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Blue Jays exercise option on Encarnacion, decline… |
The Toronto Blue Jays picked up the option on infielder Edwin Encarnacion on Monday while declining reliever Jon Rauch’s 2012 option. The option on Encarnacion is worth $3.5 million US. The 28-year-old Encarnacion appeared in 134 games as a third baseman, first baseman and designated hitter last season. He hit .272 with 36 doubles, 17 home runs and 55 RBIs. Rauch, 33, appeared in 53 games for Toronto last season, posting 5-4 record with 11 saves and a 4.85 earned-run average. Thanks for reading! . Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays exercise option on Edwin Encarnacion;… |
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have picked up their $3.5 million contract option on infielder Edwin Encarnacion for next season and declined an option on reliever Jon Rauch. The 28-year-old Encarnacion appeared in 134 games as a third baseman, first baseman and designated hitter last season. He hit .272 with 36 doubles, 17 home runs and 55 RBIs. Rauch, 33, appeared in 53 games for Toronto last season, posting a 5-4 record with 11 saves and a 4.85 ERA. The moves were announced Monday. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays pick up Encarnacion’s option |
TORONTO (AP)—The Toronto Blue Jays have picked up their $3.5 million The 28-year-old Encarnacion appeared in 134 games as a third baseman, first Rauch, 33, appeared in 53 games for Toronto last season, posting a 5-4 The moves were announced Monday. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Orioles close on Toronto Blue Jays executive Tony… |
Toronto Blue Jays executive Tony LaCava is back in town today to meet with Orioles owner Peter Angelos,according to a team source, which is a pretty solid indication that he’s the preferred candidate to replace Andy MacPhail as the Orioles head of baseball operations. The Orioles are not expected to do a second round of interviews, so the fact that LaCava is back almost certainly means that he and the ownership component of the search committee are discussing the conditions of his employment. It doesn’t mean, however, that he has been offered the job officially or will accept it. It’s a complicated dance, since any high-quality candidate for this type of management position is going to want to know the limits of his authority as well as the size and length of his contract. The outside candidates who were summoned to Baltimore to interview for the position all are highly prized by their current organizations, so it’s not fair to assume any of them would automatically accept the job if offered. It probably is fair to assume that if the Orioles schedule a news conference for tomorrow to announce the new VP or president of baseball operations, it will be LaCava, but there has been no indication yet that the process is moving along quite that quickly. LaCava’s presence in Baltimore today was first reported on FoxSports.com. That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Could The Blue Jays Target Ortiz? |
Red Sox DH David Ortiz. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) BOSTON (CBS) – With David Ortiz set to hit free agency when the World Series concludes, there is an AL East foe that could pluck him away from the Red Sox. For now, that team is not the New York Yankees. A Major League source told the Boston Herald the Toronto Blue Jays will not rule out pursuing Ortiz this offseason, giving their lineup a little more pop. Ortiz has bode well north of the border, with his 29 career home runs at the Rogers Centre second only to the 151 he has knocked out of Fenway Park. Read: Sox Free Agency Track Record ‘Not Good Enough’ Ortiz would provide protection for Toronto’s power hitting Jose Bautista, who Ortiz chose to be on the AL Home Run derby team during this season’s All-Star festivities. He is also very familiar with Jays current manager, John Farrell, who was the pitching coach in Boston from 2007-2010. Ortiz’ options will be limited this offseason, as the 36-year-old full-time DH will have to find a home in the American League if he does not return to Boston. A seven-time All-Star while with the Red Sox, Ortiz did say recently he would like to return to Boston. Ortiz hit .309 with 29 home runs and 96 RBI in 2011. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays might pursue slugger Ortiz: report |
With the John Farrell-to-Red Sox rumours behind the Blue Jays — management amended a policy Tuesday that prohibits employees in baseball operations from making lateral moves — there’s another rumour for general manager Alex Anthopoulos to quash. Again, like the Farrell talk which originated in Boston last weekend, the Herald newspaper is reporting Toronto might pursue Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who is eligible to become a free agent five days after the World Series ends. The Herald, citing a major league source, said the Blue Jays “will not rule out” making a serious push for the 36-year-old Ortiz. For the record, “Big Papi” said earlier this week he would like to stay in Boston — he’s played there nine seasons — but how many players have said the same about any team and then taken the big free-agent money and ran? Ortiz, coming off a season in which he posted his highest batting average (.309) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.953) since 2007, would be the big power threat in the middle of the lineup Anthopoulos no doubt will be seeking in the off-season. His 29 home runs and 96 runs batted in would be welcomed in the clean-up position behind 40-home run man Jose Bautista, whom Ortiz has come to respect over the past few seasons. It was Ortiz, the American League captain for this year’s Home Run Derby, who made sure Bautista was one of the participants after getting snubbed in 2010 while on his way to a major league-best 54 homers. “I wanted to see Bautista hitting,” Ortiz said after naming the Jays right-fielder to the 2011 Derby. “I wanted everybody to know what he’s all about.” Bautista followed up last year’s 54-homer campaign with 43 long balls this past season to go with a .302 batting average — 42 points higher than his previous high set a year ago – and 103 RBIs. Ortiz hit .328 versus the Jays this past season with five home runs, all at Rogers Centre in Toronto. What do you guys think about this. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays aiming to sign David Ortiz? |
The Boston Herald reports that the word on the street is that the Blue Jays “will not rule out” going after David Ortiz(notes), who has been one of the Sox’s poster boys since he arrived there in 2003 and helped lead the team to two World Series titles. The soon-to-be 36-year-old Ortiz, by the way, has hit more homers in his career at the Rogers Centre (29), the home of the Jays, than he has anywhere else except Fenway, the Herald points out. This year, he hit .328 with five homers in Toronto. The Herald has it that the seven-time All-Star will be seeking a multiyear deal worth around $10 million annually. He hit .309 with 29 homers and 40 doubles this season. Find out before your friends. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook. Source: Boston Herald Related: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Toronto Blue Jays say manager John Farrell can’t… |
Topic galleries provide easy access to stories and photos about people, places, organizations, events and subjects of interest to you. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista wins second… |
ARLINGTON, Texas – Jose Bautista remains the most valuable player in the American League in the eyes of baseball fans. The Toronto Blue Jays star won his second consecutive Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive performer in the AL on Monday after votes by fans and a panel of Hall of Famers were tallied. Bautista led the majors in home runs for a second year in a row with 43 and batted a career-best .302 with 103 RBIs. The 31-year-old also led the majors in walks (132), slugging percentage (.608) and on-base plus slugging (1.056) to become the first player since Barry Bonds in 2001 to lead in four offensive categories. “Jose’s performance this year is not only a reflection of his tremendous talent but a testament to his work ethic and determination to be the best player possible. He is a true leader,” said Blue Jays manager John Farrell in a statement. Bautista shared the award with Los Angeles Dodgers star Matt Kemp, who won for the National League. Kemp leading the NL in homers (39), RBIs (126), runs scored (115) and total bases (353). His .324 batting average was third in the league. Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto, a Toronto native, won the NL award last year. He was also nominated for this year’s award. Bautista joined Bonds and New York’s Alex Rodriguez as the only players to win the award twice in a row. The six-foot-one, 192-pound slugger won last year after exploding for 54 homers, and is the second Blue Jay to win the award after Carlos Delgado earned it in 2000. “I am extremely happy for Jose,” said Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos. “He has established himself as a premier player in this league, and it’s a testament to his hard work and desire. His accomplishments over the past two seasons have put him in an elite category and I congratulate him on his performance.” The award, which established in 1999 to honour the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s home-run record, was handed out prior to Game 5 of the World Series. Commissioner Bud Selig presented the award because Aaron is unable to travel while recovering from knee replacement surgery. “The surgery went well. He’s recovering comfortably, but he can’t travel, and he’s not going to be able to travel for a while,” Selig said of Aaron. “He said it’s the first time he’s ever missed a game due to an injury. He wanted me to say that.” That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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The 6th Floor Blog: Red Sox Fans Ask Siri To Help… |
October 21, 2011, 6:02 pm By ADAM STERNBERGH In this week’s magazine, I argue that enduring a team’s epic collapse — like, say, the one recently endured by fans of the Boston Red Sox or Atlanta Braves — is actually good for the sports fan’s soul. (I know of which I speak, having suffered through the brutal tailspin of the ‘87 Toronto Blue Jays, who blew a 3.5 game lead over the Tigers with seven to play. By losing the season’s final seven games. Including the last three to the Tigers. According to this list, at least, it was the ninth-worst collapse in baseball history. For now.) For those Red Sox fans still seeking solace — and for many, the pain and bewilderment seems to be lingering — the folks at Grantland (specifically the reliably entertaining Mark Lisanti) kindly put together this article, which purports to consult another recently popular source of wisdom about the Red Sox, epic collapses, and the meaning of existence: Siri, the computer assistant bundled into the new Apple iPhone. While you’re over at Grantland, be sure to also read this very enjoyable piece by Michael Shur on the return of the Bad Old Days for the Boston Red Sox. Tantalizing excerpt: “If the Red Sox had won two more games last year — one in early April, say, and one in September — would any of this be happening? What if they’d gotten hot (or, really, just lukewarm) and won the A.L.D.S.? The A.L.C.S. even? What if — and this was absolutely possible — they’d won the World Series?… Francona might still leave, and Theo might still leave, but the headline is ‘Nothing Left to Prove, New Challenges Await’ instead of ‘Oh Holy God Make the Pain Stop.’”
Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays claimed… |
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays claimed right-handed pitcher Jesse Chavez off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on Friday. The 28-year-old spent the majority of last season with triple-A Omaha. In 45 relief appearances, he had a 2-4 record with a 3.75 earned run average and 16 saves. Chavez also made four relief appearances for Kansas City. He’s spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues with Pittsburgh (2008-09), Atlanta (2010) and the Royals (2010-11). Also Friday, the Blue Jays announced pitcher Rommie Lewis, infielder Chris Woodward and outfielder Dewayne Wise have elected to become free agents. Thanks for visiting my blog =). Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Toronto Blue Jays claim Kansas City Royals pitcher… |
TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays claimed right-handed pitcher Jesse Chavez off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on Friday. The 28-year-old spent the majority of last season with triple-A Omaha. In 45 relief appearances, he had a 2-4 record with a 3.75 earned run average and 16 saves. Chavez also made four relief appearances for Kansas City. He’s spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues with Pittsburgh (2008-09), Atlanta (2010) and the Royals (2010-11). Also Friday, the Blue Jays announced pitcher Rommie Lewis, infielder Chris Woodward and outfielder Dewayne Wise have elected to become free agents. That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Bautista’s bat quiet as Jays fall to Braves |
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Zach Stewart (L) reacts after a two-run home run by Atlanta Braves Brian McCann (R) in the third inning at their MLB Interleague baseball game at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia June 21, 2011. Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Orioles Insider: Blue Jays’ Tony LaCava is second… |
For the second straight day, the Orioles conducted a lengthy interview with a well-respected front office official in hopes of replacing president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who stepped down this month. On Wednesday, it was Toronto Blue Jays assistant general manager and director of player personnel Tony LaCava. It came on the heels of Tuesday’s marathon meeting with Arizona Diamondbacks senior vice president of scouting and player development Jerry Dipoto. Dipoto, who also is expected to interview with the Los Angeles Angels for their vacant GM job, is considered the favorite for the Orioles’ post, but LaCava is also highly regarded. The Orioles originally planned to interview at least four candidates, but their request to talk to Florida Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings is expected to be denied. Most others who have been bandied about as candidates — including Los Angeles Dodgers assistant GMs De Jon Watson and Logan White and New York Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi — had not been contacted by the Orioles as of Wednesday, according to industry sources. That leaves Dipoto and LaCava, although one industry source said it would be surprising if it were only those two to interview. LaCava, 50, is a longtime scout and baseball lifer who has been considered a potential GM for years, having been rumored, in the past, to be joining the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals, among others. He has instead remained in Toronto for nearly a decade, creating a reputation for having a keen eye for talent at the big league level and in the international and amateur ranks. A Pittsburgh native, LaCava spent 10 years as a scout in the Angels’ system and also worked for the Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos and Cleveland Indians before joining the Blue Jays nine years ago. Along with the assistant GM title, he is considered the director of player personnel. But within the game, he receives the most credit for the Blue Jays’ strong international program, which has helped the organization create one of the top farm systems in baseball. It’s an area where the Orioles feel he could help improve them. A former minor league infielder, LaCava also stands out among many peers because he embraces advanced statistical analysis and has used those metrics to formulate opinions on players. Yet he also has 20-plus years of scouting to draw from — a combination somewhat rare in today’s game, in which scouting and statistical analysis often comprise separate camps. That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Boldly going where no beer cooler has gone before |
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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Boldly going where no cooler and cap have gone… |
geoff bird
In 1969, the Apollo 11 spaceflight put a man on the moon. In 2011, the NB Space Race had a somewhat less lofty goal: put a Toronto Blue Jays’ baseball cap and a beer cooler into near-space.
Brian McCain readies to launch his inner-space balloon, which travelled roughly 30 kilometres above Florenceville before falling back to Earth.
The NB Space Race is the cheeky name Brian McCain and his friend Jamie Allison gave to their weekend project in Florenceville. They bought about $150 of used electronics, including a digital camera and video recorder purchased off Kijiji, and loaded the contents into a white Styrofoam cooler. The cooler was tied to a $50 weather balloon filled with helium then let it loose to climb roughly 30 kilometres toward the final frontier. “It was pretty low-tech,” said McCain, an engineer by trade. The nearcraft, the name for vessels that cruise the near-space, coasted upward for about 90 minutes before the balloon popped as designed. The on-board camera captured images first of the New Brunswick country side, rising through the clouds, then eventually spectacular scenes from the literal edge of the Earth, 30 kilometres high, where the atmosphere shines a brilliant blue until it fades to black. “I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with space,” McCain said about his motivation to get into near-space exploration. He read about it in magazine and on the Internet and figured he’d try it himself. Amateur balloon flight into the near atmosphere has become increasingly popular. The low cost of electronics has made trips into near-space much more affordable. Youtube is now filled with amateur video captured on flights similar to the NB Space Race. McCain said the Jays ball cap was a late addition to the ship’s cargo, brought in for a very specific set of skills. “It was a last minute thing. We were looking for a little extra weight to throw into it,” McCain said. The cooler briefly hurtled towards the earth, reaching speeds of 200 km/hr before a parachute deployed, gently dropping the payload into Moose Lake, about 100 km from Florenceville. McCain and Allison tracked it with GPS, expecting an arduous trek through the woods, though the nearcraft’s final resting place was only a few km from the Renous Highway. They cracked the seal on the beer cooler and inspected its contents, all still dry after a brief dip in the lake. “The first thing I thought of when I put my hat back on was, ‘is this thing radioactive??” Allison said with a laugh. Allison said he’s telling friends the story of his hat’s adventure, though he’s omitting one fine detail. “I leave out the near part and I just say space,” he said. The Florenceville near-space explorers are planning on at one more extraterrestrial voyage, though next time with more sophisticated equipment to accurately measure height and temperature. And possibly a more sophisticated passenger. “If we’re doing it again, I’d try to send something a little more symbolic,” Allison said. Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Photos: 2011 Blue Jays season in pictures |
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content. What are your opinions. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Jays’ Bautista sets another HR record |
CLEVELAND — Jose Bautista on Saturday became the first Toronto Blue Jay in franchise history to hit 30 home runs before the all-star break. Bautista homered twice in the Jays’ 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians, giving him a major-league best 31 on the season. He hit a two-run shot off Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin in the third inning, then recorded the eventual game-winning run when he led off the 10th inning with a blast off Indians closer Chris Perez. George Bell previously held the record, hitting 29 homers before the break in 1987. It’s the second consecutive season that Bautista has knocked Bell down a rung in the Blue Jays’ record book. Last season, Bautista set the Jays’ single-season home run record with 54, surpassing the 47 Bell hit in 1987. © Copyright (c) Postmedia News If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Bautista, Votto again nominated for Hank Aaron… |
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has once again been nominated for the Hank Aaron Award as baseball’s most outstanding offensive performer. Bautista shared the award last year with Toronto native Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds, who is also nominated again. The award is voted on by fans and a panel of Hall of Fame players, including Hank Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan, Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Robin Yount. Bautista finished the regular season leading the majors in home runs for the second consecutive year. The Jays star drove in 43 homers, while batting .302 with 103 RBIs. Votto, meanwhile, batted .309 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs. One player from each of the 30 clubs was nominated. Voting began Monday and concludes Sunday, with a winner from both the American and National Leagues to be announced during the World Series. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Jose Bautista, Joey Votto once again nominated for… |
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has once again been nominated for the Hank Aaron Award as baseball’s most outstanding offensive performer. Bautista shared the award last year with Toronto native Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds, who is also nominated again. The award is voted on by fans and a panel of Hall of Fame players including Hank Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan, Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Robin Yount. Bautista finished the regular season leading the majors in home runs for the second consecutive year. The Jays star drove in 43 homers, while batting .302 with 103 RBIs. Votto, meanwhile, batted .309 with 29 homers and 103 RBIs. One player from each of the 30 clubs was nominated. Voting began Monday and concludes Sunday, with a winner from both the American and National Leagues to be announced during the World Series. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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It became clear earlier this week that the Boston Red Sox wouldn’t be going after Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell to fill its need at the same position. The Blue Jays, though, are apparently ready to make a raid on a Red Sox icon. 
