Power Pros Forum

I like how you made Kent sound more respectable than the rest, but still; Srsly bruh?

Dang, Dickey is old.

I'm expecting playoffs this year! :]

Blue Jays 25-Man Roster Announced
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Sunday, April 6, 2015


DUNEDIN - Blue Jays players and coaches get to know each other.

The Blue Jays have officially announced their 25-man roster for the upcoming 2015 season, which has a surprisingly late start to it. Here are the players who Jays fans will be seeing on Opening Day, along with their Spring stats.

Pitchers
#43 R.A. Dickey, R/R, 40 years old (23 IP, 3-0, 3.13 ERA, 25 K)
#60 Dean Stradley, S/R, 32 years old (22 IP, 2-1, 4.91 ERA, 24 K)
#25 Moses Adler, L/L, 26 years old (20.2 IP, 1-1, 4.79 ERA, 21 K)
#18 Danny Hopkins, R/R, 24 years old (22 IP, 1-3, 7.77 ERA, 19 K)
#54 Marcus Stroman, R/R, 23 years old (24.2 IP, 0-1, 4.01 ERA, 28 K)
#15 Kyle Drabek, R/R, 26 years old (11 IP, 0-1, 3.27 ERA, 15 K)
#51 Austin Langer, R/L, 27 years old (6.2 IP, 0-0, 2.70 ERA, 3 K)
#23 Stephen Brooks, S/R, 24 years old (8.1 IP, 0-0, 1.08 ERA, 13 K)
#58 Todd Redmond, R/R, 29 years old (17.1 IP, 0-2, 7.27 ERA, 22 K)
#39 Leo Vizcaino, R/R, 28 years old (15.2 IP, 1-0, 4.02 ERA, 19 K)
#49 Lamont Cates, R/R, 24 years old (6.1 IP, 0-1, 1.42 ERA, 6 K, 4 SV)
#29 Dustin McGowan, R/R, 32 years old (1 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 K) (he was out of options)

Catchers
#30 Dioner Navarro, S/R, 31 years old (.368 (14/38) /.429/.553, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
#32 John Scott, L/R, 32 years old (.286 (12/42) /.348/.405, 1 HR, 8 RBI)

Infielders
#10 Edwin Encarnacion, R/R, 32 years old (.338 (26/77) /.400/.558, 4 HR, 14 RBI)
#9 Kent Murphy, R/R, 26 years old (.213 (20/94) /.267/.255, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 SB)
#14 Brandon Hicks, R/R, 29 years old (.467 (7/15) /.556/.600, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
#13 Brett Lawrie, R/R, 25 years old (.284 (25/88) /.333/.511, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 2 SB)
#16 Ramiro Pena, S/R, 29 years old (.382 (21/55) /.452/.509, 1 HR, 5 RBI)
#7 Jose Reyes, S/R, 31 years old (.253 (19/75) /.296/.427, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 2 SB)
#28 Michael Scott, R/R, 23 years old (.222 (4/18) /.391/.389, 1 HR, 2 RBI)

Outfielders
#6 Hayden Goldson, R/R, 25 years old (.364 (24/66) /.419/.561, 3 HR, 10 RBI)
#8 Anthony Gose, L/L, 24 years old (.274 (20/73) /.316/.370, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 3 SB)
#11 Kevin Pillar, R/R, 26 years old (.286 (6/21) /.318/.619, 2 HR, 4 RBI)
#19 Jose Bautista, R/R, 34 years old (.164 (11/67) /.234/.254, 1 HR, 9 RBI)

Overall, the Jays finished with a 12-13 record in Spring games, good for 8th in the Grapefruit League, 7.5 games behind the Red Sox, who had the best record of any team in Spring with 21 wins and only 7 losses. The most concerning area of the team seems to be the starting pitching, but Bautista's slump can also be slightly alarming. Hopefully for the sake of the team, he doesn't carry it over into the regular season.

The Blue Jays have also announced they have released Juan Perez, a lefty reliever who had a decent 2014 season but struggled near the end of said season. His struggles continued in the spring, as his ERA was over 11 by the end of it. Fellow lefty James Bennett will take Perez's spot on the 40-man roster.

Kent's power is weak.

Dem stolen bases though.

(1-0) Blue Jays 5, (0-1) Yankees 2



Jays Start Season Off With Victory
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Tuesday, April 8, 2015


NEW YORK - Rickey Armas celebrates his first victory as Jays skipper.

The Jays take Game 1 of 162, defeating the Yankees in New York by a score of 6-2.

The game was pretty pitcher-friendly until the later innings, as C.C. Sabathia allowed only 1 run and Moses Adler shut the Yankees out through the first 5 innings. However, a 2-run shot by Jose Bautista in the 6th (which knocked out Sabathia from the game) and a 2-run double by Carlos Beltran in that very inning looked like we were in for a bit more runs than originally thought. The Blue Jays would tack on a couple more runs in the 8th thanks to a Ramiro Pena RBI double and a Bautista single that drove Pena in, but that would be it in terms of run scoring. Lamont Cates picked up right where he left off in 2014, earning his first save of the year.

Adler's performance was superb today, and it certainly looked like he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered last year. Adler threw 7 innings, only giving up 2 runs and 5 hits, not walking anyone, and striking out 6 Yankees hitters. His counterpart C.C. Sabathia didn't have a terrible start, but it wasn't too great either. He really only made 1 huge mistake (the Bautista homer) and even then, the ball barely cleared the wall and in fact was almost robbed by left fielder Brett Gardner. Still, the 9 hits he gave up in only 5.1 innings were concerning, even if he only did give up 3 runs. At least he didn't walk anyone either.

Bautista's game today was a very encouraging sight, considering his spring-long struggles. Bautista got 3 hits in 4 at-bats, including the home run and the RBI single that were previously mentioned. Third baseman Brett Lawrie also went 3-4 today, surely making Jays fans hope that this year will be the one where he breaks out and performs like a star player.

Adler was asked what getting, and winning, an Opening Day start meant to him.

"It's really tough to put it into words. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it. Especially since I did it in front of my family who live here in New York. We all grew up Yankees fans, so it was kind of tough for them to root against the team they love, haha. But, I'm glad that they could see me pitch today in what has definitely been the most important start of my career so far. And I'm glad I could make them proud. That's the main thing I wanted to do when I was preparing for this game, really. All I kept repeating in my head was "Make your family proud. Make your family proud. Make your family proud." over and over again. So yeah, I'm glad I accomplished my goal today! Hopefully I can keep this going all season."

Rickey Armas was also questioned about HIS first win of the year:

"I am just glad we got it out of the way early. I think we had a great game today and I could sense that the chakras were aligned in the clubhouse to where the aura was one that conveyed a peaceful, upbeat feeling to it. I definitely sense that we can do well this season and I will try my best to make it so. I will make sure we do not collapse down the stretch like last year, and I have emphasized fitness and reducing fatigue throughout the year as a key aspect to work on. I have introduced yoga and meditation to the players and some of them have really taken to it. Others have not yet done so at the moment, but I sense they will come around soon. And my senses are rarely ever wrong."

The Blue Jays will play 2 more against the Yankees before going home to Toronto to face the Royals in their home opener.

What the heck does chakras mean?

1st place woot

I can say from experience that it's something in Hinduism, referring to points in your body that energy flows through. If they're aligned, it means that all your life energy is flowing through your body. It's mainly used in the tradition of yoga in Hinduism.

Thank you, Comparative Religion class!

(3-1) Blue Jays 4, (2-2) Royals 1



Hopkins Stellar as Jays Take Home Opener
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Friday, April 11, 2015


TORONTO - Lamont Cates finishes the game off for the Jays.

The Jays easily defeat the Royals in their home opener, winning by a final score of 4-1.

The game pit two pitchers with vast differences in pitching styles against each other, as Danny Hopkins, a hard-throwing righty, started the game for the Blue Jays, while Jason Vargas, a finesse southpaw, took the hill for the Royals. It was Hopkins who would turn in the superior performance today against the team he earned his first career win against, as he went 6.2 shutout innings, giving up only 6 hits and racking up 7 K's. Compare that to Vargas, who only lasted 4.1 innings, giving up all 4 runs and 5 hits, in addition to walking 3 and striking out 3.

The Blue Jays got their first run of the game and the first one at Rogers Centre this year in the bottom of the 3rd inning, thanks to an RBI double by Jose Reyes that drove in Brandon Hicks. The big shot of the game came 2 innings later, when center fielder Kevin Pillar smashed a 3-run opposite field homer off of Vargas, scoring Hicks and Reyes and giving the Jays a comfy 4-0 lead.

The Royals would prevent being completely embarrassed (i.e. shut out), as new signing Will Venable hit a solo shot off Todd Redmond in the 8th, his 2nd on the year, making it a 4-1 game.

With it now being a save situation, Lamont Cates was called on to preserve the 3-run lead, and he did just that, pitching a scoreless 9th and picking up his 2nd save on the season.

With Hopkins having such a bad Spring, his start was a relief for everyone involved with the organization. He was reached for comment postgame.

"Yeah, it is rather strange how much I struggled in the Spring, isn't it? I guess I wasn't used to the weather. Oh well, I've put that past me. I'm ever so glad I could get the win today, I know it was very important. I don't think I've ever played with a crowd that large, both here or in England! It was absolutely great to see all that support, and I'll do my part to make sure that we do well enough to draw big crowds like that as much as possible.

As for my start today, well, what really needs to be said? Surely you all saw how I did out there? All I need to do is give consistent performances such as the one today and I'll be fine going forward."

One last note: Congrats to Brandon Hicks on collecting his first hit as a Blue Jay! Hicks collected 113 hits last year as a member of the San Francisco Giants, en route to a .269 average.

I always read Hopkin's quotes in a women's voice because that's the only British accent I can easily think of. Just in case you wanted to know

VooDoo.

You're definitely making the playoffs this year. I can feeeeeel it.

(15-6) Rays 3, (11-9) Blue Jays 1



Price Throws Complete Game, Rays Tie Up Series
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2015


TORONTO - Desmond Jennings makes an amazing diving catch.

The Jays' offense packed little punch today, losing to the red-hot Rays after winning game 1 of the series.

Not much else to say, other than the fact that it was a pitchers' duel between a guy projected to be a star in Marcus Stroman and a guy who has already reached that title in David Price.

Stroman pitched well, but not well enough. He gave up 2 runs in the 2nd inning via an RBI double by shortstop Yunel Escobar and an RBI single by left fielder Brandon Guyer. He would give up 1 more in the 4th thanks to another RBI single by Guyer, but nonetheless, he turned in a performance worthy of a quality start, going 6 innings and giving up those 3 runs. While he did strike out an impressive 10 Rays batters, he also walked 4 of them. He takes the hard-luck loss, giving him his league-leading 4th of the year.

David Price turned in a masterful performance today against a scuffling Blue Jays offense, truly showing his ace status. Other than 1 mistake, giving up a solo homer to Jose Reyes, Price was lights-out, going all 9 innings, only giving up the 1 run and only 4 hits, and striking out 4. Price picked up his 3rd win on the year.

Jose Reyes got 2 of the team's 4 hits today, and he has been on a roll this month. He is currently the only Jays player with over 50 at-bats to have a batting average over .280, as he currently has a .328 average after today's game. Anthony Gose, who started today in left field, is hitting .348 on the year so far, but he only has 46 at-bats, since he is currently platooning with Kevin Pillar in center field.

The team received more bad news from New Hampshire, as catcher A.J. Jimenez, who made his major league debut last year, has torn a finger ligament in his throwing hand. He was placed on the 15-day DL.

Oof... The good news is that Price can't pitch every game for the Rays.

Monthly Report - April
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Thursday, May 1, 2015

With the beginning of the 2015 season underway, let's take a look at how everyone's been doing after a month of play.

Standings

AL East
1. Rays (15-7)
2. Blue Jays (12-9, 2.5 GB)
3. Orioles (12-10, 3 GB)
4. Yankees (11-11, 4 GB)
5. Red Sox (8-14, 7 GB)

AL Central
1. Tigers (11-8)
2. Royals (10-10, 1.5 GB)
3. Indians (9-11, 2.5 GB)
4. Twins (8-14, 4.5 GB)
5. White Sox (8-14, 4.5 GB)

AL West
1. Astros (13-8)
2. Rangers (12-9, 1 GB)
3. Angels (12-10, 1.5 GB)
4. A's (12-11, 2 GB)
5. Mariners (8-14, 5.5 GB)

NL East
1. Braves (14-7)
2. Marlins (13-8, 1 GB)
3. Mets (11-11, 3.5 GB)
4. Phillies (10-11, 4 GB)
5. Nationals (8-13, 6 GB)

NL Central
1. Cardinals (13-9)
1. Pirates (13-9)
3. Reds (12-9, 0.5 GB)
4. Brewers (9-13, 4 GB)
5. Cubs (6-16, 7 GB)

NL West
1. Diamondbacks (12-10)
2. Rockies (10-10, 1 GB)
3. Dodgers (10-11, 1.5 GB)
3. Giants (10-11, 1.5 GB)
5. Padres (9-13, 3 GB)

No team appears to have really set themselves as ahead of the pack this month, other than maybe the Rays. The Blue Jays are currently tied with the Rangers for the 4th-best record in the AL.

So let's take a look at the players that got them there:

Pitchers
Moses Adler (32 IP, 4-0, 4.50 ERA, 25 K, 3 QS)
Dean Stradley (24 IP, 1-2, 4.88 ERA, 22 K, 2 QS)
R.A. Dickey (27 IP, 1-2, 2.33 ERA, 21 K, 3 QS)
Danny Hopkins (21.2 IP, 3-0, 2.49 ERA, 27 K, 2 QS)
Marcus Stroman (22 IP, 0-4, 4.91 ERA, 32 K, 2 QS)
Kyle Drabek (8.2 IP, 0-1, 1.04 ERA, 10 K)
Austin Langer (14.1 IP, 1-0, 1.88 ERA, 12 K)
Stephen Brooks (5.2 IP, 0-0, 6.35 ERA, 11 K)
Leo Vizcaino (9 IP, 0-0, 11.00 ERA, 7 K)
Todd Redmond (5.2 IP, 0-0, 3.18 ERA, 6 K)
Dustin McGowan (11 IP, 2-0, 4.09 ERA, 12 K)
Lamont Cates (7 IP, 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 8 K, 6 SV)

Catchers
Dioner Navarro (.200 (7/35) /.263/.286, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
John Scott (.180 (9/50) /.305/.300, 2 HR, 8 RBI)

Infielders
Edwin Encarnacion (.270 (17/63) /.378/.492, 3 HR, 13 RBI)
Kent Murphy (.187 (15/80) /.207/.313, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 3 SB)
Brandon Hicks (.333 (3/9) /.500/.333, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Brett Lawrie (.203 (13/64) /.271/.250, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB)
Ramiro Pena (.276 (16/58) /.338/.414, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB)
Jose Reyes (.314 (22/70) /.422/.571, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 5 SB)
Michael Scott (.103 (3/29) /.161/.172, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

Outfielders
Hayden Goldson (.155 (11/71) /.197/.169, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 6 SB)
Kevin Pillar (.214 (9/42) /.250/.357, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB)
Anthony Gose (.340 (17/50) /.377/.620, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB)
Jose Bautista (.260 (19/73) /.360/.548, 6 HR, 16 RBI)

With the bullpen, a strength last season, and the majority of the lineup both in the midst of slumps, it is a wonder how the Jays have managed to stay above .500. Two young players, pitcher Danny Hopkins and Anthony Gose, have been performing like superstars in addition to veterans Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey.

The signings of Pena and Hicks look okay so far, though we would like to see Hicks play a bit more.

Now for the notable minor leaguers:

AAA [Buffalo Bisons (11-10, 4 GB)]
1B Pete Grossman (.215 (14/65) /.278/.323, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB)
2B Ryan Goins (.333 (22/66) /.380/.485, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 5 SB)
LF Damon Allred (.279 (24/86) /.340/.442, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 4 SB)
CF Mackenzie Matthews (.250 (14/56) /.394/.429, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB)
RF Todd Rosado (.294 (20/68) /.407/.471, 3 HR, 6 RBI)
SP Yoshimitsu Tsuchii (25.2 IP, 2-1, 2.10, 11 K)
RP James Bennett (9.1 IP, 0-0, 5.79 ERA, 12 K)

AA [New Hampshire Fisher Cats (9-12, 4 GB)]
1B Matt Dean (.357 (30/84) /.402/.571, 2 HR, 12 RBI)
3B Lonnie Bradshaw (.194 (13/67) /.206/.269, 1 HR, 7 RBI)
CF Aatu Selin (.257 (18/70) /.312/.329, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB
SP/RP Robert Tomlinson (9 IP, 0-1, 3.00 ERA, 2 K)
SP Darby Clancy (23 IP, 1-2, 3.13 ERA, 8 K)
RP Joel Rockwell (6.1 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 K)
RP Francisco Munoz (3.2 IP, 0-0, 2.45 ERA, 2 K, 3 SV)

Compare April of this year to April of last year, and it would show that this year, the organization has done much worse than in 2014 through the first month. There is no need to panic, however, as cold streaks are just a part of baseball and everyone goes through them sometime or another. At least some of these players should break out of their slumps very soon, because if this performance keeps going through May, that would be cause for alarm.

But hey, some organizations certainly have it much worse than we do!

Can we give Hopkins the Cy Young now?

Giants, Royals Swap Viciedo, Cain
by Steve Adams, MLB Trade Rumors
Thursday, May 8, 2015



The Royals have made a May deal for the second year in a row, acquiring left fielder Dayan Viciedo from the Giants in a 5-player deal.

The full details of the trade go as such: The Giants will receive center fielder Lorenzo Cain and second baseman Johnny Giavotella from the Royals, and in return, the Royals will receive left fielder Dayan Viciedo and 2 prospects, right-hander Clayton Blackburn and first baseman Ryan Coronado, from the Giants.

The trade of Cain comes as no shock, as he was made expendable after the signing of Will Venable in the offseason. What is surprising, however, is that he was sent to the Giants, a team with a seemingly set outfield situation. Hunter Pence is already situated in right field for 3 more years, Mike Morse and Gregor Blanco have formed an effective left field, and they have Angel Pagan in center. Pagan is slumping at the moment, however, so perhaps the team brought in Cain to provide some competition to Pagan. Cain is currently hitting .209 with a .500 OPS in 43 at-bats on the year, but has provided very good defense as usual.

Giavotella could see more playing time than Cain will this season, as the Giants have gotten less-than-ideal production from Marco Scutaro this year (.498 OPS). Giavotella was also blocked in Kansas city by 2014 All-Star Omar Infante. Giavotella, once a highly touted prospect, hit .252 with a .635 OPS down in Triple-A Omaha, but did hit .323 against left-handers down there as well. He was placed on the Giants' active roster following the move.

Viciedo, acquired by the Giants last year along with right-hander Felipe Paulino from the White Sox in exchange for catcher Andrew Susac, had a dreadful 2014, hitting only .185 in 195 at-bats in the Majors. He has gotten off to a better start in 2015, hitting .278 with 5 home runs and an .852 OPS for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. Like Giavotella, he was also placed on the active roster following the trade.

Blackburn, a 21-year old, was considered a top-10 prospect in the Giants organization before both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, but has fallen out of favor a bit with the organization, and his performances this year in Double-A Richmond haven't helped. Blackburn pitched to a 4.89 ERA in 38.2 innings this year, though as a positive note, he does have 48 strikeouts. Coronado, the Giants' 4th round pick last year, is a 19 year-old first baseman currently in Class-A. He is described as being a very durable player who rarely strikes out, but has underwhelming power for his 6'4'', 205 pound frame. He has been drawing comparisons to players such as Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig.

There isn't much to make of the trade in terms of franchise direction, as it still is very, very early in the season. Basically, the Giants get 2 players with good upside, one of which could help fix their second baseman problem, while the Royals pick up 2 very interesting prospects and a formerly highly-regarded player with a powerful bat.

Do the draft prospects get called up at a certain potiental