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There is 2016, when the Toronto Blue Jays can—and really need to—go back to the world series. And there is 2017 and beyond, when the trades Alex Anthopoulos made to bring back 1993 for the city, the country and Rogers Communication leave the organization in re-tooling mode as Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Drew Storen and R.A. Dickey are headed out into the free agent market.
And so the focus is on Aaron Sanchez. In 2016, if he again is in the bullpen with Roberto Osuna, Brett Cecil and Storen, Toronto can have a bullpen on the level of the Yankees, Orioles and (perhaps) the Red Sox in a division where bullpens are vital because four of the five ballparks and pinball alleys.
But there is the long term, and if Sanchez is up in the front of the rotation with Marcus Stroman, the Jays could have 40% of their games over the next four years started by two young, star power pitchers.
What makes this interesting is that by re-signing Marco Estrada, trading for Jesse Chavez, signing J.A. Happ and Gavin Floyd and bringing Drew Hutchison, not only do the Jays have extraordinary depth on a team that could have the best offensive lineup in the league, but this decision to make.
Sanchez has been up to 98 MPH this spring. The fastball command that has sometimes left him has improved, as have his cutter and changeup.
It thus is partially about 2016, and when the season is over do not be surprised if John Gibbons and Ross Atkins look up and down this staff and think how it plays in October, when stuff has traditionally played. With Floyd and Chavez, they have the depth to give Stroman and Sanchez opportunities to catch their breaths during the season, then hope to get ten starts between them in the post-season, ten starts for a team capable of winning it all and bringing Toronto its first world championship since 1993.
—Chien-Ming Wang won 19 games a decade ago for the Yankees, hurt his foot, spiraled. Last season he pitched in triple-A, was 9-11, 5.40 with 208 hits allowed in 151 2/3 innings. Now he’s throwing 94-95 with his old sink, may well make the Royals and put Ross Ohlendorf on the market to be sought by the Marlins and others.
–Chiseled and lean, Addison Russell has been one of the talks of Arizona. “His first step is explosive, ridiculous,” says one Cubs official, dreaming of having a dominant, consistent defensive shortstop who hits 20 home runs and lengthens their lineup.
–Comps are fun. One scout says “Sam Travis is Jeff Bagwell.” OK, without the athleticism that made Bagwell one of the best defensive first basemen of the last 30 years, but, like Bagwell, Travis was determined to learn the art of pure hitting before thinking about power. “They both have electric hands,” says the scout.
–Come August, Mike Morin and Colin Moran may be A.L. West opponents for the Angels and Astros. At U.N.C., Morin and Moran were roommates.
–Last season, Cody Anderson was good for the Indians, 88-92. Tyler Naquin was promising. They spent the off-season together, rigorously training in Goodyear, Arizona. Anderson this spring has been 95-99 and may get the fourth spot in the Cleveland rotation behind Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, while Naquin has had a great spring, hitting .447 with tremendously improved bat speed and power that likely will put him in center field against David Price on opening day. Cleveland still hopes Michael Brantley could be ready for Opening Day, but more likely will be without one of the game’s best hitters the first month. Meanwhile, in AA, they have two big outfield prospects in Brad Zimmer—who is still working back from a foot injury suffered the second half of last season—and Frazier.
–Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson recalls family “front yard” whiffleball games. “My dad (Mychal) always had to pitch,” says Trayce. “He had a terrible strike zone, but I think he wanted me to swing the bat. Klay and our friends played for hours. It was really competitive.”
Klay, Steph Curry and Andre Igluodala all came to see Trayce play in Charlotte last season, but then Curry’s father Del pitched, and his cousin Reggie Harris was Boston’s first pick in 1987 and pitched for the A’s and Red Sox. “Klay’s favorite player was always Nomar Garciaparra,” says Trayce. “So when I went to the Dodgers I was able to get him a Nomar glove.”
–Several players will go to Tempe Friday night to attend a private showing of “Everybody Wants Some!!,” a Richard Linklater film with a release date on John Keenan’s birthday, April 8. It’s about a West Texas college baseball team in the Eighties, and one of the actors is Justin Street, Huston’s brother.
But, yes, Huston is in it. He participates in a bar fight. “It took until five in the morning to finish the scene,” says Justin. Of course it was shot in the off-season.