Results tagged ‘ J.P. Arencibia ’
How Good Are the Blue Jays?
Courtesy: businessinsider.com
You can’t buy championships…Well, maybe you can. The New York Yankees have tried to and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels seem to think that it is possible. The Blue Jays are taking a new approach. They seem to be trading for AND buying a championship, acquiring an All-Star team this offseason (and their contracts) to become immediate contenders in the American League East.
Toronto is absolutely loaded. Starting pitching…upgraded. Bullpen…upgraded. Offense…upgraded. Manager…well, they brought back a former manager, John Gibbons, so that is questionable.
Still, you have to like what GM Alex Anthopoulos has done, and if you’re a Blue Jays fan you have to love it.
Courtesy: northjersey.com
The starting rotation is stacked. If the club rotates right-handed, left-handed, the rotation is: R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Ricky Romero, and Brandon Morrow. Morrow could be the No. 2 starter for most teams, possibly the No. 1 starter for many other. Morrow’s BB/9 IP have fallen from 4.1 in 2010 to 3.0 in 2012, when he posted a 2.96 ERA, also the lowest of his career. If Johnson stays healthy, he is capable of winning 20-games, having won 15 games in 2009, the last time he pitched 200 innings. Romero was 42-29 with a 3.60 ERA in his first three seasons (2009-2011) before imploding to a 9-14 record and 5.77 ERA in 2012. Buehrle has only tossed 200 innings in the last 12 seasons, winning 170 games in that time, and Dickey…a Cy Young in 2012 and a 39-28 record with a 2.95 ERA since 2010, when he seemingly became a totally different pitcher from his 22-28 record and 5.43 ERA that he posted in his previous seven seasons.
The bullpen is solid, as well, providing an end game from the Jays dominant rotation. Casey Janssen was dominant as a closer in 2012, Darren Oliver (if he doesn’t retire) has been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball over the last seven seasons, Brandon Lyon is a former closer turned set-up man, Sergio Santos is coming back from shoulder surgery, and Esmil Rogers, Aaron Loup, and Brad Lincoln still have potential to become great bullpen arms.
Cabrera, Reyes, and Bautista – the new core. Courtesy: nydailynews.com
The additions of Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera provide, quite possibly, the best leadoff and No. 2 hitter in baseball, setting things up perfectly for the powerful Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Brett Lawrie will continue to establish himself as one of the top third basemen in baseball, starting in 2013, as his power, speed, and athleticism make him an elite talent. Adam Lind and Colby Rasmus have shown glimpses of talent in the past and they are both young enough to rebound and become great contributors, even All-Star talents. The club has a lot of power at catcher with J.P. Arencibia around, who now has a clear future with Travis d’Arnaud going to the Mets in the Dickey deal.
While you can look at all of the deals that sent talent like d’Arnaud, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, Henderson Alvarez, and Noah Syndergaard away from the club, the Blue Jays still have a lot of young talent in the system. Lawrie, Moises Sierra, Anthony Gose, and David Cooper will contribute at the major league level in 2013, and great prospects like Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris (who will surely rebound from a disastrous 2012), Marcus Stroman, Roberto Osuna, Sean Nolin, and D.J. Davis still within the system.
While the Boston Red Sox try to rebuild without making a huge splash in free agency and the New York Yankees aim to get under the luxury tax threshold by 2014, the Toronto Blue Jays have just made their move…or moves…to become a huge threat to the entire divison and the league. Could Toronto be battling Tampa and Baltimore as the Red Sox and Yankees try to determine how they are going to build in the future? The future is now in Toronto and the Blue Jays could approach 100-wins with their upgraded roster in 2013.
Week One Statistics to Impress
One week has gone by since baseball returned to bring joy to the world. After about six games for each team, there are some interesting stats to get excited about or become worried about, which ever reaction you deem necessary for your team.
* Zack Cozart is 2nd in MLB in Total Bases.
Cozart’s current .455/.520/.864 is very impressive and he was already a Rookie of the Year candidate before opening eyes this week. He should continue to hit with a solid lineup and a nice home park…the fact that he is hitting 2nd in the Reds lineup already is an excellent sign for his production, with some guy named Votto behind him.
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catchers
I’ll be compiling lists of the top players at each position for 2012 Fantasy Baseball in the coming weeks. Overall rankings will consist of their value in a points format, earning points for each H, R, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, basically a formula of Total Bases + RBI + Runs = Total Value. I’ll begin with catchers. You’ll see their stats for 2011 below their names with 2012 Projections in ITALICS
1. Mike Napoli, Texas
.320/.414/.631, 25 2B, 30 HR, 75 RBI, 85/58 K/BB in 369 AB
.295/.389/.560, 30 2B, 27 HR, 81 RBI, 101/68 K/BB in 446 AB
Napoli has always had power but he sat so often for the AMAZING Jeff Mathis on the Angels that he never got a chance to truly breakout. He finally got a chance and became a near-MVP talent in Texas in 2011. He may not repeat the AVG, but the power is real, especially in that lineup and ballpark.
2. Carlos Santana, Cleveland
.239/.351/.457, 35 2B, 27 HR, 79 RBI, 133/97 K/BB in 552 AB
.279/.401/.531, 31 2B, 33 HR, 91 RBI, 123/101 K/BB in 549 AB
I may be higher on Santana than most, but he’ll make more contact in 2012 and he posted these numbers in his first full season. The sky is the limit and the value in Santana is that he plays 1B and DH when he isn’t behind the plate.
3. Alex Avila, Detroit
.295/.389/.506, 33 2B, 19 HR, 82 RBI, 131/73 K/BB in 464 AB
.286/.391/.511, 35 2B, 21 HR, 86 RBI, 124/76 K/BB in 471 AB
4. Yadier Molina, St. Louis
.305/.349/.465, 32 2B, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 44/33 K/BB in 475 AB
.301/.342/.437, 29 2B, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 46/36 K/BB in 461 AB
5. Buster Posey, San Francisco
.311/.374/.521, 31 2B, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 83/65 K/BB in 476 AB
We all know about his injury last year, but reports show he is ready. His 2010 stats were: .305/.357/.505, 23 2B, 18 HR, 67 RBI, 55/30 K/BB in 406 AB. Expect the same, maybe more.
6. Miguel Montero, Arizona
.282/.351/.469, 36 2B, 18 HR, 86 RBI, 97/47 K/BB in 493 AB
.276/.349/.471, 33 2B, 20 HR, 84 RBI, 101/56 K/BB in 489 AB
7. Brian McCann, Atlanta
.270/.351/466, 19 2B, 24 HR, 71 RBI, 89/57 K/BB in 466 AB
.281/.363/.485, 21 2B, 22 HR, 79 RBI, 81/71 K/BB in 483 AB
8. Matt Wieters, Baltimore
.262/.328/.450, 28 2B, 22 HR, 68 RBI, 84/48 K/BB in 500 AB
.276/.339/.490, 29 2B, 27 HR, 84 RBI, 97/61 K/BB in 506 AB
9. Joe Mauer, Minnesota
.287/.360/.368, 15 2B, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 38/32 K/BB in 296 AB
.313/.394/.411, 31 2B, 8 HR, 71 RBI, 79/76 K/BB in 496 AB
It’s well documented about Mauer’s knee issues last season. I can see him taking a Carlos Santana/Victor Martinez approach to stay in the lineup. He won’t ever come close to his 2009 power outburst, but he can have value due to the ability to drive the ball in the gaps of Target Field.
10. Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati
.180/.226/.360, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10/3 K/BB in 50 AB
.265/.329/.449, 18 2B, 14 HR, 59 RBI, 72/21 K/BB in 374 AB
Mesoraco will be a top catcher once he isn’t sharing the position. He’s capable of hitting 15 homers in about 350 AB, and will settle into the Cincinnati lineup near Votto and Bruce to see plenty of good pitches. He’s someone to watch in Keeper Leagues, but he’ll have value right away.
11. Geovany Soto, Chicago (N.L.)
.228/.310/.411, 26 2B, 17 HR, 54 RBI, 124/45 K/BB in 421 AB
.268/.335/.445, 28 2B, 23 HR, 73 RBI, 147/56 K/BB in 447 AB
Shoulder woes have sapped Soto’s value and possibly led to some offensive struggles, particularly with strikeouts, in 2011. He may become a trade chip for the rebuilding Cubs in 2012, but he needs to build his value and show that he is healthy. He can still hit, but can he do it consistently?
12. Jonathan LuCroy, Milwaukee
.265/.313/.391, 16 2B, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 99/29 K/BB in 430 AB
.269/.318/.401, 21 2B, 13 HR, 54 RBI, 112/41 K/BB in 456 AB
13. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston
.235/.288/.450, 23 2B, 16 HR, 56 RBI, 119/24 K/BB in 358 AB
.251/.301/.450, 27 2B, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 126/38 K/BB in 438 AB
It wasn’t always pretty last year for “Salty,” but he shows enough power and plays in the right lineup, so he has value. He has always been huge and awkward behind the plate, but the Red Sox only have Ryan Lavarnway ready, and he isn’t ready defensively, and may never be ready defensively, to steal time from him.
14. J.P. Arencibia, Toronto
.219/.282/.438, 20 2B, 23 HR, 78 RBI, 133/36 K/BB in 443 AB
.231/.313/.479, 25 2B, 24 HR, 83 RBI, 145/31 K/BB in 471 AB
Arencibia doesn’t have a whole lot of time to hold down this job. If he doesn’t show that he can make consistent contact in 2012, he may lose time to Travis d’Arnaud really soon. Even being young, he may find himself as trade bait or moved off of the position. We’ll see if that is enough motivation for him.
15. Russell Martin, New York (A.L.)
.237/.324/.408, 17 2B, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 81/50 K/BB in 417 AB
.249/.337/.415, 19 2B, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 80/61 K/BB in 443 AB
16. Wilson Ramos, Washington
.267/.334/.445, 22 2B, 15 HR, 52 RBI, 76/38 K/BB in 389 AB
.271/.339/.456, 24 2B, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 91/49 K/BB in 467 AB
17. Chris Ianetta, Los Angeles (A.L.)
.238/.370/.414, 17 2B, 14 HR, 55 RBI, 89/70 K/BB in 345 AB
.242/.359/.408, 19 2B, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 91/76 K/BB in 453 AB
18. Kurt Suzuki, Oakland
.237/.301/.385, 26 2B, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 64/38 K/BB in 460 AB
.229/.291/.376, 21 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 71/31 K/BB in 398 AB
19. Miguel Olivo, Seattle
.224/.253/.388, 19 2B, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 140/20 K/BB in 477 AB
.212/.239/.371, 17 2B, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 131/16 K/BB in 348 AB
20. John Buck, Miami
.227/.316/.367, 16 2B, 15 HR, 57 RBI, 115/54 K/BB in 466 AB
.234/.327/.381, 18 2B, 16 HR, 54 RBI, 111/58 K/BB in 439 AB
KEEPER LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Travis d’Arnaud – TOR
Wilin Rosario – COL
Jesus Monter0 – SEA: He’d be a top 10 talent “IF” he gets Catcher Eligibility
Yasmani Grandal – SD
Christian Bethancourt – ATL
Sebastian Valle – PHI
Gary Sanchez - NY (A.L.)
Derek Norris – OAK
Andrew Susac – SF
