on season-ending injured reserve.

Geregistreerd op: 07 Mrt 2018 Berichten: 510

TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips answers three questions each week. Kyle Brodziak Jersey . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs. 1) With J.A. Happ heading to the DL, the Toronto Blue Jays have announced a starting rotation of R.A. Dickey, Drew Hutchison, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and Dustin McGowan. Should the Blue Jays feel confident with that group or even this early in the season, should they be looking outside the organization for an upgrade? Or should they have kept a prospect like Aaron Sanchez or Marcus Stroman with the big club? The Blue Jays are starting the season with exact rotation they should be using. Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman both need more development but at some point they may be called upon to help. Certainly there are big questions for three-fifths of the starters but there is definitely upside. RA Dickey is just a year removed from his NL Cy Young Award and is predictable and dependable. I cant believe I am saying that about a knuckleballer but it is true. Mark Buerhle is a more than serviceable innings-eater who gives his team a chance to win start after start. After these two though the questions are significant. Brandon Morrow has suffered injuries in each of the past two seasons after looking like a number one starter at times in 2012. Dustin McGowan is throwing in the mid-nineties and is working on a curve ball to go with his devastating slider, but he has thrown just 46 2/3 innings since 2008 because of recurrent shoulder injuries. Drew Hutchison hasnt pitched in the Major Leagues for the past year and a half due to Tommy John surgery but prior to that he looked like he could be a long-term answer for the rotation. Before the season begins players, front office personnel and fans close their eyes and dream about what could be. I can close my eyes and see RA Dickey commanding his dancing knuckler that will baffle hitter. I can envision Buerhle getting a ton of grounders and working quickly getting the powerhouse offense back in the dugout and scoring a ton of runs. I can picture Brandon Morrow rifling his fastball by the games biggest sluggers and logging a ton of strikeouts. I can imagine McGowan and Hutchison fulfilling the potential that they once had as well. It could happen just that way. But it probably wont. My experience is that the more questions you enter with the more things that will likely go wrong. There is a bunch of unpredictability in this rotation. Depth will be important. It is safe to assume that health will be an issue at some point because it has been an issue in the past. Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond may make starts if necessary. But Alex Anthopolous is going to have to keep working the phones to look for upgrades. Early in the season other clubs arent typically trading good pitchers but he will need to be ready for when they do become available. So when you close your eyes and dream just hope it is not a nightmare. 2) Is manager John Gibbons on the hot seat with the Blue Jays? If the team is slow out of the gate again this year, will he be replaced? Are his and Alex Anthopouloss future tied together (if one goes, the other follows him out the door)? I dont think John Gibbons is on the hot seat during the season this year. I know there were big expectations last year but the collapse wasnt Gibbons fault. The starting rotation just fell apart on him as Morrow and Josh Johnson got hurt and Ricky Romero imploded. Jose Reyes injury crushed the offense early in the season and more injuries followed. The expectations are less this year than a year ago. It certainly behooves the Jays to get off to a good start so they can start to believe in themselves but Gibbons cant pitch for his team and the staff will be the key. I have never been a believer that managers and general managers are tied at the hip. The manager needs to look at the GM as his boss. Clearly Gibbons was brought back to the Jays because of his relationship with Anthopolous but if Anthopolous thinks a change needs to be made he will have to make it. If ownership gets to a point where they believe the roster is flawed and they decide to make a decision on the general manager it is unlikely Gibbons would survive a change in regime. Anthoplous can possibly survive the firing of Gibbons but I dont believe Gibbons would survive the firing of Anthopolous. As it stands today both the manager and general manager are on firm ground as they should be. They just need to be honest with themselves and their bosses about what the expectations are with the roster they have. The owners can hope to be competitive in the tough AL East but if they expect to win it then both Anthopolous and Gibbons are in trouble. This is a roster for which you can hope but not expect great things. 3) With Reds starter Aroldis Chapman and Rays starter Matt Moore both being hit in the head by comebackers to the mound in spring training, is it time for Major League Baseball and/or the players union to implement mandatory pitcher protection? It seems that pitchers have become more and more vulnerable over the past few seasons. Fortunately, we have avoided major catastrophe but we shouldnt be shocked if a pitcher were to be killed by a hit ball. We have just been lucky so far. I am a firm believer that we should never wait for someone to be killed to make a change. Baseball already did that once. Base coaches wear helmets now because a minor league first base coach was hit in the head by a line drive and killed. If protecting pitchers is being considered then protect them. Lets not wait for a tragedy. It is currently optional for pitchers to wear the new protective headgear that was developed by MLB for this year. The feedback so far is that the hats look funny and are not overly comfortable. MLB needs to keep refining the protective hats to make them functional. This needs to be a priority for the Players Association as well. Protective hats for pitchers need to be made mandatory at the minor league level initially. Let the kids get comfortable with them so by the time they are big leaguers it is commonplace. Once the hat is advanced enough make it mandatory for major league pitchers to wear. There is no clock in baseball but we need to put a clock on this. Every pitch thrown puts a pitcher at risk. Please hurry. 4) With the second and third opening days approaching for Major League Baseball it is time to make predictions. Here is how I see the American League:AL East AL Central AL West 1) Boston Detroit Oakland2) Tampa Bay* Kansas City** LA Angels3) Baltimore Cleveland Texas4) Blue Jays Minnesota Seattle5) New York Yankees Chicago Houston * first Wild Card ** second Wild Card AL CHAMPION: Oakland As defeat Detroit AL AWARDS AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, DetroitAL MVP: Justin Verlander, DetroitAL Rookie of Year: Yordano Ventura, Kansas CityAL Manager of Year: Ned Yost, Kansas City Here are my predictions for the NL:NL East NL Central NL West1) Washington St Louis LA Dodgers 2) Atlanta** Milwaukee SF Giants*3) NY Mets Cincinnati Arizona4) Philadelphia Pittsburgh Colorado5) Miami Chicago San Diego* first Wild Card ** second Wild Card NL CHAMPION: Washington Nationals defeat Dodgers NL AWARDS NL MVP: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta BravesNL CY Young: Stephen Strasburg, Washington NationalsNL Rookie of Year: Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates Manager of the Year: Mike Matheny, St Louis Cardinals WORLD SERIES CHAMPION: Washington Nationals defeat Oakland As LET THE GAMES BEGIN…..PLAY BALL!!! Magnus Paajarvi Jersey . - Urijah (The California Kid) Faber finds himself in an unaccustomed position Saturday night at UFC 175 — on the preliminary card. Robby Fabbri Jersey . “Im not sure well get Melky Cabrera at all,” said Gibbons. The 29-year-old left fielder struggled all season with knee and hamstring problems. Cabrera was first on the disabled list from June 27-July 20 with tendinitis in his left knee. http://www.officialbluesnhlshop.com/jake-allen-jersey/ . The 29-year-old Mills started three games for Oakland this season, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.41 earned-run average. He opened the season appearing in 14 games and making 12 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers triple-A affiliate in Nashville, posting a 4-2 record with a 1.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called the decision to sign James Harrison "simple and easy." Figuring out how -- and just as important when -- to use the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker, well, that part is a little trickier. The Steelers brought the 36-year-old Harrison out of retirement on Tuesday to give an injury depleted group some needed depth and a locker room in need of some intensity an added jolt. Harrison, who seemed to end his 12-year NFL career during an impromptu news conference Sept. 5, will provide plenty of both. How quickly he sees the field, however, remains uncertain. "We need to see what he is capable of doing before we etch out any roles for him or others," Tomlin said Tuesday. The Steelers (2-1) reached out to Harrison after young linebackers Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier went down in Sunday nights 37-19 win at Carolina. Jones underwent surgery Tuesday for a broken wrist. The team placed their first-round pick in the 2013 draft on the injured reserve/return list, meaning hell be eligible to come back in eight weeks. Shaziers sprained right knee likely wont keep him out as long, though Tomlin ruled out the rookie for this weeks game against Tampa Bay (0-3). Sean Spence will likely take over for Shazier. While Arthur Moats played well filling in for Jones -- recording a sack in the second half as the Steelers pulled away -- the injuries left the Steelers thin at a positon they considered a strength in the preseason. Enter Harrison, whom the Steelers released in the spring of 2013 after he declined to take a pay cut. The 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year eventually signed with Cincinnati, where he played in a diminished role as the Bengals won the AFC North. He finished with two sacks and an interception in 15 games before getting cut in March. He remained in training throughout the preseason but couldnt find work and signed a one-day contract with Pittsburgh on Sept. 5 so he could retire a Steeler. Harrison cited the need to be closer to his two sons as a major factor in his decision. That shouldnt be a problem now. The Harrisons live in a Pittsburgh suburb. Harrison will join a locker room thats undergone an extensive makeover in the 18 months since his departure, particularly on defeence. Beau Bennett Jersey. Only three starters -- linebacker Lawrence Timmons, safety Troy Polamalu and defensive end Brett Keisel -- remain from the 2012 season. A fourth, cornerback Ike Taylor, broke his right forearm Sunday night and is out indefinitely. Tomlin allowed it may take a bit for Harrison to get his bearings. "There is comfort in that familiarity but at the same time there are some new, integral pieces to our football team," Tomlin said. "He has an understanding of that. It will be fun to kind of watch him work his way back into the group." Recent history hints it might not take long. Pittsburgh declined to re-sign Keisel over the spring only to call him when the defensive line struggled early in the preseason. He was back on the field nine days later, playing in the exhibition finale against the Panthers. Harrison, like Keisel, is well past his prime. Yet the Steelers are optimistic his savvy and experience can make an impact on a defence that is still finding its way. Pittsburgh needed three games to record a turnover, though the pass rush showed signs of improvement while getting to Cam Newton three times on Sunday night. The schedule gives the Steelers some flexibility. They face the hapless Buccaneers then travel to winless Jacksonville. Two weeks might be all thats necessary for Harrison to find his niche. Its unlikely the Steelers would put him at the top of the depth chart based simply on his resume. If he can show flashes of the burst that helped him record 64 sacks during his 10 years in Pittsburgh, he could be a weapon in pass-rushing situations. Its what the Bengals tried to do with him in 2013, with underwhelming results. Not that Tomlin is using 2013 as a barometer on what Harrison can do now that hes back home. "I dont care about what he did in Cincinnati or what their schematics are," Tomlin said. "Ill base my judgments based off of his capabilities based on what I see back in this setting among us." NOTES: Rookie RB Dri Archer (ankle) practiced Monday and could play this week after missing the last two games. ... The Steelers will keep Taylor on the active roster for and give him some time to heal before deciding whether to place him on season-ending injured reserve. Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China Discount NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Jerseys 2019 ' ' '