David Price turns 40 today.
Price was only with the Blue Jays for three months, but it was a pretty exciting three months.
We traded for him on July 30th, 2015. We were 52-51 at the time, tied for second place six games behind the Yankees. After the trade, we went 41-18 and finished in first place in the AL East. That led to an exciting ALDS series against the Rangers and an equally exciting ALCS against the Royals (unfortunately, with the wrong outcome).
Price went 9-1 in 11 starts for the Jays (amazingly,
he got 10 decisions in 11 starts) with a 2.30 ERA. He had a rough time in the playoffs.
We finished six games ahead of the Yankees. One guy cannot cause a 12-game swing over 59 games, but adding Price (and Troy Tulowitzki) brought new energy to the team.
When he wasn’t pitching, he was a lot of fun to have around. He was the head cheerleader, loved Rogers Centre popcorn, and seemed to enjoy every moment. We heard how great he was with his teammates in the clubhouse. Price was very hard not to like.
After the season, he signed as a free agent with the Red Sox, receiving a seven-year, $217 million contract. After five years, Price had a 46-24 record with a 3.84 ERA in 103 games and 98 starts. I wouldn’t say he’s been worth every penny, but he was pretty good, if a bit inconsistent. He also missed some time with injuries.
In February 2020, the Red Sox traded Price to the Dodgers along with Mookie Betts. Price opted out of the 2020 season. In 2021, he was 5-2 with a 4.03 ERA in 39 games, 11 starts. In 2022, he was 2-0, with a 2.45 ERA, in 40 relief appearances. He retired after the season.
Happy Birthday, David. I hope it is a good one.
Ex-Jays prospect Darin Mastroianni turns 40 today.
Darin has appeared on our top 40 prospects lists a few times. In 2011, he was #10. Before that, he was 22nd and 26th.
We would lose him on waivers to the Twins before the 2012 season. He played for the Twins for parts of two seasons and three weeks, hitting .214/.286/.286 with 3 homers and 25 steals (caught 4 times) in 121 games.
In April 2014, we claimed him back off waivers. He played just 14 games for us, hitting .156/.156/.250. From there, he went to the Phillies, Nationals, back to the Twins (where he played in another 7 MLB games), and the Rangers. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2016
His best season in the majors was 2012. Playing in 77 games, he hit .252/.328/.350 with 21 steals. He was excellent defensively in the outfield. He was often used as a pinch runner/defensive replacement that season.
I had hopes for Darin. In the minors, he could take a walk and get on base, and he was an excellent base stealer (he stole 70 bases, splitting time between Dunedin and New Hampshire in 2009). However, with no power, pitchers at higher levels threw him strikes and made him hit his way on base.
Happy birthday, Darin.
Jayson Nix turns 43 today.
Nix had an 8-year MLB career, playing for 8 MLB teams.
He played 46 games for us in 2011, hitting .169/.256/.309 with 4 home runs. After that, he went to the Yankees and played two seasons there, filling in for the sometimes-injured, sometimes-suspended Alex Rodriguez. He hit a little better there, .239/.307/.340 in 161 games over the two seasons. He would play one more season in the majors (for three teams).
He hit .212/.282/.345 in his seven seasons in 466 games.
Happy birthday, Jayson.
