Sports

Blue Jays players who will be most impacted by the insanity of Coors Field

Published

1 year ago

September 1, 2023

The Toronto Blue Jays will open a series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night at Coors Field — a venue completely unlike any other in the majors.

Because of the high altitude in Denver, the ballpark is an offensive haven with Statcast’s highest Park Factor rating (111) over the last three years. The ball travels extremely well at Coors Field, but it would be an oversimplification to say that all Blue Jays hitters will be in for a big weekend while the whole pitching staff is likely to suffer.

MLB’s most unusual park will affect different players to different degrees depending on their play stye. Here’s a breakdown of the Blue Jays likeliest to produce extreme results in the crucial series due to the Coors effect:

Hitters

Davis Schneider‘s offensive profile meshes well with Coors Field. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

To find hitters who will benefit most from a trip to Denver, the first place to look is groundball rate. It’s impossible to take advantage of thin air with a ball travelling along the dirt. Flyballs are more likely to carry for home runs at Coors, and line drives have the ability to find the stadium’s massive outfield gaps.

Another factor that plays a role is raw power, or perhaps a lack thereof. For hitters who tend to clear the fence by a significant margin when they hit home runs — think Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — the Coors boost is unlikely to make a huge difference. Hitters who produce more wall scrapers have more to gain from some added carry on the ball.

The Blue Jays have a few players who consistently keep the ball in the air, but could use a little power boost.

Davis Schneider

Considering he’s slashing .426/.526/.894 in his first 14 MLB games it doesn’t seem like Schneider needs much help from Coors to keep rolling, but the park meshes perfectly with his skill set.

His groundball rate early in his MLB career is just 18.8%, far below the MLB average of 42.8%. We’re dealing with a tiny sample, but his minor-league career suggests Schneider can be relied upon to keep the ball in the air.

Before his promotion to the majors his groundball percentage was just 28.8% at Triple-A, and that number hasn’t topped 30% at any level since 2019.

While the rookie has been hitting for plenty of power recently, his raw thump leaves something to be desired. His max exit velocity is in the 30th percentile among MLB hitters, and his average home run distance (389 feet) ranks eighth on the Blue Jays.

Many of his batted balls are hit to the warning track or just over the wall, so a little Coors magic seems likely to do him some good.

Danny Jansen

Jansen has many of the same characteristics as Toronto’s rookie sensation as a hitter. Both players lack high-end power but compensate by pulling flyballs at an impressive rate.

The catcher hits relatively few groundballs (34.0%) with the highest flyball rate on the team (52.7%). Much like Schneider, he also has a relatively low average home run distance (388).

Jansen doesn’t hit as many line drives as the 24-year-old rookie — so he may not be able to capitalize on the spacious gaps in Denver — but he’s a good bet to go deep in this series.

Daulton Varsho

Varsho has the second-lowest groundball rate on the Blue Jays (31.5%), and his launch angle (20.3) is higher than any of his teammates.

Unlike most other Blue Jays, the outfielder also has a fair amount of experience at Coors Field from his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In 14 games at Coors, the outfielder has slashed a meaty .283/.353/.562 with four home runs and two triples.

Denver is by far the best place in the majors to hit triples with a Park Factor of 211 for three-base hits — Comerica Park is second at 171 — so left-handed hitters possessing above-average speed like Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier and Cavan Biggio have opportunities to produce three baggers.

Starting pitchers

With pitchers, there are a couple of things to consider in the battle to survive Coors. Groundballs and strikeouts are especially valuable and curveballs don’t break the way they do at other parks, making life difficult for pitchers relying on that offering.

The three starters Toronto will roll out vary in their likelihood to weather the storm ahead of them.

Hyun-jin Ryu

Toronto’s Friday starter is not particularly well positioned to thrive in Denver.

His strikeout rate is relatively low (20.6%) and he throws a curve 18.6% of the time. That pitch has also been his best offering at missing bats with a 36.6% whiff rate.

If the Rockies consistently put the ball in play against him he could be in for a long night, although his groundball rate is above-average (45.7%).

Yusei Kikuchi

Kikuchi brings a slightly below-average groundball rate to Coors (38.3%) but he has the ability to compensate by missing bats thanks to a strong 25.3% strikeout percentage.

The southpaw throws his curveball at a similar rate to Ryu (17.0%) and he uses it slightly more against right-handers, which means he’ll have to adjust more when he lacks the platoon advantage. The Rockies often use three lefties even against southpaws, making things a little easier on Kikuchi.

Kevin Gausman

Gausman is in the midst of such a strong season, even an extreme ballpark is unlikely to affect him in a profound way.

Although he doesn’t generate many grounders, he possesses the second-highest strikeout rate among qualified MLB starters (31.6%) and his fastball-splitter combo should fare well at high altitude.

Other notes

In Toronto’s bullpen, Tim Mayza is by far the most effective groundball pitcher (58.7%) while Trevor Richards (35.5%) and Jordan Romano (29.7%) stand out for their strikeout rates. Richards and Romano both struggle to induce grounders, though, so their ability to rack up Ks could be mitigated.
No relief pitcher on the Blue Jays besides longman Bowden Francis uses curveballs more than 10% of the time.
Coors Field’s enormous outfield surface area will be an excellent showcase for the defence of Kiermaier and Varsho. The former has a 96th percentile OAA mark (+9) while the latter ranks in the 94th percentile (+8)

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

7 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

8 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

8 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

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