Post by Commish on Apr 20, 2019 3:25:07 GMT
One of the standout teams in the early going is the Toronto Blue Jays who are off to 9-4 start – top of the AL East. I took a trip to Toronto and looked forward to considering the big picture with team owner. However, I was informed that the owner was too busy running league affairs and instead met with the team GM. The GM for the Jays was impeccably dressed highlighted by a classic almost floor-length coat, with a perfectly trimmed moustache. Thus I was introduced to Littlefinger. Just Littlefinger- no last name or perhaps no first name – I am not sure which it is.
I asked Littlefinger about his philosophy in leading the Blue Jays and he gave me a minimal (perhaps token) smile. “Do you know what the league is” Littlefinger wasn’t asking, he was telling me. “It is a story we tell ourselves that is all a lie. I can sum up my leadership in one word – Chaos” Littlefinger quietly but strongly informed me.
Highly alarmed at such a pronouncement, I stumbled out the words “chaos is a gaping pit that will swallow all of us.”
Turning toward me in a bemused way, Littlefinger brushed off my protest, looking me in the eye and emphasized that “chaos isn’t a pit, chaos is a ladder”. “While many will fail the climb and the fall will break them, I will climb the ladder. First taking over the Blue Jays and then the entire HBLA. Once in control I will rule the kingdom and then the world.”
Stunned, I decided to change to more specific topics – namely the Blue Jays roster. One of the boldest first round picks was a young SP – Pedro Martinez. Perhaps risky at the time, Pedro used Spring Training to rapidly develop his talents and now appears to be a premier pitcher for years to come. Pedro will have to perform at the top level since the remaining rotation for the Jays is fairly weak. So far they are all pitching great, but will it last? Perhaps it doesn’t matter as the 9-man bullpen will remain fresh and go at opponents in waves.
The Jays lineup features some quality young talent. LF Al Martin and 1B Bob Hamelin stand out. Mr. Blue Jay, Cal Ripken, brings unlimited veteran leadership while C Steinbach and 3B Pendleton (an excellent late draft snag) will complement Ripken. Overall, the Jays lineup is good quality but certainly not exceptional.
In summary, the Jays have decent pitching, hitting and strong fielding (perhaps the best attribute of the 3), but we may not see Toronto at the top of the standings for long this season. In the long run with a SP like Pedro and some outstanding minor league talent (Carl Everett, Cory Winther and a few others), they will be climbing the ladder.
Yours Truly
Jay Kaplan (Orioles)