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They started the season 0–8 at SkyDome and never started a lengthy winning streak. Much of that was due to injuries to All-Stars Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay among others. Although the additions of starting pitchers Ted Lilly and Miguel Batista and reliever Justin Speier were relatively successful, veteran Pat Hentgen faltered throughout the season and retired on July 24. Rookies and minor league callups David Bush, Jason Frasor, Josh Towers and others filled the void in the rotation and the bullpen; however, inconsistent performances were evident. With the team struggling in last place and mired in a five-game losing streak, manager Carlos Tosca was fired on August 8, 2004, and was replaced by first base coach John Gibbons.
Cito Gaston, the longtime manager who led the team to 3 division titles and 2 World Series crowns, was fired five games before the end of the season. In the 1995 season, the Blue Jays proved that they had lost their contending swagger of the past 12 years. Although they had most of the same cast of the World Series teams, the Blue Jays freefell to a dismal 56–88 record, last place in the AL East, 30 games behind the Boston Red Sox. Attendance also tailed off dramatically during the 1995 season, and didn't recover for several years. During SkyDome's first four-plus seasons, Blue Jays tickets were among the toughest in all of baseball.
Kiermaier Preparing to be Blue Jays' Everday Center Fielder in 2023
Signing Conforto or some other free agent like Jurickson Profar, Matt Carpenter or David Peralta would add to the club’s payroll and luxury tax ledger, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue at the moment. General manager Ross Atkins spoke with the media Monday as part of Bassitt’s introduction to the press and said that their focus will now “shift to offensive improvement,” per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. There are some in the organization who feel that a rousing start from Ricky Tiedemann could have him in line for promotion a couple of months into the season. They won’t add the pressure of expectation on the 20-year-old, but the California native has done nothing but impress as he’s fast-tracked his way through the organization.
Smith is especially good at hitting fastballs, which adds to his value as a pinch hitter. Bat speed doesn't seem to be a problem for Smith, who, even in a down 2022 season, produced a +3 run value versus four-seamers. The Mets non-tendered the 27-year-old this winter, and he is now a free agent. My gut tells me Smith is on the fringes of minor-league-deal territory, but something in the neighborhood of one year, $2 million might be to his liking. The team’s bilingual interpreter, Hector Lebron, brought the custom blazer to fruition.
Why Blue Jays Should Pursue Dominic Smith
Before the start of the 1998 season, the Blue Jays acquired closer Randy Myers and slugger Jose Canseco. Gaston was replaced with former Blue Jay Tim Johnson, a relative unknown as a manager. Despite mediocre hitting, strong pitching led by Clemens' second straight pitching Triple Crown (20–6, 2.65 ERA, 271 strikeouts) sparked the Blue Jays to an 88–74 record – their first winning season since 1993. However, this was only good enough to finish a distant third, 26 games behind the New York Yankees, who posted one of the greatest records in all of baseball history at 114–48. They were, however, in contention for the wildcard spot until the final week.
In addition, six other players hit 20 or more home runs, an outstanding feat. José Cruz Jr., Raúl Mondesí, Tony Batista, Darrin Fletcher, Shannon Stewart, and Brad Fullmer all contributed to the powerful heart of the lineup. Expectations were high for the Blue Jays for the 1994 season, following back-to-back championships, but they slumped to a 55–60 record and a third-place finish before the players' strike. Joe Carter, Paul Molitor and John Olerud enjoyed good years at the plate, but the pitching fell off. Juan Guzmán slumped considerably from his first three years (40–11, 3.28 ERA), finishing 1994 at 12–11 with a 5.68 ERA.
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Attempting to string hits together against that group would be extremely difficult, especially in the playoffs. And even if that occurred, elite defenders like Matt Chapman and Kevin Kiermaier would be there to support them. The Perth, Australia, native will earn $14.3 million next season, with his CBT calculation valued at $18 million. His contract also includes a $15 million option for 2024, which vests if traded.
Halladay also came second in the voting for the Cy Young Award, after posting a 20–11 record and 2.78 ERA. The 2003 season was a surprise to both team management and baseball analysts. After a poor April, the team had its most successful month ever in May.
What's Left for the Blue Jays This Offseason?
During the season, the Blue Jays called up Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette for the first time. The three are second-generation Major League Baseball players with the first two also being sons of Hall of Famers Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Craig Biggio, respectively; Bo Bichette is the son of Dante Bichette. Games back of the three-time defending World Series Champion Yankees in the AL East, the first time since 1993 they had contended for the division. Carlos Delgado had a stellar year, hitting .344 with 41 home runs, 57 doubles, 137 RBI, 123 walks and 115 runs.
J. Ryan, who was out for the entire season having had Tommy John surgery. Prior to the season, the team signed starting pitchers John Thomson, Tomo Ohka, and Víctor Zambrano; each of them was released before the end of the season. However, young starters Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan had breakout years, with 12 wins each. On June 28, Frank Thomas became the 21st major league player to hit 500 career home runs. Aaron Hill also had a breakout year, setting a team record for second basemen with 47 doubles. The 2004 season was a disappointing year for the Blue Jays right from the beginning.
The Blue Jays lead the majors in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. Instead of golf’s green jacket at the Masters tournament at Augusta, the Blue Jays have the “blue jacket” in their home wardrobe. These players aren’t going home with a massive prize pool, but they get to strut through the dugout with this custom blazer. The Blue Jays' infield will have to be sharp when new starter Chris Bassitt takes the mound in '23. Another path to the club upgrading would be trade, with the club’s three catchers being frequently mentioned in trade rumors for quite some time.
Smith is a textbook low-risk, high-reward signing that could augment an already potent Toronto batting order. With the top free-agent hitters off the board, Toronto will need to do a bit of bargain shopping. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet.
The three-time All-Star didn’t occupy a critical role in Toronto’s bullpen during his final season with the franchise, which coincided with their magical 2015 playoff run. That wouldn’t be the case this time, though, as he’d likely share closing duties with Romano. At 33, Hendriks remains an elite performer and, if acquired, would dramatically transform the club’s bullpen into a premier threat across the majors. It would immediately provide them with one of the top closing duos in the sport - if not the best. Despite missing nearly three weeks due to a forearm strain, the veteran hurler still logged 57.2 innings over 58 appearances last season, converting 37 saves (third-most) while posting a 2.81 ERA.
The Blue Jays' 2008 season featured a strong pitching staff, which led the major leagues with a 3.49 ERA. For much of the season, however, the team struggled to hit home runs and drive in runs. On May 24, starter Jesse Litsch set a team record, with 38 consecutive innings without giving up a walk.
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