Blue Jays Discussion: No longer the off-season. It's time for real baseball

[The Nemesis]

Wait. wait. wait wait wait wait. Slow down, Pittsburgh broadcast guys.

You're telling me Vladimir Guerrero Jr is the son of Vladimir Guerrero Sr?

I don't believe you. That sounds suspiciously made-up.

 

[The Nemesis]

Gameday livecast on the Jays website says it's the end of 6 and 2-0 Pirates. Guess the Toronto run doesn't count. Nobody wants to see Reese score by himself in the Florida sun.

 

[Kurtz]

Wait. wait. wait wait wait wait. Slow down, Pittsburgh broadcast guys.

You're telling me Vladimir Guerrero Jr is the son of Vladimir Guerrero Sr?

I don't believe you. That sounds suspiciously made-up.

You never know. Sometimes you can have Will Smith pitching to Will Smith, and the guys can be unrelated to each other... or to Will Smith.

 

[kb]

Feels like they've spent more time talking about the fact that Cole Tucker is dating Vanessa Hudgens than they have the game itself.

Cole Tucker is dating Vanessa Hudgens???

First I heard of it.

Until today.

 

[The Nemesis]

Cole Tucker is dating Vanessa Hudgens???

First I heard of it.

Until today.

I hadn't heard either, but then again I don't care. Though it seems nobody cared as much as the Pirates broadcasters and camera crew.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Weird, the last movie I watched with Hudgens in they didn't mention Cole Tucker at all. Seems like the sort of thing the director would have need to get in there so I'm not buying this whole story the Pirates broadcast has concocted.

 

[weems]

Kirk just continues to hit with an rbi single.

Moreno has the hardest hit ball of the game so far at 107.7 MPH.

We're loaded at catcher moving forward.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Kirk > Jansen. Come at me.

 

[TopChedder]

Kirk just continues to hit with an rbi single.

Moreno has the hardest hit ball of the game so far at 107.7 MPH.

We're loaded at catcher moving forward.

It's wonderful!

 

[weems]

Another hit for Kirk.

Single that was hit 110.3 MPH which is the hardest hit of the game.

 

[Discoverer]

Kirk > Jansen. Come at me.

I can't argue with either view at this point... love them both!

 

[weems]

Not a good day for Keith Law.

Biggio 2 for 2 with a 2 run HR.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Another hit for Kirk.

Single that was hit 110.3 MPH which is the hardest hit of the game.

How the heck does someone that small generate those kinds of exit velos?

 

[phillipmike]

Not a good day for Keith Law.

Biggio 2 for 2 with a 2 run HR.

Law: He hit the homerun off a changeup not a fastball.

 

[The Nemesis]

How the heck does someone that small generate those kinds of exit velos?

Force is just mass times acceleration, and we all know Kirk has the mass

 

[as Pure as Evil]

i almost wonder if it will come down to someone offering the moon for jansen or a favorable deal for reese. we have one too many active and on the cusp.

cant see them selling on kirk or moreno the way they are coming along

 

[Scion]

How the heck does someone that small generate those kinds of exit velos?

Good rotation, timing and a strong lower half can overcome a lack of torque and extension in shorter athletes, but obviously easier said than done.

 

[stickty111]

Not a good day for Keith Law.

Biggio 2 for 2 with a 2 run HR.

Meh if he was worth a roster spot, he would have went 3-3 even if he had only 2 plate appereances.

 

[Discoverer]

i almost wonder if it will come down to someone offering the moon for jansen or a favorable deal for reese. we have one too many active and on the cusp.

cant see them selling on kirk or moreno the way they are coming along

I'm starting to lean more and more towards a McGuire trade or DFA. I really hope spring dominance (like Kirk's so far) gets rewarded.

 

[The Nemesis]

Meh if he was worth a roster spot, he would have went 3-3 even if he had only 2 plate appereances.

He should've had a 5-run HR.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

I know it's only ST, but what's with Bo only having 2 hits in like 15 PAs?

 

[as Pure as Evil]

I'm starting to lean more and more towards a McGuire trade or DFA. I really hope spring dominance (like Kirk's so far) gets rewarded.

at this point its the only play. someone will pay something for him. it might just be a ptbnl but something is better then nothing.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Kirk doing his part to force Blue Jays’ hand and make opening day roster - Sportsnet.ca

TORONTO – If you take the long view, there’s a case to be made for opening the season with Reese McGuire as Danny Jansen’s backup.

Simply put, the argument looks like this. Capable big-league catchers aren’t easy to find, so teams must be judicious whenever they’re cutting one loose. And since McGuire no longer has minor-league options remaining, the Blue Jays will have to pass him through waivers if he’s not on their opening day roster. If exposed, there's a chance another team would take a flier on McGuire, a 26-year-old with a lifetime .725 OPS.

But if the Blue Jays had to win one game? It would be Alejandro Kirk, not McGuire, who would belong on the roster. Kirk outperformed McGuire at the plate in 2020, he’s doing so again this spring, and as he gains more and more familiarity with the Blue Jays’ pitching staff, any defensive advantage McGuire once had would appear to be diminishing, too.

Within the next three weeks the Blue Jays will have to make a decision: prioritize organizational depth, or roster Kirk, even if it means risking the loss of McGuire. In the meantime, Kirk’s doing what he can to make that decision easier, with a two-hit game in Saturday’s 5-0 win over Baltimore including one single that left his bat going 110 m.p.h.

"Of course he's still competing for a job, but he's doing what it takes to make the team,” manager Charlie Montoyo said via Zoom afterwards. “You've got to give the kid credit for being that young and handling the pitching staff and getting used to them. Last year when he came up he didn’t know anybody. That’s not that easy. Now this year he’s getting used to the pitching and it’s only going to make him better behind the plate.”

With those two hits Saturday, Kirk now has five in his first 10 at-bats of the spring. While spring numbers can often be deceptive, each hard-hit ball suggests the .983 OPS Kirk posted last year was a reflection of real skill. By starting him in a playoff game last fall, the Blue Jays showed that they agree. And over the winter, that strong finish served as motivation for the 22-year-old Kirk.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it was a great experience,” he said via interpreter Hector Lebron. “It was beautiful playing in the big-leagues last year. Actually it did help me get a little experience, which is helping me out right now. I worked very, very hard in the off-season trying to come into camp in shape."

Objectively speaking, there's reason to believe Kirk will provide far more offence than McGuire. FanGraphs' projection models both suggest Kirk can hit in the majors right now (Steamer: .809 OPS, ZiPS: .756 OPS) yet neither one forecasts much offence from McGuire (Steamer: .646 OPS, ZiPS .646 OPS). If the Blue Jays’ internal projections align with those numbers, then exposing McGuire to waivers may well be a risk they’re comfortable taking.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Reese needs to control his urges......at the plate

 

[Cor]

I know it's only ST, but what's with Bo only having 2 hits in like 15 PAs?

I think you answered your own question mate