2008 Record: 86-76
Key Additions:
Kevin Millar (1B)
Brian Burres (P)
Key Losses:
A.J. Burnett (P)
Brad Wilkerson (OF)
Gregg Zaun (C)
Kevin Mench (OF)
Projected Lineup:
1. Marco Scutaro SS
2. Aaron Hill 2B
3. Alex Rios RF
4. Vernon Wells CF
5. Adam Lind DH
6. Scott Rolen 3B
7. Lyle Overbay 1B
8. Rod Barajas C
9. Travis Snider LF
Every year scouts think Rios will have a breakout year, and every year he stay about the same. Rios is very good, but he can't carry this lineup. Wells can be solid, but is an injury risk, and seems the best parts of his career have passed him by. The Jays have some young bats, and if they turn out to be good, this lineup will look a lot more respectable. Hill was hurt all last year, and for the jays sake I hope he can return to being the player he was 2 years ago. Lind showed he can play at the end of last year, but is he good enough to play full time? Snider is the wild card. He is young, and can hit, but he is so bad in the field he will eventually have to move to DH. Overall I think this will be a very streaky lineup.
Projected Rotation:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Jesse Litsch
3. David Purcey
4. Casey Janssen
5. Scott Richmond
Cl B.J. Ryan
Halladay is a stud. It is really too bad he has wasted his whole career in Toronto, because he just might be the best pitcher in baseball. After his this rotation gets a little dicey. Litsch is solid, but I don't see him as a number 2 type of pitcher. Last year he had 13 wins and an ERA of 3.58. Who knows maybe he will prove me wrong. The last three guys are a joke, and will be the main reason why this team goes nowhere. B.J. Ryan is another year removed from Tommy John, so I expect him to be very good, and their bullpen all around is not bad. The problem is they will most likely be used heavily, because of Purcey, Janssen, and Richmond.
Minor Watch:
J.P. Arencibia (C) - Seems like everyone, but the Sox have a good catcher coming up. This kid can hit bombs, but it still a year away.
Brett Cecil (P) - He has a real good shot at breaking into the rotation by mid season. He is a former first round pick, and the Jays really need this guy to progress quickly.
Overall:
Once again the Jays have enough talent to be competitive, but when you in a division with the Sox, Rays, and Yankees there just isn't much room for error. I think they will take a step back this year with the loss of Burnett. They will be fun to watch because of their young hitters, but the back end of their rotation sucks, and thus they won't win 80 games.
Record: 78-84
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