Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters

These two are freaking good

The Atlanta Braves are one of my least favourite teams in MLB. Most of that dislike comes from Chipper Jones, who I hate with a passion. However, there are some members of the Braves that I really love. For example, I really love Kimbrel and Venters, and I'm not saying this just because they're both on my fantasy team. The pair have been two of the most dominating relievers in the major leagues this season, and they are doing it in two very distinct styles. Let's look into a bit more, shall we?

Corey Patterson



Do not hit this guy lead-off


So, I was going to write a post on Jo-Jo Reyes breaking his non-winning streak, but its been covered a bazillion times already, so now I'm going to write about the second most valuable position player on the Toronto Blue Jays, Corey Patterson.

Most baseball fans have probably heard of the story of Corey "Bust" Patterson. Corey Patterson, the left fielder for the 2011 Toronto Blue Jays, was the Chicago Cub's third overall draft pick in the 1998 draft. Despite posting mediocre numbers in the higher levels, Patterson was rushed quickly through the minors, and, by spring of 2002, he was the regular centre fielder for the Chicago Cubs.

Since being called up, Patterson has only had one season (2003) where he batted significantly better than average, and even that season was shut down early due to injuries. His career batting line is as follows: .255/.294/.407. Other than above average power for a centre fielder, he has been a significantly below average hitter for the majority of his career.

If i had to pick one word to describe Patterson's career, it would be "wasted". He has above average power, speed, and can play a good centre field. He has all the tools to be a star, but the lack of polish in plate discipline, and his failures against left handed pitching, has turned him into a fourth outfielder. Because of that, he is referred to as one of the biggests busts in the Major League draft history.

And now, he's the second most valuable hitter on a team that's a game above .500. What the hell's going on?

Adrian Gonzalez Is Awesome

nuff said.


Edit: frack. For some reason, the gif won't work. If you click the picture, you can watch the clip.

Buster Posey

(Yeah I probably am 4 days too late with this post. So what?)

Having been a Blue Jays fan for the majority of my caring-about-baseball career, I generally don't get to watch National League Baseball all that much. The only full NL game that I've actually watched was the day Stephen Strasburg debuted in 2010, and heck, that was buttloads of fun. But that's about it. I haven't ever even watched an NLDS or NLCS game. Some might call this a travesty or completely biased, and they're probably right. It's just that the National League seems so foreign to me, so I just avoid it altogether.

But today, I'm going to talk about an NL player. He shares first names with an ESPN writer that I cannot stand at all. Yes, he is Buster Posey.

I'm sure almost everyone had heard how he became injured and will probably miss the rest of the season completely. How did you feel when you heard that news? Sad? Sympathetic? Or maybe just complete apathy?

I felt rage. A complete and utter desire to smash my face against my desk. Here's why.

John Farrell

During the 2010~2011 MLB offseason, finding THE new manager for the Toronto Blue Jays was kind of a big deal (well, in the Blue Jays blogosphere anyways). The Jays fans, by which I mean the Jays bloggers, were enthralled to get a manager who maybe wouldn't sit on his butt relentlessly through every game coughCitocough. Speculations were made, discussions arose, and maple boners were induced. Sometime in October of 2010, Anthopoulos, the GM of the Blue Jays who is also the second coming of the Messiah, chose John Farrell, the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox, to be the new manager for his club. The fans, including me, were delighted, as Farrell's reputation was held very highly by those in MLB

Fast forward six months, and now the decision to make Farrell manager doesn't seem quite as good.