Kyle Dubas’ 5 worst moves during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Just like my previous article about Kyle Dubas’ five best moves during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t write a follow-up article on his five worst moves during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As I’ve said plenty of times, Kyle Dubas wasn’t a perfect general manager, nobody is, but he did a lot of good things for this team while he was here, and yes, he even did some questionable things for this team that has hurt them at times.
When I was writing my five best moves from Dubas, I felt like that list could look different for other people, but as I was writing this piece, I thought to myself that my list probably looks similar to a lot of others because of how big these moves were at the time.
Honourable mention: Allowing Frederik Andersen to walk in free agency to sign a two-year, $9M contract ($4.5M AAV) with the Carolina Hurricanes
Although there was an argument about letting Frederik Andersen leave in free agency, it also sucked to see him leave and have a bounce-back season in 2021-22 with the Carolina Hurricanes. And, as we all know now, he has been great for them during the 2023 playoffs.
After being acquired by the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2016 and signing a five-ye …

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Author: Joseph Zita / The Leafs Nation

Analyzing Mitch White’s first start on his rehab assignment

We’re just about a month into the regular season, yet we’ve barely heard anything about Mitch White. What gives?

Well, dear viewer, Mitch White made his season debut on Wednesday evening for the Dunedin Blue Jays, and had an okay game. Let’s look at how he did.
A positive to take away from this game is that he appeared to be lifted due to his pitch count, as he only had 46 pitches. That means that he’s likely in good health after his first in-game outing in 2023.
Moreover, his line of 3.1, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 2 K was pretty solid. Dunedin doesn’t stream home games, but it appeared that an infielder made an error which led to the run.
White’s fastball averaged 92.5 mph, which is down from last year’s average of 93.7 mph. However, this shouldn’t be too surprising considering it was his first game of 2023 season. What’s more interesting is the fact that the average spin rate on the fastball dropped from 2277 RPMs in 2022 to 2175 RPMs in Wednesday’s start. However, it’s a one game sample size after a long layoff, so I wouldn’t look too hard into it yet.

Mitch White’s Player Breakdown (from Baseball Savant) from yesterday’s game. pic.twitter.com/6uHXFoLwQ1
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) April 27, 2023

What’s more concerning is the lack of whiffs that he generated. He threw 19 fastballs, …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Pitching prospects Gabriel Ponce and Connor Cooke impress, Zach Pop has a hiccup, and more as the Blue Jays fell 6-2 to the Yankees

Can spring training just be over already?

The Blue Jays took on the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon, falling 6-2 to the Bronx Bombers. However, there were still some positives to take away from the game, mainly with regards to the minor league pitchers.
Let’s dig in.
Blue Jays Nation’s player of the game: Gabriel Ponce
You may have never heard of the 23-year-old right-handed reliever, but he showed up on Sunday afternoon.
Pitching in the bottom of the eighth inning, he struck out the side, generating six whiffs on just 17 pitches. The only base runner reached on a sharply hit ball which would have been an out if the shift were not banned.
Ponce pitched at three levels last season, High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, where he posted a 3.54 ERA in 61 innings pitched. He topped out at 95.5 mph with his fastball, and looks to be a reliever to keep an eye on in 2023.

Here’s Gabriel Ponce (@gabriel2ponce)’s strikeout and whiff edit.
He struck out the side and touched 95.5 mph with the fastball.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/EG192J4HQ0
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 26, 2023

Things worth mentioning:
The bats were cold on Sunday afternoon. While they managed to score two runs, Toronto only had four hits with a lineup comprised of mainly big leaguers or fringe big leaguers… and fan favourite Peyton Williams. Kevin Kiermaier hit a triple, while Matt Chapman, Danny Jansen, and Santiago Espinal all had a single apiece.
Connor Cooke was absolutely filthy on Sunday. While he allowed an earned run and walked two in his inning of work, he struck out Giancarlo Stanton on what is best described as a whiffle ball pitch (his slider literally hit 3106 RPM this afternoon), as well as Gleyber Torres. Drafted in the 10th round of the 2021 draft, Cooke spent time between Low-A and High-A last season, pos …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Roster moves galore, as Jay Jackson gets his release, Nate Pearson optioned to Triple-A, and more!

Well, the Blue Jays’ bullpen depth just got a bit weaker.

On Saturday afternoon, it was announced by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith that reliever Jay Jackson was granted his release, as he would not be added to the roster.

Jay Jackson, who impressed in #BlueJays camp with a 95-96 m.p.h. fastball & hard slider, is now a free agent per source.
The Jays had until noon ET today to add him to the roster. They declined to do so, which meant granting Jackson his release instead.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 25, 2023

 
The 35-year-old righty pitched 9.1 innings with the Blue Jays and didn’t allow a single run. Moreover, he had 14 strikeouts facing just 37 batters for a 37.8 K%.

Here’s his second strikeout of the game on an 85.7 mph slider. pic.twitter.com/6Eb5MtDsgX
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 20, 2023

It’s easy to say that a team will add Jackson to their 26-man roster, as he has major league experience and pitched well this sring.
Blue Jays roster cuts:
If Mitch White is to hit the injured list to start the season, it had appeared that spot would either go to Zach Pop or Nate Pearson. Well today, we got our answer as Pearson was optioned to the minor leagues.
That doesn’t mean Pearson won’t play a role with the 2023 Blue Jays. The 26-year-old flame-throwing right-handed pitcher struck out 13 batters in 8.1 innings pitched, and has a 3.24 ERA. This came after pure dominance in the Dominican Winter League over the winter. Pearson’s talent has never been in question, but if he can stay healthy, that’d be a huge boost for the Jays.

In this outing, Nate Pearson showed why he’s more than just a flame throwing pitcher.
Yes, he hit 101 mph to get his only strikeout, but look at the knuckle curve (second clip), or even his two sliders for whiffs.
If he can stay healthy, he’ll be fantastic.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/Qr30NGgm8j
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 2, 2023

Nate Pearson wasn’t the only pitcher optioned, as Zach Thompson, Trent Thornton, and Thomas Hatch were …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Sportsnet announces Blue Jays Spring Training television schedule and changes to broadcast team

There will be a Blue Jays game on TV in just over two weeks.

Sportsnet PR announced the company’s broadcast schedule for Spring Training games on Wednesday afternoon, in which all 16 home games at TD Ballpark in Dunedin along with some road games (currently listed as TBA) will be televised. All games, both home and away, will be played on the Sportsnet Radio Network.
The dates of the 16 home games can be viewed below…

Sportsnet also confirmed some changes to the broadcast team that’ll be working Blue Jays games for the 2023 season.
Buck Martinez and Dan Shulman are in the booth, as we knew, and Joe Siddall will also be providing colour commentary in place of Pat Tabler, who parted ways with Sportsnet earlier this winter. Also, it seems that Arash Madani has been replaced on the broadcast team by Arden Zwelling, who will join Hazel Mae as one of the two in-game reporters.
Sportsnet’s broadcast team for the 2023 season can be viewed below…

The Blue Jays will kick off Grapefruit League play on Saturday, February 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and they’ll play their first televised home game the following day against the New York Yankees.
Spring Training will wrap up on March 28 and the Blue Jays will play their season opener on March 30 in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Toronto’s home opener will come on April 11 when they host the Detroit Tigers.
POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: Ultimate edition

Just because the 30 prospect articles have been released, doesn’t mean Blue Jays Nation’s Prospect Season is over.

In this article, we’ll be looking at each of the Top 50 prospects’ scouting reports. If you want to see a more in-detail look at their 2022 season (as well as past seasons) or where they may start in 2023, click on the player names!
Furthermore, since Chavez Young (who ranked 48th overall) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this month, I’ve added an additional prospect at the end of the article to fill to #50 spot. So check that out.
Without further ado, here is each of Blue Jays Nation’s Top 50 prospects’ scouting reports!
#1 LHP Ricky Tiedemann:

Before even getting the game on my monitor, Tiedemann is K’ing pros like it’s little league. pic.twitter.com/mzaQUHNrhK
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) June 25, 2022

 

Tall, with long legs and torso, with broad shoulders and room for projection. Tiedemann pitches a low 3/4 arm slot which makes his already difficult-to-hit stuff harder to hit. His fastball has plenty of run, which makes batting left-handed against him an utter nightmare. His changeup is used against both right-handed and left-handed batters and has late downward movement. His slider has high spin rates with sweep, and is a plus pitch. His control and command are good, especially for his experience level. Tiedemann also has the dawg in him, much like fellow Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah.
Blue Jays Nation’s Grades:
Fastball: 65
Changeup: 65
Slider: 60
Control: 50
Overall: 60
#2 SS/3B Addison Barger:

uhhhhhh, I’m pretty sure @AddisonBarger (Addison Barger) just left the stadium.
That… I’m in shock.#BlueJays #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/opZPDIL7EM
— Brennan Delaney (@Bren …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors trade rumors: Fred VanVleet being eyed by Western contender

Raptors trade rumors: Fred VanVleet being eyed by Western contender

The Toronto Raptors could be just a few days away from doing what was previously unthinkable and trading away Fred VanVleet. Teams all across the league want to acquire VanVleet and bring his unique veteran presence and deadly 3-point shot over to their mix. VanVleet just fired his agent, which could be a precursor of […]
Raptors trade rumors: Fred VanVleet being eyed by Western contender – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Up and down weekend for Knies, Abruzzese stays hot for Marlies: Leafs Prospect Roundup

Up and down weekend for Knies, Abruzzese stays hot for Marlies: Leafs Prospect Roundup

We are now just a little over a month away from the NHL’s trade deadline, and much of the talk surrounding the Leafs has been centered on how they can improve their current roster before March 3rd.
Speculation about potential trade targets naturally leads to discussion regarding exactly what the Leafs have in terms of trade assets and which ones they might be willing to move. The Leafs will almost certainly have their 2023 and 2024 first-round picks on the table, but will they will be willing to move off the organization’s top prospect in Matthew Knies if that’s what it takes to land an impact player for a crucial playoff run? What about other highly regarded young pieces like Nick Robertson, Topi Niemelä, or Fraser Minten?
What the Leafs have working in their favor is that despite a lack of high draft picks in recent years, there is depth in their prospect pool, and many of their recent picks have performed well enough to raise their stock, not only in the eyes of the Leafs but amongst other NHL organizations as well. Will other teams have interest in some of the Leafs’ middle-tier prospects like Ty Voit or Nick Moldenhauer, who are both putting toget …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

Raptors solve two biggest issues in 2023 NBA Mock Draft

Raptors solve two biggest issues in 2023 NBA Mock Draft

The Toronto Raptors might be just a bit further away from their ultimate dream of acquiring Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, but that doesn’t mean that Masai Ujiri and the rest of the organization are going to have a barren cupboard of players to pick. The Raptors will need to enter the draft […]
Raptors solve two biggest issues in 2023 NBA Mock Draft – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #25 Jimmy Robbins

The first article in the countdown which features just a single prospect, we have left-handed pitcher Jimmy Robbins ranking in at #25.

If you missed where prospects 50-26 ranked, you can check the links at the bottom of the article! Moreover, in the final 25 articles, we’ll look at career numbers instead of just 2022 ones. Here is my scouting criteria.
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that these grades are relative to the league in which they play at. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible to have that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll be reviewing their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mix (if they’re a pitcher), and giving a scouting report (if feasible, rookie league guys are difficult).
Let’s jump in!
Jimmy Robbins’ career so far:
Robb …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation