SB Nation - Randy Ruiz

Who Could Be Put on the Prospect List? Part One.

Tom Dakers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:33:45 -0000

We took a look at the guys that were on our prospect list last year, to see which ones should move up or down on the list, now let's take a look at guys that weren't on last year's list and maybe could be this year. We'll look at the guys in that were in Triple and Double-A today and look at the possible prospects from A-ball tomorrow.

Brian Dopirak: Last year, when we put together the list, Dopirak was a minor league free agent, so we didn't know he'd still be in the organization this year. He started the year at Double-A New Hampshire and hit .308/.374/.576 in 87 games. Moved up to Las Vegas he hit .330/.366/.509 there. This winter he is playing in Venezuela and is clubbing the ball there too, hitting .287/.377/.504. He'll be 26 next month, so he's a bit old for a prospect but we keep hearing Lyle Overbay trade rumors, so there might be a spot for him on the Jays next year. Playing in Vegas gives a huge edge to the hitter so his minor league equivalents aren't that exciting, his minor league year equivalents for as about a .262/.308/.440 line in Toronto with about 20 homers.

Randy Ruiz: Honestly I can't consider a 32 year old a prospect, but he had a heck of a year in Vegas (.320/.392/.584) and then followed that up with a great month and a bit in Toronto (313/.385/.635). Vegas is such a hitter friendly spot that his equivalents aren't great: .255/.306/.447. I like the idea of him taking Millar's role next year. He can't possibly be any worst defensively and likely will be some better offensively, but hoping he hits like last year would be expecting a lot. He hit 35 homers last year between the minors and majors; he's never hit 30 in a season before, in 11 minor league seasons, so I'd guess this is the outlier. He could do a nice job platooning with Overbay, but if the team trades Overbay, I think it would be likely Dopirak would get the first base job and he hits righty too. In that case I'm not sure where Ruiz would fit.

Aaron Mathews: Not really a prospect at all, he'll be 28 next year, but if there isn't a move made over the winter he might have a shot at the fourth outfielder job. Hit .274/.321/.380.

Fabio Castro: Started the year great, and some of us wanted to see him get a chance with the team. The hot streak ended. He finished with a pretty decent ERA (4.49) in Vegas but in 142.1 innings he only struck out 81 and walked 64, not exactly the numbers of a prospect. He is pitching well in winter ball in the Dominican Republic with a 2.73 ERA in 6 starts. He's a minor league free agent now so we don't know if he'll be in the organization next year. Will be 25 next year.

Zach Stewart: You know the story, we got him in the Scott Rolen trade. He was drafted in 2008 and was used out of the bullpen last year. This year he made 14 starts between A and Double-A, then was moved to the pen when he moved up to Triple-A, presumably to keep his number of innings down. Between the 3 levels and 4 teams he had a 4-1 record with a 1.89 ERA. He pitched 105 innings, struck out 93 and walked just 32. He will be 23 next year and we might see him in Toronto at some point. He is a terrific prospect.

Randy Boone: He started the year at New Hampshire and made 23 starts there before moving up to Vegas at the end of the year. He was 9-8 with a 3.70 ERA, 129 innings, 90 K's and 42 walks at Double-A. He'll be 25 next year. He's at the back end of about a dozen guys that could start for us, but he could make it at some point.

Darin Mastroianni: A CFer who was drafted in the 16^th round of the 2007 draft and started last year at Dunedin and moved up to Double-A New Hampshire mid-way through the year. He hit very well at Dunedin (.325/.436/.390) and continued to hit well at Double-A (.271/.372/.340). He stole 70 bases between the two and plays a decent CF. Speed and the ability to get on base is a good combination. No power but then we could always use a good leadoff hitter. He's not doing great in winter ball in Phoenix (.231/.319/.256) in 11 games.

Luis Perez: 24 year old left-handed starter at New Hamshire last year he was 9-11 with a 3.55 ERA. Struck out 112 and walk 67 in 162 innings. The line of lefty starters is pretty long on our team but Perez has a shot in the next couple of years.

Reidier Gonzalez: A right-handed pitcher Reidier was drafted in the 19^th round of the 2005 draft and has moved up slowly through our minor league system. After going 12-4 in Dunedin in 2008 he was 4-6 with a 2.90 ERA in 17 starts in New Hamshire this year. He struck out 67 and walked 25 in 93 innings. He turned 24 at the start of the month, so it would be good to see him move up to Triple-A next year.

Kenny Rodriguez: A Cuban right-hander we signed before the 2008 season. He started the year in Dunedin going 6-3 with a 2.43 ERA there and moved up to New Hampshire going 4-5 with a 4.50 ERA. Between the 2 teams he struck out 7.7/9 innings while walking 3.7/9 innings. He'll be 25 next year but if he can get to Triple-A next year he's got a shot. May end up moving into the pen to make the majors but we'll see.

Daniel Farquhar: Started the year as closer at Dunedin and after 17 appearances and a 0.53 ERA he moved up to be closer at New Hampshire where he had a 2.36 ERA in 37 games. Between the two he struck out 10.6/9 but he walked too many 5.9/9. He didn't walk near as many in 2008 but then he didn't strikeout as many then either. He's just 22 and throws hard. He's only 5'10" and 170 lb.

Twins Non-Tender Candidates

Jesse — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:15:37 -0000

Are there really any surprises? We'll throw in some other candidates who, while not technically non-tender candates, are still players whose rosters spots are in doubt.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Brendan Harris	123	414	44	108	22	1	6	37	29	78	0	2	.261	.310	.362

Brendan's offensive projections coming into 2009 weren't unreasonable. In fact, five of the more popular oracles all had his OPS coming in between .715 and .750, and those all seemed about right considering the last couple of years he's had. Instead he turned in a .672 performance, his lowest since his rookie season in 2004. In general he walked less, hit fewer line drives and his plate discipline fell off as well. In the field, his ability to play multiple positions aside, there's no advantage to be found.

All of Minnesota's middle infielders struggled this season, but with Harris A) not under contract for 2010, B) due a significant raise in aribitration and C) with less expensive options available to fill his shoes, Brendan's future with the Twins isn't guaranteed.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Brian Buscher	61	136	14	32	3	1	2	12	24	35	0	0	.235	.360	.316

Buscher's fate could be tied to any number of things, but largely his future with the Twins will boil down to what the organization wants to do with other players. If the Twins feel Luke Hughes or Daniel Valencia are ready to step in it will depend on whether they'll be happy with an inexperienced but familiar backup who can hit right-handers. In spite of the fact that he'll be due less money than Harris in 2010, their fates could be tied to each other if Minnesota brings in a veteran third baseman.

The only way both of these players return, and feel free to point out how wrong I am if I'm missing something, is if the Twins believe that a Harris/Buscher platoon at the hot corner is their best option going forward. But between the trade market for third baseman, the free agent market for third basemen and a pair of decent third base prospects due to break into the majors at any time, I have to believe their days in Minnesota are numbered.

Boof Bonser

#26 / Pitcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-4

Weight: 245

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Oct 14, 1981

He still has the best name on the roster, and personally I'd be surprised if he wasn't tendered a contract this winter, but you can certainly make a case that his status could be in doubt.

Bonser will be due arbitration in 2010.
Put that extra money on top of disappointing '07 and '08 campaigns, and a completely missed '09, and you could argue that the money going to Bonser would constitute an uneccessary risk.
The Twins have a lot of young, pre-arbitration starters available.

A lot of how you view this decision depends on your faith in Bonser's abilities going forward. He did pitch better than his numbers might indicate in '07 and especially '08, but can he consistently use his fastball/curveball combination effectively for a full season as a starter?

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Philip Humber	0-0	8	0	0	0	0	0	9.0	17	8	8	1	9	9	8.00	2.89

Unless this organization is seeing something I'm not seeing, I don't see a reason to hang onto Humber at this point. The fact that he's not currently on the 40-man roster works to his advantage, because it does mean that if the Twins want to keep him in Rochester next season as a little insurance they can without using up a roster spot. But for a guy who will be 27 next season, who is essentially a two-pitch pitcher and who's really struggled with his command as a general rule in the majors, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get the axe.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Delmon Young	108	395	50	112	16	2	12	60	12	92	2	5	.284	.308	.425

No, no, no, no, no. A thousand times, no. I know he hasn't panned out so far but he'll still be just 24 in 2010, and maybe the Twins need to get inside his head a bit. Every morning tell him it's September. I don't know, but especially with nobody to push him next season coming up through the system there's is absolutely zero reason to even consider this.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jesse Crain	7-4	56	0	0	0	0	0	51.2	48	28	27	3	27	43	4.70	1.45

A solid end to the season hasn't stopped speculation from some that, due to the kind of money he'll get through arbitration this year, he should be considered a non-tender candidate. The bullpen is already considered to be a position of strength for the Twins in '10, with Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch and Jose Mijares all performing well this season, Pat Neshek due to be back and ready to pitch and, of course, Joe Nathan at the end of it all.

Is $2,000,000+ too much to pay for a relief pitcher who isn't a closer? You could argue it's too much to pay a closer. But with Nathan, Guerrier and Rauch all making millions in the 'pen, is it a wise decision for this organization to spend so much in an area typically manned by less expensive players? There are options, internally as well as externally.

Personally I'm optimistic about the relief corps next season, but I still think Crain needs to stick around. If he's part of a trade, okay, I get it, but with the troubles this team had with the 'pen for most of the season I'm not above thinking that depth isn't a bad thing to had. Especially considering how Jesse pitched down the stretch. If we want the bullpen to really be a strength for the Twins in 2010, Crain should be a part of it.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Glen Perkins	6-7	18	17	0	0	0	0	96.1	120	64	63	13	23	45	5.89	1.48

There's been a lot of publicized stress between Perkins and the organization over the last few months. No matter who you think is right, if anyone really is, there is strain on the relationship. If both sides decide to work through it, good for them, but I'm not sure that can happen.

Around the site it's been discussed that Perk could be part of a trade package. I think that's more likely than a non-tender, but you never know. This one is a tricky call, and a lot of it depends more on whether the two sides can kiss and make up, rather than anything financial or roster space related.

Drew Butera

#71 / Catcher / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-1

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Aug 09, 1983

This is a reality, although it may surprise some. There are a lot of good catchers in this system, with Joe Mauer and Jose Morales sitting right at the top. Wilson Ramos is already on the 40-man roster. With Drew there's a real possibility of the Twins being able to slip him through waivers and re-sign him off the 40-man, but if the organization wants a little flexibility with their roster (which they do need) Butera might be one of the odd men out.

Jason Pridie

#11 / Center Field / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Oct 09, 1983

I think that facial hair is reason enough, but realistically there isn't much more you can expect from Pridie going forward. It's looking more and more like his triple-A campaign for the Rays in 2007 was indeed a fluke, as he continues to strike out without walking or really making good, consistent contact. And with younger, better performing outfielders like Rene Tosoni on their way up and deserving playing time, it would surprise me to see Pridie back in Rochester in 2010.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Justin Huber	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	.500

Justin had a fine season in Rochester, and while he's getting on a bit in age it's interesting that both Randy Ruiz and Garrett Jones (players of a similar makeup) went on to have career years with the Blue Jays and Pirates respectively. Huber is capable of that kind of production if we're looking at his minor league numbers. But it's unlikely a player of his limited defensive skills would be able to find regular playing time with the Twins, and no doubt a guy like Erik Lis is due a promotion to Rochester.

There is space in the majors for players like Huber, but it has to be with the right club who can afford him a roster spot. He's not a bad insurance policy, the kind of guy you can look at and say "okay, maybe", but I'm not sure this is the right organization for him.

What are your thoughts?

All Ex-Twins Team, 2009

Jesse — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:09:33 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Browse more photos »

2008 Roster
2006 Roster

For the second year in a row I tried to put together a full 25-man roster, and while I made the cut this team has some pretty big holes. Generally it's old, which is surprising, and there's going to be some pretty bad defense in places, but if any of the three outfielders get hurt there's nobody to be a fourth outfielder. Luckily, none of the guys on this team have to play a single game.

Without further ado, your batting order:

Name	Pos	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	'09 Team	With Twins
Jason Bartlett	SS	.320	.389	.490	14	66	Rays	'04 - '07
Luis Castillo	2B	.302	.387	.346	1	40	Mets	'06 - '07
Garrett Jones	RF	.293	.372	.567	21	44	Pirates	2007
Torii Hunter	CF	.299	.366	.508	22	90	Angels	'97 - '07
Casey Blake	3B	.280	.363	.468	18	79	Dodgers	'00 - '02
Randy Ruiz	1B	.313	.385	.635	10	17	Blue Jays	2008
David Ortiz	DH	.238	.332	.462	28	99	Red Sox	'97 - '02
A.J. Pierzynski	C	.300	.331	.425	13	49	White Sox	'98 - '03
Craig Monroe	LF	.215	.287	.354	3	16	Pirates	2008

All in all that's not a bad offensive lineup. According to Baseball Musing's Lineup Analysis tool, this offense would blow last year's out of the water: 5.741 runs per game, or about 930 runs over the course of a full season. Even with Jones and Monroe being stone defenders in the outfield corners, those runs are going to make up the difference.

The tool also insists that all of the best lineups would have Monroe hitting 8th and Castillo 9th, while a vast majority of the best lineups still have Bartlett leading off, but they also have Ruiz batting cleanup with his massive OBP and SLG in limited time.

Your bench? Outfielder-less. Henry Blanco of the Pirates is your catcher, followed by a trio of infielders: Cristian Guzman (Nationals), Adam Everett (Tigers) and Juan Castro (Dodgers).

Next up? Your starting rotation:

Name	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	'09 Team	With Twins
Johan Santana	13-9	3.13	166.2	146	46	Mets	'00 - '07
Matt Garza	8-12	3.95	203.0	189	79	Rays	'06 - '07
Kyle Lohse	6-10	4.74	117.2	77	36	Cardinals	'01 - '06
Livan Hernandez	9-12	5.44	183.2	102	67	Mets/Nationals	2008
Sidney Ponson	1-7	7.36	58.2	32	25	Royals	2007

I want you to know that I seriously considered going with a three-man rotation, a three-man bench, and then having a nine-man bullpen, but the reality is that even the bullpen pickings get a little thin once you get six or seven deep. As far as other starters I could have considered, there aren't many guys out there right now. Carlos Silva? Absolutely not.

Last season saw Santana, Lohse and Garza as the top three in the rotation as well. Moving onto the bullpen, last year I had Balfour closing, but this season I'd probably tab Hawkins.

Name	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	'09 Team	With Twins
LaTroy Hawkins	1-4	2.13	63.1	45	16	Astros	'95 - '03
Craig Breslow	7-5	2.60	55.1	44	18	Athletics	'08 - '09
J.C. Romero	0-0	2.70	16.2	12	13	Phillies	'99 - '05
Joe Beimel	1-6	3.58	55.1	35	19	Nationals/Rockies	2004
Grant Balfour	5-4	4.81	67.1	69	33	Rays	'01 - '04
Eddie Guardado	1-2	4.46	38.1	20	15	Rangers	'93 - '03, '08

Even in limited time, Romero is still managing to escape at least the appearance of damage in spite of some unnerving peripherals. Like the bench and the back of the rotation, this one of this team's weaker spots.

If injuries weren't a factor, how would this team fare over a season? Would an offense like this be able to keep this team afloat with the help of a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation? Or would those unproven bats pair up with some older arms to bring the team's fortunes crashing to earth?

Guys who have made the team each of the three years: Pierzynski, Blake, Ortiz, Beimel, Romero and Hawkins.

Poll

How would this team fare?

They could compete for a division title

169 votes

Probably a .500 team

322 votes

Bottom dwellers, for sure

181 votes

672 votes | Poll has closed

Happy Birthday Jose Bautista and Randy Ruiz

Tom Dakers — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:30:24 -0000

Two guys that each finished the season very nicely.

Randy Ruiz turns 32 today. In the 33 games he got called into after being called up in August Randy hit .313/.385/.635 with 10 homers and 17 RBI. It would have been nice if Cito would have got him into more games so we could have some idea if he could have continued hitting that well with enough at bats to be a worthwhile sample. But we did see enough of him to know that he could fill the Kevin Millar role better than Kevin Millar did. At 32 he is clearly past the prospect stage of life but he might be able to do a nice job as a part timer or platoon partner for Lyle Overbay. You can't help but cheer for someone that has spent 11 seasons in the minors with just a handful major league at bats.

Jose Bautista turns 29 today. He was having a pretty forgetable season until September 1st, then hit .257/.339/.606 with 10 homers the rest of the way. Since he isn't under contract for next season, Alex Anthoupolos' job is to figure if the last month of the season is the real Jose or if the 5 preceeding months is a more accurate view of his talent level. My worry is that, if he is re-signed, Cito will give him the full time job in RF next year.

Happy birthday to them both.

Goodbye, Goodnight: Orioles 5, Jays 4

hugo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:04:00 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

2 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero delivers against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Browse more photos »

The Jays' season came sputtering to a close this afternoon with a series sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles. Today's game was an extra-inning affair the Jays lost in the bottom of the 11th.

On the Mound: Ricky Romero pitched pretty well for the Jays, though he gave up 4 runs. Three walks in 7 innings hurt him, but he struck out 8 and only gave up 5 hits (one of which was a 2-run home run by Nick Markakis). The long ball has been a thorn in Romero's side all season and will surely be something he works on next year.

At the Plate: Edwin Encarnacion hit another home run, which was encouraging. Edwin had a very good close to the season, batting .261/.343/.500 from September 1st on. If his wrist issues are behind him, he could have a good season at the plate next year. Jose Bautista and John McDonald also hit solo shots, and Travis Snider added an RBI double. Randy Ruiz had 2 doubles, a single, and a walk for a nice afternoon at the office. Vernon Wells had one of those days, going 0-5 and leaving a lot of men on base before Joe Inglett took his spot in the lineup to give him a bit of an early end to the season.

From the Pen: Jesse Carlson and Shawn Camp combined to hold the line for three innings, giving the Jays the chance to tie it at four on J-Mac's home run in the 7th, but Brandon League had some serious problems in the 11th, giving up a leadoff single and then throwing two away in a row and allowing the run to score. His focus just wasn't there - understandable, I suppose, given the circumstances - he has had a ridiculously hard-luck season and likely just wanted it to be over. I'm going to go ahead and pencil him in for a big season next year.

The Jays finish the season at 75-87, pretty poor considering how hot they started. Their pythagorean record, however, was over .500 (83-79), showing that the Jays have been the victim of poor run distribution. Normally, I might say bad luck, but this is the third straight season that the Jays have underperformed their pythagorean record and particularly struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, so that really won't fly.

Great Game by Roy Halladay, Jays Sweep Red Sox

Tom Dakers — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:03:42 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Why is this man smiling? (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Browse more photos »

Blue Jays 12 Red Sox 0

Even thought it was against what basically was the Red Sox Triple-A team, it was still nice to see Roy Halladay pitch so well and the team get a sweep in Boston. That was complete game number 9 for Doc to equal last year and it was his 17th win. He ends the season with a 2.79 ERA (one tick above last year's 2.78, he's obviously declining), in 239 innings, 7 less than last year and he had one less start. Also his 4th shutout, double last season. And he's finishes the year with 208 strikeouts, 2 more than last year. Yeah he is good. We thought before the game, that considering the line up he was facing, that tonight he had a shot at a no-hitter, but a shutout is good enough.

Doc also hit David Ortiz with a pitch, sort of evening things up for Papelbon hitting Adam Lind last night. Who says he doesn't have a mean streak? I'm not really all for tit for tat stuff for with hit batters but in this case it was right thing to do. You hit our guy when he's had 3 homers, then you are asking for one of your guys to get hit. But, as my son pointed out, with only two able bodies on the bench, taking the chance of starting a brawl might not have turned out well. I am sort of curious to see what would happen if we needed a shortstop or second basemen.

Offensively we beat up on Tim Wakefield and half a dozen Red Sox relievers, including 4th string catcher Dusty Brown, who threw a one run 9th, striking Randy Ruiz out to end the game. But before that strikeout we had 17 hits, 7 walks, 4 homers and 12 runs.

Other than the K to end the game, Randy had 4 hits, 2 homers, a double and a single, 4 runs and 2 RBI, another great game for him. Lyle Overbay and Jose Bautista also had homers. Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells had 3 hits each. John McDonald and Travis Snider had 2 each, Moonraker hit a ball almost as deep as you possibly could with out it leaving the park, to center field for a triple. Kevin Millar didn't have the great day he did yesterday, but did have a hit and 2 walks. He didn't look quite as good in the field, but then he didn't have to. I don't know why the Sox didn't bunt at him to see if he could make the play, I would have given that a try. The only starter not to get at least one hit was Rod Barajas going 0 for 6, he had great trouble with Wakefield.

Jays of the Day are Doc (.176 WPA), Overbay (.132), Ruiz (.107) and Hill (.094). You could give honorable mention to just about anyone else. Except Barajas who gets Suckage.

I know we didn't see the Red Sox' top pitchers, but if I was a Sox fan I'd be worried about their playoff chances. They didn't look good in any of the 3 games of this series. Backing into the playoffs is better than missing the playoffs but it doesn't make you think they will go far.

The Jays have tomorrow off and then finish the season with 3 games in Baltimore. Since I'm taking a weekend away from the world, this was the last game of the year that I'll get to watch, unless I get to see the odd inning of the Saturday or Sunday game, so let me say that the game threads had been great fun this season, more fun back near the start of the season when we were going well, but still fun. Thanks to everyone that have joined in the threads. Though just because I won't be there doesn't mean you shouldn't join in the last three games.

This come from behind stuff is great, why couldn't we do this earlier in the season?

Tom Dakers — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:57:19 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

2 months ago: From left to right, Toronto Blue Jays' John McDonald, Travis Snider, Jose Bautista, Aaron Hill and Vernon Wells celebrate their 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners during AL baseball game action in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

Browse more photos »

Mariners 4 Blue Jays 5

I don't understand why we would pinch hit for Randy Ruiz today when we wouldn't pinch hit for Chavez, McDonald or Bautista the other day, but it worked out. Adam Lind comes in the 8th to hit for Ruiz and singles in the tying run. Rod Barajas follows that with a doulbe to bring in the winning run.

Brian Tallet pitched us 7 strong innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and striking out 6. Actually 6 strong innings and one poor one, he gave up 3 solo homers in the 5th. Brian Wolfe came in in the 8th and gave up another solo homer but got the win, since we came back o his watch. Shawn Camp pitched the 9th to get his first save of the season.

We got 9 hits on the day, 2 for Bautista, one each for everyone else that swung a bat except for Aaron Hill and Edwin Encarnacion. Even Kevin Millar had a hit, though if you watch the replay it went through SS Josh Wilson. I'd have called it an error.

Jays of the Day are Lind (.298 WPA, nice when you can be JoD with one swing of the bat), Barajas (.205), Camp (.168) and Bautista (.116). Suckage Jays are Encarnacion (-.210) and Vernon Wells (-.140).

We start a 3 game series in Boston tomorrow with Scott Richmond (7-10, 5.32) going against Josh Beckett (16-6, 3.78).

The Jays finish the season 44-37 at home, unfortunately they made us play on the road too.

Cito Gaston drives us crazy, Part 76

Tom Dakers — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:39:03 -0000

Let's say you are manager, it's the bottom of the 9th and you are down by a run. You have the bottom third of your lineup due to hit. Add in it is September and you should have some extra bodies on the bench to evaluate. One would think this would be a spot for you to try out some pinch hitters. And if you think that, you obviously aren't Cito Gaston.

Last night, down by a run, bottom of the 9th, Travis Snider leads off with a 6 pitch walk. A really nice job. Next up is Raul Chavez, a player not known for his bat. We have Randy Ruiz on the bench, as well as 2 other catchers. Randy, you might know has 7 homers in the 95 at bats Cito has allowed him. Seems an obvious moment to pinch hit, right? Nah. If not, an old school manager like Cito would bunt, right? No again. Chavez flies out after he fouled off a hit and run attempt earlier in the at bat. A hit and run attempt with Raul Chavez at the plate. What in his history would make you think he could work the hit and run?

Next up is John McDonald. John as been in the major for 11 seasons, during which he has done everything in his power to prove us all that he can't hit. Randy Ruiz still sits in the dugout. Cito is doing the statue routine. I know you are going to say 'we don't have any one else to play shortstop, if we tie the game'. Which is true and is incredibly stupid in September. We could have 40 guys on our active roster and we only have one that can play SS? Why? Either because we are incredibly stupid or incredibly cheap. Or some combination of the two. Anyway, who cares that there isn't anyone to play the position if we tie. Odds are long on us tying and if we do that's a problem for after it happens. Jose Bautista is in the game and he must be the emergency SS so we could put him there in the slight chance that we go to extras. Getting that tie is our first worry. McDonald, hacking at everything like usual, flies out.

So now we are down to one out and Jose Bautista is up. Jose, as we all know, hits right-handers sort of like I would. Which is another way of saying 'not at all'. He is hitting .198 against them. His best strategy against them is to stand there and hope they throw 4 balls before they get to 3 strikes. This is an all or nothing moment, why wouldn't you bring out Randy Ruiz? But we don't and Bautista strikes out and we lose. I gotta ask the question here; do you think Cito knows that Bautista doesn't hit right-handers? Jose has played in 21 games in September. What makes anyone think Jose Bautista should be an everyday player?

Yeah I know the game means nothing, but you are playing it anyway, why not try for the win. If we aren't trying to win why can't we put Randy Ruiz and Kyle Phillips into the lineup more often. Why didn't we call up more prospects? Why are we using our regulars every day? If we aren't trying to win and we aren't going to try out some young guys, what are we doing? I guess we are seeing if we can drive off the last few fans we have.

Why Cito drives us crazy, Part 75

Tom Dakers — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:05:45 -0000

A little quote from a bluejay.com story:

Designated hitter/first baseman Randy Ruiz was out of the starting lineup for the eighth time in the past 10 games on Wednesday night. Jays manager Cito Gaston said a main reason is that outfielder Adam Lind has spent more time at DH of late after being hit by a pitch earlier this month. To date, Ruiz has made 25 starts at DH and one at first base for Toronto. The 31-year-old has noted that he is trying to work on playing the outfield, but Gaston was not sure that was realistic. "I'm not hearing too good of stuff about that," Gaston said. "I haven't seen him play out there, but I asked a few guys and they said, 'Yeah, I don't know.' So we'll see."

First of all, Cito, you are telling us that you can't take a moment and watch Randy shag flies yourself? You are the manager, take a couple of minutes during batting practice, find a seat somewhere you can see what's happening and watch Ruiz yourself. Taking the word of "a few guys saying 'Yeah, I don't know' " really doesn't seem like you are all that interested in your team. Yeah I can't imagine him in the outfield either but he runs better than you would think.

Second, if you can't play him at DH, because Lind's there and we'd hate to take Bautista out of the outfield for a game or two, that .230 average being too important for a team that's in fourth, play him at first base. I like Lyle and all, but we know what we have with him and what we have isn't terrific. It is September, we are out of is, let's try Ruiz at the position. Worst that can happen? We lose our last ten games and finish fourth. Best that can happen? We win our last ten games and finish fourth. It might just be me, but the one game Ruiz played at first base, he looked ok to me. It was just one game but he couldn't be worse than Millar at the position.

Yeah, I do understand that Ruiz is 6 years too old to be a prospect, but you refused to call up anyone that might be a prospect so throw us a small bone. Millar isn't going to be here next year, Ruiz could fill that spot in the roster and at very worst be better than Millar was.

Cito, PLAY THE GUY, please.

John MacDonald Hits a 3 Run Homer and Jays Win. Two Very Unusual Happening.

Tom Dakers — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:47:32 -0000

by Frank Gunn - AP

3 months ago: Minnesota Twins catcher Mike Redmond, back, hangs his head as Toronto Blue Jays' John McDonald is congratulated on his three-run home run by teammates Edwin Encarnacion (7) and Kevin Millar, back left, during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

View full size photo »

Twins 3 Blue Jays 6

When we were at the games in Seattle during batting practice John McDonald was pulling every pitch down the left field line and most of the balls went over the wall. Safeco isn't a small park and I was impressed that he could hit the ball out so consistently and generally all within 15 feet of the foul poll. Anyway, tonight he did the same thing I watched him do in Seattle, but it was when it counted, with 2 guys on base.

We only scored in one inning tonight, 6 runs in the 6th. McDonald had the big hit but there were other big moments. Jose Bautista and Adam Lind singled. Vernon Wells fouled off 4 pitches before walking. Kevin Millar walked. Edwin Encarnacion slugged a single right through the third baseman and Johnny Mac homered. 5 hits and 2 walks that inning. I read somewhere that most times winning teams score more runs in one inning than the loser scores in the game, I believe it.

Mac had 3 hits on the game but the other two were bloop singles that were lucky to fall. Bautista and Encarnacion had two hits each. Randy Ruiz was the only one in the team to go 0 for. But he did drive home a run with a sac fly.

Ricky Romero had to fight through a rough first three innings 3 innings, but he went 6.2 innings, gave up 7, 3 walks and struck out 4. He left with a runner on but Jesse Carlson got the 3rd out on a strikeout. He's been great lately, used too much but pitching great. Scott Downs pitched a good 8th and Jason Frasor got the save.

Jays of the Day are Johnny Mac (.319 WPA) and Edwin (.157). Bautista and Millar get the honorable mention. Millar did well with a hit and a walk. And in consideration of that I will make no editorial comments about him. Suckage Jays are Ruiz (-.129) and Scoot (-.120). I don't think it is fair for either, Ruiz had the sac fly and Scoot singled and stole a base, but numbers are numbers.

E5 made as nice a play as you are ever going to see at 3rd today, if he keeps making plays like that we are going to have to find him a new nickname.

Tomorrow Carl Pavano (11-11, 5.09) goes against the Jays and Roy Halladay (14-8, 2.98). Let's score some runs again guys. I really really would hate Doc to lose to Pavano.