They downed the Yankees yesterday. Today it’s the Red Sox’ turn. Yariel Rodriguez will start for the Jays, while Garrett Crochet goes for Boston. It’s both of their first appearance of the season.
The Blue Jays’ lineup:
- Leo Jimenez, SS
- Addison Barger, 3B
- Orelvis Martinez, 2B
- Christian Bethancourt, C
- Alan Roden, LF
- Steward Berroa, RF
- Myles Straw, CF
- RJ Schreck, DH
- Rainer Nunez, 1B
It’s mostly the B squad, but this year that means lots of interesting young guys (and also The Dreaded Myles Straw). Most names are pretty familiar at this point, but it’s interesting that they’ve showcased RJ Schreck in both of their games so far. Being drafted as a 9th round senior sign isn’t an auspicious start to a pro career, and being traded for Justin Turner’s shrivelled husk a year later isn’t ideal either, but he tore up the AA Eastern League after the trade, and his feel for contact is real. He’s the latest in the line of “hit over everything” college performers the Jays have targeted the past few years, following Spencer Horwitz, Alan Roden and Josh Kasevich (though the last of those is also a solid shortstop). He might be a sneaky name to watch this season, especially if he’s moved up to Buffalo soon and keeps hitting.
For the Red Sox:
- Roman Anthony, LF
- Alex Bregman, 3B
- Triston Casas, 1B
- Trevor Story, SS
- Rob Refsnyder, DH
- David Hamilton, 2B
- Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
- Brian Sabol, C
- Nate Eaton, LF
A couple of notes: first, Bregman at third . Second, pay attention to Roman Anthony. He’s the #1 prospect in baseball by most accounts (discounting Roki Sasaki, who’s technically a prospect at 23 but who’s kind of not the same thing). As Jays fans, we’re going to see a lot to of him and fellow Boston uber-prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer over the next seven plus seasons, and we aren’t going to enjoy the experience, I don’t think. We can beat them today, though.
Go Jays Go!