It's January, it's probably cold out, let's talk some baseball...

2015 will be my twelfth year of minor league coverage for Batters Box. 2004, when it all started, seems like a long time ago, and in many ways it was. I remember the trip that got it all started. In the summer of 2004 Robert Dudek and I headed to Buffalo to see the Syracuse Chiefs play. We interviewed several players on that trip, names from the past. We talked to Stubby Clapp, Russ Adams, Gabe Gross, and Jason Kerschner.

Athletics Acquire Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar, meanwhile the Rays Sign Juan Francisco.  Phew, one less team to worry about in the AL East...hopefully.

The Toronto Blue Jays finished with 83 wins in 2014. Here's a look back at victory #83 which came against Baltimore at the Dome on Saturday, September 27.

J.A. Happ got the call on the mound for what turned out to be his final appearance as a Jay.

The Toronto Blue Jays guaranteed 2014 would not go down in the books as a losing season on the evening of Wednesday, September 24 as they continued their four-game series against the Seattle Mariners.

Mark Buehrle was on the hill looking to add to his 194 innings pitched on the season.

Nothing too exciting right now.  This is more a thread to clear out some minor stuff and start a new thread now that the 'current news' one is over 300 posts.

Sorry to be late with our annual tradition. Some of us are more hungover than others! ;D Please feel free to list your baseball-related loot here!

It's the most... wonderful time... of the year...

Well, not really.

The Blue Jays have announced their minor league coaching staffs for 2015. There are no changes for the Buffalo Bisons while the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Vancouver Canadians and the Bluefield Blue Jays will have the same managers again for 2015. There will be new men at the helm for Lansing as well as the Gulf Coast League and Dominican Summer League affiliates.


Jeff Ware has been promoted to Lansing to be the pitching coach for the Lugnuts in 2015. The former Jays hurler was the pitching coach in Vancouver in 2014.

The winter meetings are over.  The Jays did a few minor moves, the Red Sox some major ones. 

Here is a thread to discuss all of the transactions that occur at the Winter Meetings, which are in sunny San Diego from December 7-11. Many GMs are looking to upgraded their teams still through free agency or trade, although the transactions that have occurred already this offseason suggest it may be a quieter winter meetings than usual.

Here is a comparison of top 10 Jay prospects from various sources.  If a player is gone and the list includes past the top 10 I'll add a note at the bottom to help understand.  The list will be updated as other top 10 lists appear. Feel free to link other top 10's and I'll try to add them.

Mariners, Blue Jays Swap Michael Saunders, J.A. Happ. Another Canadian here, and we lose an expensive #5/6 starter.

Josh Donaldson? Are you kidding me?

Well, that time of year again.  The HOF has released the list of who is on the ballot and it is a very, very crowded one yet again.