A Fortnight on the Farm: Volume Two

As is the nature of such things, players get hot, and they get cold, they have a horrendous game or a magnificent one, but even as we know one or two games do not a trend make, even a couple of weeks can create an intriguing illusion which can fade just as quickly.

So I’m looking for trends over the last two weeks, grooves having been found (or lost) but also letting this be informed by the ongoing accumulation of a larger sample where appropriate (this is inescapable for pitchers where samples are still tiny). You’ll see why as we go along.
Dunedin Blue Jays
As I mentioned, it’s my custom to reverse order each time so I’m starting at the bottom this time. The temptation here, and for all these teams, will be to report on the top prospects first and who am I to resist temptation? The most highly touted player on this roster is unquestionably SS Orelvis Martinez. When last we checked, the Top 100 (per Pipeline and others) prospect was off to a slow but not embarrassing start, sporting an OPS of .705 13 strikeouts in 12 games.
Over the last two weeks, he’s seemingly …

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Author: Tammy Rainey / Blue Jays Nation

21 Things To Think About Heading Into The 2021 Season

We’re finally here.

After a long, dark, cold, miserable (save for a few days when the Blue Jays went out and dropped $200 million on players) winter, baseball is back.
The Blue Jays are going to be interesting this year. They made the “playoffs” in last year’s 60-game dash and appear poised to compete for a playoff spot in the normal, five-team format. But while the team is undoubtedly on the upswing, they’re far from perfect, and you could reasonably convince me that they could be a 75-win team or a 90-win team or anywhere in between.
A lot can go right and a lot can go wrong, because that’s baseball, so I’ve gone ahead and put pretty much everything interesting that this team is facing into a nice, easy-to-digest listicle. So here are the 21 things to think about heading into the 2021 season…

Vladdy Breakout SZN
I know it’s an eye-roller to say that so-and-so rolled into spring training in The Best Shape Of His Life, but, holy shit, Vlad Jr. rolled into spring training in really good shape. Vlad has apparently lost something like 40 pounds between last season and this season and that could …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Key takeaways from the Toronto Raptors loss to the Trailblazers

Key takeaways from the Toronto Raptors loss to the Trailblazers

The Toronto Raptors were not able to get out of their cold spell as they lose another heartbreaker to the Portland Trailblazers. It’s been a rough season for the Toronto Raptors, and this game against the Portland Trailblazers proved just that. On a second night of a back to back, the Raptors suffer their second […]
Key takeaways from the Toronto Raptors loss to the Trailblazers – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Nickeem Khan / Raptors HQ

Raptors: Is Norman Powell proving he’s a one-hit wonder after ice-cold start?

Raptors: Is Norman Powell proving he’s a one-hit wonder after ice-cold start?

Are Norman Powell’s struggles in 2020-21 just a cold stretch, or a sign that he’s regressing? The 1-5 Toronto Raptors are currently leaking coolant, as a team that won an NBA Championship and earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference in consecutive seasons has completely regressed on offense, as they rank just 26th […]
Raptors: Is Norman Powell proving he’s a one-hit wonder after ice-cold start? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Leafs rumoured to be looking for a “Shattenkirk or Sekera return” for Barrie

If you are just reading the headline and going into a cold sweat about the Leafs trading for Kevin Shattenkirk or Andrej Sekera, please relax, it’s speaking to the first round pick plus a prospect return both of those players warranted at the trade deadline.
According to Bob McKenzie, the Leafs are far more open to trading Tyson Barrie as a result, not only because of the historically embarrassing game on Saturday night, but a week that featured three bad losses, and one small glimpse of hope on Thursday. On insider trading Bob McKenzie suggested the return in line with what both of those players brought in.
Darren Dreger suggested the Leafs will lean more on Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren in March, and the return of Rielly and Ceci will also make the notion of trading Barrie more palatable.
Here’s what those trades looked like
Shattenkirk:
Traded from St. Louis Blues with Pheonix Copley to Washington Capitals for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, conditional draft pick, round 1 pick in the 2017 draft (Morgan Frost) and conditional round 2 pick in the 2019 draft
Sekera:
Traded from Carolina Hurricanes to Los Angeles Kings for Roland McKeown and round 1 pick in …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Here’s some hype videos to get you going

You need a fancy description? Crack open a cold one and fire these up on your smart TV.

Here it is folks! Leafs Playoff Hype video for the 2018-2019 season. Been working on this one for a while, hope you like it! #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/oaTCoRU7SI
— x – Laura Duarte (@duarteelauraa) April 7, 2019

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Author: TLN Staff / The Leafs Nation