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Blue Jays Discussion: Confirmed: Vladimir Guerrero Jr is still good at baseball

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It's crazy that we're talking about what the heck is wrong with a guy on a 14-game hitting streak. He set the bar high for himself last year.
 
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www.tsn.ca

Comfortable Kikuchi showing his potential - TSN.ca

The Blue Jays’ lefty started slow, but the work he’s done with pitching coach Pete Walker is starting to pay off, Steve Phillips writes.
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

When a player joins a new team there is a get-to-know-you period. It’s a time where the coaches watch, take stock, and make small suggestions. They do more listening than talking. Then, once there is a relationship and trust built, the real adjustments can be made.

When Yusei Kikuchi reported to camp, the Jays staff knew they needed to build a trusting relationship with their new lefty. The reports out of Seattle, where Kikuchi pitched for three seasons, indicated that there was a disconnect between him and the Mariners staff.

Kikuchi is an analytics darling despite not having produced at an elite level. As a free agent, clubs loved his stuff and thought that if he cleaned up his mechanics and sequencing of pitches, he could harness his potential.

The Jays saw the same potential, and in many ways, thought that he could be the next Robbie Ray had always had good stuff that he couldn’t quite command and locate. But Jays pitching coach Pete Walker was able to connect with Ray and get him to make the necessary adjustments and then buy in. Walker hoped to do the same thing with Kikuchi.

The 30-year-old starter’s first several outings were merely mediocre. He didn’t throw enough strikes and had plenty of runners on the bases. But he has been excellent over his past three starts. Kikuchi is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA in May, allowing six hits and seven walks in 17.1 innings while striking out 20. The hard work he has done with Walker has cleaned up his delivery and created a trusting relationship that has allowed Kikuchi to dramatically change his pitch selection and sequencing.

Last season, Kikuchi threw his four-seam fastball on 37.5 per cent of the time, this season he uses it 51 per cent of the time. In 2021, he threw his cutter (34.9 per cent) almost as much as his fastball. It is down to only being used 10.8 per cent this season and was completely scrapped in his past couple of starts. Kikuchi is using his slider 26.8 per cent of the time this season, up from 18.9 per cent. The use of his changeup has remained flat this season.

Ray became a fastball and slider pitcher in his Cy Young season in 2021. That is what we have seen Kikuchi evolve to over his three good starts. Kikuchi’s fastball averages about 95 mph, just like Ray. It’s a good pitch, and there is still more room for him to gain confidence in it. He walks a few too many hitters but that can be alleviated once he fully accepts that his heater is enough, and he doesn’t need to nibble the corners of the plate.

Kikuchi has gotten better and there is still room to grow.
 
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Discoverer said:
This is what I've noticed the most.

1. When he's best-hitter-on-the-planet Vlad, he lays off pitches off the outside corner and either walks or forces pitchers into the zone and destroys them.
2. When he's human-but-still-amazing Vlad, he swings and slaps them the other way for base hits (like his hit last night).
3. When he's struggling, he tries to put those pitches into the upper deck and mostly just rolls over on them and ground out.

I think we've been seeing more of that middle one recently after a stretch of #3, which is progress at least.

I also wonder if his hand isn't quite 100% after being stepped on earlier.
Click to expand...
I wonder what his numbers show since that hand injury.
Seems that everything started at that time, or no?
 
I'm enjoying this season a bit less, not really sure why. Not like I've stopped believing in the Jays, I just think we got spoiled with some insane baseball last fall and my expectations were sky high.

Watching Gausman deal has been the best part of the year so far. Closest experience we've had to watching Doc work.
 
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Wow The story continues. Grandslam off of Ray.

Whats your thoughts on Ryu now?
2 very good starts since returning

hockeywiz542 said:
www.tsn.ca

Comfortable Kikuchi showing his potential - TSN.ca

The Blue Jays’ lefty started slow, but the work he’s done with pitching coach Pete Walker is starting to pay off, Steve Phillips writes.
www.tsn.ca www.tsn.ca

When a player joins a new team there is a get-to-know-you period. It’s a time where the coaches watch, take stock, and make small suggestions. They do more listening than talking. Then, once there is a relationship and trust built, the real adjustments can be made.

When Yusei Kikuchi reported to camp, the Jays staff knew they needed to build a trusting relationship with their new lefty. The reports out of Seattle, where Kikuchi pitched for three seasons, indicated that there was a disconnect between him and the Mariners staff.

Kikuchi is an analytics darling despite not having produced at an elite level. As a free agent, clubs loved his stuff and thought that if he cleaned up his mechanics and sequencing of pitches, he could harness his potential.

The Jays saw the same potential, and in many ways, thought that he could be the next Robbie Ray had always had good stuff that he couldn’t quite command and locate. But Jays pitching coach Pete Walker was able to connect with Ray and get him to make the necessary adjustments and then buy in. Walker hoped to do the same thing with Kikuchi.

The 30-year-old starter’s first several outings were merely mediocre. He didn’t throw enough strikes and had plenty of runners on the bases. But he has been excellent over his past three starts. Kikuchi is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA in May, allowing six hits and seven walks in 17.1 innings while striking out 20. The hard work he has done with Walker has cleaned up his delivery and created a trusting relationship that has allowed Kikuchi to dramatically change his pitch selection and sequencing.

Last season, Kikuchi threw his four-seam fastball on 37.5 per cent of the time, this season he uses it 51 per cent of the time. In 2021, he threw his cutter (34.9 per cent) almost as much as his fastball. It is down to only being used 10.8 per cent this season and was completely scrapped in his past couple of starts. Kikuchi is using his slider 26.8 per cent of the time this season, up from 18.9 per cent. The use of his changeup has remained flat this season.

Ray became a fastball and slider pitcher in his Cy Young season in 2021. That is what we have seen Kikuchi evolve to over his three good starts. Kikuchi’s fastball averages about 95 mph, just like Ray. It’s a good pitch, and there is still more room for him to gain confidence in it. He walks a few too many hitters but that can be alleviated once he fully accepts that his heater is enough, and he doesn’t need to nibble the corners of the plate.

Kikuchi has gotten better and there is still room to grow.
Click to expand...
Wow thx for sharing. Thst was good
 
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Max Castillo with 7 shutout innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 8 Ks, in his Buffalo debut after a really nice start to the season in New Hampshire. It must be 3-4 years ago now I picked him as my breakout prospect and he's done nothing every since.

Also, Groshans has great numbers so far other than a complete lack of power. Hitting .350 with just a 7% walk rate and twice as many walks... super weird but pretty impressive numbers.
 
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Jays have had some really intriguing developments from guys like Tiedemann, Zulueta, and Santos, but it’s always nice to see the Kloffs and Castillos get back on the radar too.
 
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