TORONTO — Over the course of a long, 162-game schedule, a team being able to field its optimal lineup is going to happen a lot less than we initially expect at the outset of the season when everything is rosy.
Injuries happen, players disappoint, and things change quickly.
With playing it safe when it comes to George Springer’s Grade 2 oblique strain the likely scenario, the Toronto Blue Jays may not even have theirs in place on opening day.
For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll ignore the fact that the $150-million man may not be available for the first few games and instead keep things big picture heading into Thursday’s matinee against the New York Yankees, the clear favourite to claim the American League East pennant this season.
Let’s break the lineup down into thirds and take a look at the options manager Charlie Montoyo has at his disposal this season.
1. CF George Springer (R) 2. 3B Cavan Biggio (L) 3. SS Bo Bichette (R)
If paying attention to Grapefruit League lineups was your thing, it became quite apparent which way Montoyo is leaning when it comes to the top of his stacked lineup.
Springer at the top, followed by Marcus Semien, the other high-profile veteran addition this off-season.
Despite that being Montoyo’s early lean, that’s not the configuration I’m going to call optimal.
That doesn’t mean having Semien in the No. 2 hole is wrong when he’s wielding a hot bat, but it’s a right-handed-heavy lineup and Cavan Biggio’s lefty bat and extreme on-base profile make him an intriguing wedge between Springer and shortstop Bo Bichette.
On days Springer hasn’t been available, Semien has usually been installed atop the lineup, which is the likely look Montoyo uses against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to begin the season.
It’s clear Semien is going to hit high in the order more often than not at the outset, giving Montoyo four chess pieces to move around early on.
There’s also a good chance we’ll see lineups with Bichette hitting second at some point, pushing one of Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. into the three-hole.
That’ll work, too, and that might be the correct analytically-driven lineup.
4. RF Teoscar Hernandez (R) 5. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 6. LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R)
Behind those top-of-the-order options, Montoyo seems to have settled on Hernandez in the cleanup spot, which makes sense given his 2020 production and the 42 homers he’s bashed over his last 671 plate appearances.
If Hernandez continues that, he could be in line for a monster run-producing season and the first 100-RBI campaign for the Jays since Edwin Encarnacion drove in 127 in 2016.
This is the area where the Jays could get really scary as an offence if Hernandez, Vladdy Jr. and Gurriel Jr. all get hot at the same time and enjoy the type of full seasons that many expect.
All three have shown the ability to go on extreme heaters and Montoyo should probably consider moving them up into the No. 3 spot, pushing Bichette to the two-hole, when they catch fire.
7. 2B Marcus Semien (R) 8. DH Rowdy Tellez (L)/Randal Grichuk (R) 9. C Danny Jansen (R)
Whether it’s Semien or Biggio in the No. 7 spot, this lineup has more depth than Jays fans have seen since 2015.
While Semien will take his walks, his career on-base percentage sits at just .322, compared to Biggio’s .368 mark over his first two seasons.
But in handing Semien $18 million to play second base this season, the Jays are clearly chasing his 2019 slash line of .285/.369/.522, an MVP-calibre season that also produced 33 homers and 10 steals.
If that’s the version of Semien the Jays have on their hands, he’ll stick in that No. 2 spot on most days. He’ll definitely be there when a lefty is on the mound.
For what it’s worth, the difference between the No. 2 and No. 7 lineup spots over the course of a full, healthy season is about 69 plate appearances (586 vs. 517).
After looking at seven close-to-every-day players in the first seven spots, Rowdy Tellez and Randal Grichuk will pick up DH, first base and right field at-bats at their respective positions.
Tellez will get an opportunity to face right-handed pitching early in the season, but the big first baseman will need to show his mini 2020 breakout was real in order to stay in the lineup on a consistent basis.
In other words, the leash isn’t long if the numbers aren’t there in May or June and there’s a scenario where Hernandez is getting DH at-bats and Grichuk is in right field on many days.
At the bottom of the lineup, Jansen is a glove-over-bat play, but Alejandro Kirk looms and is clearly the superior offensive option, one that could lengthen this lineup even further when his name is pencilled in.
BENCH
Tellez or Grichuk C Alejandro Kirk (R) 2B/3B Joe Panik (L) OF Jonathan Davis (R)
This bench configuration, one that may be in flux all season long with Davis having a minor-league option remaining, has a little bit of everything.
With Semien around, he’s now the primary backup to Bichette at shortstop — and a very good one — which will allow Panik to slide in at second base and the hot corner on occasion.
Kirk will play a late-game pinch-hitting role, while Davis profiles as a late-game speed-and-defence option for Montoyo to turn to.
The two key Triple-A depth chart names to remember are infielder Santiago Espinal and corner outfielder Josh Palacios, who will both see time this season when injuries strike.
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
