A long story short, Lawrie had the next two pitches, clearly balls, called strikes. He lost his shit, threw down his batting helmet, which proceeded to ricochet off the ground and hit umpire Bill Miller. He was tossed and will assuredly be suspended.

Video

Pitches in question:

As the video and the heat map clearly show, both pitches are off the plate.

Bill Miller’s 2012 overall strike zone is near the MLB average in terms of called strikes.

His strike zone when a righty is batting is a little large.

However, with two strikes Miller’s zone gets VERY loose, and he really becomes a batters nightmare, as he gives pitchers a large portion off the plate inside and also high & away.

Finally, last nights strike zone for righty batters in all counts.

By looking Miller’s recent historical zones, along with last night’s called strikes, I don’t think he had a personal vendetta vs Lawrie. Did he have a shitty night? Oh yeah, look at all of the pitches away to righties. But when comparing the games zone to the strike calls against Lawrie, I can at least understand why the bad calls were made.

With that said, I agree with Lawrie for both

A) Not swinging at either pitch

B) Being pissed off

Brett is an emotional player, it drives his game. Of course with emotion there will be ups and downs. The Toronto Blue Jays organization has done a GREAT job in taking in players that other organizations deemed to have make-up issues (Lawrie, Rasmus, Escobar) and making it work.

Hopefully Lawrie’s suspension is short. But when he comes back I hope he continues to play with flare & passion. And maybe a little chip on his shoulder.

Notes: Video via MLB.tv, heat maps via ESPN

“Baseball is not just a sport but a show, by far the most attractive for Cubans.” – Victor Mesa

Victor Mesa is one of the most storied figues in Cuban baseball.  As touched on in Commie Ball,  Victor Mesa was the manager of the Villa Clara Orangemen of the Cuban National Series. “El Loco” (as he is called by fans, as well as “The Orange Explosion” and ”The Show”) can be described only as a living legend.

Victor Mesa

When Mesa was only nine years old, Cuban officials noticed him playing baseball in the streets.  He was immediately packed up and sent off to a baseball acadamy.  Years later Mesa began his career as a centrefielder who played like his hair was on fire.  No fly ball was too insignificant that he wouldn’t crash into a concrete and steel outfield wall to catch it.  A bona fide 5 tool player, Mesa played for 19 seasons in the Cuban National Series.  He stole 52 bases at age 35 – in a 90 game season.  Known for his “showmanship,” Mesa was once ejected from a game for pimping a home run too hard.  Not only would he regularly steal home but he would yell at the opposing pitcher while he was doing it.  This made him wildly popular with Villa Clara fans.

“He wouldn’t have been just a regular in the All-Star Game,” says René Arocha. “He would have been the star of the All-Star Game.”

 

“He would have been more than a star in professional baseball,” says Eddie Oropesa, who surrendered to Mesa his 200th home run. “He was a show. He would do things other people wouldn’t even think of doing.”

 

Victor Mesa

At international tournaments, Mesa was head and shoulders above the rest of the players talent-wise.  He was also the craziest.  At one particular tournament behaved in a curious fashion which was typical behaviour for him:

Mesa hit leadoff and was the first batter of Cuba’s first game. Before the first pitch Mesa turned and began to argue with the umpire. The first pitch he hit out of the park. After he rounded the bases and touched home plate, he turned back to the umpire to argue some more. The umpire tossed him out of the game.

Once, Mesa was thrown out of the game before it even started:

The umpire was warning him in advance not to make trouble or come out on the field, to which Mesa replied, “Are you fucking blind? I’m on the field right now.”

Mesa was the centrefielder for the Cuban baseball team in the 1992 Barcelona Oympics – the first time baseball was played as an official Olympic sport. Mesa was the first player to record a hit – a home run.  The Cuban team went on to win the gold medal.

As manager, Mesa has been known to come on to the playing field and physically remove players from the game that he feels aren’t giving their maximum effort.  The colourful manager’s tactics seem to resonate with his charges:  Villa Clara finished first in the Cuban League standings this season by a fair margin.

For the 2011 campaign, the Cuban Baseball Federation loaned Mesa to the Minatitlan Peloteros of the Mexican Baseball League.  They do this to discourage “group think” within the Cuban National Series as it allows managers and baseball personnel exposure to how the game is played in other countries.

Mesa returned to Cuba this year and was assigned to a perennial also-ran in the Matanzas Cocodrilos.  Matanzas is the only team to have never reached the post-season since the Cuban National Series implemented their current playoff format in 1986.  Victor Mesa was indeed able to work his managerial magic on the Cocodrilos, guiding the young team to a first-place finish in the Occidental League, ahead of the storied Havana Industriales franchise.

Mesa has had a profound impact on the team as well as the city.  Whereas in the past, a maximum of 200 fans would be in attendance, the Cocodrilo’s home ballpark of Victoria de Giron is filled to capacity for every game.  In the quarterfinals vs. Sancti Spiritus (and the talented Yulieski Gourriel), the Cocodrilos fell behind 3 games to 1 before storming back and winning the series 4-3 to advance to the semifinals vs. the Industriales.  It was maximum drama and classic Mesa.

Right now the Cocodrilos and Industriales are locked in a back-and-forth tilt.  The Industriales lead the series 3-2 as it goes back to Matanzas for Game 6.  The Industriales look poised to take the series and advance to the final, but only a fool would bet against Victor Mesa.

Mesa sat down for a Q&A session with the Cuban national newspaper two years ago and I have haphazardly translated his answers into English.  Below are the highlights:

Q:  Many people did not know that you debuted for the junior team in Isla del Pinos in 1971.  Players who played against you hated you for your explosiveness and aggressive play.

A: I always played well and I played that way from watching players on television.  That’s why I disliked the players I was playing against.  To me, what I am interested in is going where I want and to do what I do.  I’m not worried about critics.  Sooner or later they will recognize that this is how you should play baseball – play hard, run out ground balls, always hustle.  I never stopped doing things well and was very dedicated to my sport.

Q:  With all of your international experience, you played against some Major League stars.  Was there anyone in particular that you admired?

A: I liked base-stealer Rickey Henderson  because that’s what I liked best: hit and steal bases. For example, I remember that once in a game at the Estadio Latinoamericano I hit only 1-5, but I stole 4 bases and one of them decided the game. When I came out after the game people told me: “You’re finished!” Lie. I am not finished anything. I had learned to take walks and then steal bases.  That concept was not yet in the minds of the people, but I seemed to have done a lot with the stolen bases.

Q: Your happiest moments and the saddest?

A: I had many happy more than sad. From the happy I can mention being the Olympic champion in 1992, World champion in 1984 and several more individual leaderships I had in that event and, of course, having obtained the title because we are more interested in the gold medals than individual statistics. I don’t want to talk politics, but it is true that we played with the heart to give the gold medal to Cuba, our people and then the individual results were secondary . We worked for it and enjoyed that our people felt pleased. I say that to anyone who doubts this because sometimes people want to think that one is in a suit and tie or the high life, but I put them in due course.

The saddest moment was when I retired.

Q: From the beginning you were good hitter, but after your first ten seasons you greatly improved your swing, including the production of extra base hits. They say that numbers like these are unusual because a player’s performance is supposed to decline after age 30. What was your secret in becoming a better hitter over the years?

A: It’s true that I had better results in the second stage of my career. In baseball I was always ambitious, always wanted more and more. I never give up in baseball and every time I remembered my family, the sacrifices they had to make for me to play, where we had to start from, where we were,  the conditions of what we had to achieve.

National sporting performance drew me in to international events because the team had to make the world know that Cuba was known for baseball. I never gave up, something I explained to some friends of mine and several of them did not understand or would not understand, they gave up.  I would continue down the path that I had drawn up long ago.

Q: Internationally, what impressed you most or was more difficult?

A: The Americans, Chris Carpenter, Gregg Olson, Jim Abbott. As far as I can tell you, the hardest for me was with the tremendous curve from hell that Chris Carpenter had.  He was better than Olson and Ben McDonald.  Jim Abbott was another hard pitcher to hit and to his credit, he was missing part of one arm.

Q:  If you were 21 years old now, would  you stay in Cuba?

A:  I love American baseball.  It’s the best baseball in the world.  Yes, I would have loved to play in the major leagues. I would have loved to be with all these big players and see just how good I was. I am going to die and I’m not going to know.

Q: What can you tell us about your time in Japan?

A: I learned discipline, to respect schedules, to have a positive attitude, many positive things at that point in my age and my career, something I had learned in my country. I had difficulty with the language, but I learned a lot about Japanese baseball.

Q: You played when the living conditions of the players were not good, you think that if these had been better, the performance of you and others would have been higher?

A: But we fought well and lived, though of course we would have been better, the conditions are the conditions. When man, the athlete, has the best conditions he has to be better.  We had to do what we could to achieve our goals. I had to leave my home in Sitiecito, Sagua La Grande. That’s where I’m stronger, so I’m not daunted by anything. Besides that all life had to struggle against many, and I still struggle against many and I have not stolen anything from how easy it easy and have done others. But it was better, because I’ve developed more.

Q: Do we have star players yet?

A: Yes, but you have to be caring. There are still many, do not worry about what is happening. The thing I will not mention any particular name so as not to create things, but for example, Yulieski Gourriel is a star. We must learn to care a bit.

Q: Would you like to send a message to the fans and readers of this interview?

A:  That Victor Mesa is still in Cuba, as when I was player, after the director and now coach, Right or wrong, I will continue to be in Cuba with balls. I’ve never been into anything other than being consistent with the country, but you have to do many things and I will continue to criticize what is wrong with our baseball.

Images courtesy of Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate and Google Images (photo credits unknown)

I usually stay away from such obvious post subjects. Babe Ruth had plus power, Randy Johnson had a good slider and Adam Lind can’t hit lefties. These are all givens, aren’t they?

After posting a .639 OPS vs lefties in 2011 (including 36 K vs 5 BB, only 3 HR in 149 PA), Lind appears to be limping along at his usual pace in 2012.

In 2012 (as of 05/09/12) he’s hitting .160/.192/.280 for a .472 OPS, 15.4% K rate vs 3.8% BB, making weak contact with 13 ground balls vs 8 flyballs + line drives.

The problem this season is that he’s not really hitting righties either, hitting only 2 HR in 86 PA.

Needless to say the Jays need some production from first base.

The problem with Lind, whether it be vs righties or lefties, is that he’s getting KILLED on low & away pitches of each and every type. He’s a horrid 1-13 vs low and away pitches. In total he’s hitting .109 with only 1 double vs outside pitches.

Left-handed hitters can struggle with outside, as we’ve seen with Eric Thames earlier in the season. The MLB average for lefties vs outside pitches in 2012 is .235/.331/.338

The issue with Lind is he’s seeing nearly 60% of his pitches out in that area and doing next to nothing with them (.143/.143/.286).

So what we essentially have is a hitter that is getting owned by “the book”, is next to useless vs lefties and plays some suspect D over at 1st base.

The solution? Send down a reliever (a lower leverage arm like Joel Carreno) and bring up David Cooper to create a platoon at first base with Adam Lind. This is the feasible scenario, as the Jays are still going to want to extract value from Adam’s contract.

Case for David Cooper Gaining MLB AB

While David Cooper is a lefty batter, he’s posted reverse platoon splits in AAA over the past two seasons.

I personally took a wait and see approach with Cooper last season, wondering whether he really developed a strong batting eye (67 BB vs 43 K last year). This season he has a 14 BB vs 13 K rate. While I don’t expect Cooper to be a slugging superstar, he fits into the Lyle Overbay mold of a gap hitter with power.

The increased walk rate leads to legitimate potential value in Cooper, considering the MLB’s 2012 style of shifting and lower BABIP. The Jays currently have only one player (Kelly Johnson) with an OBP above .330 and it would be nice to have someone turn the order around down in the bottom third of the order.

If nothing else I’d like to see what Cooper can do at the MLB level with a few hundred AB. Can he be a legitimate source of OBP and gap power? There’s only one way to find out and it starts with limiting Adam Lind’s plate appearances.

Notes: images via AP, ESPN, data via ESPN, Minor League Splits SQL

and Henderson Alvarez’s start:

Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler were quick to point out that the Jays had not pitched back-to-back shutouts since September of 1988 (it was Dave Stieb and Jimmy Key).  I couldn’t even remember the last time a Jays pitcher even threw a complete game (it was Ricky Romero, August 18th, 2011).  In fact, the Blue Jays only threw 7 complete games as a team in 2011.  In Roy Halladay’s final year in Toronto – 2009 – he threw 9 complete games by himself.  To be clear, this isn’t another post bemoaning the advent of pitch counts and pitchers being treated with kid gloves.  However, Blue Jays manager John Farrell stated this season that in order for this team to contend in 2012, his starting staff is going to have to find a away to go deeper into games.  The Blue Jays have blown 7 games by the bullpen so far this season, so it’s clear that this is a true statement.

It got me to thinking about Blue Jays workhorses of the past.  Who can the present-day Jays pitchers look to for inspiration?  Who should they model their approach after in order to achieve the goal of reaching the 7th, 8th and even 9th inning?  I had a look at the Blue Jays pitchers of the past, specifically those who completed the highest percentage of their starts in a Blue Jay uniform.  Here’s the list:

We’ve got the usual suspects at the top of the list, but of course, all of these guys pitched in a different era.  Dave Stieb once pitched 288 innings in a season.  Doyle Alexander pitched 261.  Even Pat Hentgen pitched nearly 266 innings in his Cy Young season of 1996.  If any members of today’s young starting staff were to approach those numbers the knives would be out faster than you could say “Coco.”  There has been a paradigm shift in baseball:  pitchers are generally limited to 100 pitches per game and ~200 innings per year.  As a result, complete games are few and far between.

But it’s not impossible to go deep into games while pitching the lower-end of 200 innings.  Jesse Jefferson finished off 9 of his 30 starts in 1978 and only pitched 211 innings. Luis Leal finished 7 games in 217 innings in 1983 while making 35 starts.  Admittedly, complete games are not the barometer by which the ability for a pitcher to go deep into games should be measured, but it is interesting to note that not one person (not named Halladay) on this list who has completed 15% of their career starts had thrown a single pitch in the 2000s (as for Roger Clemens… we’ll call him an outlier).

Just for fun, let’s look at the CG% for members of and candidates for Toronto’s starting staff this season:

*SSS ALERT: Small Sample Size Alert.

This list looks pretty dismal compared to the Blue Jays’ all time leaders, but really, it’s actually not so bad.   This season, the Blue Jays are tied for 2nd in baseball in complete games thanks to the back-to-back shutouts from Morrow and Alvarez.  But what was most impressive about Morrow and Alvarez’s CGs was their pitch efficiency.  Morrow threw 102 pitches in his CG; Alvarez needed only 97.  If they continue limiting themselves to only 10-15 pitches per inning, they will take this team far.

Even last season the Jays pitchers did well finishing games – they tied for 6th with Minnesota with those 7 complete games.  Since May 1st, Jays pitchers have averaged nearly 7 innings pitched per start (at the time of filing this post).  Not bad when you consider Hutchison has 4 career starts to his name.  While it is clear that the days of Blue Jay pitchers finishing one out of every three starts are behind is, it appears that the kids in the Jays rotation are doing alright.

Photo of Dave Stieb rockin’ out on his guitar courtesy of Ashley Stieb.

Brian Wolfe

Former Blue Jay reliever Brian Wolfe enters his 3rd season in Japan, pitching for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.  You may recall that the Blue Jays acquired Wolfe from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for the Real Canadian Hero Corey Koskie.  Wolfe quickly endeared himself to Jays fans, pitching a stellar 22 innings of relief before letting his true self show the following season to the tune of an 8.22 ERA.  Subsequently he was released and he packed his bags for Japan.

Converted from a reliever to a starter in his 2nd season, Wolfe has put up respectable numbers in the NPB.  Last season he pitched 150 innings with a 3.60 ERA and 3:1 K:BB ratio.  This year he’s off to a great start: In 5 starts, Wolfe has a 1.59 ERA.  It looks like he’s found a comfortable home in Japan.

Scott Mathieson

I wrote about Scott Mathieson a while back when I previewed what Team Canada’s roster might look like for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. At the time he was preparing himself for a run at a spot in the Phillies’ bullpen.  Instead, the Phillies released him so that he could join the Yomiuri Giants as their closer.

So far he’s been lights out.  In 9 innings pitched, Mathieson has struck out 11, walked only 3 and has not allowed a single run to cross the plate.  It’s a small sample size to be sure, but it is encouraging nonetheless to see that Mathieson has found some of the command that seemed to elude him in the minor leagues.  This is great news for Team Canada as well, since Mathieson’s international experience will be of value should Canada meet up with the Japanese team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Wily Mo Pena

We saw Wily Mo Pena last year as a late-season pick up to provide the Arizona Diamondbacks with some power during their playoff run.  As far as power was concerned, the D-Backs couldn’t be more pleased:  in only 46 at-bats, Pena hit 5 home runs and slugged.522.

The only problem was that he struck out in approximately 50% of his at-bats and he didn’t draw a single walk.  His on-base percentage was a miniscule .196.  Sorry Wily Mo, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.

Wily Mo didn’t go home – instead he chose to go to Japan to get PAID.  He’s had much better success this season playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. In 110 at-bats, Pena has mashed 7 home runs, but more impressively, he’s walked 11 times.  His strikeout rate is still high (31) but he’s hitting at a .309 clip.  It looks like Pena has found a fit for his skillset in the NPB.

Brad Penny

After posting a -1.5 WAR in Detroit last season, Brad Penny thought the best move for his career would be to snowball in Japan instead of get in shape and give the Tigers some sort of return on their $3 million investment.

Penny signed a contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks for $4 million plus an additional $3.5 in performance bonuses.  Penny would never reach those performance bonuses because he was released after one start.  In that start, Penny pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 6 runs, 7 hits and walked 3 in only 64 pitches.  To add insult to injury, Penny’s fiancee dumped him shortly after.  At least he’ll always have the memories of frolicking with her on the beach.

Bryan Bullington

Bryan Bullington is a former 1st round, 1st pick of the PIttsburgh Pirates in the 2002 draft.  Like many before and after him, Bullington flamed out.  To be fair to Bullington, he didn’t have terrible stuff (see below) but he might have succumbed to all the pressure of being a #1 pick.  It happens.

Instead of spending another year in the minors, Bullington opted for a fresh start in Japan for the 2011 season and it paid off handsomely for him.  The NPB is a league tailor-made for Bullington’s skillset, and he thrived in this dramatically different environment.  In his first year in Japan, pitching for the Hiroshima Carp, Bullington posted a 13-11 record – but more importantly pitched 204 innings with a 2.42 ERA.  He’s posting similar numbers this year, striking out 28 hitters in 37 innings and sporting a sparkling 2.19 ERA.  It’s nice to see that the NPB can play the role of a refuge for misfit Major Leaguers.

Hideki Okajima

Hideki Okajima was a lefthanded reliever who was dominant in his first two seasons for the Boston Red Sox, mostly because he freaked hitters out with his unorthodox delivery.

When Okajima pitched the ball to the plate, instead of looking at his catcher’s target, Hideki would be looking at the ground.

Eventually the novelty wore off and hitters began hitting line drives on pitches they normally would have whiffed on.  This season, Okajima has pitched 9 innings for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks with 7 strikeouts, 3 walks, 8 hits allowed and 0 earned runs.  Small sample size for Okajima, but so far so good.

Kenji Jojima

Kenji Jojima was a superstar catcher and 7-time All Star for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in his 11 NPB seasons before signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2006.  Jojima acclimated himself well, finishing 4th in rookie of the year voting behind Justin Verlander, Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Liriano.  He even hit a home run in his first two major league games.

;

Despite throwing out 40% of would be-base stealers, having stellar game-calling skills behind the plate and averaging a .721 OPS over his career, Jojima lost playing time to Rob Johnson, Guillermo Quiroz and Adam Moore.  Jojima opted out of his contract in order to return to Japan.

Upon his return to Japan, Johjima returned to his All-Star calibre level of play. In 144 games, Johjima hit 28 home runs, and hit .303.  Since then, Johjima has floundered.  In an injury-limiting 2011 campagin, Johjima was only able to appear in 38 games while hitting a paltry .189.  It’s much of the same for Johjima this season, as he’s hitting at a .184 clip over 23 games.  This might be the end of the line for the 36-year old catcher.

Aki Iwamura

In 2006, Akinori Iwamura opted to be posted by his team, the Yakult Swallows.  The Tampa Bay Rays won the right to negotiate with Iwamura after having submitted a $4.5 million bid.  He then signed a three-year contract with the Rays worth $7.7 million, with a club option for a fourth year at $4.25 million

A third baseman during his time with Yakult, the Rays shuffled him between 3B and 2B before deciding to give him the 3B job outright and batting him in the leadoff position.  Most notably, Iwamura was known for using a baseball glove made of Crocodile skin.

With the emergence of stud-in-waiting Evan Longoria, Iwamura moved to 2B and transitioned to the new position seamlessly.    Iwamura had a great season in the leadoff spot, scoring 91 runs and posting a 2.4 WAR.  It all fell apart in 2009, however, as a hard slide from Chris Coghlan resulted in a torn ACL that would require surgery and ”involvement” on the MCL  In addition, ligaments in his ankle were torn, causing him to miss the remainder of the season and put his career in jeopardy.

The Rays declined his $4.5 million option for 2010 and he went on to play handful of games below-league-average production for Oakland and Pittsburgh.

Iwamura signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to try and get the magic back, but it seems as though Aki’s best days are behind him.  In 77 games, Iwamura hit .183 with absolutely no power to speak of.  No word on how his defense played out, but I have to assume he lost a step (or more) after going through reconstructive knee surgery.

Giancarlo Alvarado

This player may be of interest to noone but me, however, I was impressed with Giancarlo Alvarado when I was in Puerto Rico this past winter to see the Puerto Rican Winter League. The Santurce, Puerto Rico native led the league in all pitching categories and actually had decent minor league numbers despite never getting a sniff of the Majors.

In Japan he’s been lights out, and this season is no exception.  He’s only allowed 4 runs in 23 innings for a 1.57 ERA while striking out 22.  Alvarado is most likely a victim of the curse of the AAAA player, much like many of the players profiled in the Forgotten Former Toronto Blue Jays post.  Here he is getting taken yard by Jose Julio Ruiz when I was in Puerto Rico:

Photos courtesy of npb.or.jp, baseballoogie and the Associated Press.

Jo-Jo Reyes

When discussing the 2012 version of the Blue Jays’ pitching staff, Jays fans are quick to point out “but THIS year we don’t have Jo-Jo Reyes in the rotation!  Of course we’re going to be better!”

The Blue Jays absorbed 110 innings of lacklustre performance from Jo-Jo Reyes in the 2011 season before placing him on waivers in August.  The Baltimore Orioles picked him up (of course) and he pitched even worse for them.  Reyes was then jettisoned into the baseball abyss.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jo-Jo to a minor league deal and assigned him to their AAA affiliate in the International League.  In 5 games (4 starts) he’s actually pitched well.  That’s the thing with AAAA pitchers.  They tease with promise, but only fail to deliver.  Jo-Jo Reyes is definitely a AAAA pitcher.

Dana Eveland

Dana Eveland is the original Jo-Jo Reyes: a scrap heap lefty who is picked up in order to eat up innings before being discarded back to said scrap-heap.  Eveland’s claim to fame was that he was traded to the Oakland A’s for Dan Haren….. along with Brett Anderson, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham and Carlos Gonzalez.  Eveland had an outstanding spring in 2010 and broke camp with the Blue Jays.  He won his first two starts, capped off by a start in which he made many White Sox hitters look foolish while carving up the strike zone.  Jays fans wondered whether he had “finally figured it out.”

Nope.  He had not.

In his final seven starts, Eveland posted an 8.62 ERA in 31.1 innings.  The Jays, looking to extract what little value he had, traded him to – guess who? – the Pittsburgh Pirates, in exchange for Ronald Uviedo.  Eveland couldn’t cut it with Pittsburgh either, so it was back to the scrap heap with you, lad.

This season Eveland is with – guess who? – the Baltimore Orioles organization.  Everything really does come full circle in the world of a fringy left-handed starter.  Like Reyes, Eveland was assigned to the AAA International League and has been playing well.  It seems Eveland and Reyes follow an almost identical career path, right down to their nearly identical numbers at AAA this season.  Eerie.

Randy Ruiz

Blue Jays fans may remember Ruiz from his torrid 115 at-bat stint in 2009 where he jacked 10 HR and posted an OPS of 1.019.  Some prognosticators were even clamouring for Ruiz to take Jose Bautista’s roster spot, and really, who could blame them?  Randy Ruiz fever was highly contagious.

Eventually teams figured out how to exploit Ruiz’s penchant for free-swinging and a cure for Ruiz fever was found.  After 13 games in 2010, Ruiz was released.  He went to GET PAID in Japan, and then an earthquake and massive tsunami hit.  Ruiz, understandably, struggled considerably.

When I met with Randy Ruiz in Puerto Rico this past winter, he mentioned that he hadn’t yet decided where he was going to play and was waiting for the right opportunity. With the departure of free-swinging Wily Mo Peña in Arizona, it looks like the right opportunity eventually presented itself.  Looking to add depth and power, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Randy Ruiz to a minor league deal near the end of spring training.  Ruiz was assigned to AAA Reno of the Pacific Coast League, a place where he’s had success in the past:  Ruiz was the PCL MVP in 2009.

Ruiz is up to his old tricks, mashing like in days of yore.  Of course, the glaring weakness of his that was exposed at the Major League level was his penchant for striking out – and he’s staying true to form in the PCL.  So far Ruiz has struck out 23 times in 88 at-bats for a 26% strikeout rate.  It’s not that big of a deal in AAA as long as he can keep the peripheral production numbers at present levels.  If Ruiz can indeed keep this up, a second PCL MVP award could be in his future.

That said, Ruiz still has not worked out the kinks of first-base defense, as I found out first hand in Puerto Rico:

Rommie Lewis

After burning out in AAA Las Vegas last year, Lewis sought refuge in the last bastion of forgotten Jays players: the Atlantic League.  I’ve got nothing really to say here other than the fact that it must be really, really, really heartbreaking to go from playing in the Show in 2011 to catching on with the Bridgeport Bluefish.  Best of luck to you, Rommie.  It sure beats delivering pizza.

Interesting fact:  he’s being managed by former Blue Jay Willie Upshaw.

Gustavo Chacin

You remember Gustavo.  He of the cologne that “smells like a victory.”

Gustavo Chacin rode a cut-fastball to an 18-2 record across two minor league levels in 2004 and that was enough to garner a call-up to the big club.  Chacin then went on to win 13 games in his rookie season and went 9-4 the following season despite having an unsightly 5.05 ERA.  Gustavo probably spent half his paycheque on steak dinners at Morton’s for his teammates who provided him with massive run support.  Regardless, because of his gaudy win/loss record, Chacin quickly grew a reputation for being a “wiinner.”  Ask any Jays fan about Gustavo Chacin during his time with the club and they likely would have told you that ”all he did was win.”

Apparently that wasn’t all that Chacin did.  He also liked to get drunk and drive around intoxicated during the 6-week party zone known as spring training.  With a new reputation for having “bad makeup” due to the drunk driving, coupled with a track record of injuries, Chacin’s options were limited to the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. He hasn’t appeared in a game this season, so I can only assume it is because the injury prone Chacin is injured yet again.  Let this be a lesson to all you kids:  don’t drink and drive.

Corey Patterson

Toronto’s leftfielder-by-default in 2011, Corey Patterson drew the ire of Jays fans for his misplays in the outfield and listless bat.  The Brewers signed him this past offseason for minor league depth and he is doing much of the same as what he did in Toronto: not much.

Patterson was originally the 3rd pick of the 1998 draft.  It’s a shame that he was never able to fully realize his potential.

Brian Tallet

Tallet is most known to Jays fans for being the quirky left-handed reliever who has been living off his above-average 2008 season for the past 3 years.  Since then, Tallet has been BAD.  He’s gone 9-17 with a 5.87 ERA in 251.1 innings while giving up 44 home runs.

This winter he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates but even they couldn’t deal with his futility.  They shipped him off to San Diego, and the Padres wisely buried him in their PCL affiliate.  It’s too bad for Tallet, because the spacious confines of PETCO Park is probably one of the last venues that Tallet has a chance of pitching to some level of respectability in.

You don’t need me to tell you what’s wrong with Tallet.  Look at the numbers, but don’t look at them too close to bedtime.

Adam Loewen

Adam Loewen was the feel-good Canadian story of a pitcher-turned-outfielder who made good on his comeback attempt with his hometown team.  With a glut of big-league outfielders, the Blue Jays had no place for Loewen and released him so that he was free to sign with the New York Mets.

This season Loewen is playing with the Mets’s AAA affiliate – the Buffalo Bisons – and is doing quite well for himself early on.  Unfortunately, Loewen was just placed on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his right foot.  There’s no word on how long he’ll be out for.

Jeremy Accardo

Jeremy Accardo was acquired by the Blue Jays from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for malcontent and purveyor of bad juju Shea Hillenbrand.  The following season he was thrust into the closer’s role and performed admirably; he saved 30 games, good for 15th on the franchise’s all-time single-season saves list.

After that, it all went downhill from there.  The Jays acquired RHP Josh Roenicke in a deal for Scott Rolen and Roenicke promptly took Accardo’s roster spot.  After meeting with then-Jays’ manager Cito Gaston, Accardo threw his uniform in the garbage, thinking that he wouldn’t need it anymore.  Accardo ended up at AAA Vegas, where he pitched well.  51s pitching coach Dan LaRoche was quoted as saying “He doesn’t belong here. He’s better than this league.”  Shortly after, Dave LaRoche was fired.

He was right though.  Accardo is better than the PCL.  The only problem is that he’s not as good as MLB.  In his last two seasons at the big league level, Accardo pitched 44.1 innings while giving up 55 hits and walking 21 for an unsightly WHIP of 1.71.  That’s just not going to get it done.  Cleveland took a flier on him and sent him to their AAA affiliate and yes, it appears he’s better than that level judging by the way he’s performed so far.  But that is most likely where his career will plateau, since he certainly can’t cut it at the Major League level.  No need to fish that Indians jersey out of the garbage, Jeremy.

Aquilino Lopez

Another former Jays closer, Aquilino Lopez, has found his way to the Korean Baseball Association and is pitching for SK Wyverns.  Most recently Aquilino pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2008, and since then he’s parlayed a decent winter league season in the Dominican into a contract with SK.

In 21.2 innings, Lopez has struck out 10 and walked only 1.  He’s got a stellar 2.91 ERA and has only allowed 16 hits in those 21.2 innings.

Jason Lane

Technically Jason Lane never actually played for the Toronto Blue Jays, but he did play for their AAA affiliate in Las Vegas for the past three seasons.  Lane is most noted for hitting 26 home runs with the Houston Astros in 2005, and ever since then he’s been trying to get the magic back.  In 2010, Lane posted a .946 OPS for Vegas and muffled chants of #FreeJasonLane rained down on Twitter.  It was not to be.  Like Sergio Santos before him, Lane decided the only shot he had at getting back to the big leagues would be if he put down the bat and picked up the rosin bag:  Lane converted himself into a full-time pitcher.

Lane is Randy Ruiz’s teammate this year with the Reno Aces and so far the results have been interesting.  In 19 innings pitched, Lane has struck out 16 and walked only 2.  The only problem is that opponents are batting .349 against him:  in those 19 innings he’s allowed 29 hits. He’s also notoriously easy to run on.  It appears it might be a case of picking up the craft of pitching too late in life, but this story is worthy of keeping an eye on, if nothing else for the novelty factor alone.

Photos courtesy of Liz Margerum/RGJ, MiLB.com, atlanticleague.com, and mykbo.net.

It has been 14 months since Lazo has retired and he’s had enough.  It was announced that Pedro Luis Lazo is coming out of retirement and will be playing for the Pirates de Campeche of the AAA Mexican League.  It is not uncommon for the Cuban government to allow Cubans to play abroad near the end of their playing careers. Omar Linares, Victor Mesa and Lazaro de la Torre are three examples to name just a few.  But why send a stud such as Lazo to AAA instead of the MLB?

Because of the Cuban blockade, Cuban ballplayers are unable to play in the Major Leagues unless they defect and establish residency in another country.  So the AAA Mexican League or NPB in Japan is the highest level of competition that Cuban ballplayers can hope for without defecting.

Both Victor Mesa, Omar Linares and German Mesa played professionally (in Japan) at the end of their careers. Of course, the Cuban government garni$hed their wages upwards of 90%.   El Rascacielos Cubano, as Lazo is known in his homeland, will be no exception.  That said, getting paid 10% of a AAA paycheque will afford Lazo far greater luxurie$ than he could ever dream of attaining in his homeland.  He won’t be getting rich, but hopefully he won’t have to sell the jersey on his back in a hotel lobby in order to make ends meet any longer.

The 39-year old Lazo will join a Campeche that is hovering around the .500 mark and needing a jolt in order to get a taste of the glory that is Mexican League playoffs.  He is coming off an impressive rehab assignment in the Mexican Northern League, where he struck out 56 hitters in 41 innings pitched.  Lazo features an impressive slider and pinpoint control to go along with a 93mph fastball.  At 39 years old, it is clear Lazo can still burn one down the middle.  He holds the Cuban record for most career wins with 257 and strikeouts with 2426 over a 20-year career.

The Mexican League will be a good test for Lazo, especially with inflated offensive numbers put up by players due to the high altitudes of many of the team’s home ballparks.  Lazo has appeared in 4 relief appearances this week and has been good thus far.

It’s a shame that Lazo couldn’t get an accurate litmus test of his abilities in his prime, but this should be an interesting story to follow and will ensure a heated debate down at the Esquina Caliente.

Photos courtesy of Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images North America and the Mexican League (LMB).