Blue Jays GDT: Next: @LAA | Thu, May 8 | 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT | Bassitt vs Soriano

[canucksfan]

Yeah I was gonna say. I'm not going to defend Guillermo Martinez since his approach legitimately sucked, but Popkins has a lot of guys taking better at bats in my opinion. The results just aren't there.

The negative thought I keep coming to is 2021 making some of those players look better than they were because of playing in Buffalo.

Bo had a better year in 2022, and the same with Kirk. Vladdy had a great year last year. I don't see any indication about playing in Buffalo and Dunedin.

Towards the end of last year, Wagner looked like a solid add. Kirk was doing really well, and now both are struggling.

The team was having very good at-bats for the majority of the games and were hitting well except for power. Now, I think they are chasing power and not having good at-bats.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

This may sound strange coming from a guy who doesn't think Schneider is any good, but I feel sorry for the guy. No matter what he does to the bottom six of the batting order, it just isn't going to make any difference. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Until the top 3 start to hit consistently and for power, this team is going to struggle offensively. In today's baseball you can't just hit singles. Varsho might help if you bat him 5th and play Barger a little more because he does have power, but the top 3 have to be better. Atkins didn't acquire that one more bat with power that might have made a bit of a difference. Imagine if Springer wouldn't have had this resurgence, we'd be wallowing in the depths of the division.

Btw, is there a more frustrating batter than Kirk? How many times have he and Santander come up with men in scoring position and not produced. We're not looking for power from Kirk, just a damn single with men on second and third to tie the game.

 

[Dr Pepper]

This may sound strange coming from a guy who doesn't think Schneider is any good, but I feel sorry for the guy. No matter what he does to the bottom six of the batting order, it just isn't going to make any difference. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Until the top 3 start to hit consistently and for power, this team is going to struggle offensively. In today's baseball you can't just hit singles. Varsho might help if you bat him 5th and play Barger a little more because he does have power, but the top 3 have to be better. Atkins didn't acquire that one more bat with power that might have made a bit of a difference. Imagine if Springer wouldn't have had this resurgence, we'd be wallowing in the depths of the division.

Btw, is there a more frustrating batter than Kirk? How many times have he and Santander come up with men in scoring position and not produced. We're not looking for power from Kirk, just a damn single with men on second and third to tie the game.

Still not as bad as when Kirk himself is the RISP and can't get around the bases fast enough.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Shows how desperate we are as fans that we can't wait till Varsho gets back. He is an average hitter, at best.

 

[mikeyz]

Shows how desperate we are as fans that we can't wait till Varsho gets back. He is an average hitter, at best.

I am just so f***ing pissed at that Scherzer signing. What an absolute f***ing waste of $15 million.

That literally could have been the difference of convincing both Bregman AND Alonso to come here.

They could have used that money to offer each of them an extra $7.5 million per year.

 

[Kurtz]

I am just so f***ing pissed at that Scherzer signing. What an absolute f***ing waste of $15 million.

That literally could have been the difference of convincing both Bregman AND Alonso to come here.

They could have used that money to offer each of them an extra $7.5 million per year.

We did need a starter though since we only had 4 legitimate, healthy starters at the time.

What we definitely didn't need, however, was a $100m defense-only 2B.

 

[647Hockey]

Right now on Blair Barker they are talking players and the brought up Bo. Caleb Joseph brought up he's gonna be a doubles kind of player. Dont expect 30 HR.

I agree. I think that wild 2021 season with shit loads of homers and runs inflated everyone's expectations Bo and Vlad would be steady 30-40 HR guys driving in 120 RBI. That was a crazy year where the entire lineup had power. Grichuck hit 20 HR/80 RBI and that was considered meh compared to the other bats.

 

[MK78]

I never had Bo as a consistent 25HR+ guy. If he gets 15-20 i think that's great for him if he gets on base a lot and hits a good amount of doubles.

Vladdy though, especially now with his contract, I would expect nothing less than 35HR+, some big clutch bombs. I dont know why some people now think that we cannot expect that from him now.

 

[mikeyz]

We did need a starter though since we only had 4 legitimate, healthy starters at the time.

What we definitely didn't need, however, was a $100m defense-only 2B.

Yeah but the problem was pretty much everybody predicted that Scherzer was eventually going to get hurt. It was the most inevitable and safe bet sure thing prediction ever.

Although I thought he would have lasted longer than 4 innings in his first start.

I honestly would have rather have seen Lucas be a full time starter and have Bregman and Alonso then Scherzer and no Bregman and Alonso.

I mean. How many hits did the Blue Jays get total in that Houston series? Did they even crack 10? Lol.

 

[canucksfan]

Bo's expected slugging is the second highest in his career, and his expected batting average is the highest it's been. He has been very unlucky and or the defense is playing him perfectly.

Vladdy's expected slugging is a little down, but his average is the highest it's been. If he starts to get the balls in the air a little more, he will take off.

Santander's statcast page is awful, and his stats do reflect it. His bat speed is slower than last year, and he isn't barrelling a lot of pitches.

Kirk needs to stop chasing.

Gimenez has a fairly solid Statcast page compared to previous years. He has been a little unlucky.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Yeah but the problem was pretty much everybody predicted that Scherzer was eventually going to get hurt. It was the most inevitable and safe bet sure thing prediction ever.

Although I thought he would have lasted longer than 4 innings in his first start.

I honestly would have rather have seen Lucas be a full time starter and have Bregman and Alonso then Scherzer and no Bregman and Alonso.

I mean. How many hits did the Blue Jays get total in that Houston series? Did they even crack 10? Lol.

It's why i said he's washed and didn't want him in the offseason.

I should have clarified i meant washed in the sense it's incredibly clear while he still is a solid pitcher, his body no longer allows him to do so.

But at the same time i don't think Scherzer's 15 million being available to use elsewhere changes much of anything. Alonso was going back to the Mets regardless and Bregman didn't seem too interested in coming here.

 

[647Hockey]

Signing Scherzer is one thing as a roll of the dice. But why $15M? If thats the going rate for him, forget it. Put that money to something else.

His last two years were injury prone and his ERA were close to 4.

$15M for a pitcher trending down, injury prone and 40 years old makes no sense.

 

[LaP]

I'm really puzzled that Atkins still has a job. It's never too late the fire someone but i think the damage has been done and the next GM will be put in a very tough situation which would have not been the case (or at least less the case) in 2023 where he should have been fired for not getting the bullpen help needed at the deadline and thinking a washed up Belt could be the big 4th hitter the team needed. He was even lucky Belt had a relatively good season and that was still far from being enough. At that point it was still maybe salvageable by a good GM.

Now i fear wer're in depth trouble. Aging bullpen. Weak prospects pool. Big contracts to players i like and i personally feel get too much flak (which should be directed at the GM instead) but still players who should have been signed for less money 2-3 years ago. I mean hard to see any lights in the current situation. A long tough road ahead i fear.

 

[Battle Lin]

max signing was so garbage, pivetta and flaherty were waiting til the final days for someone to take them too, at least both had healthy good seasons last year and now both pitching great on great deals

and we had 750 to throw at soto and signed santander...we coulda gotten both alfonzo and bregman

 

[canucksfan]

There was an interesting segment on the pregame that showed the Jays are by far the worst team on the first and second pitches in an at-bat. The expected batting average is much lower than the second worst team.

 

[jetsforever]

Good start by Berríos

 

[Nineteen67]

Jays two lead off hitters watch strike one -yank swings at the hit able pitch. That’s why they’ve score 130 runs.

 

[MK78]

Yeah i was just waiting for Judge to light him up, lol.

 

[canucksfan]

Jays two lead off hitters watch strike one -yank swings at the hit able pitch. That’s why they’ve score 130 runs.

Vlad missed a hitable pitch but Bo's strike was a pitch that caught the outside corner.

 

[Suntouchable13]

So they totally forgot how to score a run?

 

[canucksfan]

So they totally forgot how to score a run?

Swinging at bad pitches, which then they get behind, and then have to protect, make weak contact on a bad pitch

 

[habamillions]

Carrasco has been horrendous all year so naturally the jays make him look like his early cleveland days

 

[canucksfan]

This inning has been better. Santander had a rocket that was caught. Springer had a solid hit that was just foul. he other two haven't chased and have walked.

Now we will see Kirk chase.

 

[Suntouchable13]

This inning has been better. Santander had a rocket that was caught. Springer had a solid hit that was just foul. he other two haven't chased and have walked.

Now we will see Kirk chase.

A weak fly ball out by Kirk. Carrasco is bad, the weather is good, we need to see some hits and some runs.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Bassitt lamented how strong the lineup of pitchers the Jays hitters had to face last week. Which i don't think is entirely wrong, they had it rough.

There's no such excuse here. Carrasco is a garbage can.