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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Bluebird Banter -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>Roster moves R Us.</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47723/bluebird-fv.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-04-04T17:57:48-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-04-04T17:57:48-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-04-04T17:57:48-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Jays Lose To Mets</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at New York Mets" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu_rlw_OQZt8bHzCkZ3aM8oit70=/1x0:3427x2284/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74004795/usa_today_25846674.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Brad Penner-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p id="9BmEq8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blue Jays 0 Mets 5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="A4TYgc"&gt;Kevin Gausman had a tough first inning, giving up a two-run home run to Pete Alonso and taking 31 pitches to get out of the inning. And that was lucky. Starling Marte hit a hard line drive right at Ernie Clement for a double play to get us out of the inning. The challenge system cost us. Francisco Lindor lined one to center. I thought Springer was a bit slow getting to it, but his throw to second beat Lindor. Unfortunately, the ‘swim’ move worked on him, and the tag was too high up the body. &lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="FV1jcd"&gt;Our first hit came in the second inning, a line drive two-out triple. But Ernie Clement popped out on a pitch above the zone after a Will Wagner walk. Vlad had a line single in the second, but another popout, this time by Anthony Santander, ended that inning. &lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="dgGPto"&gt;The Mets took Tylor (really, that’s how you are going to spell it?) Megill is out of the game after 5.1 innings. He had allowed just two hits and three walks, but two came after the first out in the sixth. He was only at 82 pitches. But it seemed to work: Reed Garrett got Andrés Giménez and Alejandro Kirk to strike out. &lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="0uTsjw"&gt;After the rough first inning, Kevin Gausman went 4.1 innings without a baserunner until he walked a batter with one out in the sixth, and John Schneider pulled him at 87 pitches. I wasn’t thrilled, especially with Juan Soto up. And, well, I was right, Soto doubled into the right field corner, scoring the run. Mason Fluharty, after an intentional walk, gave up another double, making it 4-0. Jacob Barnes followed and gave up a sac fly but got out of the inning. &lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="SZddhM"&gt;We did get a moment of excitement in the seventh. Springer singled (he’s been terrific at the start of this season), and after a strikeout to Wagner, Ernie Clement hit a fly ball down the left field line. It was called a home run, but replays showed it was foul. Clement would strike out, and pinch hitter Davis Schneider would also strike out. That’s 0 for 8 for Davis. I’m starting to wonder how much rope he has. &lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="WTassz"&gt;Barnes (1.2 innings) and Yariel Rodriguez (1 inning) had good showings. Fluharty less so. &lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="f7sUyH"&gt;On the batting side, we only had four hits. Vlad and Springer had two each. &lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="dNhu6j"&gt;No Jays of the Day today. Vlad had the high score at .065.&lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="VGIQzv"&gt;The Other Award: Krik (-.118 for an 0 for 4), Giménez (-.116) and Fluharty (-.114).&lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="wA6mEu"&gt;We have a night game tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern to keep me on my toes: Chris Bassitt vs. Griffin Canning.&lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;p id="HqHtNK"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  32. &lt;p id="7ro7za"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  33. &lt;p id="QiqWpp"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="KWjD9I"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  35.  
  36. </content>
  37.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/4/24401357/jays-lose-to-mets"/>
  38.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/4/24401357/jays-lose-to-mets</id>
  39.    <author>
  40.      <name>Tom Dakers</name>
  41.    </author>
  42.  </entry>
  43.  <entry>
  44.    <published>2025-04-04T14:58:17-04:00</published>
  45.    <updated>2025-04-04T14:58:17-04:00</updated>
  46.    <title>Game #8 GameThread: Jays @ Mets</title>
  47.    <content type="html">  
  48.  
  49.    &lt;figure&gt;
  50.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at New York Mets" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6vUGTRwmkbX4T-yUm6UubFKMcoM=/0x0:5904x3936/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74004353/usa_today_25844760.0.jpg" /&gt;
  51.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Brad Penner-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  52.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  53.  
  54.  &lt;p id="d8o6xD"&gt;Ok, I wasn’t paying attention. I thought it was a night game tonight. &lt;/p&gt;
  55. &lt;p id="JI6R13"&gt;Here is the lineups:&lt;/p&gt;
  56. &lt;div id="TRTPaK"&gt;
  57. &lt;div class="pane sports_data_widget lineup clearfix"&gt;
  58. &lt;h3&gt;Today's Lineups&lt;/h3&gt;
  59. &lt;div class="lineup"&gt;
  60. &lt;table cellspacing="0" class="zebra"&gt;
  61. &lt;thead&gt;
  62. &lt;tr&gt;
  63. &lt;th align="left"&gt;BLUE JAYS&lt;/th&gt;
  64. &lt;th align="left"&gt;METS&lt;/th&gt;
  65. &lt;/tr&gt;
  66. &lt;/thead&gt;
  67. &lt;tbody&gt;
  68. &lt;tr&gt;
  69. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Bo Bichette - SS&lt;/td&gt;
  70. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Francisco Lindor - SS&lt;/td&gt;
  71. &lt;/tr&gt;
  72. &lt;tr&gt;
  73. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Vladimir Guerrero - 1B&lt;/td&gt;
  74. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Juan Soto - RF&lt;/td&gt;
  75. &lt;/tr&gt;
  76. &lt;tr&gt;
  77. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Anthony Santander - LF&lt;/td&gt;
  78. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Pete Alonso - 1B&lt;/td&gt;
  79. &lt;/tr&gt;
  80. &lt;tr&gt;
  81. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Andres Gimenez - 2B&lt;/td&gt;
  82. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Brandon Nimmo - LF&lt;/td&gt;
  83. &lt;/tr&gt;
  84. &lt;tr&gt;
  85. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Alejandro Kirk - C&lt;/td&gt;
  86. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Starling Marte - DH&lt;/td&gt;
  87. &lt;/tr&gt;
  88. &lt;tr&gt;
  89. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;George Springer - CF&lt;/td&gt;
  90. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Mark Vientos - 3B&lt;/td&gt;
  91. &lt;/tr&gt;
  92. &lt;tr&gt;
  93. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Will Wagner - DH&lt;/td&gt;
  94. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Luis Torrens - C&lt;/td&gt;
  95. &lt;/tr&gt;
  96. &lt;tr&gt;
  97. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Ernie Clement - 3B&lt;/td&gt;
  98. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Luisangel Acuna - 2B&lt;/td&gt;
  99. &lt;/tr&gt;
  100. &lt;tr&gt;
  101. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Alan Roden - RF&lt;/td&gt;
  102. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Jose Siri - CF&lt;/td&gt;
  103. &lt;/tr&gt;
  104. &lt;tr&gt;
  105. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
  106. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
  107. &lt;/tr&gt;
  108. &lt;tr&gt;
  109. &lt;td class="td-last td-name"&gt;Kevin Gausman - RHP&lt;/td&gt;
  110. &lt;td class="td-first td-name"&gt;Tylor Megill - RHP&lt;/td&gt;
  111. &lt;/tr&gt;
  112. &lt;/tbody&gt;
  113. &lt;/table&gt;
  114. &lt;/div&gt;
  115. &lt;/div&gt;
  116. &lt;/div&gt;
  117. &lt;p id="PAh7WL"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  118. &lt;p id="FbPzaE"&gt;Go Jays Go&lt;/p&gt;
  119.  
  120. </content>
  121.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/4/24401323/game-8-gamethread-jays-mets"/>
  122.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/4/24401323/game-8-gamethread-jays-mets</id>
  123.    <author>
  124.      <name>Tom Dakers</name>
  125.    </author>
  126.  </entry>
  127.  <entry>
  128.    <published>2025-04-04T08:25:00-04:00</published>
  129.    <updated>2025-04-04T08:25:00-04:00</updated>
  130.    <title>Happy Birthday Scott Rolen </title>
  131.    <content type="html">  
  132.  
  133.    &lt;figure&gt;
  134.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Toronto Blue Jays" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W0AqCID3sivRWUFuRDv93htm7Vg=/0x0:3504x2336/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74003450/usa_today_3771698.0.jpg" /&gt;
  135.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  136.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  137.  
  138.  &lt;p id="1zd6ox"&gt;Former Blue Jays fan-favourite, &lt;strong&gt;Scott Rolen&lt;/strong&gt;, turns 50 today.&lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;p id="P5smjv"&gt;Scott’s had a terrific 17-season MLB career. He hit .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs, 19 of which he hit in his season and a half with the Blue Jays. He was Rookie of the Year in 1997, has played in 7 All-Star games, and has 8 Gold Gloves.&lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;p id="0TeX60"&gt;With us, his defensive play was one of the best parts of watching the team. We weren’t a great team, but we had some outstanding players. He was also pretty good at the plate, particularly in his second year with the team.&lt;/p&gt;
  141. &lt;p id="hMc7so"&gt;But the best thing he did was when he asked the Jays to trade him. We traded Rolen to the Reds for Zach Stewart, Josh Roenicke and, a throw-in, Edwin Encarnacion.&lt;/p&gt;
  142. &lt;p id="nOXsdu"&gt;Stewart didn’t turn out to be what we hoped. We traded him to the White Sox, along with Jason Frasor, for Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen. Jackson was flipped, along with three other guys, for Colby Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters. Since then, Stewart has been in the Red Sox and Braves organizations. He spent two years in the Korean baseball league. Stewart was pretty good there, going 20-10 in 46 starts. He returned to North America in 2017 and was back in the Jays system in 2018 but was out of baseball after that.&lt;/p&gt;
  143. &lt;p id="9qrzdM"&gt;Roenicke pitched in 29 Blue Jays games over the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and then he was lost off waivers to the Twins. After that, he bounced around. He had a good 2013 season with the Rockies, with a 3.25 ERA in 63 games. In 2013, he pitched another 63 games as a Twin, but not with the same success. He hasn’t been in the majors since.&lt;/p&gt;
  144. &lt;p id="h2BPzP"&gt;Encarnacion....well, you know.&lt;/p&gt;
  145. &lt;p id="hzptzF"&gt;On his sixth try, Rolen was finally voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023. He went from 10.2% of the vote to 76.3% in six years. &lt;/p&gt;
  146. &lt;p id="6c22Uh"&gt;As a fan, I feel nostalgic for the days when Rolen graced the field. His presence alone made any game worth watching. Scott, we miss you and wish you a very happy birthday.&lt;/p&gt;
  147.  
  148. </content>
  149.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/4/24400844/happy-birthday-scott-rolen"/>
  150.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/4/24400844/happy-birthday-scott-rolen</id>
  151.    <author>
  152.      <name>Tom Dakers</name>
  153.    </author>
  154.  </entry>
  155.  <entry>
  156.    <published>2025-04-03T14:00:00-04:00</published>
  157.    <updated>2025-04-03T14:00:00-04:00</updated>
  158.    <title>View From The Other Side: Mets Questions For Chris McShane From Amazin’ Avenue</title>
  159.    <content type="html">  
  160.  
  161.    &lt;figure&gt;
  162.      &lt;img alt="MLB: New York Mets at Miami Marlins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ii6n_To6d22Wa6uiGjTOs5TIMMY=/0x0:5536x3691/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74002030/usa_today_25831640.0.jpg" /&gt;
  163.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Sam Navarro-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  164.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  165.  
  166.  &lt;p id="Xw9M7b"&gt;The Jays start a three game series with the &lt;a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/"&gt;New York Mets&lt;/a&gt; tomorrow. The Mets beat the Jays up in the off-season, landing both Juan Soto and Pete Alonzo who the Jays were rumoured to make efforts to land as free agents. The Mets flexed their financial muscles to land a number of impact players, augmenting an already strong internal core. In the talent heavy NL East, Vegas odds leading into the season had the Mets just slightly behind Atlanta to win the division.&lt;/p&gt;
  167. &lt;p id="nHiaov"&gt;The Mets come into the series having taken their last series 2-1 from Miami. The Jays are coming off a three game sweep of the Nationals that temporarily has them at the top of the AL East. Never a doubt.&lt;/p&gt;
  168. &lt;p id="kb6Crg"&gt;I reached out to Chris McShane, one of the editors at Amazin’ Avenue, and he was kind enough to answer some questions about his take on the upcoming season for the Mets&lt;/p&gt;
  169. &lt;p id="eTy1b4"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. The Mets had a spectacular offseason, signing 11 free agents, including the biggest FA of the offseason. How likely do Mets fans see New York coming out on top in the division race?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  170. &lt;p id="azrTkV"&gt;It was a great offseason, and the Mets have as good a shot at winning the division as the &lt;a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/"&gt;Phillies&lt;/a&gt; and Braves. That said, even with the Braves’ atrocious start to the season, this figures to be a three-team fight the whole way. I’d love to see Philadelphia or Atlanta fall short of expectations, but both teams will be taken seriously as competition for that title.&lt;/p&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="NBxCZ1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. It seems the injury bug has struck early and often this spring for New York. Who is there the most concern about being able to replace their production until they’re off the IL?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;p id="dGr5cC"&gt;Sean Manaea’s absence is probably the toughest one, especially now that he’s had a setback during his recovery and will miss at least two more weeks than originally expected. The rotation has been very good to start the season, but if anyone falters or suffers a minor injury of their own, it would really be nice to have Manaea available to replace them. It’ll be great to get Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez back, too, and to see what Frankie Montas looks like as a Met, but Manaea’s the best of those four right now and may have the latest return date.&lt;/p&gt;
  173. &lt;p id="J2CueR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. It looks like the Mets have solved a couple of years of 3B issues with Mark Vientos. How high are expectations for him holding down the hot corner in 2025 and beyond?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="q9ZmWS"&gt;Vientos has struggled in the early going this year, but his breakout last year was really impressive. It’s still a little too early to be absolutely certain that he’s the Mets’ long-term solution at third base, but he deserves the benefit of the doubt at the plate moving forward after how much he improved over the course of his time in the big leagues last season.&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="7WLMlx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Which prospect are Mets fans most excited for that might debut this year?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  176. &lt;p id="1PbPQi"&gt;There are a few options here. Many fans would likely say Brandon Sproat, especially since he enters the season as the team’s top prospect and has begun the year with Triple-A Syracuse. Jett Williams has nearly as much hype, and while he’ll be starting in Double-A Binghamton after missing a lot of the 2024 season with a wrist injury, he could earn promotions to Triple-A or the big leagues by the end of the season. And personally, I’m higher than most on Blade Tidwell, who’s in Syracuse and could get some major league starts this year if he looks as good as he did in spring training and his first start with Syracuse. I’m also higher than most on outfielder Drew Gilbert, who missed most of last season because of a bad hamstring injury, and think he could get a shot in the big leagues in the second half if he proves to be healthy and hits like himself once he’s back in Syracuse.&lt;/p&gt;
  177. &lt;p id="hXExko"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Who is your favourite member of the team to watch right now?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="NBWASH"&gt;It’s still Francisco Lindor for me. Having Juan Soto on the roster is already a great thing as a fan, and either one of the two could objectively be the Mets’ best overall player this year. But I’ve got a personal preference for Lindor’s well-rounded game, and watching him in the field is a real treat even during a slump.&lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="lCwcAh"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Finally, just a fun little exercise, if you could choose any player who debuted with the Mets at any point in their history and drop them into this team at their rookie position and with their rookie year numbers, who would it be?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="MIggnF"&gt;With no disrespect to any of the Mets’ other players to win Rookie of the Year—Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack, Darryl Strawberry, Jacob deGrom, and Pete Alonso—the answer here just has to be Dwight Gooden. I mean, look at this line: 31 starts, 218.0 IP, 276 K, 73 BB, 2.60 ERA, 1.69 FIP. Matlack actually had the lowest ERA of any of these pitchers with a 2.32 in 1972, and he threw 244.0 innings. But I’d take the slightly higher ERA just to watch all of those Gooden strikeouts, and that pitcher would clearly be this team’s—or most of the teams in baseball history, really—ace.&lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="5odfLI"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thank you Chris!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  182.  
  183. </content>
  184.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24400028/view-from-the-other-side-mets-questions-for-chris-mcshane-from-amazin-avenue"/>
  185.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24400028/view-from-the-other-side-mets-questions-for-chris-mcshane-from-amazin-avenue</id>
  186.    <author>
  187.      <name>dexfarkin</name>
  188.    </author>
  189.  </entry>
  190.  <entry>
  191.    <published>2025-04-03T13:39:05-04:00</published>
  192.    <updated>2025-04-03T13:39:05-04:00</updated>
  193.    <title>Beyond the 2025 Top 40: Top 5 Older Prospects</title>
  194.    <content type="html">  
  195.  
  196.    &lt;figure&gt;
  197.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-oj0OmE_OsQxmri4K815FvPo_H0=/0x89:5273x3604/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74001985/usa_today_25815409.5.jpg" /&gt;
  198.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  199.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  200.  
  201.  &lt;p&gt;Will Wagner isn’t really a prospect, but he should be a significant near-term contributor&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="FBbLrw"&gt;As outlined at the outset, eligibility for the BBB Top 40 &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Blue Jays&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; prospect list is based not just on the traditional criteria of rookie eligibility (130 at-bats, 50 innings, or 45 active days), but also on an age cutoff. 2025 must be no more than a player’s age-26 season, that is, a player must be 25 or under on June 30, 2025.&lt;/p&gt;
  202. &lt;p id="tpuZsl"&gt;That’s not to say that players eliminated by the age cutoff don’t have value. Rather, it reflects the fact that with younger prospects, the overriding element is projecting future abilities, whereas by the time a player is 25 or 26 that’s not so much the case. For example, Bowden Francis was on the 2023 list and while last year’s list went unpublished, Spencer Horowitz was the headliner, to mention a few of numerous MLB contributions.&lt;/p&gt;
  203. &lt;p id="OfATeh"&gt;To account for these players who will show up on other lists and give a sense of how they stack up for us, we provide this separate list of prospects who are beyond the age cutoff but could factor in as major league contributors.&lt;/p&gt;
  204. &lt;p id="5adNDJ"&gt;2025: &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/17/24120943/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-overview-index"&gt;Full List and Index&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/27/24290534/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-1-4"&gt;1-4&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/26/24303719/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-5-8"&gt;5-8&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/25/24330128/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-9-12"&gt;9-12&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/24/24340363/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-13-16"&gt;13-16&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/22/24357028/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-17-20"&gt;17-20&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/21/24371054/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-21-24"&gt;21-24&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/20/24371081/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-25-28"&gt;25-28&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/19/24371206/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-29-32"&gt;29-32&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/18/24375064/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-33-36"&gt;33-36&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/3/17/24380431/2025-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-37-40"&gt;37-40&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;Beyond the Top 40: Top 5 Older&lt;/p&gt;
  205. &lt;p id="b9Bynh"&gt;2024: &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/15/24101809/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-prospects-blue-jays-index"&gt;Full List and Index&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/27/24103931/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-1-4"&gt;1-4&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/26/24096542/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-5-8"&gt;5-8&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/25/24087207/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-9-12"&gt;9-12&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/22/24082611/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-13-16"&gt;13-16&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/21/24091229/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-17-20"&gt;17-20&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/20/24078424/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-21-24"&gt;21-24&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/19/24076231/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-25-28"&gt;25-28&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/18/24084247/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-29-32"&gt;29-32&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/16/24087210/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-33-36"&gt;33-36&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/15/24079349/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-37-40"&gt;37-40&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  206. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="CkzXGF"&gt;
  207. &lt;h4 id="EtohN2"&gt;1. Will Wagner, IF, age 26, grade: 50, 2024: Houston system&lt;/h4&gt;
  208. &lt;p id="MDomgC"&gt;Many will argue Wagner belongs on the main lists as almost everywhere else, but he’s a prospect only in the most technical sense that he retains rookie eligibility (itself an arbitrary cutoff). In any meaningful sense Wagner is not. To begin with, but for losing the last two weeks to knee surgery he’d have reached 45 active days (and likely 130 AB) and exhausted the rookie threshold. In fact, his 86 PA were 20 more than Jonathan Clase who nonetheless is no longer rookie eligible and still shy of 23 far more merits being considered a prospect. &lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;p id="EHl5X1"&gt;Moreover, while the big league sample was limited, the information about Wagner’s ability to translate his skills against quality pitching goes so far beyond what is available for other prospects as to vitiate a basis for comparison. Finally, turning 27 later this year, there’s no element of projecting development as with most prospects. In this sense, I’d argue that even after 500+ PA in 2019, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was far more a prospect at that point than Wagner today. &lt;/p&gt;
  210. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="0ToPkh"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 77.2727%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTNL7cCipCt4wNNmqBm6NpH3q9UIQQxaNCXe9gYwujMfEAEEZSCXQaA3kP74biDcNMJJqwSKT85xbTW/pubhtml?gid=0&amp;amp;single=true&amp;amp;range=b134:f146&amp;amp;chrome=false&amp;amp;single=true" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  211. &lt;p id="luGP2C"&gt;That said, if one were to insist on stacking Wagner up against the rest of the system, where to put him is an interesting question. If the ranking were on the basis of whether you’d trade players straight up, he might not crack the top five, lacking the regular and impact ceilings of others on which a premium is placed (not to mention recently being a kicker in a trade for a rental starter). On the other hand, one can make a plausible argument for him having the highest expected value/WAR of anyone, especially on a discounted basis since you’re getting it right now. &lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;p id="NeaY10"&gt;In 105 MLB PA, Wagner has done nothing but hit, and while he’s not going to sustain a .385 BABIP, the other components all look sustainable and even regressing that heavily leaves plenty of room to post average or better production. The list of players who approach his combination of contact (over 93% in-zone) and his hard hit rate (49%) is very short and well average producers. &lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="naJWSr"&gt;On the flip side, there’s the issue of lacking a true position, but he’s rated passably and hasn’t looked super exposed at third. Even if it’s as a utility type moving around the diamond, it shouldn’t be an issue finding a place to get his bat in the lineup. We have high confidence in his floor as a lefty bat bench/utility player, with a very plausible shot at regular or better production if he maintains the offensive skills as the league adjusts.  &lt;/p&gt;
  214. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="C5MJYB"&gt;
  215. &lt;h4 id="kRzdwA"&gt;2. Lazaro Estrada, RHP, age 25, grade: 35+, 2024: &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/16/24087210/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-33-36"&gt;36t&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/27/24103931/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-1-4"&gt;h&lt;/a&gt;
  216. &lt;/h4&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="DzRfxT"&gt;Signed in 2018 from Cuba at the relatively advanced age of 18, Estrada advanced from the complex and rookie-level Blue field in 2018-19, but then pitches less than 50 innings in games from 2020 to 2022. He got back in track in 2023, albeit as a 24-year old in Dunedin, before finally moving up in 2024. He had a really good un in Vancouver, including a 7 inning no-hitter to earn a quick promotion up to Double-A.&lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="zjTssr"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 77.2727%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTNL7cCipCt4wNNmqBm6NpH3q9UIQQxaNCXe9gYwujMfEAEEZSCXQaA3kP74biDcNMJJqwSKT85xbTW/pubhtml?gid=0&amp;amp;single=true&amp;amp;range=g134:k146&amp;amp;chrome=false&amp;amp;single=true" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  219. &lt;p id="XBkxAW"&gt;He’s moved up again to Buffalo in 2025 after an impressive spring, and there’s some really interesting stuff. His fastball reaches up to 94, but plays up due to strong induced vertical movement (”rise”) to get swings-and-misses. He gets a lot of spin on his curveball, though it’s more useful getting strikes in zone than putting batters away (and when poorly located ends up an ineffective lollipop type pitch). Rather, it’s a tight slider that’s a more effective putaway breaking ball. He’ll also flash a change-up with some fade, but doesn’t use it much.&lt;/p&gt;
  220. &lt;p id="pHbe6X"&gt;It’s potentially starter’s arsenal, and Estrada has had reasonable success in that capacity and finally made some progress in 2024 towards building an innings foundation. But the runway on that isn’t forever, and the well-built 5’10” Estrada’s future may lie in a relief role. The stuff could conceivably play up or sharpen with in short bursts with a more focused mix.   &lt;/p&gt;
  221. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Q5kkM1"&gt;
  222. &lt;h4 id="5b997X"&gt;3. Steward Berroa, OF, age 25, grade: 35, 2024: &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2023/4/23/23311450/beyond-the-2023-top-40-tom-pref-list-blue-jays-prospects"&gt;Tom’s pref list&lt;/a&gt;
  223. &lt;/h4&gt;
  224. &lt;p id="A9viY5"&gt;Berroa’s been a slow burn since he signed as part of the 2016 International Free Agent class, climbing the ladder one run at a time and finally fighting his way to the majors last season. He’s a fairly balanced switch hitter, with his left handed production being steady and his right handed numbers fluctuating year to year due to smaller samples. &lt;/p&gt;
  225. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="T7K2LA"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 77.2727%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTNL7cCipCt4wNNmqBm6NpH3q9UIQQxaNCXe9gYwujMfEAEEZSCXQaA3kP74biDcNMJJqwSKT85xbTW/pubhtml?gid=0&amp;amp;single=true&amp;amp;range=l134:p146&amp;amp;chrome=false&amp;amp;single=true" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="KLBDF8"&gt;The best tool in Berroa’s offensive game is a selective approach, with chase rates in AAA and MLB that have been in the mid-low 20s percent. He’s got fringe average contact skills, which combined with his patience has resulted in higher than average strikeout rates, and it’s mostly doubles power. He won’t produce enough offensively to be a regular, but his approach is strong enough that he should be tolerable in fill in duty at the bottom of an MLB lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;p id="Z1VgKg"&gt;Berroa is a plus runner who’s racked up at least 40 steals in ever full season he’s played with an 81% success rate. Defensively he can handle centre capably and is plus when playing a corner. His role with the big league club will be a a glove first depth outfielder, riding the shuttle between Toronto and Buffalo through the course of his option years. It’s not an exciting profile but it’s one that you want to have around.&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="F1w9Ah"&gt;
  229. &lt;h4 id="A6sgh2"&gt;4. CJ Van Eyk, RHP, age 26, grade: 30+, 2024: &lt;a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2024/3/19/24076231/2024-bluebird-banter-top-40-blue-jays-prospects-25-28"&gt;25th&lt;/a&gt;
  230. &lt;/h4&gt;
  231. &lt;p id="HS8nw8"&gt;The Blue Jays second round pick in 2020 from Florida State, Van Eyk has had an enigmatic or even mercurial professional career. Assigned to Vancouver, he struck out a lot of batters with the stuff looking as advertised but otherwise had a rough go (5.83 ERA) due to poor command before requiring Tommy John surgery.&lt;/p&gt;
  232. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="tXfh5d"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 77.2727%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTNL7cCipCt4wNNmqBm6NpH3q9UIQQxaNCXe9gYwujMfEAEEZSCXQaA3kP74biDcNMJJqwSKT85xbTW/pubhtml?gid=0&amp;amp;single=true&amp;amp;range=q134:u144&amp;amp;chrome=false&amp;amp;single=true" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  233. &lt;p id="GnfLEk"&gt;He was back in the second half of 2023, even making it up to Double-A for four starts at the tail end. Returning to New Hampshire in 2024, he turned in one of the highest variance seasons imaginable. There were multiple starts where he absolutely carved, showing four average or better pitches (fastball up to 94, big curve, sharp tighter slider and fading changeup) and looked every big the part of a quality future major league starter.&lt;/p&gt;
  234. &lt;p id="UnPZlM"&gt;But even more frequently, the command was so bad that despite the stuff usually looking plenty crisp he’s just get hit around the park. In 16 starts he had a 6.27 ERA, late in the season he moved to the bullpen where he had a better 4.01 ERA. This is just a bet that something clicks in the bullpen and the quality stuff can translate to success. &lt;/p&gt;
  235. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="5OlwyD"&gt;
  236. &lt;h4 id="g6ksID"&gt;5. Justin Kelly, RHP, age 26, grade: 30+, 2024: Matt’s unpublished pref list&lt;/h4&gt;
  237. &lt;p id="qu7Dmr"&gt;An undrafted free agent in 2021 from Utah, Kelly split 2022 across Dunedin and Vancouver with an unremarkable statistical profile. In 2023, the results improved but he still had a sub-20% strikeout rate, though he had a mid-90s fastball and sharp sweeper that looked like a promising one-two punch (plus a tight cutter too).  &lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="f6scYh"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 77.2727%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTNL7cCipCt4wNNmqBm6NpH3q9UIQQxaNCXe9gYwujMfEAEEZSCXQaA3kP74biDcNMJJqwSKT85xbTW/pubhtml?gid=0&amp;amp;single=true&amp;amp;range=b147:f157&amp;amp;chrome=false&amp;amp;single=true" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="qjXuW2"&gt;It all seemed to come together in 2024, as Kelly was dominant anchoring Vancouver’s bullpen at the beginning of the season with 22 K in 18.1 innings before finally moving up. Shortly after, the UCL bug bit and he needed Tommy John surgery and will miss at least a good chunk of 2025.&lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="YjRzTL"&gt;Assuming he comes back as before, the fastball and sweeper give him two major league calibre pitches with a third effective one, giving him a plausible future as a short reliever. On the other hand, a long line of guys who have shown plus stuff and rolled through the lower minors only to plateau in the upper minors, so it’s no sure thing either.&lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="9KUKn8"&gt;
  242. &lt;h4 id="AXA1on"&gt;Other Notables&lt;/h4&gt;
  243. &lt;ul&gt;
  244. &lt;li id="GJknX9"&gt;
  245. &lt;strong&gt;Trenton Wallace&lt;/strong&gt;: the 2021 11&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; round pick is a side-arming lefty. He posted consistently strong results through AA as a starter but struggled in his first taste of AAA last season. His fastball is sinker sitting 86-89, which he pairs with a two-plane slider at 77 and an 82mph change with big arm side run. The stuff isn’t good enough to survive an MLB lineup more than once, but he was up to 93 in college and creates a tough angle for lefties, so he might find a role as a slider-heavy bullpen specialist.&lt;/li&gt;
  246. &lt;li id="8eHQrL"&gt;
  247. &lt;strong&gt;Riley Tirotta: &lt;/strong&gt;Tirotta drew attention last season by posting videogame numbers early across AA and AAA. He’s an aggressive pull hitter with average power, and he has an excellent approach at the plate that’s allowed him to run walk rates in the teens in the minors. Swing and miss keeps him from being a real prospect, though. His in-zone contact rate in buffalo was just 77%, which would be in the 5&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; percentile in MLB and just doesn’t play without 70 grade raw power. He’s also a questionable fielder who can play any corner position but none particularly well. I’d analogize him to Davis Schneider as a utility bat whose great swing and approach maximize scant physical tools, except he’s run into the same issues Schneider has struggled with against MLB pitching in AAA. &lt;/li&gt;
  248. &lt;li id="k8fvj6"&gt;
  249. &lt;strong&gt;Will Robertson&lt;/strong&gt;: Robertson had a big spring, going 4 for 11 with a pair of home runs during his time in MLB camp. Signed out of Creighton as a 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; round pick in 2019, Robertson’s power has pushed him steadily through the system to Buffalo, where he played all of last season. It’s easy plus raw, with a 112.8mph max exit velocity and a hard hit rate that would be in the 81&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; percentile in MLB. He gets to it in games with a pull-oriented swing that peppers line drives off and over the right field wall. He can get aggressive, though, and as with Tirotta excessive in-zone swing and miss will prevent his power from playing in the majors. He’s also a slow runner and thus a below average corner outfield defender. It’s possible that some refinement in his approach allows him to be an occasional lefty power source off a bench, but he has significant work to do to get to that point.&lt;/li&gt;
  250. &lt;/ul&gt;
  251. &lt;h4 id="28LMLi"&gt;Prospects who will hit the age cutoff next year:&lt;/h4&gt;
  252. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="gO4qkl"&gt;OF Alan Roden (likely moot as he’ll almost certainly lose rookie eligibility), RHP Ryan Jennings, RHP T.J. Brock, RHP Connor Cooke, RHP Anders Tolhurst, RHP Rafael Sanchez, 1B Damiano Palmegiani&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  253.  
  254. </content>
  255.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24077946/beyond-the-2025-top-40-top-5-older-blue-jays-prospects"/>
  256.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24077946/beyond-the-2025-top-40-top-5-older-blue-jays-prospects</id>
  257.    <author>
  258.      <name>Matt  W</name>
  259.      <name>Tom__M</name>
  260.    </author>
  261.  </entry>
  262.  <entry>
  263.    <published>2025-04-03T13:12:37-04:00</published>
  264.    <updated>2025-04-03T13:12:37-04:00</updated>
  265.    <title>Better Know Your Blue Jays 40-man: Nick Sandlin</title>
  266.    <content type="html">  
  267.  
  268.    &lt;figure&gt;
  269.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Spring Training-Pittsburgh Pirates at Toronto Blue Jays" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6Fjk5ySGZeTjnQPeeve6nQlZ3tA=/0x0:5608x3739/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74001926/usa_today_25748428.0.jpg" /&gt;
  270.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  271.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  272.  
  273.  &lt;p id="TqbAJV"&gt;Nick Sandlin is a right-handed side-arm throwing reliever who we picked up from the Pirates in a three-team deal. He and Andrés Giménez came from the Guardians, Spencer Horwitz went to the Guardians, and then the Pirates and Nick Mitchell, a minor league outfielder. &lt;/p&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="YZG3T5"&gt;Horwitz is on the IL after surgery on his wrist to address chronic symptoms. He’s a little ways away from getting out on the field. Maybe by the end of the month. &lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;p id="NmGlCs"&gt;Sandlin? He’s 28. He’s had four seasons in the MLB playing for the Guardians. His first two were very good; the last two were still good but not at the same level. Last year, batters hit .222/.325/.435 against him. So, batters were hitting him slightly better than league average. &lt;/p&gt;
  276. &lt;p id="zW4G8Q"&gt;They often say that sidearmers can pitch every day. I’m not convinced, but managers tend to use them that way. I like watching them:&lt;/p&gt;
  277. &lt;p id="znq7Xj"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  278. &lt;div id="8y7ZPh"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jbgb1AfC-WM?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="ZyvBVi"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="dWTZWs"&gt;He throws four pitches: a slider (34.8% of the time last year), four-seam fastball (92.6 mph average, 29.8%), split finger (26.6%), and sinker (8.9%). The split finger is the most effective of the four pitches. &lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="4oez3L"&gt;Nick has pitched in 60+ games in each of the last two years, averaging just under an inning an outing. We can use a guy who can pitch that often. I know it isn’t scientific, but I think sidearm pitchers tend to be good when they join a team and get slightly worse each season (check Cimber and Eichhorn for confirmation bias). &lt;/p&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="zAaajw"&gt;The fun part about having him is that I’ve had conversations about Adam Cimber with people the last couple of days, not that they are the same sort of pitcher. Cimber was a submariner, throwing from a much lower slot, but I like remembering a pitcher I liked. &lt;/p&gt;
  283. &lt;p id="V7N9pJ"&gt;Sandlin has thrown in three games for us, in our first seven games, 3.1 innings, 1 hit allowed, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="2dDxyB"&gt;Steamer figures he’ll get into 57 games, 57 innings with a 4.11 ERA.&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;p id="pQ79RY"&gt;ZiPs 61 games, 56 innings, 3.91 ERA. We’d accept those. &lt;/p&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="aRm9lK"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  287. &lt;div id="NfDdaW"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12589291"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  288. &lt;p id="8sFCXR"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  289. &lt;div id="KRX46X"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12589292"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  290. &lt;p id="pZbink"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  291. &lt;div id="m68gxo"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12589300"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  292.  
  293. </content>
  294.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24400426/better-know-your-blue-jays-40-man-nick-sandlin"/>
  295.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24400426/better-know-your-blue-jays-40-man-nick-sandlin</id>
  296.    <author>
  297.      <name>Tom Dakers</name>
  298.    </author>
  299.  </entry>
  300.  <entry>
  301.    <published>2025-04-03T11:34:16-04:00</published>
  302.    <updated>2025-04-03T11:34:16-04:00</updated>
  303.    <title>Off-Day Bantering: Jays Notes</title>
  304.    <content type="html">  
  305.  
  306.    &lt;figure&gt;
  307.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Washington Nationals at Toronto Blue Jays" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bGcjsJ9btZvJJ3Pr5_hwczggOGw=/0x229:2812x2104/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74001637/usa_today_25830382.0.jpg" /&gt;
  308.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  309.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  310.  
  311.  &lt;p id="vxGN3S"&gt;It is hard not to overvalue the first seven games of the season. 5-2. Playoffs, here we come. &lt;/p&gt;
  312. &lt;p id="Ty8KkD"&gt;In the early lead for team MVP is Andrés Giménez, a surprise to everyone. Last year, he had a .340 slugging average; this year, he’s Jose Bautista. And in more ways than one.&lt;a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/big-and-sexy-an-inside-look-at-swing-changes-of-blue-jays-andres-gimenez/"&gt; From David Singh:&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  313. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="wz8QBE"&gt;They’d worked on having Giménez add a leg kick, something that he had used in the past, but the change just didn’t feel seamless to the left-handed hitter during the early days of spring training. He didn’t want to stray too far from the toe-tap that he’d used across the past three seasons. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  314. &lt;p id="bYmEzf"&gt;Last year:&lt;/p&gt;
  315. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  316.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/60vFTMY3Ez9Z4mrEt9ts3SkgNkg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25938058/Andres_2022_GIF_ezgif.com_video_to_gif_converter.gif"&gt;
  317.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  318. &lt;p id="LLnCk1"&gt;This year:&lt;/p&gt;
  319. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  320.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ouaGh5ORDO3qKYpf2gdxuZt6-rc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25938061/Andres_2025.gif"&gt;
  321.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  322. &lt;p id="1YUufH"&gt;John Schneider says he’s not surprised:&lt;/p&gt;
  323. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="NdaXRx"&gt;“It doesn’t surprise us,” Jays manager John Schneider said recently. “Probably surprises a lot of people, but it doesn’t surprise us.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  324. &lt;p id="sK6SZM"&gt;He lies through his teeth. He can’t possibly not be surprised. &lt;/p&gt;
  325. &lt;p id="FZwQmX"&gt;I remember talking to a hitting coach, back in Bautista’s time, that every hitter was trying the big leg kick and that ‘no one can hit that way (other than Jose).’ Small sample sizes and all, I’m sure there will be ups and downs as the season progresses. &lt;/p&gt;
  326. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="e70Xgu"&gt;
  327. &lt;p id="ub32Em"&gt;Also, George Springer has had a surprisingly good start to the season. Seven games aren’t enough to say that he’s back to 2022 form, but I don’t know that he had this good a run last year at any point. &lt;/p&gt;
  328. &lt;p id="AzqKbH"&gt;Add Bo Bichette, and three hitters are doing much better than last year. If they can keep it up, it should be a much better season than last year. We’ve discussed how the team hoped for too many players to turn things around, but maybe we’ll be lucky. &lt;/p&gt;
  329. &lt;p id="abxQ5E"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  330. &lt;div id="diZToy"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12589207"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  331. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="r10sZ3"&gt;
  332. &lt;p id="Shr7CA"&gt;I haven’t followed the Umpire Scorecards this year, but this one is great. Only two mistakes, and both were on very close pitches. And one mistake in the favourite of each team. It would be hard to get better than that. &lt;/p&gt;
  333. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  334.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BoHQ_0VOQFRiw8vluTDUey7tU8I=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25938074/ump.jpg"&gt;
  335.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  336. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="2TiyxR"&gt;
  337. &lt;p id="wzGn1Q"&gt;Arjun Nimmala is starting the season in Vancouver, which makes me think a trip out there would be a good thing.&lt;/p&gt;
  338. &lt;div id="4DjvaK"&gt;
  339. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  340. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Top prospects, familiar faces and proven winners. Our 2025 Opening Day roster ⬇️ &lt;a href="https://t.co/2qfmXDUaWq"&gt;pic.twitter.com/2qfmXDUaWq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Vancouver Canadians (@vancanadians) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/vancanadians/status/1907450973364092966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 2, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  341. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  342. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  343.  
  344. &lt;/div&gt;
  345. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Nfibkw"&gt;
  346. &lt;p id="cPHKfR"&gt;As much as I don’t want to talk about catchers and one or two knees, it looks like the battle has been won:&lt;/p&gt;
  347. &lt;div id="LCP2eq"&gt;
  348. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  349. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;On opening day 2025 every single starting catcher worked out of a knee down setup.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Here’s what they looked like when they made their big league debut. &lt;a href="https://t.co/OUwEKFN2p3"&gt;pic.twitter.com/OUwEKFN2p3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ivan Quackenbush (@IQ_Baseball_) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/IQ_Baseball_/status/1907544706302808514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 2, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  350. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  351. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  352.  
  353. &lt;/div&gt;
  354.  
  355. </content>
  356.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24400354/off-day-bantering-jays-notes"/>
  357.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/3/24400354/off-day-bantering-jays-notes</id>
  358.    <author>
  359.      <name>Tom Dakers</name>
  360.    </author>
  361.  </entry>
  362.  <entry>
  363.    <published>2025-04-02T17:44:22-04:00</published>
  364.    <updated>2025-04-02T17:44:22-04:00</updated>
  365.    <title>Jays Sweep Nationals</title>
  366.    <content type="html">  
  367.  
  368.    &lt;figure&gt;
  369.      &lt;img alt="MLB: Washington Nationals at Toronto Blue Jays" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZNTqetcS4mRPT7NNnUH_EQMB6hk=/0x81:4823x3296/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74000179/usa_today_25829607.0.jpg" /&gt;
  370.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  371.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  372.  
  373.  &lt;p id="Ug2j1v"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nationals 2 Blue Jays 4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  374. &lt;p id="qf2uaP"&gt;A sweep. We didn’t have our first sweep until May 27-29 last year, so let’s enjoy this.&lt;/p&gt;
  375. &lt;p id="TGxAZn"&gt;We scored in the first. With two out, Anthony Santander doubled, and Andrés Giménez singled him home. &lt;/p&gt;
  376. &lt;p id="eGVUsU"&gt;The second run came in the fourth inning. George Springer led off with a home run. &lt;/p&gt;
  377. &lt;p id="YXzc8Q"&gt;Our third run came in the fifth. Vlad doubled off the right field wall (very close play at second, I thought he ran into an out. Santander reached on an infield single. Springer walked. And Clement hit a fly to the wall in right for a sac fly. After that, Davis Schneider was hit by a pitch. But Tyler Heineman popped out to end the inning. &lt;/p&gt;
  378. &lt;p id="AFuX3C"&gt;The fourth run came in the sixth. Myles Straw led off with a double (he had a great day). He moved to third on Bo’s groundout. Then Vlad ground one to short. They came home, but the throw was high (if it were on target, Straw would have still been safe. They ruled the throw home an error, costing Vlad an RBI). Vlad went to second when the throw home was a bit high. Giménez ground out to end the inning.&lt;/p&gt;
  379. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="0V0XBQ"&gt;
  380. &lt;p id="CrFAog"&gt;We had a shot at getting more runs in the second. Ernie Clement walked to lead things off. After Davis Schneider popped out to center, Tyler Heineman reached on a bunt single (nice; I’m not used to catchers beating out bunts).&lt;/p&gt;
  381. &lt;p id="aq3RWS"&gt;Then Myles Straw hit a fly to deep center. Dylan Crews had the ball go off his glove, but the runners had to hold up to see if it was caught. With the third base coach holding up the stop sign, Clement decided to go home (the replay showed that he didn’t look the third base coach. The call at the plate was out. Clement disagreed, and the Jays challenged, but the call was confirmed. It was close. &lt;/p&gt;
  382. &lt;p id="1cqKaN"&gt;But with one out, there is no reason to go home unless you are sure. Bo Bichette was up next and is having a great start to the season. He hit a fly to the center, and Crews made a diving catch on it. If Clements had stayed at third, that would have been a sac fly (but, of course, we don’t know if that would have happened if he had stayed at third- a different situation would likely bring a different pitch). What could have been a big inning was wrecked by running into an out. &lt;/p&gt;
  383. &lt;p id="DfdzfO"&gt;I’m ok with guys getting thrown out with two outs (if it is close), but not with one (or no) outs. And, if you will ignore your third base coach, you better be right.&lt;/p&gt;
  384. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="xMQPMN"&gt;
  385. &lt;p id="JurhpV"&gt;Easton Lucas was terrific. Five innings, just one hit, two walks with three strikeouts. He went 74 pitches and looked smooth and easy. I’m sure he’s bought himself another start. I thought we would see a bunch of runs against him, but Lucas had a great game. I was all for leaving him out for another inning, but they said he would be limited to 75ish pitches. &lt;/p&gt;
  386. &lt;p id="2XdhuG"&gt;Brendon Little gave up a leadoff home run in the sixth but got three straight outs. He got the first out of the seventh. &lt;/p&gt;
  387. &lt;p id="uupVjN"&gt;Chad Green got the last two outs of the seventh.&lt;/p&gt;
  388. &lt;p id="ZNcNXS"&gt;I thought Green would get the eighth, but Yimi Garcia came out for it. I guess, with the save possibility, they wanted to go with the A-team, with tomorrow being an off-day. &lt;/p&gt;
  389. &lt;p id="U7XWkm"&gt;Jeff Hoffman got the first two outs of the ninth but then gave up three straight hits, one a swinging bunt down the third base line. But Heineman threw out Jacob Young trying to steal second—a fantastic throw. I’d be pissed off if I was a &lt;s&gt;Mets&lt;/s&gt;’ Nationals’ fan, a caught stealing to end the game is a terrible way to lose. &lt;/p&gt;
  390. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="dQ9wUr"&gt;
  391. &lt;p id="qfQsBF"&gt;Our defense was terrific today. Giménez made (at least) three excellent plays at second). Bo made a very nice pickup, spin and throw in the eighth. And Clement had a very good game at third. &lt;/p&gt;
  392. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="eAPjCj"&gt;
  393. &lt;p id="M7BdWt"&gt;We had ten hits today. Maybe we should have had more runs, but it was a good day for the bats. Straw had three hits, two doubles. Satander and Heineman had two. Springer homered and walked. Vlad doubled and reached on the fielder’s choice in the sixth. Giménez got another RBI on a single.&lt;/p&gt;
  394. &lt;p id="Kl4xNW"&gt;Bo, Clement (with a walk and an RBI), and Schneider had 0 fors. Schneider is 0 for the season (only seven at-bats). &lt;/p&gt;
  395. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="54Se85"&gt;
  396. &lt;p id="BYjB09"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jays of the Day&lt;/strong&gt;: Lucas (.274) and Springer (.105). Honourable mention to Gimenez for his RBI and terrific defense. And let’s give an honourable mention to Tyler Heineman for the catch stealing to end the game (with a great tag by Giménez).&lt;/p&gt;
  397. &lt;p id="0IHl9S"&gt;Other Award: Bichette had the number at -.111 for his 0 for 5, but he made some nice plays in the field, so I’ll not honor him this time.&lt;/p&gt;
  398. &lt;p id="s43vk5"&gt;Tomorrow is an off-day. &lt;/p&gt;
  399. &lt;p id="fteyRU"&gt;Friday, the Jays are in New York for the Mets’ opening day. Kevin Gausman starts for the good guys. Tylor Megill for the Mets.&lt;/p&gt;
  400. &lt;p id="n0sEUC"&gt;The Jays are 5-2. Last year it was game 11 when we won our fifth game. &lt;/p&gt;
  401.  
  402. </content>
  403.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/2/24399808/jays-sweep-nationals"/>
  404.    <id>https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2025/4/2/24399808/jays-sweep-nationals</id>
  405.    <author>
  406.      <name>Tom Dakers</name>
  407.    </author>
  408.  </entry>
  409. </feed>
  410.  

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