BLUE JAYS PREVIEW!
I love baseball. This is the most wonderful time of the year. Spring training is winding down, the weather is getting warmer, the birds are chirping… It won’t be long now before I’m sitting in the Skydome (err Rogers Centre) havings a brew and watching the boys of summer.
Opinions are mixed on the Jays’ chances this year. And when I say chances, I mean their chances of not totally sucking. They’re not going to be competitive, that’s for sure. However, I have a feel they’re going to be better than a lot of people think. Here are a few X-factors:
Starting rotation: The Jays will field a very young, inexperienced pitching staff on opening day. They will be counting on guys who have incredible potential, but have suffered from injuries in recent years resulting in prolonged stretches away from the game (Marcum and later in the season McGowan). However, while there are some serious question marks, I think the potential exists for this rotation to be very, very solid. Morrow has a massive amount of talent that he has yet to put together. Romaro and Rzepczynski have the potential to be very solid mid rotation type guys in a couple of years. Tallet will be back in the ‘pen where he belongs by June when McGowan is ready to return. I just reread this paragraph and I think I used the word “potential” 3 or 4 times… that pretty much sums it up. The potential is there and my hope is that this group will be able to put it together.
Travis Snider: This guy needs to get going this year. He is a serious masher and if he can figure it out in the majors, and if Lind and Hill can come even close to their 2009 numbers, the middle of the line up could be scary good. It would also provide one more bat for Wells to potentially hit in front of… because we all know he is pretty much useless if he doesn’t see quality pitching.
Outfield Defense: Who are the corner outfielders on this team? The Jays seem to have a serious lack of athletic, strong defensive outfielders who can also hit. Lind and Snider aren’t going to get the job done all season. Some type of solution is needed here. I guess the x-factor here is whether the Jays can get the job done despite the limited defensive talent in the OF.
Finally, offensive production at SS: McDonald and Gonzalez are above average defensive short stops. McDonald might be the best in the AL. The problem is, neither guy can hit. If somehow they can get some type of decent offensive production out of this position (like they did last year, although I’m not expecting Scutaro type numbers), that would be a massive help.
All in all, if 50% of these x-factors come true, the Jays will challenge for .500. This season will be all about finding out what the organization has in terms of young players and going from there. My hope is that two years from now, it will be obvious what holes must be filled, and alex anthopoulos will be able to do so via free agency or trade.
Regardless, I can’t wait for baseball season to get underway!
