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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Blue Jays send struggling Lind to Minors

Adam Lind, who was batting just .186 after opening the season as the Blue Jays’ cleanup hitter, was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. Yan Gomes was promoted to the 25-man roster to take Lind’s place.

Gomes, 24, will become the first player born in Brazil to appear in a Major League game if he sees action. He’s hit .359 (47-for-131) in 33 games for Las Vegas this season with five home runs and 12 doubles. A right-handed batter, the versatile Gomes was the Blue Jays’ 10th round Draft pick in 2009 and can play in a few spots. He’s had nine games at first base, 10 at third and 12 at catcher this season.

Paul D(uda) Posted: May 17, 2012 at 02:02 PM | 29 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Matthew E Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:16 PM (#4134111)

You could knock me over with a butterfly wing.

Best of luck to Lind on the road back, and congratulations to Yan Gomes and the nation of Brazil.

2. Gamingboy Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:17 PM (#4134115)

A Brazilian MLB player. You know what this means.

"Gomes, the swing... it is back, it is back, it is back, it is GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!"

3. Good cripple hitter Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:20 PM (#4134118)

Uh... wow. Lind's been over 2 wins below baseball-reference's replacement level over the past three years, so it's not like it's undeserved, but I'm still stunned by this.

I'd like to believe that this spells an end to Lind's time as a regular in Toronto, but I can't see this lasting longer than a few weeks.

When was the last time that a team demoted a player someone as old and expensive as Lind? I can't really think of one off the top of my head.

4. Tim Wallach was my Hero Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:26 PM (#4134122)

When was the last time that a team demoted a player someone as old and expensive as Lind? I can't really think of one off the top of my head.

April 2012.

5. Golbez Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:33 PM (#4134126)

Good! It's about damn time, too.

I don't know what Cito Gaston put in the water for the Jays in 2009, but both Lind and Aaron Hill had amazing seasons that both players could never come close to matching again.

Other than 2009, Lind has been atrocious and has cost the Blue Jays quite a bit of money and offense. People kept waiting for the 2009 Lind to return, not realizing his true level of talent has been every other season in his career.

2007 238/278/400
2008 282/316/439
2009 305/370/562
2010 237/287/425
2011 251/295/439
2012 186/273/314

Lind never learned to work the count or draw walks. At 28, he's not going to suddenly pop back to his 2009 form, so I'm hoping this is it for his Jays career.

6. Fernigal McGunnigle has become a merry hat Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:36 PM (#4134132)

A Brazilian MLB player. You know what this means.

"Gomes, the swing... it is back, it is back, it is back, it is
GOOOOO....

Andrés Cantor is Argentinian.

7. Kyle S at work Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:51 PM (#4134144)

Jair Jurrjens would also qualify. Demotions are in the air this season.

8. Lassus Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:53 PM (#4134148)

Ike Davis.

9. JJ1986 Posted: May 17, 2012 at 03:56 PM (#4134151)

Technically, Jason Marquis was sent to the minors this year.

10. Stretch Posted: May 17, 2012 at 04:02 PM (#4134157)

John Lannan has been in the minors all year.

11. Walt Davis Posted: May 17, 2012 at 04:02 PM (#4134158)

Yeah, this has been coming for a while. 90 and 94 OPS+ the last two seasons, if anything it's mildly surprising they were trotting him back out there this year. I wonder if Encarnacion can play 1B.

12. Random Transaction Generator Posted: May 17, 2012 at 04:13 PM (#4134164)

Encarnacion has been playing 1B for a while now (25 games last year, 9 this year, and 3 of the last 4 games).

13. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: May 17, 2012 at 04:13 PM (#4134167)

When was the last time that a team demoted a player someone as old and expensive as Lind? I can't really think of one off the top of my head.

The Royals demoted 27 year old Angel Berroa with $8 mill guaranteed left on his deal. Good times.

The Mets tried to demote Oliver Perez, but IIRC, he refused assignment?

14. Misirlou is bad, he's nationwide Posted: May 17, 2012 at 04:17 PM (#4134169)

Demotions are in the air this season.

I'm sure the Cubs would demote Soriano if they could.

15. formerly dp Posted: May 17, 2012 at 04:24 PM (#4134179)

Kind of unrelated, but I'm bummed the Mets will miss seeing Lawrie in action this weekend. Demoting Lind and being without Lawrie makes it a net neutral for the Jay offense though, right?

16. ellsbury my heart at wounded knee Posted: May 17, 2012 at 05:24 PM (#4134222)

There are a lot of struggling 1B early this year: Lind, Davis, Hosmer, Pujols, Teixeira, even Gonzalez to an extent. Weird.

17. Greg (U)K Posted: May 17, 2012 at 05:28 PM (#4134223)

Kotchman, Smoak, Barton, Parmelee. (Though it's not exactly surprising that those guys suck) It would be shorter to list the 1B in the AL who haven't sucked.

Konerko is the best
Pena and Fielder have been good enough
Mitch Moreland with 2 HRs today is probably the 4th best 1B in the AL so far, as sad as that is.

EDIT: Actually Chris Davis is (by OPS+ anyway). He's actually been surprisingly mediocre so far...I'm just now realizing that the Davis you meant was probably Ike.

18. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: May 17, 2012 at 05:43 PM (#4134235)

Yan Gomes is from Brazil but not the product of Brazilian scouting or anything - he went to high school in Miami and college at Tennessee. Then he transferred because he was blocked at catcher by - who else? J.P. Arencibia.

19. RMc and His Roster of Rubbish Posted: May 17, 2012 at 05:51 PM (#4134243)

Lind.

20. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: May 17, 2012 at 06:37 PM (#4134287)

There are a lot of struggling 1B early this year: Lind, Davis, Hosmer, Pujols, Teixeira, even Gonzalez to an extent. Weird.

Goldschmidt has also been exceptionally terrible.

21. Der_K Posted: May 17, 2012 at 07:02 PM (#4134306)

i was kind of hoping that this would turn into a baseball in brazil thread.
- the rays were talking about running an academy there, but it looks like the city that was going to build it called off the project a few months back.
- there's a few brazilian prospects in the minors w/o us experience prior to pro ball (gomes moved here at age 12). my favorite was probably andre rienzo, a pitcher with the white sox, but he's in the middle of a 50 game ped suspension.
- japan has put more energy into the country (partly given the ex-pat pop), with mixed success. shigeo tamaki (a middle reliever) and yuichi matsumoto (PH/1B/OF type) had sustained npb careers...

22. Curse of the Andino Posted: May 17, 2012 at 08:10 PM (#4134388)

EDIT: Actually Chris Davis is (by OPS+ anyway). He's actually been surprisingly mediocre so far...I'm just now realizing that the Davis you meant was probably Ike.

Guy's got an ERA+ of infinity, and you call that mediocre. Hmmph. (Of course, the walks... haven't been there.)

23. Shock Posted: May 17, 2012 at 08:37 PM (#4134412)

I am stunned that anyone is stunned by this.. This is about 500 PA overdue. Lind is not close to a major league player and hasn't been for awhile.

That Farrell kept trotting him out in the cleanup spot game after game was infuriati
ng

24. Shock Posted: May 17, 2012 at 08:56 PM (#4134436)

here are a lot of struggling 1B early this year: Lind, Davis, Hosmer, Pujols, Teixeira, even Gonzalez to an extent. Weird.

All of these players were exceptionally better than Lind in 2011 and 2010. Lind is not in the same conversation as these guys; he is Jeff Francoeur without defensive value.

25. formerly dp Posted: May 17, 2012 at 09:24 PM (#4134451)

All of these players were exceptionally better than Lind in 2011 and 2010. Lind is not in the same conversation as these guys; he is Jeff Francoeur without defensive value.

TAKE IT BACK!

Also, Frenchy smokes Lind in his ability to generate pageviews on BTF.

As proof that some things in the world are as they should be, Francouer's back where he should be-- .248/.304/.350. He's even thrown an an 0-3 on the bases. Worth every penny of the $6 M he's getting this year. I'm just glad he didn't have his 2011 in a Met uniform, or he'd be blocking Duda right now.

26. Tom Nawrocki Posted: May 17, 2012 at 10:12 PM (#4134508)

There are a lot of struggling 1B early this year: Lind, Davis, Hosmer, Pujols, Teixeira, even Gonzalez to an extent. Weird.

Todd Helton is looking like he's through, too.

27. Dock Ellis on Acid

Posted: May 18, 2012 at 02:03 AM (#4134610)

1B is the weakest I can remember. Gone are the days when all 1B could hit 25+ HR in their sleep. I noticed that there wasn't a strong second-tier when I saw Carlos Santana and Joe Mauer in the top ten 1B fantasy pre-season rankings. So I grabbed Carlos and Buster and McCann in a two-catcher league within my first 4 picks and put Carlos at 1B, thereby fcking siht up for everyone else in the league.

28. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: May 18, 2012 at 02:11 AM (#4134614)

1B is the weakest I can remember. Gone are the days when all 1B could hit 25+ HR in their sleep.

The period that preceded this one was the outlier. There were probably more great first basemen who played in the last 25 years than there were in all the time before it.

29. KT's Pot Arb Posted: May 18, 2012 at 02:36 AM (#4134622)

Lind will crush it in Vegas and be right back.

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Blue Jays send struggling Lind to Minors

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