Here's the last in a series of monthly report cards for the Blue Jays for 2004. Executive summary: blaah.
Hitting
Except for the big bombers and Adams, it was a quiet month for the Jays bats. Stats given are AVG/OBP/SLG for September, and are taken from the ESPN web site. October stats aren't included; grrr.
Russ Adams
.308 .348 .523
Had a few early throwing errors, but doesn't seem fazed by major league baseball; I like rookies who play like they've always belonged here. His defense seems to be better than advertised; Butterfield's infield coaching probably gets the credit for this. Displayed unexpected power; sometimes, this is because pitchers are constantly challenging newbies with fastballs. Call it Phelps-Cruz Syndrome; I don't think it will last, and I'm not sure that his average will hold up, either. Still, you can't complain about somebody who starts his career hitting .300 with power and playing a decent shortstop, can you? Has clearly passed Woodward and Gomez on the depth chart, and probably has the job for 2005.
Grade: A-
Dave Berg
.000 .000 .000
First, he lost his outfield playing time to Gabe Gross. Now, he's lost his infield playing time to Frank Menechino. Batted eight times all month. Didn't get a hit. This was his season in microcosm. I'll be surprised if he returns. Or plays anywhere in the major leagues.
Grade: F
Kevin Cash
.250 .222 .625
When you're a young player, and you're getting no playing time in September, it's time to start scanning the help wanted ads. Managed to hit a home run in September. Perhaps he could make a living as a catching instructor – I can envision a “Catch the Kevin Cash Way!” video, as I've never seen a backstop with better mechanics. It would sell better than a “Whiff on a Low Breaking Pitch the Kevin Cash Way!”, methinks.
Grade: Insufficient Data
Eric Crozier
.154 .290 .462
Fanned in nearly half of his September plate appearances. He looks like a decent athlete, and a good glove at first, but he's not good enough to replace Delgado. The Jays will need to get somebody.
Grade: D-
Carlos Delgado
.337 .445 .663
He will be missed, of course. For the last two months, he's been absolutely owning American League pitching. The only thing that cheers me up is that he appears to be looking to go to a contender – which suggests that he won't be in Baltimore next year. All I ask the Baseball Gods is that he wind up somewhere outside the AL East. Is that too much to ask?
Grade: A+
Chris Gomez
.250 .300 .393
Didn't hit as well this month as he has in other months. He's done everything he's been asked to do, but he can't be expected to hit much better than this in the future. If the Jays don't want him, somebody else likely will. Or he could retire and swap stories with Mike Bordick.
Grade: C-
Gabe Gross
.207 .324 .328
He's close to being a perfect duplicate of Bobby Kielty, except that he doesn't switch-hit. He has good plate discipline, not much power, a low batting average, and is absolutely, completely unmemorable. J.P. was quoted as saying that Sparky and Cat will platoon in left next year. Ouch; that'll make Gross choke on his morning cornflakes. If he batted right, he could platoon with Cat in left field, but he doesn't, so he won't.
Grade: D-
Eric Hinske
.235 .267 .341
Uh oh: he's stopped drawing walks, collecting only four free passes in 85 at-bats. My guess is that pitchers have figured out how to get him out, and he hasn't adjusted. He's going to have to do better than that, or Aaron Hill may very well run him over. Sometimes, effort isn't enough, and that's why life isn't fair.
Grade: D
Orlando Hudson
.250 .308 .427
Continued his good-month, bad-month pattern – his average and on-base percentage were down. He led the team in doubles in September with 9, and he did draw a few walks, so I don't think there's anything to worry about. Deserves a long-term contract, especially since he's entertaining to watch: there's got to be some reason to watch the 2005 Jays, and the O-Dog may well be it.
Grade: B-
Reed Johnson
.219 .254 .281
While Gabe Gross hasn't looked too good out there, he's looked better than Sparky. Johnson doesn't walk, so if he's not hitting for average, he has no offensive value. Had only two extra-base hits all month, and didn't steal a base. Was he hurt? Has value as a platoon LF with Cat, but there are teams that get 35 or 40 home runs out of their left fielders, and many of them are ahead of the Jays in the standings. Mind you, just about everybody is ahead of the Jays in the standings.
Grade: F
Frank Menechino
.220 .289 .390
Didn't have a particularly good month. He did do a little bit of everything, so I think it's just small sample size. Is now the number-one utility infielder. Can he play shortstop well enough to spell Adams? If he can, the Jays don't really need either Gomez or Woodward.
Grade: C-
Guillermo Quiroz
.205 .265 .250
He looks like a much better hitter than Cash, but he's still very raw. Has trouble blocking balls behind the plate. I don't think he's ready yet.
Grade: D-
Alexis Rios
.258 .327 .303
His doubles power has completely disappeared; J.P. suggested that he might be tired. Stole six bases in eight tries, and gunned down a succession of unwitting baserunners with strong, accurate throws from right field. He'll need to develop power in order to hold his job, or if the Jays want to escape the cellar next year. A good sign is that he drew nine walks this month.
Grade: C-
Vernon Wells
.291 .354 .573
If you're looking for light at the end of the tunnel: V-Dub appears to have his hitting shoes back on. He's even drawing more walks than he used to. And, of course, his defense is wonderful, as anybody who saw that catch will tell you. Best of all, he's going to be here next year. His walk totals should shoot up next year, as teams will start pitching around him.
Grade: A
Chris Woodward
.176 .263 .235
When John Gibbons became the manager, one of the first things he said was that Woodward was going to get more of an opportunity to play. This didn't last long. He's a bit of a tweener: he doesn't hit well enough to be an offensive reserve, and doesn't have a good enough glove to be a defensive reserve. Should catch on somewhere, as he can play all four infield positions, and can serve as an emergency outfielder. And he's capable of hitting, if someone can find the magic switch. I don't think it will be in Toronto, though.
Grade: F
Gregg Zaun
.186 .286 .349
Like many other non-marquee Jays, he didn't have a great month. But he did hit a couple of home runs, and his defense was still OK. He apparently wants to come back, and I think that the Jays will bring him back.
Grade: C-
Pitching
The team ERA for September was 5.43. This wasn't a very good team, was it?
Figures are IP/H/BB/SO/ERA for September (again, October is not included).
Miguel Batista
20 28 16 11 7.65
I don't like the idea of making Batista the closer. For one thing, starting pitchers are harder to find than relievers, and Batista was doing well as a starter before the roof fell in. And quality relievers usually have one overwhelming pitch and can throw strikes; Batista throws about a zillion pitches, and can't find the plate with both hands and a flashlight. Still, he did seem to do reasonably well in his save opportunities, so you never know.
Grade: D-
Dave Bush
29.1 26 9 12 4.60
There are red flags all over his record. One is that he surrendered six home runs in September. Another is that he struck out only twelve men in 29 1/3 September innings. Of course, he struck out nearly that many in one October start against the Yankees' backup nine. He's so poised that it's hard to believe that he's a rookie. Barring unforeseen miseries, he'll be given a starting slot for 2005.
Grade: B
Gus Chacin
14 8 3 6 2.57
It's only two starts, and his strikeout rate was low, but it's better to have two good starts than two bad ones. (You can call me Captain Obvious.) Probably has the inside track on a rotation slot for 2005. I think it's way cool that Chacin and Quiroz were teammates in Little League in Venezuela. If they both stick, somebody's going to make a TV docudrama about that.
Grade: B+
Vinnie Chulk
11 13 4 7 4.91
After some good weeks and some really bad weeks, the Vincinerator has stabilized as the pitcher he is: a replacement-level relief pitcher. He's not going to help the team much, but he's better than the Tams and Sturtzes of the world.
Grade: D-
Sean Douglass
12.2 14 7 10 6.39
Is the Wernher Von Braun of pitchers: when the rockets go up, who knows where they come down? Didn't get any starting chances, so I assume he's not in the Jays' plans for 2005.
Grade: F
Bob File
11.1 13 2 3 3.97
The good news: he threw strikes. The bad news: his K/IP rate suggests that he's doing it with mirrors. I suppose it doesn't matter how you get them out as long as you get them out.
Grade: C+
Jason Frasor
10.1 11 5 9 6.97
At some point in the summer, the clock struck twelve. The carriage turned back into a pumpkin, the coach horses turned back into mice, and Frasor turned back into a marginal pitcher. His K/IP ratio is still up, so he could bounce back. Pitchers are unpredictable, but he's slipped to number three on the bullpen depth chart, and could drop lower.
Grade: F
Kevin Frederick
8 9 4 7 6.75
At his best, he pitches about as well as Jason Frasor at his worst. I don't think he's going to help much. I suppose that somebody has to eat up innings in blowouts.
Grade: F
Ryan Glynn
20 19 8 14 4.05
A serviceable replacement-level pitcher. Has moved past Josh Towers on the depth chart. There's something to be said for ordinary competence, I suppose.
Grade: C+
Roy Halladay
7 8 3 4 5.14
The stats shown here don't include his October start, in which he became the Doc of old. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief. I see no reason why he won't return to form next year. Of course, I saw no reason why he wouldn't pitch at a Cy level this year. Moral: pitching is unpredictable.
Grade: See you next year
Brandon League
4.2 3 1 2 0.00
A rare and precious talent, as he throws in the upper nineties with movement. The temptation to install Hawaiian Punch-Out as the closer will likely prove irresistible. He needs to develop other pitches to be successful as a starter, and not everybody does that. I'd pay to watch him pitch.
Grade: A
Kerry Ligtenberg
3 3 0 2 3.00
Pitched a few relatively harmless innings in September, so perhaps he's out from under that big dark cloud. The official word on him is that he was pitching hurt this year, and that he'll bounce back next year. He'll have to, as he's signed for next year.
Grade: C
Ted Lilly
32.1 31 13 23 4.73
Gave up six home runs, which is not the way to win friends and influence people. That happens sometimes. K/IP still good, so I see this as a temporary speed bump. Lilly was the only pitcher on the Jays' staff who was effective all season long. Who would have predicted that?
Grade: C-
Justin Miller
18.1 25 9 9 8.84
Was extremely awful most of the month – then went out and two-hit the Anaheim Angels. Obviously, he is capable of becoming a dominant major league starter. But so are lots of pitchers. He's got a long way to go to get from here to there.
Grade: D-
Justin Speier
11.2 12 1 9 3.09
Did you know that the Jays collected ten saves in September? Me neither. Teams that don't score a lot of runs tend to pile up saves, as their wins tend to all be in close games. John Gibbons gets credit for straightening Speier out: he's been throwing strikes. Doesn't seem that comfortable in the closer spot, but a team needs somebody to get them out in the seventh and eighth too, and Speier looks like he can be that guy.
Grade: B+
Josh Towers
11.2 19 6 4 10.03
Was beaten like a gong in three September starts, which dropped him back down into the fifth starter zone. No one can say that he doesn't give it his all: on the final game of the season, he threw 128 pitches on two days' rest in an (unsuccessful) attempt to collect his tenth victory. I doubt that the Jays would have been willing to let one of their more valuable pitchers work himself this hard. I suspect that he won't be back.
Grade: F
Overall
You know the overall picture as well as I do. Yet again: blaah.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20041005110933999