In Flight - A Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

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IN FLIGHT - A TORONTO BLUE JAYS FRANCHISE

By Jakesparrow1008

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Toronto Blue Jays 2017 Season Preview
By Mike Johnston / ESPN February 23, 2017

Today in our 30 in 30 series, we'll be taking a look at the Toronto Blue Jays as they shape up for the 2017 season. The Jays finished 89-73 and lost in 5 games to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS last year.

Biggest Departure:

Spoiler

Edwin Encarnacion. Without a doubt, the Jays' former 1B/DH bolting for the Cleveland Indians is the biggest blow Toronto will have to overcome this year. Not only will the team have to fill the production of 42 home runs and 127 RBI, but they'll look to save face after what some fans saw as an ugly parting between the two sides.

Biggest Addition:

Spoiler

Kendrys Morales. To fill at least some of the production of Encarnacion, the Jays jumped quickly at the chance to sign Morales to a 3 year, $33 million contract. If Morales' numbers improve in the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, this move will look great for Toronto, but if Morales fails to live up to expectations, the Blue Jays' brass will have a lot of explaining to do after handing out a contract that ranked on many "Worst Offseason Contracts" lists.

Biggest X-Factor:

Spoiler

Jose Bautista. One of the most polarizing players in baseball, Joey Bats is back for another run with the Blue Jays. Injuries contributed to a 2016 season in which he was worth just 1.1 WAR, his lowest since 2008. If Bautista can bounce back, he'll go a long way in solidifying the Jays' offence and his own legacy in Toronto.

Team Predictions:

Spoiler

MVP: Josh Donaldson: After winning the actual award in 2015 and following it up with a fourth-place finish in 2016, Josh Donaldson is the clear favourite to lead the Blue Jays this year. Big things are ahead for one of the best third basemen in the game.

Cy Young: Marcus Stroman Aaron Sanchez may be the more popular pick, but look for Stroman to have a big year after finishing the 2016 season on a high note.

The Blue Jays start their season on April 3 in Baltimore against the Orioles.

[Jakesparrow1008]

Re: In Flight - A Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

Ah, the joys of Spring Training... the team is getting back into baseball shape and with returning stars and new faces, this promises to be an exciting and eventful year in Toronto. Mark Shapiro, Ross Atkins and Co. have pledged to continue building the Jays into a consistent winner, and these next couple of months will be very important in that playing out.

Speaking of the higher-ups, let's listen in on a conversation from earlier today...

...I understand. Only time will tell.

Time's running out. I want it, and if I don't get it, it won't look good. For either of us.

I'll see what I can do, but make no mistake, I call the shots around here.

Looks like there's already some drama in the front office. Pressure from ownership? A trade demand? Role change? Stay tuned.

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Re: In Flight - A Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

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Re: In Flight - A Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

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Re: In Flight - A Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

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March 13, 2017

Mat Latos showed up to the Blue Jays' split squad game in Dunedin late, arriving about 30 minutes after the team was scheduled to be at the stadium. Latos has been one of the better pitchers for Toronto this spring, but as he is only signed to a minor league deal, this incident could hurt his chances of making the big league team.

"It's disappointing," said manager John Gibbons. "We're dealing with it where it needs to be dealt with, but I don't have much else to say other than that."

Latos has appeared in 10 spring training games, pitching to a 2.08 ERA.

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Troy Tulowitzki has played one and a half years of baseball in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform, but he knows better than anyone that baseball is a game of adjustments.

Flash back to July of 2015, and Tulo was playing for the Colorado Rockies. He describes the transition period as a shocking blindside from the Rockies; he believed that he would play his whole career in Colorado and was told by management that they would keep him informed on any trade chatter that involved the franchise shortstop.

"Baseball's an impersonal game," said Tulowitzki in an interview shortly after the trade. "A lot of people don't think of [baseball players] as human beings, but it's a reality we have to face. Right now that's a tough part of the game, a difficult period to go through."

Tulowitzki arrived in Toronto and made a great first impression, going 3-5 with a home run and two doubles in an 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. But from there, he performed in a way that some fans can only describe as disappointing, hitting .239 and having his lowest slugging percentage since his rookie year. He also spent time on the disabled list, which is somewhat of a trademark for the 32 year old shortstop.

He followed up his 2015 season with a 2016 year that saw him hit .254 with 24 home runs, and was worth 3.3 WAR.

"A lot of people seem to think that Tulo hasn't been a great hitter since he got here, but he's been one of the better hitting shortstops in the league," said John Gibbons. "And when you stack that on his defence, he's still a great quality player."

Even though Tulowitzki is still in the upper echelon of shortstops, he is never one to get complacent with his game. He is quick to recognize flaws in his own game and take the advice of others, in order to become a better player every day.

"I'm not one to sit back and relax," says Tulowitzki. "I could have an 0-4 day or a 4-4 day and I'm still working as hard the next day to improve. Studying film, hitting the cages, it all goes into the daily routine to get better."

Since coming to Toronto, one of the adjustments that Tulowitzki has tried to make at the plate is incorporating a leg kick into his swing. He says seeing accomplished hitters like Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista up close has given him a new perspective on the art of hitting, and he tries to take things from those hitters and bring them into his own game.

"That's one thing I love about Tulo," says Donaldson. "You look at him and he's got huge career numbers, and yet he's coming to guys and asking how he can improve. And when everyone buys into that mindset, then you've got a real good thing."

Donaldson and Tulowitzki combine to form one of baseball's best defensive infields on the left side.

Ever since the 6'3" shortstop broke into the league in 2006, he's been regarded as one of the smoothest fielding shortstops in baseball. His glove has been widely praised by players and coaches across the league, and he takes immense pride in maintaining a high level at his position.

Tulowitzki says playing the infield is a lot like making your home in Toronto: busy and exciting, and full of new challenges and adjustments.

"Ever since coming here, I've realized what a great city Toronto is," said Tulowitzki. "It's a bit intimidating at first, you've got this great culture and you're a bit hesitant as to how you fit into that. But I've learned that Toronto is a really diverse place, and you just come in and be yourself. People here are fine with that, they like that."

Speaking of the trade in 2015, Tulo says, "It was never that I didn't like Toronto. I always had an extremely high appreciation for this city, I just never expected I would be playing here. But it's easy to embrace a city when they're behind you, and it's not just the city but the entire country of Canada. I'm really excited to continue playing here and keep winning with this team."

As much as Tulowitzki may still be adjusting, fans in Toronto act as though it's just natural that he's their shortstop of the present and immediate future. And, they're just as excited about this winning thing.

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Re: In Flight - A Toronto Blue Jays Franchise

It's always a good feeling when you see the "Advance to Regular Season" tab pop up on this game. The real fun's about to begin. After playing about half the Spring Training games and simming the rest, the Opening Day roster is set and it looks something like this:






Let's get this show on the road.

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April 9, 2017

You would've thought the Toronto Blue Jays would have had enough enemies by now.

During their series with the Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays took exception to Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, and Steve Pearce as they all added a little extra something to their home runs in the series.

GAME 1: BLUE JAYS WIN 8-3

Back at the beginning of this series, the first game went by without a hitch. Marco Estrada started the game for Toronto, going six innings and allowing three runs on six hits. He also struck out four.

"I thought I pitched pretty well for my first start of the year," said Estrada after the game. "I was mixing up pitches pretty well and kept them off balance for the most part. Now I just have to keep on improving upon that start for the rest of the year."

The Jays were up 4-3 in the ninth inning of that game, but added four runs in the top of the ninth to make the final score 8-3 in favour of Toronto. Every member of the Blue Jays starting lineup had a hit except leadoff hitter Devon Travis, who went 0-5.

Kendrys Morales was a standout performer in game one, going 3-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki each added a home run in the final frame.

GAME TWO: BLUE JAYS WIN 5-2

Game two followed a similar pattern, but ended in a much more explosive fashion. The first run of this one wasn't scored until the bottom of the sixth, when Steven Souza Jr.'s RBI double gave the Rays a 1-0 lead. Toronto struck back in the top of the eighth when Jarrod Saltamacchia hit a solo home run to right, but Tampa Bay regained the lead in the bottom half when Brad Miller drove in Peter Bourjos with a double.

The top of the ninth turned the game -- and the whole series -- upside down.

With two outs, it looked like closer Alex Colome was going to finish out the game with a clean ninth inning. The Jays' heart of the order had other plans, as Josh Donaldson reached base, and Jose Bautista hit a bomb to left field to put Toronto up by one.

He didn't just hit the home run though, he went and threw his bat so far it almost landed on the Rays' on-deck circle.

"I get you just took the lead in a big moment in the game, but come on," said Colome after the game. "It's not a playoff game, you're not even in a race yet. You're three games into your season and you're flipping bats like it's October."

Rays' manager Kevin Cash echoed his closer, saying "You can't do that, especially in the early stages of the year. It's just not the right way to play the game."

Tulowitzki followed up Bautista's homer with a two-run drive to left, which he followed by standing at the plate and staring until it left the yard.

GAME THREE: RAYS WIN 8-4

Game three brought the first Blue Jays' loss of the series, along with more tension between the two clubs. It started when the lineup cards came out, and Bautista was not on Toronto's starting lineup.

"Just put him in and let us get him," said starter Chris Archer. "That's a pretty cowardly move when you know something's coming at you and the next day you're not in the lineup."

Gibbons maintained that it was a regular rest day for the right fielder and had nothing to do with the incident the game before.

Josh Donaldson, however, was in the lineup, and Archer threw behind him in his first at bat.

"I didn't really feel like I was part of the whole conflict, but I guess they did. Or they brought me into it," said Donaldson after the game.

The Rays scored eight runs in the game, tagging starter Marcus Stroman for six runs and nine hits in 4.1 innings of work.

Archer pitched well for most of the game, allowing four runs in 8.2 innings, but three of those runs came in the top of the ninth as the Jays tried to mount a third straight comeback. Of course, those three runs came courtesy of a Jose Bautista pinch hit home run. It wasn't enough, as the Rays took game three 8-4.

GAME FOUR: RAYS WIN 1-0

Tampa Bay won the final game of the series to even it at two games a piece. After Rays' starter Alex Cobb left the game after one inning with an injury, the bullpen patched together eight innings of shutout ball to help the Rays win 1-0.

Aaron Sanchez started the game for Toronto, going 5.2 innings and allowing one run on six hits.

The only other moment of note in the final game was that Devon Travis was injured sliding into second base and is currently day-to-day.

The Blue Jays now sit at 3-3 on the season, and will play their home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. J.A. Happ takes the hill against Taylor Jungmann.