Play ball!
Well, since there is not much happening on the Canadian political scene I’ll have to start shifting gears more if I want to actually continue to update this blog…
So – how about those Blue Jays? After last year’s disastrous campaign I had very low expectations for the Jays, especially after Carlos Delgado, their best hitter, took his big bat down to Florida. With no big name (or big bat) to replace him in the middle of the order, it looked like the Jay’s offense would take a big nose-dive, and winning any more than the 67 games they chalked up in 2004 was going to be a challenge.
Needless to say, this scrappy version of the Blue Jays in 2005 has impressed me. They manage to keep bouncing back, and they have shown some real grit when playing the top teams in the league. If they had managed to show that same grit when playing some of the league’s lesser lights (Tampa Bay Devil Rays, anyone?), then they would perhaps be looking down on the rest of the division from a playoff perch even as we speak. But that’s baseball (and sports in general) for ya – if everything happened the way it was “supposed” to happen, there would not be much point in playing the season out would there?
Anyway – if I had to give them a rating, I’d have to give the 2005 Blue Jays a solid B+ to this point in the season. They’ve been competitive in most games, and above all, entertaining. If they had had some reliable starting pitching (apart from Halladay & Chacin)…well, wouldn’t that be nice?
Some of the hi-lights:
Reed Johnson – should get more playing time. Period.
Aaron Hill – the kid came up to fill in for the injured Cory Koskie and proceeded to tear up the league – he has dropped off some recently, but he’s put up better numbers than Mr. Koskie in fewer at bats (especially RBIs)
Russ Adams – has gone on a tear since being slotted into the lead-off spot. Still a little shaky on defence (he’s closing in on 20 errors), but he’s having a solid rookie campaign.
Vernon Wells – back in the dark days of May it looked like Vernon had taken a huge step backwards, but he really turned things around…
Shea Hillenbrand – good pick up by JP. Came out of the gate on fire, and has since come down a little, but he’s been fairly consistent all season – and versatile – playing 1st, 3rd and dh’ing.
The bullpen – can’t say enough about this group – they’ve kept the Jays afloat in many games. Given the Jay’s thin starting pitching, and you can see where this has been no easy task on some nights.
Room for improvement:
Eric Hinske – the former rookie of the year needs to step up his game. Flashes of power seem to be followed by weeks of feeble groundouts and hitting nothing but air. Can’t argue with Gibbon’s decisions to have Hinske riding pine in favour of guys like Hill & Hillenbrand…
Alex Rios – 7 home runs to date is a start…but for a corner outfielder you expect a little more pop (and the ability to drive in a few runs…49 RBI to date just doesn’t cut it)…now, he’s still young, but he is going to have to step it up a bit for the rest of the year (and next)…
Frank Menechino – the super sub – he has come through with some big hits, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how he gets into some games – apart from the fact that he bats right-handed. I can’t help but shake my head when I see his name in the lineup at DH for some games.
Starting pitching – apart from Halladay (when healthy) and Chacin – its been a pretty mixed bag. Some of the kids have come through all right, but they have also put lots of pressure on the bullpen (lucky for them, the guys in the ‘pen have risen to the challenge).
Cory Koskie – the big free agent signing – he’s always been injury prone, and whadayaknow? This season has proven no different. Even before going on the DL he was not exactly tearing up the league, and since he’s been back, he has been unable to get into a groove. Lets hope he can turn things around.
So – with a little under a third of the season remaining the Blue Jays have been a pleasant surprise. Lets hope they can keep it up…
So – how about those Blue Jays? After last year’s disastrous campaign I had very low expectations for the Jays, especially after Carlos Delgado, their best hitter, took his big bat down to Florida. With no big name (or big bat) to replace him in the middle of the order, it looked like the Jay’s offense would take a big nose-dive, and winning any more than the 67 games they chalked up in 2004 was going to be a challenge.
Needless to say, this scrappy version of the Blue Jays in 2005 has impressed me. They manage to keep bouncing back, and they have shown some real grit when playing the top teams in the league. If they had managed to show that same grit when playing some of the league’s lesser lights (Tampa Bay Devil Rays, anyone?), then they would perhaps be looking down on the rest of the division from a playoff perch even as we speak. But that’s baseball (and sports in general) for ya – if everything happened the way it was “supposed” to happen, there would not be much point in playing the season out would there?
Anyway – if I had to give them a rating, I’d have to give the 2005 Blue Jays a solid B+ to this point in the season. They’ve been competitive in most games, and above all, entertaining. If they had had some reliable starting pitching (apart from Halladay & Chacin)…well, wouldn’t that be nice?
Some of the hi-lights:
Reed Johnson – should get more playing time. Period.
Aaron Hill – the kid came up to fill in for the injured Cory Koskie and proceeded to tear up the league – he has dropped off some recently, but he’s put up better numbers than Mr. Koskie in fewer at bats (especially RBIs)
Russ Adams – has gone on a tear since being slotted into the lead-off spot. Still a little shaky on defence (he’s closing in on 20 errors), but he’s having a solid rookie campaign.
Vernon Wells – back in the dark days of May it looked like Vernon had taken a huge step backwards, but he really turned things around…
Shea Hillenbrand – good pick up by JP. Came out of the gate on fire, and has since come down a little, but he’s been fairly consistent all season – and versatile – playing 1st, 3rd and dh’ing.
The bullpen – can’t say enough about this group – they’ve kept the Jays afloat in many games. Given the Jay’s thin starting pitching, and you can see where this has been no easy task on some nights.
Room for improvement:
Eric Hinske – the former rookie of the year needs to step up his game. Flashes of power seem to be followed by weeks of feeble groundouts and hitting nothing but air. Can’t argue with Gibbon’s decisions to have Hinske riding pine in favour of guys like Hill & Hillenbrand…
Alex Rios – 7 home runs to date is a start…but for a corner outfielder you expect a little more pop (and the ability to drive in a few runs…49 RBI to date just doesn’t cut it)…now, he’s still young, but he is going to have to step it up a bit for the rest of the year (and next)…
Frank Menechino – the super sub – he has come through with some big hits, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how he gets into some games – apart from the fact that he bats right-handed. I can’t help but shake my head when I see his name in the lineup at DH for some games.
Starting pitching – apart from Halladay (when healthy) and Chacin – its been a pretty mixed bag. Some of the kids have come through all right, but they have also put lots of pressure on the bullpen (lucky for them, the guys in the ‘pen have risen to the challenge).
Cory Koskie – the big free agent signing – he’s always been injury prone, and whadayaknow? This season has proven no different. Even before going on the DL he was not exactly tearing up the league, and since he’s been back, he has been unable to get into a groove. Lets hope he can turn things around.
So – with a little under a third of the season remaining the Blue Jays have been a pleasant surprise. Lets hope they can keep it up…
posted by Steve at
5:57 PM
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