Something fishy is going on here. Twice this season, we’ve sat patiently in the broadcast booth during a rain delay – in New York on Opening Day and Sunday here in Cleveland. On both occasions, the game was called, even though it wasn’t raining at the time, and didn’t rain the rest of the day.
Of course, you can’t blame the Jays for eagerly accepting the cancellation of a ball game in this city. They’ve lost eight straight here, so the alternative isn’t so appealing.
Thanks to an assortment of injuries, the Blue Jays are far from the team that broke camp. Surely, some of you scrambled for the Baseball Encyclopedia when faced with the question: Who is Jorge Velandia?
But the addition that confused me involved Brad Wilkerson. Two weeks ago, we were told that Adam Lind was going to be the every day left-fielder. But now Wilkerson, who was of little use to the Seattle Mariners, is getting a daily assignment in the outfield. Lind, after a short and unproductive stop in Toronto, has been sent back to Syracuse.
This sends a curious message to Lind. Long considered one of the most promising prospects in the system, he’s good enough to rake in Triple-A, but not good enough to beat out Wilkerson for work at the big league level. If Lind needs “seasoning”, why not let him learn with Toronto? Surely, the difference between his contribution and Wilkerson’s will be negligible.
This kind of thinking paid off for Boston last year. When they lost Manny Ramirez during a pennant race, they dipped into the system and pulled up Jacoby Ellsbury. It’s doubtful he’s going back to Pawtucket.
What do you think? As always, your thoughts are encouraged.
