John Farrell's New High Leverage Toy

Life in the bullpen is nothing if not liquid. Guys falter, guys step up, there is always somebody ready to take over your role the moment your fail. Especially in a 'pen without a bonafied head honcho.

As such, a guy demoted to Triple A as recently as April is suddenly an important high-leverage reliever for these Blue Jays. Casey Janssen, lovable labrum surgery recovery case, part-time lesbian, and key back of the rotation guy. Who knew?

I certainly didn't. Janssen thrives on his control, painting the corners of the strikezone with aplomb. His 6.1% 2011 swinging strike rate represents a career low and a below-average number, yet here he is, striking out 7 per nine innings, including 13 Ks out of the 44 right-handed batters faced.

Take a look at the average leverage of Janssen's outings, on a steady increase as the season progresses.



As much stick as we all give Farrell, it's encouraging to see him lean on a well-performing relief arm. I understand Casey Janssen's charms but he isn't exactly "my" kind of pitcher.

I still stand by my pre-season assessment of the bullpen - the holdover arms will fare just as well - if not better - than the free agent draft pick fodder bullpen options brought in this winter. Janssen wasn't a guy I had in mind, but he certainly deserves credit for his alligator blood.

Reuters image courtesy of Daylife, leverage stats etc. from Fangraphs.

I Knew I Loved Shawn Green for a Reason

An except of Shawn Green's new (batshit crazy) book on Zen and baseball or some such crap. (courtesy of Amazon.)

By mid-May of ’97, Cito finally won out over the front office regarding my playing time. Suddenly, my career prospects were slipping away as I was forced to sit day after day in the dugout watching all the games from the so-called best seat in the house.

After weeks of frustration, I met with general manager Gord Ash and asked him to trade me so I could play somewhere, anywhere. A week or two passed, and every day new trade rumors with my name attached floated around the league until at last Cito had to address it.

It was midafternoon at the Toronto SkyDome, four hours before a night game against the Yankees. I’d put on my uniform and was walking past Cito’s open office door when he called, “Hey, Green, come in here and have a seat. I want to talk to you.”

My heart thumped as I approached my boss’s desk and sat down.

“Look, Shawn, don’t think that I don’t like you, ’cause I do,” Cito said. “I think you have a lot of potential, but …” He stopped, considering, maybe searching out a rationale for benching me. “You need to improve your defense. No manager is going to chance it with you the way you play in the field.”

I began to squirm in my seat. My first couple of years I’d played scared in right field because, each time I erred, I couldn’t help focusing on the irritation on Cito’s face. Still, my defense was improving (within two years I’d win the league’s Gold Glove Award, though obviously I didn’t possess this evidence for the defense at the time).

“Also, Shawn, you need to learn how to pull the ball to hit more home runs because you don’t run well enough to steal bases,” Cito continued.

“How do you know I can’t steal bases if you never give me the green light to try?” I snapped. “And as for pulling the ball, I know how to turn on the inside pitch.”

For a left-handed-batter, pulling the ball means connecting with the pitch early and hitting to right field, increasing the chance of a home run. There was nothing I liked more than pulling the ball with power, but I knew that limiting myself to being a dead-pull hitter would reduce my productivity.

Cito wasn’t having it. “You can go on your way, Shawn. The meeting’s over.”

Bless you, Shawn Green. Bless your precious heart.

Jays Jumbo Gumbo

Sorry, not very many words available today, Grantland's using them all.

Adam Lind hit a grand slam last night but Ian from the Blue Jay Hunter focused in on the real story; why did Nathan Adlock point up as if the homer was just a lazy pop up? The question I want answered is whether in the history of baseball, a center fielder has ever looked back to the pitcher to figure out where the ball is... and then made the catch. Seems like a pretty pointless exercise to me.

2011 MLB draft? Go see The Boss Man's mistress for that. I prefer to look at what's going on with the Jays prospects getting close to playing with the big club. You'll be saddened to see that the style of clothing Adeiny Hechavarria has decided to wear, now that he is living in North America, glitters in the sunlight.

Speaking of prospects, Jays 1B prospect, K.C. Hobson, has hit 1 home run in 186 at bats this season in Lansing. Thankfully it was caught on video! Enjoy!

Are you aware there's a Blue Jays remix of Black and Yellow? "From ToronTO, we use to have Carlos DelgaDO." Amazing.

“It’s cool, you know,
hitting homers.
It’s nice.”

- Adam Lind, poet.

And finally, what would a Jays Jumbo Gumbo be without a video reminding you that your Toronto Blue Jays won championships in 1992 and 1993. Here we have Buck Martinez, working for TSN, interviewing beer soaked Blue Jays players after winning the 1992 ALCS. Dave Winfield! Robbie Alomar! JIMMY KEY!

(pic of Adam Lind popping out to the center field bleachers via daylife)

Dave Burrows is the West Coast contributor to GROF. He is able to bring a different angle to the site because he can stay up later. Follow him on twitter.

Nibbles

So I'm a pretty huge Marc Rzepczynski apologist. Call me whatever you want, I'm just a sucker for left-handedness and general effectiveness. Totally enamoured with the high level of usage he's been given this season, I was predictably impressed that he only walked one batter throughout 11 appearances in the entire month of May.

For your consideration, you can imagine how I felt after THIS happened last night with a runner on and 2 outs in bottom of the 7th of a 1-run game.

That's uh... not great.

If you're good at counting, you'll notice that there are 12 green blips up there, correlating to 3 consecutive walks. The Blue Jays lost this game. Sure you could argue that he got squeezed on a couple pitches but there are two walks worth of balls nowhere near the zone. If you need me I'll be ignoring this information and going back to my regularly scheduled blind praise of the man they call Eye Chart. Some nights a guy just doesn't have it and can't get a break to save the lack of 'stuff'. Right??? Right?? Right.

/sadface

{Follow Archi on twitter here}
{Photo Courtesy Art Of The Wire}
{Pitch F/X Courtesy Joe Lefkowitz}

Defensive Alignment

Nestled north of the border and shrouded in relative obscurity there has always been something fun about cheering for one of the teams on the short list for "Most Forgotten About In Baseball". Passionate but polite and gleefully reinforcing the Canadian stereotype of being laid back and easy-going, the Jays fanbase isn't generally known for being quick to anger unless you speak ill of one of a small handful of players.

It's not a long list but here's a quick primer about how to get a Jays fan to get on the defensive and quick.

Player #1 - John McDonald

How to start the riot: Mention any offensive statistic in existence 

Responses you can expect: "There's more to baseball than hitting! He's the best defensive infielder in the world! He's got a huge heart! Stop being a dick!" 

Explanation: We all love John McDonald. We really really do. He's got so much scrappy hustle and heart™ that we ran David Eckstein out of town for stealing JMcD's gimmick. If you're going to take someone to task for wearing a "McDonald 6" jersey get ready for a lecture about the finer points of glovework and a story or two about what a great guy he is. As my friend Sarah has been quoted saying: "If you don't love John McDonald, Fuck You."

Player #2 - Kyle Drabek

How to start the riot: Bring up the fact his WHIP is nearly 1.70 or that he's on pace to set a record for his inability to throw strikes at an MLB level. Or hey maybe mention that he was a part of the Roy Halladay trade. We can never hear about that enough.

Responses you can expect: "He's 24! He's got killer 'stuff'! He'll work it out! It'll be fine! Shut up! Stop talking about Roy Halladay or I'm going to punch you." 

Explanation: Please stop talking about Roy Halladay. We know Drabek was involved in that trade, Drabek knows he was involved in that trade, EVERYONE knows he was involved in that trade. We're doing our best to be reasonable about the expectations on this kid but damn, sometimes seeing him pitch is intoxicating. Intoxicating in that it starts off loud and fun but then the next thing you know you're throwing up and swearing to never drink again. Whether the opinion is to keep him with the big club and let him work through the motions, or to send him down to continue eating AA alive, the important thing to remember is to not let the Jays fan you're pestering know that you don't believe in his "stuff". His stuff is great. His stuff is unhittiable. His stuff cannot be contained or defined. His stuff is very rarely thrown for strikes.  

Player #3 - Travis Snider  

How To Start The Riot: Show video of him swinging at 2-strike off-speed pitches in the dirt. Say the name Mike Stanton. Mention that you think his progress might have been haltered by being brought up through the system way too quickly and that he benefited from playing in the hitter friendly PCL. Say that he's not ready for the MLB level. Prove that meats clash.  

Responses You Can Expect: "One handed home runs! Opposite field bombs! Mike Stanton is a gigantic freak aberration! Improved fielding! He was smashing AAA pitching when they brought him up! Baseball players slump! Meats Don't Clash!" 

Explanation: One day we all woke up on the internet and caring about baseball prospects became the most important thing you can do as a 'real' fan of your team. With this precedent set Jays fans turned to the only player in the whole system that we'd been told to care about by Keith Law. I hate to get all factual with you here, but as a card-carrying Sniderville native I have to tell you that it is a complete 100% inevitability that Travis Snider will one day hit 35 home runs per year and lead the Jays to several AL East titles. Snider is the inspiration for this entire post, as I was watching last week's live Getting Streamed On vlogcast from the guys at Getting Blanked and the level of snark that emanated from someone doubting Travis' ability was hilariously palpable. It should be noted that this is the camp I find myself in as well. I won't stand for you doubting Travis Snider in my presence. Travis Snider is going to be fine. We're going to be fine. Everything is fine. Stop worrying. 

Player #4 - Jose Bautista 

How To Start The Riot: PED's. Brady Anderson. Unsustainable performance. Due for a reality check. He's not Barry Bonds.  

Responses To Expect: "He changed his swing and stance! He didn't find the singular magic PED that turns you into Babe Ruth! He's finally gotten a chance to get regular playing time!"  

Explanation: Y'all jealous as hell. 

--------------

There you have it. A quick and painless plan to make any Jays fan get their back up against the wall. Feel free to let me know if I missed anyone that gets you totally defensive or, if you'd like, prove my point on any number of these by getting really defensive in the comments about how you don't get defensive at all about any of them.

{Follow Archi on twitter here}
{Photo courtesy Bojuka Self Defense Canada}

In Case You Forgot

Do your duty. Vote for Jose. There are no guarantees in this world. Red Sox fans may decide they don't hate Carl Crawford. Ichiro! may renounce his Japanese heritage and declare himself a Chinese National just for the additional voting sway.

So get out, vote Jose. Do it often. It is your duty.

Photo of my lawnish area between the sidewalk and the street courtesy of me and, possibly, the cover of Bad Religion's Suffer.

On Adam Lind's Swing

(The G in GROF also stands for Graph)

You’ll be forgiven if you’ve forgotten who am I. I’ve been off the grid for the last while fighting through a scary bout of possibly permanent dehydration. But I had to let someone know how much I enjoyed watching Adam Lind swing a baseball bat again.

This has been a tough season for me to watch. Sure Jose Baustista has allowed us to hold our heads high on the streets, and in the baseball blogosphere, as Blue Jay fans. And Jo-Jo Reye’s first win in however long was goddamn adorable. But when Travis Snider was sent down to AAA after not even hitting triple digits in plate appearances it was like a kick in the stomach to my enjoyment of this season.

For the past two years I have been telling my Vancouver homies (and myself!) over and over that it’s fine that the Jays are going to be just ok for the next few seasons. “They’re going to see what they have with some of these young kids and make a push in 2012” I said in my gnarly west coast accent. Then the greatest, and most rosey, of all Blue Jays prospects wasn’t given a chance to figure things out. What do we have in Travis Snider? Well, we did see he can play defense on a Major League level. That’s something I guess.

Then today, for the first time in a almost a month, I watched Adam Lind swing a bat. And it was beautiful. Bautista’s swing is great, no doubt. But it’s vicious and violent and full of hate. Lind’s swing makes you grin. It’s a swing you bring home to meet your mom.

I missed it. And not because he went 4 for 4 with a couple of what I like to call Buck Martinez mumble-yells (“That ball is hit.. and..hmmmgrrrffftt... outta here!”)

When you watch your favourite team tread water for a 162 games season after season sometimes you need reminders of why you watch baseball. Adam Lind’s swing was that for me yesterday.

And I feel good about Blue Jays baseball again. Though I don’t know how much longer I can wait for Travis Snider to be called out of exile.... #freeTravisSnider

Dave Burrows is the West Coast contributor to GROF. He is able to bring a different angle to the site because he can stay up later. Follow him on twitter.

Getting with the Times

Just as the insular dinosaurs at MLBAM deigned to allow the lowly plebes embed (old) videos on off-message websites such as this, Ghostrunner on First is opening things up a little.

Below you'll find the first post from new contributor Archi Zuber, proud owner of a sweet (nick)name and my complete trust. Archi's going to write about...whatever Archi wants to write about. Hardly a stats nerd, Archi addresses a much needed increase in both quality content and levity around these parts. Please greet Archi with some blogger lifeblood: comments. Flood his posts with praise and feedback or whatever, just make him feel welcome

Just don't expect a regular schedule of posts from either of us because c'mon man, is this your first day here? I have a few other irons in the fire but rest assured, Ghostrunner on First is determined to become the most irreverent and self-satisfied place on the internet - and we wouldn't have it any other way.

As such, Ichiro! Welcome to GROF Archi and welcome to the extremely early 21st century, MLBAM!

Damn It Feels Good

Is it just me or is it suddenly really cool to be a Blue Jays fan? From hipsters to hoodlums I swear I've seen Jays paraphernalia adapted to every possible self aware staple of style adorned by the wildly diverse cast of characters that make up this city. White haired old men in dirty and tattered snap-back hats from the glory days, pretty boy swag in full effect and a variety of colours, good-looking women in loose fitting baseball shirts with blue sleeves, and an army of dudes with glasses wearing the recently revived blue and white throwback have turned the various forms of the Toronto Blue Jays logo as the unifying symbol of the city itself. 

I know, I know, Toronto is the hockey capital of the world (and centre of the universe), but on most nights you're just as likely to get heckled if you're wearing a Mikhail Grabovski jersey as you are to start a Go Leafs Go chant on the subway. The startlingly large amount of people who have the rooting interest for "Anyone but the Leafs" prevents those lovable losers from being the logo. Leafs Nation is undoubtedly massive, but a lot of the strongholds are scattered throughout the province. The city itself is home to hordes of fans from the different teams across the country with a whole new/old team on the way to Winnipeg, ready to grab some attention. Loving the Leafs will undoubtedly make you some friends, but you'll also have to deal with barbs from your friends who may be Habs fans, or Canucks fans, or fans of any other team that has had even a marginal amount of success in the last decade. The sheer amount of hatred and disappointment generated by the franchise has opened the city's floodgates on liberated fandom within its walls.  

And the Raptors... I mean... Is it even possible to wear a throwback Raptors jersey without it being ironic? Which player that was good enough to warrant a jersey purchase left on terms that makes wearing it now look not ridiculous? Alvin Williams? Damon Stoudamire? Morris Peterson? Jalen Rose? Beyond that, smack talk will seep from a curiously high amount of people you know that are Lakers fans, or Celtics fans, or fans of organized basketball played at a high level. Also I see far too many people wearing Andrea Bargnani jerseys over their high collared dress shirts and dress pants for them to put up a dog in this fight. (Also: The frequency of Jermaine O'Neal jerseys appearing on the subway is hilarious) 

Torontonians, check your various forms of social media on game day. People are snapping pictures of themselves in the stands, spreading eyewitness accounts of Jose Bautista, and talking about turning cheap seats into a pre-drinking event at a suddenly dizzying rate. It's everywhere. And the persecution is non-existent. I have worked with dozens and dozens of sports crazed lunatics in newsrooms across this city over the last 5 years and haven't taken Jays related flack once. Sure, there's always negative talk (Gotta boo at least one guy per year out of town, right?) but the negativity is born of frustration, and the frustration comes because the people are passionately invested in the fortune of the team. People that live and breathe to talk shit about teams and athletes from literally every sport you can imagine hold a soft spot inside their hearts for the Blue Jays in this city. They're our team.

So why the love fest and trendiness? Maybe it's the influx of youthful and handsome talent that makes up Hustle & Heart 2.0. Maybe it's the power of the One Man Gang. Or maybe it's because the all important '20-to-30 Somethings' that are the key-holders of cool all share the memory of when they were bright eyed and impressionable and dreams actually came true. The World Series Championships were unanimously cool to elementary school kids in 1992 and those elementary school kids have grown up and are wearing their childhood memories on their sleeves. Wearing a throwback Jays shirt has become akin to wearing one with the Batman logo, or one with vintage Pearl Jam tour dates. It says "I remember when I was young enough to enjoy this without fully understanding it or worrying about what it said about me." 

With a generation of children implanted with the memory of baseball glory in Toronto, it's only inevitable that the 20 to 30 somethings will begin to procreate and bring their own offspring to the park. Living proof that nothing catches the imagination of the next generation like watching the players achieve the wild heights that are the default level for a child's expectation. It is vital for 34 year-old Jays GM Alex "One Of Us" Anthopolous to build this team to make a serious run at a championship in the coming decade to solidify a Jose Bautista throwback as haute couture in 2034 and create something for this generation of kids to be unironically nostalgic about in the just-distant-enough-to-be-cool-again future. 

{Photo courtesy Hipster Animals}

One Man Gang

It started innocently enough. The Tao, in his infinite wisdom, referred to Jose Bautista as the One Man Gang in a recent post. As it is awesome, I grabbed it with two hands and shook it violently over my head for all to see. It is almost too perfect, though some dissenters expressed reservations over the 80's wrestler association.

Just because one guy on the internet doesn't jib with dead wrestler references (literally one. Al Gore created the internet with oblique shoutouts to Koko B. Ware in mind, I believe.) doesn't mean the nickname isn't nails. But then another guy took exception to the One Man Gang moniker, claiming it was inaccurate due to the Jays high volume of runs scored.

While not qualified to address this poor guy's fun allergy, I can speak to the One Man Gangishness of Jose Bautista's assault on reason. With charts!

When attempting to measure production in these terms, I went with wRAA - weighted runs above average. It's basically wOBA converted into a counting stat based on playing time. For example, Adam Lind rates highly in terms of wOBA but hasn't played enough to produce too much.

The first image you see below is the top 10 offenses in baseball (not including last night's results) by wRAA compared with their highest volume producer. The results, well, they speak for themselves. One Man Gang!



Let's summarize: Jose Bautista has actually created more offense than the Jays as a whole. His teammates actually bring the team's overall production down. Of the top ten offenses in baseball, only the Brewers get such intense production from one player, the awesome Ryan Braun.

But wait, doesn't Prince Fielder also play in Milwaukee? Is he terrible this year and I just haven't heard? Nope, Prince is in a walk year and currently rocking a .395 wOBA so that ain't right. What the Hell?

With that in mind, I went ahead and looked at each team in baseball's top two producers. What is the greatest differential between the best guy and the next best guy for every team in baseball? SPOILER ALERT: ONE! MAN! GANG!



Again I say it: ONE MAN GANG! Only Matt Joyce is even in the same neighbourhood of one man gangery. Jose Bautista is so, so much better than his teammates it makes my head shake.

Which isn't to say the contributions of Yunel Escobar aren't greatly appreciated as they certainly are. Yunel himself outpaces many team's leading producer in both wRAA and SWAG. But those teams aren't gangs. They're more like your ultimate frisbee team - just a bunch of tossers standing around in a park.

When a single player drags his team — a team that turns to Juan Rivera to hit cleanup and Rajai Davis to lead off — into the top 5 in baseball, he certainly gets to wear the One Man Gang tag. With pride, one would think.

Reuters image courtesy of Daylife, wRAA data from Fangraphs.