The Mailbag: Pillar’s Cape, Archer To The Dumb Yankees, Thank You Melky, And More!

I promise that I have answered all of these questions sober. I would never answer these questions drunk. I understand that we’re all responsible baseball-thinking adults, so it’s important to take this kind of stuff very serious because baseball is a very serious matter in life. So, let’s get to some of the mail in the bag and cut to the damn baseball chase, seriously!

I know that many fans love the superman shit out of Kevin Pillar while others get spooked every time he sets foot in the batter’s box, Sarah. And I am definitely one of those Jays fans like you who get holy-shit-I-just-watched-The-Shining-for-the-first-time kind of scared.

I’ve just seen too many terrible at-bats from Pillar, and I’m not sure how much more horror I can take, as well. It’s just that watching him at the plate is generally frustrating, and I know that you’re not the only Jays fan out there that thinks this – that’s for damn sure. And, Sarah, I really want him to be April Kevin every day – I really do.

And it kind of sucks that I feel this way about him, and I know I have been hard on him in some of my pieces over the past two seasons. I don’t want to have these sorts of feelings for any player on the Jays. It’s just that Pillar kind of reminds me of Ryan Goins, Sarah. Some fans loved Goins and some fans didn’t – kind of like Pillar. And I know that his defence isn’t bad at all – it’s kind of good, to be honest.

Pillar’s 58 DRS over the past three seasons puts him fourth among all outfielders in the MLB – not too bad at all. The only outfielders ahead of him are Kevin Kiermaier (89), Mookie Betts (73), and Jason Heyward (60).

So why do we have such shitty feelings about Pillar? I mean, good defence from a center fielder is gold, no? But, his bat is just so bad. He had the best April of his career, yet his offensive numbers are so scary low and we’re not even in July.

How does this happen? I’m really trying to understand how Pillar’s OBP is .275. And his wRC+ 82 is worse than Kendrys Morales’ wRC+ 94. Somehow after Morales’ superbad start to this season and Pillar’s superman start to his, Morales has a higher wRC+ than Pillar. I just don’t understand how he always goes sideways so fast at the plate.

In good ol’ 2017, Pillar’s 27.3 % hard-contact rate landed him hard on the turf at 130^th among 144 qualified hitters. And his 2017 5.2% walk rate didn’t help with reaching first base either. This year his 4.1% walk rate and 19% strikeout rate are not exactly helping.

So I guess I’m just trying to understand what’s going on, Sarah. Why is it that he can hit in April, but not for the rest of the season? Why does he swing at pitches outside the zone and chase everything? Pillar has never had his wRC+ over 100 once in his MLB career. This is very Ryan Goins-esque. Statistically Pillar’s wRC+ is only a tiny inch of his cape better than Ryan Goins’.

Now that the team has Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez and a logjam of outfielders in Buffalo, it might be time for the organization to move on from Pillar this offseason. And the truth is that I have enjoyed some of the catches that he has made since 2015. And I think it’s cool that he doesn’t get injured and all that stuff. Defensively, he’s not a bad center fielder at all.

It will be interesting to see what team Pillar will end up playing for when he’s eventually traded at the appropriate time. And I hope that he enjoys his new city and the fans and all that stuff. I guess, at the end of the baseball day, he stole home against the dumb Yankees and that’s some pretty cool shit.

Well, Jake, it seems like a move like this makes sense, right? And there is a damn good possibility that this will happen. Joel Sherman from the New York Post said some things earlier in the week, which Cam wrote about. But, this little bit of information is what I found the most interesting:

Now, that’s a whole hell of a lot of prospect-y pitching that Cashman gets to play with this trade deadline…

…Oh, yeah. And with injuries to Masahiro Tanaka and Jordan Montgomery, clearly the Cashman is going to dive into the market and get himself a starter to add to the rotation. But, will it be Happ? Maybe, Jake…maybe, but maybe not.

It is the dumb New York Yankees we’re talking about. The same dumb New York Yankees who went out and got Sonny Gray from the Athletics in exchange for three top prospects. Sonny Gray is in his Arb-3 year in 2019 and is a UFA in 2020. And I’m sure the Yankees will offer a contract to him because they are the New York Yankees and they do what they want, which leads me to this, Jake…

…If I were the Cashman, would I want to use my prospects on a rental pitcher like Happ? I mean for the chance to have another Fall parade, of course. But, I would probably prefer to trade my prospect-y cash for a pitcher like Chris Archer who isn’t going to be a free agent until 2022.

I would want to trade my prospects for an awesome pitcher like Chris Archer who comes with control. Maybe the Yankees will be able to swing this, maybe they won’t. If the Yankees can’t make the Archer deal happen, they will definitely look to Happ or Texas Rangers lefty Cole Hamels.

I read earlier in the week that Cashman isn’t inclined to move Clint Frazier for a starter – so there’s that Jays fans. At this point in time, it’s all fun talk, but I bet the Yankees go all in on Archer. They’re the dumb Yankees and that’s what the dumb Yankees do, Jake. But, here’s to dreaming big on Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield Jays fans.

Now, about this ‘Wild Card thing: it’s fun to dream, Dave. And I’m all in on dreaming as long as it doesn’t take me too far away from reality. I sometimes write up some wild ideas that I know aren’t realistic at all, but I do it because I think that it’s fun. Baseball is fun and it’s awesome to think about these sorts of trade-related things.

It’s also good not to take yourself too seriously; those types of people need to get over themselves – in the baseball world and in the real world. But, at the end of the baseball day, perspective is what’s important.

Here’s the thing, Dave. The Jays aren’t going to win the World Series this year. And they are not going to punch that Wild Card ticket. I am all for some exciting baseball in August and September and if the Jays happen to win a ton of baseball games, nothing would make any of us happier than that, right?

But, it would be foolish to think that the organization only moves Happ at the trade deadline because they are a handful of games back from the Wild Card. And it sure as shit looks like the sell-off has begun.

I think that they should definitely trade a bullpen arm to Cleveland, who desperately needs help there. The front office should try and swing another Joe Smith for southpaw Thomas Pannone and shortstop Samad Taylor kind of trade if they can. I think Ryan Tepera is someone that the Jays should definitely sell high on now.

Honestly Dave, it really depends on the quality of the offers that the Jays receive from competing teams who are checking in on their free-agents-to-be, but I’m sure you already know this. Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins won’t make a trade just for the sake of a trade. This duo will do its best to add to the Jays’ system. I hate using shitty clichés, but I’m going to use a shitty cliché: just trust the process.

I’ve said this before and I will say it again, the real tough decisions for the front office will be about what they end up doing with players like Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Roberto Osuna, Devon Travis, and Justin Smoak. The brass can’t blow this thing up; they have to be smart about who they re-sign, what free agents they bring in, and how to build a Vladdy team that can actually beat the shitty Red Sox and dumb Yankees.

Well, Ali, this is a terrific question and I could go on and on about this, but I will keep it short.

Danny Jansen.

He is an International League All-Star and is the future catcher for the Jays. There is a whole lot to like about him. And he is ready for his shot in the show. I think that once Jansen is up with the Jays, he will learn a lot from Martin, who has had an unbelievable career behind home plate. Jansen hasn’t been as hot lately for the Bisons, but whatever – he’s the real deal.

He’s currently slashing .299/.413/.474 with the Bisons, but don’t let his offensive numbers fool you. He is a catcher-first kind of catcher; he just knows how to mash, crush, and make hard contact on baseballs, too.

I also have enjoyed watching Sean Reid-Foley have the success that he has had this year. It was real cool to see him get promoted to Triple-A. And it’s even better to see him doing well there, Ali.

I really could go on and on and talk about so many prospects, man. But, I have really enjoyed watching Jon Harris put together quality starts in New Hampshire. And it’s terrific to see that he was promoted to Buffalo. And it was even better to see him toss 6 scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut. And the funniest thing about Harris, who was the Jays’ 29^th overall selection in the ’15 draft, is that he was a compensation draft pick for Melky Cabrera. So, thank you Melky for rejecting the Jays’ $15.3 million offer. And thank you Chicago.

Okay, it’s time to hit the highway now and head North to Wahwashkesh Lake in Whitestone. I am going to get drunk, bbq like a savage, fish, jump in the lake, try to listen to the Jays, and enjoy the hoser hell out of this Canada Day long weekend.

A big thanks and thumbs up to all you crazy humans who submitted questions through Twitter @thejaysnation and Cam’s email – cameron@thenationnetwork.com. You can also toss some questions my way @ difrancesco.ryan@gmail.com. So, make sure to send some for next week for some more Friday fun. I will answer as many questions as I can before I start to get bored.