By Matt Antaya
The All-Star break is over and it’s back to business on Friday. So what should we expect from the last half? As every university student knows, second semester is all about redemption.
No chance we fall into our old patterns. Promise.
The tough choices faced by General Manager Alex Anthopoulos have been frustrated by defeat. Even when the Jays were winning, it was clear some upgrades were needed; trade rumours occupied Torontonians’ thoughts and editorials. But given the Jays’ recent skid, AA must now decide how much of the future to mortgage on a team that may not be a contender this year. Is youngster Aaron Sanchez our top trade chip? Or is he a key piece to the Jays’ pitching rotation in 2015, 2016, and 2017?
As for the lineup, injuries still keep several marquee players off the field, most notably Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie. Starting pitcher Brandon Morrow continues to rehab towards an August return. But let’s face it: the organization expects little from Morrow given his injury history. Though a late-season re-emergence by “the real Brandon Morrow” could be just what the Jays need to tip the scales, a gambling man knows better than to place that bet.
The strong start by the Blue Jays has ensured their inclusion in the discussion surrounding the AL East – which is more than most were willing to give them back in March. But having spoiled away the lead they built up, the team must now stay healthy and play aggressive baseball. With priority number one to revive their hibernating offense.
The Jays return to action this weekend when the Texas Rangers visit Toronto. Friday night’s 7:07pm game will be a battle of aces as the Jays send R.A. Dickey to the mound against Yu Darvish – fresh off his appearance in the All-Star game. Starters Marcus Stroman and Mark Buerhle will anchor Saturday and Sunday’s 1:07pm games, respectively.
Insider Stuff
If you didn’t tune into the All-Star Game on Tuesday, you missed ‘The Derek Jeter Show’. Major League Baseball pulled out all the stops to honour the soon-to-be-retired Jeter in his final All-Star game. Now, we can’t fault Jeter for this – he kept his game face and played along like a champ – but you’d think someone from MLB might have questioned using so much pomp and spectacle to honour a player who built his impressive career on subtle confidence. Just sayin’.
The American League defeated the National League 5-3, and Angels’ outfielder Mike Trout was named Game MVP – driving in Jeter for the game’s first run with a triple off the right field fence. The win ensures whatever AL team advances to the World Series will have home-field advantage over their NL rival.
Buzzword of the Week: Upside
Similar to the term ‘makeup’, which we discussed in previous weeks, the term ‘upside’ is often used by scouts or analysts to help describe a player’s abilities or skillset. Most often the term ‘upside’ is used when comparing two players. An analyst might say something like: “Though Player A and Player B have performed similarly this year, Player B has more upside.” What he means by this statement is unlike Player A, who is playing as well as you would expect given his abilities, Player B has the potential for more. That is, assuming he can figure out how to exploit that extra talent.
To be clear, having upside and knowing how to unlock it are two very different things. The minor leagues are cluttered with players that supposedly “have more upside” but can’t seem to put all the pieces together. Similarly, most of us know a friend who probably has more upside but can’t seem to benefit from it. Yes, Jeff, we’re looking at you.
So what have you learned?
The Jays, new pocket organizer in-hand, promise to apply what they’ve learned in the first half. The team will decide whether trade piece Aaron Sanchez is better kept within the organization, and as current Jays return from injury, the team must build momentum in order to capitalize on the opportunity afforded by struggling AL East rivals. Derek Jeter was honoured as the AL beat the NL in the 85th edition of the MLB All-Star Game.
Our experts have told us the Jays have lots of upside, and we predict we’ll see some of that realized in the second half. Let’s hope for a strong showing this weekend and we’ll regroup next Friday with our course syllabus on the best damn (and only) ball club north of the border.
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