Toronto Blue Jays
General Manager – JP Ricciardi Ricciardi got to play with money this off-season, after three years of implementing his Moneyball strategy. Time will tell if his investments turned out, but remember this – he knew what he was doing with barely any money. While more money can lead to more irrational decisions, Ricciardi still has a core of the team he built without money, and if they fail, they’re probably still no worse than last year’s version.
Manager – John Gibbons Also fairly new to the managing game, Ricciardi thought highly enough of him to take the interim tag off his job position when the former manager, Carlos Tosca, was fired. He seems to be a capable manager, as the team is responding to him and he hasn’t been fired yet, has he? There’s either glowing praise, controversy, or no praise of managers. Gibbons certainly doesn’t have controversy, unlike Tosca, and thus makes a fine manager.
C – Bengie Molina Waiting out the free agent market and regretting not signing with the New York Mets quickly, Molina took a one-year deal from the Blue Jays to try to build up his value again. Molina is far from a terrible catcher and certainly does represent an upgrade from Gregg Zaun, who is now the backup. Molina should provide steady offensive power, and is already regarded as one of the best catchers in the game.
1B – Lyle Overbay Acquired in a trade with the Brewers, Overbay is not your power-hitting first baseman, but he’s got gap power, good offense, and just overall plays a good game. It’s no secret that I’ve always been a fan of Overbay and called for Overbay to come to Boston repeatedly. Overbay will never be regarded as one of the current greats at his position, but that’s more an indication of the power emanating from first than it is of his abilities. Virtually every team would love to have a player with a career line of .286/.373/.452 hitting in their lineup somewhere.
2B – Aaron Hill Hill is entering his second year of his tenure in the major leagues. Hill, drafted 13th overall in 2003, had 361 AB last year and hit .274/.342/.385, which is pretty good. The power isn’t there, but he can mature and get some pop going, and even if he doesn’t, a .274/.342/.385 line is definitely things a team will take. That kind of offense is especially nice by a second-baseman.
SS – Russ Adams The Blue Jays are hoping for continued progression from Russ Adams, who turned in a .256/.325/.383 line last year. Not strong offensively, he’s also not brilliant defensively. If he doesn’t progress, the Blue Jays may start considering another direction. The 14th overall pick in 2002 is by no means a complete waste, but if his career stays this way, he’ll end up a utilityman in a few years.
3B – Troy Glaus Yeah, he strikes out a lot. He also takes his fair share of walks and hits a lot of homeruns. He gives Glaus what they’ve lacked since Carlos Delgado – power. Lots of it. A threat in the middle of the order. It’s what the Blue Jays need to be taken seriously – that one true offensive threat.
LF – Frank Catalanotto After a poor 2004, the Cat rebounded to have an .818 OPS last year. Having been robbed of much of his former defensive prowess, it’s the bat the Jays are counting on Catalanotto being good with. A .301/.367/.451 line is enticing to a lot of people, and Jays fans are hoping that Catalanotto can replicate that. The Jays are actually going to have a pretty deep and dangerous lineup.
CF – Vernon Wells People say this is his MVP year. They’ve said that for a while. While it’s true that he’s in the heart of his prime, he may be nothing more than someone who makes above-average contact with good power, but not enough eye to do something about it. His career line is .286/.331/.483, and he’s good in the outfield, he’s good with the stick, but he’s never going to be known as a superstar, not unless he busts out big time this year.
RF – Alexis Rios Rios took a step back in 2006, as the man mostly known for his defense had posted an encouraging .286/.338/.383 line in 2004, which, coupled with his defense and speed, could assure him of a starting post. Alas, in 2005 he hit .262/.306/.397, and is entering his age-25 year. The first round pick (pick 19) of the 1999 draft, he still has years to progress as a hitter, but given his extended look in the majors, he needs to come through with a strong season to avoid being typecast for the rest of his career. Teams have short attention spans when it comes to production – just look at 2006, with everyone thinking Foulke is garbage, and 2005 when everyone thought he was God because of 2004.
DH – Shea Hillenbrand Hitting 18 HR last year and hitting .291/.343/.449, Hillenbrand turned in a very well-rounded season, a quiet contributor doing the things needed to win. While he may be better used as a first-baseman or third-baseman, the Jays are going to play Glaus at third ahead of Hillenbrand, and Overbay is more gifted in the field than Hillenbrand, and thus he becomes a DH. He’ll produce, but the Jays may look to upgrade the position to a power threat soon.
Bench – Gregg Zaun, Eric Hinske, Reed Johnson, John McDonald Zaun, returning from injury, will play around 2 times a week in place of Bengie Molina. Zaun didn’t deserve to be relegated to the bench after his year last year, but after all, it’s Bengie Molina. Hinske has been a disaster since his Rookie of the Year campaign, and will attempt to resurrect his career as a utilityman. Reed Johnson has been the bane of the Red Sox over the last few years, and is Cat’s platoonmate, while McDonald is the Alex Cora of the Blue Jays, except he can’t hit as well.
SP 1 – Roy Halladay One of the best pitchers in the game, Halladay’s going to bounce back from an abbreviated 2005 season when he was injured. In 2004, he was with a 12-4 record, a 2.41 ERA, and a scary 0.96 WHIP. Truly one of the top pitchers in the game, Halladay can grab the Cy Young whenever he wants.
SP 2 – AJ Burnett/Scott Downs Stepping in for Burnett, Scott Downs will depart Toronto once Burnett is healthy. Downs spent 2005 in the AL with the Blue Jays after coming over from the Montreal Expos. He pitched in 94.0 IP, and had a 4.31 ERA. Burnett, the big-money, big-pitcher acquisition of free agency, will return and try to justify these dollars. I think Burnett can and will eventually put it all together, but not this year.
SP 3 – Ted Lilly Long fustrating his GMs with his potential, Lilly struggled last year with a 5.56 ERA. He’s going to attempt to right his career this year, but he’s headed down a slippery slope, especially with his terrible start to 2006. Look for him to have a very short leash this year, and don’t rule out a starting acquisition by the Jays come July.
SP 4 – Gustavo Chacin The man with the interesting windup, Chacin will look to avoid the sophomore slump this year. Throwing for 203 IP last year, Chacin had a 3.72 ERA, but his WHIP of 1.39 portends to the fact he still has a ways to go. If he can stay strong, the Jays can breathe easier moving the other lefty, Lilly.
SP 5 – Josh Towers Quietly, Towers has gone from a Baltimore battering ram to someone who actually has value. Last year, he went 13-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 208.2 IP, with a 1.27 WHIP. Boston certainly could have use for him. He should quietly put up excellent backend rotation numbers again. The Jays rotation, if Lilly can at least go back to his 4.00 ERA ways, has a chance to be very strong throughout.
RP – Justin Speier, Jason Frasor, Scott Schoeneweis, Vinnie Chulk, Pete Walker, Brian Tallet Speier has been an excellent option in relief since escaping Colorado. Frasor has slowly improved, and took a big leap last year. He’ll be counted on this year, with the lefty Schoeneweis entering his second year of being a true lefty. He really came into his own last year, coming into 80 games and posting a 3.32 ERA. Hopefully his whining about wanting to start subsides. Chulk is another nice option in relief for the Jays, but isn’t exactly top-tier. The same goes for spot-starter Pete Walker, and Brian Tallet will attempt to resurrect his career after being a failed bright star for Cleveland.
CL – BJ Ryan We all know about Ryan. Will he succeed? Will he fail? People point to his one-year experience as closer as if it’s a detriment, but he’s long been a quality pitcher.
Fire Brand’s Most Favorite Move – Lyle Overbay A quiet contributor, he’s going to be more integral to that team than most people expect.
Fire Brand’s Least Favorite Move – AJ Burnett I know, I know. He has vast potential, but since when did a lot of money being invested in potential turn out well?
Overall, the Jays look to be a solid, well-balanced club. If it gets what it wants out of Glaus and Burnett, suddenly this is a postseason club. It remains to see if everything will fit in, but glory days in Toronto may not be far away.
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