Do we know who, if anyone, the Jays have brought up for September?

Do we know who, if anyone, the Jays have brought up for September?

I had heard someone, perhaps Jamie Campbell on a broadcast, say that the Jays were going to bring up players in two groups. One at the beginning of the month and another few after the Triple-A season ends. I wouldn't be surprised to see guys like Accardo and Inglett arrive soon, maybe even today in anticipation of the doubleheader. Then we might see Castro and Hayhurst (depending on if he's coming up to start or pitch out of the pen) a week later

I've been waiting for Jordan Bastian to twitter us the news on the September call-ups, but instead he is unaccountably with his wife in a hospital room as she gives birth to their first child.  A shocking lack of proper priorities for Mr. Bastian. 

I like the Giants all the way to the NLCS--unless they run into the Phillies in the first round, which would be a shame.    Dodgers are flailing a bit, but a Dodgers--Giants NLCS would be legendary.  I can see it now: Game 7, Chavez Ravine, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded two out, full count on the batter under black, choking ash from the firestorm Santa Anna winds, dustdevils whipping around home plate, then suddenly--an earthquake.

Inglett, Wolfe, and Hayhurst.

Wow. Accardo must have really pissed off somebody....

Via the Jays site.
Joe Inglett - 246/307/304 in majors (76 PA), 360/422/516 in AAA (186 PA)
Brian Wolfe - 8 1/3 IP 3 HR 2 BB 8 SO in majors, 46 1/3 IP in AAA 3 HR 12 BB 27 SO
Dirk Hayhurst - 15 2/3 IP 1 HR 8 BB 9 SO in majors, 57 2/3 IP in AAA 6 HR 12 BB 48 SO

Not called up...
Jeremy Accardo: 18 IP 2 HR 11 BB 18 SO in majors, 29 IP, 1 HR 7 BB 26 SO in AAA

I'm guessing Accardo said/did something that royally annoyed Cito and/or JP at some point.  Given the role is to be an inning eater I can see an argument for Wolfe & Hayhurst since both were stretched out at times this year vs Accardo who is seen as a one inning guy.  However, Accardo is getting paid $900k and I think it is no matter what (majors or minors) but could be wrong.

This all might stem from the incident where Cito mentioned stretching Accardo out to start, despite Jeremy never doing so. Perhaps they had words.

I like the Giants all the way to the NLCS--unless they run into the Phillies in the first round, which would be a shame.    Dodgers are flailing a bit, but a Dodgers--Giants NLCS would be legendary.  I can see it now: Game 7, Chavez Ravine, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded two out, full count on the batter under black, choking ash from the firestorm Santa Anna winds, dustdevils whipping around home plate, then suddenly--an earthquake.

I might actually have to follow/cheer on the Giants some... Wouldn't mind some sports excitement around here once in a while. The Sharks left the playoffs WAY too early last year (to the Ducks!). A North/South rematch would be a lot of fun - as long as that 'quake stays in SoCal.... :-)

He should hope to be on a new team.  He's being jerked around on a rudderless ship for no good reason.

Ship's taking on water too. Maybe he should point that out.

He's being jerked around on a rudderless ship for no good reason.

Does this mean you're privy to the reason? 

I suspect 11 walks in 18 innings has something to do with it. Also it appears he pushed back about being stretched out in spring. While understanding that he was a closer recently every pitcher should jump at a shot to be a starter as they make the really big bucks.

However, Accardo claims his walks were non-events. Lets see...
2 walks: 3 times - twice in 1 run games, once in a 2 run game (one was a tie game when he came in, one was down by 4). Jays lost all 3.
1 walk: 5 times - all losses,3 by 1 run. Once entered in a tie, once in the lead by 4 (he gave up 3 hits & 1 walk, 2 runs).
0 walks: 11 times - 4 times 1 run games.

With leverage of 2+ he threw 4 1/3 IP, 3 BB, 5 SO, 3 hits, 0 runs. 1-2 runs: 2 games - 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0 hits 0 runs.

Gaston pretty clearly has it in for Accardo.  He's proved his point and buried him, but it really doesn't serve the best interest of the franchise.

Maybe he's a grade-A tit. 

I know the 2009 Jays are rapidly sinking into complete irrelevance (another 5-15 stretch the last three weeks), but it seems like this site is actively looking the other way right now. Are there any roster memebrs willing to write a piece about how dreadful this team is right now, Hill and Lind aside? The team is getting nothing from 3B, CF, LF (Snider is 2-27 in his last 9 games), starting pitching, bullpen, needs a catcher and shortstop next year on top of these issues etc, etc. I know it's not as fun to dwell on the negatives, but shouldn't "a source of daily original insight into Blue Jay major- and minor-league clubs" have something to say? What exactly is going wrong with this team, aside from a too early dose of "wait to next year"-ism?  Has this team, unlike so many past years where they teased with a late-season run, simply given up, or are they really this bad?

Even at 6-7 games below pythagoras, this team has stunk for a while now, and isn't simply a good team stuck in a great division anymore. Also, Vernon Wells isn't even passable on the road anymore, having a .756 OPS away from the dome, which would be his worst single season OPS aside from this year and 2007.

Grumbling over, I just wanted to complain somewhere, and very few people are even pretending to care about the Jays anymore.

Grumbling over, I just wanted to complain somewhere, and very few people are even pretending to care about the Jays anymore.

In my humble opinion, there are enough Jays on the field (or managing) who don't appear to care, so why should I bother to care?

The 2009 Jays have been irrelevant since their 9 game losing streak at the end of May. Perhaps that's stretching things, but really not by much... that's the negative nellie side of me talking. Let me step back from the brink for a second and put forth a fact that most people are aware of but most don't talk about: Cito's record in his first 162 games.

If I recall correctly, Cito's record in his first 162 games was 93-69. Not a sure thing to win the AL east, but close enough in most years and 93-ish wins is usually a lock for the wild card. Thus, I think it is hard to argue that the Jays, pre-Rolen/Rios sell-off were a bad team. They were a team that lacked depth (which is hard to have on a $80 Million-ish with $15 million of it dead in the water with a closer who never improved from TJ surgery). Rolen and Rios clearly contributed more to this team than was other wise recognized. Their defensive contributions clearly made Scutaro and Wells better (I believe defensive metrics are astoundingly bad at capturing the interactions among fielders).

So to sum up, this team WAS good but has for the past two month of the season has been terrible... but losing two of the teams best players (even though Rios wasn't hitting like one of the best players) will do that to any team that lacks depth.

On the future... I think your assessment is far too bleak. Catchers like Barajas are a dime a dozen on the FA market each year... there are many clamoring for one year deal, especially for a team that offers up a starting jobs (and hence the chance at a longer term deal - see B. Molina). There are no worries here... any one of a number of 30-something C would do fine for the 2010 Jays, with the hope the JPA will rebound from this awful season and be able to step up and take the starting job from the FA C either in spring training or in mid-season. Hopefully JPA gets a call up this September, his numbers have bounced back and if 2010 is the time to build around youth, JPA (at 23, soon to be 24) is a key part of the puzzle.

While the team is getting nothing from 3B now, the situation isn't nearly as bad as you portray it... sure Jays fans have been spoiled watching Rolen's amazing defense and Glaus' above average defense (heck even Koskie fit the bill as above average defensively) for the last few years, so anything we get at 3B will look poor. That's an obvious lead in to Edwin Encarnacion who is obviously nothing special at the hot corner but could be with the bat - with one 26 HR season under his belt and three seasons .800 OPS (well two with one within spitting distance of .800), EE, if coachable will definitely get better with work with Butter; he's still a young player and at half Rolen's salary he's definitely worth it... also Bautista (who is decent defensively but not much on offense) is there to push EE. 3B isn't really a problem, JP has turned it from a position manned by a player who is expensive and on the decline to one that is manned by a player with proven hitting skills and some upside (throw in the pitchers and that was a steal). What does irk me is the talk of signing Figgins. That'd be a useless signing. He's a play whose SB% has been declining every year and who is one year removed from a sub .700 OPS. Not that I'm a fan of resigning Scutaro after a career year, but Scoot would be a better signing (and he might give the Jays a discount because they were the first team to ever give him a chance to play SS everyday).

CF - Wells is a problem, but last year he was an above average hitter. There's no reason to think he can't return to being an above average hitter next year. Given that Lind is now the LF, I'm not sure why you'd say the Jays are getting nothing from LF. They are getting nothing from DH (when Lind isn't hitting there) but most of that is Cito's irrational love of veteran moxie (whatever that is). Snider is struggling now, but that is fine... he's too good for AAA and he's beyond the point where any time at AAA will do anything for him. He needs to learn what he has to learn at the major league level (even great hitters have struggled in their first season or two).

I mentioned SS and that might be the only real problem position for the Jays going into 2010. What to do about it depends on what the team is going to do with Halladay. If a trade is to be made for Halladay, then a ML ready SS must be part of the package, a slugging corner player as well. If that's the deal, then the Jays need to go out and spend on a FA pitcher such as Harden or Bedard. In fact, if they don't trade Haladay, the team should target one of these pitchers (Bedard only if cheap because of injuries) and use the young pitching depth of Zep, Cecil, Mills to get position players.

While this is all positive spin on 2010, 2010 no longer looks like the year in which the Jays could put everything together. Part of that is that the Yankees spend half a billion dollars last off-season and will probably spend a similar amount this off season fixing the holes in their OF (with Damon, Nady and Matsui leaving). BOS will also be spending, either on Bay or someone else (unless they go with an internal option like Reddick which is doubtful). Tampa will also need to spend (Crawford) but they seem unlikely to do so if the Kazmir move is any indication. All this is to say that aside from the Yankees, the AL East will prove to be weaker in 2010 which means that that the Jays will need to improve less than the might have otherwise... heck if they could only improve as much as they've imploded this year (it is a tad frighting to calculate their W-L record since May 20th) then they could well win the division.

I understand the grumbling, but I doubt there'd be much feeling about this team without the hot start. 2009 from the outset was to be a rebuilding year. If the Jays had been chugging along at

Personally, I wouldn't be comfortable with an outfield defense of Lind/Wells/Snider. A good defensive CF (Mike Cameron comes to mind, although he's in his mid-30's and made $10M this year, according to Cot's), combined with a shift of Wells to a corner and one of Lind/Snider to to DH, would make the young pitchers look better. Seeing as how Cameron is likely priced out of the Jay's plans, a trade seems like the next best thing. Assuming Halladay doesn't being back back a Bedard-style return, perhaps a Zep or Cecil could land a promising AAA CF.

"combined with a shift of Wells to a corner and one of Lind/Snider to to DH, would make the young pitchers look better. Seeing as how Cameron is likely priced out of the Jay's plans, a trade seems like the next best thing."

If a 37 year old CF in this depressed market is too expensive for the Jays plans then they clearly are not trying to compete and have no reason to start looking for a CF to improve the OF defense. If payroll is over 60m next year (which means they kept Halladay) but under 100m I'm not bothering at all with this team next year.

2010 rotation set according to the Sun...
"Well you've got Roy Halladay -- if he stays," Gaston said. "Shaun Marcum, Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil and Marc Rzepczynski. Maybe in May or June Jesse Litsch comes back. And if we move Roy Halladay we'll get a starter back."

Of note: Rzepczynski's Tuesday start was his final start of the 2009 season.

Sucks to be Scott Richmond, he of the 102 ERA+ this year.  A very solid year which looks to be leading towards a bullpen or AAA status unless an injury happens.  Of course, given these are the Jays he'll probably get 30 starts in 2010.

Note: Richmond 3.3 BB/9, 8.2 K/9, 1.4 HR/9 vs Cecil 3.7 BB/9, 6.7 K/9, 1.5 HR/9.  Of course, age 29 vs age 22 is a big difference too, as is 102 ERA+ vs 81.

On the bright side Alex Rios is 10 for 60 with the Sox with 3 RBI.

Does this mean you're privy to the reason?

No, I guess I should have said there's seemingly no good reason.  I don't know anything more than what floats through the internet.

Given Accardo's current position with the club, it's kind of ironic he was traded here for Shea Hillenbrand.

Glug.  Looking at FanGraphs Rios has been really, really, really bad since the trade in all respects.

• Net value for 2009: $0.9 million: $4.4 million in Toronto, -$3.5 million for the Sox (yes, negative)
• Batting: Jays: 264/317/427, Sox: 156/167/266 (1 walk vs 17 strikeouts)
  
• Fielding UZR/150: Jays: -0.7 Sox: -12.2 (runs 'saved')

Wow.  I mean, WOW.  I figured Rios would rebound in Chicago, feel the need to prove the Jays wrong at first then slow back down once he settled in.  If this is the angry stage I hate to imagine what the 'eh, so what' stage will be like.  One wonders if there was a significant injury that no one knew about and that the Jays suspected something but couldn't get Rios to take any tests thus the release and going 'thank you' to Kenny Williams.  Yes, it is just 17 games and all players have horrid stretches but still this really stands out.

My guess would be he's sulking/pouting, even if unconciously.

Maybe Ozzie told him he's not allowed to fly his toy helicopter around the field until he gets to 5 RBI.

Maybe Ozzie told him he's not allowed to fly his toy helicopter around the field until he gets to 5 RBI.

Haha. This literally made me laugh out loud. Well, more like a little sniff but anyway, it was amusing. Good work.