It's the fifth last game of the season tonight as Esmil Rogers faces off against Bud Norris. Norris is a 28-year-old right hander who spent four and a half years with the Astros before being dealt at the deadline to Baltimore. As you would expect, the AL East has taken a bit of a toll on Bud and he has a 4.63 ERA since being dealt. The division change really doesn't have that much to do with it in truth as he's only faced AL East rivals twice.

Norris mainly throws a fastball, sinker, and slider with the speed of his fastballs sitting in the 93-94 mph range. Against right handed batters he throws almost exclusively a fastball and slider, which makes him a bit predictable. Here's his movement:

Norris is also pretty good with his hands:

via thescore.com

via www-thescore.s3.amazonaws.com

Not much more to Norris as he your average mid-rotation starter that is fairly dependable year in and year out. For the "Find the Link":

Find the link between Bud Norris and the Detroit Lions' Trojan running back.

TankFest 2013

Haven't done one of these in a while. The Blue Jays sit with the 9th pick due to tiebreakers:

It's tough to enjoy these games, but we'll probably wish we did in the depressing days of January.

Last night, Moises Sierra stepped in a hole (why did I type whole the first time, maybe because the whole team is on the is on the DL) and sprained his ankle.  He's day-to-day, but with five games left, I doubt that he'll be playing again this year.

That leaves us with 3 outfielders. Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar and Rajai Davis. It is pretty silly to just have 3 outfielders in September, when we are allowed to have 40 guys on the active roster, but then, Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus are on the DL. And we have 23 pitchers on the 40-man. That doesn't leave a lot of rooms for batters.

The next problem is that Rajai Davis will be leaving on paternity leave soon, likely tomorrow, which would leave us with two outfielders, Fortunately Anthony Gose can cover most of the outfield by himself, but still having just two outfielders is not the optimum. The Jays will likely point at a random player and say 'buy an outfielder's glove'. Mark DeRosa, most likely.

The Jays don't have any more available outfielders on the  40-man roster, actually they only have 1 batter on the 40-man that isn't on the active roster or the DL and that's A.J. Jimenez, who, being a Blue Jay, is hurt.

The 40-man roster is full, but there are a half dozen guys on the 15-day DL, any of whom could be moved to the 60-day.  We have a handful of minor league outfielders that could be put on to the 40-man and removed after the season, or put on and left on for that matter.  Let's take a look:

• Ricardo Nanita. He's 32, he's been in the Jays system since 2010, he's never been to the majors , it would be a nice treat for him to get a couple of days up here. He played in the WBC for the winning Dominican Republic (was only 1 for 13 batting). This year, splitting time between New Hampshire and Buffalo, he hit .258/.312/.376, with 6 home runs. If it were up to me, I'd give him a call.
• Brad Glenn. He was New Hampshire's Webster award winner. He hit .261/.333/.465 with 22 home runs, mostly for the Fisher Cats, with 18 games for the Bisons at the end of the season. He's 26.
• Mike McCoy. He knows the way to Rogers Centre, though he knows how to get there from Vegas. He hit .245/.357/.327 with 4 home runs and 29 steals.
• Ryan Langerhans. Ryan has played 593 games in the majors. His career MLB numbers .226/.332/.372 with 33 home runs. He hit .221/.344/.404 with 9 home runs in 64 games in Buffalo.
• Adam Loewen. Adam played most of the season, all but one game, with the Fisher Cats, hitting .267/.358/.439 with 15 home runs and 10 steals. You know his story. He did have 32 at bats, with us, in September 2011, hitting .188/.297/.313 with 1 home run.

If you ran the Jays, what would you do?

The Orioles have officially been eliminated from playoff contention and they are on a six-game losing streak. Will they win one more to clinch a winning season? The odds are in their favor but they're not playing like a team interested in getting win #82.

Lineups

Orioles

That is an eliminated-from-the-postseason lineup if ever I saw one. Team Steve makes up two-ninths of the lineup and Jason Pridie will be making his Orioles debut, and Jonathan Schoop will be making his major-league debut. That's kind of exciting! Adam Jones and Matt Wieters are given the day off, but don't worry! Nick Markakis is in the three-hole.

Blue Jays

Starting Pitchers

Bud Norris is on the mound for the Orioles. When last we saw Bud he was giving up the losing run in that eighteen-inning game down in Tampa Bay. Poor Bud has had to come in to pitch in relief twice in those situations. He hasn't made a start since September 8th against the White Sox, so who knows what we'll get from him tonight.

Esmil Rogers will pitch for the Blue Jays. He's been mostly a relief pitcher this season and has faced the Orioles four times, one of which was a start. He's just the kind of guy a losing team sends out there at the end of the year. You know, not really good enough to always be a starting pitcher, but decent enough once you've stopped caring.

Look out, Blue Jays minor leaguers currently on vacation: the big club may be giving you a call soon because they are running out of healthy players. In a 9-5 loss to the Orioles, Kyle Drabek had to be removed from the game after being hit by a comebacker, and Adam Lind looked liked he tweaked his back after stopping awkwardly while rounding third.

The Blue Jays started the scoring when Jose Reyes singled in Josh Thole in the second inning, and they tacked on a couple more runs with two outs in the third with an Anthony Gose Triple and Josh Thole single. The Blue Jays actually outhit the Orioles 15-13, getting at least a hit in every inning and forcing starter Bud Norris out of the game after four innings, but failed to seal the deal on many occasions.

Toronto had a chance for a big inning in the top of the sixth: T.J. McFarland led off the inning with a leadoff walk to Jose Reyes. With Munenori Kawaski up, Reyes took off for second and Kawasaki tapped one softly towards first base. McFarland jumped off the mound to field it but missed it when he tried to grab it with his bare hand. Reyes saw the bobble and was able to advance to third. Brett Lawrie was then hit by McFarland and he loaded the bases with no outs. Unfortunately, Adam Lind proceeded to ground into a double play and Rajai Davis struck out. The Jays got just one run out of a bases loaded, no outs situation.

Esmil Rogers had a not-so-good start despite quick first and second innings. In the third, he gave up a single to Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop, who was making his major league debut. A batter later, Ryan Flaherty hit a towering homer onto Eutaw Street. Flaherty would later hit another homer (off Ricky Romero), giving him ten on the season, five of which came off of Blue Jays pitchers.

In the bottom of the fifth, Rogers gave up the go-ahead single to Nick Markakis, who eeked out a single that second baseman Ryan Goins almost got to. Aaron Loup was brought in to try to kill the rally, but a Chris Davis ground-rule double and an RBI-ground out later, the game was 6-3 for Baltimore. Rogers' line in what likely was his final start of the year was not pretty: 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 1 BB, 2 HR.

Pitching next for the Jays was Kyle Drabek, who didn't look very good. He gave up a lead off homer to Schoop, making Schoop the fourth batter to hit a homer in his major league debut against the Blue Jays. After a walk to Flaherty, Nate McLouth hit a hard grounder right off of Drabek's right leg, but Kyle did manage to pick up the ball and throw him out at first before being taken off he field by the training staff. According to Sportsnet, Drabek was diagnosed with a bone bruise after post-game X-rays showed no fractures.

Jeremy Jeffress came in and had another great outing. striking out three in 1.2 innings allowing only an infield single to Steve Pearce. He was firing the heaters that reached 97 mph, but he got two of his strike out victims (Chris Davis and Steve Clevenger) on devestating 80-mph curves.

Then Ricky Romero came in. The most positive thing I can say about his one-inning outing is that he eventually did get three outs after two walks and a homer. He allowed an infield hit too, but Brett Lawrie made it a very close play that could've gone either way at first. There should be some pity rule like "all close plays at first should go to the team that Romero is pitching for." Romero's ERA, albeit in a very small number of innings pitched, now sits at 11.05, a number no one wants on the back of his baseball card.

Turning back to the positives, both Munenori Kawasaki and Josh Thole had four-hit games, although the last two of Kawasaki's hits (which included a beautiful bunt single) barely made it 60 feet combined. This was Thole's third four-hit game of his career, and Kawasaki's first. Thole had as many hits Wednesday night as J.P. Arencibia has since August 29.

Adam Lind, who went 1-for-4, looked like he pulled something in his back after rounding third base and was in pain throughout the game. With Moises Sierra having an ankle problem, the Blue Jays' bench is getting surprisingly thin despite the expanded rosters.

Jays of the Day! Munenori Kawasaki!!!!!! (+.202 WPA), Jose Reyes (+.142), I'll also give it to Josh Thole (+.085) for the heck of it

Suckage Jays: Esmil Rogers (-.308), Kevin Pillar (-.190), Adam Lind (-.183), I'll also give one to Aaron Loup (-.090) for his ineffective relief. Giving one to Romero would be a dick move so I won't.

One more road game left, folks. Tomorrow the Blue Jays play the rubbermatch against the Orioles, Mark Buehrle will start against Miguel Gonzalez. Tune in.... or not.

I am a fan of graphs (you can call me a GraphsFan) because when they are used properly, they can convey information efficiently and effectively. But they can be useless--and worst, misleading--when used in improper ways. Two months ago, I wrote about how Sportsnet, the sports network that carries Blue Jays broadcasts, have used horrible, horrible bar graphs this season, focusing on one that uses a single bar graph to compare four different statistics. Thankfully, I haven't noticed anything as egregious since that post, so good job, Sportsnet guys!

What they had kept on doing was to display pitchers' "scouting reports' (really their pitch distribution) as bar graphs. Take a look at this graphic from the September 24 broadcast:

What I don't understand about that graphic above is why Sportsnet chose to use a different typeface for "Splitter" than the rest of the graphic, but I guess that's not the point. Anyway, technically using a bar graph in this situation is not wrong (we display poll results like that), but unless there are too many categories, I think percentages are best perceived as segments on a pie chart. It not only shows how big each category is to the others, but it also clearly shows how big a segment is compared to the whole. So I'm glad to say that finally, with five games left in the regular season, Sportsnet's graphics folks have figured that out and produced this on the September 25 broadcast:

Thanks to Craig Chapman (@craigrwc) for posting the screencap.

See? Much better. Let's hope it stays that way.

Other things of note

• The Blue Jays have been having a lotta babies, which certainly brightens up this horrible season. Brendan Kennedy has pictures of little Kawasaki and little Loup. We're still waiting for Neil Wagner and Adam Lind to share theirs (and Rajai Davis too when his is born). Wouldn't it have been so cute for the Blue Jays to have won a World Series this year so all the babies could partake in the parade? In the piece, Kennedy asked Kawasaki why he gave his son "Airc" as a middle name, but he didn't ask whether Loup's daughter's middle name of "Harper" was named for Bryce or Stephen.
• In the "not news but fine I'll share it" category of links, Alex Anthopoulos is now publicly making it known that he knows how badly J.P. Arencibia has been this year, calling it a "prolonged funk." AA still thinks that starting pitching should be their focus, as they are second-last in the league in ERA.
• Elsewhere in the baseball universe, Michael Wacha lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth, on the 25th anniversary of Dave Stieb's failed bid.
• Interestingly, last week Bob Elliott noted that scout Tom Burns, who signed Brett Cecil among others, had left the club. Elliott also wrote that Burns was the 12th scout to leave the organization since Brian Parker was given the scouting director title last year. I know next to nothing about whether these scouts were good or bad or in between, but it is surprising to hear of such a high turnover rate. We can only hope that this is only a period of transition and that the Blue Jays would be able to find--and keep--quality scouting talent.
• Lastly, I found out that humanity took until 1801 to invent the pie chart (thanks, William Playfair).

The Blue Jays announced that they have signed free agent Ryan Langerhans and have added him to the active roster. To make room, Brett Cecil was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. The Blue Jays needed to add someone to the roster with Adam Lind and Moises Sierra hurting and Rajai Davis waiting on the birth of his child.

Langerhans has had an interesting season. He signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays in the offseason and played for the Buffalo Bisons until he was released on June 21. He subsequently inked a deal with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League about a week later, and played for them until the Bisons lost their entire outfield. The Blue Jays re-signed Langerhans to help the Bisons out for the last week of their season, something that their general manager was very thankful for. After the Bisons season ended, he asked for his release so that he could re-join the Skeeters' playoff run.  Unfortunately, the Skeeters were swept by the Somerset Patriots in the Freedom Division Championship Series, with their season ending on September 20.

We first speculated that Langerhans would be one of the top choices to fill in the roster as all other minor leaguers in the system have not played for at least three weeks while Langerhans was still playing until last Friday. There could be one more move coming: could Blake Gailen be far behind Langerhans?

Brett Cecil was shut down for the season with elbow inflammation back on September 13 anyway so his transfer to the 60-day DL is just to open up a roster spot and not a sign that his condition had changed.

UPDATE

Langerhans will join the Blue Jays in Baltimore, playing first base for Adam Lind. Sierra will be playing in right field.

Also: remember this horrible collision during spring training between Langerhans and Mike McCoy?

UPDATE 2

Brendan Kennedy tweeted out some updates when after speaking with John Gibbons in the clubhouse:

Lind is day-to-day with a sore back. Gibby said it "locked up on him" yesterday while rounding third. Got worse when he swung. #bluejays

— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) September 26, 2013

Langerhans was playing in the independent Atlantic League last week. McCoy was also an option, but hadn't played since Sept. 2. #bluejays

— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) September 26, 2013

Langerhans was in his car on his way to a hunting trip when he got the call, Gibbons said. ... Rajai Davis left for birth of first child.

— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) September 26, 2013

Sierra back in the #bluejays lineup, so he's alright. Drabek also walking around the clubhouse with no problem, so he looks alright.

— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) September 26, 2013

One day removed from an unorthodox lineup finally breaking the Orioles offensive doldrums - at least for one game - manager Buck Showalter returns with another strange starting nine:

#Orioles 9/26 lineup vs #Jays: Roberts DH, Markakis 9, Valencia 5, Jones 8, Wieters 2, Hardy 6, Pearce 3, Pridie 7, Schoop 4, Gonzalez 1

— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) September 26, 2013

There are things to like about this and things not to like, and you know which is which already. Steve Pearce, Jason Pridie, and Jonathan Schoop are all starting for a second consecutive day. They acquitted themselves well enough in Wednesday's game.

In a past life, namely one where he had an OPS over .700, Nick Markakis had good numbers off Blue Jays starter Mark Buehrle, batting .444/.500/.694 in 40 plate appearances. Match-ups aren't everything, though, because Chris Davis is on the bench even though he has two home runs off Buehrle in 15 plate appearances.

Actually, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports that Davis is out of the lineup with a sore right foot. He has a screw in there from a 2007 fracture and it seems that the 18-inning game on the Trop carpet may have aggravated the foot.

Some guys playing for the Blue Jays, all of whom will be facing Miguel Gonzalez for as long as he is in the game:

1. Jose Reyes (S) SS
2. Munenori Kawasaki (L) DH
3. Brett Lawrie (R) 3B
4. Moises Sierra (R) RF
5. Anthony Gose (L) CF
6. J.P. Arencibia (R) C
7. Ryan Langerhans (L) 1B
8. Ryan Goins (L) 2B
9. Kevin Pillar (R) LF

Maybe the Orioles can actually win a series when facing a lineup like that. I guess, technically, the Orioles probably "should" lose the remaining four games now that they've sealed a winning season, to improve their draft position and bonus pool or some such, but I think that's loser talk. It's fun when the Orioles win games. Maybe they will win Thursday night.

It looks like this isn't true:

@DJDannyIpps the tweet was not from us. It was an impostor account. We never tweeted it.

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) November 13, 2013

So, ummmm yeah, my bad for passing it on.

The rumors out of Philadelphia keep coming.

Last night it was that Jose Bautista was being traded to Philly, this morning it is J.P. Arencibia that is on his way to the 'City of Brotherly Love':

A source tells our Anthony Gargano that the Phillies and Blue Jays are close to a deal that sends catcher J.P. Arancibia to the Phillies.

— Sportsradio 94 WIP (@SportsradioWlP) November 13, 2013

Ignore the misspelling of JP's name. No word on who might be coming this way, but then again, who cares, addition by subtraction.

As always, when one of these rumors makes it to the media, it makes me think there is no chance it will happen. Alex Anthopoulos is very closed mouth about these things, but then maybe the Phillies front office likes to talk?

This is the second catcher rumor from Philadelphia this morning. Earlier Howard Eskin (you remember him from last night's rumor) tweets this:

Hope #phillies don't match 2 Year offer by #bluejays to C Carlos Ruiz. Another 35 year old player. Ruiz wants 3.

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) November 13, 2013

Do I believe it? No, but it is nice to think that we'll have a better catcher next year. There was a rumor that Ru.iz had a two-year, $10 million per offer. Ken Rosenthal thought that offer was from the Red Sox, but maybe he was wrong, maybe it was the Jays.

Ruiz wasn't great last year, hitting .268/.320/.368 but that's massively better than JP.

I think we are in for an interesting off-season.

On this day in team history, the Marlins shockingly sent Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and two others to Toronto for a four-player, three-prospect package. The payroll-motivated deal signified that the days of fire sales weren't quite over.

The opening of Marlins Park was supposed to signify a new era for the Marlins, one where the franchise had the revenue necessary to finally make significant investments in its long-term future. The ballyhooed offseason signings going into the 2012 season seemed to support that. But the event that transpired one year ago today signified that nothing may have changed in the way Jeffrey Loria runs the franchise. On this date, November 13, 2012, Miami shocked the baseball world by completing a blockbuster trade with the Blue Jays, shipping off Josh Johnson, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle--the latter two having been signed to huge contracts just one year before--for a return of four young players and three prospects.

For almost as long as the franchise has been in existence, Marlins ownership had decried the competitive disadvantages that came with the team being forced to use a football-first stadium as its home. Owners Wayne Huizenga, John Henry and Jeffrey Loria all claimed in succession that they couldn't make significant payroll investments in the team until they significantly increased revenue, a problem which a new stadium would solve. Until then, fire sales and an inability (or unwillingness) to retain star players for the duration of their careers would be the norm.

But as the 2012 season approached, the rebranded Miami Marlins finally had that new stadium and, as promised, Loria splurged on high-priced free agents in a radical departure from past operating practice. Jose Reyes, perhaps the top player on the market along with Albert Pujols, was signed for six years and $106 million; Mark Buehrle was signed for four years and $58 million; and Heath Bell was signed for three years and $27 million. With the combination of those additions, a former World Series-winning manager in Ozzie Guillen and an already-talented roster, Miami looked set to contend for the postseason.

As Marlins fans remember--it wasn't that long ago, obviously--it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. The team could only manage to hang around .500 until late July before finishing in last place with a 69-93 record. Bell clashed with Guillen, who feuded with ownership, and the Marlins became somewhat of a laughingstock as Showtime broadcast the discord on "The Franchise," its "Hard Knocks"-style show. Hanley Ramirez and Omar Infante were traded during the season, Guillen was fired after the season, and then came the denouement in the form of the trade with Toronto.

Marlins' leadership wasn't so foolish as to pretend the trade wasn't about shedding salaries. President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest admitted that Loria had instructed him to pare payroll to a certain level. Yet Loria went beyond that, justifying the deal as necessary in order to change the structure of a team that had finished in last for two straight seasons. Never mind the flawed logic in that reasoning--if the fix after 2011 was to invest in high-priced players, how could the fix after 2012 be to get rid of those same players, as well as other regulars? (Loria also said the move marked a return to "Marlins baseball," which he defined as "high energy and hungry." Four years earlier, in the wake of the Josh Willingham/Scott Olsen trade, Loria defined "Marlins baseball" as speed and pitching. It appears the franchise's identity is as fleeting as its stars' stints with the team.)

Loria certainly succeeded in paring down payroll. In the contracts of Reyes, Buehrle and Bell (who was traded in October) alone, the team shed $166 million off the books. Add in the other players involved and the in-season trades of Infante and Ramirez, and in total the Marlins got rid of $236 million future salaries.

One year later, the trade has actually ended up about even. For the Blue Jays this season, Reyes played well when healthy but missed some time; Johnson missed significant time with injures and pitched poorly when he was healthy; Buck was quickly traded to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey deal; Bonifacio didn't do much and was sent to Kansas City in August; and Buehrle ended up pitching pretty solidly after some rough spurts. On the Marlins' side, young starter Henderson Alvarez pitched better than expected and ended the year with a flourish by tossing a no-hitter; Adeiny Hechavarria played very good defense at shortstop but provided almost no offense; and Jeff Mathis started at catcher. Most importantly as far as Miami is concerned, the three prospects received--outfielder Jake Marisnick and pitchers Justin Nicolino and Anthony DeSclafani--look to have solid upside, having just been ranked the Marlins' Nos. 3-5 prospects by Baseball America. The trio could make significant contributions to the team down the line, and when added to the corp of young talent headed by players such as Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton, Miami appears set to contend for a long time.

But that scenario assumes that Marlins ownership will be willing to pay to keep all this talent in Miami, and as this trade shows, that's still a big assumption to make. Stanton, for example, continues to be the subject of trade rumors, and there's no telling if the Marlins will sign him to a long-term deal. As soon as it appeared that a new era had dawned for the franchise in terms of monetary investment, it all came crashing down with this trade. Loria had promised for years a new stadium would be the key to increasing payroll, the key to ending the fire sales and the short-lived bouts of playoff contention. Yet here the Marlins are again, resetting the team with young talent and hoping to make a run in the near future. Maybe this was the last fire sale, and all the young talent currently with the franchise will stay with it for a long time. Only time will tell if this restart is the last hurdle before entering a new era or merely the continuation of the frustrating status quo. Despite positive early returns, that uncertainty is the legacy of the trade with the Blue Jays one year later.

More from Fish Stripes:

• David Samson: "No-trade clauses never help the team"
• 2014 Fish Stripes Marlins Offseason Plan: Angels-Marlins trade
• Jose Fernandez wins deserving Rookie of the Year award
• Jose Fernandez wins National League Rookie of the Year
• 2014 Fish Stripes Marlins Offseason Plan: Giancarlo Stanton extension

Another day of general manager meetings brings us a bunch more Blue Jays-related news. No actual transactions have taken place, but general manager Alex Anthopoulos did chat with the media, as Shi Davidi reports in his article over at Sportsnet.ca and in his tweets.

Anthopoulos was asked about the Blue Jays' hole at second base, but he doesn't think he would find something to fill it during these meetings. He told the media that, right now, the Blue Jays will be going with a combination of Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis. So what this means is that there is nothing close, but I won't interpret this message as Anthopoulos admitting that he will not seek to improve at the position.  Steve Buffery let us know that Anthopoulos would like to see Goins fill the "super-utility" role and "play all over the place."

He also addressed the rumour of a possible Jose Bautista-Domonic Brown trade that was spread by Howard Eskin Tuesday evening, calling those rumours "totally false, fabricated, ridiculous," saying that "things have to make sense." I think most of us felt that way last night already. I would've liked to be in the room when one of Anthopoulos's assistants came in with news of the rumour just to watch his reaction. But to be fair, I should point out that Eskin is not backing off what he had reported. Eskin's other report, that the Blue Jays had offered a $20 million, two-year contract to Carlos Ruiz, was also squashed by the general manager. He stated further that he "[does] not have one free-agent offer out to anybody as we sit here today," and before anyone could mince those words to mean that there were offers at any prior point, Anthopoulos added, "I have not made one offer to one free agent at any point in time." So, that means that he might have made multiple offers to multiple free agents at some point in time, right?

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that "multiple teams" have spoken to the Blue Jays about trading for J.P. Arencibia, and that the Blue Jays have spoken to all of the free-agent catchers. But, as Anthopoulos said, they have not offered anyone anything yet.

Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun tweeted that Anthopoulos will be leaving for the Dominican Republic tomorrow on a scouting mission. Does that mean we might see some international free agent signings coming up? Or could he be taking a look at Manny Ramirez, who apparently is looking for a job in 2014? Buffery also mentioned in his column that Brandon Morrow threw a bullpen session and had no issues, and the Blue Jays will be letting Ricky Romero figure out how to get back to form by himself, feeling that they don't know how to help him at this point.

Marc Tompkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the Rays have scooped up recently-fired hitting coach Chad Mottola (and his associated magic) and have installed him as their minor-league hitting coordinator. What a wasted asset for the Blue Jays. In other news involving former Blue Jays coaches, Bruce Walton has landed as a pitching instructor at the Okotoks Dawgs training facility in southern Alberta. Nice to see that he has gotten over the bitter taste of his dismissal and that he is still a fan of the club.

Not baseball-related, but Jeff Blair tweeted this link earlier this afternoon: an audio track of a conductor telling a crowd that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. The gasp from the orchestra attendees was simply surreal.

UPDATE

I knew I forgot something when I clicked "Publish." ClintB (@StivBators) listened to John Gibbons' appearance on XM Radio, tweeting out highlights. Gibbons said that he'd like a "front-line starting pitcher" if he could wish for one thing under his Christmas tree this year and he mirrored Anthopoulos and said that right now Izturis and Goins in the battle for second base. On specific players, Gibbons said that this year, Colby Rasmus finally "felt comfortable" in Toronto, Brett Lawrie had grown up quite a bit during this past season, and that J.P. Arencibia was one of his favourites, saying that he "held his head high" admit the "well-earned" criticism from fans and the media. Gibbons also commented on the decision to replace Chad Mottola, saying that he thought the team needed someone with more experience in that position.

Roy Halladay won the starting pitcher poll, with 55% of the vote, Dave Stieb had 32%. If more people were old enough to have watched Stieb, the vote would have been closer. Roger Clemen had 7% and there were a handful of votes for Hentgen, Key, Guzman, Marcum, Clancy, Wells and Burnett.

Time for the closers. We've had some good ones.

Bluebird Banter writers were asked who they would pick if they could choose one free agent for the Blue Jays to sign. It is Scott's turn.

So far in this series of Bluebird Banter staff picks we've had Scott Kazmir and Brian McCann selected, which both would be pretty big signings for the team. I'm more of a bargain bin hunter myself and usually get excited about players that could bring value to the team without stretching the payroll of the Blue Jays much more than it already is. To be clear, my first choice for this series would definitely be Mark Ellis, but since I already wrote about him here I thought I'd find an alternative to avoid rehashing the same argument I made a few weeks ago. As I noted in that piece, I would offer Ellis a two-year contract worth somewhere around $13.5 million, hoping he keeps up his tremendous defence for another few seasons.

That being said, the next player that I would like to see Alex Anthopoulos go after would be outfielder Nate McLouth. A 32-year-old native of Michigan, McLouth most recently played a year and a half in Baltimore as their starting left fielder. In 2013 he played in 146 games and hit .258/.329/.399 with 12 home runs and went 30-37 in stolen base attempts. The left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing McLouth would be brought to the Blue Jays for one main reason and that is security.

Nate McLouth put up 2.5 fWAR this year, which is his best season since 2009 and he was paid $2.0 million by the Orioles for his efforts. His defence is considered fairly average, but he did win a Gold Glove in centre field back in 2008 when he had -23 Defensive Runs Saved, which is quite the accomplishment. He is prone to doing things like this occasionally so his overall average play is disguised slightly:

via assets.sbnation.com

McLouth can't hit lefties to save his life getting on base at a .283 clip against them this year making him more valuable when used as a platoon piece. The problem with him fitting into the Blue Jays team is that Melky Cabrera, Colby Rasmus, Anthony Gose, and Adam Lind also all struggle against lefties making it difficult to put McLouth in a strict platoon situation in Toronto.

What McLouth does bring to the table is the ability to take a walk. He hovers consistently above the league average in BB% as you can see:

via www.fangraphs.com

The walks would be a nice addition to a team that seemed to be a little too free swinging at certain points in the year. The ability to lay off bad pitches along with his great stolen base percentage would be great assets to have in a part-time player for the Blue Jays. McLouth would often come off the bench to relieve Melky Cabrera as a defensive replacement so his speed and defensive skill are definitely pluses, but his possibility of being LOOGY'ed late in the game is a definite downside. Another negative is the possibility of McLouth being shifted as he is a dead pull groundball hitter:

via www.brooksbaseball.net

I still haven't completely figured out how McLouth would fit into the current team, but with the amount of injuries that seem to riddle the Blue Jays yearly along with the uncertainty of Melky Cabrera's status, having a capable outfielder in reserve would not be a bad idea. It seems Anthony Gose will be the back-up centre fielder, but McLouth could spell both Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera when they needed a day off. Bautista can play third base as well, so McLouth would add additional positional flexibility if Brett Lawrie decides to jump into a camera well again. I know many people will not consider McLouth and the Blue Jays a perfect fit, but the possibility of acquiring a valuable piece for a low price tag will likely cause Alex Anthopoulos to at least inquire about the current price of the Michigan native.

MLB Trade Rumors has McLouth ranked as the #41 free agent and predict him to re-sign with the Baltimore Orioles. Steamer projects McLouth to be worth slightly above one win next season, which seems fair and would make McLouth's fair salary equal to about $7 million. Although Nate will definitely receive a pay raise from his $2 million in 2013, it seems unlikely he will get an average annual value of $7 million. MLBTR predicts a two-year $10 million contract and I really can't argue with that. Personally I'd like to see Alex Anthopoulos offer McLouth a one-year $5 million contract with a 2015 team option worth $5.5 million and a $1 million buyout. So Alex, first get Mark Ellis and then work on Nate McLouth.

Rumors and lies dominate the Toronto baseball scene which is pretty much in the back pages with the obits as Hockey and who/what Rob Ford likes to eat dominate the news. I promise only baseball related links.

JAYS NEWS, RUMORS AND LIES

Blue Jays: Anthopoulos shoots down trade rumours | Toronto Star
Slugger Jose Bautista and catcher J.P. Arencibia both named in bogus trade rumours as baseball’s off-season scuttlebutt heats up.

The Blue Jay Hunter: Great Expectations: The Lost Toronto Blue Jays Season Interview with Shi Davidi
Most great baseball stories are a rags to riches story; a team that battles adversity and overcomes all odds to become the very best. The narrative of the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays was quite the opposite; they were a riches to rags story.

The Blue Jay Hunter: Free Agent Faceoff: Ubaldo Jimenez or Ervin Santana?
In a perfect world, the Toronto Blue Jays would sign two high-calibre starting pitchers to solidify their starting rotation this offseason. For a multitude of reasons, the reality is they may only get an opportunity to sign one.

Jays' Stroman: AFL teammate Sanchez 'filthy' - Sportsnet.ca
Pitching in the Arizona Fall League, Toronto Blue Jays top pitching prospect Marcus Stroman discusses his experience in Salt River and the recent play of teammate Aaron Sanchez.

MLB LINKS

MLB: Terry Francona edges John Farrell for manager of the year | Toronto Star
Indians skipper receives 16 of 30 first-place votes to 12 for Farrell. Note: See it wasn't a totally horrid season?

MLB owners approve instant replay expansion - Sportsnet.ca
Major League Baseball owners have voted to move ahead with a vast expansion on instant replay next season. Owners approved funding the replay expansion when they met Thursday and plan to approve the exact rules in January following the completion of negotiations with the unions for umpires and players.

2014 Top 10 Prospects: Miami Marlins | FanGraphs Baseball
Don't cry reading this list.

MLB: Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw win Cy Young Awards | Toronto Star
Kershaw went 16-9 and topped the NL with 232 strikeouts. Scherzer won the AL honour after leading the majors in wins while going 21-3.

MLB Amending Posting System Proposal; Agreement May Not Be Reached: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
The issue amongst the owners was that some small-market owners wished for posting fees to be counted against the luxury tax.

The Diminishing Value of Valuable | FanGraphs Baseball
M-V-P?

Fastball velocity by game state
Does the count, number of outs or number of runners on base affect how hard pitchers throw?

Pitcher performance after batting success
Ron Darling thinks pitchers throw better after getting a hit. Is he right?

TODAY IN BALL FOUR HISTORY

Baseball History - November 15th - National Pastime - Baseball History
1968 Jim Bouton agrees to a one-year deal worth $22,000 to play for the expansion Pilots, who had purchased the right-hander from New York last month for $20,000 with his previous team agreeing to pick up $12,000 of the salary. The knuckleballer will use his tenure with the club, and the Astros after he is traded to Houston, to chronicle the 1969 season, along with stories from his Yankee years, in his groundbreaking book, Ball Four, a publication which will not endear him to the baseball community, especially with his former Bronx Bomber teammates.

Bluebird Banter writers were asked who they would pick if they could choose one free agent for the Blue Jays to sign. It is Minor Leaguer's turn.

The free-agent pitchers in the market who have declined a qualifying offer are Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ervin Santana. Garza has had some recent injury history so putting him in a Blue Jays uniform may not be the best idea, Santana will get a contract that is much too long, and Kuroda is 38 years old. So if the Blue Jays are looking for a starter through free agency, Ubaldo Jimenez would be my choice.

Ubaldo Jimenez and Predicting K-Rates from Whiff-Rates

In response to this piece, jessef uses Ubaldo Jimenez's whiff-rates and a lot of statistics to calculate his "true" strikeout rate to see if his 2013 strikeout numbers were a fluke.

Jimenez is a 29-year-old right-handed pitcher who has most recently pitched for the Cleveland Indians after starting his career with the Colorado Rockies. From 2008, when he first became a full-time starter for the Rockies, to 2010, Jimenez recorded ERA-'s of 86, 75, and 63 (ERA- is adjusted for the ballpark and league, thus correcting for Denver's altitude effects, where 100 is league average and lower number is better.) In 2011, he recorded a pretty average 102 ERA- in his time with the Rockies, but things really went south after his trade to the Indians at the deadline, finishing the season to the tune of a 130 ERA-. He gave up seven homers in 11 games for the Tribe that season, compared to the 10 he gave up the prior season. His 2012 season was worse: he went 9-17 with a 5.40 ERA, his 137- gave him the fourth-worst mark among qualified pitcher in the league, and his fWAR put him third-worst (with Ervin Santana earning the bottom spot back then).

But, unlike Ricky Romero, who ranked around him in 2012, Jimenez had a bounce back season in 2013 starting at the end of April. After giving up seven runs in back-to-back starts and then another where he gave up four in five innings, Jimenez realized that losing was not fun and decided to start pitching well again.

First, let’s take a look at what went wrong in Jimenez’s down years. He came into the league as a fireballer, averaging 96-97 mph on his four-seam fastball through 2010, but then he lost a lot of zip after 2010, with his average fastball velocity sitting at 93-94 mph since 2011. For a guy who got batters out by making them swing and miss on his heaters, the loss of 3 mph was quite significant. The switch to the American League probably didn’t help the cause. In 2012 his strikeout rate (K%) dropped significantly, while his HR/9 skyrocketed as he turned from a pitcher who got batters to hit ground balls half of the time to giving up much harder-hit balls.

Data courtesy FanGraphs.

However, Jimenez managed to change something this past season to get his peripherals close to where they were back in his heyday (his walk rate has always been on the high side). His fastball took another step back (averaged 92 mph in 2013), but he managed adapt to his new limitations partly by changing his mechanics, something that Jeff Sullivan wrote about earlier this summer. According to Let's Go Tribe, the change in mechanics happened last offseason at the behest of Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway. He is still giving up fewer grounders and more fly balls than he used to, which is a bit of a concern for someone who would pitch in the Rogers Centre. Jimenez will not go as deep into games as his All-Star season in 2010, but he has avoided serious injuries, having started at least 31 games since 2008.

I am optimistic that when we look back at Ubaldo Jimenez's career when he retires, we see that 2012 was the blip on the radar. No one can expect that Jimenez will perform at the 2009-2010 level in 2014 and going forward, but he will be a more-than-serviceable strikeout pitcher in the Blue Jays' rotation. If nothing else, his signing would mean more free pizzas for fans who go down to Rogers Centre.

It is a risk for sure, but it is partly because of his recent struggles that brings Jimenez down to affordable territory. Another reason why he cannot command an outrageous contract is that the Indians extended him a qualifying offer, meaning most teams would have to surrender a first-round pick for his services. Because the Blue Jays have two protected first-round picks next season, they only have to surrender a second-rounder, allowing them (and the Indians and the nine other teams with protected picks) to give up less value than the rest of the league.

MLB Trade Rumors ranked him 11th (and incidentally, predicts that he would sign in Toronto) and predicted that he would get a four-year, $52 million contract. I think that is a very fair offer for someone with Jimenez's upside--I would even consider upping that to give him a $13.5 or $14 million average annual salary if he needs it to sign. Maybe throw a team option for 2018 for good measure. Toronto desperately needs a durable above-average starter, and Jimenez can provide that fit at a reasonable price.

In a minor move, the Blue Jays have signed first baseman Dan Johnson to a minor league contract, with an invitation to big league spring training camp, according to a Buffalo Bisons release.

Johnson, 34, debuted in 2005 with the Oakland Athletics as first baseman, hitting .275/.355/.451 in his rookie season, slugging 15 home runs in 109 games. His numbers have slid since then, although he did achieve his career high in home runs in 2007 with 18. Since that year, Johnson has had just 296 major league plate appearances with four teams, batting a meagre .181/.304/.371.

A lefty bat that throws right, Johnson will likely begin the season playing for triple-A Buffalo, filling in as their designated hitter or first baseman, replacing the role shared by Mauro Gomez and Luis Jimenez in 2013. Jimenez is a minor league free agent, and Gomez was recently placed on release waivers by the Nationals. Johnson was named the International League MVP in 2010. Save for a three-game stint with the Orioles in September, Johnson spent the 2013 season in the International League with the Yankees and Orioles affiliates, hitting .250/.378/.439. He hit 21 homers, good for seventh in the league behind Gomez's 29.

Dan Johnson is probably most known for his game-tying pinch-hit home run on September 28, 2011 with the Rays down to their last strike of the season. I'm sure there is no better version of that home run than the one captured in this video (go to 3:26 if you are impatient).

According to Minor Leaguer's article, the Jays should sign Ubaldo Jimenez, who posted the 6th-best K-rates in the AL in 2013. However, Ubaldo's whiff-rates were only average. Is he likely to maintain a high K-rate in spite of middling whiff-rates? This article uses linear regression to determine whether a pitcher's K-rate can consistently exceed the K-rate predicted by his whiff-rate.

Earlier today, Minor Leaguer posted an article making the case for the Jays to sign free agent pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. I'm not going to restate the case here because I think Minor Leaguer did a nice job of it already and if you're going to read my article or his, you should just read his. You should always just read his.

Ubaldo Jimenez and the Blue Jays

Bluebird Banter writers were asked who they would pick if they could choose one free agent for the Blue Jays to sign. It is Minor Leaguer's turn and he chose starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and outlines the reason why he thinks Jimenez presents good value for the Jays.

I will outline a few points that I do think are important to the case for signing Jimenez because we have to start somewhere and this is nice filler. After a lousy 2012, Jimenez bounced back nicely this season (April notwithstanding) and had a strong season no matter how you look at it (86 / 90 / 91 by ERA- / FIP- / xFIP-). Although Jimenez has lost a couple ticks (a ridiculous colloquialism for "miles per hour") from his formerly-incredible fastball the past few years, it seems like he's managed to adjust this season by improving his secondary offerings, striking out one out of every four batters (the highest of his career and good for sixth best in the AL in 2013). Even in spite of Jimenez's above-average walk-rate (10.3% relative to 7.9% for league average), he still looks like a nice find. Couple Minor Leaguer's astute observation that his Qualifying Offer rejection status makes his value to the Jays exceed his value to most other teams and you have a singing that appears to make a lot of sense.

That being said, I pointed out in the comments section that there was one potential red flag I noticed for Jimenez. In the first place, this season, Jimenez plied his trade in a pitcher-friendly park and faced relatively weak lineups (according to baseball-reference, league average pitchers facing Jimenez's opponents would score around 4.12 runs per game vs. 4.46 for league average pitchers facing R.A. Dickey's opponents). This doesn't worry me so much because there's an implicit understanding that it's harder to pitch for the Jays than almost any team in the League anyway. One thing that did concern me, however, was that, while Jimenez's K-rate (25%) was 6th in the AL, his whiff-rate (8.8%) was a much more pedestrian 27th. As whiff-rate has been shown to be closely tied to K-rate, I perceived this matter as a bit of a red flag and decided to run numbers to determine whether Jimenez would be likely to continue to outperform the strikeout-rates you'd predict based on his whiff-rates.

* * *

The first thing I decided to do was to predict K-rates for 2012 and 2013 based on whiff-rates. I used a sample of all starting pitchers with 150 IP in both 2012 and 2013 (65 pitchers). I used linear regression analysis based on a simple one-factor model within each season:

Predicting 2012 K-rate based on 2012 whiff-rate

F = 99.4, p

Line: 2012 K% = 1.65*(2012 whiff%) + 5.4

Predicting 2013 K-rate based on 2013 whiff-rate

F = 151.8, p

2013 K% = 1.96*(2013 whiff%) + 2.5

As expected, we see very similar relationships, though the slopes and intercepts are quite different. Essentially, this just means that the models predict slightly different K-rates at extremely high or low whiff-rates (in part due to Yu Darvish's very high K-rate in 2013). As the figure above illustrates, Jimenez would have predicted to strike out just 20% of batters last season, a far cry from the 25% he did strike out. In fact, the only pitcher to have a greater deviation from his predicted K-rate is the aforementioned Darvish (32.9% K-rate vs. 27.2% predicted), who lies at the extreme end of the set, where the linear relationship between whiff-rate and strikeout-rate may break.

Even at these extremes, however, the differences in prediction are actually pretty slight (e.g., at 12% whiff-rate, the 2012 model predicts a 25.2% K-rate vs. a 26.0% K-rate predicted by the 2013 model). Linear models may not be perfect here, but they do a really nice job, accounting for 60% and 70% of the variation in K-rate in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Of course, all this is pretty widely known. Make more batters swing and miss and you're likely to strike more batters out. We aren't exactly talking quantum theory here. The new question here is whether pitchers who exceeded the K-rates predicted by their whiff-rate will continue to do so. Essentially, we're asking if it's more accurate to predict 2013 K-rate based on 2012 K-rate, 2012 whiff-rate, or some sort of combination of the two.

Predicting 2013 K-rate based on 2012 K-rate

F = 75.46, p

2013K% = 0.78*(2012 k%) + 4.4

Predicting 2013 K-rate based on 2012 whiff-rate

F = 36.00, p

2013K% = 1.3*(2012 whiff%) + 8.1

Okay. Now we're getting somewhere. So we see that 2012 K-rate predicts 2013 K-rate better than 2012 whiff-rate. Furthermore, testing these models, we see that the difference between them is significant (p

Predicting the difference between K-rate and predicted K-rate in 2013 based on the difference between K-rate and predicted K-rate in 2012 (positive numbers indicate striking out more batters than predicted by whiff-rate)

F = 47.32, p-value

(K% - pred.K%.2013) = 0.60*(K%-pred.K%.2012) - 0.04

Models based on K-rate in 2012 predicted K-rate in 2013 no different than two-factor models based on both whiff-rate and how much the pitcher outperformed his whiff-rate (p = 0.63) but were much better than single-factor models based on either whiff-rate (F = 49.5, p

So what's the upshot here? Well, we see some evidence that the same pitchers who struck out more batters than their whiff-rates would suggest in 2012 were able to do so in 2013, though they did regress a fair bit. Ubaldo, as an outlier, should be projected to drop off a fair bit but it doesn't look like we should be regressing him all the way back to 20% either. His K-rate only slightly exceeded what was predicted in 2012 but that was also the worst season of his career. Regressing this deviation according to the relationship we've found suggests that Ubaldo's true K-rate should be somewhere around a 23%. Of course, that's assuming that he pitches like he did in 2013. He sure didn't in 2012.

Thanks to Minor Leaguer, the R Core Development Team, and the Lucksmiths song "Midweek Midmorning", the source of today's title.

Steve Delabar came to us from the Mariners, in trade for Eric Thames, at the end of July 2012 (Thames would get traded to the Orioles and then was picked up by the Astros, off waivers, in September. He's making a tour of the AL teams). Delabar was amazing, in the last couple of months of that season, putting up a 3.38 ERA in 29.1 innings, getting 14.1 strikeouts/9.

We didn't know what we were getting and I don't think the Mariners knew what they were trading away, or they wouldn't have given him up for Eric Thames.

He had 6 holds and 5 blown saves.

Fangraphs has him at a 1.4 WAR, worth $6.8 million to the Jays.

His FIP was 2.72 and xFIP 3.35. His BABIP was .338, up from .245 in 2012.

Steve's strikeout rate was much the same as last year (12.58/9, 12.55 in 2012). He gave up more walks (4.45/9, up from 3.55), too many walks, but the home runs dropped a bunch (0.61/9, down from 1.64).

He gave up a lot more line drives (22.8%, up from 15.6), fewer ground balls (29.4%, down from 42.9) and more fly balls (47.8%, up from 41.5). I guess the line drives explains the jump in BABIP. Fewer of his fly balls left the park (6.2%, down from 19.7).

A right-handed pitcher, Steve was a little bit better vs. RHB (.244/.318/.336) than LHB (.216/.331/.381).

He was better on the road (1.72 ERA, batters hit .219/.300/.333) than at home (4.94, batters hit .245/.350/.382).

By month:

April: 2-1, 2.35 ERA. Batters hit .208/.368/.264, 13 walks, 20 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.

May: 2-0, 1.98 ERA. Batters hit .184/.245/.286, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.

June: 1-0, 0.00 ERA. Batters hit .200/.304/.225, 6 walks, 21 strikeouts in 10 innings.

July: 0-0, 5.59 ERA, 1 save. Batters hit .278/.308/.444, 2 walks, 18 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.

August: 0-1. 27.00 ERA. Batters hit .550/.571/.1.500, 1 walks, 3 k, in 1 inning.

September: 0-3, 5.00 ERA. Batters hit .281/.351/.469, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts, in 9.0 innings.

He went on the DL in August, a couple of days after he struck out the side on 9 pitches against the A's, but the day after he gave up 3 runs in 1 inning against the Angels. He also struck out the side then, as well as giving up 3 hits, including a home run and a walk.

Steve won the 'Final Vote', to make the All-Star team and struck out the batter (Buster Posey) he faced.

It was a strange season, he walked too many, and was hit pretty hard, when he was hit. He had a 1.71 ERA, in the first half of the season, but a 7.02 in the second half. Early in the season, they were using him to pitch more than an inning fair, but after June 1, he was pretty much a 1 inning guy. I think someone with his history might be better off just pitching 1 inning at a time.

It seemed like a lot of the 'weighted ball' guys ended up on the DL, but then everyone ended on a the DL at some point this year. I don't think there is a magic exercise that will keep pitchers from getting hurt. The weighted ball thing seems to give a pitcher an extra couple of miles per hour, but then an extra couple of miles per hour often seems to be something that brings about arm pain.

The Jays have a handful of guys that could slide into the closer's role, if they were to trade Casey Janssen, Delabar is one of them. When he is good, he's unhittable. I'm happy with him in a setup spot but something that would keep him throwing just one inning at a time might be a good things, considering his history.

This is news that will sadden many Blue Jays fans: Mike McCoy is now a member of the Boston Red Sox family, after signing a minor-league contract with them, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

McCoy played parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays from 2010 to 2012, splitting time with the Jays' former AAA affiliate Las Vegas 51s, and he spent the entire 2013 season with triple-A Buffalo. He was a replacement-level superutility player with the Jays who hit .193/.276/.260 with 16 extra-base hits (three homers, 13 doubles) in 374 major league plate appearances. He was OK on the field but I never saw anything special from him.

So, good bye, Mike. All the best in Boston. You didn't play all that much in Toronto but you were still very special to us for many reasons.

The Great Flying Mike McCoy

In 2011, Mike McCoy started the season with Toronto but was subsequently was optioned six times to Las Vegas and recalled six times back to the big club. He travelled 21,607 miles on flights associated with being optioned and recalled alone. By late April, I was so fascinated with his travels that I began to document every flight he took and reported it on Bluebird Banter.

Click to enlarge.

He would end up flying at least 51,530 miles during the 2011 season, taking at least 42 separate flights. That's double the distance around the Earth at the Equator. As a comparison, if he had stayed with the big club for the entire season, he would've travelled around 32,803 miles. I wonder what the record is for the most miles travelled in a single season by a professional player in affiliated baseball.

The distance between Toronto and Las Vegas (1940 miles) and the distances between cities in the Pacific Coast League (a misnomer: it stretches from Tacoma to Nashville, a distance of 1977 miles) really inflated his air mileage. These two factors, along with the unusual number of times he was shuttled to and from the minors that season, produced a potentially record-setting travel distance for an otherwise unremarkable player. Since the New York Mets (the current parent club of the 51s) are about 300 miles further away from Las Vegas, there is a chance that someone in their organization could break McCoy's record.

In spring training in 2012, the now-retired Chris Woodward (#25) was nice enough to agree to hand a printed copy of the map (circled) to Mike McCoy (arrow), who took a brief look at it and smiled a little--at least it didn't seem like he was insulted. I don't know what he did with it after that. I hope that it was at least recycled. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to ask McCoy about it when he was with the Bisons this season.

He Plays Eight Ways

McCoy played every eight different positions with the Blue Jays, joining Bob Bailor as the only Blue Jays to reach that feat, appearing in:

• 34 games at SS,
• 32 games at 2B,
• 26 games at 3B,
• 22 games in CF,
• 14 games in RF,
• 12 games in LF, and
• 1 game as a pitcher.

McCoy is now joining the Red Sox, the team against whom he tossed a perfect inning in his sole Major League appearance as a pitcher during a 16-4 blowout. He became the fifth non-pitcher to take the mound for the Blue Jays (after Craig Kusick, Bob Bailor, Rick Leach, and Frank Menechino). You can watch McCoy induce three whiffs here, and his payoff pitches below (warning: footage contains Corey Patterson and Jayson Nix):

Banana Kong Enthusiast

Mike McCoy (@mhmccoy10) does not use Twitter that often, but when he does, he usually brags about his score in the game Banana Kong.

McCoy As Fountain

Please let me know in the comments if you know who created this GIF. I found it via Captain Latte's tumblr.

Footnotes on the flight distances

Since I wasn't able to obtain a confirmation from the Blue Jays, I had to make a few assumptions. Whenever I could, I would use the exact distance of each Blue Jays charter flight (flight logs were found on FlightAware), but most of the flight distances used the "as the crow flies" distance between two airports. All recall and option flights, which would be taken on commercial aircraft, were assumed to be direct flights except for the flights from Omaha to Toronto and from Toronto to Des Moines, both of which were most likely routed via Chicago. Some newspaper or online articles that have featured an interview with Mike McCoy revealed when he flew back home to San Diego during the season. If the 51s were travelling immediately (1-2 days) after he was optioned, and if he did not appear in the 51s boxscore during those days, I would assume that he travelled directly to the ultimate destination.

Brett Cecil came into spring training battling for a job in the bullpen. In 2012 he had an ERA of 5.72, not a number that guarantees you a job the next season. And his work as a reliever wasn't any better, he had a 5.73 ERA in 12 relief appearances. But an off-season of the weighted ball program seemed to have helped him out.

His 2013 season:

Who expected that?

He had 11 holds and 2 blown saves.

Fangraphs had him at a 1.0 WAR, giving him a value of $5 million to the Jays.

He had a 2.88 FIP and 2.99 xFIP. His BABIP was .267, down from .324 in 2012.

Compared to 2012, Brett's strikeouts were up (10.38/9, up from 7.48), walk rate was about the same (3.41/9, from 3.38) and home run rate dropped (0.59/9, way down from 1.61).

Cecil gave up fewer line drives (20.0%, down from 21.7), many more ground balls (51.3%, up from 37.0%) and, of course, fewer fly balls (28.7%, down from 41.3). Fewer of his flies left the park (9.3%, down from 14.5). He really became a different pitcher.

A left-handed pitcher, Brett was much better vs. LHB (.191/.223/.235) than RHB (.212/.341/.394).

He was better on the road (1.82 ERA, batters hit .196/.265/.280) than at home (3.77 ERA, .205/.300/.339).

By month:

April: 1-0, 1.23 ERA. Batters hit .163/.250/.327, 6 walks, 17 strikeouts, in 14.2 innings.

May: 0-0, 2.63 ERA. Batters hit .184/.231/.245, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts, in 13.2 innings.

June: 2-0, 0.71 ERA. Batters hit .098/.159/.122, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts, in 12.2 innings.

July: 1-1, 7.84, 1 save. Batters hit .302/.426/.465, 9 walks, 11 strikeouts, in 10.1 innings.

August: 1-0, 3.24 ERA. Batters hit .273/.351/.424, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts, in 8.1 innings.

September: 0-0, 0.00 ERA. Batters hit .250/.250/.250, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, in 1.0 inning.

He went on the DL with 'elbow discomfort' (pain, they mean pain) on September 17th.

Brent only had that one bad stretch, right after playing in the All-Star game, where he struck out the one batter he faced, Dominic Brown.

We found out, after the season, that the Jays had considered moving Cecil back into the starting rotation. It was an understandable thought, Cecil had success as a starter in the past. And we really were scraping the bottom of the barrow for starting pitchers, but Brett looked like he had found a long term home in the bullpen, so why mess with it to solve a short term problem.

I had thought that they should have traded him at the deadline, that his value would likely never be higher, but maybe the team was smarter to keep him. He's a nice left-hander to have around. He might not always be as good as he was this year, but he should continue to be a good arm in the pen.

I've always been a fan, when a guy has been with the team for a few years, and you were following him when he was in the minors, you get a bit of an attachment to him. You can't help but feel happy when they have success. He's another one of the 'weighted ball' pitchers who ended up on the DL. I think figuring that one exercise is going to be a cure all is a mistake.

Seven Years Ago Today: As slitheringslider told us, the Blue Jays signed Frank Thomas to a contract, 2 years plus an option. He only made it a year and a month. His 2007 season was very good, 277/.377/480 with 26 home runs and 95 RBI. 2008 didn't start well and he wasn't thrilled with the team when they decided to sit him, mostly because he needed to get to a certain number of PA to get the vesting option on his contract. The thing that surprises me is that Bluebird Banter was around 7 years ago!

Six Years Ago Today (well six years ago Monday really): Achengy reported that the Jays traded Kristian Bell and Graham Godfrey to get Marco Scutaro from the Oakland A's. Kristian would go on to play Veronica Mars, on TV, but neither he or Godfrey would do much in the majors. Scutaro would play short and leadoff for us and become a favorite of ours.

Three Years Ago Today: The rumor was that Manny Ramirez might sign with the Jays. I was all for it, as was 82% of the people that voted in our poll.

One Year Ago Today: We were still waiting for the Marlins trade to be completed. I wondered which of the 4 catchers, Arencibia, d'Arnaud, Buck and Wilson, that we had then, would be traded. I was wrong to think that only one would be gone. The only one left, when the dust cleared, was JP. I also thought we could use a left fielder.....

A bit more than 3 hours later, Minor Leaguer posted the news that we had signed Melky Cabrera. The post had 911 very happy comments.

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