Hello everyone. . . or anyone.
As an avid Toronto Blue Jays fan I have decided to join the world of internet-know-it-all's and spout my barely educated but rather passionate opinion about my favourite baseball team.
This year is full of promise and unlike every other Toronto based team, there is an understanding that even if we do not win it all this year (which in all reality is hard to fathom) we have hope to be a playoff contender next year and for many years to come.
For most teams spring training has been about thinning the herd. Give the prospects a chance or two but eventually give the major league players every opportunity to work on their craft. For the Blue Jays it has been a completely different story. Players like Travs D'Arnaud, Eric Thames, Brett Lawrie, Adeiny Hechevarria, Anthony Gose among others have given John Farrell a lot to think about. Among these prospects one in particular has given me reason to believe he can and should break camp with the big league team.
Brett Lawrie. He has been a force at every minor league level and has been in beastmode ever since entering camp. Through 21 at-bats Lawrie has garnered 2 home runs 1 double 5 rbi's 1.123 OPS and a .381 AVG. Now before I get too ahead of myself let me remind you (and myself) that this is just spring training and a small sample size. There are lot of variables to take into account while assessing the value of his offensive merits. However, considering the Blue Jays projected line-up there is a lot of room for a player like Lawrie. First we must look at the situation AA has given the Jays. He has removed the looming cloud that was the Vernon Wells contract, removed spare-part veterans (Overbay, Buck) to allow prospective talents a regular role on the major league stage and he has beefed up our prospect depth, thus improving our organizational depth. What this has allowed is an equal opportunity for upcoming players as well as encouragement and confidence for the players AA has referred to as the core going forward. There are very few players in camp this year that will not factor into the future of the Jays; Scott Podsednik, Corey Patterson, Juan Rivera. As far as I am concerned these players should be used to fill wholes but NOT as a speed bump or road block for players who are ready. As was the case with John Buck, when Arencibia was deemed ready it made no sense to resign Buck - eventually we must take risks and give chances to the prospects we have so highly touted. I feel the same situation has presented itself for Lawrie. Right now Jose Bautista will be the 3rd baseman for the 2011 season and the only player in Brett Lawrie’s way. The only reason Bautista is the 3rd baseman for 2011 is because other than E5 there are no other options, so lets look at the players Bautista would replace in the outfield. Most likely Juan Rivera. By deducing the reasoning for the Blue Jays defensive positioning it becomes clear that it is not Bautista blocking Lawrie's road to the Big Leagues but it is Lawries ability to play third. Can Lawrie play third? All signs point to yes. The news from Florida suggests that Lawrie has caught on quick. His arm strength is not an issue, he has been making acrobatic plays and seems to be comfortable reading the ball off the bat. Butterfield has stated that although his progress is very promising he still has some footwork to work on. All things considered we can't expect the next Scott Rolen but we definitely won't have another E5 on our hands. So the question comes to this - Since Lawrie's bat and glove have performed above expectation and in most regards at the level of a major leaguer, is Juan Rivera more important than Lawrie to break camp with an everyday position? NO! There is no way you can argue that Rivera is worth stunting Lawries growth. It wont surprise me though if he starts the year in AAA because then they can call him up without it counting towards his years as a Major Leaguer which helps contractually. But in a year where the Blue Jay's organization has done what was needed to allow their players and their team to move forward I see no reason why Lawrie would hurt the team and I can see many reasons why he will help the team. The potential is exhilarating!
-G
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