Cutters and Bewilderment

Brief observations over the weekend: Rasmus looks relaxed, Lawrie can rake so far and his defensive strategy that first night appeared to be to let the ball bounce off his body in Escobar's direction. Romero was absolutely nails on Sunday, and he was named AL Player of the Week for his efforts. How did you do it, Ricky? "We did it with a lot of fastballs and cutters." Brandon Morrow deserves a massive hug.

The Tao of Stieb was railing on Twitter over a Mark Zwolinski article in the Star about the so-called Jays hype machine. I checked it out and understood the bewilderment.

Ok, I don't know who expected Drabek to stick in the big leagues immediately. He pitched well in the spring, and was given a shot to try it in the big leagues, but no one who really understood the situation expected it to be smooth sailing. He made his MLB debut before he made his AAA debut. One of the things I believe led to Drabek's demotion, beyond his numbers, was his attitude towards failure. Had he proven he could fail and recover at the big league level, Drabek probably would've stuck around.

The Jays owe Drabek a huge, concerted effort to salvage the promise that still exists from the wreckage of his demotion earlier this season.

They appear to be on the right track: manager John Farrell said the club might take another look at Drabek in September, a move which could give the right-hander something to shoot for this season, and a much-needed boost of confidence heading into the off-season (where the Jays will continue to work with him).

The wreckage of his demotion? Roy Halladay getting demoted down to single A ball to rebuild his entire identity as a pitcher is wreckage. Demoting a rookie to AAA is standard practice. The Jays don't owe Drabek anything besides support. "The Jays will continue to work with him." This kid is the main piece in the Roy Halladay deal. This is who they got for the best pitcher around. They aren't going to scrap him because he hits a snag.

I find it particularly irritating that Zwolinski lumps Drabek in with Russ Adams in the "Didn't Survive the Hype" category. That is more damaging to Drabek's image in the media or among the average fan than any sort of hype the Jays as an organization have drummed up. And as if the press has no role in this hype.

The Jays are an exciting team to watch and people should start getting excited. We have a stud in the making for an ace, a short stop with swag, a dream boat catcher with pop, a pure Canadian third basemen with maple syrup in his veins, a magical ninja for a GM, a farm system Keith Law likes and the best damn baseball player in the league (and still the MVP.) There is a lot to be optimistic about. This isn't the Leafs (a team whose situation Zwolinski kept comparing the Jays to.)

Anyway, go read John Lott's article in the Post instead for an actual coherent take on Drabek.