Or I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Double
I feel somewhat obligated to offer Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro an apology. Or it seems that way after this series with the Yankees. They built this team around defense, making contact, and speed. I’ve always preferred power over anything, but it is good to see that there is more than one way to get to the top (he says, knowing it could all go downhill).
Defense? The Yankees made seven official errors in this series, while the Jays made two. And that doesn’t count unofficial errors. Did you notice that after Max Fried made that wild throw home, letting Vlad score, and then George came home, Max didn’t even make a move towards the plate. The catcher had no one to throw to after chasing down the ball. Now, it might not have made a difference, and it was not an error, but it was bad baseball.
And the Jays made far more great plays than the Yankees. Vlad, whom I don’t consider a ‘Gold Glove’ first baseman, made a number of nice catches of throws from the other infielders (my wife commented on his ability to stretch or do the splits). And he made some nice fielding plays. Ben Rice? Not so much.
Leo Jiménez made some spectacular plays at second base. I had him pegged as an average middle infielder, but he showed me.
Kirk demonstrated his exceptional ability to frame pitches, which was underlined by the umpire scorecard each game. That also has the added benefit of getting the Yankees’ manager thrown out of the game (though I don’t know if having Boone off the bench is an advantage for the Jays).
Clement is Gold Glove level at third base.
If the teams had switched defenses, that would have been a three-game sweep for the Yankees.
One of the nice parts about playing better defense is that you can keep a pitcher in a game a little longer. An error or a play not made adds to the pitch count and increases the stress on a pitcher. And a great play made helps the pitcher’s mood (I’m sure if you see an incredible catch made behind you, you lock in a little more), and the pitcher doesn’t have the stress of a runner on second or third.
The Yankees out-homered us seven to one (thanks, Bo). I’d love to be able to research how often a team has won a three-game season being out-homered that badly, but I’m pretty sure the answer would be almost never.
We hear a lot about how the Jays’ batters are at the top of the league in fewest strikeouts (675, with the Royals next at [number]). Playing a team like the Yankees, who have a rough time making the easy defensive plays? Putting the ball in play is a great idea.
Now, I’d like the Jays to homer more often; we are third from the bottom in home runs (Yankees are at the top of the league), and the team did try to address that by adding Anthony Santander (sigh). And Vlad hasn’t exactly held up his end. Getting Varsho back will help.
But we are second in the AL in doubles.
We aren’t high on the list in stolen bases, but we seem very good at taking an extra base when there is an opportunity. Watching Springer score from first is worth the price of admission. Even Vlad, yeah, he has been thrown out a couple of times, but he’s scored from first on a double, too. And that Superman dive into the plate is fun.
The team has done a much better job building the minor league system than they receive credit for. Barger, Loperfido, and much of the bullpen, including guys like Jiménez, Nathan Lukes, and others, have been better than advertised.
I also think that Ross and Mark do their best to get the support the players need. We have been shown the fancy batting cage. Pitching coaches, batting coaches, I’m sure sports psychologists. And I’ll admit, the work done to improve the park can’t hurt the product on the field. You make it a great party place for the fans, and you attract more fans, more noise, and more support. The players (Bo last night, Vlad a couple of nights ago) made a point of saying how great the fans are.
Anyway, this is a long way of saying that I think they have done a good job, maybe not in the way I’d like, and maybe it’s been a longer road getting here than I’d like, but we have a fun team to watch.
Just a programming note: there will likely be less content over the next few days. This nursing stuff is taking more time than I figured. I’ve learnt that pain from knee replacement surgery doesn’t go away in a hurry. I’ve decided I’m in no hurry to have mine done (not that they need it).