Saturday, July 9, 2011

And All Was Right With the World

Bullpen implosions and blown calls can sure suck the life out of a season, especially when the season is deemed lost from the very start.

Call me pollyanna if you must, but watching Travis Snider smash balls all around the greater Cleveland area fills me with more hope and join than the crushing losses do dread.

The power, the balls driven to the deepest parts of ball parks - it is exciting. Very, very exciting. He took two bad pitches and did bad, bad things to them. But damn if he didn't look good doing it. The swing on his home run was a true delight and example of why nerds like me get so worked up when people declare Travis Snider a bust.

Changes to his batting stance, hand position and positive mental outlook have Snider looking like Snider. Should everything go to plan he could amass a good 300 plate appearances in the second half. Not what "we" had in mind this spring but better than nothing. I begrudgingly admit 300 PAs with a decent approach and mechanically sound swing is better than 650 hacks taken in the wilderness.

Why yes, I do enjoy the delicious taste of Kool-Aid. Why do you ask?

Reuters image courtesy of Daylife.

5 comments:

  1. As fun as the Jays are to watch, it's that much better when Snider's in the lineup. Not only is he talented and tools-y, but he's damn fun.

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  2. And he's actually the team's best defensive outfielder currently, too. I'm relieved when balls are hit to left instead of center or right.

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  3. Escobar, Thames, Bautista, Lind, Snider is looking like a pretty good 1-5 right now. Maybe one of the best out there (at the moment haha)

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  4. I was in Cleveland for Friday and Saturday. Snider looked damn good. He is rocking a sweet 'stache as well, no matter what the Cleveland haters say.

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  5. I know its like the halfway point that's after the halfway point, but can we start to daydream about next years lineup yet?
    As far as free agency goes, if they're going to spend dough, i want to see it spent on Heath Bell and Jose Reyes. The only concern i have is whether or not Escobar's talents are going to be wasted at 2B, or if it makes more sense to shift him to 3B and send Lawrie back to 2B at Spring Training next season.

    I'm imagining:
    1. Reyes- SS
    2. Escobar- 3B
    3. Adam Lind- 1B
    4. Jose Bautista- RF
    5. Travis Snider- LF
    6. Brett Lawrie- 2B
    7. JP Arencibia- C
    8. Eric Thames- DH
    9. Rajai Davis- CF

    This lineup is just so filthy if Snider finds his way and Lawrie and JPA can drive Lind, Jose and Travis in that whatever you get from Rajai is just going to be so gravy, since every time up but to lead-off the game he'll provide an opportunity to get on and get over all by himself.

    If they feel like gambling on Darvish, who am i to tell them no?
    Romero, Darvish, Morrow, Drabek, Stewart/Litsch...dare i say MCGOWAN?!?!?!?! with a pen closed out by Heath Bell, who in my mind is a helluva lot better than BJ Ryan ever was, and thats with absolutely no evidence by my feelings, which i feel are pretty accurate. Occasionally. Anyways, i just mean i'd break the bank on Bell, Reyes and Darvish in order to compete next year.

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