Elliott: Who likes the Jays to win? These impartial ex-players
RHP Pat Hentgen on the day he was presented with the American League Cy Young award.
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Who will win the best-of-seven American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians which opens Friday night at Progressive Field?
We tracked down a few good men for their totally unbiased, totally impartial and totally candid opinions.
We went through our phone books (well two phone books, one contact file and the SIM card on the cell) to track down open-minded, objective, nonpartisan former ball players,
We looked up people while cross referencing evenhanded, neutral and fair-minded players and these are the best we came up with:
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Pat Hentgen, who was with the Blue Jays for 10 seasons, pitching in 344 games.
The former Cy Young award winner is in his 25th year in the organization after playing in the minors, serving as a coach and now being a front office suit.
“I think Toronto will win because of its starting pitching depth and because of the fact that they had to win to get in. The advantage about the rotation is Marcus Stroman could go seven scoreless just like Marco Estrada, JA Happ, or Aaron Sanchez. It better to win late and go into the post season on a roll, than to clinch with a week to go
On the morning of Game 161 the Jays were in Boston looking up at the second-place Baltimore Orioles. They won the final two games (“Sanchez pitched a huge game at Fenway on the Sunday), beat the Orioles in a wild-card walk off (“Stroman followed facing a lineup that statistically speaking gave right-handers more problems than lefties”) and then they swept the Texas Rangers.
“I thought our bullpen has done a good job,” Hentgen said, and for a second he did not sound like Switzerland using the term “our,” bullpen. “We had timely hitting and jumped out to leads early. We’ve got the four big guys -- Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista -- plus Russell Martin, Devon Travis and Kevin Pillar.”
Hentgen watched Game 2 of Texas series at Eddie’s Bar and Grill in Dunedin along with the minor league staff with about 50 Jays employees when Texas Rangers’ Carlos Gomez hit a liner hit Francisco Liriano on the back of the neck. Scary stuff.
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Lloyd Moseby, who played 10 years in 1,392 games for the Blue Jays after being a first round draft pick in 1978.
“I’m pulling for the Blue Jays, the offence is back,” said Moseby, who will throw out the first pitch before Game 3 Monday night at the Rogers Centre.
“Our starters haven’t been bad and the closer hasn’t done anything like the San Francisco Giants.
“Donaldson looks like he has his confidence back hitting the ball the other way with two strikes. Plus Edwin is a stud and Jose is a big game player. Puts all those things together and man, they’re rolling. Plus you’ve got Kevin Pillar and Ezequiel Carrera.”
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Duane Ward, who pitched nine seasons and 452 games with the Jays.
Ward threw out the first pitch before Game 3 against the Rangers and was a member of the 1992-93 World Series teams.
“Toronto has picked up the pace compared to a couple of weeks ago where it was ‘my Goodness if we won’t score we won’t win.’ For a while there we were lucky to score one or two runs,” said Ward.
“I haven’t seen any signs of the pitching let up, Estrada, Happ and Stroman have been great. Sanchez gave up a few in Game 3 against the Rangers, but I’m still going to give him the ball. Cleveland is at a bit of a disadvantage being down two starters. Defensively both teams are a wash, the pitching is close, but the Jays have the better offence.
“Toronto’s bullpen has done a good job a combination of two good teams going at each.”
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Ed Sprague, who played eight years, 888 games with the Jays.
Sprague has two World Series rings with the Jays and won Game 2 of 1992 with a pinch hit homer off Jeff Reardon of the Atlanta Braves in 1992.
“I like the Jays in six. Why? Because I’m a Jay,” said Sprague where is he is coaching the Oakland A’s instructional league team. “I like where the Jays are at right now: they had to fight their way in and now they’ve got some good mojo working. In fairness I have not seen the Indians a lot, of all the playoff teams I have seen them the least. I don’t know a ton about them. I do know the Indians have got it going good with Terry Francona. I’m going with the Toronto’s offence and hopefully not one gets him by a can from a beer thrower.”
Sprague was asked to throw out the first pitch next week at the Rogers Centre but he has commitments with the A’s,
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Devon White, who played five seasons appearing in 656 games with the Jays.
A seven-time gold glove winner he played 17 years in the majors, won three World Series (two with the Jays, one with the Florida Marlins).
“We’re going to win, we have more offensive power,” said White who works often with the Blue Jays alumni, but does not have a full-time position with the club. “They’re peaking at the right time and if this continues that’s the team to beat. Edwin has a great year. I think Donaldson looks healthy. late in the year I am sure he had nagging injuries.
“Earlier in the season there were scoring chances that they missed on, but its a very good team they find a way. But you never know. Hey it is a short series. Look at Boston. The Red Sox went home. It’s anyone’s series. This time of the year everyone is beat up and worn down. Francona did a good a job running his club bringing in Andrew Miller early. Francona won so hee looks good. If Buck Showalter gets out of the 11th inning in the wild card game and they go on and win with Zach Britton he looks good. There will always be criticism when you lose. You have to go for everything. If Game 3 goes another inning where would we pull it out? Roberto Osuna was done.”
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Alan Ashby, two seasons, 205 games, with the Jays.
The former Toronto broadcaster now in the Houston Astros booth played four years with Cleveland and two with the Jays.
“My heart is with the Jays, maybe the X factor will be the Rogers Centre crowd, there has been so much more support of the Jays this year than Indians have received,” said Ashby. “There was no guarantee that this would unfold like this. I recall with a few days remaining in the season how it looked like the Detroit Tigers were going to get a wild-card berth.
“It’s pretty amazing to see how far they’ve gotten. I hope Toronto wins.”
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Denis Boucher, who pitched five seasons in the Blue Jays system, 126 games in the minors, seven games with the 1991.
Boucher was dealt to Cleveland with Glenallen Hill and Mark Whiten to the Cleveland Indians for Tom Candiotti and Turner Ward.
“I’d go with the Jays because of their starting pitchers,” said Boucher, who now scouts for the New York Yankees, “plus the line up is hot. Once they get hot they are tough to beat. The hitters are back on a roll. They could have clinched by mid September if they had hit the way we saw them play last August and September. Maybe they peaked at the right time.”
“Since they had their down time, they’re still on an upward streak. Edwin is their most feared hitter, but if you pitch around him, or pitch around Bautista you’ve got Russell (Martin) and Tulowitzki. If they stay away from Corey Kluber for three games they should be OK.”
These few dispassionate, disinterested and detached players think they have the winner.