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2012 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

Potvin29 said:
If Snider keeps striking out at that rate he's going to need to continue to have a favourable BABIP or develop into that 30 HR guy consistenly to justify a spot in the lineup.
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But a consistently good BABIP is basically what Snider's records show. His lowest at any level is .286 and his lowest in the bigs is .300. So long as his walk rate increases marginally and he slugs .450 he's going to be a useful bat. Heck, even if his walk rate doesn't increase and he slugs .400 he'll be a useful bat off the bench. So long as the team is giving at-bats to Davis he'd would have to fall off a cliff not to justify his spot in the line-up.
 
Nik? said:
Potvin29 said:
If Snider keeps striking out at that rate he's going to need to continue to have a favourable BABIP or develop into that 30 HR guy consistenly to justify a spot in the lineup.
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But a consistently good BABIP is basically what Snider's records show. His lowest at any level is .286 and his lowest in the bigs is .300. So long as his walk rate increases marginally and he slugs .450 he's going to be a useful bat. Heck, even if his walk rate doesn't increase and he slugs .400 he'll be a useful bat off the bench. So long as the team is giving at-bats to Davis he'd would have to fall off a cliff not to justify his spot in the line-up.
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Of course, I'm not suggesting he can't do so, but he's also never done so over a full season, so it's not a foregone conclusion.  He'll just need to keep it up.
 
Potvin29 said:
Of course, I'm not suggesting he can't do so, but he's also never done so over a full season, so it's not a foregone conclusion.  He'll just need to keep it up.
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But the guy has 800+ big league at-bats with an OPS at .735. I think it's pretty safe to say that he's capable of performing at a level that justifies his spot in this line-up. Don't get me wrong, I get the instinct to look at this from a "what was AA thinking" sort of perspective but considering what Snider's done while getting jerked around it's pretty tough for me to see a positive spin on this one.
 
Frank E said:
I really wish I could get into baseball.

The metrics and team management seem really interesting. 

I just find the sport itself kind of boring.
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With metrics, you don't have to watch the game to be an expert.
 
We will see how the Snider trade turns out. My initial impression was that they wasted an asset, but we will see how Lincoln turns out.
 
Frank E said:
I really wish I could get into baseball.

The metrics and team management seem really interesting. 

I just find the sport itself kind of boring.
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Not to get too Ken Burns-y or anything but the thing I love about Baseball, the thing that can be tough to appreciate, is that it's really not meant to be consumed the way almost everything else in society is. It's not supposed to occupy your every second while you're watching it. The time between pitches allows for conversation and thought and reflection. It's best enjoyed in the company of others who you can talk to and crack jokes with or on the radio while you're doing something else and sort of half-engaged. You can get up and get a beer or a sandwich and not miss too much. For lack of a better term, it's a leisurely pursuit.

Now at its best? In the ninth inning of a one run game? It's gripping as all get out. Every pitch has got all manner of possibilities and that split second from the hand to the bat can be the tensest moment in sports. That's few and far between though. It's not really about that.

Right now I've got Nationals-Phillies on and I'm writing this post and checking e-mails and yet I'm just sort of absorbing it. I can look over and see Stephen Strasburg uncork an absolutely filthy curve or a 98 mph fastball and it's a cool thing to see but I'm ignoring most of it. It's not the crash and bang never stop action of other sports and it's not meant to be. You have to be able to see the beauty in the numbers or appreciate the look of a ballpark, to notice the subtlety of it and let that fill in the gaps between the action. It can't just be something you watch the way you would an episode of TV, it has to engage on a deeper level. 

I'm not really trying to sell you on it because I almost sort of feel it's the kind of thing you need to grow up with to really understand but I'd urge you to try and see it that way. Go out and see a game with people. Have a beer. Relax. Drift in and out as the situation warrants. Maybe it's not for everyone but the idea of something that you can "do" while relaxing is great for me as someone who spends a ton of time inside my own head.  It's meditative in every sense of the word. The zen of baseball.

And after you dig that? Then the metrics are really cool because then they're not just raw data. They inform the experience.
 
If I may add to that Nik, you can also choose to let it completely occupy your attention. Calling the next pitch is one of my favourite things to do while watching baseball.
 
Nik? said:
Potvin29 said:
Of course, I'm not suggesting he can't do so, but he's also never done so over a full season, so it's not a foregone conclusion.  He'll just need to keep it up.
Click to expand...

But the guy has 800+ big league at-bats with an OPS at .735. I think it's pretty safe to say that he's capable of performing at a level that justifies his spot in this line-up. Don't get me wrong, I get the instinct to look at this from a "what was AA thinking" sort of perspective but considering what Snider's done while getting jerked around it's pretty tough for me to see a positive spin on this one.
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Yeah that's fair enough, I certainly did not want to see him dealt.
 
Anyone else mildly interested in seeing Sierra tonight? I know very little about him and my expectations are very low but I do enjoy his name immensely.
 
#1PilarFan said:
If I may add to that Nik, you can also choose to let it completely occupy your attention. Calling the next pitch is one of my favourite things to do while watching baseball.
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Sure, I'm just speaking for myself there. Everyone will like different aspects and I agree, you can devote the entirety of your attention to the game and notice the minor details. That said you've still got 20-30 seconds between pitches at times and how you spend that time will vary.
 
#1PilarFan said:
Anyone else mildly interested in seeing Sierra tonight? I know very little about him and my expectations are very low but I do enjoy his name immensely.
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Yeah, but the notion that they are bringing up a career .740ish OPS guy to play the outfield I think is a great reminder that they shouldn't have traded away Snider.
 
Still has lots of time in the league to figure it out of course, but perhaps as of right now it's not too bad that the Jays didn't throw truckloads of money at Darvish:

Dan Shulman ‏@DShulman_ESPN

From ESPN research - Darvish's ERA in 1st start vs teams is 2.91. If they've seen him before - 5.81. Yu makes 4th start vs #angels tonight
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His line vs. the Angels from tonight: 5 IP 4 H 7 ER 6 BB 7 K 1 HR
 
This could turn out to be the road trip where hope died.

Jays probably need three out of four in Oakland if they want to play some meaningful games in August, let alone September.
 
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