KEN ASKS: Hi Buck, how are the Jays planning to work with J.P. Arencibia on developing a major league catching game? Will he be reviewing video tape during the off-season, working with coaches, talking to the starters? Or is it a matter of waiting until spring training and working with the staff then? Also, would there be a similar off-season plan to work on Adam Lind developing as a first baseman? Thanks.
BUCK: Ken there are a lot of questions within your questions. Do the Blue Jays bring back John Buck? If so, how do you balance J.P.’s playing time? How long will it take for J.P. to get a handle on the staff and can he become an everyday catcher? How much might you step back as a pitching staff if Buck is allowed to leave to free agency? I will address this before we talk about first base.
I would try to sign John Buck for two years with the plan to bring along J.P., slowly getting him behind the plate for 50 games next year and maybe flip flopping the two in 2012. I am not prepared to make a decision as to whether or not J.P. can be the everyday guy. I haven’t seen him enough to tell. He certainly has the confidence and physical ability. I would really like to see J.P. play winter ball to get him into the competitive atmosphere of the playoffs and the pressure of winning which is really emphasized in winter ball. It is all about winning, and I think that experience would speed the learning process. To judge J.P. on the end of the season with the Jays isn’t fair since his playing time was sporadic and every time he looked up as a batter, he saw Jon Lester, David Price or King Felix Hernandez.
As far as Adam Lind playing first base, I don’t think he can do that as a regular. He hasn’t played much over there and it is a tough defensive position. People talk about putting a guy at first because he can’t play anywhere else. “Let’s put him at first to get his bat in the lineup.” Not a good idea. The first baseman handles the ball more than anyone but the pitcher and the catcher with everything from bunt plays to pickoff plays to double plays being a challenge. Lyle Overbay makes it look easy at first but believe me he is as good as anyone in baseball and should be considered for a Gold Glove. Overbay won’t be back in my mind, and to go from him to Adam would be a huge adjustment and a costly one for the rest of the infielders considering how many errors Overbay saves. I think the position gets filled from the outside with free agency or a trade.
ROB ASKS: Hi Buck, I’m wondering what specifically Cito Gaston will be doing as a senior advisor?
BUCK: I think Cito will be available if the club wants some advice on player evaluations and on hitting from time to time but I don’t see him working at it every day. He has left the team in good shape for the next manager with some of the young pitchers really taking the next step this season. Also with the breakout season of Jose Bautista and the strong finish for Travis Snider, and the bounce back year of Vernon Wells, the offence has a good base to build from. I think Cito will spend the summer months in Toronto and when the team is in town he might come out from time to time, but I see him working more behind the scenes than anything.
MIKE ASKS: Now that the regular season is complete, who are your picks for the major awards in the American League? Thanks!
BUCK: Mike we talked about this during our Friday show and I will recap my picks. As for MVP I picked Jose Bautista for AL MVP and of course I am biased. He led the Majors in home runs and missed out leading in RBI by two. These are the two offensive stats that recognize production. Bautista also finished with 100 walks, which puts him in a very small class of hitters that have had 50 homers, 30 doubles and 100 walks in one season. He would be just the seventh player in history to do that. He is in the top 10 in most offensive catagories and has played well in the field at two positions, right field and third base.
My 2010 Cy Young winner is David Price. 19-6 with a better ERA and Opp BA than CC Sabathia (.221 vs. .239). He has a 9-2 record against the AL East and beat tough clubs all year long. I know CC, John Lester, Clay Buchholz and Felix Hernandez all had good years but my Cy Young vote goes to Price.
Manager of the year is close between Ron Washington and Ron Garderhire. Both skippers did a good job dealing with the loss of key players at different times during the season. Texas played without Kinsler early in the year and without Josh Hamilton late. The Twins lost Joe Nathan for the year in spring training and their slugging first baseman Justin Morneau the first week of July and only got better. I will pick Gardenhire for his consistant approach and attention to detail all the while emphasizing the team and not the individual.
Rookie of the year goes to Austin Jackson of the Tigers. He has been the center fielder with Detroit all year long and leads rookies in runs scored, hits and stolen bases. He has played very well in the outfield and looks like he will be an impact hitter in the middle of the order. I like the closer in Texas Neftali Feliz , the Twins 3B Danny Valencia and the Tigers RF Brennan Boesch.
KAREN ASKS: Hi Buck, what was it like broadcasting the final home game from those comfy chairs close to the field? Did the perspective throw you off at all? And did your respect for Joe Carter go up a few notches?! Thanks!
BUCK: Karen it was frightening but a great reminder how fast the game is on the field. When Jose Bautista drilled the foul ball right at us I thought I was dead. First of all I am sitting down in those big comfy seats in the TD Canada Trust comfort zone and can’t move around. Nowhere to hide! Then the wall in front of us has a metal rail and it looked as though the ball would hit that and go who knows where. The fact the game moves so fast gets lost when you are away from the field and high above the action in the broadcast booth so that served as a reminder how talented the players are to cover as much ground as they do to make the plays. As for the overall experience, it was a blast. The interviews with Joe Carter and Pat Hentgen were great. To be on the field for the pregame activities honoring Cito Gaston was a special thrill, and when I heard the voice of my pal Tom Cheek I really lost control of my emotions. I will look forward to the next time we can do a game from those seats, but I may wear a catcher’s mask.
CARTER ASKS: Hi Buck, which playoff storylines are you most looking forward to? For me it’s the playoff debuts of Roy Halladay and Canadian star Joey Votto.
BUCK: Carter I think you are right on the money. Roy Halladay has experienced everything on the field except the post-season so good for him. Joey Votto has been such a great representative of his team, his family and his two great cities, Toronto and Cinncinati, that his playing in the post-season will only raise his profile as a great player. Votto is a real class act.
ANDREW ASKS: Hi Buck, there is a lot of talk in the U.S. media about the upcoming off-season negotiations between Derek Jeter and the Yankees. While it seems impossible to picture Jeter in another uniform, it seems highly unlikely that Jeter would get the same high salary he is earning this year. How hard do you think it will be for the club and captain to come to terms on a new contract?
BUCK: Andrew I don’t think it will be a problem at all. If you could see what I see every day I am around the Yankees you would know Derek Jeter will be a Yankee forever. He never changes. He is the pulse of the Yanks. He has a blast at the park whether he is practicing or playing in the World Series. Jeter’s teammates are better because he sets the standard of effort. As for the contract negotiations I don’t think it will be all that contentious but I do think it will take some creative thinking to settle on the length of the contract. Jorge Posada signed a four-year deal two years ago and he may have trouble catching as a regular next year and I know he can DH but the two years left on his deal may cause the Yankees to pause when considering the Jeter terms. Jeter has made over $200 million from the Yankees, I don’t think he will hold them up.
STEVE ASKS: Now that they have a consistent winner, why aren’t the fans coming out to support the Tampa Bay Rays? I’m surprised that even on a potential playoff-clinching night they’d draw a shade under 13,000. Is it the stadium that is the issue, high ticket prices or something else?
BUCK: Steve there are a couple of serious factors in play here and the most obvious one is the economy in Florida. The state has been crushed financially with the poor economy effecting the tourist industry. Many residents in the Tampa Bay area simply can’t afford the price of going to a game. The ball park is also a problem with the design and the location. It is in St. Petersberg which is the farthest point south of Pinellas County from Tampa. You have to travel over bridges to get there from the North, East and South. The location is a challenge and so is the facility itself. This ownership group has done all it can dressing up Tropicana Field pumping millions of dollars in to the process, but it is still a bad ball park, with the catwalks and artificial field creating a sub-standard atmosphere. The team is talented, exciting and successful, but the facts are the facts.