Angels manager Joe Maddon wants more emotion, less instant replay โ€” Daily Breeze

TEMPE, Ariz. โ€” As Major League Baseball continues to experiment with different rules to move the game forward, Joe Maddon wants to move the game back. 850 moreย words

Angels manager Joe Maddon wants more emotion, less instant replay โ€” Daily Breeze

Jays agree to contracts with 27 players

The Blue Jays have agreed to contracts with the 27 players below (no contract renewals this year). Anthony Castro and Joel Payamps agreed to deals with their previous organizations before they were acquired.

Adams, Riley

Bergen, Travis

Bichette, Bo

Biggio, Cavan

Borucki, Ryan

Davis, Jonathan

Espinal, Santiago

Guerrero Jr., Vladimir

Hatch, Thomas

Jansen, Danny

Kay, Anthony

Kirk, Alejandro

Lopez, Otto

Luciano, Elvis

McGuire, Reese

Merryweather, Julian

Moreno, Gabriel

Murphy, Patrick

Palacios, Joshua

Pearson, Nate

Romano, Jordan

Tellez, Rowdy

Thornton, Trent

Tice, Ty

Valera, Breyvic

Waguespack, Jacob

Zeuch, T.J.

BLUE JAYS ANNOUNCE 2021 MINOR LEAGUE APPOINTMENTS

BLUE JAYS ANNOUNCE 2021 MINOR LEAGUE APPOINTMENTS

The Toronto Blue Jays today announce the following appointments to the High Performance and Player Development departments for the 2021 campaign. 

Field Managers for the upcoming Minor League season will be Casey Candaele (Triple-A Buffalo), Cesar Martin (Double-A New Hampshire), Donnie Murphy (High-A Vancouver), Luis Hurtado (Low-A Dunedin), Brent Lavallee (Gulf Coast), and Dane Fujinaka (Dominican Summer League).

Below is a complete listing of the Blue Jaysโ€™ 2021 Player Development and High Performance staffs.

Buffalo
Casey CandaeleManager
Jeff WarePitching Coach
Corey HartHitting Coach
Devon WhitePosition Coach
Jake McGuigganDevelopment Coach
Caleb DanielTrainer
Justin BatcherS&C Coach
Kat MangieriDietitian
John LannanMP Coach
  
New Hampshire 
Cesar MartinManager
Jim CzajkowskiPitching Coach
Matt HagueHitting Coach
Chris SchaefferPosition Coach
Evan ShortDevelopment Coach
Luke GreeneTrainer
Casey CallisonS&C Coach
Kara TerryDietitian
Rob DiBernardoMP Coach
  
Vancouver 
Donnie MurphyManager
Antonio CaceresPitching Coach
Ryan WrightHitting Coach
Danny CanellasPosition Coach
Taylor HillDevelopment Coach
Brandon HammerstromTrainer
Tommy LaBriolaS&C Coach
Geoff StallmanDietitian
Rob DiBernardoMP Coach
  
Dunedin 
Luis HurtadoManager
Phil CundariPitching Coach
Matt YoungHitting Coach
George CarrollPosition Coach
Drew HayesDevelopment Coach
Roelvis VargasTrainer
Matt HunterS&C Coach
Lauren PooleDietitian
Ben FreakleyMP Coach
  
Gulf Coast
Brent LavalleeManager
Jose MayorgaBench Coach
Cory RiordanPitching Coach
Paul ElliottHitting Coach
Dennis HolmbergPosition Coach
Zach StewartDevelopment Coach
Jon WoodworthTrainer
Taylor Haslinger S&C Coach
Trevor Lomax Dietitian
Matthew GalvezMP Coach
  
Dominican Summer League
Pablo CruzField Coordinator
Dane FujinakaManager
Yoel HernandezPitching Coach
Andy FerminHitting Coach
Petr StribrckyHitting Coach
Deiferson BarretoPosition Coach
Jose MateoPosition Coach
Alain PachecoTrainer
Ysidro ReyesTrainer
Imbewer AlvarezS&C Coach
Roswell Del RosarioAsst. S&C Coach
Matthew GalvezMP Coach
  
Player Development
Gil KimDirector, Player Development & Major League Coach
Charlie WilsonDirector, Minor League Operations
Joe SclafaniAssistant Director, Player Development
Casey CandaeleField Coordinator & Buffalo Manager
John Tamargo Jr.Short-Season Field Coordinator
Dallas McPhersonSkill Development Coordinator
Hunter MenseHitting Coordinator
Danny SolanoInfield Coordinator
Matt BuschmannDirector, Pitching Development & Major League Bullpen Coach
Cory PophamPitching Development Coordinator
Matt TracyPitching Development Coordinator
Will HabibCoordinator, Player Development & HP Operations
Matt HagueNew Hampshire Hitting Coach & Swing Consultant
Reed KienleMinor League Hitting Analyst
Evan ShortPitching Skills Coach & Strategist
Billy WardlowEquipment Coordinator
Matt von RoemerTechnology Operations Coordinator
Tim RainesSpecial Assistant to Player Development
Sonia De La CruzEducation Coordinator
Michelle RodgersBusiness Manager, Minor League Operations
Michael RiveraAssistant, Player Development
David HowellComplex Pitching Coach
Demetre KokorisRehab Pitching Coach
Luis SilvaRehab Position Player Coach
  
High Performance โ€“ Dunedin
Angus MugfordVice President of High Performance
Dehra HarrisAssistant Director of High Performance
Andrew PipkinMedical Director
Brandon StoneSports Science Coordinator
Scott PetersMedical Research Coordinator
Michael RendonAthletic Training Coordinator
Phillip DiminoRehab Coordinator
Jon WoodworthGCL ATC & Latin American Medical Coordinator
Steve RasselMiLB S&C Coordinator
Kyle EdlhuberMiLB S&C Rehab Coordinator
Aaron SpanoMiLB S&C Asst. Coordinator
Ben FreakleyHead of Mental Performance
Rob DiBernardoMental Performance Coach (New Hampshire & Vancouver)
John LannanMental Performance Coach (Buffalo & Dunedin)
Matthew GalvezMental Performance Coach (GCL & DSL)
Jeremy ChiangNutrition Coordinator & ML Dietitian
Sam LimaEAP Director
Ted FarrarFlorida Physician Coordinator
Alex SuerteAssistant Physical Therapist
Reeve BergesenHigh Performance & Player Development Project Manager
Clare PadmoreHigh Performance Analyst

โ€“ BLUE JAYS โ€“


T

Cora’s COVID message: Stay safe, your team needs you โ€” The China Post, Taiwan

Red Sox manager Alex Cora isnโ€™t your usual Florida tourist. โ€œItโ€™s an off-day here tomorrow. Hopefully it rains and itโ€™s cold,โ€ he said on Sunday as he prepared for the team to take its first full break of spring training. Itโ€™s not that Cora doesnโ€™t like sunshine. He would just prefer that his players stayย [โ€ฆ]

Cora’s COVID message: Stay safe, your team needs you โ€” The China Post, Taiwan

Toronto Blue Jays crush Baltimore Orioles 13-4โ€” Global News

Prospect Josh Palacios had a home run, triple and double and five RBIs ace Hyun Jin Ryu allowed one run in two innings in his spring-training debut as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 13-4 on Friday.

Toronto Blue Jays crush Baltimore Orioles โ€” Global News

Angels blast three homers in victory over Aโ€™s โ€” Whittier Daily News

THE GAME: Luis Rengifo, Justin Upton and Jose Rojas hit homers in the Angelsโ€™ 7-3 victory over the Oakland Aโ€™s on Friday afternoon in a seven-inning game at Hohokam Park in Mesa. PITCHING REPORT: RHP Shohei Ohtani struck out five and allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings. Ohtaniโ€™s fastball was 96-100 mph. โ€ฆย LHPโ€ฆ

Angels blast three homers in victory over Aโ€™s โ€” Whittier Daily News

Phillies will be allowed to bank some citizens

Phillies to host fans in limited capacity for start of 2021 season at Citizens Bank Park

With new safety protocols introduced, fans are invited back to the ballpark experience; Tickets go on sale for the first 19 games on March 12 online at Phillies.com

The Phillies are getting ready to safely welcome a limited number of fans back to baseball for the first 19 regular season home games at Citizens Bank Park, which includes series against the Atlanta Braves (April 1, 3 & 4), New York Mets (April 5-7; April 30-May 2), St. Louis Cardinals (April 16-18), San Francisco Giants (April 19-21) and Milwaukee Brewers (May 3-6). 

This โ€œsoft openingโ€ of Phillies baseball is in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as dependent on a continuation of declining COVID-19 cases in the region. The well-being and safety of fans, players and staff will continue to be the absolute priority.  

The limited return of fans also includes the addition of extensive health and safety protocols for all Phillies home games, with operational specifics to be announced prior to Opening Day. Among the protocols: 

  • With capacity limits for outdoor events currently capped at 20%, 8,800 fans will be permitted at each Phillies home game.   
  • To allow for socially distant seating, fans will be seated in pods of two, three or four people, with limited pods available for five to six people.  
  • All attendees age two years and older must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times on ballpark property, other than when actively eating or drinking at their ticketed seats.   
  • All areas of the ballpark accessed by fans will be cleaned and disinfected before, during and after each game by a newly created โ€œClean Teamโ€ utilizing processes and products approved by the CDC and EPA specifically for use against COVID-19. Hand sanitizing stations will also be widely available.    

โ€œWe have been diligently working with our city and state officials to finalize health and safety protocols at Citizens Bank Park. With these important measures now in place, we are excited to safely welcome a limited number of our fans back to the ballpark experience,โ€ said Phillies Executive Vice President David Buck. โ€œThe unmatched energy our fans bring to the game has undoubtedly been missed, and we canโ€™t wait to hear their cheers once again come Opening Day.โ€ 

The opportunity to attend the Phillies first 19 regular season home games at Citizens Bank Park will be offered initially to season ticket holders. The public will also have the chance to purchase tickets beginning on Friday, March 12, available online only at Phillies.com. All tickets will be mobile. 

Tickets for the remaining 62 regular season home games will go on sale in early April. The amount of tickets sold for these games may increase or decrease as health conditions evolve. The Phillies will continue to consult with, and take direction from, local and state officials throughout the season. 

Fans are encouraged to visit Phillies.com or follow @phillies on social media for news and updates, including ticket availability for future games.I

BERGEN RETURNS TO BLUE JAYS

BLUE JAYS ACQUIRE BERGEN

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired LHP Travis Bergen from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. RHP Patrick Murphy has been placed on the 60-day injured list with a sprained right A/C joint.

Bergen, 27, began his 2020 season with Toronto and pitched in one Major League contest before he was dealt to Arizona on August 31 for LHP Robbie Ray and cash. The 6-1, 215 lb. lefty then made seven appearances for the Diamondbacks and finished the campaign with a 3.24 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings of work.

The Kennesaw State University product was selected by the Blue Jays in the seventh round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft, selected by the Giants in the 2018 Rule 5 draft and returned to the Blue Jays in August of 2019. He has kept a 4.82 ERA while going 3-0 over 29 career games.

โ€“ BLUE JAYS โ€“