My own sense of this is that this year's Jays team feels like a team that should underperform the sum of its parts.  The team was structured with a low average and low OBP (with some real sinkholes in it) offense and poor infield defense.  On offensive the team was structured to have fewer opportunities for luck (bad hops; errors; poorly timed walks; bloops; etc.) to help it (with fewer men on base).  The reverse is true on defense with the infield defense making for more men on base than should be and hence making any bad luck likely to be more painful.

As for Gibbons, I think he appears to have the same strengths and weaknesses that he has always had - strong bullpen management; uncreative defensive (i.e adverse to shifts etc.) philosophy and personnel usage (no real use of creative platoons or recognizing when a reverse platoon advantage might exist); average to poor in game strategy; and strange rumblings of clubhouse discontent (although I will acknowledge that that may be the result of a poor record rather than causal).  In sum, I don't think Gibbons is terrible or the cause of all of this, but I'm not sure he's helping much either.

I think Magpie unfortunately is likely right on Rasmus, although with Rasmus' defence and baserunning skills, he's still a very useful guy to have around even if his offense regresses to something like the following .240/.300/.450.

I should also give credit where credit is due and note that Gibbons gives the All Star folksie interview in MLB - he now appears to own the good ol' boy space when it comes to his media answers and interaction.

On a side note, hands in the air for those that predicted Colby Rasmus would be the team's WAR leader heading into August. Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.....

That could be Magpie but there is also a decent chance the regression isn't all that pronounced. A BABIP of .366 is high but not outrageously so and Colby has set a precedent as Mike alluded to, namely his 2010 season.

Why not?

I hope Mike Wilner is the only person still saying the Jays might not make the playoffs.

 1. Dave Lemanczyk 1978 (4-14, 3.26 - SI 2324)  
 2. Roy Halladay 2000 (4-7, 10.64 - SI 2234) 
 3. Josh Towers 2006 (2-10, 8.42 - SI 1488) 
 4. Jack Morris 1993 (7-12, 6.19 - SI 1374)  
 5. Jerry Garvin 1978 (4-12, 5.54 - SI 1302) 
 6. Ricky Romero 2012 (9-14, 5.77 - SI 1267) 
 7. Danny Darwin 1995 (1-8, 7.62 - SI 1170) 
 8. Jack Kucek 1980 (3-8, 6.75 - SI 1088) 
 9. Todd Stottlemyre 1988 (4-8, 5.69 - SI 1078) 
10. Bill Singer 1977 (2-8, 6.79 - SI 1048)

• He gives up many more home runs at home than on the round
• Putting Melky Cabrera in left-field behind him seems to be punitive.

It was still unnecessary.

The first A-Rod deal, if it had gone to completion, would have been a great contract for everyone (perenial MVP candidate playing SS or 3B, sounds good). The second one obviously is a disaster. I suspect the Mauer deal will work out well enough, he's hitting as well as ever, and catchers actually age pretty well to my eye, if they can make it to their 30's in the first place. Pujols/Fielder/Votto/Texiera...pretty similar. How many 1B actually maintined their value late into their careers? They don't usually have secondary skills, can't move to easier positions aside from DH. The great, long careers have rarely started at 1B - Murray, Palmeiro, Tony Perez in the top 25 games played is it, and Murray and Palmeiro were playing a lot of DH, plus Palmeiro may have other reasons for an extended late-30s peak.... I suspect there's more wear-and-tear at 1B than it gets credit for, since you have to move and run on every grounder and pay attention to baserunners too. It might be an "easy" position short term, but it's not one that grants longer careers.  So signing a 1B to a long term contract seems like an odd thing. I hope Votto bucks the trend, but I'd be stunned if he's still good in 10 years. I know these contracts are generally supposed to give a relative bargain for the early years ($25 million for an MVP year is a bargain), and then lose at the end, but sheesh.

Or another list - top position players this year over 33 years old (using bbref WAR, top 100) : Beltre, Marlon Byrd (?!?), Ortiz, Utley, Suzuki, Beltran, Werth. Ages 34, 35, 37, 34, 39, 36, 34. Positions 3B, Of, DH, 2B, OF, OF, OF. Moral: Don't sign guys past age 35, especially way in advance, especially for non-OF positions.

John,

I was thinking we could move JJ to the pen as well.  Maybe the change in mindset will help him as he learns to adjust to pitching with lesser "stuff".  His fastball looks super hittable right now and he's getting hit hard.

On the rushing issue, I agree with your examples and the general lack of patience, especially Lawrie.  Reyes came back quite nicely though.

And on the brighter side, I agree with the posters that have said that Lawrie has looked much better and Rasmus has been great.  I'm wondering how much of that is related to swing changes introduced by Mottola early in the season (which may have contributed to their slow starts).  With Rasmus, while the BABIP is high, would that not be partially offset by a lower strikeeout rate going forward than what he had in the opening month or two?

In the end, it all goes back to the starting pitching though.  It's been so bad. Personally I have a hard time blaming AA for it because I liked both offseason trades and thought Dickey and JJ would be much much better than they have been. 

Yes AA and the pro scouts made the wrong call but I don't remember anyone predicting Dickey or JJ would be this bad.  The concerns on JJ were from what I remember more health related.  In my mind Buerhle has been what we thought he would be - an innings eater.

Mostly because I can't stand watching him start games for us.  :)  Maybe he'll figure something out. Never know.

Sorry... my "defanately" was in response to Dewey's: