I missed most of this game watching the Memorial Cup. It doesn't seem to matter that I did. 
Blue Jays GDT: Next: vs (not) Oak | Thu, May 29 | 7pm ET/4pm PT | Lopez vs Berrios
- Thread starter The Nemesis
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9 out of 10 doctors agree that the best cure for insomnia is a Blue Jays/Rangers series.
This game will only end when one team manages to cash in the extra inning runner on two ground balls outs.
Edit : never mind, this is brutal.
Edit : never mind, this is brutal.
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trellaine201
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PanniniClaus
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- Oct 12, 2006
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Tw1ster
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I also spent 3 hours watching it, even though I only started watching 40 minutes ago.
Seath The Scaleless
Paledrake
Always a tease. This team doesn't have the offense to string together wins/series wins. Maybe this is what they are....a .500 team
MK78
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- Apr 8, 2023
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I'm sick of hearing this stupid stat. If it's not a hit, i don't care how hard it's hit. and a lot of times these super hard hit balls get to defenders so much quicker so what could have been a hit or an extra base isnt.
It's not a stupid stat. The harder the ball is it the more chance it is actually a hit. This is somewhat oversimplified because it doesn't take into account launch angle. Hitting the ball hard and in the air is what players want to do.
One of the bigger issues with the Jays is that their bat speed is one of the lowest in the league, if not the lowest.
Every game Sportsnet gloats how hard Vladdy hits the ball. Probably the hardest hitting guy all game. Guy is batting about .270 with 7 HR.
Who knows how hard Santander hits them. Who cares. He's batting .185. Swing and a miss.
On another extreme, Ichiro probably hit the ball lightly. But because he's a great contact hitter who can hit line drives and grounders through holes, he hit .300+ and not a lot of Ks.
Meaningless stat unless paired up with home run bombers who have a decent batting avg to go with it (guys like Judge), or contact hitters who get on base like Suzuki.
It's like a big muscle guy who can punch hard. Ya that's great, he's got power. But if the guy has bad technique and cant connect, or if he lands a punch not hitting in the right place, it's not that effective. But a weaker guy who knows how to connect and punch someone in the right spot will do better.
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PanniniClaus
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Guerrero has a higher OPS+ in 2025 while ‘playing badly’ than Ichiro had in any year of his career.
Vlad's OPS right now after today's game is .796. For a guy who is supposed to be a hard hitting home run hitter, that's nothing special.
Ichiro had about the same .800-ish first 10 years in the MLB (to age 36 before he got old). And he hit hardly any homers. He had 5 seasons over .800 despite starting in MLB at 27.
Right now Vlad is 26 and has a .796 OPS. Ichrio's rookie year at age 27 in MLB he had .838 with 8 HR.
Vladdy is 35th in average exit velocities. There is a strong correlation between guys who have higher exit velocities and the better hitters in the league. Obviously, swing and miss is a part of it too. O'Neill Cruz can hit the ball harder than anyone, but he strikes out frequently.
Ichiro's best offensive season was in 2004, and he was ranked 30th in hitting. He had a ton of singles but lacked power and didn't walk too much.
Santander is not hitting the ball as hard as pervious years, and his barrel% is down significantly compared to previous years.
Fair point. I missed that.
Going by baseball ref stats, Vlad has 130 this year. Suzuki had a 130 too. Vlad's overall career OPS+ is higher than Suzuki who played till his 40s, but also does have a better OPS+ by roughly 10 pts if you compare their first bunch of seasons.
Vlad's career OPS+ is skewed high to a couple big 160+ seasons. Suzuki's first bunch of seasons are more consistent in a band. Some Suzuki OPS+ years are better than Vlad's. Vlad's had some OPS+ years in the 106-116 range which isnt any better than Suzuki's low years in his prime years in MLB. It's just that Vlad's big years of 160 (his 2021 year and LY) are bigger than Suzuki who topped out at 130.
I didnt watch the game, but was Buck the side analyst tonight?
Anytime a game isnt having much going on or Jays are losing (looking at the boxscore, it's looks like it was a snoozer), Dan and Buck will be bored. Dan Shulman's commentating style is already pretty robotic to begin with. And the only time Buck is amped up is when Jays are winning.
I dont watch a lot of out of town baseball games (sometimes I'll just leave on a telecast of whatever random game is on Sportsnet or TSN), but I think Matt Vasgersian is really good. I even remember playing some old ass baseball video games on PS and he was even pretty good there too.
I also like the Yankees tandem. They dont have fear ripping players if they arent doing well. Dan and Buck are total Jays homers and they talk too much. The Yankees guy who always says See Ya! knows how to call a game more subtly. Dan and Buck try to fill every second with commentating.
MK78
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I think we have to get used to Vlad not being a power hitter or a slugger, and his ceiling for home runs will probably be around 30.
His 48 homer season will likely be an outlier he will never reach again, and the last 3 years he's averaged 29 homers.
His 48 homer season will likely be an outlier he will never reach again, and the last 3 years he's averaged 29 homers.
