Alek Manoah pitched a gem, Peyton Williams smashed the ball, and more as the Blue Jays beat the Phillies 6-3

Another day, another Blue Jays victory.

On Friday evening, the Philadelphia Phillies visited Dunedin, Florida to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Sadly for the visiting team (Phillies), they lost the game.
Let’s look at the player of the game, as well as some things worth mentioning.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game: Daulton Varsho:
Admittedly, it could have also been the starting pitcher, who we’ll get to soon, but Friday’s player of the game goes to Daulton Varsho.
Varsho had three plate appearances, reaching all three times. His first plate appearance was an RBI triple down the right field line. The second was a scorching single up the middle, before taking a walk in his final plate appearance.

It’s a Daulton Varsho (@DaultonVarsho25) triple!
86.4 mph exit velocity, and drives in Brandon Belt!#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/yqSP3X7weH
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 24, 2023

It’s also worth mentioning that he started a play in the outfield where they tagged out a runner trying to score.

Fundamental 👏 Baseball 👏
Varsho 👉 Chapman 👉 Kirk pic.twitter.com/7gSZU9ryoz
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 24, 2023

Varsho has three hits in his past two games (five at bats). He’s heating up at the right time.
Things worth mentioning:
Alek Manoah also deserves the player of the game, as he continues to impress in spring training. On Friday in his last spring training start, he pitched six innings, allowing three hits and an earned run, while striking out six.  He finished spring training with 20.1 innings pitched,  21 strikeouts, eight walks, and an ERA of 3.10.

Here’s Alek Manoah (@Alek_Manoah6)’s strikeout thread from this evening!
82.3 mph slider ties the batter up.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/du4T4VYLZr
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 24, 2023

Peyton Williams’ makeup is my favourite from the 2022 Blue Jays draft class. The first baseman stands at 6’5, 255 pounds, but slashed .317/.455/.593 with 21 homers, a 16.9 K%, and a 15.7 BB% in 492 plate appearances with the University of Iowa. He also has a ton of raw power, evident in his 110.9 mph double on Friday.

Surprised no one posted the Peyton Williams (@peyton_w2) double, which clocked in at 110.9 mph.
He’s so fun to watch.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/ZyN4HVo1nj
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 25, 2023

Trent Thornton looked solid in his limited …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Orelvis Martinez hits another home run, Chris Bassitt fans five, and more as the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6

Another win against the trash birds of the American League East, means we get to use the magical header.

The Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 on Saturday afternoon, in what was a rather positive game with plenty of players who could have earned the player of the game. Let’s jump right in.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game: George Springer
George Springer hit his second home run of spring training with two runners on, giving the Jays a 6-4 lead. While they weren’t the winning runs, it shifted the game heavily in the Toronto Blue Jays’ favour, bringing their win probability to 83.1%.
Today was the first game where each of the Blue Jays’ projected outfielders were on the field, with George taking his presumed right field position. He looked good out there, and if he can stay healthy this season, watch out.

Springer Dinger!!!
George Springer (@GeorgeSpringer) with his second home run of the spring.
99.6 mph off the bat.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/jp3miC6gfw
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 11, 2023

Things worth mentioning:
Chris Bassitt had a solid game if you look past the three earned runs. He struck out five and had a game-high nine swings and misses. What’s more, is that his average fastball velocity sat at 91.2 mph on Saturday afternoon, up from his 89.8 mph average in the past two starts. Look for the velocity to continue to increase.

Here’s Chris Bassitt (@C_Bass419)’s strikeout and whiff thread this afternoon!
The pitches were moving, and he generated 9 whiffs while striking out 5!
Best outing as a Blue Jay so far.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/oxyJb4JE82
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 11, 2023

Orelvis Martinez would have won the player of the game had I not given it to him in their win over the Phillies. The exit velocity on his second home run of spring training was 96.9 mph and it was a great display of power as he went oppo-taco. The kid has in …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Orelvis Martinez hits another nuke, José Berríos has a solid outing, and more as the Blue Jays clobber the Phillies 16-4

Another day, another high-scoring game for the Blue Jays!

On Sunday afternoon, the Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 16-4, the second straight 15+ run game. Unlike the game against the Detroit Tigers, this one was televised, meaning that this article will have clips, yay!
Let’s look at the player of the game.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game: Orelvis Martinez
Anytime a player hits a home run that doesn’t have a distance tracked by Baseball Savant’s statcast, you know he got a hold of it.
Last spring training, the 21-year-old hit two homers against the Phillies, including one against Aaron Nola. Well on Sunday afternoon, he hit another one, this one coming off of Matt Seelinger.
Per Savant, the ball had an exit velocity of 104.6 mph, which surprisingly only ranked ninth for hardest-hit balls in the game.
It’s likely that Martinez will start his 2023 with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, but if he can show that he’s improved, he may be fast-tracked to Triple-A Buffalo.

Death, taxes, and Orelvis Martinez (@OrelvisMartine3) hitting nukes of the Philadelphia Phillies in spring training.
Martinez (21) has more power than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did at the same age. Just saying.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/KMEyW9qubl
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 5, 2023

Things worth mentioning:
José Berríos made his second start against the Phillies, allowing two runs, walking a batter, and striking out a pair in his three innings of work. He overcame adversity after an early home run, as he settled down and pitched quite well. His stuff is absolutely nasty, and he had seven whiffs, finishing only behind Zack Wheeler’s eight whiffs.

Here’s José Berríos (@JOLaMaKina)’s ACTUAL strikeout and whiff edit. …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

It’s report card day after the Leafs gave us a lot of trades to grade

It’s report card day after the Leafs gave us a lot of trades to grade

Here we are with another round of grade that trade. Everyone loves these posts, that’s why every site seems to do them. You can’t get enough. We can’t get enough. Well… I guess we could kinda get enough because, with the volume of trades the Leafs had yesterday, most of the TLN contributors were huddled in balls on the floor, rocking back and forth going “no more, no more.” It’s in that spirit that I’m largely taking over the grading myself today. I got some help with the Sandin deal, but I’m flying solo on the smaller ones. I promise to be nice to Luke Schenn, but we’ll save him for last.
Sandin to Washington for Gustafsson and Boston’s 2023 1st round pick: A
The second you say “first round pick” to me, I instantly like the trade. My brain still operates in a pre-2016 world where the idea of the Leafs accumulating 1st round picks is the goal of the season. Couple that with all the love letters written about this draft class and it’s nice to see Toronto back in the game.

Erik Gustafsson is no slouch either. Those aren’t sheltered 3rd pairing minutes that he’s been playing either, that’s a 20 minute a night defenseman that is doing well and is about to be slid into a role that is far more manageable for him. I’d argue the Leafs got the best asset with the pick, and the best defenseman in the deal with Gustafsson, and the Capitals are largely just banking on Sandin being more usable for them immediately and on par with what they’d get with a late first round pick.
In theory, everyone got what they wanted out of this deal, but from my perspective this is a big win for Toronto as it gives them a lot of flexibility for future moves and they’ve cashed out at the right time on a defenseman …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

O’Reilly/Acciari reaction, the potential flattening of the cap and prospects worth keeping: Leaflets

It’s time for another Saturday morning round of Leaflets, everyone’s favourite column where I largely talk out of my ass hoping that a nugget of wisdom slips out along the way. wouWhen I originally wrote this on a Friday afternoon, I thought, hey, this is a pretty standard around the NHL, I’ve waited for the 5pm new drop and nothing happened, I should be able to go and watch this Oilers and Rangers game in peace. That held up for two periods and then the Leafs decided they’d give us all some news that would change a lot of the context of what originally written. So her is the hastily adapted version of Leaflets.
O’Reilly and Acciari breakdown
Here’s the thing. There are going to be a lot smarter and a lot more sober people than I am tackling this in a meaningful way. I’m hoping the fact that I’m three sheets to the wind when I write this will add a certain level of honesty you won’t get in other articles, but the analysis will surely be lacking.
So let’s start with the fact that like Kyle Dubas, I don’t like the idea of the Leafs giving up a first for a rental. The fact that it’s two …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Outfield prospect Cam Eden has been invited to spring training

Another Blue Jays prospect has gotten a call-up for spring training.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Mitch Bannon, 24-year-old outfield Cam Eden has earned an invitation to spring training as a non-roster player.

#BlueJays announce they’ve invited CF Cam Eden to MLB Spring Training. He’s seen as one of the best defenders in the org and has elite speed, but struggled at the plate after a promotion to AA last year.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) February 14, 2023

Eden played the majority of his 2022 season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, slashing .215/.292/.376 with 10 homers in 306 plate appearances. However, he had a rather high 35.3 K%, much higher than his 22.9 K% last season in High-A.
Including his brief tenure in High-A Vancouver and Dunedin Blue Jays in 2022, his overall slash line stood at .233/.310/.408 with 12 homers with a 32.8 K% and a 7.9 BB%.

Cam Eden (@CamGo_Ham) wants to go home. His 10th homer of the season makes it 11-7 for New Hampshire.
Absolute nuke.#BlueJays #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/iADI2BxbsA
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) September 9, 2022

Where Eden excels is with his elite speed. On the base paths, he stole 36 of 41 bases in 2022. In fact, that was the third most stolen bases in the entire organization. He also uses that speed in centre field, as he makes tough catches look easy.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, Eden ranked as Fangraphs 34th best Blue Jays prospect heading into 2022.
The right-handed batting outfielder has an interesting blend of speed and pop, and has proven to have a low strikeout rate in years prior. It’s likely that Eden will start the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, but a repeat of Double-A isn’t out of the question.
It will be interesting to watch his spring training!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.
POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO
…

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Woll breaks record, Abruzzese clicking, Johnstone’s first, and Toronto’s All-Stars: Marlies Weekly

Woll breaks record, Abruzzese clicking, Johnstone’s first, and Toronto’s All-Stars: Marlies Weekly

Another week, another stretch of games won by the Marlies in what has been a remarkable season to date.
Toronto had four games scheduled throughout the last week, though they only played three. On Friday night, while the Marlies were facing the Manitoba Moose, a fan experienced a medical emergency at the end of the first period.
Both teams — and the AHL — agreed to suspend the game when it was 1-1 after the opening frame. The AHL said the game will be completed at a later date though they haven’t specified when that might be just yet.
The other three games that the Marlies played this week went very well. Matter of fact, Toronto won every one of them.
They defeated Laval 4-2 last Sunday, then beat the Manitoba Moose 3-2 on Wednesday, and after their game was suspended on Friday, the Marlies bussed to Rochester and won their game against the Amerks on Saturday, 7-5.
Joseph Woll played in all three wins this week and has since broke the Marlies record for most consecutive wins in a season. And after defeating Rochester on Saturday, the 24-year-old is now undefeated in 10-straight games this season while holding a .926 save percentage.
READ MORE: ‘He’s never out of the play’: Joseph Woll ties Marlies record and could break it w …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Looking at the Blue Jays’ internal options for the eighth and final bullpen spot

Hey look, another bullpen article!

I released an article on Saturday afternoon focusing on several internal options to fill the Blue Jays’ fifth starter role. In this article, we’ll be looking at the absolute mess of pitchers that can fill just one unsolidified spot in the bullpen, the eighth spot.
I’m under the assumption that the roster will be set to 26 men next season, with a maximum of 13 pitchers. Five starters, and eight relievers, with seven bullpen spots already locked down. Here’s the list of pitchers who should have a spot unless there are trades:
Anthony Bass
Jordan Romano
Erik Swanson
Tim Mayza
Adam Cimber
Yimi García
Yusei Kikuchi OR Mitch White (not both)
The eighth option
In this article, we’ll look at relievers with MLB experience on the 40-man roster (plus an American Fry), starting pitchers who could be converted to relievers (who we looked at yesterday), and prospects who could see time in the Blue Jays bullpen next season. Buckle up, this will be a long one.
The 40-man relievers with MLB experience:
There are 9 different pitchers that fit into this section, with a good chunk of them deserving a spot in a major-league bullpen. I’ll denote if they have options or not. Starting with…
Zach Pop:
Pop is a major league pitcher. Out of anyone not considered a lock, he is the best pitcher. Heck, I’d probably rank him ahead of the few locks. The only reason why he’s not included as a lock is due to the fact that he has options, while a few others in this section do not.
Last season between Miami and T …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

It’s the midseason grades edition of The Leafs Power Rankin’s

It’s the midseason grades edition of The Leafs Power Rankin’s

It’s a new month and another chance to rank the Leafs players. It is also very close to the midpoint of the season and that warrants assigning some grades to the Leaf players as well. Rather than doing two separate articles to accomplish the same thing, we’ll blend them into one time saving piece that cuts our potential pageviews in half. Take that network fat cats.
Grading players is somewhat tricky. Are we grading them to what we expect of them or are we grading them to where they compare to players around the league? Is Pontus Holmberg a B player because he’s come in and grabbed an NHL job, or is he a C- player because he’s a decent fourth line center? Unfortunately for Holmberg, I feel the latter grading system is far more useful, but I will include whether or not players are meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet expectations as well.
The previous Power Rankin’s can be found here.
1. William Nylander (up from 5th) 
Grade: A, exceeding expectations
There are plenty of supporters of William Nylander around Leafs Nation, but I think it is still safe to say that no one saw him as the team goals and points leader at the first week in January.
As the Leafs exited the playoffs last year, Nylander more than any other player seemed committed to finding the next level in his gam …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Blue Jays claim RHP Junior Fernández off waivers from Yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays have made another bullpen acquisition, this time claiming right-hander Junior Fernández off waivers from the New York Yankees on Thursday, the team announced via social media.

ROSTER MOVE: We’ve claimed RHP Junior Fernández off waivers from the Yankees. pic.twitter.com/dbXJZANkKy
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 5, 2023

Fernández, who spent most of last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, is no stranger to the waiver wire as he was designated for assignment in September and ultimately claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the 25-year-old’s tenure in “The Steel City” only spanned a few months before he hit waivers again in November, eventually claimed by New York.
The 6-foot-3 hurler returned to the waiver wire just over a month later and now finds himself joining the Blue Jays organization with the calendar flipped to 2023. And he’ll be looking to build off a disappointing 2022 performance.
In his fourth big-league season with St. Louis, Fernández registered a 2.93 ERA over 15.1 innings in relief, but he could’ve fared far worse, evidenced by his concerning 5.85 FIP and 11.4 per cent walk rate. The young righty also struggled to prevent home runs, posting a 1.76 HR/9 and a 25 per cent HR/FB ratio. And he was also worth minus-0.3 fWAR.
Fernández didn’t surrender a run over his three appearances with the Pirates, although he walked four of his 14 batters faced and only str …

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Author: Thomas Hall / Blue Jays Nation