Jason Lane not for the bigtime and sent down to AAA. This is major error.
Lane has done far more than he was expected to and not just his 5 hrs and .353 average, but even more was the reliability and consistency of a very good bat which is an aberration for the current Jays lineup. He was no slouch in the outfield either. Jason Lane was a shoo in for the Toronto squad.
The choices are obviously two of the following three, Lind, Snider or Lane. And it was an interesting coincidence to see Snider’s three base errors yesterday against Detroit when he misjudged Inge’s fly ball. That is not the first time his outfield weaknesses have been shown. Similarly with Lind in left field he is not a strong outfielder and he cannot run.
The future is definitely Lind and Snider but I argue not yet. Snider is 21 and needs to play everyday. He will not play everyday in Toronto if Rios, Wells and Lind are the outfield. Putting him in each game at the end of the game and giving rotating day off for the starting three will help, but there is no consistency here that playing everyday in AAA would give. You can’t have a guy like this sitting on the bench.
Lane has shown that he is far too good a player right NOW to send down to AAA. There will be and should be other major league clubs interested in him, and I am sure that he has asked his agent to do just that. There is no value for Lane to play in AAA at this stage of his career. He won a place outright in the Toronto squad, he has a great pedigree, this guy has World Series experience and I think Jays have blown this one big-time. What was the point of inviting him to Spring training ?? He achieved far beyond expectations and was merely the best hitter in the squad. What more could he do ?
Of course you can’t help wonder whether or not this is (the stubborn) Cito convincing JP that wearing his hitting coach hat he can continue to work with Lind and Snider in Toronto and to take credit for creating the next 100rbi bats. Cito you are a Manager now. If you want to be the hitting coach then let someone else be Manager.
The other Lane issue related concern that many fans have, is the output (or lack) of Wells and Rios. If they even performed at 75% of their potential then the Lane issue would not be important but for the last three seasons these two have underperformed day after day after day.
Vernon’s ground ball double plays are a joke, Rios swinging at pitches down and away, pop ups etc etc ….
Adams, Emaus and Campbell to AAA are no surprise. Adams should have gone down at least two weeks ago. Emaus and Campbell will both be back in September if not before. Emaus is a great back up for Hill and has a much better bat. Campbell also has a great bat.
No, to my mind this spring will be remembered for the poor decision re Lane as last spring was the poor decision on Reed Johnson and the Toronto fans have lost out on seeing a very consistent and powerful hitter in the lineup. With the Toronto rotation in a mess they need hitters and they need consistent hitters.
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