We tend to make a bigger deal out of the Opening Day roster than his necessary. On most teams, a transaction or two always occur within the first week, and most people don’t remember who was on the roster on day one by the time day 73 rolls around.
Regardless, these are the 25 guys the Blue Jays have tabbed, whether on merit or due to injury, to take on the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon. Continue Reading »
In case you weren’t aware, the Blue Jays were pretty mediocre for about two decades before 2015. There were underachievers, overachievers, and mediocre clubs. Superstars and busts. In the early part of this decade, Jose Bautista was usually the only reason you’d want to tune into a Jays game. Before him was Roy Halladay.
Expectations for this season are low again. Most prognostications have the club winning somewhere between 80-84 games. Again, mediocre at best.
But there are waves of talent on the horizon, ready to ride into battle to combat the behemoths in Boston and New York. The projected win totals may be accurate, but for the first time in a long time, the pipeline of young players is finally running through the big leagues, and not being peddled for older established stars. Assuming the playoffs are out of the equation, here are the storylines I’ll beeyeing this season. Continue Reading »
Baseball is back, baby!
On the eve of the 2019 season, join Matt Di Nicolantonio and Asher Roth as they discuss all things Blue Jays.
Of course, they start with an update on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. When will he arrive? How impactful can he be? What are the ramifications on the rest of the roster?
Brandon Drury, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, and Billy McKinney are ticketed to be versatile defenders. Just how much will they move around? Does a veteran like Kevin Pillar or Kendrys Morales need to be dealt to open up more playing time for the young guys?
Plus don’t forget to catch the over/under segment where the guys have a little bit of difference of opinion.
When I was a kid, I was fascinated with batting order construction. But in the days long before Twitter, it wasn’t so easy to find out how the Blue Jays were lining up on any given day. I loved going to the ballpark, because they’d have the order posted on the screens in the outfield. But before the high-tech video boards on the outfield wall, it was much more crude than that. It would have the position on top, with the players jersey number underneath. So you also needed a working knowledge of the roster to figure things out. But I knew my stuff, so it was fine. Continue Reading »
For many fans, the home opener is the most anticipated game of the season. Whether it’s the team’s first game of the year or not, it’s an exciting day. There’s usually a big pregame ceremony, the players and coaches are introduced down the base line, and it’s a full house no matter how good the team is expected to be. The downside is that tickets usually cost double.
If you cheer for the Blue Jays, it’s also meant disappointment for nearly a decade. You see, the club has lost its home opener in each of the last seven seasons. Since making the switch back to the beautiful blue uniforms and iconic original logo, the Jays have lost their first home game every single year. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to see where it’s all gone wrong. Continue Reading »
(This post has been edited from its original version to include pregame updates from Montreal.)
Last week, I took a look at how the Blue Jays roster was on pace to shape up for Opening Day, which now just sits three days out. Needless to say, a lot has happened in camp since then, with several arm injuries forcing the pitching staff into disarray. Continue Reading »
We’re just ten days away from the start of the 2019 MLB season, so naturally the rosters are taking shape, with only fringe battles remaining. And projecting who will be lining up along the baselines for player introductions on March 28 is all the rage right now. So I’m adding my two cents as well.
As has been reported, there aren’t many jobs up for grabs for this Blue Jays club. And the ones that are available aren’t all that sexy. I’ll break it down by area of the roster to isolate where the final few battles remain. Continue Reading »
Everyone loves to play manager at home. “Why didn’t he send the runner there?! He’s bringing in THIS guy from the pen? It should be THAT guy?! Drop down a bunt!!”
Well in this new segment, I’m going to pretend I am Gibby. When there’s an important roster decision to be made, I’ll put myself in the manager’s shoes.
Following their quick jaunt home to play three games in 28 hours against the Royals, the Blue Jays head to the Bronx for their second four-game series of the season against the Yankees. These two clubs split the first four games of the season, and the Blue Jays have won every series they’ve played since then. Conversely, the Yankees have lost or split every series they’ve played, save for a two-game sweep of the lowly Rays in New York. They’ve battled numerous injuries as well, but meet a Jays team playing better baseball than they did at pretty much any point last season.
Following a 3-day weather-induced hiatus, the Toronto Blue Jays return to action on Tuesday, kicking off a three-game set at the Rogers Centre against the Kansas City Royals. Following Monday’s surprise postponement, the teams will play a traditional doubleheader, with game 1 starting at 3:07, and the second commencing 30 minutes after its conclusion.
Cole Burston/Canadian Press
