Brett Lawrie may not be able to field very well, but he sure can hit. Down a run in the bottom of the sixth with bases loaded, Lawrie launched the second home run of his career, his first grand slam. Lawrie’s grand slam backed Henderson Alvarez, who was making his major-league debut. Alvarez was just okay in his debut, going 5.2 innings walking 1 and striking out 4 but allowing 8 hits and 3 runs. In any case, it was better than what Gio Gonzalez could muster as Gonzalez’s wildness (5 walks) would become his undoing as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Oakland A’s 8-4.
While the Blue Jays have no chance of catching the Red Sox or Yankees this season, this game was another demonstration of the progress of the organization. Lawrie will probably need to move to an outfield corner, but there’s a chance he could stay at third. Alvarez is a talented pitching prospect that should stick in the rotation for years to come. These two youngsters, however, are just a smattering of why the outlook for this team is bright. Deck McGuire should join Alvarez in the rotation in a year or so. Travis d’Arnaud, the subject of the Coming Around the Corner later today, will battle JP Arencibia for the catcher’s job sometime next season, and the loser will likely be flipped for a valuable piece or pieces to add to the stables. And the recent draft saw a significant haul of young, high-upside arms in guys like Tyler Beede and Derek Norris, though it remains unknown if all of them will sign.
All of this talent builds on what is already at the major-league level. The middle of the field positions seem taken for the next few years with Arencibia, Yunel Escobar, and Colby Rasmus at catcher, shortstop, and center field, respectively. Jose Bautista will remain as the centerpiece of this team for the next four seasons and play an outfield corner or DH. Two of Lawrie, newly-promoted Eric Thames, and Travis Snider should be able to man the corners, and Adam Lind should be able to man first base. The only open positions seem to be second base and third base, and while the farm system may not supply the answers to those positions, it still includes strong prospects such as Adeiny Hechavarria and Jake Marisnick.
Looking at the rotation, the Blue Jays already have Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow, and their cupboard of pitching prospects includes Alvarez, McGuire, and Kyle Drabek, who has had a rough year but remains young and promising. Lower in the minors, they have several high-upside pitching prospects, and the past draft should add several new ones to a system that will probably be one of the top in the majors by season’s end.
Prognosticating the future, however, is a difficult task, and it is no certainty that the Blue Jays will unseat the powerhouses that dominate the AL East. But for one night at least, the future looks incredibly bright for Canada’s team, and one can wish for and even see a world in which the Blue Jays reign atop baseball’s most talented division.
Tonight’s Matchups: Jhoulys Chacin and Johnny Cueto match up in a duel of talented young righties … Jordan Zimmerman and Ryan Dempster will spar in Chicago … Justin Verlander takes the hill in a never-ending search for another no-hitter … And Yovani Gallardo tries to sweep away the Cardinals and Chris Carpenter.
