Post by Commissioner Erick on Jun 15, 2018 7:34:55 GMT -5
Tampa Bay Rays (2-4) @ Toronto Blue Jays (5-1)
TB: Brent Honeywell (0-1, 15.00)
TOR: Rogelio Padro (0-0, 11.25)
The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays both made major changes this offseason. Tampa Bay's changes were to its manager and personnel. Toronto's changes involved shipping out talented veterans.
However, it's Toronto that finds itself in first place in the PBA to start the season.
Graham Statford returns after an unsuccessful stint in Arizona, with Ryan Davis leaving for Houston. Last year, Tampa Bay was led by Kevin Kiermaier, Casey Gillaspie, and Jake Bauers. It looks like it'll be more of the same under Statford in 2019 as those names are three of the four players hitting better than .182 in the early going. The Rays did bring in a new hitting coach, Darryl Robinson, to improve the team's ability to make contact, and we'll see if it has any effect. It was an inauspicious start to the year though for Robinson with the team starting off last in batting average and third to last in runs scored.
They'll send Brent Honeywell out to the mound to face Toronto's lineup. Honeywell just turned 24 and had an outstanding rookie year as a 23-year-old last season. He worked over 200 innings with a miniscule walk rate, resulting in 16 wins and a 3.59 ERA. He was lit up by Baltimore on opening day, though the hope is that the outing can be explained away by batted ball luck as Honeywell struck out five without issuing a walk in 3 innings.
A control-master, he'll be facing off against a Toronto team whose players may be increasingly cost-controlled in the near future. Toronto overhauled its roster, sending out several veteran hitters and even productive young pitchers in a bid to acquire the game's best prospects. Toronto ranks 10th in best systems according to OSA right now, but some observers wouldn't hesitate to place them in the top three.
On the salary sheet, seven of the team's 12 commitments of over $1.3 million dollars expire after this season, with three more possibly expiring next year, plus one player eligible for a final round of arbitration next year. Toronto will be able to operate with very lean books in the near future.
This also doesn't mean that they don't have talent on the roster right now. An All-Star in 2017, Josh Donaldson is putting an injury-marred 2018 behind him by hitting over .300 so far. An All-Star last season, Troy Tulowitzki has already cranked out three doubles and a home run. Ryan Braun hit 32 home runs last season and has two more after a week. Most excitingly for Toronto, some young players are stepping up.
Only 24, Rowdy Tellez made slow and steady progress improving slightly last year over 2017. He still didn't have the greatest eye or hit tool though, so his numbers were fairly pedestrian outside a home run total of 29 in only 523 plate appearances. His first week of 2019 was special though and saw him capture his first Player of the Week Award. He hit .500, walked as often as he struck out, smacked two doubles, launched four home runs, and drove in nine runs. His finest moment may have been Wednesday when he smashed a grand slam, yet also found a way to deliver a game-winning single off Aroldis Chapman.
Tellez has been joined by 23-year old Richard Urena as another youngster off to a hot start. Urena is mostly known as a wiz defender with the potential to be a decent bat. He held his own playing as a 22-year-old last year, but was still someone with just a .679 OPS. Last week, he hit .292 with three home runs and a triple. It's unlikely the power surge continues, but it shows that the potential to be at least a league-average bat is there.
Venezuelan import Rogelio Padro will take the mound, and like his counterpart Honeywell, he'd like to forget his first start of the year. Padro has no professional experience in a major foreign league, but he throws a fastball that can touch 95, plus a an excellent changeup, a forkball, and a terrible curveball. The changeup and forkball heavy secondaries allow Padro to do reasonably well against righties, but in seven plate appearances by Yankees lefties, Padro allowed a double, triple, and home run. Seeing whether or not Tampa Bay's lefty-filled lineup can touch Padro will be a fun subplot.
Questions for the GMs:
For Graham Statford, you took over Tampa Bay late in the offseason. What are your initial impressions of the roster?
Your predecessor, Ryan James, made two significant trades this offseason. In one of them, Justin Williams and Khris Davis were sent out and Tomas Nido was brought in to catch. Nido got off to an awful start for you. How do you assess the trade?
Your opponent will likely be starting a lefty that may not be overpowering against lefties. Will you adjust your lineup at all to face him?
For Joe Mazzola, you've obviously mentioned that you're chiefly looking to contend in 2019 and 2020 once your upper-minors stockpile seasons a little. However, if this 5-1 start is real, would you accelerate that timeline at all for this season?
You took on a year of Hanley Ramirez for the right to swap prospects with Boston. Ramirez was awful in the spring, and was awful in four games last week. He's coming off a year where he hit .276 with 27 home runs and 36 doubles. Is there a chance that Ramirez is still there?
I don't think most people would automatically associate Ryan Braun with the leadoff spot. Why the decision to bat him there?
TB: Brent Honeywell (0-1, 15.00)
TOR: Rogelio Padro (0-0, 11.25)
The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays both made major changes this offseason. Tampa Bay's changes were to its manager and personnel. Toronto's changes involved shipping out talented veterans.
However, it's Toronto that finds itself in first place in the PBA to start the season.
Graham Statford returns after an unsuccessful stint in Arizona, with Ryan Davis leaving for Houston. Last year, Tampa Bay was led by Kevin Kiermaier, Casey Gillaspie, and Jake Bauers. It looks like it'll be more of the same under Statford in 2019 as those names are three of the four players hitting better than .182 in the early going. The Rays did bring in a new hitting coach, Darryl Robinson, to improve the team's ability to make contact, and we'll see if it has any effect. It was an inauspicious start to the year though for Robinson with the team starting off last in batting average and third to last in runs scored.
They'll send Brent Honeywell out to the mound to face Toronto's lineup. Honeywell just turned 24 and had an outstanding rookie year as a 23-year-old last season. He worked over 200 innings with a miniscule walk rate, resulting in 16 wins and a 3.59 ERA. He was lit up by Baltimore on opening day, though the hope is that the outing can be explained away by batted ball luck as Honeywell struck out five without issuing a walk in 3 innings.
A control-master, he'll be facing off against a Toronto team whose players may be increasingly cost-controlled in the near future. Toronto overhauled its roster, sending out several veteran hitters and even productive young pitchers in a bid to acquire the game's best prospects. Toronto ranks 10th in best systems according to OSA right now, but some observers wouldn't hesitate to place them in the top three.
On the salary sheet, seven of the team's 12 commitments of over $1.3 million dollars expire after this season, with three more possibly expiring next year, plus one player eligible for a final round of arbitration next year. Toronto will be able to operate with very lean books in the near future.
This also doesn't mean that they don't have talent on the roster right now. An All-Star in 2017, Josh Donaldson is putting an injury-marred 2018 behind him by hitting over .300 so far. An All-Star last season, Troy Tulowitzki has already cranked out three doubles and a home run. Ryan Braun hit 32 home runs last season and has two more after a week. Most excitingly for Toronto, some young players are stepping up.
Only 24, Rowdy Tellez made slow and steady progress improving slightly last year over 2017. He still didn't have the greatest eye or hit tool though, so his numbers were fairly pedestrian outside a home run total of 29 in only 523 plate appearances. His first week of 2019 was special though and saw him capture his first Player of the Week Award. He hit .500, walked as often as he struck out, smacked two doubles, launched four home runs, and drove in nine runs. His finest moment may have been Wednesday when he smashed a grand slam, yet also found a way to deliver a game-winning single off Aroldis Chapman.
Tellez has been joined by 23-year old Richard Urena as another youngster off to a hot start. Urena is mostly known as a wiz defender with the potential to be a decent bat. He held his own playing as a 22-year-old last year, but was still someone with just a .679 OPS. Last week, he hit .292 with three home runs and a triple. It's unlikely the power surge continues, but it shows that the potential to be at least a league-average bat is there.
Venezuelan import Rogelio Padro will take the mound, and like his counterpart Honeywell, he'd like to forget his first start of the year. Padro has no professional experience in a major foreign league, but he throws a fastball that can touch 95, plus a an excellent changeup, a forkball, and a terrible curveball. The changeup and forkball heavy secondaries allow Padro to do reasonably well against righties, but in seven plate appearances by Yankees lefties, Padro allowed a double, triple, and home run. Seeing whether or not Tampa Bay's lefty-filled lineup can touch Padro will be a fun subplot.
Questions for the GMs:
For Graham Statford, you took over Tampa Bay late in the offseason. What are your initial impressions of the roster?
Your predecessor, Ryan James, made two significant trades this offseason. In one of them, Justin Williams and Khris Davis were sent out and Tomas Nido was brought in to catch. Nido got off to an awful start for you. How do you assess the trade?
Your opponent will likely be starting a lefty that may not be overpowering against lefties. Will you adjust your lineup at all to face him?
For Joe Mazzola, you've obviously mentioned that you're chiefly looking to contend in 2019 and 2020 once your upper-minors stockpile seasons a little. However, if this 5-1 start is real, would you accelerate that timeline at all for this season?
You took on a year of Hanley Ramirez for the right to swap prospects with Boston. Ramirez was awful in the spring, and was awful in four games last week. He's coming off a year where he hit .276 with 27 home runs and 36 doubles. Is there a chance that Ramirez is still there?
I don't think most people would automatically associate Ryan Braun with the leadoff spot. Why the decision to bat him there?
