View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: How well will the Toronto Blue Jays do this season?
But, well, baseball
I have to admit, I don’t hold out a lot of hope for the Blue Jays this season.
It’s not because they started out the season 2-4 and quickly settled in last place in the East. It’s a long season, 162 games to be exact, there’s going to be ups and downs.
On paper, the Jays look better than they did out of the gates last year, which remains a dream season right up until they met Kansas City in the American League Championship Series. The Royals simply had more depth; they were a better team. Check that, the Royals are a better team and are odds on favourites to go all the way again, except for, well, baseball.
There is no major league sport that is as unpredictable as baseball, which is funny because I can’t think of one where statistics play nearly as big a role.
Getting back to Toronto, they seem to have it all. Nobody in the league packs the one-two-three-four punch of Donaldson, Bautista, Encarnacion and Tulowitsky at the plate (even though they are all right-handers). And the crazy thing is, those guys make up the core of a defence that is just as potent as their offence.
We’ve also got a solid pitching rotation with phenom ace Marcus Strohman leading the way. The bullpen is better-rounded than last season, although I worry about the lack of lefties. The other worry is backup, both defensively and offensively. There ain’t a lot of depth in the dugout and that includes in the manager’s chair. Don’t get me wrong, I like John Gibbons, he just does not have the pedigree of some of the other American League East—not to mention the rest of MLB—bench bosses.
So, if we stay healthy and get on a roll, there’s a chance of repeating the dream season, except for, well, baseball. They Royals will attempt this year to be the first team since the Yankees in 1999 to go back-to-back. The A.L. East is strong. With the exception of, perhaps, Tampa Bay any of Boston, Baltimore, New York or Toronto could be on top come September.
I want to be optimistic, but, well, baseball.
-Thom Barker
Best of a weak AL East
With the crack of a bat the 2016 major league baseball season got under way last week.
And, in Canada that means most eyes, at least those of baseball fans with a sense of nationalism, were squarely on the Toronto Blue Jays.
After last season, and the disheartening loss in the American League Championship Series there are heightened expectations.
In the off season the Blue Jays tinkered with the roster. Gone is David Price to free agency for more dollars than TO was ever going to pay, so that was expected.
Into the starting mix is retread JA Happ, a 50/50 hurler with limited upside, and Aaron Sanchez out of his eighth inning set-up role and out to the hill every fifth day. If Sanchez transitions to the new role like his stuff has hinted, he could be a sweet surprise, and the steadying influence to make a very good starter core with Marco Estrada, R.A. Dickey and Marcus Estrada. Notice I’m not counting on Happ for much of anything.
The starting eight of the Jays are the team’s strength.
Outfielder Michael Saunders is the only question mark, and that is a question of durability, not ability. He has been injury prone. If he can trot out to left field 125 games all will be well.
The other players; Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Bautista and company should throw up a tonne of runs this season, which the aforementioned starters are going to love.
It all combines to suggest our expectations of the Blue Jays should be realized.
The American League East is the Jays to lose.
Boston might challenge if they can get what on paper are a lot of mismatched pieces to come together.
The rest of the East is about as weak as it has been in years.
Happ would be an ace in the messed up rotation of the Baltimore Orioles.
Tampa Bay has a great pitching staff, but runs may be scarcer than the proverbial hen’s teeth.
And the New York Yankees; well they have a solid bullpen, starters who should be serviceable with some upside.
But the Yankee core, Alex Rodriquez, Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann are getting too close to old age security to be expected to make a run at first.
So barring a major melt down Jays fans should be enjoying a great season, with more post season dreams ahead.
- Calvin Daniels
No panic
With the hype surrounding the 2016 Toronto Blue Jays, it seems almost impossible that they wouldn’t run the table and go 162-0 in the regular season, then remain undefeated en route to the 2016 World Series title.
So what happened? I mean, obviously they’re absolutely horrible this season and won’t even make the playoffs, right? Of course that’s right!
Now, that’s sarcasm, but what follows is not. A 3-4 start to the season does not accurately depict how the rest of the season will go. Sure, they’ve struggled a bit so far. Their offence - while potent with the long ball – has had a hard time getting runners on base consistently and their relief pitching hasn’t been as good as it has to be early on.
But don’t worry. It’s not time to hop off the Blue Jay bandwagon. Everything is going to be alright. I repeat, everything will be alright.
The Blue Jays will soon start to find ways to get on base, and their relief pitching will buckle down. They’ve got one of the best young closers in the game, and Jesse Chavez will be much better once he gets more used to the relief role.
Drew Storen too, will be better once he adapts to pitching earlier in the game (after all, he’s been a closer for most of his career).
Starting pitching wise, Marco Estrada and Marcus Stroman will be fine, R.A. Dickey will come around midway through the season (as usual) and Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ/Gavin Floyd will do a great job as the fourth and fifth starters.
So while the start might not be what everyone thought it would be, the fact of the matter is, it’s not time to panic just yet.
-Randy Brenzen
