The Blue Jays season is three weeks old, which isn’t enough time to produce any meaningful data that will answer our questions about where this team is ultimately going, but plenty of time to make us all awfully nervous about what we’ve seen so far. It’s been an uneasy start that has raised more questions than it has provided answers.
Hey Andrew, do you think Dolis pitches at such a slow pace because he thinks it puts himself at a competitive advantage? Like he’s trying to lull the opposition to sleep?
I'm not saying we should put Semien at 3rd, but it's clearly an option. The consensus seems to be that when given a choice of where to play, he took 2nd, end of story. But he's GETTING PAID 18 MILLION DOLLARS! Surely he could not say no if they put him over there and Biggio back to 2nd?
Thanks for the great content brother. Just Ryu leave the game. Can we call up SWR and Manoah already? Free the kids. Why not? Also paid sick days, we could use some of those too.
For a lot of the young players - even though the Jays are transitioning to a more 'win now' mentality as they continue to build - I don't have much problem with continued growing pains, as painful as they are in-game, like defensive miscues. For example, leaving Bichette at SS and Gurriel at LF makes sense to me for at least another year or more, as there is a history of great young hitters being bad defensively their first few years in the majors, but end up being quite good (Semien himself for example). But I also like that when they know someone probably can't last somewhere, they move them, like Guerrero, despite impacting a potential bat and lineup spot for Tellez and leaving a hole at 3rd. Leave the guys with potential at a stretch position until there is a clear cut better long term solution. But this is my long-winded way of asking, since I like Biggio as a player but am realistic about his best uses, and he is meant to be a super utility sort of player who is better on the other side of the diamond, how much better could the team be *right now* by putting Semien at 3rd and Biggio back at 2nd, without impacting any long term plans? Would there not be a near automatic boost?
Do you have the sense that team management (unlike many fans) still see this season less as “win now” and more as “see what we’ve got” in Bichette, Biggio, Tellez, etc. to guide acquisition decisions at trade deadline and off-season for the middle-to-long term? Notably, Bo as SS is an elite batter; as 2B still very good but not top-of-class. Recipe for more patience than fans will be comfortable with?
As we deal with all manner of fuckery in the name of... something (seven-inning games, runner on second in extras, etcetera), the notion that we are still watching human interpretations of The Strike Zone is beyond absurd; it’s insulting. Technology improves exponentially, regularly, yet we are still watching these assholes blow calls and then sometimes sorta maybe try to “make up” for them. It’s not what we paid for. Who, exactly, is standing in the way of the robots? And how did they get so much juice?
If we assume that the defensive numbers for Bo and Cavan remain steady (I know they won’t) how long is the leash on either of them before a more permanent change occurs? Do we see Espinal at 3rd by Mid-May or see Bo and Semien swap positions sometime in June? Curious your take on how long they remain accepting of the learning curve.
Jays pitching has been fine, considering injuries, however can always use more. I'm curious what would be stopping them from taking fliers on guys like Porcello? Porcello was terrible last year for the Mets, but we also have another pitcher on our team who was terrible for the Mets and...well, it IS the Mets. At this point, why not?
Early days, but how much would an extension for Matz or Ray cost? Are they worth overpaying to get them to live in the failed state that is Doug Ford’s Ontario?
SSS obviously, but what do you think about Ryan Borucki as a starter? He was great in 2018 then injuries derailed him. Asides from the time it would take to stretch him out, is there something I'm missing here?
I want to know more about scouting and development as these are the keys to long term success of an organization and this organization. As the teams gets better their draft picks will be lower in the order tending to equalize competitive positions. FO signing is only the final addition for post season success added to players developed within the organization.
Every year there appears to be lots of movement in the TBJ minor league coaching ranks- not indicative of 'attract and retain' the best management personnel. What are the secrets of success in Oakland and TB as they generally succeed with low budgets /lower draft picks/few big international signings.
(Is this the method of asking questions?? because it seems hard to find the 'mailbag' opening)
Thanks as always for the great coverage on the season so far. I definitely agree that the Jays committed to Bo at SS, and thus they have to be patient with him there, despite his poor defence at the position to start his career. I actually wish they had the same approach with Vlad at 3rd, though I understand moving him to 1st and he’s looked so great at the plate that I doubt they start experimenting with him now outside of a couple innings here and there. All that leads to my question - what’s your best guess as to what happens at 3rd base this season? I feel for Biggio because it’s a new position for him too, but it’s hard to live with poor defence AND poor hitting at that spot. I believe there were red flags on his hitting coming into the year too. Unless there’s a trade, the only internal options seem to be leave Biggio, try Vlad, or try Semien? Cheers!
Loving your writing this year Stoeten. Only suggestion for an improvement is to replace "But first, please briefly indulge me while I attempt to make a living" with a jazzier "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" type campaign. "I'm bat-shit and doing flips for The Batflip!" or something. I dunno, you work it out.
My question sort of pulls together all the gripes so far this year (pitcher usage, lineup construction, two-strike bunting, the recent pinch hitting for the wrong catcher, whatever else people want to complain about) and the role of the "modern manager"/Charlie Montoyo. I find myself annoyed when decisions seem off, yet early last year when the Jays seemed to love blowing games in a short year and doing things like giving pitchers their first taste of real MLB ball in the 10th inning with a runner plopped on 2nd, the name used in vain was Charlie's. Partly because of your writing on this topic, and probably also because of last year ending up being a success in my eyes, I don't direct annoyance or blame his way as much. But I can't help but consider there is more to it. Do you think there is an actual strategy at play within the Jays front office and coaching setup to deflect or lessen outrage towards the manager and others (including players)? Is all the double-talk and corporate verbiage actually for a good cause? Is there a positive mental health approach at play? In a market like Toronto this seems like something that may actually benefit a team and allow players to grow and a positive culture to manifest. I also may be reading too much into it though and it is just a case of general optimism around a young team that seems headed in the right direction as opposed to a written-down action plan of some kind.
Hi Andrew, I know it’s early, but are Montoyo’s managerial decisions looking as suspect as Bichette’s fielding at shortstop? The bunt calls, “pinch hitting for the wrong catcher,” etc. There’s a lot of banter about Bo’s future at short, is it fair to question Montoyo’s future at his position as well?
Hi Andrew. Love everything you write. Keep it up!! Also, is having a balanced lineup a little overrated? For instance, wouldn’t a manager prefer to have a lineup of 9 good right handed hitters than 6 or 7 good right handed hitters and 2-3 not so good left handed hitters?
Hey Andrew, do you think Dolis pitches at such a slow pace because he thinks it puts himself at a competitive advantage? Like he’s trying to lull the opposition to sleep?
I'm not saying we should put Semien at 3rd, but it's clearly an option. The consensus seems to be that when given a choice of where to play, he took 2nd, end of story. But he's GETTING PAID 18 MILLION DOLLARS! Surely he could not say no if they put him over there and Biggio back to 2nd?
Thanks for the great content brother. Just Ryu leave the game. Can we call up SWR and Manoah already? Free the kids. Why not? Also paid sick days, we could use some of those too.
For a lot of the young players - even though the Jays are transitioning to a more 'win now' mentality as they continue to build - I don't have much problem with continued growing pains, as painful as they are in-game, like defensive miscues. For example, leaving Bichette at SS and Gurriel at LF makes sense to me for at least another year or more, as there is a history of great young hitters being bad defensively their first few years in the majors, but end up being quite good (Semien himself for example). But I also like that when they know someone probably can't last somewhere, they move them, like Guerrero, despite impacting a potential bat and lineup spot for Tellez and leaving a hole at 3rd. Leave the guys with potential at a stretch position until there is a clear cut better long term solution. But this is my long-winded way of asking, since I like Biggio as a player but am realistic about his best uses, and he is meant to be a super utility sort of player who is better on the other side of the diamond, how much better could the team be *right now* by putting Semien at 3rd and Biggio back at 2nd, without impacting any long term plans? Would there not be a near automatic boost?
Do you have the sense that team management (unlike many fans) still see this season less as “win now” and more as “see what we’ve got” in Bichette, Biggio, Tellez, etc. to guide acquisition decisions at trade deadline and off-season for the middle-to-long term? Notably, Bo as SS is an elite batter; as 2B still very good but not top-of-class. Recipe for more patience than fans will be comfortable with?
As we deal with all manner of fuckery in the name of... something (seven-inning games, runner on second in extras, etcetera), the notion that we are still watching human interpretations of The Strike Zone is beyond absurd; it’s insulting. Technology improves exponentially, regularly, yet we are still watching these assholes blow calls and then sometimes sorta maybe try to “make up” for them. It’s not what we paid for. Who, exactly, is standing in the way of the robots? And how did they get so much juice?
If we assume that the defensive numbers for Bo and Cavan remain steady (I know they won’t) how long is the leash on either of them before a more permanent change occurs? Do we see Espinal at 3rd by Mid-May or see Bo and Semien swap positions sometime in June? Curious your take on how long they remain accepting of the learning curve.
Vlad's OBP vs Jays winning percentage: At the end of April, what is higher?
Jays pitching has been fine, considering injuries, however can always use more. I'm curious what would be stopping them from taking fliers on guys like Porcello? Porcello was terrible last year for the Mets, but we also have another pitcher on our team who was terrible for the Mets and...well, it IS the Mets. At this point, why not?
Early days, but how much would an extension for Matz or Ray cost? Are they worth overpaying to get them to live in the failed state that is Doug Ford’s Ontario?
Also, a request, if substack allows for it, can you email the newsletter in dark mode? Thx
SSS obviously, but what do you think about Ryan Borucki as a starter? He was great in 2018 then injuries derailed him. Asides from the time it would take to stretch him out, is there something I'm missing here?
I want to know more about scouting and development as these are the keys to long term success of an organization and this organization. As the teams gets better their draft picks will be lower in the order tending to equalize competitive positions. FO signing is only the final addition for post season success added to players developed within the organization.
Every year there appears to be lots of movement in the TBJ minor league coaching ranks- not indicative of 'attract and retain' the best management personnel. What are the secrets of success in Oakland and TB as they generally succeed with low budgets /lower draft picks/few big international signings.
(Is this the method of asking questions?? because it seems hard to find the 'mailbag' opening)
Thanks as always for the great coverage on the season so far. I definitely agree that the Jays committed to Bo at SS, and thus they have to be patient with him there, despite his poor defence at the position to start his career. I actually wish they had the same approach with Vlad at 3rd, though I understand moving him to 1st and he’s looked so great at the plate that I doubt they start experimenting with him now outside of a couple innings here and there. All that leads to my question - what’s your best guess as to what happens at 3rd base this season? I feel for Biggio because it’s a new position for him too, but it’s hard to live with poor defence AND poor hitting at that spot. I believe there were red flags on his hitting coming into the year too. Unless there’s a trade, the only internal options seem to be leave Biggio, try Vlad, or try Semien? Cheers!
Loving your writing this year Stoeten. Only suggestion for an improvement is to replace "But first, please briefly indulge me while I attempt to make a living" with a jazzier "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" type campaign. "I'm bat-shit and doing flips for The Batflip!" or something. I dunno, you work it out.
My question sort of pulls together all the gripes so far this year (pitcher usage, lineup construction, two-strike bunting, the recent pinch hitting for the wrong catcher, whatever else people want to complain about) and the role of the "modern manager"/Charlie Montoyo. I find myself annoyed when decisions seem off, yet early last year when the Jays seemed to love blowing games in a short year and doing things like giving pitchers their first taste of real MLB ball in the 10th inning with a runner plopped on 2nd, the name used in vain was Charlie's. Partly because of your writing on this topic, and probably also because of last year ending up being a success in my eyes, I don't direct annoyance or blame his way as much. But I can't help but consider there is more to it. Do you think there is an actual strategy at play within the Jays front office and coaching setup to deflect or lessen outrage towards the manager and others (including players)? Is all the double-talk and corporate verbiage actually for a good cause? Is there a positive mental health approach at play? In a market like Toronto this seems like something that may actually benefit a team and allow players to grow and a positive culture to manifest. I also may be reading too much into it though and it is just a case of general optimism around a young team that seems headed in the right direction as opposed to a written-down action plan of some kind.
Hi Andrew, I know it’s early, but are Montoyo’s managerial decisions looking as suspect as Bichette’s fielding at shortstop? The bunt calls, “pinch hitting for the wrong catcher,” etc. There’s a lot of banter about Bo’s future at short, is it fair to question Montoyo’s future at his position as well?
Hi Andrew. Love everything you write. Keep it up!! Also, is having a balanced lineup a little overrated? For instance, wouldn’t a manager prefer to have a lineup of 9 good right handed hitters than 6 or 7 good right handed hitters and 2-3 not so good left handed hitters?