Trernding: New Blue Jay Which of the roles is Justin Turner’s preferred merely an integral part ……

admin | February 3, 2024 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Fresh Blue Jay What is Justin Turner’s favorite position?merely having a spot in the lineup.

Compared to some of their competitors, the Jays’ off-season has been lackluster, but Turner’s skill set is intriguing.

This off-season, the Blue Jays front staff has been under intense criticism for the quality of its work. The squad up north hasn’t changed all that much, even if the Yankees and Orioles have made tremendous progress.

Reliever Chad Green and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier were reinstated, and designated hitter Justin Turner recently inked a one-year contract. Yariel Rodriguez, the swingman, is likely to officially sign a four-year contract in the next few days.

Those maneuvers are insignificant in light of what transpired elsewhere. The Yankees acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo and star slugger Juan Soto despite their doubts about their ability to enhance their lineup internally. To improve, former Jay Marcus Stroman was included.

The Jays have struggled to come up with a big move of their own. They remain a favourite to make the playoffs but, come March, few experts will pick them to win the division. That has led to complaints from fans and columnists — such as yours truly — that what the Jays have done to date isn’t nearly enough.

Yet it’s possible to criticize the strategy without discrediting each of the moves. Kiermaier, while limited offensively, brings elite value with his glove. Green is a proven high-leverage reliever and teams never have enough of those. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, well, at least he’s better than Santiago Espinal.

Turner is the easiest one of all to understand. While his signing would have been better received if it was paired with another big bat, the skill set remains appealing regardless of what else general manager Ross Atkins has up his sleeve.

The Jays struggled to drive in runs last season and Turner is at his best with men in scoring position. His lifetime .893 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in those spots is well above his career mark of .829. He also comes with the reputation of being a proven post-season performer with a .270 average and 33 extra-base hits in 86 games

Long Ball: Can Justin Turner spark the Blue Jays' offence? | Toronto Sun

Turner is 39 and he’s not Shohei Ohtani, but the 15-year veteran is still a nice asset to have for a lineup that hasn’t lived up to expectations since 2021. Criticize the Jays’ off-season strategy if you want, I certainly have, just don’t knock the player who has such an accomplished resumé.

In response to a question on his goals for the Jays during an inaugural media availability over Zoom on Friday, Turner remarked, “The next step is playing deeper into the playoffs, but I can tell you firsthand, the playoffs are hard man.” “It makes no difference how attractive, skilled, or talented you are. The playoffs, in my opinion, are a crapshoot.

Blue Jays sign two-time All-Star

“I spent nine years with the Dodgers; during that time, we qualified for the postseason each year and won one title. I believe it comes down to having the momentum and the right guys.”

That is the first time the Jays have gone to the American League Championship Series back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. Their recent past hasn’t been quite as favorable. They were hauled from the

Although it hasn’t been the sole cause of the Jays’ ongoing struggles, their inability to score runs in two games versus Minnesota last season made it the main one. Turner might be able to help with that.

Asked about the secret to success, Turner responded, “It wasn’t necessarily that there was more talent in L.A., that was one of the most unselfish teams I’ve been a part of,” mentioning his 2020 championship. “Whether you were in the lineup or not made no difference.

“A bullpen guy asked to switch jobs, and a starter asked to move to the bullpen. That was understood by all, and the focus was on taking home the title. That appears to be the purpose of the 162. Of course, you have

Where Turner will be putting up his stats is still up in the air. He’s expected to be the everyday designated hitter while making occasional starts at first and third. It’s because of his versatility that additional roster moves can’t be ruled out.

My job is to be available for (John) Schneider in any way he needs me, for as many games as I possibly can,” Turner said . “I want to be healthy, I want to be on the field for 162 and I want to let Schneids plug me in wherever he needs me.

“If that’s playing a lot of third base, I’ll be ready. If it’s spelling Vlad at first, I’ll be ready for that. If it’s mainly a DH role, that’s great too. I get asked all the time what my favourite position is, it’s literally just being in the lineup. I don’t care where I’m playing.”

Jays fans won’t care either, as long as Turner produces. The issue with his signing was never about the player, or even the fit, it was about the lack of significant moves that accompanied it.

The Yankees and Orioles are better. The Jays, for the most part, are the same. Turner is the exception and while there’s a lot to like about his game, it’s also fair to question whether his arrival is enough for the Jays to keep pace in the AL East.

With the start of spring training a little more than a week a way, and their rivals still in the process of making impact additions, the answer as of Friday appeared to be no. Thankfully, there’s still time for that to change.