Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

Buffalo and New Hampshire won, while Dunedin and Lansing lost.  The Fisher Cats game included strong individual performances from the pitching and hitting side. 



Syracuse 2 – Buffalo 4 (Completed Early: Rain, 5.2 Innings)

The Bisons had 14 hits in 5 innings, but somehow only managed to score 4 runs.  Brad Glenn and Mike Nickeas each contributed with a HR.

Liam Hendriks pitched 5.2 innings allowed 2 earned runs, before the game was shortened due to weather.

 

Erie 1 – New Hampshire 7

Aaron Sanchez had possibly his best start of the season finishing with a line of 6.2IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 7SO.  Relievers Blake McFarland and Dustin Antolin finished out the game.

Melky Mesa had a double, and a 2 run HR.  Matt Newman was a single away from the cycle.

 

Dunedin 5 – Lakeland 6

Kendall Graveman allowed 10 base runners over 5 innings which amounted to 4 earned runs.  Efrain Nieves allowed 2 runs without getting an out.  Justin Jackson and Tony Davis followed with scoreless appearances.

KC Hobson had 2-4, with a double, Nick Baligod hit his 2nd HR, and Emilio Guerrero had 2 RBIs.

 

Great Lakes 5 – Lansing 2

The Lugnuts managed to score 2 runs off of Orel Hershisher’s son Jordan, when Dickie Joe Thon hit a 2 run HR in the 2nd inning.  Chaz Frank contributed with 3 hits, and Mitch Nay had 2 hits, including his 10th double of the season.

Shane Dawson gave up 2 earned runs over 5.1 innings, and Adaric Kelly followed by giving up 3 earned runs over 1.2 innings while being credited with the loss.

 

Three Stars

1.  Matt Newman

2.  Aaron Sanchez

3.  Melky Mesa

Aaron Sanchez! | 46 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mike Green - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 12:04 PM EDT (#288034) #
Excellent pitching matchup in the FSL in a key game tonight.  Jake Thompson goes for Lakeland while Taylor Cole toes the rubber for the D-Jays. 
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 12:07 PM EDT (#288036) #
Sanchez legit turning a corner this year would really turn this into a fantastic year for our system overall.
finch - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 12:48 PM EDT (#288039) #
SWEET! Now we can turn Aaron Sanchez ++ into David Price.
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 01:05 PM EDT (#288040) #
no way I would trade for Price....we have to think who will be pitching here in 2 years when much of present staff is gone......sustainable contention should be the goal......
MatO - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 01:46 PM EDT (#288042) #
Very quietly Lugo has managed to get his BA up to .300.
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 02:10 PM EDT (#288044) #
"SWEET! Now we can turn Aaron Sanchez ++ into David Price."

You say it jokingly, but it's a plausible scenario.
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 02:34 PM EDT (#288048) #
"no way I would trade for Price....we have to think who will be pitching here in 2 years when much of present staff is gone......sustainable contention should be the goal......"

Well let's think about just that.

The highest upside guys who are ready or should be ready by 2016:

Stroman 23
Hutch 23
Sanchez 21
Norris 21
Hoffman 21

The lower ceiling guys who will be ready to help:

Nolin 24
Hendriks 25
Mcguire 25
Cole 24
Boyd 23
Jenkins 26
Drabek 26

The high upside guys who are a bit farther off:

Osuna 19
Castro 19
Hollon 19
Reid-Foley 18
Tirado 19

And then the whack of other longterm kids with some upside:

Tinoco 19
Dawson 20
Smoral 20
Robson 21
Dejong 20
Labourt 20
Delrosario 20
Cardona 21
Solarte 19
Cabrera 20
Brentz 19



Let's say the Rays wanted one guy from each of those groups for price. Do you do it?
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 02:43 PM EDT (#288050) #
No...because some of these guys will be injured....and some will not work out....need to retain the depth. On top of that, Price is not having such a great season( ERA over 4 and losing again today) and is not worth that  to the Jays imo. So, no I would not even consider such a transaction.

In my view, the most important task AA has between now and the end of July is to re-sign Melky if that is possible.
Mike Green - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 02:47 PM EDT (#288051) #
Depends who.  If Hoffman signs and he is the centerpiece, I'd consider that a great return. 

I somehow doubt that the Rays would trade Price to a divisional rival, given that he doesn't hit free agency until 2016. 
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 02:50 PM EDT (#288053) #
I doubt a smart FO like the rays would car about what tesm they were trading to, as long as they were getting the best return.

What if the price was: Sanchez, Nolin, Tirado, Labourt?
hypobole - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 03:07 PM EDT (#288056) #
Can't envision the Rays not getting a much better offer than the 4 Jays mentioned. AA would do it in a heartbeat though.
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 03:10 PM EDT (#288057) #
That is more interesting as Tirado and Labourt are having poor seasons and are far removed from the show. I guess it would depend on how Price pitches in the next month. I doubt that Price will be traded to a divisional rival also. He may not be traded this year at all as apparently Tampa is still looking to contend next year.

I doubt that AA will be willing to trade Sanchez, Norris or Osuna.......and he can't trade any of the 2014 draftees. Looking at someone less expensive than Price, I am thinking, we might be willing to give up Nolin, McGuire, Drabek or a position player like Dwight Smith.

However, it is also possible that Nolin or McGuire can give us as much as whomever we might trade for.....in most cases, rentals do not work out that well.

Morrow is also a wild card. No-one should expect anything from him but if by chance he was recovered in both form and substance by the 3rd week of July, it could be an influential factor.



PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 03:22 PM EDT (#288059) #
Don't think AA would be so quick to pull the trigger as u imagine. Budget may play a role as well. Price will be a big ticket next season. Don't see anything of this magnitude happening .....
hypobole - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 03:49 PM EDT (#288064) #
I don't see a Price to the Jays scenario either, but as far as next years salary is concerned, if the Jays do acquire him for this years stretch run but can't fit him in their 2015 budget, they could trade him in the offseason,
Richard S.S. - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 04:50 PM EDT (#288071) #
They get to the Post-Season and win some games, there's no budget next year.
earlweaverfan - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 04:54 PM EDT (#288072) #
I wonder whether the market discrepancy to capitalize on mightn't be a medium-long reliever like Kansas City's Wade Davis, who is having an exceptional year. His contract is over this year, unless the Royals pick up very expensive options that they won't want to pay for. If the Jays offered Rasmus, the outfield power the Royals desperately need, it is a likely rental both ways, though if the Jays think Davis is coming on strong, he might be a better 5th starter or swingman than Happ next year.

Given the state of our bullpen and the cost of finding a genuine #3 starter or better, I am intrigued by this alternative.

Oh, and KC has bullpen depth to spare, just as we can do without Colby.

So, bring Colby back for a few weeks and hope he hits a bunch out of the park.
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 04:55 PM EDT (#288073) #
Don't think budget is a huge concern going forward. Pretty much all our contracts expire after next year. Even if there is a strict payroll limit hext year, we could easily backload new contracts with a smaller first year to make it work.
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 04:57 PM EDT (#288075) #
Trading a starting cf for an rp would make me cry.
metafour - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 05:03 PM EDT (#288076) #
Oh, and KC has bullpen depth to spare, just as we can do without Colby.
We can do without Colby? Yeah, I guess Anthony Gose and his .651 OPS is really killing it.
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 05:41 PM EDT (#288080) #
Now that's a trade I would make without hesitation though I doubt that KC would do it. I would accept a much lesser return for Rasmus as he is the ideal candidate for Jays to deal.
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 05:43 PM EDT (#288081) #
Guy Laurence may disagree.
metafour - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 05:50 PM EDT (#288083) #
Now that's a trade I would make without hesitation though I doubt that KC would do it. I would accept a much lesser return for Rasmus as he is the ideal candidate for Jays to deal.
You do realize that a ~3-4 WAR CF is worth more than a ~2 WAR reliever, right?
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 06:15 PM EDT (#288086) #
You are living in the past with that comment.....In a trade that is being made for immediate results, we have to look at current performance. Davis has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season. Rasmus has been a far below average starting OF with a high strikeout rate, very low on base and poor defense.
scottt - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 06:26 PM EDT (#288087) #
Rasmus has been up and down both defensively and offensively. You don't know what you're getting from week to week. Realistically, he should not get a multi-year contract. At least we know Gose can make the plays. 
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 06:42 PM EDT (#288088) #
Agreed Scott.
metafour - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 06:48 PM EDT (#288089) #
You are living in the past with that comment.....In a trade that is being made for immediate results, we have to look at current performance. Davis has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season. Rasmus has been a far below average starting OF with a high strikeout rate, very low on base and poor defense.
Sell low to buy high...genius. Especially to fill a spot (reliever) which has proven time and time again to be erratic and unpredictable, and filled with guys who come out of nowhere to rise and implode on a yearly basis. Steve Delabar was one of the best relievers in the game last year...so far this year he stinks. Trevor Rosenthal has regressed badly as well. I dont care how "off" Rasmus has been this year, that is poor asset management.
Mike Green - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 06:51 PM EDT (#288090) #
Rasmus for Wade Davis?  Interesting. 

I am not generally inclined to trade a CF for a relief pitcher, but this one might be different.  Wade Davis is having a great year, but his career split as a reliever is pretty amazing- 429 PA, .162/.249/.241, 43 W, 140K.   Roughly Tom Henke. And he looks about as overpowering.
As for Rasmus, he is likely to hit about half way between last year's great year and this year's poor one.  The big variable is his BABIP, and he'll likely be around .300 rather than .350 or .250.  ZIPS has him at .246/.309/.465 over the rest of the year (with a .302 BABIP) and worth 1.3 WAR including defence and baserunning.  ZIPS projects Gose to hit .245/.305/.353 and be worth 0.8 WAR over the rest of the year (317 PAs).  If Rasmus was gone, you'd probably project Gose to get more PAs (maybe 360) and you'd up the projection to 0.9 WAR.  ZIPS projects Wade Davis at 0.6 WAR over the rest of the year, but half of it as a starter.  You don't want to use Davis in that way because his start/relief differentials are so wide. 

It seems to me to be pretty even from the Blue Jay perspective.  Kansas City is getting the more valuable talent. 

uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 06:55 PM EDT (#288091) #
Rasmus was a top 5 cf in baseball last season, at age 26.

In his "bad" start this year, his 104wrc+ is still at worst average, and dismissing last year's great defensive numbers based on one month of bad defensive numbers this year doesn't make sense.

And now he's easily expendable because we have a couple of young cf that are struggling to stay above .600ops?

And trade him for a reliever? Yikes.
electric carrot - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 07:15 PM EDT (#288092) #
And trade him for a reliever? Yikes.

I'm with uglyone all the way on this one.  Terrible trade.  Also, Mike Green your numbers don't figure in the value of having Gose on the bench -- which I think is considerable, especially for the playoffs.

Mike Green - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 07:21 PM EDT (#288093) #
Yeah, electric carrot.  That is a good point.  Gose would have value on the bench, but I don't think that they will have him there when Rasmus returns.  Rather, he'll be in Buffalo.  Nonetheless, I probably wouldn't do it because of my ingrained bias against trading a regular contributing centerfielder for a reliever, even a very good one.
Richard S.S. - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 07:35 PM EDT (#288094) #
I would trade Rasmus for Davis in a heartbeat with a throw-in named Shields.
Richard S.S. - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 07:41 PM EDT (#288095) #
The only problem is the Royals are four games out of the Division lead and four games out of the second Wild Card berth. As desperate as both the GM and Manager are, they'll never admit they won't be in the Post-Season. So no trades like that.
whiterasta80 - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 07:52 PM EDT (#288096) #
I'm with Richard on this one, I think Rasmus still has more value than that. If Davis had years of control left then maybe, but as a pending FA himself I'm not sold. Shields is the guy if they want Rasmus (yes likely with more thrown in on our part).

I'd also welcome David Cone... I mean Price... with open arms regardless of whether it cost us Sanchez+
hypobole - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 08:12 PM EDT (#288098) #
Actually CF is pretty well the least of KC's worries offensively. Cain, Gordon and Perez are the only guys really hitting. Not that AA would trade Colby for a reliever anyway.
Mike Green - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 08:15 PM EDT (#288099) #
The D-Jays are schooling Lakeland 12-0 behind Taylor Cole.  Get ready, Manchester, some pitching is coming.
scottt - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 08:44 PM EDT (#288100) #
Let's be objective. Rasmus has put good defensive numbers three times.

2009 0.9 dWAR
2012 1.0 dWAR
2013 1.5 dWAR

I wouldn't read too much into his numbers in Toronto. Bad in 2009. Ok in 2010. Good in 2011. Excellent in 2012.
That looks like a progression, but I think it's completely random.

He's always been inconsistent. You can't expect him to repeat his best season.


uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 08:56 PM EDT (#288102) #
A player inconsistent in his early 20s? That's unpossible.
TangledUpInBlue - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 10:00 PM EDT (#288106) #
Price is not having such a great season (ERA over 4 and losing again today)

Entering today's game, David Price had a 4.03 ERA, 3.14 FIP, and 2.73 xFIP. He has a 9.9 K/9 rate and 0.88 BB/9 rate. That's pretty damn good. As for "losing" today, well, yeah -- he went on to lose, going 8 innings, giving up 3 R/ER, with 10 Ks and 1 BB. Season ERA now down to 3.97.

That's the kind of guy you want. I'd gladly trade Sanchez (and others) for him.

sustainable contention should be the goal…

Even from this angle, the deal might make sense. If you have the chance to get David Price for the next several seasons (i.e., 1.5 plus a possible extension), that's pretty good sustainable contention. You'd also get a draft pick if he walks.
PeterG - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 10:33 PM EDT (#288111) #
the trade would be all about this year only....You are totally out to lunch on this one. It is NOT poor asset management unless u r retaining these players behind this year and it is highly unlikely that either team is......although they might with their new teams.....You must realize that the chance of Jays retaining Rasmus is  practically  zero .....

your theories may be sound but again, they bear NO relation to the situation being discussed..
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 10:46 PM EDT (#288115) #
Jays have a very good chance at retaining rasmus.

And anyways, a gose/pillar CF would be a bigger hole than anything in our bullpen.
earlweaverfan - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 10:48 PM EDT (#288117) #
If Davis had years of control left then maybe...

But Davis does - the team has three more club options for $7M, $8M, and $10M respectively (after $4.8M this year).  I just can't see KC being prepared to pony up those increases in future years. 

Actually CF is pretty well the least of KC's worries offensively. Cain, Gordon and Perez are the only guys really hitting. Not that AA would trade Colby for a reliever anyway.

Colby would need to play another outfield position than CF - Cain would probably hang on to that.  Aoki would be the odd man out.  It is precisely because they lack hitting, and most of all, power, that they might be intrigued.

AA will be faced with a very tough position finding anyone to take Colby without some imaginative deal anyway.  I am sure he would much prefer Gose's defence to Colby's.  And he doesn't need the extra power that is Colby's only asset.

I am not arguing that Rasmus for Davis straight up would necessarily happen, but 1/2 year of Rasmus will do little to help get us a high value starting pitcher.  And if we somehow pulled off a second base upgrade, we lose the benefit of the Francisco/Tolleson platoon.  Subtraction by addition is not a good deal.

More broadly, my question is:  "what realistic deal will make us stronger this year, without giving up our future?"  Only a stronger bullpen is offers any prospect that I can see.  Is there anyone better than Davis, that a contending team might be willing to give up?

uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 10:58 PM EDT (#288118) #
"AA will be faced with a very tough position finding anyone to take Colby without some imaginative deal anyway. I am sure he would much prefer Gose's defence to Colby's. And he doesn't need the extra power that is Colby's only asset."

Every sentence here blows my mind.
uglyone - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 11:07 PM EDT (#288119) #
Btw, for all his supposed "improvement" this year, gose is now putting up worse numbers this year than he did last year.

2014: 83pa, 3/5sb, 12.0bb%, 25.3k%, .327babip, .229/.333/.300/.633, .294woba, 82wrc+
2013: 153pa, 4/7sb, 10.5bb%, 25.8k%, .333babip, .259/.283/.408/.691, .300woba, 85wrc+
2012: 189pa, 15/18sb, 9.0bb%, 31.2k%, .340babip, .223/.303/.319/.622, .280woba, 71wrc+

Richard S.S. - Monday, June 09 2014 @ 11:54 PM EDT (#288121) #
I like Colby and I think he's a very good CF. If someone doesn't, I have doubts about his judgement where it counts.
He'll be the Top OF Free Agent this coming Off-Season, and as such, will get a multi-year deal of significance.
Jonny German - Tuesday, June 10 2014 @ 03:47 AM EDT (#288122) #
Rasmus for Davis is a terrible idea.
grjas - Tuesday, June 10 2014 @ 11:01 AM EDT (#288127) #
I'd also welcome David Cone... I mean Price... with open arms regardless of whether it cost us Sanchez+

Yeah for sure. But I just don't see Tampa trading within division; I think they believe they will be competitive next year and doubt they want to face Price. I could be wrong...and hope I am..but I suspect a 3 month rent-a-player is more likely. And given parity in the league, I think even this scenario will be "expensive" in terms of talent traded.
Aaron Sanchez! | 46 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.