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On the Verge: Brett Lawrie Call Up by Jays is Imminent
Thursday August 4, 2011
Rob Bland (Intern- MLB Reports): The Brett Lawrie rollercoaster started December 6th, 2010. Lawrie was sent to Toronto in exchange for Toronto’s incumbent ace, Shaun Marcum. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos immediately said that Lawrie would be working out at third base, switching from second base. This would be Lawrie’s third major position change in 3 years. He was drafted out of Langley, BC by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1st round (16th overall) of the 2008 MLB draft. That year, Toronto held the 17th pick, and it was said that they coveted him greatly. They instead had to settle for college first baseman and current AAA prospect, David Cooper.
Lawrie hit .293 in spring training this year, while playing decent enough third base to warrant a discussion of keeping him on the roster. However, Anthopoulos deemed he was not ready to play in the Major Leagues, and the fans in Toronto grumbled as the Blue Jays consistently put Edwin Encarnacion at third base to start the year. Lawrie started off hot in AAA Las Vegas, and played good defense. This still wasn’t enough, as the Jays asked him to be more patient and change his approach. Lawrie did just that, and by May 31st, was hitting over .350 with power and walking more often than he had in the past. When the Jays were on the brink of calling him up (see our Report from June 2nd), Lawrie was hit by an errant pitch on the back of his left hand. Blue Jays fans collectively held their breath, and Lawrie declared it was a bruise. Two days later when swelling subsided, it was found out that Lawrie had a non-displaced fracture.
When he finally returned to Las Vegas in the middle of July, Lawrie came right back to where he left off. He is now hitting .352 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI. More importantly, he has 26 walks and is playing much improved defense. Now, the Jays’ faithful are continuing to call for him. Anthopoulos and manager John Farrell have repeatedly said “he’s close” and that they want to get him everyday at bats before rosters expand in September.
Now, when Lawrie gets the inevitable call (my guess being Friday, August 5th, before the beginning of a road series in Baltimore),
where will he play? The Jays have Jose Bautista, one of the top three players in baseball at third base. Well, the plan that Anthopoulos has set out is that Bautista would shift back to his preferred right field, creating a logjam of young and talented outfielders. Travis Snider is 23 years old and he will play every day at one of the corner positions. Colby Rasmus is 24 years old and will be in center for the foreseeable future. That leaves Eric Thames, also 24, the corner outfielder who came out of seemingly nowhere to win the love and admiration of many fans, on the bench. You could say that Thames can just DH because he isn’t the best fielder of the bunch (although more than adequate and constantly improving), but where does Edwin Encarnacion play then? Encarnacion is one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball since the beginning of July. He has 9 doubles, 4 home runs, and 14 RBI with 12 walks in 25 games over that span. Thames most likely gets optioned to AAA to get every day at bats until rosters expand in September. Here is how that lineup stacks up.
Yunel Escobar – SS
Colby Rasmus – CF
Jose Bautista – RF
Adam Lind – 1B
Edwin Encarnacion – DH
Travis Snider – LF
Brett Lawrie – 3B
J.P. Arencibia – C
Aaron Hill – 2B
If one of these players is traded, then there won’t be a problem. The only other option barring a trade, is something that Anthopoulos has stated adamantly will not happen. Moving Lawrie to second base and sitting former Silver Slugger Aaron Hill on the bench. This could possibly be the best option available for both the short-term and long-term. With Hill underperforming (ranked 20th out of 21 qualified 2nd baseman in WAR), and his $8M option for 2012 likely to be declined, Lawrie could slot into that spot for a very long time. Anthopoulos has preached having talent and skill “in the middle of the diamond” and second base is a spot that sorely needs some stability after Hill’s last two years. The only thing that could stop this movement is if Anthopoulos sees Hill, who is a good defender, as a guy who can turn his career back around. If Hill were placed in the 9 hole, and changed his approach, he could be a very serviceable player there. One idea that has been bandied around is that the Jays decline the option on Hill, and sign him to a much smaller deal to bring him back as the second baseman.
I honestly believe that Anthopoulos has the wheels turning, and with Encarnacion being so hot, many teams would love to take him on to make a push for the playoffs. If Encarnacion is not in the picture, there is a spot for Thames as a full-time player. He and Snider would probably split time between left field and DH, with Bautista in right, and Lawrie at third.
What gets lost in all of this, is that the Opening Day center fielder, might become a 5th outfielder. Rajai Davis has 33 stolen bases, and is playing better in a part-time role since Rasmus joined the team. He will be reserved to being a pinch runner, and possibly a late inning defensive replacement for Thames.
The odd man out for this year seems to be Thames, even though the Blue Jays see him as a valuable asset for the long-term. Whether that means for him to be on the field, or using him as a trade chip remains to be seen. Lawrie will likely end up playing third base every day, proving why the Jays gave up Marcum for an unproven “troubled” prospect.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Intern, Rob Bland. We highly encourge you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***
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Pujols vs. Bautista: Battle of the Sluggers- Friday Faceoff
Friday, May 27, 2011
MLB reports: On the surface we appear to have a changing of the guard in baseball. Albert Pujols had been anointed the next Babe Ruth many years ago and his numbers to-date have been simply outstanding. 416 home runs over 11 seasons with a lifetime .329 AVG, .423 OBP and .617 SLG are clear hall of fame numbers. But then something seems to have happened this year. As Pujols entered his free agency year, his numbers began to drop. As Albert Pujols has fallen back down to earth, home run king Jose Bautista continues his career rise. After 54 home runs in 2010, Bautista has hit the ground running in 2011 and has the MLB world talking. After so many requests for this faceoff, let’s take a look at Albert Pujols and Jose Bautista in 2011 and determine which is the better player.
Age
Pujols is 31 years-of-age while Bautista is 30. Rumors have constantly circled Pujols that his actual age may be closer to 33-34, based on Dominican age scandals in the past. But without substantiation, we will take Pujols at his word and conclude that both players are very close in age and in the same stage of their careers. Verdict: Draw.
Power
Bautista leads the majors in home runs with 19 while Pujols has been slow out of the gate at 8. Pujols has a .407 SLG while Bautista sits at .785. There is no question that Bautista has far exceeded Pujols in the power department this year. Considering that Bautista has only had Adam Lind for part of time for protection in the lineup with few other sluggers makes the numbers even more astounding. Pujols has both Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday in the mix and should be able to see far better pitches than Bautista. This part is a no doubter. Verdict: Bautista, by a country mile.
Patience and Batting Eye
This should have been Pujols category for the taking. With a career 934/666
BB/K, Pujols has a batting eye that few can match. This year however, Pujols sits at 20/20 BB/K. Good numbers, but not superstar Pujols type numbers. Bautista on the other hand leads the way with 42 walks on the season and is on pace to break 150. With only 24 strike outs in 2011, Bautista has an almost 2/1 BB/K ratio. It looks like we have a new sherif in town. In 2010, Pujols was great with 103/76 BB/K while Bautista produced 100/116 BB/K. While the walks were evenly matched, Pujols was able to strike out fewer times. But that was then and this season reads a different story. Pujols has a .330 OBP and Bautista leads with a .492 OBP. Not even close. Verdict: round 3 goes to Bautista.
Batting Average
Pujols has a lifetime .329 AVG while Bautista sits at .250. In 2010, Pujols had a .312 AVG while Bautista sat at .260. In 2011 though we have a seen a role reversal. Pujols has a .261 AVG while Bautista has a .342 AVG. Case closed again. Verdict: Bautista.
Stolen Bases
Neither player is a speed demon by any stretch. Bautista has 5 stolen bases on the year with 9 in 2010. Pujols had 14 last year but three this year. Neither gets on base with the thought of running and the stolen bases are negligible between the players. Pujols has stolen up to 16 bases in his career and stole 14 last year. But at the current pace, the numbers are fairly even. Pujols has stolen three bases without getting caught while Bautista has been 5 for 7 in his opportunities. Verdict: Draw.
Verdict
With 3 rounds going to Jose Bautista and 2 draws, this week’s competition was a no-brainer. Jose Bautista in 2011 has taken the crown of best hitter in baseball away from Albert Pujols. It almost seems like the players have somehow changed bodies. Jose Bautista has literally become the Albert Pujols of 2011, while Pujols himself has morphed into a lesser slugger in the mold of Bautista before 2010. Bautista is doing all the right things, by hitting for average, taking a lot of walks and hitting home runs with no end in sight. Pujols in contrast, has been a shell of himself this year. He is not able to do any of the things that Bautista has and will need to get himself moving if he hopes to catch up. As mentioned before, Pujols has great lineup protection and should be seeing many more fastballs and quality pitches to hit than Bautista. While Adam Lind was hot for a stretch, he is by no means Berkman or Holliday. Jose Bautista has had to produce with sub par players surrounding him in the batting order for most of the season. Pujols has also played 9 more games than Bautista, who missed games due to personal reasons and a neck strain. We shall see where these players are at come season’s end. Only time will tell. But until then, we are ready to crown Jose Bautista as the best hitter in baseball. Check the numbers, they don’t lie.
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The Toronto Blue Jays Reinvented
MLB reports: 2011 has been one of the most anticipated seasons in Blue Jays history. A young GM in Alex Anthopoulos has reinvented the organization from the top-down. From the hiring of experienced front office advisors, new scouts, John Farrell as manager, strong drafting and trades/ free agent signings, this is certainly not your father’s Blue Jays.
With three games already in the books, let’s take a look at some key aspects of the newest incarnation of the Jays:
1) Farrell plays to win. From switching up his lineups, getting his bench involved, pinch hits, pinch runners, pitching changes- John Farrell is an active manager. Whereas Cito Gaston was criticized for sitting on his hands, it is doubtful that Farrell sits for a moment during a game. I really like Farrell’s managing approach. If nothing else, the Jays of 2011 will never be boring.
2) Kyle Drabek is for real. All Drabek did to start the year was take a no-hitter into the 6th and consistently throw strikes. Showing maturity beyond his years, Drabek looks to be a fixture in the Jays rotation for the next decade or so.
3) The Jays catching will be solid. J.P. Arencebia crushed 2 home runs on opening day and Molina hit one of his own in the 2nd game of the series. Both catchers have looked comfortable behind the plate and working well with the pitching staff. Arencebia is no Johnny Bench yet, but he hits the ball hard every time out. He looks to be the next MLB catching superstar.
4) Jose is worth every penny. For the doubters of Jose Bautista, he has picked up where he left off last year. From crushing big home runs, taking walks and playing solid D, Bautista has become the face of the franchise. He is a threat every time at the plate and is receiving the respect of opposing teams. For those keeping score, Vernon Wells is hitting about .150 for the Angels thus far.
5) Adam Lind is getting there. Brian Butterfield has clearly worked hard with Lind at 1st and he is becoming above average to good in the field. Lind has also become a great clean up hitter for the Jays and should benefit from hitting behind Jose. A note to Adam though: no more first pitch ground outs with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th inning anymore please.
6) Travis Snider is truly a superstar in the making. Please see my post on Travis from Saturday. Snider has a new stance and is much more patient at the plate. Snider had key walks and hits all weekend long. He also showcased his cannon in left on Sunday and I can see gold gloves and silver sluggers in his future.
7) The bullpen is stocked. Farrell has many weapons in his pen on any given night. From Francisco, Camp, Janssen, Rauch etc, the Jays have one of their deepest pens in history. Any starter that can give the Jays lead after 6 innings will give the team a high chance of victory. The Jays strong pen makes the team a force every game.
8) Speed. When healthy, the combination of Rajai Davis and Yunel Escobar gives the Jays boppers with an abundance of chances to drive in runs. Both Davis and Escobar are strong with their bats and legs. Having a running game gives the home run happy Jays a better balanced offense and nightmares for opposing pitchers.
9) Edwin Encarnacion and Juan Rivera. The weak link of the 2011 Jays, both men look lost at the plate. Worse, EE looks even more clueless in the field. After three games it is safe to say that no ball hit to third is safe when Encarnacion is out there. A better filler is in order until the Lawrie era begins. Rivera further is another frustration case who is only in Toronto as a salary dump by the Angels in the Vernon Wells deal. A free agent at year’s end, the rope for Rivera should be very short.
10) The atmosphere and vibe. I have not seen Toronto this excited about the Jays in 18 years. The Jays shop had lineups all weekend and fans were cheering and on their feet throughout all of the games. With all of Toronto’s other sports teams in the gutter, the Blue Jays have a prime opportunity to become Toronto’s #1 team as well as reclaim its status as the face of Canadian sports.
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