Travis belongs in leadoff spot for Jays

Steve Phillips

TSN Baseball Insider

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Devon Travis is finally back where he belongs atop the Blue Jays lineup.

It was a long road to recovery for the second baseman, but now he is ready to contribute. Travis was eased back in the lineup by manager John Gibbons, who slotted the youngster down in the order to let him get his feet wet. But with the injury to Jose Bautista, the skipper decided it was time to move the energetic Travis to the leadoff spot.
 
It has been a merry-go-round of players in the one spot for the Jays so far this season. Kevin Pillar was given the first shot at it but he struggled. Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Saunders looked uncomfortable there as well. Gibbons then went radical, moving Bautista to the top of his order. Bautista is an on-base percentage machine who works the count and gets his walks. But putting him atop the lineup did limit the valuable RBI production the club needs from him.

Ezequiel Carrera filled in nicely a couple of times in Bautista’s absence from the lineup, but he is limited overall and no more than a valuable backup player. With Bautista nursing his turf toe, now is the rime to get Travis comfortable leading off. That will allow a healthy Bautista to go back to his normal third spot in the lineup.

Travis can get on base. He has a .381 career minor league OBP.  He doesn’t have to duplicate that to be effective for the Jays. If he can get on base even 34 per cent of the time he will give the Jays what they need: scoring opportunities. With the power in this lineup, players are often in scoring position when they are on first base. Stability at the top of the lineup should lead to stability throughout. 
 
Cubs can do no wrong

The Chicago Cubs are disgusting. I mean that in the best way possible.  

It isn’t this easy to win at the major league level. It isn’t this easy to develop young impact players. It honestly drives me crazy that they are so smart. Plus they are all such nice guys. It makes it hard to hate them.  
 
What Theo Epstein did in Boston was epic and now he has the Cubs poised to do the same. He is the curse whisperer.  
 
They call up top prospect Willson Contreras, a catcher, even when they don’t need a catcher. He can hit. He can throw. He can call a great game. He can block the pitch in the dirt.

The Cubs are going with three catchers because they have the luxury to provide opportunities and experiences to young players. Their huge lead in the division and the welcoming culture in their clubhouse make it possible. The major league roster is loaded with guys who can play multiple positions, so there is no added burden to having three catchers on the active roster.

They also have Kyle Schwarber, a left fielder who can play catcher, recovering from a devastating knee injury. The rich get richer. He looks like Babe Ruth and they don’t even miss him.

Honestly, the Cubs could auction off the 25th spot on their roster and give any random fan off the street a chance to experience the big leagues. They wouldn’t compromise their season. Plus that random fan would probably go 3-for-4.

The Cubs did show they are mortal, getting swept by the Cardinals this week. Their ace, Jake Arrieta, even lost in his start. Are they worried?  No, they left immediately after the game on a “Who wears short shorts?” themed road trip to Miami. All of the coaches and players wore shorts and funky shirts and ties.

They don’t even flinch when they lose because they know tomorrow will likely bring a win. They aren’t even appropriately sad after losses. I thought you were supposed to hang your head and be quiet after losses. They just break all of the rules. They quite likely will break the most famous curse in baseball this year as well.

Rockies done with Reyes

The Colorado Rockies decided it was just too much. Jose Reyes is done in Denver.

Reyes completed his suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy and was subsequently designated for assignment. He will be released and become a free agent. The Rockies will be on the hook for the $39 million remaining on the contract. Any team that signs Reyes will be on the hook for the prorated amount of $507,500.

Any club considering Reyes has to weigh the baggage that comes with him after his off-season incident in Hawaii. Teams have to consider the statement it makes to fans if they sign him. I think most people would come away feeling that Reyes is a good man who made a mistake. No matter what, ownership will weigh in on a decision like this.

The other consideration is whether he can still play. Can he help a team win games? If his performance on his rehab assignment is any indication, Reyes has something left. He batted .303 (10-for-33) with seven runs scored, two home runs, two RBIs, seven walks, four strikeouts and three stolen bases in nine games with Albuquerque.  
 
The Royals have been rumoured to be interested in Reyes. They have had a lot of injuries. The team recently released second baseman Omar Infante, so they seem to be giving young guys opportunities.  
 
The Mets seem to be a good fit as well. Reyes grew up in the organization. They know him as well as anyone could. Reyes still lives in Long Island, NY.  Mets fans always loved him too.

The Mets are in desperate need of offensive players who can help manufacture runs. They are a very homer-centric offence. Reyes’s speed may be just what the Mets need. He is a much better option than Wilmer Flores and Kelly Johnson.

I hope he gets a shot at redemption.  
 
Some Random Thoughts

- The Texas Rangers have won 25 of their last 32 games. They are rolling and seem to be the best team in the AL. But they just placed pitcher Colby Lewis on the DL with a lat strain that could keep him out for two months. They also have Yu Darvish and Derek Holland on the DL. No one will feel sorry for the Rangers. It won’t matter they still have enough to weather the storm.  
 
- The schedule shows the Mets won two games against the Royals this week so why do they feel like losses?  Because Bartolo Colon got hit with a laser off the bat in his right thumb, Yoenis Cespedes was removed from the game with a wrist strain and Noah Syndergaard has a sore elbow. Other than that it was a great series. The Mets will take the wins but they need these three to get back as soon as possible. The good news is that it looks like all three will likely avoid the DL.
 
- Poor Michael Taylor of the Washington Nationals. He had a bad day on Wednesday, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. Then, to make his day even worse, he overcharged a single hit to him in centre field and allowed the ball to roll all the way to the wall. It turned into a walk-off win for the Dodgers. He must really need a hug. 
 
- I can’t understand why Tim Lincecum signed with the Angels. They aren’t a very good team and aren’t headed to the playoffs. Why didn’t he sign with a team that would give him a more high-profile opportunity? He could turn himself into a hot commodity in a very light free agent pitching market. The Angels don’t give him the best chance to do that.  
 
- Word on the street says that the Cleveland Indians will have payroll flexibility to add talent at the trade deadline. They are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the AL Central. If they can add a third baseman and a right fielder they could be a tough matchup in October.  
 
- Everyone keeps talking about starter Sonny Gray of the Oakland A’s as a big trade deadline target. He is 3-6 with a 5.20 ERA.  He hasn’t been very good.  So why is he everyone’s answer?  Not for me.

Steve Phillips was general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003, helping lead the club to a National League championship in 2000 and its first World Series appearance since 1986. His analysis appears each week on TSN.ca, TSN Radio and SportsCentre.