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Semien addition helps Blue Jays’ defence, raises team’s offensive ceiling – Sportsnet.ca

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3 years ago

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TORONTO — A week and a half ago, the Toronto Blue Jays had almost nothing to show for their off-season. Now that they’ve added Tyler Chatwood, Kirby Yates, George Springer and Marcus Semien this roster suddenly looks much different — and much better — than before

Bringing Semien in on a one-year, $18-million deal strengthens the Blue Jays’ infield and their batting order. While more work remains on the pitching staff, the team’s offensive depth looks better than it has in years following the addition of Semien, who finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019. The Blue Jays’ lineup now projects to be among baseball’s most prolific, but this most recent deal brings with it other repercussions worth discussing.

With Semien now the leading candidate for second base at-bats, Cavan Biggio likely becomes the team’s primary third baseman. On paper that works, but there’s no need to be overly rigid about those roles in January, and the Blue Jays do value versatility highly. It’d be a surprise if the Blue Jays limit Semien and Biggio to those spots all year.

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On defence Semien remains an above-average defensive shortstop, according to FanGraphs (UZR/150 of 6.4 in 2018, 5.0 in 2019, 4.8 in 2020). When he’s playing second base, the skills that allow him to handle shortstop — a strong arm, good footwork and field awareness, for instance — will be highly transferable. In those moments, the Blue Jays will essentially have two shortstops up the middle. But should Bo Bichette need any time off, Semien can slot in easily at the only position he played from 2015-20.

One way or another, this addition should help the Blue Jays’ run prevention, one of the main goals for the front office this winter. At the same time, it does appear to complicate Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s path to regular starts at third. After an off-season of dedicated workouts Guerrero Jr.’s Instagram bio reads ‘Blue Jays 3B,’ and it stands to reason that the team will ensure he gets reps there in spring training, but with Biggio, Bichette and Semien in place, Guerrero Jr. more likely projects as the team’s first baseman.

With that in mind, the team’s batting order could look like this on any given day:

CF: George Springer (R)
SS: Bo Bichette (R)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R)
RF: Teoscar Hernandez (R)
LF: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R)
3B: Cavan Biggio (L)
2B: Marcus Semien (R)
DH: Randal Grichuk (R) / Rowdy Tellez (L)
C: Danny Jansen (R)

Of course that’s just one possible structure among many, and teams rarely stick with one lineup for long in today’s game, but it illustrates the offensive depth this team now possesses. Some days, Rowdy Tellez (.886 OPS in 2020) might be on the bench. Other days it might be Randal Grichuk (12 HR, .793 OPS). At some point, Alejandro Kirk will get a chance to contribute, too.

Speaking of the Blue Jays’ bench, adding Semien might also allow for some creativity. Since Semien can handle shortstop, there’s less of a pressing need to roster Santiago Espinal which creates an opportunity to carry another bench bat or reliever.

With the addition of Semien, the Blue Jays now have the fourth-best projected offence in baseball behind only the Dodgers, Yankees and Astros. And if Semien is the guy he’s been for most of his career — a roughly league-average hitter with 15-homer power — that would certainly help. But there’s further upside here, too, as he showed by hitting 33 home runs with an .892 OPS in 2019.

Even this past season, there were flashes of that offensive potential. After a slow start in 2020, Semien had a .772 OPS from Aug. 8 through the end of the regular season then posted a 1.151 OPS with two home runs in the playoffs. If the Blue Jays get that version of Semien, their lineup gets much deeper.

From an organizational standpoint, he doesn’t become a core piece in the way Springer did. But while the Blue Jays’ outfield is devoid of top prospects, Jordan Groshans and Austin Martin lessen the need for long-term help on the infield. If a need exists in a year’s time, the Blue Jays could bring Semien back or even obtain a draft pick for extending him a qualifying offer — something the A’s did not do.

All of that’s a discussion for much later, though. Right now, the Blue Jays are a much better team with a deep lineup and an improved defence. They could certainly use more pitching, and there’s reason to believe their work isn’t done on that front, but the addition of Semien represents significant progress for a team that’s suddenly making a habit of big moves.

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Scenes from morning skate LIVE in Nashville: Canucks looking for top guns to break out in Game 3 vs Preds – Canucks Army

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7 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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Scenes from morning skate LIVE in Nashville: Canucks looking for top guns to break out in Game 3 vs Preds

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Photo credit: © Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff PatersonJeff Paterson

9 hours ago

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PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers at Kings (Game 3) | Edmonton Oilers – NHL.com

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8 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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LOS ANGELES, CA – The Edmonton Oilers are hoping that the same lineup from Games 1 & 2 can start getting the bounces and bringing their goals against down to a comfortable level beginning on Friday night in Game 3 against the Kings.

The Blue & Orange held a full pre-game skate at Crypto.com Arena on Friday morning where their forward lines, defence pairs and starting goalie were all status quo from their opening two games as they look for more out of the same lineup when it comes to defending in their own zone and creating their own puck luck.

The Oilers have allowed nine goals so far in their first-round series with the Kings despite their offence helping them through some tough bounces and defensive errors in Games 1 & 2, contributing 11 goals as the series shifts over to Los Angeles for Games 3 & 4 tied at one game apiece.

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A handful of hard-luck bounces in Game 2 contributed to their 5-4 overtime defeat, with none more impactful than a fortunate neutral-zone redirection by Quinton Byfield on Anze Kopitar’s game-winner 2:07 into sudden death that set the LA captain up for a breakaway.

Edmonton was still able to fight back from 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 deficits in the defeat, but a couple of defensive errors – like Evan Bouchard’s missed breakout pass in the first period – still need to be cleaned up if they want to show themselves as the superior team in their third consecutive first-round showdown with Los Angeles.

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Sheldon Keefe on who leaves the lineup if William Nylander returns for Game 4: "The players have done a good job of making the decision difficult" – Maple Leafs Hot Stove

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9 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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After Friday’s practice, Sheldon Keefe discussed the status of William Nylander and Auston Matthews, whether he will make a change on the blue line for Game 4, and the physicality of the series.

Practice Lines – Apr. 26

How did William Nylander look to your eye, and what is his status moving forward?

Keefe: He looked great on the ice to me. We will have to determine his status tomorrow.

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How is Auston Matthews doing?

Keefe: Things are okay. He needed another day today to help restore his energy, recharge, and all of those kinds of things. We will see where he is at tomorrow as well.

What have you learned about Matthews’ ability to battle through when he is not feeling his best?

Keefe: I just know Auston will give us everything he has. I would say the same about his game the other night. To me, he played extremely hard and had a couple of chances that could’ve fallen his way and didn’t. The one off the post comes to mind. He played really hard, and it might’ve been his most physical game of the series. He felt he didn’t have it in other ways, so he was trying to impact the game in different spots.

As he has shown with his performance in Game 2—an important game for us—and throughout the season, he has given us everything he has. Because of that, as a coaching and medical staff, you want to give him every opportunity to be at his best tomorrow.

What would getting him back for Game 4 mean to the team?

Keefe: He is a very important player for us in many regards. It’s about getting him to full health and making sure he is ready to step into a series of this calibre at this time of year and all of this kind of stuff. That would be the next step.

Is it a difficult decision regarding who comes out if Nylander returns?

Keefe: It is. The guys have done a good job. The guys who are in a conversation to come out offer different things to the lineup and have done a good job. The first situation is figuring out where Willy [stands] and his availability. We will make a determination from there.

Yesterday and today, there have been many conversations about what we think is best, which is a sign that the players have done a good job of making things difficult.

Do you expect Ilya Lyubushkin to be an option for Game 4?

Keefe: I do. He is on his way back here (from California). We will first make sure he gets back and see how he feels tomorrow. We will make a determination from there.

It is kind of a tough couple of days, but it is exciting at the same time. From his perspective, it has been on his mind while his family has been away. They’ve welcomed a new addition and had it go smoothly, considering this gap in the schedule. We will have to get him back and make sure he is ready to go.

Outside of Lyubushkin’s status, are you considering a change on the backend?

Keefe: We are looking at some different things. We have the Lyubushkin situation. We have some health stuff to get through. We will see where the group stands coming out of today’s practice and make a determination on that as well.

What is the message to TJ Brodie after three games out of the lineup to ensure he is ready to go?

Keefe: Going into the playoffs—and I had talked to him even when the regular season was going on—the message is that it is important to stay ready. It was looking like he was going to be on the outside, but he has a lot of experience. We wanted to have a look going into the playoffs—one we have liked—but it is important for him to stay ready.

It’s not just him; Timmins and Giordano are the same. Things can change really quickly at playoff time. In Brodie’s case, he played so much in the regular season and has so much experience in the league and in the playoffs. It is important that he keeps his mindset right, but it is tough for a guy like him who is used to playing every day.

Game 4 had another high hit count at 133 hits. The Panthers and Lightning combined for nearly 150. What stands out about the physicality of this year’s playoffs, and how taxing is it on the players?

Keefe: I think the numbers are higher than ever because they are counting them different than they ever have. In playoffs, it goes without saying. It’s physical. Players are closing space quicker than they do in the regular season, and they are finishing with authority. There is no question that is the case.

You referenced the other series from our division. Our division is very physical. It is a very tough division. It is not a surprise that it is the case there. I don’t expect that to change, especially with a couple of days between Game 3 and Game 4.

As a coach, how are you handling the ups and downs and the curveballs of a playoff series different than you would have a few years ago?

Keefe: With experience, I would like to think you improve. But, before I coached in the NHL, I coached in the playoffs a lot at various levels. No matter what level you are at, the curveballs, the ups, the downs, and the emotional swings don’t change. That is the reality of the playoffs. It is the most exciting part. You are on top of the world on one shift, period, or game. On the next, you are searching for answers. It is kind of the way it goes.

If anything, over time and with experience, you recognize that the most important thing is to stay even-keeled, continue to believe in your team, and help them find ways to win.

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