vladimir guerrero.

What kind of bothers me in regards to the Jays future is, while we’ve got some serious bats coming up (Alford, Biggio, Bichette, Smith, Jansen) we don’t have much in the way of pitching. Pearson I like a lot, tho he’s hurt right now and Borucki might be ok... but I feel like bringing up Vlad too soon brings him out of synch with the others. I get that he’s more advanced than any other prospect in the system but I don’t see a need to rush him if it doesn’t serve a purpose.

He'll get called up in September for sure. As for calling up the prospects and letting them develop in the majors (like the Braves and Astros), it won't happen. The Jays haven't done that since the early 80's.

to quote zack cozart, this is bad for baseball. the best players should be in the majors, regardless of age or years of control. the cubs/braves gaming a couple weeks to get an extra year of bryant/acuna is, while bad, one thing, but stashing a guy for months/years is unacceptable. if the jays keep him down it may be smart given the current incentives, but it's something that baseball as a whole should address

agreed

agreed here, too.

on the other hand, i guess it's good for AA baseball

saw people on twitter celebrating 'the guerrero news' but it turned out to be about peru's world cup captain : /

last I checked he was hitting like .440

.417/.465/.701 with 21 strikeouts in 216 plate appearances

in a league in which he is -5.3 years younger than average

<3

i also side with zack cozart on this issue

but if he's not going to promoted it would be nice to see him hit .450 or do something bonkers

So it's obviously bad for baseball fans that Guerrero is not playing in the majors right now but on top of that... I wonder how the current Blue Jays squad feel about not getting the necessary reinforcements to win games. As players of major league caliber, their whole life is set upon competing at baseball, and then their management is throwing the towel 45 games into the season and decides not to bring in potential help to win games. It must be so frustrating, if not downright deflating. 'Nah you guys are not quite worth losing one year of Guerrero's contract, sorry'.

boo hoo lol

I can see them thinking that way in another context--later in the year, somewhat closer--but I can't believe anybody on this team thinks Guerrero's going to launch them into contention. Something I come across in a lot of books is how, 50 years ago, some veterans would be very supportive of younger players (e.g., Musial), but most would treat them like dirt. I don't know how many of those guys still exist--money has changed everything; veterans don't feel as threatened anymore--but if they do, they're probably thinking this Double-A guy sure does get a fuck of a lot of attention.

Not launching them into contention, indeed that would not happen right now, but at least help winning games. However you are probably right, there is a most probably a selfish reaction when a young star comes along.

(However, it would be fun to hear if the arrival of Albies and Acuna did motivate older players in the Braves lineup to compete more than they used to, or if it just a coincidence.)

most jays are playing poorly enough that they deserve to be replaced, so they should be happy to leave the minor leaguers where they are. of the few that aren't -- or at least deserve the benefit of the doubt -- two play vlad's position

i would guess most guys' feelings are a mix of 'shit, i could tear up double-a too' (not like this, you couldn't) and 'whoa that kid's good'. most of them saw him in spring training and hit that walk-off in montreal

and yeah, winning is more fun than losing, but i suspect guys like smoak and solarte are pretty content to be playing okay and making the MLB average salary without worrying about front office moves

of the few that aren't -- or at least deserve the benefit of the doubt -- two play vlad's position

donaldson won't be around for too long, though, i'd guess. unless his injuries destroy his trade value

Yeah the market is already saturated in decent-to-great third basemen, considering how the past off-season went I am not convinced Donaldson is going to easily find a new home.

this year is crazy...

Vlad Jr. (leg) placed on the DL at Double-A https://t.co/N0fWiWGo8z

— Rotoworld Baseball (@Rotoworld_BB) June 7, 2018

dammit

https://sports.yahoo.com/argument-favor-keeping-vladimir-guerrero-jr-minor-leagues-203009930.html

Heading to Buffalo. Will definitely get down there for a game.

Having a hard time getting my head around Vlad Sr. on the cover of TV Guide.

so far in AA he's batting .410/.460/.668 in 54 games, 236 PAs, 205 wRC+

he seems ready to another level

ready for another level

#isthatgood

If you're in Toronto, TSN is debuting Namesake today at 5:00, about the two Guerreros. I'm heading down to Buffalo on Thursday to see Jr.

I gave serious thought about doing that. But fuck trump. I’m not going to that country.

Don't punish yourself. When you look back one day and say "I saw him play in Triple-A," the other guy will be long gone.

i'll live.

you presumably live in Doug Ford's Ontario

i really meant to do that while he was still in AA with new hampshire (closer to me than buffalo i think), ah well!

ya. i'm more boycotting the US while they have tariffs in place designed to fuck over Canadians – including my father's business (he's worked in the food industry most his life). it's not about trump specifically – but the whole corrupt/complicit apparatus that is allowing him to run roughshod over trade agreements. i'l keep my dollars here at home in doug ford's stupid fucking Ontario.

and don't even get me started about how angry i am about his latest stunt.

I was going to say, Thermo, Buffalo will probably have a couple of seats on our next council, so you can look at it that way.

also one of my best baseball friends is "the wrong shade" to be entering the US without us having to worry about the shitheels attitude at the boarder.

Maybe you could justify it by considering it a subsidy toward Vlad Jr's future career (which includes keeping him in T.O. for as many years as possible).

dude - i am going to put a brew master's kid through college once this kid hits the show.

Just missed an autograph; he opted for the young women standing beside me instead of the Unabomber-looking old guy. (Plus, she had an expensive jersey, I had a card.)

He went 1-3 with a double, a walk, and a baserunning error (understandable--the opposing shortstop had just made a fantastic play). I hope he can stay interested for the rest of the year; he looked a little bored fielding his position, or maybe he was just daydreaming about millions. (Will they bring him up as a September call-up or just start fresh next year?)

http://phildellio.tripod.com/vlad.jpg

💪 Vlad Jr. 💪@MLB's No. 1 overall prospect is 3-for-3 with a 2-run homer tonight, his 1st since joining the @BuffaloBisons. The #BlueJays phenom is hitting .476 in 8 games since being promoted on July 31. Here's how @BlueJays prospects are faring: https://t.co/n4rt0Iwb1H pic.twitter.com/x5Fi6eWYax

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 9, 2018

remembering what happened with Travis Snider and Rios, I'm trying not to let my expectations get too crazy with this kid.

neither of those guys ever hit like this, let alone as a teenager (and rios had a pretty solid big league career!)

i am expecting miguel cabrera-type things tbh

my only concern is that he seems like a rather burly young man, which could end up limiting him to first base and/or be an injury factor

i mean okay, it's absurd to compare a 19yo to a triple-crown winner, but he's not gonna be brandon wood either

Agree--Vlad's not just promising, he's been dominating two or three different levels this year. I have no historical memory here, so I think I'll send a question out to everyone's favourite aging lunatic sabermetrician, see if he can recall any precedents.

dominating two or three different levels this year

Almost the whole year in double A and 22 ABs in AAA so far.

Oh I'm sorry clem you were probably talking about two or three different aspects of the game. My bad!

Actually I did mean that he'd played at four different levels this season, but you're right, 90% of his AB were in double-A.

Unrelated to baseball:
ASK TIM ELLISON

Albert, I don't think I ever knew why Night Soil Man broke up. I really only knew Mark and mostly knew him after NSM. I did see NSM at least once, though!

And Pulltoys! Opening for fIREHOSE.

(That band name came from a Minutemen song. At least I always assumed that...)

2-4 with another HR tonight.