“Ringless in Toronto”
By Caleb Musselman
In the
modern era of the NBA it is widely known that championships only come to those
with more than one superstar. James, Wade and Bosh in Miami. Duncan, Parker and
Ginobli in San Antonio. Durant and Westbrook in OKC (soon). Rondo, Garnett and
Pierce in Boston. The list goes on and on. In the past 5 years, some MLB teams
have attempted to follow suit.
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In
2013, Toronto decided to take their crack at the one-hit wonder mentality.
Wallowing in the depths of the AL east since the early 90’s, the hosers from
above the border bought out basically the entire Miami Marlin team.
Additionally, they captured the NL Cy Young winner, R.A. Dickey, from a Mets
team who wasn’t willing to pay up to keep him. Here is the projected lineup for
Toronto:
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| Photo Credit: www.nydailynews.com |
1.
Jose Reyes (SS)
2.
Melky Cabrera (OF)
3.
Jose Bautista (OF)
4.
Edwin Encarnacion (DH)
5.
Colby Rasmus (OF)
6.
Brett Lawrie (3B)
7.
Adam Lind (1B)
8.
J.P. Arencibia (Catch)
9.
Emilio Benifacio (2B)
Not too bad eh? Just as impressive is their starting
rotation:
1.
R.A. Dickey
2.
Brandon Morrow
3.
Mark Buehrle
4.
Josh Johnson
5.
Ricky Romero – (Romero from an ace to a #5
starter? Really?)
On paper this
team looks pretty outrageous. According to www.bleacherreport.com, Toronto is
projected to go 96-66 and win the AL East. Seriously? In arguably the toughest
division in baseball, the untested Blue Jays are suddenly elected prom queen
over the Yankees, Orioles and Rays? I heartily disagree and here are a few
reasons why:
1. R.A. Dickey will not repeat his 2012
performance.
After his
unprecedented 20-6 season in 2012, Dickey was looking for the big money. Most
people in the baseball world were shocked that the Mets declined to give him
the money he was looking for. However, this may have been their only smart
decision in the new millennium. For a normal pitcher, a 20 win season almost
instantly guarantees a strapping new contract; however, for a knuckleballer it
just isn’t the same. Tim Wakefield, one of the best knucklers in MLB history is
a perfect example of why the Mets weren’t hasty to sign R.A. Dickey. After
three different occasions in which he posted above 15 win seasons, Wakefield
followed that up with a below .500 campaign and extremely subpar stats. In
2005, Wakefield posted a 16-12 record. The next season he posted a 7-11 record
with a dismal 4.63 ERA.
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The
simple truth is that the knuckleball just isn’t consistent enough to rely on
year after year. In 2011, Dickey went 8-13. Most people don’t like to talk
about that season for him. The fact is that knuckleball pitching is a lot like
riding a roller coaster. Even start to start, the pitcher himself hopes that he
can command the knuckle well. If he doesn’t, things can go south quicker than
geese in the fall. Will Dickey have a solid year? Most likely, but I don’t see
him winning more than 14 or 15 games. Sadly for Toronto, I think he will still
be their biggest winner.
2.
They don’t have the bullpen to survive the
division or the playoffs.
Without a doubt,
Toronto biggest weakness exists in their bullpen. They have their set up guy in
Brad Lincoln, but they seem to be missing a closer with legitimate experience
to close out games consistently. Casey Janssen saved 22 games on and off for
the Blue Jays is 2012 and Sergio Santos looks to be his backup. In 2011, Santos
saved 30 games for the White Sox, but last year he battled injuries and only
appeared in 6 games for the Jays. In short, no matter how good their starters
are (which has yet to be proven), their bullpen lacks a big strikeout middle
reliever as well as a closer. I fully expect this to big a huge crutch for them
in the coming year.
3.
The leaders from Miami have now been shipped to
a different market. What makes it so certain that they will not repeat their
dreadful 2012 act?
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This is a pretty self-explanatory
point. Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, and Mark Buerhle are all veterans who now
attempt to restart with Toronto. Without a doubt, these guys are going to try
to take over much of the leadership on the newly revamped Blue Jays squad. Many
people blame Ozzie Guillen for the debacle in Miami in 2012, but plain and
simple, these guys are professionals. They are the ones who establish the
culture of the locker room and the team. Even a team with a poor manager can
rise above that and succeed. Look at the Philadelphia Phillies. I’ll save that
point for later. Reyes has been hounded by near success for his entire career
and I believe he will bring that inconsistency to his new franchise in Toronto.
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Now I
want to make one thing clear. Big market teams can use their money to win
championships. With the addition of Josh Hamilton, the Angels seem to have
combined smart pickups with big money guys to make a team that should contend
this season. In Toronto, the one hit wonder mentality seems to have come before
smart managing. A cluster of random players from around the league thrown into
a franchise that doesn’t know how to win does not automatically make them a
contender. This is not the NBA. This is so much more of a team game. Three
players do not win championships in the MLB. Moreover, a good offense doesn’t
win championships without a stellar pitching staff.
The
Oakland A’s showed in 2012 that the homegrown franchise still bears some weight
in the MLB. Moreover, The San Francisco Giants proved that culture, consistency
and the right role players In the right spots is what wins championships. Can
Toronto put things together and make the playoffs? Yes, it is a possibility.
But they WILL NOT win the division. My prediction is that they show promise but
die off mid-season and finish right around the .500 mark. Tom Hanks is
Sleepless in Seattle, R.A. Dickey will be Ringless in Toronto.
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