Baseball, Eh?: AC's Blue Jays Video Dynasty, Season 2

[AC]

(credit to Frank is the Tank)

Welcome back! To those of you who don't know me, I'm the author/writer/player/whatever you want to call it of It's Not All Hockey Up Here, Eh?: A Toronto Blue Jays Dynasty. You should check it out, it's almost as cool as math club!

In case you don't like reading 32 pages, let me sum it up for you!

Spoiler

2012 was a fantastic, yet dark year for the Blue Jays. Ted Rogers III launched an all out campaign to regain Rogers. A dark horse contender, under the emergence of Colby Rasmus, JA Happ, Marcus Stroman, and Adam Lind, with the continued production from Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Ricky Romero, a batting title from Yunel Escobar, and the acquisitions of Aaron Hill, Ben Revere, and Jake Peavy, the Blue Jays were fighting for a playoff spot for most of the season.

However, around August, they hit a dry spell, and fell to 10 games out of the playoffs. And that's when I guaranteed that the Blue Jays would make the playoffs.

The Blue Jays, a relentless team, came roaring back, and went 22-6 in September to win the AL East division crown on the last day of the season. The Tampa Bay Rays lost 13 in a row, and would eventually lose to the New York Yankees in a Game 163 showdown.

Our General Manager, Alex Anthopolous, though, would be mysteriously shot, by an unknown assailant.

Playoffs:

Spoiler

In the ALDS, they faced off against the stacked Texas Rangers. Many Yu Darvish jokes, a clutch Adrian Beltre homer, 6.1 IP out of the bullpen by Marcus Stroman, and a 17th inning walk off sacrifice fly from Adrian Beltre to put the Jays down 1-0 in the series should have discouraged them, but an 8-2 loss in the second game should've been the death blow. They should've been written off as a nice, feel good story, that just wasn't good enough to make it. However, as we've learned, this is a resilient bunch.

We came roaring back with a 6-1 win, staring down the face of defeat, in game 3. In game 4, there were many more Yu jokes, some small ball, an insane glitch, more Adrian Beltre hatred, and some good bullpen pitching, all of which got us a 4-3 win, taking the series to 5 games.

In game 5, the bats came alive, and JA Happ pitched a shutout- thus, we were into the ALDS as David, where we would meet our Goliath, the New York Yankees.

Spoiler

ALCS: A few of big wins, and a horrible loss, would set up a Game 5 showdown, that could send the Blue Jays into the World Series.

Both teams struck early, and it would be a 6-5 game after the 4th. Derek Jeter would take Brandon Morrow deep for 3 runs, and it was 8-5 in the 6th.

Some luck and small ball would get us back to even, though, going into the 7th. In the top of the ninth, baseball wowed us with some magic.

Robinson Cano would absolutely crush one, all the way out to center field. 450 feet, and it was 9-8 New York, going into the bottom of the ninth. And on the first pitch from Rafael Soriano...

Yunel Escobar would hit a solo home run to tie it up! 9-9! After Brett Lawrie singled, he would steal second base, setting up an Adam Lind walk off single!

World Series:

Spoiler

We were introduced to CTU Agent Jack Bauer, who would assist in catching the unknown assailant.

We would face the Colorado Rockies in the World Series.

Game 1 included a clutch home run from Edwin Encarnacion, and a walk off suicide squeeze from Brett Lawrie, to win.

In Game 2, Jonathan Sanchez shut me down, to tie the series up at 1's.

In Game 3, the Blue Jays and Rockies' offenses traded blows, until the Blue Jays went up for good on a Brett Lawrie RBI, where Marcus Stroman would get the save.

In Game 4, we hit homers, and gave up homers, in typical Coors Field fashion. In the end, however, J.P. Arencibia would tie us up, and Jose Bautista would put us ahead for good, and the Blue Jays would go up 3-1 in the series.

Between games 4 and 5, Jack and Ted gave chase to the unknown villain.

In Game 5, Brandon Morrow would pitch the best performance of his career, a CGS, a two hitter, and the Blue Jays would take home the World Series crown.

In the offseason, the Blue Jays made a big trade, and hired a new manager. They also unearthed something much larger than baseball.

Honestly, that was a pretty terrible write up, so you should probably just read the actual thing.

Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this year, and that the sequel will be just as good, if not better than, the original, FOR ONCE. (I'm looking at you, Transformers 2.)

Rosters: Scott's ZiPS (with slight custom edits)
Schedule: 162 games
30 Team Control: Of course.
Hitting Difficulty: Veteran (will hopefully be moved up.)
Pitching Difficulty: Veteran (will hopefully be moved up.)
Sliders: Custom
Injuries: On

[Totte]

Bring it on! Hurry up spring! We need you

[AC]

MLB.com Top Prospect Preview
Blue Jays' Amazing System #1



The Blue Jays' system has always been a strong one under GM Alex Anthopolous, and now, it's reached its peak- The Toronto Blue Jays, fresh off a World Series win, have the #1 farm system in the league. Here's how their prospects rank going into Spring Training:

Top 30 Prospects Going Into Spring Training

1.) Jake Gallagher
Jake Gallagher, from Toronto, Ontario, is the #1 prospect in baseball. He has been called “The Great Canadian Hope.” Compared to Joey Votto, he will form a great Canadian corner IF tandem with Brett Lawrie. He would have easily gone #1 overall last year, but slipped all the way to the 4th round due to signability concerns. The Blue Jays ponied up 8.2 million in draft bonuses, and incurred 6.8 million in draft taxes, but it was worth it. Gallagher, who has an incredible approach for his age (18), is a great contact hitter, who has some good pop as well. In Short Season Vancouver, The Great Canadian Hope hit .487, with 12 homers, in 22 games. In low-A Lansing, he continued this trend, even in a pitcher friendly league. He hit .436, with 7 homers, in 14 games, before being called up to Dunedin, where he really put on a show. In 24 games, he hit .542, with 19 homers. He helped Dunedin on its way to a championship title. He will start the year in AA New Hampshire, with huge expectations, as he could be the next Calico Joe.

2.) Travis d’Arnaud

The Blue Jays' #2 prospect is also the #7 prospect in all of baseball. He slashed .253/.291/.376 last year, with a .993 fielding %. With a strong spring training, he'll most likely start the year in the MLB, platooning with J.P. Arencibia.

3.) Drew Hutchison

The 2009 15th-rounder was signed for an over-slot deal, but his performance has indicated that he's been worth every dollar. The Lakeland, Fla., high school product was very impressive in his third full season, beginning the year with Double A New Hampshire. He's got an advanced feel, especially for someone his age, showing the ability to throw three pitches for strikes with very good command. He'll run his fastball up to around 92-93 mph, has a good breaking ball, a slider, and also has made progress with his changeup. He's not a power pitcher, but with his combination of stuff and polish, he could continue to move fairly quickly up Toronto's ladder. He pitched to the tune of a 10-1 record, with a 2.08 ERA and a 170:21 K-BB ratio. He had a .207 AVG and a .94 WHIP, and is quickly turning into one of the top pitching prospects in the game. He is expected to compete for the Blue Jays' fifth starter job this spring.

4.) Jake Marisnick

Marisnick started last year in Single A, but was quickly moved up. However, it’s possible it was too quickly. Marisnick hit just .240/.301/.351 at Double A New Hampshire. He started to play better towards the end of the year, but not well enough to prevent slipping a spot in these rankings. The 6’4” 220 lbs OF hopes to regain his form quickly. At just 21, he’s been compared to Ryan Braun, and still has the tools to develop into a star.

5.) Noah Syndergaard

Noah Syndergaard destroyed Single A Lansing and Dunedin last year, and will most likely be promoted very soon. The fireballer is well ahead of schedule, and could see time in the majors as early as 2014. He went 14-0, with a .91 ERA, in 33 starts split across A/A+ last year.

6.) Daniel Norris

Norris pitched well in rookie ball last year, and earned a promotion to Short Season Vancouver. There, he absolutely dominated, earning another promotion to Single A Lansing. He pitched very well there, and will start off in High A this year. Only 19, he’s well ahead of schedule and has the talent to be a very good #2.

7.) Justin Nicolino

The final member of the ‘Big Three,’ Nicolino also dominated both levels of A-Ball last year, too. He will be sure to see AA New Hampshire this year. The pitcher has been compared to Greg Maddux and with his performances this year.

8.) Aaron Sanchez

Aaron Sanchez has great raw stuff, and learned to control it in 2012. Sanchez dominated Lansing last year, part of the ‘Big Three’ trio. He was promoted to Dunedin, where pitched stellar. He will most likely earn a promotion to New Hampshire along with the rest of the big three.

9.) Anthony Gose

He still runs like Hayes, and he still hits like sh*t.

Spoiler

Gose stole 70 bases last year, ahead of the next player (Adam Eaton), who had 37. His blazing speed will get him places. However, Gose is hit just .215/.300/.337. He’ll need to improve those numbers, and cut down on the K’s heavily (140 in 102 games) if he wants to stick around.

10.) Adeiny Hechavarria

The slick-fielding shortstop has a .983 fielding % this year, which was stellar. His slash line of .231/.280/.330, however, was not. Hechavarria will need to improve his bat if he wants to become a starter.

11.) Ike Griffin

Ike Griffin is another member of the 2012 Draft. Ghallager’s teammate , Griffin is a contact hitter with some decent pop, too. He isn’t a very good fielder, but what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in versatility. He can play LF, 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B. After hitting .320/.383/.478 in Bluefield, we know that he’s a great all around hitter with an ETA of late 2014. He isn’t very fast, so expect to see him at 2B for the Blue Jays.

12.) Jacob Anderson

Anderson had a breakout 2012 in single A. After moving quickly though short season, he blasted 4 HRs in one game at Lansing. After hitting well at Dunedin, Anderson will be on his way to New Hampshire season.

13.) Chad Jenkins

Chad Jenkins has shown why he was drafted ahead of Mike Trout. He went 13-5 with a 1.98 ERA split across AA/AAA. He needs to cut down on his walks, though, before he is promoted. He had a 123:63 K-BB ratio.

14.) Sean Nolin

Sean Nolin was spectacular for New Hampshire and Las Vegas, pitching a 1.92 ERA, and a 102:19 K-BB ratio. He has made strides this year, and is in contention to be called up very soon.

15.) Roberto Osuna

Osuna, just 18, and has already earned a promotion to High A Dunedin. The Blue Jays are taking him very slowly, but Osuna’s stats are saying that they should be doing the opposite. He’ll most likely sniff Double A late this year, but won’t stick there until mid next year.

16.) Danny Barnes

Barnes pitched great for AA New Hampshire, with a 1.82 ERA, to go along with 43 saves, tying Matt Daly’s single season record. He could see the MLB around August 2013.

17.) D.J. Davis


The fastest player in the 2012 draft, Davis has been shifted to SS. A high school hitter, he’s a 4 year project. He’ll most likely stay in Single A for this year, before moving onto Double A and Triple A. He hit .297 for Vancouver last year, with an astonishing 50 extra base hits.
18.) James Baldwin III
Balwin III, acquired in the Dexter Fowler trade, was only alright for Los Angeles’ AAA team last year, batting .270/.313/.350. He joins a stacked outfielding system, with no room at all- One would think he’d be trade bait.


19.) Anthony Alford

Alford was thought by many to be unsignable as a two-sport standout, one who had a scholarship to Southern Miss to play quarterback. But the Blue Jays were creative with their Draft pool and managed to sign the athletic outfielder, who got in a handful of Gulf Coast League games before heading to school to play football. Alford has a ton of raw tools but, with his focus split, hasn’t had the opportunity to refine them. He actually has a decent approach at the plate, and he should develop at least average power in the future. He’s a plus runner who will be a threat on the bases and uses his speed well in the outfield. Alford will continue to be a bit of a project, especially as he continues to play football, but the end result could be a very dynamic outfielder at the big league level.


20.) Deck McGuire

Deck McGuire has slipped ever further down the board from the last time we ranked the Blue Jays’ top prospects. McGuire had a 4.35 ERA, with a .273 AVG and a 1.47 WHIP. He finished the season strongly, but he’ll have to pick it up if he wants to move up to AAA.

21.) Matt Smoral
22.) Aaron Loup
23.) Sam Dyson
24.) Moises Sierra
25.) Zach Braddock
26.) Chad Jahnkow
27.) Yan Gomes
28.) Marcus Knecht
29.) Henry Rodriguez
30.) Michael Crouse

Spoiler

Any Single A statistics in this list are completely made up.

[AC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Totte

Bring it on! Hurry up spring! We need you

I'll probably do some screenshotted spring games, don't worry, haha. Still waiting for the darn capture card, though..

[Willard76]

Looking forward to the read and seeing where your 2013 guys stack up to mine with the 2 different rosters!

[AC]

Blue Jays, Rangers, Swing Minor Deal


The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired pitcher Greg Reynolds from the Texas Rangers, in exchance for Henry Rodriguez and David Carpenter. Reynolds, a 2nd overall pick in 2006, is looking to become a late bloomer.

"It's nice to know someone still believes in you, 7 years later," Reynolds said today.

In other news today, the Blue Jays have acquired former 30th overall pick, Andrew Brackman, from the Cincinnati Reds. He was designated for assignment, but claimed by the Blue Jays.

In even more news, the Blue Jays have reaquired former 16th overall pick, David Purcey, from the Philadelphia Phillies. He was released, and claimed by Toronto.

Jonathan Diaz was also reacquired by the team through release waivers.

[royals19]

Really looking forward to see this "Jake Gallagher" character. When do you project his ETA?

[AC]

Quote: Originally Posted by royals19

Really looking forward to see this "Jake Gallagher" character. When do you project his ETA?

I'm probably starting him in AA, so, maybe a Sept. call up, probably 2014... But you never know.

Honestly, I'm excited about him. He's as high an A as Bautista. Wow.