OK, let's list all of the catchers that the Jays have acquired this off-season:
Bobby Wilson
Eli Whiteside
John Buck
Josh Thole
Henry Blanco
Who is going to be catching in Buffalo? I am not sure what the Jays did with Whiteside or Wilson. Are they still Jays property?
Wilson and Whiteside were lost on waivers trying to sneak them down to Buffalo to be the C there. Thole will be the backup and personal catcher for Dickey (for times where they don't want to risk JP catching him and the potential circus that would entail). Blanco could probably be the next "gonna sneak him down to AAA to be the catcher there" attempt, along with Mike Nikeas (who was also acquired in the Dickey trade and is sort of Thole-insurance since he (nikeas) has caught Dickey too).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leafsdude7
Is Jimenez likely to start at Buffalo or New Hampshire?
I know pre-Dickey that he was almost certainly slated for NH so that he could be their starter, but now with D'arnaud gone, I think he might be given that chance.
Or is he still likely going to need more AA time anyway?
Presuming Blanco makes it to the minors, we're probably looking at:
MLB - Arencibia, Thole
AAA (Buffalo) - Blanco, Nikeas
AA (New Hampshire) - Jimenez, filler
A (Lansing/Vancouver) - Nessy, Seth Connor,2x filler where appropriate
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Old news, but worth posting this collection of articles from Jays Journal, called "Prospect Positional Primers". They're brief looks at the best of what we've got in the system at different positions, and they're a good way to get basically familiar with the top chunk of the Jays' pipeline.
Be aware that these were done in October & November, so they were made before the Marlins and Dickey trades (as such, you'll see Nicolino, d'Arnaud, Syndergaard, Hechavarria, Marisnick, and Bucerra all broken down.
Lets say Blanco doesn't make it to the minors. Then what? Is Jimenez still likely in AA?
probably. Better to sign some AAA filler to back up Nikeas than it is to put Jimenez in over his head. If he shows he's ready for AAA duty in the first few AA months, then he'll move up.
Cool that Anthopolous is showing such dedication to Dickey by signing Blanco. At the very least this is a move to make him feel comfortable (although he should be. We have 3 catchers he's thrown to!). Loving this Blue Jays team. I have a really good feeling about this team that I've never had about a Toronto team before.
Old news, but worth posting this collection of articles from Jays Journal, called "Prospect Positional Primers". They're brief looks at the best of what we've got in the system at different positions, and they're a good way to get basically familiar with the top chunk of the Jays' pipeline....
Cool that Anthopolous is showing such dedication to Dickey by signing Blanco. At the very least this is a move to make him feel comfortable (although he should be. We have 3 catchers he's thrown to!). Loving this Blue Jays team. I have a really good feeling about this team that I've never had about a Toronto team before.
He is positioning the team for a deep playoff run. Need depth to succeed.
Dickey was interviewed on TSN1050, and he said he would prefer that the dome be closed when he pitches...that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The knuckleball dances because of the non-uniformity of the air through which it travels, and is affected by any little current that touches the ball. Theoretically, if it were in a vacuum, it wouldn't dance at all, correct? So why would he want to make the environment more controlled?
Dickey was interviewed on TSN1050, and he said he would prefer that the dome be closed when he pitches...that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The knuckleball dances because of the non-uniformity of the air through which it travels, and is affected by any little current that touches the ball. Theoretically, if it were in a vacuum, it wouldn't dance at all, correct? So why would he want to make the environment more controlled?
It's worth noting that:
A) a closed Rogers Centre is still far from a static environment - there are plenty of air currents for a knuckleball to exploit,
B) in his admittedly limited number of starts in partial or complete domes, Dickey has been lights-out, and most importantly
C) why argue with a Cy Young winner about the conditions in which he feels more comfortable pitching?
Dickey was interviewed on TSN1050, and he said he would prefer that the dome be closed when he pitches...that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The knuckleball dances because of the non-uniformity of the air through which it travels, and is affected by any little current that touches the ball. Theoretically, if it were in a vacuum, it wouldn't dance at all, correct? So why would he want to make the environment more controlled?
He always says that it's easier for him to control if he's throwing in a controlled environment, which is why a dome is prefered. I don't think it's as much about movement as it is control.
A) a closed Rogers Centre is still far from a static environment - there are plenty of air currents for a knuckleball to exploit,
B) in his admittedly limited number of starts in partial or complete domes, Dickey has been lights-out, and most importantly
C) why argue with a Cy Young winner about the conditions in which he feels more comfortable pitching?
I know that there is still air moving around the Rogers Centre, lmao. Your second point is duly noted. Thirdly, I'm not questioning Dickey, I'm question his rationale on a message board. He said on TSN1050, that it was in order to "take a variable out of the equation". That just doesn't make any sense to me.
He always says that it's easier for him to control if he's throwing in a controlled environment, which is why a dome is prefered. I don't think it's as much about movement as it is control.
That's probably it then. Since he throws a bit of a harder knuckler, I guess he prefers less wind. Good to know!
I know that there is still air moving around the Rogers Centre, lmao. Your second point is duly noted. Thirdly, I'm not questioning Dickey, I'm question his rationale on a message board. He said on TSN1050, that it was in order to "take a variable out of the equation". That just doesn't make any sense to me.
If the dome is open and there is a cross wind then it is harder for someone who throws a knuckle ball to throw it with command since the weather conditions can add extra movement that he can not control. However if there is no limiting factors then once he finds his release point it is easier for him to command the pitch where he wants it to go. While yes having extra movement sounds great in theory, extra movement doesn't mean much if it results in 8 walked batters because of it.
Old news, but worth posting this collection of articles from Jays Journal, called "Prospect Positional Primers". They're brief looks at the best of what we've got in the system at different positions, and they're a good way to get basically familiar with the top chunk of the Jays' pipeline.
Be aware that these were done in October & November, so they were made before the Marlins and Dickey trades (as such, you'll see Nicolino, d'Arnaud, Syndergaard, Hechavarria, Marisnick, and Bucerra all broken down.
If the dome is open and there is a cross wind then it is harder for someone who throws a knuckle ball to throw it with command since the weather conditions can add extra movement that he can not control. However if there is no limiting factors then once he finds his release point it is easier for him to command the pitch where he wants it to go. While yes having extra movement sounds great in theory, extra movement doesn't mean much if it results in 8 walked batters because of it.
That's a great explanation, thanks a lot. I imagine it has something to do with him throwing a harder ball too. As a slower knuckler, I wonder if Wakefield had a similar preference?
That's a great explanation, thanks a lot. I imagine it has something to do with him throwing a harder ball too. As a slower knuckler, I wonder if Wakefield had a similar preference?
You would have to think any knuckler would prefer to take the weather factor out of the equation.
fit is where you said when JP is DH'ing
