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Quick Take: The “run” of the Jays; The Box

By Gary Armida

Two things are really getting to me as the baseball season draws to a close. One is the recent praise of the Toronto Blue Jays. The other is this idea that baseball fans and analysts alike have to over think things in every aspect of the game. Newsflash to everyone who is not paying attention: The Blue Jays are a team that cut their best offensive player (Frank Thomas) and then traded away Matt Stairs when they were well within range for a playoff berth. And, ladies and gentlemen, sometimes a player who is hitting .265 with over 30 homeruns and 100 RBI can be an MVP even if his runs scored minus RBI plus the square root of pi divided by day game hits isn’t as great as Dustin Pedroia’s or Carlos Beltran’s.

 The Toronto Blue Jays

There is no doubting that the Blue Jays are playing good baseball. Winners of 10 of their last 11 games, the Blue Jays seem to have finally put it all together. Their excellent pitching staff is actually getting some run support as shown last night when the Jays scored 6 runs in the top of the 8th inning against the White Sox. Young Adam Lind has provided an offensive spark, compensating for poor years from Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, and Scott Rolen. But, the question needs to be asked: If the Blue Jays knew that they would be competitive, why did they get rid of players instead of adding to the mix?

The Houston Astros were ridiculed for acquiring Randy Wolf when they were in 5th place in their division (well, except for here. We thought it was good.). The Astros knew that they had enough offense to make a run so strengthening the pitching staff was a priority. Instead of giving up on the season like the Jays and Cleveland Indians did, the Astros decided to give their team a chance play hard until the bitter end. The Wolf move also showed the fans that the organization was not giving up.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays did nothing at the trade deadline. Adam Dunn could have been acquired, but evidently general manager JP Ricciardi didn’t like him. Instead, the Blue Jays sat with a mediocre offense all season and wasted a Cy Young season from Roy Halladay and solid seasons from AJ Burnett, Jesse Litsch, and Shawn Marcum. Also wasted is a tremendous bullpen. No Blue Jays reliever with more than 40 appearances has an ERA higher than 3.23. 

So, it is nice that the Jays are making it interesting and heading to another 3rd place finish, this time ahead of the Yankees. But, if they hadn’t given up too early, they would be right in the thick of a pennant race.

The Box is OK

One of the most over used expressions is “thinking outside the box”. This popular expression made its way into baseball analysis many years ago with the explosion of sabermetrics. Gone are the days of looking at a hitters’ batting average to determine his worth. Rightfully so, a player’s OPS is more widely considered a true indication of a great hitter.

With the end of the season approaching, talk radio has begun the cycle of talking about MVP and CY Young awards. Instead of hearing the names like Pujols, Ramirez, Sabathia, and Webb, listeners are forced to hear a host talk about the definition of valuable and how Dustin Pedroia is more valuable to his team than Vladimir Guerrero is to the Angels. Then we are subjected to the stat reading which usually covers batting average, homeruns, and RBI. The “outside the box” thinking is in full swing…

Once the argument is over, the fans get to say their peace.  Yesterday, a fan actually called in and gave a stat similar to the one I wrote in the introduction. The hosts dismissed it as ridiculous, but then began to criticize the candidacy of Carlos Delgado. Delgado, after a bad start, has carried the Mets with his .264 and 35 homeruns and 105 RBI. Consider that the Mets were floundering in 4th place when Delgado struggled. Those sound like MVP numbers, right? No, Mr. Radio host said that Carlos Beltran is more valuable because of his defense. He said this even though Beltran is having a sub-par year and the fact that the Mets began to win when Delgado got hurt.

Neither is correct. Sometimes, the box is the way to go. The MVP should go to the player who makes a huge impact on the team. That award goes to either CC Sabathia or Manny Ramirez. Yes, both have only been in the National League for a short time, but both have made their teams that much better. Ramirez is single handily bringing the Dodgers back to the playoffs. Sabathia has been equally impressive, posting an ERA under 2.00 since he became a Brewer.

 Both sound like MVP’s, right? Sure they do. Now, we just have to convince the mainstream to not get too fancy when voting for the MVP.  Please, the box is sometimes ok.

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