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Anthopoulos talks Gibbons and a mini State of the Franchise
The following is partial — but mostly complete — transcript of Alex Anthopoulos' media scrum regarding the job safety of John Gibbons and a slew of other topics:
Have you been following the recent comments about how the Blue Jays should fire John Gibbons? Have you thought about firing him?
"No. I haven't been reading them but I was told about it. Today I was doing an interview and I was told by the interviewee that seems to be the big talk. I've been staying away from reading a lot of things but there are no changes, John is our manager and we expect him to be.
"But I understand what the response is, when you're not playing well as a team, these are things that happen. You talk about the GM, the manager, you talk about the players … people want a reason and changes usually come when players aren't playing well and teams aren't performing. I think that comes with the territory so I'm not surprised from that respect. I'm not saying that just in respect to Gibby, when you're not playing well, you're not going to have nice things to say and good stories to write.
So you don't plan on making a managerial move…
"No, not at all. I don't think our issues, I think we can all get better, myself included. When we are where we are in the standings and the results are what they are there's clearly a lot of room for improvement and clearly we're going to need some sort of change. I'm not prepared to say what those are, I think we need to play out the season, either way we've looked it, we've talked about it. We can look at so many areas because when you have the results that we have, there are plenty of areas, I do think and I believe that, if you look at this historically, second last in starters' ERA, I've yet to see some teams have success doing that and ultimately we can examine why that is, and that's not to say we can't improve in other areas, offensively, defensively, but I think that's where it starts … I don't know how much the manager can influence that part of the game alone."
So, unequivocally, Gibbons will be back next year?
"Yes, there has never been any thought on that respect at all."
Looking back, did you whiff on some of your offseason trades?
"I think there are certain trades that haven't worked out in terms of the performance of the players, I think that goes without saying. There were players we expected to play better, be more healthy, all of those things. I think with any thing, some trades take a little more time to develop, especially if you have a player that's under contract …
"You have to just go back to your process. I look back all of the time, I review, and there are times things don't work out and there are times ultimately that we can improve our process and change it. We've reviewed it a ton obviously, we review everything when you're not playing the way we expected to play and everyone expected us to play. I do believe our process was sound, that doesn't mean we can't improve, we always look to improve but I do believe our process was sound. Certain things haven't worked out and sometimes it's hard to explain why some players don't play as well then they go somewhere else and play better."
You're talking about reviewing the organization, does that mean the review of the manager is complete? Gibbons will be back?
"Yes, I've already said that. But the review, I think you review the team all of the time, top to bottom, including yourself, that goes without saying. I don't know that there's a team with a perfect anything. Manager, GM, players, everyone can get better in this game, I think everyone would acknowledge that. I don't think there has been a person in this game that has said, I've got all the answers and it's all there. Our focus is on how do we make this team better and it starts obviously with players.
"There are other areas that we can look to improve upon, but I do think it all starts with the players and the talent we have on the field. Some of it has been health, we need to look at some of those things as well, we had a lot of injuries again, twice in a row now. Last year it was one time, now… there are so many things and we still have four or five weeks, who knows what else comes? Good and bad. I think you take the full season to review."
Why are you so loyal to Gibbons?
"I actually think, the in-game managing, I think he has done a great job. I think it's so easy to pin results on one person. I think it's
convenient. I could say that for myself, I could say that for certain players, for the manager. I just don't think blame falls on one person. I
think when we're playing the way we have, I just don't think it falls on one person, it's collectively. There's blame to share, that's probably
the best way to put it. I just don't believe it's one thing and that's the issue. I think Gibby, in game, has done a great job. We've had
three-fifths of our rotation in flux, whether it's through injury or performance.
"We've only had two mainstays in the rotation the entire year, that's no an excuse, that's just a fact. That comes to my chair, it
comes down to the players, the staff, the training staff, we're all accountable to an extent why things have gone the way they have. But to
sit there and say it's one person, that doesn't make any sense. I think it's an easy out to be honest with you."
When you look back, what are words you use to describe this season?
"Obviously we haven't played to expectations the way we thought we would. I know that's about 20 words there. I haven't sat and thought about it. You're obviously going day to day with it and dealing with things as they come up. But there's no question, no one's enjoying watching the results and the play and all that type of stuff.
"Our focus has to be on how do we get better. To focus on blame and things like that, that's part of the process and the evaluation but I
just don't think, it's collectively when we've had the results we've had, it's a lot of areas."
Do you still believe the core can win?
"I do. But again, where we are where we are with the rotation, you guys can pull it up, I've yet to see teams with the performance we've had in the rotation that you can win that way. That's not to say that our position players are perfect by any stretch or we can't improve the
offence in certain areas or we can't improve defensively and all those things but ultimately I do think it starts on the mound. I think there's
an impact to the bullpen, there's an impact to the offence, you're down four or five runs in the first inning or the second inning and you start to press. I think there's just a carry over effect in so many ways. Health is part of it too."
"We felt we were going to have a very strong starting rotation coming into the year. That obviously hasn't been the case so that has to
strongly be reevaluated. In terms of cores, things change from year to year, player evaluations change from year to year so for the most part I think we all can see the players that have performed and have been good players for us, I think that goes without saying. Players that haven't performed as well, haven't had as good a season, we evaluate them, contractually as well."
After Buehrle, Dickey, Happ, how do you envision rest of rotation shaping up next couple of weeks?
"The remaining two spots, we'll see how things go. I think a guy like Todd, obviously, starting tomorrow, we'll see how he does. Hopefully he gets back on track, he's had some good starts, he had a rough one against the Astros. I think it's important for him. It's really start to start for some of those guys as well. We've talked about calling up some of the young guys but, again, we're letting them make all their starts as well. We haven't made any determinations. We're really using these last few starts to finish the evaluation."
Johnson's future and whether club would make qualifying offer at end of the season…
"I think you wait because you see how he recovers, he responds. Dr. Andrews said two weeks of no throwing, then get up again. They want to get him up off a mound by the end of the season. That will tell us a lot as well. The fact we don't have to make a decision today, why not take the time to get more information? Who knows, along the way maybe he does great, maybe, obviously we hope not, there's some type of setback. We'll take the time."
How can their not be a culture of losing if you're losing in the clubhouse?
"I guess it depends on what you define it as. When you're losing, you're losing. But I don't define it that way. If you choose to do that, that's
your right. But to me, it comes down to none of those players want to under perform or not do well in games. You guys are in there, I don't
think anyone is happy about it or likes coming to the ballpark like that, everyone would prefer to win I think that goes without saying."
Difference between wanting to win and knowing how to win?
"Certain people can say that, if our starters' ERA is last or second last in baseball and our guys are battling back and losing 7-5, is it that? Or
is it, maybe, if we gave up four runs instead of eight. If we do comeback for that day, do we know how to win and the next day we forgot? It's so subjective. That's not to say you're wrong but I think it's so subjective it's hard for anyone to pinpoint. There are things statistically you can pinpoint, clearly the rotation needs to be better, we can look back historically I don't think there are teams that are last or second last (in ERA) that have had success. That's fact, the other stuff is definitely open for debate, conversation and improvement.
"But if you're middle of the pack, offensively we can get better we we're not the worst in the league. The rotation, from a consistency standpoint in the offseason, that's where we need to get better, we'll go as far as our rotation gets us. We felt very good about the starters we had and it didn't work out, health, performance, things like that. We've had really two guys be mainstays the other year, three have been up and down."
See enough progress in young guys like Lawrie, Arencibia, Rasmus?
"In certain areas. I don't know that you're ever satisfied, guys can always get better. Even players that are good players, there are areas
they can get better. Everyone's game can get better so there's always room for improvement for every player."
Among theories you're kicking around, things you can measure, but are there intangibles or subjective issues that you can say you need?
"We've talked about that, we just don't know how far to take it. I don't want to get into (specifics) because one, it could be a lot of things
where people run back to players. That's more on the brain storming side and I've been here in years past when players get a label of this or that and they go somewhere else and they do well. I think it's a dangerous, slippery slope and you have to be careful. A lot of it comes down to production.
"It's amazing how much our opinions of players change when the production changes. We had issues with certain parts of their game, and
then the production is a little better and now we kind of forget about the other issues. I don't want to single out any of our players but you
guys can go back through it. It's amazing how quickly our opinions change when the performance is better."
Changing rotation next year…
"We've got four guys contractually right now in Dickey, Morrow, Buehrle and Happ. Then we have some of the young guys internally, Hutchison, Drabek, guys that have made starts this year Redmond, Rogers and so on. We're always looking to add. I don't know ultimately that it will be there, I don't think we're going to look to force anything but we're always going to look to add. I think there's improvement we can get from within as well. Brandon Morrow from 2011, what looked to be a 2012, I don't think we were shocked with the way he was performing because I think we all knew it was in there.
"If Brandon Morrow comes back next year and pitches somewhat close to what he was in 2012 I don't think anyone would be surprised because the ability is there. R.A. I think has been significantly better the last month or two … I could see him significantly better. Mark, I think, has been the same guy he has been his entire career.
"Ideally you go outside the organization and then your Hutchisons, Drabeks, Nolins, those guys are your sixth, seventh and eighth starters rather than, with all due respect, some of the Minor League free agents we had like a Ramon Ortiz, you're not necessarily relying on those guys to come up."
Do you feel closer to playoffs than this time last year?
"We're not the same, obviously we weren't playing well both times. I think there was more distractions last year. That's not to say we're enjoyingthe way we're playing but the focus seems to be baseball related more this year than last year, I don't need to rehash all of it, we weren't playing well compounded with so many other stories, whether it was Yunel, so many other things going on. There were more distractions. I don't know, I guess I don't look at it that way. I guess I'd say, I still believe we have the makings of a good team that needs work, that needs changes, that needs health and we didn't play the way we expected to. I think almost everyone across the game expected us to be a good team, to what level, I don't know. But I think unanimously people thought it was going to be a good competitive team and it didn't work out."
So you're saying you don't think you need to make major changes?
"Depends on what you classify that as. We need to make changes, that goes without saying. How can we sit here with our win-loss record and say we're going to maintain the status quo, that's just not realistic. But what do you define that as, I don't know. We're going to need to make changes. What that is, we'll take until the end of the season and into the offseason to make those determinations. But things change, even the last four-five weeks, we'll find out more about some of these players, good and bad. We'll know more about Brandon Morrow, Josh Johnson, Melky Cabrera. We'll know more about the guys starting in the Minors."
Thinking about bringing Johnson back?
"I haven't thought about what the roster is going to be with guys that are pending free agents until we have more information. There's a lean, there's this, there's that, we just don't have enough information."
One guy you didn't mention was Romero, has he done anything this year to make you think he could be in the mix again?
"He's had starts where you definitely believe it's around the corner. He has spurts where it looks like it's coming back and then he has had
starts where he didn't perform as well. With him, you're evaluating every single start he has and you're hopeful … Morrow is the example in '11 that we were waiting, waiting, and then it was the last three or four he was good. With Romero, we just need to see the consistency. He's still young, he still has stuff, hopefully next Spring Training he comes in but I can't project at this point what he's going to do moving forward. We know the ability is there, we've all seen it, just consistency wise we haven't seen it."
But that's pretty much exactly what you said in April or May. That has to be frustrating that the outlook hasn't changed?
"I think everyone is hopeful and we just don't have the answer on what will it take to get him back to where he was, to be that All-Star. I
don't have doubts that the ability is there and that he is capable but to try and handicap it, put a timeframe on it, I just have no idea. I never would have predicted this to happen to begin with, even with how he began the season last year, 8-1, ERA was in the low fours, never would have predicted what would happen to him the last few months of the season. To try and do it now, it doesn't make any sense."
Will he be a September call-up?
"I don't know yet. We've talked about a lot of September call-ups, obviously he's a guy we've talked about, but we haven't made any
determinations. We're going to need a third guy behind the plate, certain guys coming back from injury for sure, Delabar and McGowan will be back. But we'll see how they recover. The other guys that are down there, start to start and we'll see how we're doing and what our needs are. I don't believe we're going to call guys up to not play, it doesn't make sense. If we think there's innings or at-bats, those are the guys who will get called up.
He abandoned those mechanical changes during the middle of the season. Does that add to the disappointment?
"No, not at all. Like we told him, I think any mechanical changes were made were done in conjunction with him. We weren't going to do anything he wasn't comfortable doing,he was part of the process but I don't think anyone said this is the fix. We know, exactly this, will get you back on track. Take three weeks, four weeks, let's try this. That's a lot of what happens, it's trial and error. We don't know why, we have theories and beliefs but we can't really be convinced why things have happened. If he ultimately believes he has found something that works for him, and he feels good about it, and he believes in it, that's what you have to go with. So the fact that he had that type of belief, absolutely, we encouraged him, do what you feel is best. You know yourself better than anybody else but at the same time he was struggling, was trying to find some answers, worked with him in 2012 and tried some things, skipped a start, tried a lot of things, just couldn't get him going.
Any sense of next year's payroll?
"I don't know the number, it gets talked about in the offseason. I know we're not going backwards but what ultimately the number is I don't know. A lot of it will depend on what players become available. Last offseason it was a certain number, certain players became available and it changed. It's always fluid."
Roster move on the horizon
Jose Reyes is expected to make his return any day now and when he eventually does, the Blue Jays will find themselves faced with a very tough decision. Someone will have to become the odd-man out and the big question surrounding the team is whether it should keep an eight-man bullpen or go back to a four-man bench.
The ballclub entered play on Saturday afternoon having won nine consecutive games and after weeks of constant shuffling the roster was able to remain in tact for a decent amount of time.
It has long been assumed that infielder Munenori Kawasaki would be optioned to Triple-A Buffalo when Reyes is back but that's not my pick and it's very possible that my selection will surprise a lot of you.
Here's a look at the candidates:
Munenori Kawasaki — He's still the odds'-on favourite for a demotion despite having become somewhat of a cult figure in the city of Toronto. His skill set doesn't translate particularly well to a back-up role because he isn't very fast, has relatively average defence and doesn't offer enough with the bat to become a strong candidate for pinch hit situations. But even still, if it were up to me I'd keep him around until Brett Lawrie returns from injury. Kawasaki could be used to give Reyes an occasional day off — which might be needed after a relatively short rehab stint — while also seeing some games at second base against right-handed pitching. The only way this could happen is if the Blue Jays go back to carrying just seven relievers. For the record, there's no doubt in my mind that Kawasaki would have to go when Lawrie's healthy but for now I think his spot on the team should be safe.
Emilio Bonifacio — Hard to envision a scenario where this ends up happening. Bonifacio has clearly struggled with the bat this season as evidenced by his .204 batting average but he has the ideal type of skill set to be a super utility player that every team likes to have. He has the ability to play the outfield and infield, which gives Gibbons some much-needed versatility off the bench. Perhaps just as important, Bonifacio would combine with Rajai Davis to give the Blue Jays a pair of stolen base threats off the bench that can be used in close games.
Maicer Izturis and Mark DeRosa — Neither player is going anywhere so there's not much sense talking about this. Izturis has a three-year deal and picked up his level of play during the past month while DeRosa has proven to be valuable against left-handed pitching.
Neil Wagner — Wagner does have an option remaining on his contract so he could become a candidate to be sent down but it would make very little sense to do so. The sample size is still incredibly small but so far Wagner has proven to be a valuable arm that can be used in middle relief. He has allowed just one run in 11 innings this season and comes with an overpowering arm — even if his fastball is a little bit too straight at times. Wagner also has eight strikeouts compared to just three walks over that span and has pitched well enough to deserve a spot on the team.
Juan Perez — Perez is out of options on his contract and the only way he can be sent down is by being exposed to waivers. There doesn't appear to be any doubt that another team would take a flyer on Perez if that ended up being the case. Just like Wagner, the sample size is still very small, but Perez has yet to allow an earned run in his 10 innings of work this season. He has struck out 10 while allowing just three walks and five hits over that span. Perhaps most important, though, is his ability to throw multiple innings at a time. In order to be the final reliever in a bullpen, it's important that pitcher can be stretched out when that type of need arises. All five of Perez's appearances this season have been for more than one inning.
And finally my pick for who the odd-man out should be…
Dustin McGowan — This wouldn't be a popular choice for many Blue Jays fans but there are a lot of factors at play here. McGowan has appeared in just three games this season and as yet to earn a defined role in the bullpen — he's arguably the only reliever that falls into that category if Perez can be considered the long guy. The club has no choice but to monitor his overall workload after shoulder surgeries limited him to just 21 innings from 2009-12. It's true that McGowan has appeared in back-to-back games this season but it was in an emergency situation and it's something the club would like to avoid more often than not.
The problem here is that McGowan is out of options on his contract and would have to clear waivers before being assigned to a Minor League team. Personally, that's a risk I'd be willing to take. McGowan is earning $1.5 million this season and has an additional $1.5 million coming his way in 2014 with a $500,000 buyout on his 2015 $4-million option. It's certainly possible another team would take a gamble and pick up that remaining salary but even if that were to happen I don't think it would be the worst thing in the world. It would cut a little bit of salary and more importantly open up a valuable roster spot. There's also at least a decent chance McGowan goes unclaimed.
If the Blue Jays were in a rebuilding mode I'd have no problem at all with keeping McGowan around. It appears his days as a starting pitcher have come to an end but in theory he could still become a valuable reliever. The problem is, in order to find his previous form, McGowan needs more consistent work than he's getting right now in Toronto. Another assignment to Buffalo would be the perfect scenario to be put on a regular throwing schedule and the organization can take an extended look at his current abilities. It's just simply not possible to experiment like that at the big-league level when every game is important to getting back into the race. If another team steps in and takes McGowan first, then so be it. McGowan could still be good, but this isn't Chris Carpenter all over again.
Q+A with Jamie Evans of the Velocity Program
There's been a lot of talk about how the premise for your program came from tennis and in particular how those type of athletes don't experience the same type of injuries do. Can you explain the connection between the two sports and how it helped inspire the program?
"Yeah, basically when you look at a tennis serve and a pitcher throwing a baseball, biomechanically the shoulder and body are doing about the same thing and tennis players do a lot more serves than baseball players throw and their injury rate isn't even close to what baseball players are. From there, looking at it, and basically because the tennis player doesn't let go of the racket there's a smooth transition for the arm because the weight remains the same.
"Also, the strength is built on the back side and the front side because it's the same amount of weight on the acceleration and the deceleration that takes place. As opposed to throwing a baseball, the decelerator muscles don't get worked because they let go of the ball so in a baseball situation it's missing five ounces where the acceleration has five ounces."
When did this program start?
"It started four years ago and obviously in the beginning it was everybody doing the same thing like you would do with any testing procedures. Once we saw a group of people improve and then another group of people not improve, for me, that doesn't make sense as an instructor and wanting to help people improve.
"So we started looking at the group of kids that improved and then the group that didn't improve as much when all of them were working just as hard — because I was monitoring it — and there were some trends that started showing up in the testing phase. I started tweaking the program off of the original trend and from there it became very individualized in the testing process so we can get to the specific needs the player has so everybody can see improvements when they're doing the velocity phase of the program."
I know you can't disclose what goes into the exact testing process but generally speaking how is the program individualized for each athlete after that initial work is complete?
"What happens is from the test, the program is designed on which balls they need, how many reps they need to do and how much recovery time they need in the program. All of that goes into the equation, obviously for the youth, age, height, weight all of those things are constituted in there as well because they haven't matured yet.
"For the pro athlete, some of the ones that are just getting in, they still have some maturation, but the guys at the big-league level there's not a whole lot of maturation that's going to take place physically. So we then go into age, how long they've been playing professional baseball and taking a look at the amount of workload they've had throughout their life and career."
On his relationship with Steve Delabar…
"Well first, I had never met Steve until after he had been in the big leagues with Seattle, we had never really laid eyes on eachother. The only thing I knew about him was what his bubblegum picture looked like which was kind of cool (editors note — They did all of their initial correspondence over the phone). For me and him, it was one of those, when I was talking with him in the beginning his dream wasn't to be a Major League pitcher anymore it was to help kids out.
"But when he started going through it, his arm started feeling good and when he got back to his original level I think his head started clicking, 'Alright my arm is back, I'm okay, the elbow's not going to break, everything's good, let's see if this is actually a velocity program now' and I think he took it to another gear.
"That's the one thing about the program, it works, but it takes some effort into it. It's not like you can take a magic pill and be done with it. There's some work that has to be put into it this and he got to that point, he said, 'alright let's see what happens' and went at it in a completely different gear and then the numbers started getting to the point where I was blown away, he was blown away.
"There were times that we were talking on the phone as he's going through the program and even when he was getting on the mound he had me on speaker, we were talking and going through everything. It was invaluable for me because I was able to learn from — at that time — a former professional athlete to get much better feedback than you'd get from a
15- or 16-year-old kid.
"Obviously the program is today where it is with the Blue Jays and the amateurs and the rest because of his story. I couldn't ask for a better ambassador for the program both on and off the field. Whether Stevie likes it or not, me and him are linked. I like it, I hope he does."
Delabar has said that if it wasn't for this program there's no chance he'd be pitching in the Major Leagues right now. I'm assuming there's an opposite kind of sentiment that you share, that the program wouldn't be where it is because if not for Delabar and his ability to bring a lot of awareness to the program?
"Correct, there's no doubt about it. It's kind of like a marriage. What the program did for him and then what he's done for me, it's a give and take. Obviously I definitely wouldn't be at the level of awareness with what people are doing and talking about the program without him because let's be honest his story is miraculous. A lot of that can attributed to Stevie himself and the type of person he is but for me to play a role in it and how he got there is phenomenal."
Are you surprised at how fast this program has grown? I'm sure there must have been a wow factor over the past year and obviously to the point where you were hired by the Blue Jays as a consultant…
"Wow, probably doesn't even put it into perspective. For me, this is a godsend. It's one of those things where I don't think I could have ever imagined how this has taken off. I saw some success at the youth level, college level, with Stevie but then the way it's taken off and the people that have supported the program, the only way I can explain that is thank god."
In talking with Delabar, he's mentioned about not being surprised that Brett Cecil's velocity has increased after using the program. Is that the same type of reaction you have to these types of stories as well?
"For me, now, that's the expectation. At the beginning, it was, 'wow, that's awesome.' That's what we were looking for but now I go into it with the expectation of the player getting that. When I met Brett and realized the work ethic he had, I knew it was going to happen.
"I think the big thing is, whenever you're doing something new, do you really believe it's going to work? When you take medicine do you really believe it's going to work? When guys really buy in, go after it and believe it's going to help, it works. How hard they work with the program really makes a difference.
"So they get in there and really go at it and you get a good return on time and investment. If you go in and just go through the motions, yeah you're going to get a little better but you're not going to get a ton.
"From my perspective I've flipped it around, the people who go into the program you have to put in the work and they've put in the work so they're able to perform. It goes back to the situation where there's a marriage there. The work ethic plus the program equals results. If the work ethic falls short then the program's going to fall short."
A lot of the talk regarding this process is about the potential for increased velocity. But it seems to me that the potential for maintenance and improving one's ability to bounceback after an outing is just as important, if not more.
"To be honest with you, it's called a velocity program because people will read it because it says velocity. Velocity occurs, it's a marketing situation, we know velocity's going to happen but the first thing that the program was founded on was creating strength or equilateral bilateral strength between the front side and the back side so that the shoulder works better and more efficiently.
"When the shoulder's stronger and healthier and works more efficiently, the recovery rate goes way down because there's not going to be as much damage done to one side or the other. For a Major League pitcher out of the bullpen it's huge because they're able to go out and feel the best every time out. For a professional athlete that's what you want to feel
so that you can go out at your highest level every time your name's called.
"I think there's a psychological element to it as well because if you don't feel great you sometimes won't go out and perform great. The bounceback is also huge for starters, I think it gives them an opportunity to feel better between their starts so they can throw a
little better side, they want to work on their breaking ball or something like that during their side session, they're able to do that, feel better and get more out of it because they don't have to recover the way they would have prior to doing the program."
You were brought in to talk to the Blue Jays players last offseason and obviously there's a lot of players currently in the organization that are taking part in this program. Would you be able to talk about the relationship you now have with the team with everything advancing to the point where you've been hired?
"First thing is, the Blue Jays are a first-class organization. I've spent time dealing with other clubs as well. Obviously the Blue Jays were the ones who put the gas pedal down on it, but I've talked to a number of other clubs and organizations.
"The thing I've noticed about the Blue Jays is how passionate they are about the players, which I thought from a business standpoint wouldn't be the case in pro ball. But they want the players to succeed all the way through. The other thing I noticed was their willingness to ask questions and ultimately embrace the program. They didn't go into this blindly like 'we saw this work with Delabar so let's go out and do it.'
"There were a lot of conversations with the brass from top to bottom. When they decided to go with it I was super excited and they've been nothing but great, opened their arms up and
have asked me to help in any way that I can. I'm pretty excited and on top of that, the medical and training staff they have and the pitching coaches, they're top notch, their information is phenomenal and what they're doing with the guys is phenomenal.
"The one thing I want to make sure that people understand in all of this, the program is just going to be in addition to all of the great stuff they're doing, and they're doing wonderful things. This is just a small little pepperoni, it's not even a piece, just a small little pepperoni, that's put on the pizza and they've got a great pizza already it's just one more topping that's
being put on."
What type of role will you have as a consultant for the organization?
"Basically I'm here for them to use me however they want to use me. They've hired me so I'm working for them in any capacity that they see I can bring value, I'd certainly go in and help in that situation."
This is probably an understatement, but you must be excited to become associated with a Major League ballclub in an official capacity?
"Absolutely. I was one of those kids at five years old that wanted to put on a Major League Baseball uniform. As I was going through it, the dream stayed alive until I hurt my shoulder and when that happened the dream kind of died. As the program started going, started dealing with some professional athletes, good things started happening and the dream was revived again. I'm truly blessed that I'm able to fulfill a dream, to be a part of a Major League organization.
"The dream's still fulfilled, in a different capacity, but in this capacity I love it to death. Being able to help guys, that's been my dream for the 20-plus years to help players and now I'm able to help some of the elite, the best the world has to offer and it's a dream come true."
Considering your past injury, was finding a way to help pitchers limit injuries always your mission in regards to creating a program like this?
"Absolutely. Shoulder injuries, arm injuries, in baseball it happens across every organization across baseball, it happens across every level. If there's anything that I can do in this whole quest to make shoulders healthier, that's why we were trying out the things we were trying out.
"Is the program going to prevent injuries? Yeah, I'd like to think it's going to prevent some. Is it going to abolish injuries? No, it's not. The sport and the way it's played, I don't care what sport it is, injuries happen. I guess my quest is to limit the amount and severity and if the injuries do occur trying to get the players back to where they were before or perhaps even a bit better."
Steve Delabar:
On his reaction to Evans being hired by the Blue Jays as a consultant…
"It's great, he's been a big part of the throwing program and it's good to see that it's paying off for him."
What's your reaction when you hear Evans and other people saying that the program wouldn't be where it is today if not for your ability to help promote it at the professional level?
"To hear that kind of stuff is just what you hear. We're here today doing what we do, doing what we love and to see him benefit from it's really good to hear."
Where would you be if it wasn't for this program?
"I wouldn't be here. I definitely wouldn't be here. I was 27-years-old at the time when I started the program and guys like that don't get a shot if the velocity number's not there. That radar gun is everything that got me here."
On the number of athletes participating in the program having increased so much over the past year…
"There are more guys getting involved with it because they see other guys doing it and they see okay it's not just one guy that benefits from it, it actually helps other guys too. So you start to see the program actually start to work with other guys and other guys get the benefits as well."
On the program being as much about maintenance/bounceback ability compared to just a velocity increase…
"Well the velocity side is the selling point. If you throw that out there people are going to buy into it but it's a shoulder strengthening program and there's also arm speed included with it. But the main thing is to balance out the shoulder and get it strong."
You obviously saw an increase in velocity when you began the program? Where did you hit on the radar gun prior to your injury and going on the program?
"Absolutely. I was probably 89-92, maybe at best. I think one time I hit a 94 and then after the program I've been 93-98. I attribute the whole thing to the program.
"For me it was more, I want to do this because I was coaching high school and I wanted to teach the program to the kids. I wanted us to have the best arms in the area and I had heard these crazy numbers so I had to find out for myself to find out how the program works.
"If I'm going to teach a product I want to know how the program works because if I'm teaching a product I want to know how the product works. I started doing it, sure enough the velocity started going up and I gave it another shot."
Do you feel like the Blue Jays are getting ahead of the curve by having so many players embrace the program?
"With the knowledge that we have coming in with my side and the outlets that I have to go to get the information quickly our organization has definitely taken a step ahead as far as taking another way to get healthier arms and changing things up from the norm. Everybody that goes through it definitely benefits from it somehow based on how the program is tailored to them."
Have you been surprised at all by Cecil's increased velocity this season?
"What he's doing now is not a surprise to me. Some people are going 'wow' but to me I expected that and anybody that contributes the time and effort into the program is going to get those results too."
Do you know enough about the program now that you do everything on your own or is there still a lot of dialogue with Evans?
"I definitely have to refer to him on a lot of things because I don't know the program through and through. There are some things that I can answer quickly because I've been through it. I wanted to teach it, I wanted to learn it. But I have to refer to him on some stuff and some stuff he wouldn't tell me because it's his program so I have to definitely go back to him and do the best I can, answer the questions that I need to but at the same time I have to go and then maybe come back to it later."
Brett Cecil:
What's your reaction to Evans being hired as a consultant by the Blue Jays?
"It's great. Obviously I did the program. All of the things that I've done, tube work, cuff weights, whatever, nothing has made me feel as good as doing the program. We could start getting more and more guys to do it and getting healthy results from it I think it's going to be great and I absolutely think that's going to happen."
There's been a stereotype about this program in the past and how it might not actually work. Do you feel like that's being disproven as more and more pitchers embrace it?
"For sure. I think, like all people growing up around baseball, I was told you don't ever throw a weighted ball. You just flick the wrist and that's it. You don't do anything with the shoulder, elbow or anything like that. Obviously that's all been disproven and weighted balls aren't
dangerous as long as you're doing it right. That's what Jamie is for, he gives everybody an individualized program based on what their velocities are, he has ways to figure out what kind of workload they can handle."
Have you been surprised by just how much your velocity increased after doing the program?
"No, that's kind of where I was expecting to be, right where I am. I think there's still more in there. Delabar he came to us and he was 93- 95 and I've seen him some games he'll be sitting 95, most games he sits 95, punches 96 and as high as 97. Who knows in the offseason, my program will change, Delabar's said he has never done anything the same in an offseason that he did the offseason before so hopefully I can get a new program and search for more."
Velocity aside, it seems like a big benefit to this program is the potential to have an increased ability to bounceback strong after outings?
"It gets my attention everyday on how my arm feels. There hasn't been a time in whole season when my arm has felt 100%. It might be a little tight but there hasn't been anything out of the normal and it exceeds everything I've felt in all my years of playing baseball. It's unbelievable how it feels the next day after I pitch."
How often did you consult with Evans during the offseason while doing the program?
"We met eachother once when I did my testing and that was it. I think at the beginning, it was almost like an every day thing for the first week but once I got the hang of it, it was like once a week, then every two weeks. I think there was one time in the offseason when I told him I was feeling, he told us he wanted us to tell him where we felt the discomfort after doing the full workload, and then that way he could tell us where the weak links are in our arm, I think it was either my tricep or bicep, he said okay, take this down, increase this, take that, take this, whatever, and I never had another problem since."
Do you feel like the Blue Jays are getting ahead of the curve by having Evans as a consultant for the organization?
"I think it's a great move by the Blue Jays to do that. You see Dustin, unfortunately he has been scuffling with injuries for so long, and then they put these weighted balls in his hand, does the workout with Jamie personally and he goes to Triple-A, arm feels great. He comes up here and throws back-to-back days, if that's not a testament to how effective it is I don't know what is."
Casey Janssen:
On his relationship with Evans…
"He talked to the team back in Baltimore last season and then I actually had lunch with him in Baltimore this year and kind of talked about the program. Sometimes I use Steve a little bit just with him being the voice of Jamie and then I actually called him in Chicago to keep it
fresh and maybe give me some new ideas as to the way help the shoulder."
You're obviously in a different situation than Delabar and Cecil because you started the program once the season began. So, how has the program worked for you so far?
"I think Jamie's still a little conservative with me because I started it in the season and I think you make your gains in the offseason. I don't want to misspeak on the program but I think it's an aggressive offseason program and I think for me being new to it, I think it's more on the conservative side because I have the potential to pitch every day and that I'm still not necessarily 100%. (Evans) being away, he doesn't want to re-invent the wheel with me and then have something turn for the worse."
Have you noticed a difference yet?
"It's a little hard to tell. I notice it more in my catch, you get a little more backspin, obviously that's a result of the arm speed. I haven't necessarily seen a radar reading spike but hopefully that's on its way. What I'm doing, I don't know how the full program is, but I
think it's more of an arm maintenance as opposed to the four miles per hour gain that maybe others are on."
So you're planning to stick with the program this offseason I take it?
"Yeah, I can't wait. I'm looking forward to the offseason with the program. I want to see what it's all about, it's kind of one of those nothing to lose. I don't think I'm going to lose any velocity, if you get a couple more and you get a shoulder feeling like I assume Delabar's
and Cecil's arms are feeling, how could you not want to test it out and try it and hopefully the gains are similar to theirs and the shoulder feels as good as it looks like theirs feels."
Blue Jays hire Jamie Evans
ARLINGTON — Jamie Evans has helped a countless number of pitchers over the years with his Velocity Program and it has now resulted in a job with the Blue Jays.
Toronto officially hired Evans this week as a consultant to the organization. He is one of the originators of the weighted-ball program which has been used by the likes of Steve Delabar, Brett Cecil, Casey Janssen and most recently Dustin McGowan.
Evans has worked with a lot of athletes from other organizations as well but the Blue Jays appear to be getting ahead of the curve by securing a position for him within the organization.
"I'm excited to join the Blue Jays, they have an unbelievably knowledgeable staff who care about their players and I'm hoping to help in any way that I can," Evans told MLB.com
The program involves the use of weighted balls to strengthen muscles around the shoulder. As part of the process, pitchers use various holds and also go through their throwing motion without actually releasing the ball.
The workout routine seems to have the ability to increase a pitcher's velocity while it is believed to help avoid injuries as well. Cecil began using the program during the offseason and went from throwing in the mid-to-high 80s to now consistently reaching 93 mph.
Delabar brought a lot of attention to the program when he credited it with helping him return from a fractured right elbow. Toronto's right-handed reliever was out of the game and working as a substitute teacher in Kentucky when he began using the program with student athletes he was helping coach.
The strength and velocity returned and the next thing Delabar knew he was being asked to workout for the Mariners. He eventually signed a contract and is now one of the more reliable relievers in the American League as evidenced by his 1.85 ERA in 34 innings this season.
"As far as my professional baseball career, it was basically over," Delabar said earlier this year. "There wasn't much I could do at 26, 27 years old. 'Hey, guys, I've never been above high [Class] A. Do you want to give me a Major League job?' It doesn't work like that."
"I did the program because I was going to teach the program. With a broken elbow, I didn't know if I was going to play again. I just wanted to teach this program and help these kids at our academy, and sure enough, it helped me."
Evans has tailored his program over the years to each athlete's individual needs. There is an offseason workout program and a different one that can be used during the season which serves as more of a method for maintenance and recovery.
For a while there was a stigma associated with the program that it might be some sort of fad but that has been begun to change in a hurry. With more success stories continuing to pour in from around the league it opened the eyes of a lot of pitchers, including Janssen.
"The toll of a Major League pitcher compared to high school teenagers is different, but after I saw some results from some friends, I thought, 'What the heck?" Janssen recently said.
"I wasn't going to do it initially, and then obviously with the shoulder injury, you're looking for ways to feel better. From watching some of these guys play catch and how good they feel day in and day out, you'd be crazy if it didn't interest you."
The Blue Jays' personal connection to Evans began in earnest last season when he was brought into the clubhouse to explain his program. That was what originally piqued the interest of Cecil while former Toronto manager John Farrell had his sons begin the work this offseason as well.
Other players who currently use the program include Rangers right-hander Jason Frasor, top college prospect Tyler Beede and countless others.
(Article will be updated early Sunday afternoon with today's reaction of Blue Jays pitchers on the news)
Cabrera set for his return to San Francisco
Melky Cabrera will make his highly anticipated return to San Francisco when the Blue Jays open a two-game series at AT&T Park on Tuesday night. The reaction from Giants fans should be interesting to say the least considering Cabrera was San Francisco's best player until he was suspended shortly after the All-Star Break because of a positive drug test.
The ensuing months became somewhat of a soap opera as Cabrera refused to talk about the suspension with San Francisco reporters and never spoke directly to the fanbase about what happened. He essentially vanished overnight and many of the Giants players have gone on record over the past several months about how they used to be close but he no longer returns their messages.
Perhaps in part because of the way things ended, or because the Giants didn't want the distraction, San Francisco opted not to reinstate Cabrera after his suspension ended during the postseason. He's only spoke about the Giants on a handful of occasions since then but he held a brief scrum with reporters on Sunday afternoon in San Diego in advance of the upcoming series.
Here's the Q+A from that scrum with the help of interpreter Luis Rivera:
On going back to San Francisco…
"They treated me really well when I played there and they gave me an opportunity to play every day and I had a great time playing for them."
Fan reaction…
"I don't worry about that, it's up to the fans, it's nothing I have control of. I'm just going to play the game. If they decide to boo that's fine, if they decide to cheer that's fine with me too. But I'm not going to worry about that, I'm just going to focus on the game and try to help my team win."
Surprised you weren't added to postseason roster…
"That was their decision. I was ready after I was suspended, I went down and got ready just in case they needed me. They didn't need me at the time, they won the championship and I was very happy and glad that they did it with or without me."
Hard feelings…
"No, I was fine. I was ready to go but it was their decision. They decided not to use me, nothing I can do about that. I was ready but that was their decision."
Looking forward to going back to the city…
"I'm going to be in the hotel to just get ready for the two games."
Slow start in SF and how that compares to current Blue Jays team…
"I hope that's the case. We have a lot of good players here, as good as the guys in San Francisco and I feel like these guys are going to start getting on and we're going to finish strong before the year's over."
Legs causing issues…
"Everyday I'm feeling a little bit better."
Biggest difference in play between April and May…
"It's going to be a long season, every day I continue to play I've felt better and better. Games and at-bats are making a difference for me right now."
Hitting leadoff…
"Anywhere in the lineup they use me, I'm fine with me. John is the manager and whatever he needs I'm fine with it."
Arencibia on catching Dickey — Reaction from Game 1
J.P. Arencibia:
On his early struggles with the knuckleball that included three passed balls…
"I think especially early we were both kind of jacked up. It was just a little different at the beginning but then settled down and felt comfortable again. He was throwing his pitches and we were working well but I think early, with the adrenaline going on, it was dancing in, out, up, down, so that makes it tough."
More on difficulties of catching a knuckeball…
"If you talk to any knuckleball catcher, guys that caught a knuckleball, it's going to happen. I think early, too, I was a little bit straight up with him and once I made a turn in my stance I kind of adjusted to him a little bit better. It was more consistent in the zone. But that kind of pitch you just have to brush it off and go to the next one. After that, like I said, we were able to settle down, we felt a lot better and I felt real comfortable behind the plate."
On Dickey's knuckleball compared to the spring…
"Early it was dancing a ton and I think maybe in and out of the zone more than it has been. There was a lot more balls than he usually throws, usually he throws a lot more strikes. I think it could be the adrenaline on both sides but it was really darting every way possible and made it tough."
On whether it's a frustrating pitch to catch….
"Frustrating wouldn't be the word for it. I think it's a challenge. First thing that they told me was, listen, you're going to miss balls, you're going to miss balls with guys on third base and they're going to score, and you have to put it behind you. Because there are going to be pitches that he throws that no one could have caught unless you have a fish net that's for large fish, it's not going to be an easy ball to catch. That's the fun of catching it, I think it's a challenge and once you're able to settle in and stuff like that, it was a lot easier. Definitely early the ball was pretty tough."
On difference between catching Dickey and other pitchers on the staff…
"It's a night and day difference. He's a guy that you have to wait until the last second. You can't anticipate where the ball is going to go because you don't know where the ball is going to go. Guys that have caught Dickey before a long time, the guys who caught Wakefield for a long time, they say the same thing. You never know where it's going to go and you really just have to try and be as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately early on it was tough but then we were able to settle in."
On catching relievers after handling Dickey…
"It looks a lot harder. You change your glove, you change your stance back to your normal stance and you definitely have to make an adjustment. But it's part of it and I don't think it's really tough, it's just making the adjustment. I'm sure for (the hitters) it throws off their timing and the good thing is tomorrow you back that up with a guy who is low-to-mid 90s and it's going to tough to hit."
More adjustments while catching Dickey or just the one about opening your stance behind the plate?
"Just that one. Henry was like, 'hey man I see you more square than usual and try to open up a little bit more.' Right away, that inning, I opened up and I was a lot more free. That could be part of it for me, just whatever the excitement, you don't think about things like that, you're really trying to concentrate. You creep, creep, creep to where you feel normal and then you notice, okay I understand, and once I turned it opened it up and made it free again. Those are just in-game adjustments you're going to have to do and everyone is going to do them, especially as you get more experience, you learn to make those adjustments."
When did that conversation take place? Between the second and third inning?
"It was after the third inning actually. The next three innings I felt great with him and I think that made a big difference. As soon as you open up your right leg, you open up, so you're more free with the ball instead of if you're straight on it's a little tougher to adjust. He settled in, too, and really started throwing strikes consistently which is what he usually is."
On the early crowd reaction which included some boos…
"I'm not worried about that. It's definitely easy to play from the stands. That's being a fan, that's part of being a fan. There's no hard feelings in that. Hey, I want to catch it too. They're screaming, 'catch the ball' I want to catch it too. I've been trying, you know what I mean? I'm not trying to miss it, it's a tough pitch. It is what it is, you shake it off and you try to do your best. No one is out there trying to muffle any balls or any of that stuff. It doesn't really bother you, you just know that's part of it."
On the difficulty of losing Opening Day in front of a sold-out crowd…
"What's tough is that we're not going to go undefeated this year. Going into it, I thought we had a chance to be the first 162-game winner. But, you know, sometimes you have to look at yourself in the mirror and realize, hey maybe we can go 161-1. So, that's the plan now. Listen, there's a lot of games in this season and you definitely can't be up and down in this game. You have to be as even keeled and consistent as possible. We know what we have in this clubhouse, just go out there, have fun and play. If we do that, at the end of the year, then we can talk about what's going on. Unfortunately my dream of 162-0 is not going to happen."
On Masterson's outing….
"I think the real big pitch was the bases loaded. Lindy hits that ball square on the screws and it turned into a double play and I think he settled in after that. You have to tip your hat to him, he threw some turbo sinkers. He has a really good sinker, he was able to throw the four-seamer for strikes, flip in the slider to try and get people off the fastball. But he's a good pitcher for a reason and he did a good job."
Anthopoulos explains decision to option Romero
Anthopoulos media scrum:
On the decision to option Romero…
"After today's game we sat down and talked for quite a bit. Myself, Tony LaCava, Pete Walker and obviously John. Ricky was better today, there's no doubt about it and he's making strides. You can see it, his changeup was so much better, everything was better but he was not there yet. The more we thought about it, could we have started with him? Sure. Ultimately it may have come in Toronto because he has made strides here but if he's not ready and he's not as sharp as he needs to be, we need more time."
Why Dunedin…
"We thought about where we would send him, we ultimately decided, the other affiliates it's cold, rain outs, we want to make sure he gets his work in. We're going to continue to work with him down here where it's warm, where can get his work in, and really just continue to get the direction of the plate because he's making strides. Like we told him, we just ran out of time in getting him to where he needs to be."
On how Romero took the news…
"Ricky, if you ask him, the bar is set so high for him because he has that type of ability. If you ask him, Ricky are you at your best right now? He knows he isn't. Even if he's not at his best, he's still really good but he's also working on things too. We did this a few springs ago with him, we were able to get it going in time for him to make the team right at the end and that was the hope again that he was going to get it right back at the end and we weren't going to have to look back.
"Ultimately, the more we talked about it, we saw a lot of good things and he was fine but it's not the Ricky we know he can be. We can try to just keep going, and when you're at the big-league level it's hard to continue working on things, or take a little more time, get him back to where he can be and from his standpoint, he understood, he's a pro. That goes without saying. It's always a tough conversation but he knows, he's not exactly as sharp as he needs to be and he knows it's going to take a little bit more time."
Did Happ's performance this spring impact the decision…
"No. That's not to take anything away from J.A., this was about Ricky. Obviously we've seen what he has done, take away last year, three years in a row he was a horse for us, 225 innings, 2.90 ERA and everything he has done. He has been outstanding. It's about getting him right and getting him straight. If we didn't know what his ceiling was and what he can be, it'd be totally different. It's about getting him right and obviously the sooner the better for us."
Romero's outing on Tuesday the final straw?
"No matter what, the entire time, things change in Spring Training so fast. Each year, I'm to the point where I'm almost not even going to watch the first few weeks of spring. You almost just have the watch the last 10 days or so. We sat down, we still have some other moves to make, you're talking about the roster all of the time but today was one of those things, spring is done for all of the starters, these guys have pretty much all pitched and what's the best thing to do. We weren't going to make any evaluations until everyone was done."
More on Romero's results…
"It's not results as much as we see some things he needed to change. You talk about direction and lines to the plate, it's basically your balance going to home plate and where your front foot lands. It sounds easy but it just takes time when you start repeating it. He has done this before, he just has a tendency to do it. It's one thing if it's results, you're just not getting results and you just have to continue to pitch and get out of it, we have a plan for him.
"We know what we need to address it's ust not coming as fast as we wanted it to come. It takes time. It could be the next start, all of a sudden it comes, it's outstanding, he's sharp, or it's two starts from now, or three starts from now. He definitely took a step in the right direction today, it's getting better, he just needs more time."
Timeline for when Romero will be back….
"We have to get him back to where he was. We haven't even gotten (to that point). This isn't one of those things, we need to get him right mechanically. How long that takes, I don't know. It could be very fast, it could take a little longer, we're not putting a timeframe on it. Once we get him right mechanically, I think the results are going to follow.
"We're all going to know and we're all going to see it. You can go out and throw shutout innings but you can watch certain things, it can be line drives, it can be deep counts, you know someone's not right mechanically. The performance might have been better than the line or the performance is not as good as the line. For him, it comes down to how does the stuff look, how does the command of the stuff look and how is his balance going towards the plate."
Romero's role? Is he now the sixth starter? Is there a place for him on this team?
"I have no idea where we're going to be at. Obviously we have to move forward but I have no idea what the roster's going to look like, what's going to happen. Obviously if he gets back to where he can be, he's one of the best starters in the game and I think he ends up being on anybody's team at that point, certainly ours.
"But without trying to forecast what happens a week from now, three weeks from now, a month from now, it's impossible to say. But I can't wait for that day to come, when he's ready and he's back to what he was."
Facing low level A-ballers and what can be gained…
"It's not the results, it's is he balanced. I know I brought up the example last year against the Yankees he was really good, I remember the second inning against Philadelphia earlier this spring he was really good. He was right where he needs to be, when he's doing that, he's on, he's there. The problem is we're getting it in spurts, we need to get it over six innings, seven innings, eight innings and then to do it over again each time. It's there because he is showing it in flashes. We just need to get him back to the point where he's doing it night in and night out, start to start, and then he'll be back."
Progression through the minors, will he go through every level?
"I don't know. We haven't gotten to that point. We're open to anything. We'll just see how things go but we haven't gotten that far. Right now, if this was June or July, I don't think he'd be in Florida. The problem is, is that it is cold, we miss a lot of games and also it's a good time to continue working on some things especially with the Florida State League, that's our affiliate.
" If he needs time to work on things, he can throw more bullpens, more sides, doesn't matter if you're playing short. For whatever reason if he needs to throw more sides you can work on things. That's a big part of it, but we may change course a week from now."
But eventually he'll need to face better competition…
"Absolutely. But there have been times where we've had guys that have some success and you can call them up at any time, from anywhere. It certainly can be from here."
On whether outing versus Pirates could have changed the club's mind…
"Obviously if he was right back to where he was, Ricky and his delivery was right, sure, he's outstanding. We were hopeful that at any time he was going to be right and we were going to continue until we ran out of time, continue to work with him and believe in him. We certainly do, we just need a little more time. If spring had gone on a week or two more maybe things change."
Who will work with him in Dunedin…
"Dane Johnson is going to be the point man and obviously Rick Langford has worked with him in the past. They'll be the guys to work with him day in and day out."
Were Romero's knees a factor…
"Obviously we've talked about that as well and we don't see any correlation. It's as much balance as anything else so it's not drive, it's not power, it's none of that. Way back in 2008 or 2009, he was doing a lot of drills because he would spin off and fall off at times and throw a little more across his body and cut himself off. That's your direction to the plate. When you've been doing something for so long, it just takes time to get back into a routine and do it inning by inning."
All physical or is it mental as well…
"You can see when he's right. I even find there are times when he's going through his delivery and you can say okay, even before the ball crosses home plate you can tell that was good. It just takes time. We have to get him right."
Comparable to Halladay?
"I don't think so at all. I wasn't here but that was a total overhaul, arm slot, delivery, this is more lower half and getting his body direction on line. It's something we have done with him in the past and he just reverted back a little bit."
Spent all winter and spring saying he's in rotation. Does this affect your credibility in clubhouse?
"No, because Ricky knows. I can easily ask Ricky, and I did, are you exactly where you need to be? And he said no. In a lot of ways you're doing this together. We can continue and you can get by, and do what you're doing, he made it through six months last year, he made every start, he battled, but we knew he wasn't at his best. We can sit idly by and just let him continue to just grind through it or we can get him right. I think that's ultimately what it came down to.
"This isn't about results as much as, obviously, the delivery impacts the results. He knows he has something he needs to address and fix and he'll continue to work on it. It'd be different if he didn't agree he had to make the changes. He completely agrees, he said I know I have to make these changes and I know I have to get them down. He's working on something that he hasn't completed yet. We just didn't have enough time to get him to complete it. He's certainly on his way, he's making progress and he's starting to get close."
Expectations on team speed up this decision to send him down?
"No, because ultimately, we've said this many times, it's hard to work on things at the big-league level. If there are no changes to be made and you just need to get through some things, fight through slumps, but when you need to make mechanical changes whether you're a pitcher or position player, it's hard to do that in an environment that's results oriented.
"If we need him to throw five changeups in a row down here, it's hard to do that against the New York Yankees because he needs to feel that extension on his front side just to make sure he gets it. It's hard to do that when the games matter so ultimately what has to happen, we need to get these three outs, do whatever you can do to get those three outs.
Last week's Minor League start, was that when this move was really considered strongly?
"You can save a lot of breath and a lot of conversations when you give yourself more time because your opinions can change. The one thing we knew was that he was working on things. How did he look? 'Great, it's coming.' And that's it. It's now a matter of carrying over his bullpens into games and that takes time. It'd be one thing if Pete Walker and Pat Hentgen were coming back and saying it's not coming back in the bullpen. But at times they'd come back and say, he looked great today … Is this the day it's going to finally come? But we've been down this path in 2009. We just needed to stick with it, be patient, and we were finally rewarded with it. This time, it's going to take a little more time."
"We did it together. Ultimately, it falls on me to make the decision but Gibby and I ultimately make the decision together but Pete is very involved and obviously Tony LaCava's in there too. We talk about it and say, where do we think he's at. We talk about things that we saw and you're starting to take the entire body of work. But really it comes down to delivery wise, is this the right thing. We debated it. Is he better off being in Toronto and is it going to come there? So, that's part of the discussion.
Was it unanimous?
"Yes. Ultimately you come to that but it takes time. We were talking about some other spots on the roster, you start talking and you go one way. Then after five minutes of talking it out, we went a completely opposite way. Guys we thought were going to be on it, all of a sudden we're going to change it. We're going to sleep on things but that's how quickly things change and that's why you have to give yourself as much time as you can and you can't make snap moves."
Happ's performance make this easier?
"I don't look at it that way. This is about Romero. We have to get him right. It's a matter of, the right thing for him is to get him back on track and we need more time to do that. If we didn't have anybody, I'm sure we would have done something."
But it's a nice luxury to have…
"That was by design because you always want to have depth. We're going to continue to try to add depth no matter what. We still need people to stay healthy and perform. Depth, we're still going to continue to look for that the entire year."
Described as minor tweaks. Expectation this will resolve itself sooner rather than later?
"I don't know. It's not a major mechanical change but it takes time. If I asked you to write with your left hand rather than your right hand, it doesn't seem like it's a big deal. We're not changing the way your arm moves but it would take time to end up doing that. Just changing the way you land on the mound is not a big thing but it takes time and it takes repetition to do it, to do it with every pitch and to do it over and over again. We've been down this path before, it took some time then. Maybe if we had started a little bit earlier, a week earlier, would he be 100% right now. Those are all things you can look back on."
Confident if and when this gets solved it's a permanent solution?
"You have to be. I haven't really thought that far ahead. He has been great, he has been great for a long time. He was a horse for us for three straight years when we got him ironed out. He was an All-Star and we're very confident we'll get him back to that."
In Minors as long as it takes?
"Until we can get him right, sure."
Talked to Happ yet?
"I called him after we told Romero, I told him 'We optioned out Romero, wanted to call you directly. You're going to be the fifth starter. I wanted you to hear it from me first before we announce this tonight.' "
How much was yours and Gibby's public backing in recent weeks was for Romero's benefit?
"It's what we ultimately believed because if we hadn't been through this before it'd be very different. I remember in 2009, I think he walked four in an inning. We were getting ready to send him out. Same thing your coaches are telling you in the bullpens, don't worry about what you're seeing in games, it's coming, it's getting there, we're working on it. The exact same thing happened. Since we've been through this before and it was a success and it worked out, there was no reason to change or deviate from that at all. Especially when you saw flashes of that too."
Dickey on his outing versus Philadelphia
On his outing…
"I felt good today and I feel like where I need to be. My strike percentage again was pretty high and I was ahead of just about every hitter. So mechanically I felt pretty good and these first two or three outings that's what it's about for me.
"It's about getting my body prepared to be able to grow from here. I still have to settle in to about three or four miles an hour in velocity and that should come over the next two weeks."
On whether he's where he needs to be…
"Yeah a little bit at a time. It's hard to make sure that you don't get ahead of yourself. Being a little bit older I have to be smart and make sure that my body is where it needs to be. So far it has been very cooperative and I feel like I'm going to be able to take the next step. They were just aggressive early in the count and got some balls up in the air. "
More on outing versus Philly…
"Today, if you got the ball up in the air it was probably going to go somewhere. That was the case early on but I was throwing a lot of strikes, getting ahead of a lot of hitters. When you see a lot of groundballs like I did today that means the ball is moving late around the plate and that's even a step from last time. I feel like I'm going forward the way I need to. It can be. It usually plays with the ball a little bit.
"I was getting a lot of late movement, especially around the last 20 inches before the catcher's mitt and that's always a good sign when they're hitting the ball into the ground. But the last two or three outings before the spring is over, are the outings I'm going to be concentrating more on results than the process. That's for me right now, where I am."
On whether he's ready for WBC and the added intensity that will bring…
"I think for me, because I felt good today, I know I can step on the gas a little bit more and it be okay. It's good timing because I'm going into a very competitive situation. I'm probably going to be starting on March 8th so it'll be nice to be able to go to those three extra miles per hour and feel like it will be alright.
"Today was a big stepping stone towards that. I went down and threw another inning in the bullpen. I'm going nights in Toronto when I give up two or three in the first or second inning and I still have to fight through six or seven innings. It's a good exercise even mentally for me. "
On working with Arencibia…
"He knows that as the spring goes along, it's going to get better and better, but he has been great. I've been really pleased with the way he has been receiving the ball, he's not mishandling very many.
"A good one is a hard one for anybody to catch so you have to have some grace when it comes to that but he has done a heck of a job. It doesn't matter because all of the guys we have in camp can do it. That's the beauty of my situation. The only guy that doesn't have any experience catching me is one of the guys that probably won't be on the team. So it's a non-issue really. "
On whether he needs to stick with one catcher…
"No. Because they're all learning my nuances, they know what to look for. I'm comfortable with all of them so it gives Gibby a lot of latitude to be able to put in there who he thinks would be the best fit for that day."
Input on who the catcher might be?
"I think one of the beauties about being on a team like this is the manager wants you to be involved. He's talked to me about it, we've had conversations and dialogue about that. It's nice to live in a culture where a manager respects what you say, wants you to be comfortable but I told him the same thing I told y'all. It doesn't matter to me, it's just about throwing good knuckleballs and everybody on that side can catch them just fine."
Will Arencibia catch you at the WBC?
"I anticipate him catching me and I'm pretty sure that's what Joe Torre is thinking. I don't want to speak for him but he knows we've been working hard together and that first game I'm sure he's going to want me to feel comfortable and throwing Mauer or Lucroy having not had any experience with me doesn't seem like the smartest decision but that's up to him. "
On whether he needs a personal catcher picked after WBC…
"The last couple of outings before the spring concludes, it's important to work with the guy I'm going to work with on Opening Day. That's logical. Whoever that is, that's a hint to you guys it's probably going to be the guy that catches me during the year, at least to begin with. It's a real organic thing, a season. It changes and we're really fortunate to have a lot of guys that can handle it well."
State of affairs with Jose Bautista
On Reyes and Melky at the top of the batting order…
"People with high on-base percentage and low strikeout rates at the top of the lineup is always good, especially when they can run like Jose and Melky can. They're going to set the table for us. The better they do, the better that Edwin and Adam and I will be able to drive runs in, and that's going to lead to more runs, and that should lead to more wins. It's not solely on them, though. We can get going one through nine because we're pretty solid. The first half of the lineup and the second half of the lineup are different styles, but there's still a capability of scoring runs.
"J.P. can drive a lot of runs in and he can hit home runs. So can Adam in the five-hole if that's where he ends up. Brett's got speed. Bonifacio's got speed if he ends up being the starter. Colby's got speed and Colby can hit home runs. It's a good mix. I get excited when I talk about the offence because I think that we're going to be able to score a lot of runs. We did that for two months last year. We were at the top of the league in offence categories when we were all healthy and performing, and we have a much better and accomplished lineup now than we did last year."
Reyes as leadoff hitter…
"We haven't had a true leadoff guy here since Scutaro left and even him, he wasn't a true leadoff guy. He did have some good leadoff hitter characteristics like getting on base and not striking out but he didn't steal bases. With Reyes, we have the whole package which is going to be huge.
"With Bonifacio we're basically going to have a second leadoff guy. If you look at his career stats, they're in percentages they're pretty similar to Jose's with stolen bases and getting on base. He might strike out a little bit more but if he ends up being the starter and he hits ninth, that nine, one, two combination, even without getting hits, tough ground balls, high choppers, hit and runs, bunts, they can create some havoc too without even having to hit the ball in the gaps or get some hard base hits.
"That can actually get you excited too because you see a pitcher when they're dealing and you have three guys in a row that can bunt, get jammed and beat out a ground ball, and also hit a high chopper and get a base hit, then we get to the plate. That's not bad either."
Versatility of lineup…
"We're pretty balanced left to right and we definitely have more depth. When you talk about Izturis and Bonifacio battling for the second-base job and the other guy is going to be on the bench that's going to give you a Major League starter on your bench. So does Rajai, the guy steals 50 bases a year and he's going to be on our bench. You feel for those guys because you know they can start on any team but at the same time they're trying to win and they're trying to have that depth so those are weapons we can use later in the game in case we have those close games.
"We're pretty balanced left and right. I wouldn't worry about our versatility too much even though it's there. Hopefully we can just play in our basic positions without having to move around too much, especially up the middle.
"So whoever gets the second base job hopefully they get handed the job and they can play every day. Because we're going to have J.P., whoever ends at second, then Reyes, then Colby in center. We can build around those guys. I think Melky and I are pretty much set to be in the corners and then Lawrie's entrenched at third. So, whoever is at first the other is going to be at DH. Everything is pretty set except for second base and I don't think we're going to have to be moving around which hopefully we don't get. But in case that does happen, we do have the versatility because Izturis can play everywhere, so can Bonifacio.
"If I have to move around, hopefully I don't, but I'll volunteer myself. Edwin can actually play third whenever it's needed. Adam used to play outfield, he can play first, he can DH. We can move around, Melky can play in any spot in the outfield, so can I, so can Colby, so we can move around."
Bonifacio even more valuable during Interleague Play…
"Especially because of the double switch. Izturis too, he can play the outfield if needed. We have a good bench. DeRosa can play everywhere, first, third, outfield. Name it, even if shortstop or second if needed. Especially in a National League game, double switch, late in the game, we're going to have to do whatever it takes to win each particular game. We're not going to just sit back and rely on people stepping up to the plate and driving the ball. Whatever it takes, maybe we need to make some moves and we're going to be able to plug guys in, in different positions on defense in the aftermath when we have to go back."
Chemistry tough with so many new guys?
"It depends on the guys. If you have a group of guys that are kind of pulling the rope their own way and not the team way, it could happen. But the sense I get from meeting all of these guys is that's not going to happen. They're all Major League established players. They're not out to make a name for themselves, they're not prideful players where they're going to take their personal stats over team wins.
"I think everyone here has the same goal in mind and that's winning games and hopefully going to the World Series and being world champions. Because of those reasons I don't think team chemistry is going to be an issue at all."
On having so many Dominican players and what that brings to the club…
"We're just like any other Latin american from the Caribbean, close to the equator. We're just high energy, warm, passionate people at anything we do. We bring that to the table when we play baseball and these guys have seen me play for awhile and Edwin and maybe a lot of other Dominicans that have been through Toronto.
"We play with our emotions on our sleeve and that's usually a good thing. It can be negative in certain situations but hopefully we don't take that to the negative side and we can keep it on the positive. Because of the skill set that a lot of these guys have, high energy, high speed guys, we're going to have a loose clubhouse with a lot of happy people with people running in and out and keeping the energy and the emotions running high at all times and I think that can drive a team to be always in a good move, be happy and when people are happy and we do what we love for a living and getting paid for doing, it gets you excited to get out of bed everyday to go to work and when that's the energy around you're going to do the best you can every day."
It's from the culture…
"It's from a mix. Demographics don't lie, they've been studied for a lot of years in social and cultural qualities and characteristics. That's just how our people and our race is as a whole. We have those traits because that's where we're from."
Expectations do they bring added pressure…
"No, at least not for me. I can't speak for everybody but expectations for me are usually good because they make you feel that people think you're capable of doing it. I have no problem with people holding me accountable for my job. If I didn't feel like I was good enough, I probably wouldn't be here and I probably wouldn't be doing this for a living.
"Just because people expect me to play good, that's not going to add any more pressure on me. How would you feel it your editor told you that you had to put in a good article by noon. You'd probably not have any pressure because you do it all the time. You just sit down and do it and that's what you get paid to do. Same with us. At least for me. I don't feel any added pressure. I don't think anybody individually has to do anything outstanding here in order for the team to succeed."
What's it like taking hacks with R.A. Dickey…
"I've only hit off him once. He was a different pitcher back then but it still wasn't fun. It wasn't fun hitting off Wakefield and he throws way harder than that and more pitches. But luckily I don't have to worry about that anymore because he's on my side. I don't have to worry about hitting off him."
Fastest workers in Buehrle and Dickey does that help…
"Of course it does and hopefully Ricky can go back to doing that because that's what he was really good at his first two years. I can't really speak for him and the reasons why he changed. I can guess but I'd rather not do that now. Hopefully having those examples in front of him it will get him back to his own ways which allowed him to be successful in the past, that was working quick, inducing ground balls, working off the sinker and throwing a lot of strikes. It does help a lot on defense because it keeps you on your toes, plus it keeps that momentum going your way.
"That's why I think some of those guys stay away from the big innings because they throw a lot of strikes, they work quick, and even when they have runners on base, just because they work quick means they can't steal bases, can't certain things, which keeps them out of the big innings so that's going to be huge."
Did you mention that to Ricky?
"A lot of stuff was mentioned to Ricky, from my end, to the manager but after awhile you just kind of felt like he was just adding too much pressure on himself and you just wanted him to get out of it and do as good as we know he can. After awhile, we just let him go to work and let him figure it out on his own. It was just one of those odds years. I'm not worried about him, though, I think he can get back. But last year was definitely tough for him and tough for us to watch him go through it. I'm a big believer that he's going to be back to being the pitcher that we all know he can be and he has shown in the past.
Surprised he was hurting physically?
"No, not at all. I could kind of tell from the way he was throwing and the velocity dip a little bit and the movement of his ball and the fact that he couldn't really have the control that he showed in the past. But those were just guesses, I couldn't tell you for sure but in my head maybe there was something going on. But pitchers pitch through that at times. He's not going to blame his lack of success on that either."
He doesn't, but he also acknowledges more than he did before…
"Of course, but he's competitive and he's going to give it his best no matter what. When he's out on the mound, he's not going to think, his elbow's hurting, his shoulder, his knee, whatever. He's going to go out there and do his job as best as he can given his condition on that particular day. He battles his ass off and I think that's something to be admired. Even so, he had a tough year, but he had the bad ending of the year.
"His first two months, even though his ERA was up and he had a lot of base runners, he was still like 8-1 or something, he was giving us a whole lot of chances to win games. I'm a big believer in Ricky, I don't think the Ricky last year is the real one and I think the real one is going to be back this year and hopefully we're going to keep him on that note for the rest of his career."
Doubted that the time would come this team would spend?
"It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you don't see any hints. But they had a plan and they're not the type of people that operate on telling people what they're going to do first. You guys know that they keep their cards close to their chest but they do have a plan and I don't think it's really the players or anybody else's responsibility to kind of be a step ahead of them and really think or be proving anything that we're going to make any moves.
"They're the ones running the show for a reason, they're good at it, they have a plan and they executed it when they thought the moves were needed and the timing was right to do them. It was one of the promises that was given when I signed here and they definitely came through."
Alex bounce ideas off you?
"He always bounces stuff off all of us. He doesn't ask for permission or he doesn't seek approval but he wants to know everybody's feedback. Most of the time it's not about the physical ability or the baseball player that he is acquiring but the person. He wants to know what type of guy some of these players are. If they're good in the clubhouse, if they're good people outside of the stadium and how they're going to gel in the clubhouse and if it's going to be an issue and stuff like that. It's more on the personal side more than anything, I think the baseball analysis is done by him and his team and they're the people who make those types of decisions.
"But if questions are asked about guy's personalities and stuff, we're honest and that's important for a clubhouse because we don't want to acquire someone that's going to be a black sheep or a rotten tomato and kind of ruin the whole atmosphere in the clubhouse or the team chemistry. I think he does a good job, trying to not only figure out who the player that he's going to get but the person as well."
Melky different player now?
"I played with him in three different levels in the Minor Leagues and he was an All-Star in all of them. I thought he was a Major League caliber player back then. He's a great person, he is not perfect, he made a mistake and has admitted it and that's in the past. But I thought his baseball skills have always been way above average and he has shown that year after year. I can't say why he didn't have success in New York, I can guess a couple of reasons but I don't like to guess too much especially when I'm talking to you guys.
"I don't think we're going to see anything different. He's a great hitter, he's going to make contact here, he's not going to strike out too much. He's going to steal bases, play solid defense and hold runners, which I think a lot of people are overlooking in what he's going to bring to the table on the defensive side. He has a great arm and knows where to throw the ball in certain situations which is going to prevent runs. It's almost as good as driving in runs, preventing runs. We're going to have a lot of fun, he's going to bring a lot to the table for this team on the field and off the field. He's a Major Leaguer with a lot of success in the past so we're happy to have him."
AA said you'd be willing to go to his press conference and they said it wasn't necessary…
"I watched the whole Escobar thing from afar and I think there were a lot of things that got lost in translation and lost in the cultural differences. Personality of the player, which when you're put under the microscope in the public's eye, everything is under scrutiny and people's personalities are not taken into consideration. People are very judgmental when you're put in that type of situation, especially after you made a mistake.
"I think his situation could have been handled better by having a good liaison, a good person translating and kind of just letting the public know exactly what the player was feeling at the time. I think I could have brought that to the table with Melky, they chose to address it in a different way and I think it was a good way to address it. I volunteered, they passed and I don't have a problem with any of that."
Q+A with new Blue Jays hitting coach Chad Mottola
To the surprise of pretty much nobody, Chad Mottola was hired to become the Blue Jays' new hitting coach when John Gibbons was brought on board in November. It was a natural promotion considering Mottola spent the past four years as a Minor League hitting coach and review rave reviews from some of the club's top prospects and struggling veterans.
Last year's hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy, is still on the staff but will spend the majority of his time in charge of baserunning and outfield defense. In some ways it's a perfect mix because Murphy has already established strong working relationships with the likes of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. So some of the veterans will be able to continue their work with Murphy while Mottola seems better suited to deal with the younger players on the team.
Here's what Mottola had to say about his overall coaching philosophy and working with Murphy…
Process taking over as new coach, what are things you look to establish…
"What's nice is that I've had a lot of the younger guys early on in their careers so kind of getting them back to where they were and letting Murph continue with the guys he had success with."
Is it tough, though, having your predecessor still on the coaching staff?
"Not a shared position but having Murph makes it different than most… I wouldn't say it's shared but I'm going to let the guys lean on Murph when they need him. Murph's going to be here for outfield and base running which is a priority and I think was needed at times last year. Going into camp, he's going to have those guys more often than being in the cage and being around the cage. When he's needed, he's going to be used, if not when the younger guys, I already have a pretty good relationship with we're going to go with what we had in the past.
"Murph's nickname is pro and it's for a reason. We have a pretty good relationship where there's no ego with either of us. Going into it, having that established relationship makes it easier."
Inherit team that has last two NL batting champions..
"Yeah, for sure. I'm getting to know those guys the first couple of weeks, find out what their philosophies are and build off what they've done in the past."
Approach or philosophy how is it different from Murph…
"There's not going to be much change with the guys who have had success. There are plenty of guys that had success under Murph and then I'm going to kind of work with the younger guys and see what they need to change to be what they can be."
Getting guys in proper head space (ex Lind)…
"One thing about baseball is everyone has hit, everyone has their own opinion and everyone feels like they can fix everybody. One thing is that everybody has good intentions but one thing we're going to concentrate on this year is having one message. So there is no mixed message, there's not anybody trying to sneak in and be like hey I know you've done this.
"With Adam, I played with him, I coached him, we've done everything so we kind of know his personality and how to get him in the right position mentally to hit and I think that's where he was at in the past, it was kind of mental."
Being up with the big league club the past two Septembers must help…
"It makes really simple. Murph and I know eachother, I've sat in the cage hours upon hours and watched him work. He allowed me to work with guys which you don't see in baseball of a big league coach allowing someone to come up in September and say go ahead have at it. So going into it, we have the same thing going, if a guy hops into our cage, my cage, or his cage, there's nothing personal. There's no worries about what he's saying, we know how to work together."
Past years coaches have tried to impart their own philosophy on hitting…
"I work individually. I think that's what's important about this game is that everybody has their own personality and their own style. They're going to strike fear into their own team yet they're going to let different guys have different approaches."
Approach with Lawrie, priorities…
"We have a relationship in the past just getting him to slow down. He gets himself in trouble, the same thing that makes him great is the same thing that gets him in trouble. So just slowing down and quit trying to get the ball at 40 feet, let it travel a little bit."
"The talent in him is unbelivable. The things he does, the way he gets to the front of the box and we're just going to get his quick hands to work in his favor rather than going through swing changes all year. I think we have a pretty good base going into the year and we're going to try and keep it there."
Rasmus made transition to front of the box last year… sticking with that?
"We modified it a little bit but it's one of those things where as time goes on we hope we're not going to see five different stances after an 0-for-4. We're trying to get a consistent base and then we're going to stay there."
What are you trying to modify?
"We're still doing some things, getting his hands a little bit lower and getting him in a better position to hit."
Newcomers does it take time to get familiar with them…
"I think more getting to know their personalities. I think their track records speak for themselves. More than getting them comfortable here, the sooner that happens the better off we are. Guys that have the track records, kind of stay out of their way."
Been with Gibby before…
"Yeah, I actually was in camp for a couple of years, had about a month and a half up in the big leagues with him. As far as our personalities, they're great. Let the guys play and when they need us we'll get involved. But with the talent we have now, it's a good mix."
Hitters facing live pitching Sunday…
"That's all for the pitchers. Spring Training in the first week is for the pitchers. It's one of those things that hey guys, get what you can get out of it, let the pitchers get their work in."
Looking for specific things who are coming back from injuries…
"Just make sure they're healthy. Early on, it's a longer spring this year with the Classic going on, not necessarily numbers for sure, just make sure we're healthy and then worry about the last week getting ready for the season. "