Results tagged ‘ Edwin Encarnacion ’
Mailday and in-person successes
Today’s entry is all about balls — two of which came through the mail, and two of which were obtained in person during my recent roadtrip.
Let’s start with those that made for a great mailday last week. Here’s the first one:
Sensational Blue Jays prospect Kyle Drabek, who coincidently had his first MLB start last night, signed this ball for me in about a month, care of his AA team, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. I could’ve grabbed him for another autograph during my trip last weekend, but didn’t bother fighting the crowds as I am happy to already have him on a ball. Drabek was lights out for the Cats this season, winning 14 games and being named the Eastern League’s pitcher of the year. Hard to say where he’ll be in the spring (could be AAA Las Vegas) but expect him to be in Toronto by next August, I’d say.
Here’s the next ball I got in the mail:
This one’s pretty cool. It’s signed by Hall of Famer Duke Snider, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, among other teams. His credentials? An eight-time All-Star, two-time World Series champ, 407 career HRs and six-time top 10 finisher in MVP voting. Pretty impressive, and this addition brings my Hall of Fame ball collection up to five.
And I as mentioned, I got two balls signed while in New Hampshire. As a Jays fan, it’s always cool to see a farm team of the big club, and watch tomorrow’s stars up close. This year, I saw two Toronto affiliates: Short season class A Auburn, and AA New Hampshire.
Anyway, here’s the first ball:
It’s one of the strangest signatures in my collection, and belongs to future Toronto shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. He’s the 21-year-old Cuban shortstop that Alex Anthopoulos signed this spring. It was exciting to get his signature. He signed for a bunch of people at the edge of the dugout, and I was slow getting my ball and pen out. By the time I got there, he’d turned around and left, but I called out to him and he came back. As he approached, he bumped a pair of groundscrew rakes that fell over with a giant bang, and he just shrugged and signed my ball.
Next up is my second ball of the game:
This one is signed by Jays third baseman Edwin Encarnacion (not Encarnashone, Buck Martinez) who was in New Hampshire recovering from a sprained wrist. I was kicking myself for not having a Ginter card for him to sign, but it’s always great to add another Blue Jays to my ball collection.
The morning after the game, as I left my hotel, I ran into Encarnacion outside the hotel’s lobby. he was waiting for a shuttle to take him to the airport and back to Toronto, and has his Jays duffel bag with him. I said good morning, and he said hello, but I didn’t hit him up for another autograph because it was early and I don’t like being a pushy autograph hound.
All in all, a pretty great week for balls for my collection, with more to come!
Romero’s no-no bid fails; Jays roll 4-2
How much do Jays fans dislike Alex Rios now?
He didn’t come through in the clutch much when wearing the Toronto colours, but Rios was huge for the White Sox last night, breaking up a Ricky Romero no-hitter in the eighth inning. It was the only hit given up the Romero, and by any Jays pitcher, for that matter. Romero was in double digits in strikeouts by that fateful eighth inning, but started it on shaky ground by hitting the first batter he faced, A.J. Pierzynski. With Pierzynski on first, Rios stepped into the box and blasted a pitch for a home run. The no-hitter was done. Either way, it was a huge confidence boost for Romero, who could be the gem of this rotation. He received a nice ovation from the 12,000 fans in attendance before Kevin Gregg closed out the game in the ninth inning.
The Good:
Ricky Romero: Ohhh so close. But 12 strikeouts, a career high, in eight innings of work is a solid day on the bump.
Kevin Gregg: He’s saved three of Toronto’s six wins thusfar. Any bets he’ll be the true closer before long?
Edwin Encarnacion: Did what he’s supposed to do. We’ve already seen we’re not going to get Gold Glove defence from him at third, but with two hits, two RBI and a stolen base, it was a good day for that guy whose name Buck Martinez can’t pronounce.
The Bad:
Travis Snider: How much longer is he going to stay in the lineup? Batting just .107 now, he’s got three times as many strikeouts (nine) as hits (three). I know you have to give a young hitter like Snider patience and the freedom to make mistakes, but if things don’t change in the next week, I think he’s due for a short trip to Vegas.
Buck Watch: Buck didn’t get much airtime in my house last night. I listened to the first three innings on the radio on the way home (which included an awesome interview with Alex Anthopoulos) and watched the majority of the rest of the game on mute.
Watchability: This one was a nail-biter, like all no-hit bids are. Any time a Toronto pitcher is this close to a career accomplishment, you can’t turn away. (Even if you’re watching the game with no volume.)
Home opener notes
You can’t win ‘em all, I suppose. It was too bad to see the Toronto bullpen squander a good chance to win, but that pen has been good enough all season that it’s bound to lay an egg every now and again. Poor Jason Frasor, with two blown saves already. We expect more out of him, and I’m sure we’ll see it.
The Good:
Vernon Wells: Another big game for V-Dub, who blasted his fifth homer of the season. If he keeps it up like this, he’ll shatter last year’s mark before the long weekend in May.
Adam Lind: The slugger keeps rolling after a career year last year. After picking up his Silver Slugger award in a pre-game ceremony, Lind picks up a pair of hits and drives in three. He also had three Ks, but without his RBIs, the Jays wouldn’t have even reached extra innings.
The Bad:
John Buck: I’m not on an anti-Buck crusade, really. I was glad when the Jays signed him and happy to see him hit one out last night. But 0/4 on runners stealing is Zaun-esque, and Buck needs to improve in that area.
Edwin Encarnacion: Three errors this season already?
Buck Watch: Buck was back, which made for a lot of muting of my TV. I haven’t quite yet turned to the radio broadcast, but that day is coming. I’m not sure how Encarnacion’s mother pronounces his last name, but for years, MLB announcers have pronounced it “En-carn-a-see-own.” Cool. But Buck goes with something like “En-carna-syonne.” It’s awkward when Buck is saying it one way and Pat Tabler is saying it the other way.
Are you familiar with White Sox pitcher Sergio Santos, who used to play in Toronto’s system? Anyway, he began his pro ball career as an infielder, and switched to pitcher for the start of 2009. Pretty cool. Anyway, as Santos is warming in the pen late in the game, we get this gem from Buck: “Sergio Sanchez, a converted pitcher, warming up.” Thanks.
Watchability: Despite a loss, the Jays continue to be an exciting team, and offence is always fun to watch. The vibe at the home opener was electric. Four out of five baseballs.
malcolmmacmillan
Recent Comments