Tag Archives: Brett Lawrie

June 13, 2012

Youth Movement

By nalstradamus

It’s been almost a month since my last post. So many things have happened in the world of sports since then: the Stanley Cup is in Hollywood, the Euro Cup (and the constant honking down Commercial Drive) is in full force, my fellow filipinos continue to weep in the streets over the worst boxing decision of all time, the “anyone but Lebron” cries are heard all over the NBA finals and Roberto Luongo is still a Canuck. I have no excuses really so I won’t waste anyone’s time with loads of B.S. Today I want to talk about something that has really excited me the last few months and that’s all the young stars in baseball. Can anyone think of another time in baseball where there have been so many young studs in the league at the same time? I am going to go through my top 7 current youngn’s under the age of 24.

1) Bryce Harper – 19 years old, Outfielder, Washington Nationals

I really didn’t want to like this kid. All I heard and saw were stories of his cockiness and lack of respect for the game and other players. This video sums up why I thought he was a douche.

Douche-e-ness aside, this guy is an amazing talent. He has raw power, a cannon for an arm, speed and a tough as nails kind of attitude every manager loves to see in a ballplayer. On the field he plays the game the right way: hustles every play and gives it his all. He has been saying all the right things in interviews even in times when he could have easily gone wild such as when Cole Hamels purposely beaned him because he didn’t like the kid.

I’m still waiting for the kid to slow down and show his age a bit, but he doesn’t look like he is going to anytime soon.

2) Stephen Strasburg, 23 years old, Pitcher, Washington Nationals

 

English: Stephen Strasburg

Stephen Strasburg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Another National and another 1st overall pick. The Nationals have been lucky that their two 1st overall picks are looking like 1st overall picks. There have been many times that hasn’t been the case (see Luck Hochevar in KC). Strasburg is a scary talent. He has a fastball that can touch triple digits and a change-up in the 90′s! His breaking stuff is just as nasty. He leads the league in strikeouts this year with 100 in just 77 innings. His control has also been masterful with just 20 walks. He looks like the 2nd coming of Nolan Ryan, no hit stuff in every start. The only thing to worry about is health with this kid. He is already coming off major surgery that forced him to miss most of last year. If he can stay healthy he may become one of the best pitchers that ever played the game.

3) Mike Trout, 20 years old, Outfielder, Los Angeles Angels

 

Mike Trout

 

I have a personal man crush on this guy because he is currently carrying my fantasy team. This kid is an all around beast. He can hit for power and average, he has high end speed and has gold glove worthy skills in the outfield. He is also a throwback type of player in which you get pure hustle and tenacity with every play. In just 41 games he already has 57 hits and 15 stolen bases. He is hitting at a .345 clip and getting on base just over 40% of the time. His energy on the field has seemed to kickstart the Angels into overdrive. Before his call-up the Angels were struggling and were looking like the biggest busts of the season. Now the Angels are within striking distance of their rivals the Rangers and many thanks should go to Trout for turning the ship around.

4) Giancarlo Stanton, 22 years old, Outfielder, Miami Marlins

If I was going to buy a ticket to watch one player take batting practice it would be Stanton. This guy hits moonshots.

He has 50 home runs written all over him. He can hit 40 in his sleep with the power he possesses. Arguably he has the most power in the league and he’s only 22…scary to think of what he can do as he gets more years under his belt.

5) Brett Lawrie, 22 years old, Third Base, Toronto Blue Jays

Very similar to Mike Trout in terms of hustle and heart and power, but maybe a little less speed. Lawrie has all the tools to be a superstar, but needs to work on his temper around the umps if he wants to get some borderline calls to go his way once and awhile.

He hasn’t been driving the ball as much as he was during his sensational call up last season as his .380 slugging percentage clearly shows. I’m thinking he’s close to busting out in a big way in the next few months…time for me to pitch a deal for him in my fantasy league.

6) Chris Sale, 23 years old, Pitcher, Chicago White Sox

 

Chris Sale

 

There seems to be an abundance of fire balling young left handed pitchers these days: David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Aroldis Chapman to name a few. Sale is yet another one of these intimidating lefties. This is the 6’6″ 180 pounder’s first year in the starting rotation and he is dominating so far with an 8-2 record, a ridiculous WHIP of 0.92 and an absurd opponents batting average of just .188. He is also the #1 rated pitcher in fantasy baseball. An All-Star nod is likely and if he continues to dominate maybe even a Cy Young.

7) Starlin Castro, 22 years old, Shortstop, Chicago Cubs

 

English: Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs wa...

 

Castro is the brightest light for the Cubs and their rebuild back into a contending ball club. He is an all round talent as he excels with the bat, glove and his legs. His plate discipline is Vladdy Guerrero like in which if it’s close he’s going to have a rip at it. He will likely be a perennial .300 hitter with close to 200 hits, 15-20 jacks and 20-25 SB’s…those numbers are elite SS numbers.

Those are my top 7, if I missed any that you have secret man crushes on let me know.

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November 2, 2011

Blue Jays Year in Review

By nalstradamus

A great year of baseball has now come to a close and now it’s onto the busy offseason where teams will be overspending for talent and trading away their future for a shot at quick success. GM’s will be evaluating their pieces one-by-one trying to come up with the magic formula to bring them to the big dance. Lets do a review of our own and play a little armchair GM with Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rotation

Ricky Romero (CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP PHOTO)

Ricky Romero: A third straight year of progress for the ace of the staff. 15 wins and an ERA under 3 are solid stats and put Romero near the upper tier of AL pitchers. He has also steadily increased his innings each year with 225 innings this past year. He brings the tenacity and determination you want from an ace. Blue Jays pitcher of the year by far.

Brendan Morrow: Big things were expected from Morrow after his solid first year with the Jays. However, Morrow did not make big strides this year as thought and there were whispers during the year that possibly a move back to the closer role may be ideal. My personal opinion is that he would be better off in the rotation. It is rare to have a power arm in the rotation that the opposition fears and that can single handedly win the game for you. Getting ahead of hitters and cutting down on the walks will be the main focus for next year.

Brett Cecil: The year started off horribly for Cecil as his velocity was down and he was inevitably sent down to the minors to regain his form. He showed some flashes of talent upon his recall, but overall the year was disappointing as he finished the year 4-11 with a 4.73 ERA. His long term future in the rotation is cloudy at best with all the young guns in the minors getting closer and closer to MLB readiness.

Henderson Alvarez: Alvarez had a solid first 10 starts in the bigs and he likely has a spot in next year’s rotation. He has a power arm, but needs to develop his secondary pitches a bit more especially his slider if he will be truly effective. He could be special.

Dustin McGowan: The feel good story of the year for the Jays. McGowan overcame all odds to make it back to the bigs after overcoming what was widely thought as career ending injuries. His spot in next year’s rotation is far from guaranteed, but would be an amazing accomplishment if he was able to pull it off.

Kyle Drabek: A disappointing first season for the centre piece in the Roy Halladay deal. Walks were a problem all year for Drabek and they continued for Drabek after his demotion to the minors. The Blue Jays will give Drabek all the chances in the world to make the team and succeed. He has electric stuff and if he can get it all together he can be in the rotation next year and for many years after.

Off-season Plans: The Blue Jays will be actively searching for rotation help. There have been rampant rumours that they are also heavily interested in acquiring Japanese star Yu Darvish. The starting pitching free agent pool is not very exciting this year so AA may go the trade route to satisfy his needs. However, the Jays pitching talent pool is deep so he won’t be desperate to overpay for talent.

Infield

Brett Lawrie (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Brett Lawrie: Has any other Blue Jays prospect generated as much buzz and excitement as Lawrie? Probably not. His bat is clearly MLB ready and his compete level is something every team would kill for. Jays fans will be drooling to see what he can achieve in a full season.

Yunel Escobar: Escobar had a solid season both in the field and at the plate. He showed excellent plate discipline at the top of the order and could find himself there again next year. He did show the occasional mental gaffs, but it appears he is dedicated and focused under the tutelage of some of the vets like Jose Bautista. Will be the starting SS for many years to come barring injury.

Adam Lind: A hot and cold kind of season for Lind. When he was hot, he was scorching, but he also went through painful cold streaks. He likely will not return to .300 form like in 2009, but the power is still there. Is he the long term answer at first base? In my opinion no. He strikes out far too much and gets on base far too less (under .300 OBP in consecutive years).

2nd Base: To be determined. Kelly Johnson ended the year at 2nd for the Jays, but it’s not a guarantee that he will be back. The free agent pool is thin this year and there isn’t an up and comer in the minors. Johnson could be back, but he will be a temporary stop gap for the Jays until they can figure out a more permanent solution.

Edwin Encarnacion: EE is reportedly working on outfield skills this offseason. The Jays are likely to continue to give EE chances to succeed as he has shown flashes of potential in each of his years with the Jays. His future is not in the infield and he is probably better suited in a DH/4th outfield type of role.

Off-season plans: Obviously 2nd base needs to be addressed and I see the Jays bringing back Johnson for another go. The big question is will the Jays make a big splash and go for a big name first baseman. The Jays have repeatedly denied interest in any of the big names such as Fielder or Pujols. Another name that has been spinning about is Joey Votto. He is not a free agent, but there have been rumours that he is being made available for trade offers. The Jays would have to give up a lot of their prized possessions to have any hope of landing the Canadian. I would do it though in a heartbeat for Votto. I doubt the Jays have any chance at signing Pujols or Fielder.

Catcher

JP Arencibia (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

JP Arencibia: A solid rookie season for Arencibia at the dish with 23 HR and 78 RBI. The average left a lot to be desired (.219), but the Jays will take the 20+ HR’s and run production any day. Arencibia’s game calling and defence is still a work in progress. Arencibia doesn’t have much lee-way to fail as the Jays have Travis d’arnaud tearing up the minors behind JP. Something will eventually give here as d’arnaud won’t stay in the minors long and the Jays will not make either of these guys a back-up.

Jose Molina: Arguably the best back-up catcher in the league. An important mentor for Arencibia and virtually another coach on the bench for the Jays. His skills may be declining, but his influence in the clubhouse is priceless

Off-season plans: No changes here, my thoughts are that d’arnaud gets called up in September and is eventually the starter for the Jays in 2 years.

Outfield

Jose Bautista (FRED THORNHILL/REUTERS)

Jose Bautista: For the 2nd straight season Bautista is the MLB home run king and a Silver Slugger Award winner. There were doubts that he would be able to replicate his magical season of a year ago, but all he did was go out and have a better all around year this year. In my opinion right up there in the top 5 players in the league. He not only is a dangerous hitter, but also a feared defender with his cannon in right. The lucrative deal the Jays’ signed him to last offseason is looking like the deal of all deals right now.

Colby Rasmus: You have to wonder how Rasmus feels these days after seeing his former team win the World Series. It is widely thought that the trade between the Jays and the Cards involving Rasmus was the catalyst for the Cards late season surge into the playoffs and eventual World Series win. The talent for Rasmus is there, defence, power, speed…the whole package. It’s the heart and character that is questionable right now and if the Jays can do a Yunel Escobar intervention on Rasmus they may have their best centre fielder since Devo.

Eric Thames: Thames came virtually out of nowhere to thrust himself into the future plans for the Jays. A starting spot is not guaranteed for Thames, but it is his to lose. His defence is his weakest link, but he showed during the season he is willing to put in the extra time to improve. His future depends on the next guys future…

Travis Snider: A disastrous year for Snider last year. This year was thought to be his breakout year and instead it was a year of regression. It seems like he has been around forever, but he is still only 23 years old. His upside is arguably much higher than Thames’, but it’s uncertain if the Jays front office has much confidence in him any longer. Potentially a large trading chip for AA this off-season.

Off-season plans: I thinks the Bautista, Rasmus and Thames alignment is the one we will see on opening day, with Rajai Davis and EE rotating in here and there. I just a have a feeling Snider will be packaged along with some other prospects to land some big fish.

Bullpen

The Terminator

I’m not going to break this group down individually because the bullpen will be undergoing a complete teardown this offseason. The bullpen was by far the weakest part of the team this year. The Jays were tied for first in the AL with 25 blown saves, converting on only 57% of their save opportunities. Incumbent closer possibilities Frank Francisco is likely gonzo and Jon Rauch was bought out. There are a boat load of free agent closers this off-season highlighted by Papelbon, Madson and K-Rod. However, I don’t see the Jays blowing the bank on Papelbon and will likely instead go for middle to low tier options like Madson, Cordero or Broxton. AA will likely wait to add a big name closer once the team is closer to contention. So for now, the Jays and their fans will have to suffer through nervous ninths until the next Tom Henke or Duane Ward is brought in.

 

Blue Jays fans will need to have patience because the Jays are still a few years away from being serious playoff contenders. AA and his staff have laid out a sustainable plan to build a consistent winner not just a flash in the pan one year wonder. It will be interesting to see if AA continues to be patient this offseason or give in to the pressure and blow some $$$. In my opinion I hope he stays the course and in 2-3 years blow the $$$ to put the Jays over the top, like how Gillick did it with the 2 championship teams in the 90′s.

 

 

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September 21, 2011

Hump Day Mega Post

By nalstradamus

I meant to write the last few days, but I haven’t been home much the last 3-4 days. Therefore, this post is going to be a little on the large side. I’m going multi-sport today and I’ll start with my NFL Week 2 Recap, bullet point style.

  • My weekly picks went 8-6-2 to bring my season total to 15-13-3. Could have gone 10-6 if it weren’t for Buffalo’s late game heroics and Jesse Holley falling 1 yard short of an OT TD.

1 yard from making Cowboy backers $$$. Ron T. Ennis/Zuma Press

  • KC is officially the worst team in the league with the loss of their best player Jamaal Charles. That injury also destroys my fantasy teams hopes this year :(
  • Cam Newton is for real I guess, back to back 400+ passing games in your first 2 games in the league is bananas. Not sure how Williams and Stewart feel about this pass first attack
  • Speaking of back to back video game like stat lines…Tom Brady is putting up stupid numbers right now. I think he’s on pace for 6000 yards…perverted
  • Tony Romo is a beast…playing through a broken rib and a punctured lung? Wha? No one can say anything bad about this guy ever again
  • The Cowboys offensive line is Bears-like
  • What are the odds Jay Cutler plays the whole season? He is getting rocked every game. If he flat out quit could you blame him?
  • The Lions are 2-0…read that again…let that sink in for a bit…this is no fluke, this team is for real

Do I scare you? No? You're lying

  • Mike Vick not only loses to his old employer but also gets a concussion. I’d like to bet against Atlanta whoever they play next week, there has to be some sort of letdown after that emotional win
  • Does anyone watch Monday Night Football anymore? The Sunday Night Game is by far the best production of the week
  • Kenny Britt looks like the biggest fantasy draft steal of the year so far, Arian Foster may be the biggest bust
  • I don’t think anyone lost in their survivor pools last week, favourites won everywhere except for the Ravens and Eagles
Onto baseball…lets stay with these bullets…lazy? Maybe.
  • Brett Lawrie’s first season has come to a close after he broke a finger fielding a ground ball during batting practice. His final stats are impressive: .293, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 7 SB in 43 games, my predictions on his stats weren’t too far off.
  • The Red Sox are trying to let the Rays catch up to them in the Wild Card race with an awful 3-7 record in their last 10. Lucky for them the Rays can’t beat the Yanks so it looks like they’ll likely squeak their way in.
  • The Braves are doing their best Red Sox impersonation in the National League Wild Card Race. This one could come down to the wire as the Cards are on fire right now and sit just 2 games (as of 7 pm) back of the Braves.
  • Justin Verlander should win both the AL CY Young and the AL MVP, leads all AL pitchers in the 3 main categories of wins (24), strikeouts (244) and ERA (2.29).

MVP and Cy Young? Yes

  • Stephen Strasburg has looked good in his first 3 starts, no walks in 14 innings. He makes All Star team next year, no doubt
Lets end it off with hockey…
I’ve been trying to avoid the topic of hockey for as long as possible. I honestly did not even know the preseason was starting until my wife asked me on Monday if I wanted to go to the first preseason game for the Canucks (she gets free tickets through work…yeah I’m lucky). Of course I said yes and it was a weird feeling for me putting that jersey back on and going back into Rogers Arena. As soon as I sat down a flood of memories of the Stanley Cup playoff run raced through my mind. The wounds are still fresh. I probably dealt with it all the wrong way by just holding it all in and not talking about it for as long as possible. Wow, it sounds like I’m talking about getting dumped or something…kind of disturbing that a sports team can make one feel this way. Anyway, enough of this depressing talk and onto my thoughts on the game.

5th row behind penalty box. Thanks wifey. Terrible resolution...need a new phone

I didn’t recognize half of the names in the line-up for the Canucks. The only projected regulars playing were Marco Sturm, Keith Ballard and I guess you can throw Chris Tanev and Aaron Rome on that list too. The Flames had a lot more regulars in their line-up including their top 4 d-men and it showed for most of the game. The Flames were badly outshooting the ‘Nucks for most of the game, it was 25-11 at one point late in the 2nd period. Canucks who impressed me the most were Owen Nolan, Marco Sturm, Keith Ballard, Jordan Schroeder and Nicklas Jensen. Nolan looked solid, it looked like he was able to keep up with the speed of the game and his hands look like they’re still there. I can see him making the team on the 3rd or 4th line especially with the injuries to Raymond and Kesler. Sturm also looked good in his Canucks debut, but he has Sami Salo durability so we’ll see how much he’s able to contribute this year. Ballard looked smooth and fast on his skates, I’m not sure he was at full strength during last season after offseason hip surgery. The kid line (Schroeder, Jensen and Pinizzotto) got tons of ice time and they deserved it because they were generating chances left, right and centre. Schroeder and Jensen are former first round picks and it was nice seeing them do well. They’re probably both 2-3 years away from a sniff at the NHL level, Jensen is only 18 and Schroeder is 20 so there’s time. 2 Flames that caught my eye were Mikael Backlund and Niklas Hagman. Both of them looked dangerous each time they had the puck. Backlund is someone I’ll probably target late in hockey pools this year because of the chance he plays with Iginla on the top line. The skills there, but we’ll see if he can be consistent.
Now that I’ve broken the hockey seal it’s probably going to take over my life again for the next 10 months. I’m strapping in and I’m ready for the pain…hopefully this year it’s more pleasure than pain. Actually screw hopefully, the Canucks win the cup baby! Lets put some bets on it :)

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September 15, 2011

L.L. Cool Jays

By nalstradamus

21 year old Brett Lawrie from Langley. Opening eyes everywhere hitting .303, 9HR 23RBI and 7SB

A pair of BC boys are making some noise with the Jays as the MLB season winds to a close. Brett Lawrie and Adam Loewen are showing Jays fans what may be coming in the not so distant future. I’ve already blabbed about my man crush on Brett Lawrie here and here so I won’t drool that much here…Ok, maybe just a little bit. He has met all the hype and if it’s at all possible he seems to have exceeded the lofty expectations everyone had for him prior to his call-up. There was even talk already about him being a future Hall of Famer on a sports radio talk show…now that’s insane for someone who has only played 38 games in the bigs. However, I see where these people are coming from, he has all the make-up of not just an all-star, but a superstar. A great example of his make-up came in the Jays’ last game against the Red Sox on Wednesday. He was a dead duck on a play at home and instead of letting up or giving a weak slide, he decided to try and bowl over the much bigger Jason Varitek. He ended up losing that battle, but he likely gained tons of respect from his teammates and he likely was the spark that triggered the Jays late game comeback (Click here to see the collision).

27 year old Adam Loewen from Vancouver, BC. Making the most of his September Call-up, hitting .357. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

Adam Loewen on the other hand has come up to the bigs with much less hype than Lawrie. However, the journey he has taken to get back to the bigs is an amazing story. Drafted 4th overall by Baltimore in 2002 as a starter, he pitched 3 seasons with the Orioles compiling an 8-8 record with a 5.38 ERA. In 2008 he fractured his throwing elbow for the second time and was told his pitching days were likely over. Most would have retired and lived off the millions of dollars of salary and signing bonuses, but Loewen chose not to give up. He decided to try and convert himself into an outfielder just like Rick Ankiel did. Now I want you to understand how crazy of an idea that choice was. He was a pitcher and he hadn’t swung a bat competitively in years. He was going to re-learn how to hit and then try and work his way from low A ball all the way back to the big leagues. It’s hard for me to give an example using another sport, how about Ray Lewis all of a sudden deciding he was going to quit being a linebacker and instead go to the CFL to learn how to be a QB. Well, Loewen beat the odds and is back in the bigs as an outfielder. He’s seen limited action since his call-up, but recently has been getting some timely hits with game tying and winning RBI’s. I’m not sure if he fits in the long term plans for the Jays as he seems to be buried in the outfield depth chart, but here’s hoping he can be a utility type bench player for the Jays down the road. You never know, an injury here or an extended slump there, might open up a spot for him to try and win a more permanent role with the Jays. Crazier things have happened…Loewen just needs to look to his left in right field and see Bautista, who went from journeyman utility man to superstar in a few short years.

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August 15, 2011

The Kids Are Alright

By nalstradamus

If you’re a Jays fan you must be drenching yourself in urine out of uncontrollable excitement these days (probably too much). Brett Lawrie has energized his teammates and he’s making the media and fan base go ape. He might annihilate my initial predictions. Yesterday’s performance was man crush making material: clutch hitting, stealing bases, solid defence (that dual double play rundown he started was throw-your-TV-remote-off-the-balcony worthy). He’s not the only youngster that is making believers out of TO fans. Eric Thames (24 years old) has shaken off his batting woes and is back to driving the ball in the gaps and out of the park, Colby Rasmus (25 years old) hasn’t been tearing the cover off the ball (.220 avg), but has been making D in centre field look Devo easy, Henderson Alvarez (21 years old) makes his 2nd start tonight and is coming off a solid major league debut against Oakland. The top 3 in the starting rotation Romero (26 years old), Cecil (25 years old) and Morrow (27 years old) are solidifying themselves as solid front end of the rotation chuckers. Add all of these youngsters to vets like Bautista, Lind and Escobar and you have a pretty bright future indeed.

There are also future stars in the minors:

1) Travis d’Arnaud 22 years old: catcher, AA stats: .326, 17 HR, 61 RBI

If he can play some D he may give Arencibia a real push in the next few seasons. ETA: 2 years

Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images North America

2) Adeiny Hechavarria 22 years old: shortstop, AA and AAA combined: .242, 6 HR, 46 RBI

It’s not his bat that will make him $$$. His glove is said to be unreal and if he was in the bigs right now he’d be considered in the top tier in fielding. I wonder if the Jays would consider moving him to 2nd base in the minors to groom him to take over for Aaron Hill in the future. ETA: 2 years

Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images North America

3) Kyle Drabek 23 years old: starting pitcher, not going to list his AAA stats because they’re awful

He had a cup of coffee with the Jays earlier in the year and walked way too many batters to be effective. It looks like he continues to struggle with control in the minors. He has explosive stuff so expect to see him back in the bigs next year. ETA: probably will get a September call-up this year

Photo by Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press

4) Deck McGuire 20 years old: starting pitcher, A and AA combined: 3.06 ERA, 9-5, 121 k’s in 123 innings

11th overall pick in 2010, rising fast through minors. Big fastball, hard slider, front end of rotation type prospect. ETA: 2 years

Photo from Sportsnet.ca

5) Anthony Gose 21 years old: outfield, AA stats: .257, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 52 SB

As you can see his main attraction is his blazing speed. The Jays’ outfield is pretty crowded right now (Bautista, Rasmus, Thames, Snider). A trade or 2 might open up a spot for Gose at some point. ETA: 2 years

Photo from jaysprospects.com

The Jays are trying to build a long term winning franchise by being stacked in every position in the minors. This is the only way they can hope to challenge the beasts of the east who can spend unlimited funds to reload their line-ups every year. If I had to predict, I’d say the Jays will be in playoff contention in 2 years, but will actually finally make it in 3 or 4 years.

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August 5, 2011

No Pressure Buddy

By nalstradamus

Brett Lawrie makes his long awaited debut tonight for the Jays.

He is the most hyped Blue Jays prospect probably since Roy Halladay.

Since Spring training there has been a constant buzz around this 21 year old kid from Langley, BC.

He had a great spring and almost made the team right from the get-go.

He has been a beast down in the minors and it was clear AAA wasn’t posing much of a challenge.

Check out these stats: .353 avg, 18 HR, 61 RBI, 13 SB, 24 doubles, in 69 games…GIGGIDY.

Glenn Quagmire

Image via Wikipedia

There are unreal expectations on this guy right now. Not only is he a solid prospect, but he’s Canadian and the first Canadian stud prospect to play for the Jays.

The media, the fans, me, TO girls, we’re all drooling right now.

To make room for Lawrie someone had to get sent down and the victim was Travis Snider.

With Snider gone this means Jose Bautista will be moved back to right field and Eric Thames will platoon over in Left.

There have been a lot of fans calling for Bautista to stay at third base and instead have Lawrie move to 2nd base to take over for struggling Aaron Hill (Lawrie was a 2nd baseman previously).

What these people don’t understand is Bautista is more of a weapon in right field than he is at 3rd. There aren’t many outfielders in the game today with a bigger cannon (that’s his arm, perverts) than him.

Teams think twice before sending players home or for the extra base when Bautista gets the ball in right. This in itself saves countless runs for the pitching staff.

The Aaron Hill saga will play itself out in the offseason, as will Snider’s future.

Possibly they package both for a closer or another starter.

Anyway, that’s another rant, back to my new man crush Lawrie…would it be weird, creepy, if I went out and bought his jersey today?

Ok Ok, back to reality.

Do I think he is going to dominate the majors for the rest of the season?

No, like every rookie there will be highs and more often than not, frustrating lows.

One only needs to go back one season and look at JP Arencibia, 1st game he goes bonkers for 2 jacks, then fades away the rest of the summer.

Here is my fearless, probably not so reliable prediction for the rest of the season for Mr. Lawrie…

51 games, .275 avg, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 9 SB

Wow, I just saw a commercial promoting tonights Blue Jays game…you have to be a member of the book of face to see it

I hope he doesn’t watch the commercial before today’s game, he might poop himself.

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