BY FAN FUEL – BLUE JAYS CENTRAL INSIDERS
In this week’s edition of Blue Jays Central: Ask the Insiders, the Insiders answered several fan questions including how they handled the April cold as players; were they surprised how much the Jays missed Brett Lawrie’s defence and what their favourite city is on the road.
Bryan asks: For the former players, did you find that the cold April weather impacted your performance on the field? Were there any steps you took to try and deal with it?
Buck Martinez: Bryan my performance was the same no matter what the conditions were. Mediocre at best. But early season baseball is always a challenge. The early weather is a problem for all players as they are coming from Arizona and Florida after seven weeks of warm sunshine and nearly perfect conditions. The best way to handle inclement weather is to block it out of your mind and focus on the game itself.
Jack Morris: Well it’s not the best environment for anybody. For pitchers and catchers we are the only two guys who are always moving out on the field. For me as a pitcher, I always tried to stay warm between innings. I would either go up to the locker room or put hot ointment on my arm. Because on the field it will be cold for everybody.
Pat Tabler: I hated playing in the cold weather! You could never get loose, never feel like you could make solid contact with the bat or catch the ball cleanly. I’ve played in snow and ice and rain and freezing temperatures and never liked it and always couldn’t wait for the thermometer to rise into the 70’s. The best way to deal with it was to bundle/layer up the clothing and hope for a few hits.
Gregg Zaun: Cold weather had a huge effect on my April performance. I didn’t like batting gloves and it is tough to hit with cold hands.
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Mark asks: Are you surprised at how much the Blue Jays apparently have missed Brett Lawrie’s defence at third base?
Buck Martinez: Mark, I am not surprised one bit. Brett is a very gifted athlete that any club would miss when he is out of the lineup. The Jays have used DeRosa, Izturis and now Bautista at the hot corner and until Jose took over in Kansas City you could see the difference at third. That being said, it sounds like the next time you see Lawrie on the field it may be at second base. This is a good move in my mind with Reyes on the shelf since Brett signed as a catcher and moved to second with the Brewers. He has played over 200 games at second and the transition will be a smooth one.
Jack Morris: Well, the dynamics of that changed again with Jose Reyes going down and now it appears Lawrie will be playing second base. Now I have never seen him play in person as he was injured preparing for the WBC in spring training, but from everything I hear this is a dynamic kid with tremendous range and drive for the game. Sounds like he is a very inspiring player and the Jays miss that.
Pat Tabler: Having Brett Lawrie out of the Blue Jays lineup really shows how much they miss him on defence. Not that anyone took him for granted when he was at third base but the Jays really miss his range and glove work at third. There have been a few chances already this season on plays that I have seen Brett make easily. I’m sure he will be back very soon.
Gregg Zaun: I’m not surprised Lawrie’s defence is missed. He’s a good third baseman with great range.
Dirk Hayhurst: Not at all. I knew it was going to be a factor as soon as Brett went down. He’s one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball and you will always miss that kind of glove skill. On top of that, Reyes, for all his speed, isn’t a remarkable defender by defensive metric standards. Emilio Bonifacio, who we all knew was subpar in the field, has been exactly that despite hope for the opposite with increased playing time. Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion are both limited with their range. Maicer Izturis was supposed to be the most capable of the bunch, but has struggled to handle the leather consistently so far. All those things combined for a stark contrast to Lawrie’s outstanding defensive play, making his absence all the more severe.
Shi Davidi: I’m not sure surprised is the right word, but you sure notice what a difference-maker he is with his glove. Watching him play every day, you almost take for granted how good his range is, and how strong his arm is. Not any more, though.
Jamie Campbell: I’m not surprised at all. Outstanding defence is critical; just look at how many runs the Blue Jays have allowed due to poor play afield already this season. Lawrie has developed in to a very good third baseman. His presence is necessary, even more now that Reyes is hurt.
Mike Wilner: A little bit, yes. I didn’t realize there’d be such a huge difference between what Lawrie offers defensively and what Maicer Izturis does. There were about a half-dozen balls hit to third on the first homestand that Izturis couldn’t field cleanly but that Lawrie probably would have. Lawrie also would make up for any lack of range that Jose Reyes has to his right, but we don’t have to worry about that for a while now.
SavP asks: Is there a correlation between pitching indoors or outdoors when it comes to the effectiveness of the knuckle ball?
Buck Martinez: Most knuckleball pitchers would like to throw every game indoors. The controlled atmosphere gives them a consistent idea of what the pitch will do in a given start. Outdoors the varying wind conditions can change a pitcher’s ability to command the knuckler from pitch to pitch. The best case scenario is for a pitcher to have a slight breeze in his face as the ball meets the wind resistance and moves dramatically. Wind behind his back is the worst as it pushes the ball and creates “spin” which is deadly on the flutterball. Dickey’s performance at Rogers Centre early this season doesn’t reflect what you will see most of the time with the roof closed. Keep an eye on him Thursday as I think he has found the key to his knuckler.
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Dirk Hayhurst: With a knuckleball, all bets are off. The hitter, catcher, and even the pitcher don’t know what it is going to do when it sets flight. However, that said, certain pitches do benefit from certain humidity levels. Thick air, or air with high humidity, makes the ball swell slightly and can even raise the seams. This can make a knuckleball dance a little more than usual. It can even make a struck ball travel shorter distances. Thin air, or low humidity level air, can take the bite from certain pitches and aid the ball in traveling farther.
Shi Davidi: R.A. Dickey’s past numbers seem to suggest so and he himself has said he needs to make adjustments at the Rogers Centre because the ball movement with the roof closed has led to more movement than anticipated. In a controlled environment, there are no weather intangibles that may flatten out or alter the ball’s movement, so when a knuckleballer throws a good one, there is nothing to hinder the ball’s movement.
Mike Wilner: When you’re inside, there’s less of a variance in the way the air is moving, and that allows the knuckleball to have a more true float, as it were. Both Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey have said that they prefer to pitch indoors, because outside the elements can be unpredictable. When the wind is blowing in against the pitcher’s back, the knuckler loses its effectiveness, and vice-versa.
Chris asks: What sort of steps do you think MLB will take to avoid another ugly brawl between the Padres and Dodgers now that Zack Greinke has suffered a broken collarbone?
Buck Martinez: Chris, the players today don’t normally deal with inside pitches and being hit, as pitching inside and knock down pitches aren’t part of the game anymore. A couple of decades ago before the introduction of the “body armor” hitters were leery of diving into pitches because there was the chance the guy on the mound might have thrown one at you head. Now since the inside pitch isn’t a big part of the game, hitters are more aggressive out over the plate which leads to some being hit. As for the solution, I think the umpires should let the players handle that part of the game. If a pitcher is hitting your hitters on purpose, your guys will get hit in retaliation and they don’t like that. They will tell they guy to knock it off as it is creating a problem for them at the plate.
Pat Tabler: I think the simplest way to stop the injuries to pitchers like the Greinke incident you are referring to is this: if the umpires feel the pitcher wasn’t throwing at the hitter deliberately and the batter goes out to the mound and the pitcher is injured in the ensuing confrontation, then the batter should be suspended for as long as the pitched is on the DL. That should make the hitter think twice.
Dirk Hayhurst: I don’t think the MLB is going to do much different than it has done in the past. It will suspend Carlos Quentin, and some other role players in the fight, but that’s about it. Fines will be doled out, but they’ll be in agreement with union stipulations. Mattingly’s suggestion that Quentin not play until Greinke plays is pie in the sky and won’t happen. Unfortunately, knowing that code of baseball as I do, I don’t think this matter is resolved for the players. I expect more drama between the Padres and Dodgers before the year is out, and probably more suspensions.
Shi Davidi: I’m not sure there’s much MLB can do about it, and given how rare it is that someone gets seriously hurt in this type of incident, overreacting may not be the way to go.
Jamie Campbell: I’m not sure any steps can be taken to eliminate situations like the one we witnessed in San Diego. I did like Don Mattingly’s suggestion. He believes Quentin should have been suspended for as long as Greinke is out.
Mike Wilner: Unfortunately, there really isn’t much they can do other than just stick the participants with stiffer and stiffer penalties. The wrong thing to do is to react based on the fact that Greinke got hurt, but it’s too late not to. The eight games handed out to Carlos Quentin was pretty harsh, but not harsh enough — I don’t think — to prevent another incident. It’s a lot to ask for hitters to keep their cool when they feel they’re being used as a pin cushion, but a little situational awareness wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Of course, Luis Cruz might have something to say about that.
Peter asks: Either in your playing days or as a member of the media what was/is your favourite MLB city to visit and why?
Buck Martinez: Peter I like going to Seattle for a couple of reasons. I love the ball park because it is a perfect stadium for me as a broadcaster with great sightlines and a spacious announce booth. The playing field is spacious which allows pitchers the opportunity to succeed. The fans are close to the field and the retractable roof guarantees a game every night. The city of Seattle is beautiful with many sights and attractions. We always try to get out of the hotel and enjoy the local atmosphere and Seattle is one of my favorite cities in North America.
Jack Morris: Quite honestly my top two were always Chicago and Toronto and they still are. Originally when the Jays had Exhibition Stadium not so much, but once they got SkyDome it was an indoor ballpark and you could take weather out of the equation.
Dirk Hayhurst: I’ve always been a fan of New York. There is a lot to do there, and say what you will about the Yankees, but they do everything first class. Seattle is fabulous, Pittsburgh is a treat, and — though I hated pitching there — Denver is a beautiful part of the country with great food and good microbreweries.
Gregg Zaun: My favourite city to visit was Chicago. Great restaurants.
Shi Davidi: Tie for me between New York and Anaheim, two of my favourites for both baseball and the places themselves. Yankee Stadium and Angels Stadium are both gorgeous parks and very easy to work in, while there’s plenty in both places to do before/after the game. Seattle, Pittsburgh and San Francisco are also right up there.
Jamie Campbell: My favourite city on the road was always Seattle. It felt like being at a home game. The fans that travel to Safeco Field from BC, Alberta, and even Saskatchewan were always friendly and thrilled to see their favourite team. I’ve enjoyed several post-game beers with Canadians at the establishments outside Safeco!
Mike Wilner: I’m just starting out with regular traveling this year, so there are a bunch of places that are new and exciting. I just saw Kansas City for the first time, and was blown away by the beauty of the ballpark. Didn’t really get a chance to explore the city, although I did get to walk across the State Line to Kansas. Have to say that so far, favourite cities are Boston (history, family, food) and New York (because it’s New York).