Losing, it goes without saying, is bad. We’ve seen the 2017 Blue Jays do a lot of it – relative to other recent incarnations of the team – and it surely feels awful. Even though all losses count equally in the standings, the feel of a 11-2 drubbing and an extra inning nail biter are […]
Author: Greg Wisniewski
The Long March of Jose Bautista
Jose Bautista is marching. You might see him stretching in the on-deck circle, diving in the outfield, or jogging to first on a pop up, but he is marching. Each time he trots around the bases after a home run, or pops up from a slide into second base, or strolls back to the dugout […]
Which Blue Jays are Putting the Barrel on the Ball?
Back in February I wrote an article around the Statcast ‘Barrels’ metric and how the Blue Jays (new and returning) stacked up in regards to that metric. If you haven’t heard much about Barrels and their ‘official’ definition, that article would be a great spot to brush up on them. You can see the leaderboard here. Just […]
Blue Jays Losing Tears a Hole in the Fabric of the Multiverse
Let me preface this explanation of the events of April 18th, 2017 by saying that I am not a professional scientist. I am also not a professional time traveller. I have, however, seen every episode of Star Trek and ST:TNG at least twice, and also viewed several episodes of Dr. Who from when he had […]
What Would it Cost To Have Ryan Goins’ Glove on the Roster?
Once again, it’s crunch time around the MLB spring camps. Rosters must shrink to 25 men by opening day, and although injuries can change things at the last minute, front offices are whittling the numbers down every day. Some players have options, some others have opt outs. Eventually, the game of musical chairs will end, and […]
Barrels of Fun: Blue Jays Hitters who Find the Sweet Spot
Statcast is the new shiny toy of on field analysis, owned by major league baseball. It’s responsible for the sudden jump in the terms ‘exit velocity’ and ‘route efficiency’ and has made work for the fancy graphics people at Fox and TBS, allowing them to track player movements a ball flight in ways that simply […]
It’s Time to Talk Extension with Josh Donaldson
Once upon a time, the Blue Jays traded for a third baseman at a bargain price. There was some speculation as to whether he would be a real asset to the team in the immediate aftermath, but it didn’t take long for the fans to realize they had found a real gem. It became readily […]
Blue Jays Sign Brett Oberholtzer for Depth
The Blue Jays have added a depth arm. Per John Heyman: Jays sign rhp brett oberholtzer — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 7, 2016 How important is this move? Well, Heyman is notorious for his dislike of the ‘shift’ key, making him the ee cummings of twitter. He normally makes an exception for player names though. […]
On the Screws: The Relationship Between Exit Velocity and Success
It’s an commonly referenced baseball saying. It puts into words a kind of instinctive perception about hitting. The harder you make contact, the better shot you have of getting a hit. It acknowledges something that some traditionalists don’t really want to admit: The hitter can control the amount of effort he puts into contact, but he […]
ALCS Game 5 Recap: Cleveland 3, Toronto 0; Not With a Bang but a Whisper
As with all of their other losses in the ALCS, the Blue Jays fell behind early, and failed to figure any way to come back over the next 8 innings. The Jays fell 3-0, and in the series 4-1, and I don’t recall them ever getting a runner to third base. Things did not start […]