bluejays.com l 2/25/2011
Blue Jays looking to build on '10 success
Pitching staff main question mark for youthful team
DUNEDIN - After an eventful winter that saw the team's opening day starter get moved to Milwaukee, the trade of one of the all-time greats in club history and a long term contract extension for the new face of the franchise, the Toronto Blue Jays kick off the spring season against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow in Dunedin.
New manager John Farrell, unlike most first-timers, will inherit a team that had modest success in the previous season. The Blue Jays went 85-77 last year, and although they did not come close to the playoffs, this generally unexpected success has led many to believe that the only Canadian major league franchise can compete in the vaunted American League East in the near future.
However, 2011 will likely be another building year for Toronto. In November, the Jays shipped off ace Shaun Marcum to Milwaukee for top prospect Brett Lawrie. While he played 2nd base in Huntsville last season, the Jays plan to convert Lawrie into a 3rd baseman, and hope that he will be able to contribute at the big league level by 2012, or even sooner. The biggest trade of the offseason was general manager Alex Anthopoulos sending Vernon Wells and the $86 million remaining on his contract to the Los Angeles Angels for Juan Rivera and Mike Napoli; the latter was then flipped to Texas for Frank Francisco. With the extra payroll flexibiiliy, it is expected that Toronto will take a legitimate run at Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder if they hit free agency after this season.
As we make the trip to every spring training destination, we look at five key questions that will be answered during the season.
1. Is Jose Bautsita for real?
The Blue Jays sure hope so, considering that they just signed him to a 5 year deal worth $64 million, with a team option for a 6th season. The 30 year old had never hit even 20 homers in a season before absolutely destroying the league with 54 in 2010. Bautista was actually better in the 2nd half of the year, so pitchers weren't able to find any weaknesses in his swing. Nobody expects him to hit 50 again, but if he could hit 35 and provide adequate defense at third base until Lawrie arrives, the Blue Jays will be very happy.
2. Who will fill out the back end of the rotation?
After the trade of Marcum, the Jays have three pitchers who are guaranteed to come north if they are healthy; Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Brett Cecil. The other spots will be up for grabs among a handful of starters with limited experience. The favourite for the 4th spot is Kyle Drabek, the centrepiece of the Roy Halladay trade who made three starts in September. Behind him, lefties Mark Rzepczynski and Jo-Jo Reyes will compete for the 5th spot. The sleeper is Jesse Litsch, who had success with the team in 2007 and 2008 before elbow and hip problems derailed his last two seasons. If he stays healthy, he should have an inside track to make the team.
3. Can Aaron Hill and Adam Lind bounce back?
The biggest disappointments for the Blue Jays last year were Hill and Lind, who appeared to prove themselves as legitimate all-stars in 2009. However, after hitting 36 homers, Hill's average dropped over 80 points and landed at .205. He was hurt by a horrendous .196 average on balls hit in play, and as long as he gets a touch luckier, he should improve.
Lind's biggest issue was his complete inability to hit lefties. After a Silver Slugger season in 2009, he had a pathetic .341 OPS against southpaws, and slugged only .425 overall. Now that he is moving to first base, the Blue Jays hope that being in the field will mean that he doesn't dwell on his hitting failures, and similar to Hill, it should be expected that he will bounce back.
4. Who takes over in the bullpen?
Over the offseason, the team lost closer Kevin Gregg to Baltimore, and star set-up man Scott Downs to the Angels. Instead of building from within, the Jays went to free agent and trade markets to shore the 'pen up. Via free agency, Toronto brought in Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch, while picking up Francisco and Carlos Villanueva in trades. Along with incumbents Jason Frasor, David Purcey and Shawn Camp, there will be plenty of competition in the spring for a late-March trip to Toronto.
5. Will the philosophy of the Jays change?
Last year, the Blue Jays hit an amazing 258 homers, smashing the previous team record. However, this came at the cost of hitting for average and getting on-base, as the team finished near the bottom of the league in both categories. Furthermore, the Jays were last in stolen bases last year. Toronto has brought in Rajai Davis, who singlehandedly had more steals than the Jays last year, as well as Scott Podsednik to attempt to inject some more speed into the lineup. However, with Bautista, Lind, Hill, Rivera, Edwin Encarnacion, Travis Snider and AAA home run king J.P. Arencibia expected to be in the opening day starting lineup, the ball will still be flying in the Rogers Centre in 2011.
The Blue Jays will have three spring training games broadcast on Sportsnet heading into the regular season, which kicks off as Toronto hosts the Minnesota Twins on April 1. The three games will be the Jays hosting the Philadelphia Phillies on March 15, followed by trips to the spring training homes of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, on March 23 and 30 respectively.