1979 Toronto Blue Jays (est. 1977)

rpriske · 04-03-2013, 01:47 PM

Previous Seasons:

1977 - 63-99

1978 - 69-93

rpriske · 04-03-2013, 01:47 PM

March 5th, 1979

The first game of Spring Training for Toronto went to extra innings, as they lost 5-4 to the Royals in 10.

There were some rough patches but the worst thing was Mike Barlow having to leave the game with elbow stiffness. It seems he will miss the next week of S.T.

WP - Mark Littell (1-0)
LP - Dwight Bernard (0-1)

Spring Record - 0-1

rpriske · 04-03-2013, 05:47 PM

March 6th, 1978

Another day and another extra-innings game, but this went all the way to the 14th before a single by Barry Evans scored Rich Dauer from third to give Toronto the 3-2 victory.

WP - Tucker Garland (1-0)
LP - Stan Bahnsen (1-1)

Spring Record - 1-1

rpriske · 04-03-2013, 05:49 PM

Matt Robinson suffered an undisclosed, off the field, injury and will miss the next two weeks of Spring Training.

That does not bode well as far as his chances of winning the CF job over Ron LeFlore.

rpriske · 04-03-2013, 11:06 PM

March 7th, 1979

Skip McBeath, the Rule 5 pick-up, had a great day, going 3 for 5 with a couple of RBI in the Blue Jay's 7-2 win over Boston.

WP - Jim Clancy (1-0)
LP - Jim Beattie (0-1)

Spring Record - 2-1

rpriske · 04-04-2013, 05:37 PM

March 8th, 1979

This was not a good day to be a pitcher as Cleveland beat Toronto 12-8. It was tied up going into the 9th but Jim Morrison hit a grand slam off Donato Valle to give the edge to his side.

WP - Shane Rawley (1-1)
LP - Donato Valle (0-1)

Spring Record - 2-2

rpriske · 04-04-2013, 06:02 PM

March 9th, 1979

The fact that the Toronto hitters couldn't figure out the Oakland pitching is of less concern than the Phil Mankowski back injury. It looks like he will have to miss the next two weeks.

WP - Matt Keough (1-0)
LP - Jeff Byrd - (0-1)

Spring Record - 2-3

rpriske · 04-04-2013, 10:58 PM

March 10th, 1979

Everything went Toronto's way today, whether the explosion of hits, strong pitching or sloppy Yankee defense. In the end the Jays smoked New York 17-1.

Rich Dauer went 4 for 5 with a homer and a walk and 5 RBI. Al Woods also had 5 RBI while going 4 for 6.

WP - Mark Foster (1-0)
LP - Ed Figueroa (0-1)

Spring Record - 3-3

rpriske · 04-04-2013, 11:15 PM

Where are the players that left the team this off-season...

Juan Castaneda is playing in AAA for the Giants.
Fergie Jenkins is the #1 Starter for the Dodgers.
Doug DeCinces signed with the Athletics but is currently injured.
Miguel Dilone signed for good money with the Giants... and is now playing third string outfield.
Doug Ault signed a minor league deal with the Cubs but it looks like he may be their starting firstbaseman.
Dave Lemanczyk is in the Padre's bullpen.

Still unsigned:
Alan Ashby
Bob Bailor
Kurt Bevacqua (humstrung by his Type A status, I bet)

Retired:
Eric Hathaway

rpriske · 04-05-2013, 07:05 AM

March 11th, 1979

It wasn't a terrible Spring debut for starter Matt Valentine, but he couldn't get the job done as Toronto couldn't chip away enough at Seattle's lead. Mariners win 4-3.

WP - Rick Honeycutt (1-0)
Save - Elias Sosa (3)
LP - Matt Valentine (0-1)

Spring Record - 3-4

progen · 04-05-2013, 08:18 AM

Too funny! Juan Castaneda is pitching for us(Coatesville Aces), in the Northeast Baseball League. We just called him up on May 30th from AAA, as two of our starters are out with injury, and he won his first start! You can check it out in my dynasty. I'll be following yours as well!

Ok, sorry, we actually have Jesus Castaneda on our team. Maybe brothers? lol

rpriske · 04-06-2013, 01:34 AM

March 12th, 1979

The Blue Jays took the day over the Angels, 5-2. Joe Nolan continued to have a hot Spring, going 2 for 3 with his first homerun.

WP - Pete Vuckovich (1-0)
LP - Paul Hartzell (1-1)

Spring Record - 4-4

rpriske · 04-06-2013, 11:23 AM

March 13th, 1979

Ed Whitson's transition from the bullpen to the rotation is going very, very well.
Today he got through 5 innings with only 50 pitches, giving up one hit and walking one. Rick Baldwin then pitched two perfect innings and Rick Camp threw the final two frames, giving up only one hit. In the end the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 4-0.

WP - Ed Whitson (1-0)
LP - Dennis Martinez (0-2)

Spring Record - 5-4

rpriske · 04-06-2013, 01:00 PM

March 14th, 1979

Opposing hitters got to Tucker Garland for the first time as he gave up 2 runs, including a solo homer, to give Texas the lead, which they held on to to beat Toronto 8-6.

Joe Nolan continues to prove that the pre-season trade that brought him from the Braves was a very savvy move. Today he went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. He is hitting .500 this spring with a homer and 10 RBI.

WP - John HIller (1-0)
Save - Ron Reed (4)
LP - Tucker Garland (1-1)

Spring Record - 5-5

The first round of cuts will be after the next game.

rpriske · 04-07-2013, 03:12 AM

March 15th, 1979

Mike Parrott got knocked around by the Chicago White Sox in the first but the Blue Jays chipped away until they finally managed to get a walk-off RBI single by Alfredo Griffin to take the 5-4 win.

WP - Victor Cruz (1-0)
LP - Randy Moffitt (0-1)

Spring Record - 6-5

rpriske · 04-07-2013, 03:22 AM

First Round of Cuts

Sent to AAA

Donato Valle, Dwight Bernard, Bill McKnight

Designated for Assignment

Jim Mason

TRADE

To Seattle: Mike Ivie

To Toronto: Dan Meyer

rpriske · 04-07-2013, 09:18 AM

Trading Ivie was a bit of a challenge trade. It looked like he was he was going to lose his starting spot to Alfredo Griffin, turing him into an over-priced back-up. We traded him for another first baseman, though Meyer can play third as well, but at a significant reduction in salary... enough that we are FINALLY in the black on payroll.

Now Griffin has not been guaranteed anything, so if Meyer can win that starting spot, more power too him.

rpriske · 04-07-2013, 09:42 AM

March 16th, 1979

Jeff Byrd did not have the kind of start you want when you are competing for a rotation spot. Other than Pete Vuckovich, no starting spot is guaranteed and this is two bad starts for Byrd in a row.

Mike Willis also struggled in relief for the first time this spring.

In Dan Meyer's debut with the Blue Jays he went 0 for 3, but got an RBI.

Detroit won 9-5.

WP - Bob Sykes (1-0)
LP - Jeff Byrd (0-2)

Spring Record - 6-6

rpriske · 04-07-2013, 11:43 AM

March 18th, 1979

A solid though unspectacular game. Jays hitters are hitting but their pitchers are having problems with walks.

Today they beat the Brewers 4-3.

WP - John Taylor (1-0)
Save - Dennis DeBarr (1)
LP - Bob James (0-1)

Spring Record - 7-6

rpriske · 04-07-2013, 06:59 PM

March 19th, 1979

As the Blue Jays fell to the Royals 7-4, what we really discovered is what we already knew... Matt Valentine is likely not ready for the majors. He has time to develop, but he isn't there yet.

WP - Dennis Leonard (1-0)
Save - Mark Littell (2)
LP - Matt Valentine (0-2)

Spring Record - 7-7

04-03-2013, 11:06 PM	#5
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 7th, 1979 Skip McBeath, the Rule 5 pick-up, had a great day, going 3 for 5 with a couple of RBI in the Blue Jay's 7-2 win over Boston. WP - Jim Clancy (1-0) LP - Jim Beattie (0-1) Spring Record - 2-1 Last edited by rpriske; 04-04-2013 at 03:09 PM.

04-05-2013, 08:18 AM	#11
progen All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,530 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Too funny! Juan Castaneda is pitching for us(Coatesville Aces), in the Northeast Baseball League. We just called him up on May 30th from AAA, as two of our starters are out with injury, and he won his first start! You can check it out in my dynasty. I'll be following yours as well! Ok, sorry, we actually have Jesus Castaneda on our team. Maybe brothers? lol Last edited by progen; 04-05-2013 at 08:28 AM.

04-06-2013, 01:00 PM	#14
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 14th, 1979 Opposing hitters got to Tucker Garland for the first time as he gave up 2 runs, including a solo homer, to give Texas the lead, which they held on to to beat Toronto 8-6. Joe Nolan continues to prove that the pre-season trade that brought him from the Braves was a very savvy move. Today he went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. He is hitting .500 this spring with a homer and 10 RBI. WP - John HIller (1-0) Save - Ron Reed (4) LP - Tucker Garland (1-1) Spring Record - 5-5 The first round of cuts will be after the next game. Last edited by rpriske; 04-09-2013 at 09:52 AM.

04-03-2013, 01:47 PM	#1
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	1979 Toronto Blue Jays (est. 1977) Previous Seasons: 1977 - 63-99 1978 - 69-93 Last edited by rpriske; 04-03-2013 at 01:49 PM.

04-03-2013, 05:47 PM	#3
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 6th, 1978 Another day and another extra-innings game, but this went all the way to the 14th before a single by Barry Evans scored Rich Dauer from third to give Toronto the 3-2 victory. WP - Tucker Garland (1-0) LP - Stan Bahnsen (1-1) Spring Record - 1-1

04-03-2013, 05:49 PM	#4
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	Matt Robinson suffered an undisclosed, off the field, injury and will miss the next two weeks of Spring Training. That does not bode well as far as his chances of winning the CF job over Ron LeFlore.

04-04-2013, 05:37 PM	#6
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 8th, 1979 This was not a good day to be a pitcher as Cleveland beat Toronto 12-8. It was tied up going into the 9th but Jim Morrison hit a grand slam off Donato Valle to give the edge to his side. WP - Shane Rawley (1-1) LP - Donato Valle (0-1) Spring Record - 2-2

04-04-2013, 06:02 PM	#7
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 9th, 1979 The fact that the Toronto hitters couldn't figure out the Oakland pitching is of less concern than the Phil Mankowski back injury. It looks like he will have to miss the next two weeks. WP - Matt Keough (1-0) LP - Jeff Byrd - (0-1) Spring Record - 2-3

04-04-2013, 10:58 PM	#8
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 10th, 1979 Everything went Toronto's way today, whether the explosion of hits, strong pitching or sloppy Yankee defense. In the end the Jays smoked New York 17-1. Rich Dauer went 4 for 5 with a homer and a walk and 5 RBI. Al Woods also had 5 RBI while going 4 for 6. WP - Mark Foster (1-0) LP - Ed Figueroa (0-1) Spring Record - 3-3

04-04-2013, 11:15 PM	#9
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	Where are the players that left the team this off-season... Juan Castaneda is playing in AAA for the Giants. Fergie Jenkins is the #1 Starter for the Dodgers. Doug DeCinces signed with the Athletics but is currently injured. Miguel Dilone signed for good money with the Giants... and is now playing third string outfield. Doug Ault signed a minor league deal with the Cubs but it looks like he may be their starting firstbaseman. Dave Lemanczyk is in the Padre's bullpen. Still unsigned: Alan Ashby Bob Bailor Kurt Bevacqua (humstrung by his Type A status, I bet) Retired: Eric Hathaway

04-05-2013, 07:05 AM	#10
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 11th, 1979 It wasn't a terrible Spring debut for starter Matt Valentine, but he couldn't get the job done as Toronto couldn't chip away enough at Seattle's lead. Mariners win 4-3. WP - Rick Honeycutt (1-0) Save - Elias Sosa (3) LP - Matt Valentine (0-1) Spring Record - 3-4

04-06-2013, 01:34 AM	#12
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 12th, 1979 The Blue Jays took the day over the Angels, 5-2. Joe Nolan continued to have a hot Spring, going 2 for 3 with his first homerun. WP - Pete Vuckovich (1-0) LP - Paul Hartzell (1-1) Spring Record - 4-4

04-06-2013, 11:23 AM	#13
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 13th, 1979 Ed Whitson's transition from the bullpen to the rotation is going very, very well. Today he got through 5 innings with only 50 pitches, giving up one hit and walking one. Rick Baldwin then pitched two perfect innings and Rick Camp threw the final two frames, giving up only one hit. In the end the Blue Jays beat the Orioles 4-0. WP - Ed Whitson (1-0) LP - Dennis Martinez (0-2) Spring Record - 5-4

04-07-2013, 03:12 AM	#15
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 15th, 1979 Mike Parrott got knocked around by the Chicago White Sox in the first but the Blue Jays chipped away until they finally managed to get a walk-off RBI single by Alfredo Griffin to take the 5-4 win. WP - Victor Cruz (1-0) LP - Randy Moffitt (0-1) Spring Record - 6-5

04-07-2013, 03:22 AM	#16
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	First Round of Cuts Sent to AAA Donato Valle, Dwight Bernard, Bill McKnight Designated for Assignment Jim Mason TRADE To Seattle: Mike Ivie To Toronto: Dan Meyer

04-07-2013, 09:18 AM	#17
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	Trading Ivie was a bit of a challenge trade. It looked like he was he was going to lose his starting spot to Alfredo Griffin, turing him into an over-priced back-up. We traded him for another first baseman, though Meyer can play third as well, but at a significant reduction in salary... enough that we are FINALLY in the black on payroll. Now Griffin has not been guaranteed anything, so if Meyer can win that starting spot, more power too him.

04-07-2013, 09:42 AM	#18
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 16th, 1979 Jeff Byrd did not have the kind of start you want when you are competing for a rotation spot. Other than Pete Vuckovich, no starting spot is guaranteed and this is two bad starts for Byrd in a row. Mike Willis also struggled in relief for the first time this spring. In Dan Meyer's debut with the Blue Jays he went 0 for 3, but got an RBI. Detroit won 9-5. WP - Bob Sykes (1-0) LP - Jeff Byrd (0-2) Spring Record - 6-6

04-07-2013, 11:43 AM	#19
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 18th, 1979 A solid though unspectacular game. Jays hitters are hitting but their pitchers are having problems with walks. Today they beat the Brewers 4-3. WP - John Taylor (1-0) Save - Dennis DeBarr (1) LP - Bob James (0-1) Spring Record - 7-6

04-07-2013, 06:59 PM	#20
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 25,724	March 19th, 1979 As the Blue Jays fell to the Royals 7-4, what we really discovered is what we already knew... Matt Valentine is likely not ready for the majors. He has time to develop, but he isn't there yet. WP - Dennis Leonard (1-0) Save - Mark Littell (2) LP - Matt Valentine (0-2) Spring Record - 7-7