Blue Jays GDT: 2024 v5 |Fri, Jul 5 | @ Sea | 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT | Gausman vs Castillo

[MS]

KK is basically a minor league contract candidate next winter. He fell off the cliff completely this year with the bat.

At 35 years old next season if he keeps playing like that it will effectively be hard for him to get more than a minor league deal with an invitation to a camp. He's been awful ...

He's so good defensively that he's still a positive WAR player. Someone will sign him as a 4th OF.

We'll also have no problem trading him.

I hate it. So what if he lost contact for a split second? Unbelievable. They need to change that.

Yeah, that's technically a correct call but so outside the spirit of the rule.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

I hate it. So what if he lost contact for a split second? Unbelievable. They need to change that.

Meh. He was way off during the slide.

All these changes have benefitted base stealers, so it's up to them to stay on the base when they slide.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Kirk really annoys me. f***

 

[MS]

So if they're a takeaway from today, it's that Horwitz is fine against LHP.

3-4 against two of the toughest lefties in MLB and the out was a long fly ball that moved a runner over. This in a game where he was originally on the bench.

Another ugly loss. This time hit into 5 DPs.

 

[canucksfan]

So if they're a takeaway from today, it's that Horwitz is fine against LHP.

3-4 against two of the toughest lefties in MLB and the out was a long fly ball that moved a runner over. This in a game where he was originally on the bench.

Another ugly loss. This time hit into 5 DPs.

Horwitz needs to be playing every day.

 

[MS]

Horwitz needs to be playing every day.

After Vladdy he should be the most automatic player on the lineup card.

 

[MK78]

Time for the selloff to begin. Problem is Ross Atkins is still here.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Sad we won’t see any playoff games this year, and also sad we only saw 4 playoff games during our “championship window” with this core of which we lost all 4. Next time Jays win a playoff game, there might be celebrations in the streets. We might have flying cars by then.

 

[shaner8989]

[BNS] ...the Blue Jays haven’t drafted or developed enough minor-league pitchers to fill the gaps, so they haven’t been able to backfill from within. As a result, waiver claims like Cuas and Ryan Burr have ended up pitching in high leverage.

What a sack of shit organization

And they alllllll still have job.

Fraud franchise

6th last in the entire league now. Keep losing losers

 

[CabanaBoy5]

Kirk really annoys me. f***

Mannn, I hear you brother. Between him and Varsho I may end up on a shrink's couch. Do the suits not see how Atkins has truly f***ed up this entire organization? How does he still have a job? I'm telling you, they're not getting rid of this guy. They'll say this is the first season in a while that we haven't been in the playoffs, or that key injuries in the bullpen hurt the team, or that it's been just an unlucky year where key performers haven't performed consistently, etc. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[canucksfan]

[BNS] ...the Blue Jays haven’t drafted or developed enough minor-league pitchers to fill the gaps, so they haven’t been able to backfill from within. As a result, waiver claims like Cuas and Ryan Burr have ended up pitching in high leverage.

What a sack of shit organization

And they alllllll still have job.

Fraud franchise

6th last in the entire league now. Keep losing losers

I'll ignore the rest of the post but the development of pitchers has been bad. Pearson is not an effective reliever. Could turn into one though because when he is on, he is quite good. Romano was part of the first wave. Then there's Manoah who wasn't been effective since 2022. Having said that, it does seem to be on the upswing but it's too late. One guy I thought for sure would be up with the team was Cooke but he's been awful in AAA.

TBH the hitters haven't been much better.

Overall, the trades and free-agent signings management has made have been fairly good. However, the development of local talent has been very bad outside of the first wave.

 

[trellaine201]

Mannn, I hear you brother. Between him and Varsho I may end up on a shrink's couch. Do the suits not see how Atkins has truly f***ed up this entire organization? How does he still have a job? I'm telling you, they're not getting rid of this guy. They'll say this is the first season in a while that we haven't been in the playoffs, or that key injuries in the bullpen hurt the team, or that it's been just an unlucky year where key performers haven't performed consistently, etc. Hope I'm wrong.

That’s exactly what they will say . When is Shapiro’s contract expire?

 

[The Nemesis]

With the game being early today and a bust, and not everyone would've had a Thursday morning/early afternoon to watch (or possibly the inclination to watch), I'm back to provide a less time-restrictive listening option as a replacement in the second entry of my irregularly posted vintage baseball radio broadcasts. Load it up while you do yardwork, or sit on the deck with a cool drink and enjoy your early July afternoon/evening. It's up to you.

Today's game is the 1939 MLB All-Star Game from Yankee Stadium as called on CBS By Mel Allen (perhaps best known to more modern fans as the first host of This Week in Baseball and namesake of the "how about that?"highlight package.) and France Laux.



As is standard I'm not going to spoil the results of the game for anyone who wants to listen and invest, but if you are intent on knowing what happened you can find the baseball-reference box-score here

(I can't just post the link outright because the way that HF turns it into a little box with added info ends up spoiling the score)

While I won't post the box score or spoilers, I can give the starting lineups for each team and some notable bench players in the spoiler tags below (not because they're spoilers. Just because it'll keep things a bit more compressed.

Spoiler: game/lineup info

American League
1) Doc Cramer (RF) (Red Sox)
2) Red Rolfe (3B) (Yankees)
3) Joe DiMaggio* (CF) (Yankees)
4) Bill Dickey* (C) (Yankees)
5) Hank Greenberg* (1B) (Tigers)
6) Joe Cronin* (SS) (Red Sox)
7) George Selkirk (LF) (Yankees)
8) Joe Gordon* (2B) (Yankees)
9) Red Ruffing* (P) (Yankees)


National League
1) Stan Hack (3B) (Cubs)
2) Lonny Frey (2B) (Reds)
3) Ival Goodman (RF) (Reds)
4) Frank McCormick (1B) (Reds)
5) Ernie Lombardi* (C) (Reds)
6) Joe Medwick* (LF) (Cardinals)
7) Mel Ott* (CF) (Giants)
8) Arky Vaughan* (SS) (Pirates)
9) Paul Derringer (P) (Reds)

Notable players on the benches to start the game:
AL: Jimmie Foxx* (1B - Red Sox), Lou Gehrig* (1B - Yankees), Luke Appling* (SS - White Sox)
NL: Johnny Mize* (1B - Cardinals), Billy Herman* (2B - Cubs)

And the reserve pitchers:
AL: Bob Feller* (Indians), Lefty Gomez* (Yankees), Lefty Grove* (Red Sox), Ted Lyons* (White Sox)
NL: Johnny Vander Meer (Reds), Lon Warneke (Cardinals)

Every player I marked with an asterisk (*) was eventually elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. So that's 19 future HoF players in this game.

Do be aware that not every reserve player mentioned got into this game.

Also of note was Selkirk. In 1935 he inherited both right field duties and the #3 uniform for the Yankees upon the retirement of Babe Ruth (the team didn't retire the number for almost 10 years after this all-star game). But what makes it more interesting is that he was possibly the first star Canadian in MLB, having been born in Huntsville, Ontario. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 after a career as a player, manager, scout, and front-office executive across major league baseball.

@td_ice @Da Cool Rula @HockeyThoughts (just tagging the people who liked the last one in particular. If you want to be notified when I do this again, give this post a like or quote/respond to it)

 

[the valiant effort]

@The Nemesis that is cool as hell dude

 

[EpochLink]

I’m so annoyed with this season. Just terrible.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Putting back Springer as a 1st hitter yesterday should be a fire worthy offence. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't change anything since the Jays will miss anyway but that's one of the dumbest coaching decision i've seen in a loooooong while. Springer was hitting well 5th and 6th and Horwitz and IKF were getting on base for Vlad. Team was not winning more but was arguably playing a little bit better. Why the **** do you move Springer back 1st? At this point i don't know what the ownership is waiting for. Fire everyone.

I don't know what you need to see to understand the coach is the least of our problems here. The roster stinks, that is the problem. Atkins needs to go imo. I wouldn't even let him tear this down, it needs to be someone else.

 

[The Nemesis]

Those blue Mariners jerseys are cool, but dark pants with them is certainly a choice.

 

[MK78]

OK, I think Clement should not play 3rd base anymore.

 

[The Nemesis]

Jesus Christ, Varsho. what a catch.

 

[647Hockey]

Jay supposed to be all about defence to put them over the top. The team is bottom 10 in the league in fielding %. And top 10 in number of errors committed.

Never ever focus on defence too much in baseball. It's all about hitting and pitching. Fielding can always swing wildly from year to year no matter how many gold gloves you got.

In other sports, a ironclad defence in football, basketball and hockey can get you far. Defence in baseball isnt that important.

Big time hitting and pitching will get your farther than saving on some errors and doing a superman diving catch once every two weeks.

If management wants to shore up the defence better, tell Bo to stop gunning on bad throws to first base where he airmails a throw over Vlad's head. And tell him to stop charging at every ball like is stupid crash and burn collision in the playoffs.

 

[MK78]

Wow what a catch by Varsho.

 

[canucksfan]

That’s ridiculous

 

[The Nemesis]

Kiermaier looks back at the dugout like "oh god, what do I do? He's dead." at first.

 

[saska sault]

I've been a very critical and miserable fan this year but ......

Varsho. Got to love the effort. One of the best defensive plays I've seen in a long time.

 

[MK78]

I've been a very critical and miserable fan this year but ......

Varsho. Got to love the effort. One of the best defensive plays I've seen in a long time.

Yeah, Varsho is one of the few guys on this team that gives it 100% every time, whether its in the outfield or running full effort on routine grounders.