In a season mired by injuries that started off with a deflating and horrendous 2-11 start, the Toronto Blue Jays season of 2017 has felt like a constant, steep climb back to relevancy. With every game they’re trying to chip away and get back to where they’ve found themselves these past two exciting seasons: postseason contention. As the Blue Jays have
Read more
As Major League Baseball reaches its All-Star break and unofficial midway point of its season, this also marks one of the quietest times of the year for sports fans when it comes to on field/court/ice entertainment. That being the case, I figured I’d give an update on where the MLB awards races stand at this point in the season to
Read more
Now I’ve taken some heat for my old Justin Smoak bashing ways. @twaind4 @benchlifesports https://t.co/sfLudLAnpQ — Blake Stepien (@BlakeStepien) June 7, 2017 Hand up I was wrong about Smoakie… He might actually be good pic.twitter.com/HlnhJ342Xi — Thomas Waind (@twaind4) June 7, 2017 I’m not going to sugar-coat it. I was wrong. But as a Jays fan first, and a former
Read more
This week the Jays have been getting slugged in a four game home-and-home series against the woeful Atlanta Braves. One storyline that was not lost on fans and media alike was RA Dickey’s return to Toronto. The now-42 year-old Dickey continues to float knuckleballs south of the border and his return has unearthed some feelings in Jays nation. Coincidentally, the last time
Read moreLast year’s installment of my Blue Jays season primer was done through a “Plus Minus Predictions” feature. While the concept gave me good talking points to express my thoughts on the core of the Blue Jays roster, the conservative Steamer Fangraphs projections that I used left me making some pretty lame “cold takes” with every prediction given the “barring injury”
Read more
Well this sucks. ICYMI: An inside look at the fruitless negotiations between #BlueJays, Encarnacion https://t.co/kttkUljoZp Via @ShiDavidi pic.twitter.com/UQV8GIiqMA — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 24, 2016 My initial reaction to the news was one of doom and gloom. “Who are these clowns running the team?!” “Why doesn’t Edwin realize that no one will love him like Toronto?!” “NBA playoffs, MLB playoffs, MLB
Read more
Superlatives MVP: Josh Donaldson No surprise here. Donaldson has been the team’s MVP since he first stepped on the Rogers Center’s tire-rubber turf at the beginning of last season. He was the American League MVP in 2015 and has not missed a single beat this season. Josh has been the second-most valuable batter in the MLB based on Fangraphs’ Wins Above
Read more
Born: 11/11/1976 (39 years old) Royal Oak, Michigan, United States Drafted: 1st round (4th overall) in 1997 by San Fransisco Giants High School: Baker HS (Baldwinsville, NY) College: Seton Hall University Pirates (South Orange, NJ) Teams: Florida Marlins (2000-2001), Chicago White Sox (2004), Detroit Tigers (2005-2008), Colorado Rockies (2008-2009), Texas Rangers (2009), Pittsburgh Pirates (2011-2014), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2014), Atlanta Braves
Read more
Background Born: 8/28/1989 (26) Van Nuys, California, US Drafted: 1st round (12th overall) in 2007 by Florida Marlins Teams: Florida Marlins (2011), Houston Astros (2012-14) Positions: Third Base (349 games), DH (5 games) Height: 6’2″ Weight: 220 lbs Bat: Right Throw: Right Full Baseball Reference Bio Full Fangraphs Profile The Call-Up April 26, 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays call up third baseman
Read more
Background Born: 2/6/1991 (25 years old) Decatur, Alabama, United States Drafted: 9th round (265th overall) in 2013 by Toronto Blue Jays Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (2016) Positions: Pitcher Height: 6’1″ Weight: 195 lbs Bat: Left Throw: Left The Call-Up April 22, 2016, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello begins his 80 game suspension for testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. The Jays subsequently called up relief
Read more
Bench Life Sports 