Apr 15, 2022
Blue Jays lineup looks as advertised despite early hiccups
They may have been shut out at the hands of the Yankees twice this week, but the Blue Jays have showed flashes of just how dominant their lineup can be, led by a number of players that can carry the team when needed. Steve Phillips has more on his first impressions of the Jays through the first week of the season.
The baseball season is a marathon. It’s hard to make judgements in the first mile of the race, but it is what we do in this game we love. In a snapshot of any one week, a player or team can look like the best or the worst depending upon when the picture is taken. I believe in the back of the baseball card. That means that once the sample size gets appropriately large enough, players tend to perform to who they are and the numbers on the back of the baseball card tells their story.
Early returns on the Blue Jays have reinforced that they will likely live up to offensive expectations, despite being shut out twice by the Yankees this week. They have hit the most home runs, which isn’t a surprise as they led all of baseball in that category last season. One area where they have been deficient is in on-base percentage. They have the second fewest base-on-balls.
All players want to start strong, so they get a bit swingy. They forget the surest way to hit well is to take well. Remembering that the first strike they see in an at bat may not be the best strike they are going to see. Be patient and swing at a good pitch.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Danny Jansen and Teoscar Hernandez all started the season red hot. Unfortunately, Jansen and Hernandez are on the injured list with strained obliques. The Jays have depth behind the plate and in the outfield to protect them while they wait for the players to return. Matt Chapman, Alejandro Kirk, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Raimel Tapia haven’t started hitting much yet. But they will.
The injury to Teoscar Hernandez is particularly significant as he is the protection in the lineup for Guerrero. It will be interesting to see how clubs pitch Vlad Jr. now without the fear of damage behind him.
The good news for the Jays is they still have several sluggers that can put the team on their shoulders and carry it. Guerrero showed that on Wednesday when he slugged three home runs and a double in the Bronx in a 6-4 win. Bichette, Springer, and Hernandez, when healthy, can do the same.
At the end of the season, the Jays will be a top three offence.
Breaking down Vlad Jr.'s monster night in New York
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s three homer game (and a double) on Wednesday showed just how amazing he is. First, he displayed extraordinary toughness to even stay in the game after getting his fingers stepped on at first base, turning them in to a bloody mess. Most players would have taken the rest of the night off. He taped it up and went on to have a phenomenal night.
Second, his at-bats reinforced that he is a hitter with a great plan at the plate. In his first at-bat, he used analytics and his experience to anticipate a slider on the 1-0 pitch from Gerrit Cole. His timing was perfect and he drove the ball out of the ballpark.
In his second at-bat, he knew Gerrit Cole was not going to throw him a slider again after his home run on the pitch. Cole threw him three straight fastballs and Vlad Jr. took a 98 MPH pitch that was four or five inches off the plate inside and he hit it out of the park. That is a pitch that most hitters would either break their bat on or yank foul. But Guerrero pulled his hands inside the ball and drove it out to left centre field. It was the fastest pitch he’s ever hit for a home run.
In his third at-bat, Cole figured he couldn’t throw his slider or fastball early in the count because of the damage Guerrero had done in his first two times at the plate. He worked ahead of the Jays first baseman with a curveball and cutter and on the 0-2 count, tried to sneak a fastball by Vlad. Guerrero had his two-strike approach in place where he just wanted to put the ball in play. He wasn’t looking for a home run. He sliced the ball into the right field corner, showing how he isn’t just a power hitter but also a batter who will hit for average. It is a game of adjustments.
In his final at-bat, Guerrero faced Yankee reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, who throws a nasty power sinker. The plan against a pitcher like this is to make him get the ball up in the zone. Vlad did that, driving a 95 MPH sinker that didn’t sink out of the ballpark.
However, baseball has a way of humbling players. Just when they are on top of the world, baseball happens. A day after his phenomenal day, Guerrero went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. There is a saying that you are only as good as your last at-bat. Vlad experienced that this week.
PitchCom likely here to stay
There is an interesting new piece of hardware called PitchCom that some teams are using this season to communicate between the pitcher and catcher. Instead of flashing signs, catchers have a wristband that has buttons to indicate the pitch they want the pitcher to throw. The pitcher has a receiver in his hat that verbalizes what the catcher wants. Three other players can have receivers so they know how to position themselves and their teammates.
Not every team is using this equipment, nor is every pitcher on teams that are using it. But the pitchers and catchers who are using it seem to like the simplicity of it.
There are two key benefits to this system; pace of play and eliminating sign-stealing. Pitch selection can be communicated even before the pitcher steps on the mound, which is very efficient. Since no signs are being flashed, there is no risk of the opposition stealing signals.
I believe that by the end of the year, the majority of pitchers and catchers will be using the system and it will grow to 100 per cent in a couple of years. It is a brilliant system.
Risk vs. reward in Kershaw's near perfect game
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw had a perfect game through seven innings against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. He was awesome. He had thrown 80 pitches and manager Dave Roberts decided to remove Kershaw from the game, starting a firestorm on social media. Media members and former players could not believe that Roberts didn’t give Kershaw a shot at history.
Roberts made the right decision. Kershaw’s season ended abruptly last year when he had forearm/elbow pain stemming from a partial tear in his flexor tendon. He received a plasma injection in his elbow in the off-season to aid the healing. Kershaw acknowledged he didn’t pick up a baseball until January and with the shortened spring due to the lockout, he had only thrown as many as 75 pitches once in a simulated game. The Dodger lefty was on a strict pitch count coming into the game as he is still being built up to handle the innings workload.
It would have been malpractice to leave Kershaw in the game beyond the 7th inning. It was in the best interest of the Dodgers and Kershaw himself to be removed from the game. Pushing beyond 100 pitches could have led to catastrophic injury. Sure, it would be nice to see a perfect game. Heck, there are only 23 in baseball history. But the risk far outweighed the reward.