DB
RF Nick Castellanos 1-3 TP HBP
CF Kevin Kiermaier 1-4
HR TOR: none
HR DET: none
W: Luke Hochevar(2-0 0.00) L: Jeremy Komosinski(1-2 4.24) SV: Drew Smyly(1 0.00)
TOR 0 DET 1 DET wins ALCS 4-1, advances to World Series
Horrible offensive showing today against pitchers that we should be able to beat.

[Griever20]

NL Championship Series:

San Francisco Giants 4 - Atlanta Braves 5
ATL SS Andrelton Simmons 4-5 R 3RBI HR(1)
Atlanta Braves leads series 1-0

San Francisco Giants 2 - Atlanta Braves 1
SFG SP John Burris 5.1IP 6H 0ER 3BB 9K W(1-1 3.09)
Series tied at 1.

Atlanta Braves 1 - San Francisco Giants 0
ATL SP Kris Medlen 7IP 1H 0ER 0BB 6K W(3-0 0.00)
Atlanta Braves leads series 2-1

Atlanta Braves 4 - San Francisco Giants 1
ATL SP Alex Wood 6IP 6H 1ER 2BB 6K W(1-0 2.92)
Atlanta Braves leads series 3-1

Atlanta Braves 3 - San Francisco Giants 9
SFG 1B Brandon Belt 2-3 R 2RBI BB HR(2)
Atlanta Braves leads series 3-2

San Francisco Giants 1 - Atlanta Braves 3
ATL SP Brandon Beachy 6.2IP 4H 1ER 3BB 3K W(1-2 2.29)
Atlanta Braves wins series 4-2, advances to World Series.

Tigers Advance to World Series
stadiumreport.bbn

October 16th, 2016

By a score of 1-0, the Detroit Tigers have sealed a victory in the League Championship Series over the Toronto Blue Jays.

"We knew we would be in for a tough series and that's what we got," said starting pitcher Luke Hochevar of the Tigers, who was named the series MVP. "The Blue Jays knew how to battle and gave us a good test."

The next test for Detroit will come in the World Series, after winning this series 4-1.

The Detroit Tigers don't know who they will face in the next round. They will play the winner of the Atlanta Braves - San Francisco Giants series. Atlanta leads the series 3 games to 1. The World Series schedule will be announced after the League Championship Series finishes.

News:
October 15th - Minnesota Twins 2B/3B/SS Justin Rimmele(26, 4*, .350-28-110 1.066OPS 11.1WAR) agreed to a 8y/$166.8M contract extension, locking him up till his age 33 season.

[Griever20]

Tigers Win it All!
stadiumreport.bbn

October 28th, 2016

With a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park today, the Detroit Tigers wrapped up their 5th title in team history.

The Tigers left little doubt who was the better team. Celebrating a banner year, "team" was the word of the day in the victorious clubhouse after the game.

"Hitting, pitching, fielding; those are all things you need to win, but most importantly you need a team, a team that works together toward the same collective goal," said Detroit manager Mike Shelly. "Our players felt that way all year, and they played that way. When one guy had an off day, 24 others stepped up their game and filled the void."

A jovial mood filled the air as Detroit celebrated into the night. The city's mayor said parade plans were underway and a "huge celebration" would be in order.

"I hope they have a big celebration," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "They deserved to win this series and they deserve to celebrate it."

[Griever20]

Salary Arbitration:

Non-Tendered:
RHSP Chris Archer(28, 2.5/3*, 3-3 4.02 68K 1.0WAR 14GS) – Estimate $3.84M
RHRP Arodys Vizcaino(25, 2*, 1-0 8.79 7K 0.0WAR 14.1IP) – Estimate $1.3M

Archer is a tough one as he was a soldier for us for some years, but the matter of fact is, he is 28, never reached his ceiling and we have a strong 5-man rotation that got us through the second half with a good group of prospects in AAA and AA… And the torn UCL is scary.

And Vizcaino is unfortunately cooked.

Contract Extension Offered:
RHSP Henderson Alvarez III(26, 2.5*, 15-8 4.14 124K 2.3WAR 31GS) – Estimate $8.28M – Offered 1y/$8.1M
2B Adeiny Hechavarria(27, 2.5*, .257-7-31 .646OPS 1.1WAR 134G/121GS) – Estimate $4.2M – Offered 1y/$4M
CF Kevin Kiermaier(26, 2.5*, .257-9-39 .727OPS 1.3WAR 92G/65GS) – Estimate $2.8M – Offered 1y/$2.7M
RF Nick Castellanos(24, 3.5*, .309-33-85 .947OPS 4.6WAR 132G) – Estimate $3.552M – Offered 8y/$121.8M
DH Eugenio Suárez(25, .282-42-102 .938OPS 4.1WAR 143G) – Estimate $4.484M – Offered 8y/$127.3M

Castellanos and Suárez. Nuff said.

Going to Arbitration:
1B Adam Brzezinski(27, 2.5*, .286-1-13 .799OPS 0.2WAR 37G/10GS) – Estimate $1.734M

We want to keep Brzezinski around as he has 2 options left and can hit some, but he wasn’t willing to entertain a reasonable contract offer… so we will go into arbitration with him at the estimate point of $1.734M…

Upcoming Free Agents:
RHRP Tyler Duffey(25, 2/3*, 5-2 21SV 2.91 48K 0.9WAR AA) – minor league FA – No offer
AAA RHSP Joe Musgrove(22, 2.5*, 0-1 6.38 22K 0.3WAR 6GS) – minor league FA – out with elbow surgery after returning from torn labrum – offered minor league extension

Duffey was an experiment as he joined us as a Rule 5 draftee with upside but with a long road to go, and the truth is, he failed to develop. Musgrove started off as the #85 prospect in baseball in 2012 but the last two injuries really stopped his development and now that he is fragile… this is his last chance with us.

Development Lab:
MLB RHSP Juan Gonzalez(20, 3.5/5*) Secondary Pitch Improvement
MLB RHSP Jeremy Komosinski(25, 3/4*) Secondary Pitch Improvement
MLB RHSP Noah Syndergaard(24, 3/4*) Improve Control
MLB LF Jesse Winker(23, 3/3.5*) Two-strike Approach
AAA C Bobby Cary(20, 3/5*) Generate Batspeed
AA RHRP Mike Smith(20, 2/5*) Secondary Pitch Improvement
+2 Slots for minor programs.

The starting pitchers could become the jewels in our crown, and we need those three kids to make the next step to elite… they are the key to us winning a World Series in my book, and so is trying to get another lockdown reliever in Mike Smith developed. Bobby Cary is the ace in the hole…

[Griever20]

Head of MLBPA Speaks Out About Blue Jays Ban
stadiumreport.bbn

November 2nd, 2016

In an interview given for Sportsnews.us, the head of the MLB Players Association, Luke Walton, voiced some concerns about the state of the Toronto Blue Jays and their ban on trades today, raising questions whether or not a the ban will be lifted in the foreseeable future.

“I think there is an issue with the ban, looking at for instance the catching position within the Toronto Blue Jays organisation. They have Devin Mesoraco, the 2015 AL MvP, they have the #39 prospect in baseball in Bobby Cary who many think, is close to major league ready, and they have the #49 prospect in Peter Kilgore who just hit .354 in rookie ball,” Walton described his concerns.

“Soon, they will have to decide between an MVP locked up until the end of 2020, a top prospect that could be better than him, and another top prospect coming up. That is not a good situation for baseball, and not a good situation for the players, because a highly talented player may just be left sitting on the bench for years of his time,” he added. Asked whether he will talk about that with the Toronto Blue Jays or the Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred, he said, “maybe, but that’s behind closed doors.”

So far, MLB has been adamant to not change any of the sanctions for the Toronto Blue Jays that were imposed prior to the 2012 season due to breaking contract laws and the MLB imposed rules on player trading.

[Griever20]

Manfred Concerned about Strength of Blue Jays, Questions Effectiveness of Sanctions
stadiumreport.bbn

November 3rd, 2016

Asked about the recent comments of Luke Walton from the MLBPA about blocked players within in the Toronto Blue Jays organisation, Rob Manfred went on a tantrum in front of the MLB Headquarter today, stating that “it seems like the sanctions were not having the desired effect, and that there may be the need to reevaluate them this offseason.”

Investigation by stadiumreport.bbn quicky revealed that changes to the sanctions, apart from lifting them altogether, can only be agreed upon unanimously by Major League Baseball, the MLBPA, and Rogers Communications. This was, as it seems sneaked in by the lawyers of the ownership group of the Toronto Blue Jays and now comes back to hunt Rob Manfred.

That being said, he released a statement to stadiumreport.bbn on that topic, that “there are other ways than changing the agreement to make this work if the Blue Jays are not willing to agree to a change of contract.”

The Blue Jays have made the playoffs two years in a row now and have the #5 minor league system in baseball.

[Griever20]

November 3rd
Rogers Communications Headquarters

“So K.C., those interviews certainly sent shockwaves through the baseball world. Are they serious?” Mike Nicol, CEO of Rogers Communications asked me right away as we sat down with a cup of coffee in the late afternoon.

I nodded, sipping on my coffee before answering. “Yes, they can be. MLB cannot change the sanctions one sided without facing legal action from us, but they can influence some parameters that could be problematic in the future. Like, lowering the rate of scouting trips to the international market, limiting the supply of young, international scouting discoveries and therefore our market to fill out our minor league system that way.”

Nicol put his hands together and places them below his chin, thinking a second. “Is that soo problematic, that has not been the main source of talent for us during those playoff runs, right?” I point towards a big white board on the right side of his room and point at it, asking if I can use it for a moment, and he nodded.

“Look here is the lay of the land, and the point that we have to make to get the public behind our case. If you look at our playoff roster plus the injured Marisnick, Archer and Hatfield, this is our roster:

First Year Player Draft: SP Jeremy Komosinski, SP Marcus Stroman, SP Noah Syndergaard, RP Mike Bishop, RP Mike Cosens, RP James C. Eaton, Danny Foxhoven, RP Joe Szczygiel, RP Kevin Buchanan, C Eric Fountaine, 1B Ricardo Camacho, 1B Joe Sokolow, 2B Brad Finkbeiner, SS Carlos Gandara, SS Jim Hatfield, LF Ian Dellaripa, CF Jake Marisnick
31.2

Trade: SP Chris Archer, C Devin Mesoraco, 3B Anthony Rendon, LF Jesse Winker, CF Kevin Kiermaier, LF Nick Castellanos, DH Eugenio Suárez
21.6

International Amateur Free Agent: SP Henderson Alvarez III, RP Roberto Osuna, 2B Adeiny Hechavarria
4.8

International Scouting Discovery: SP Juan Gonzalez
2.1

Minor League Free Agent Signing: RP Carlos Bustamente
0.5

“The point I’m trying to make is… if we can sell the public, that without those trade acquisitions, a way to add talent that is blocked for us, we are a 87-win team that maybe does not even win the division and certainly does not win the division in a normal year where the New York Yankees are not tanking.” Nicols, who by the time I had finished, stood beside me at the whiteboard and quickly asked, “How does this stack up for 2015, especially the trade stuff?”

“Last season, due to the MvP caliber seasons of Rendon and Mesoraco, we had 35,9WAR from players that came in via trade. Subtract that, 70-win team.” Nichol suddenly grabbed my shoulder and looked me deep into my eyes. “Get that cleaned up by our PR and and our analysts, and get that out to the press in a clever way immediately. That has to be our argument against any more clear or hidden sanctions,” he added with emphatic energy.

I blinked three times to understand, but agreed to him that we have to do that, but had another problem. “That give us some leeway against the Commissioner, but there is the problem with the MLBPA… I have an idea for that, and if we combine the two things, we may find a solution for both and get those discussions about the sanctions out of our way for a long time. Here is what I have in mind…”

[Griever20]

Blue Jays Agree to Talks about Sanctions
stadiumreport.bbn

November 4th, 2016

Via Buster Olney, after a long session between General Manager K.C. Martin and Rogers Communications CEO Mike Nichol, the Toronto Blue Jays will indeed join the MLBPA and the Commissioner of Baseball for talks about the recent concerns about the sanctions, the competitive balance and the possibility of players getting blocked for six years of a minimum contract and arbitration.

K.C. Martin said to us that “we have made up our mind on what we want after a long session that included the advice from our lawyers and the whole front office, and will go through with the talks.” Surprisingly and possibly related, the team released a graphic on social media and in their season review page, highlighting that 21.6WAR came via trade in 2016, and 35.9WAR in 2015, stating that without those players, the concept would not work. There was no reaction by MLB so far, but the fans of baseball seem to be on the side of the Toronto Blue Jays.