Dunedin Notebook: Special reunion for Farrell
Posted March 1, 2012 3:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell enjoyed a warm reunion Thursday with close friend Terry Francona, the former Boston Red Sox skip who now works for ESPN.
The two sat down for an on-field interview and shared some laughs, able to reconnect without the pressure of competition the way they did last season when they went toe-to-toe from opposing dugouts.
Teammates with the Cleveland Indians some 25 years ago, they became and remain tight, working together with the Red Sox for four seasons, where Farrell served as pitching coach and formed some of his ideas about managing before joining the Blue Jays.
“The one thing that was very apparent was his willingness to stay with people, even when things might not have been going their way on the field,” Farrell said. “I’d like to think back in (my) first year that there probably could’ve been a little bit more of that on my part.
“But seeing the way he dealt with 25 individuals, in all the situations that arose in that city, in that ballpark, in that media surrounding, he’s very adept at handling the many different challenges that were thrown his way.”
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INCREASED ODDS: Though Jose Bautista was reluctant to discuss the matter until officially announced, the star outfielder says the expected addition of an extra wild card team in each league is good news for the Blue Jays.
“If we were to include (the extra wild card), it’s something that’s definitely going to help teams like ours being on the bubble, and potentially, with this division being as strong as it is, we could be in third place with a better record than the winner of another division,” Bautista explained. “That certainly could be a possibility, I don’t know if it ever happened, and (the extra wild card) gives a team like ours, with the possibility of being in that position, a way to sneak through.
“It definitely increases everybody’s chances but we feel better about it because it is going to be a better chance.”
Though details remain unconfirmed, the expectation is that the new playoff system will feature two wild-card teams in a one-game playoff with the winner advancing to face one of the three division winners.
That raises the possibility of a third-place team winning the World Series.
“I think it will create a little bit more buzz and it’ll give some Cinderella teams that barely sneak in there a chance to get to the World Series,” said closer Sergio Santos. “I think it will be good for baseball.”
One school of thought is the new system will increase motivation for teams to win their division.
“I think first steps first, get in and then anything can happen,” said manager John Farrell. “Some people might say, well it’s a one-game playoff, but I think anybody will sign up right now to play one extra game rather than go home.”
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SHORTENING GAMES: According to Farrell, the plan for now is to use Francisco Cordero in the eighth inning to set-up for Santos, with southpaw Darren Oliver used against left-handed hitters in specific situations.
Farrell would like Cordero to start innings, but with the likes of Robinson Cano and Adrian Gonzalez in the AL East, there are times he’ll have to mix and match.
“I’m sure that will present itself,” said Farrell. “But with his closing ability and the way (Cordero) has had success late in the game, with Santos behind him, hopefully we have the ability to shorten some games up.”
Farrell also mused about the benefit of carrying two lefties in the bullpen, with rookie Luis Perez and prospect Evan Crawford as the top candidates.
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COLBY TIME: With the ability to hit for average and power plus some speed, Colby Rasmus could fit a variety of spots in the batting order.
Blue Jays manager John Farrell has an idea of where the centre-fielder might start the season but wants time to lock in a slot for him.
“When he’s performing at his capability, he’s hit somewhere in that five, six, seven spot,” said Farrell. “We’re fortunate that we have a lot of flexibility with our lineup, and we have the ability to stack some left-handers against some right-handers.
“He can find himself in the middle of the order somewhere if he’s in one of those streaks where he’s kind of on a hot trend. I don’t want to pigeon-hole him in one spot. He’s a guy we feel like can be a little bit more aggressive on the basepaths, and he’s got the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark.”
Farrell said Rasmus’ speed is more first-to-third speed rather than stolen-base speed, but didn’t rule out that out for him either.
“He’s had double figure stolen bases in the past, but we’re not looking for him to be a 20-20 type of player,” said Farrell. “At the same time, he’s athletic, and he’s got some instincts and we’ll look to take advantage of those.”
