In this week’s edition of Blue Jays Central: Ask the Insiders, they are asked about what they think of the performances of Kevin Pillar and Anthony Gose since being called up to the Majors and whether they think Joe Girardi will win manager of the year for his work with a depleted Yankees lineup.
Shane asks: What are your early impressions of Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar since they have been called up to the Majors this season? Any chance they may be up full-time in 2014?
Buck Martinez: Shane, I think they both have some work to do. Gose has special talent with his speed and arm, but his tools need to be refined. He only hit .230 in triple-A this summer and didn’t have a very good stolen base percentage. The tools are there but he needs to improve his accuracy with his arm, learn more plate discipline and improve his bunting skills to the point that it is a legitimate weapon every at bat.
As for Kevin Pillar we have seen major league pitchers work him over pretty well so far. This is not unusual, we see it all the time, but his track record in the minors suggests he will figure it out and hit. I don’t see him as a power hitter but more of a contact hitter. Defensively he has an average arm with accuracy. He has had some big stolen base seasons in the minors, but we haven’t seen that aspect of his game yet. I think it is a great opportunity for the club to get a good look at him against the big boys who are all battling to get into the postseason. He is going to see the best of the best.
Pat Tabler: I like the skill set of both Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar. I think they have a chance to be pretty good. Both play excellent defense. That is one skill that can keep you in the big leagues a long time. Anthony can really run and when he learns to utilize his speed he will be dynamic. Kevin has always hit, at every level, so I think it is going to take a little time to figure it out in the major leagues. He will. He was saying the other day that he has learned so much in two weeks. The slider is a whole lot better in the big leagues. The pitching staffs are a lot deeper too. The Jays should play both of these players the rest of the season to get a good idea on what they have heading into 2014.
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Gregg Zaun: Shane, Gose has enormous upside but lacks the polish necessary to be much of an impact. He seems to have problems with fundamentals like bunting and basic outfield communication. Pillar has an aluminum bat swing but I’m glad he got a chance in the Show. I think he’ll make the adjustments needed to be a productive big league hitter.
Mike Wilner: Shane, Pillar has been pretty impressive since that 0-for-17 start, though he can still be fooled by soft stuff away (at least for now). His defense and base running have been pretty terrific, as have Gose’s, who still needs to work on making more consistent contact.
Both of them definitely have a future in the bigs, but neither of them are in the plans as full-timers next year.
Shi Davidi: Both have had their moments and both have also shown their youth, which is to be expected. Gose’s speed is such a weapon and he’s a very good defender, but the jury is out on whether he’ll make enough contact to stay. Pillar, in his first look, has some nice tools but is in the process of adjusting. Given the way the Blue Jays are heading financially, one may very well stick next year.
Jamie Campbell: Pillar appears to be over-matched at the plate, but perhaps that’s to be expected. His defense has been terrific. Gose is supposed to be a very good defender, and yet, he’s made some questionable plays afield. It’s way too early to determine whether either will start next year in the big leagues.
Karen asks: Given the patchwork lineup he’s had to work with for the entire season, do you see Joe Girardi as being a lock for manager of the year in the American League?
Buck Martinez: Karen, Joe has done a great job with the number of games that Jeter, A-Rod, Granderson and Teixeira have missed. They are blessed with pros who never give up or let down. He lost another good player when Jayson Nix broke his hand against the Jays. All that being said, it is hard to ignore what John Farrell has done with the Red Sox. I know they addressed a lot of their problems when they made the L.A. Dodgers trade and helped the character of the team by adding Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino all winners and tough guys, but Farrell deserves some credit as well. Farrell, like Girardi, has had to deal with the loss of Joel Hanrahan for the season, injuries to Andrew Bailey, Andrew Miller and Clay Buchholz. Right now I think John Farrell will win a close vote over Girardi, Joe Maddon, Bob Melvin and Ron Washington.
Pat Tabler: Karen, Joe Girardi has done a great job with the Yankees this season but I think the Manager of the Year comes down to John Farrell of the Red Sox or Terry Francona of the Indians. Both have their teams heading towards the playoffs and coming into the season I don’t think anyone gave them a chance at all. A couple of Joe’s (Girardi and Maddon) are tied for a solid third place for me.
Gregg Zaun: Karen, even though the lineup Girardi has worked with has been patchwork by Yankee standards, it’s hard to feel sorry for a guy with Robinson Cano and Ichiro. My pick for AL manager of the year remains Bob Melvin of the Oakland A’s.
Mike Wilner: Karen, not only do I not think he’s a lock, I don’t even think he’s going to win it. True, he has had a heck of a lot to deal with and the Yankees remain in the race (thanks to the Blue Jays), but John Farrell’s Red Sox are likely to go from worst to first, and those are the seasons that get hardware.
Shi Davidi: No doubt he’s done a nice job, particularly since A-Rod returned, but you can’t ignore Joe Maddon in TB, Bob Melvin in Oakland, and John Farrell in Boston.
Jamie Campbell: Karen, there’s no way Girardi wins manager of the year. It pains me to say this, but the guy in Boston has taken a team that won 69 games last year to the top of the division. He’ll get the award.
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Daniel asks: Curious to see Joes Bautista hanging around the team while currently on the DL. Does this have anything to do with his absence last year while injured and the lack of a steady influence in the clubhouse (i.e. Yunel Escobar and the eyeblack)?
Buck Martinez: Daniel, I think Bautista will leave the team when he is ready to resume baseball activities which will be a week to 10 days. There is no benefit for him to travel to Florida as the time isn’t right to begin his rehab.
Shi Davidi: There’s probably some correlation there, as Bautista’s presence matters well beyond what he does on the field. Partly it’s also due to him being able to do his rehab work with the team, but certainly having him around while he’s hurt makes sense beyond that.
Jamie Campbell: Daniel, I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to ask him.
Rob asks: Does the Baseball Hall of Fame recognize international (i.e. Japan) contributions when deciding on induction the way the Hockey Hall of Fame does? I am asking because based on his MLB stats alone, I’m not sure Ichiro Suzuki would be a Hall of Famer, but combined with his Japanese stats I think he’d be a lock. Thoughts?
Buck Martinez: Rob, the Baseball Hall of Fame does recognize international baseball, but not as far as playing career overseas. That being said, I think Ichiro Suzuki is a Hall of Famer. He was dominate as a hitter for over 10 years in the Big Leagues. He was an all-star 10 straight seasons, a Gold Glove outfielder for 10 straight seasons, set the single season hit record of 262 in 2004 and had 200 hits for 10 straight seasons. He has done things offensively few can approach. I don’t think the 4,000 hits is in the same class as Rose and Cobb, but I do think he is a Hall of Famer.
Pat Tabler: I do not believe the Hall of Fame recognizes contributions made in Japan for its induction into its doors. I think you are referencing Ichiro Suzuki’s 4,000th hit by the Yankees the other day and if that is going to be enough to get him in. That alone is truly awesome as 4,000 hits in any league is mind blowing. I think that for Ichiro to get in to the Major League Hall of Fame he has to get to 3,000 hits. He has an excellent chance and I believe he will do it in 2015. Open the doors HOF… here comes Ichiro!!
Gregg Zaun: Rob, Ichiro is a first ballot guy right now. They don’t consider Japanese stats because its triple-A caliber at best. Ichiro got to 2,700 hits in the Show faster than Pete Rose. Everyone knows his impact on the game. Journalists are looking at that. He will get to 3,000 hits in late 2014 or early 2015. It’ll be a forgone conclusion at that point
Mike Wilner: Rob, the answer to your yes or no question is… kind of. The Hall of Fame doesn’t have any international players as honoured members, and it’s not as though Hideki Matsui is considered a 500-homer guy by the voters, since over 300 of them came in Japan. But, there are Negro League and Federal League players in the hall, so it’s not just about MLB.
But Suzuki gets in on North American merit. Over 2,700 hits, 10 Gold Gloves, single-season hits record. He’s getting in.
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Shi Davidi: The Hall’s criteria are wide-ranging and certainly my opinion is that his time in Japan merits consideration. That’s not to equate play in Japan to MLB, it’s a triple-A to four-A equivalent, but it’s also a pinnacle league and functions in an MLB-like environment. Also unfair to punish him for a system that restricts player movement and kept him from coming over earlier.
Jamie Campbell: I don’t think the Hall of Fame pays much attention to international players. It is, after all, called the “National” Baseball Hall of Fame. And since Ichiro already has more hits than Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle and several other honoured members of the Hall, as well as an MVP award, ten Gold Gloves, and ten All-Star appearances, I’ll beg to differ. Not only will he be inducted in to the Hall of Fame, it may well be on the first ballot.
Mark asks: As a fan of baseball, what are the big storylines you are looking forward to following in the final month of the season or into the offseason?
Buck Martinez: Mark, it is difficult to identify what the stories might be across baseball as things can change on a daily basis. Whether Robinson Cano is going to re-sign with the Yankees is one of the bigger offseason stories. For the Jays I believe the big story will be how do they address to starting rotation. Hutchison and Drabek should start the season at Buffalo with Nolan, Stroman and Romero. The Blue Jays will have Dickey and Buehrle in the five-man rotation but how do you fill out the other spots? Brandon Morrow has never thrown more than 179.1 innings. He deals with health issues every year and I don’t know if you can count on him. Will J.A. Happ be in the rotation with Todd Redmond and Esmil Rogers? There aren’t many options on the free agent market and the Jays minor league system doesn’t have enough top notch prospects to bring a stud pitcher in a trade. This is the biggest area of concern for the Jays here at the end of this season into the offseason and I don’t see any easy fixes.
Pat Tabler: Mark, the storylines are the same in September as they are every year at this time. The pennant races! It’s going to be very exciting to watch. There are going to be eight and possibly nine teams vying for the five spots in the playoffs in the AL. And you know what? No locks for the division as of August 23rd. Multiple teams in each division have chances to win. The Wild Card is going to be even better. Miguel Cabrera chasing a consecutive Triple Crown, the HR race, who is going to win the Cy Young are all great story lines but none better than the pennant races in the American League.
Shi Davidi: I’m really enjoying watching the Pittsburgh Pirates try to end their drought, the coming together of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the absurdly dominant year Clayton Kershaw is having and Miguel Cabrera’s run at another MVP. But there are plenty of other great stories to follow.
Jamie Campbell: Many things – who gets called up as rosters expand in September? How many victories will Max Scherzer finish with? Does Miguel Cabrera catch Chris Davis for the American League home run title, and for that matter, can he claim the Triple Crown again? Will the Pirates finally make it back to the post-season? How far ahead of the rest of the division will the Braves finish? As you can see, there are many reasons to watch September baseball.
Mike Wilner: Mark, I’ll be excited to see if Miguel Cabrera can win a second straight Triple Crown, if Max Scherzer can go 25-1 or something and if the Pittsburgh Pirates can hold on and win the NL Central, or at least make the playoffs.