At The Letters

Outfielders are crashing into each other, a second baseman can’t throw to first, and players are losing track of balls and strikes. Arden and Ben discuss whether this is acceptable for a rebuilding team like the Blue Jays (it’s not). Plus, how much longer must we wait for Vlad Jr. to save the day?

“We know that Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has the capacity to make that throw. We’ve seen him do it in infield practice. We’ve seen him do it in games before. And he’s not making the throw right now. So there is a really significant mental component to it.” – Ben Nicholson-Smith

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

At The Letters is presented by the All-New 2019 Ford Ranger. Ford- The road less travelled has way more fun. https://www.ford.ca/trucks/ranger/

Audio Credits: Sportsnet 590 The FAN and Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The Blue Jays are pitching, but they sure aren’t hitting. Plus, Arden and Ben look back at Kevin Pillar’s career in Toronto and make sense of the Randal Grichuk deal.

“Shoemaker and Galvis to this point could not have worked out better in the dozen games that we’re here talking about.” – Arden Zwelling

“When you look at Blue Jays center fielders in the history of the franchise — Obviously Devon White, Lloyd Moseby, Vernon Wells, probably the top three. Kevin Pillar I think you can make a very strong case that he’s in that group maybe as the number four all-time centre fielder for a team that’s been around for four plus decades.” – Ben Nicholson-Smith

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

At The Letters is presented by the All-New 2019 Ford Ranger. Ford – The road less travelled has way more fun. https://www.ford.ca/trucks/ranger/

Audio Credits: Sportsnet, The FAN 590 and WNBR 680..

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Sure we’re just a few games into the season, but that doesn’t stop Arden and Ben from taking stock of the early returns for the Blue Jays and their new manager.

“So here’s what we’re getting from Charlie Montoyo — is some pretty full explanations of the moves that he’s been making. And I would say that in this first four game series with which he’s managed. I don’t want to say we’ve learned a ton about him, but we have seen some interesting things that he’s going to do differently than John Gibbons did them.” – Arden Zwelling

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

At The Letters is presented by the All-New 2019 Ford Ranger. Ford – The road less travelled has way more fun. https://www.ford.ca/trucks/ranger/

Audio Credits: MLB Network, Sportsnet and The FAN 590.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

With some help from their Sportsnet colleagues Arden and Ben make their fifth annual over/under predictions, covering everything from prospects to trades to stats.

“I feel like this is my year.” – Arden Zwelling

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

At The Letters is presented by the All-New 2019 Ford Ranger. Ford – The road less travelled has way more fun. https://www.ford.ca/trucks/ranger/

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

After breaking down the final roster decisions in Blue Jays camp, Ben and Arden turn their attention to the club’s decision to give minor-league players a significant raise.

“Money definitely talks. So in this case, if the Blue Jays are able to go to each and every draft prospect that they are talking to — they can point to these articles and say, this is actually happening. We do pay our minor-leaguers more.” – Ben Nicholson-Smith

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

At The Letters is presented by the All-New 2019 Ford Ranger. Ford — The road less travelled has way more fun. https://www.ford.ca/trucks/ranger/

Audio Credits: ABC Sports, ESPN, Sportsnet and The FAN 590.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Arden and Ben start by breaking down the injury to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and what it means moving forward. They then turn their attention to the pitching staff and how a single trade deadline would impact the Blue Jays.

“When you are a 19-year-old, it’s not necessarily fun to be pounding kale smoothies and not going out to Chipotle with your teammates . . . It’s just not where your mind is at. And it’s because you haven’t really faced that negative feedback I think from a physical standpoint. So at some point that’ll happen for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. if he doesn’t address his body composition.” – Arden Zwelling

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

At The Letters is presented by the All-New 2019 Ford Ranger. Ford – The road less travelled has way more fun. https://www.ford.ca/trucks/ranger/

Audio Credits: Sportsnet and Sportsnet 590 The FAN.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

With Clay Buchholz and Bud Norris all but officially Blue Jays, Ben and Arden sit down in Dunedin, Fla. to make sense of the various pieces on the Blue Jays’ pitching staff. They then discuss Devon Travis’ knee inflammation before analyzing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s latest exploits.

“It’s clear that they’re coming closer to replicating game conditions than they would with the drills that we’ve seen in years past.” – Ben Nicholson-Smith

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet and The Fan 590.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

In the aftermath of Ross Atkins’ comments about Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Arden and Ben discuss the top prospect’s timeline to the majors and the messaging from the club. Then, Shi Davidi joins Arden in studio to discuss his observations from Dunedin, Florida.

“Yes, you are going to get the extra year of control. But what are you doing to him now? What are you doing to the relationship in the longterm? And how is this going to affect you? And affect other people in your organization? And how the other kids around Vladimir Guerrero Jr. view you as a front office?” – Shi Davidi

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Audio Credits: ABC WKBW-TV, Buffalo Bisons, CBC, MLB Network, Sportsnet, The FAN 590 and YES Network.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Marcus Stroman recently made headlines when he spoke about his contract status and the value of experience in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse. In this edition of At the Letters, Ben and Arden take stock of Stroman’s comments and his future on the team before addressing the question of veteran leadership in Toronto.

“We want to be entertained. So I’ll give Stroman credit for that. And hey, he’s answering questions that he has been asked. We obviously expect that and want that from athletes.” – Ben Nicholson-Smith

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Audio Credits: MLB Network and Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

As spring training begins, At the Letters returns. Arden and Ben start by making sense of the off-season and setting expectations for 2019. They make the case that the Blue Jays’ run prevention will still be an issue even with many newcomers on the roster. And of course no discussion about this team is complete without some Vlad Jr. talk, so ATL looks ahead at the next couple months for baseball’s top prospect.

“All Spring Trainings are about not getting hurt. But I think that’s really what the Blue Jays spring is going to be about. Don’t get hurt.” – Arden Zwelling

This episode is produced and sound engineered by Amil Delic, and hosted by Arden Zwelling and Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet and The FAN 590.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.