Can the Blue Jays Take the East? Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview...

The only baseball team left in Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays, have longed for the days of the early 90’s where they won back to back championships; however, with the emergence of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox as beasts in the American League East, they found it hard to compete for the better part of ten years plus.

The organization opened up the purse strings last winter signing a plethora of free agents; therefore, under the guidance of general manager J.P. Riccardi the end result was a second place finish in the American League East and remaining in the playoff hunt until after the All-Star break. Although the team was about 10 games short of winning the division and just as much from the Wild Card last season, the team made a lot of strides.

The Blue Jays played well while mired in controversy with their manager, John Gibbons and run-ins with players. However, the team has given him the sign of approval and he’ll guide the team into the upcoming season.

While the team has a fearsome offense, as well as a deep bullpen, the starting corps is suspect. Back in the fold in the rotation is star Roy Halladay, but after that uncertainty awaits.

Gone from the team are Ted Lilly who went to the Cubs, Shea Hillenbrand who was traded to the Giants mid-season, Bengie Molina, Frank Catalanotto and Justin Speier. New additions to the team include the big addition, masher Frank Thomas, longtime veteran Royce Clayton, and pitchers John Thomson and Tomo Ohka.

In the end, the big question will be do the Jays have enough to be a contender?

Leading the charge in the Blue Jays starting rotation is perennial Cy Young candidate, Roy “Doc” Halladay. Holladay is coming off a season where he went 16-5 with a 3.19 ERA; therefore, it’s needless to say that the Blue Jays will need him to maintain the same level and remain healthy for the team to have a fighting chance as a contender.

After Halladay, things get worrisome in terms of the starting pitching.

The probable second starter A.J. Burnett has loads of potential, and could be an ace in the hole along with Halladay; however, he’s had problems staying healthy for a full season. Given a 5 year, 55 million dollar contract last winter, he missed time with elbow problems, but managed a 10-8 record with a 3.98 ERA. A gifted pitcher, the Blue Jays hope his history of injuries are left behind and he can stay healthy.

Young Gustavo Chacin will be the 3rd starter, as he was 9-4, however with an ERA at 5. He will need to give up fewer runs, & pitch deeper into games in ’07 and beyond. Tomo Ohka will be at the bottom of the rotation, and although he will not ever be a top of heap guy, he’s a solid .500 pitcher who will eat innings. He was 4-5 with an ERA under 5 in ’06 for the Brewers.

The wildcard in the rotation is newly acquired John Thomson. The Blue Jays hope he’s got some stuff left, as he was only 2-7 last year with an ERA near 5. His best year recently was in 2004 where he was 14-8 with a 3.72 for the Atlanta Braves. To be quite honest, for the Blue Jays to have a shot in the AL East, they will need Chacin, Ohka and Thomson to find their way, step up and pitch well if they have any shot at contending in the stacked American League.

The bullpen for the Blue Jays this year will have an assortment of young arms, a lot of depth, but a very dominant closer in the fold. The bullpen was very strong last year, as imposing B.J. Ryan saved 38 games and had a miniscule 1.37 ERA. Although he received a record contract for a closer which brought some scrutiny, he was nothing short of golden for the Blue Jays. Only 31, he’s got many years left in the tank, and is already now one of the best relievers in the game.

Joining B.J. Ryan will be Jeremy Accardo who appeared in 65 games in ’06 in first year, Scott Downs, Brian Tallet, Brandon League who was impressive, Jason Frasor, Dustin McGowan and possible Davis Romero or Francisco Rosario.

Let’s move onto the offense.

The Toronto Blue Jays go into 2007 having pretty much the same core of players they had last season. The team has an offense that could be considered one of the best in baseball, stacked with veterans and power hitters, as it is definitely the strongest part of the team.

The newest acquisition, “The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas will be the every day designated hitter in Toronto. He could be the potential wild card in the lineup, as he had a renaissance year with the Oakland Athletics in ’06; however, he’s struggled with injuries for the past several seasons and had a split with the White Sox which resembled an ugly divorce. He jacked 39 homers and drove in 114 runs to help the Athletics win the west, but while he’s always been a lethal hitter, age and injury at this point will be a concern. Considering he parlayed a great 2006 into a 2 year, 18 million dollar contract, it’s critical he keep up his production stay off the DL the best he can.

The outfield for the Blue Jays will be manned by Vernon Wells, Alex Rios and Reed Johnson. The big gun in the outfield, Vernon Wells recently was signed to a massive 7 year deal after hitting 32 homers with 106 RBIs to go with a .302 batting average. Only 28, he’ll be manning center for ’07 and many years to come.

In right field, will be Alex Rios who was white hot until he ended up on the DL with a staph infection in his leg mid-season, but came back. He still managed to hit a tad over .300 with 17 homers and 82 RBI and should be expected to keep up the same level of production assuming his health has returned. Reed Johnson will be the left fielder, and he was solid hitting .314 with some pop (12 homers to go with 42 runs batted in) and flourished in ’06. Although his numbers last season were better than what he’s done in his career, he should remain solid. The outfield will be backed up by Adam Lind.

The infield will be manned by long time veteran Lyle Overbay at first, Aaron Hill at second, Royce Clayton at shortstop and slugger Troy Glaus at third. Overbay, always the steady veteran, batted .312 with 22 homers in ’06 and with his track record should continue his level of production; meanwhile, Aaron Hill had a solid year in 06, batting .291 with 50 RBIs and will man second base.

At shortstop will be long time veteran Royce Clayton. He’s with his 7th team, and should provide a steady glove, but he’s a light hitting player at this stage of his career. He’ll probably split time with John McDonald, who can also play second base. At third, will be big slugger, Troy Glaus who hit 38 longballs and drove 104 RBIs with a batting average over a tad over .250 last season. Always a big, strong hitter, he can mash the ball, but expect him to hit realistically to a .250-.275 clip and whiff quite a bit.

Backing up the infield will be aforementioned John McDonald, and Jason Smith.

At catcher will be veteran Greg Zaun, who in 2006 probably had the best year of his career batting .272 with 12 homers. For the most part, he’s been a backup throughout his career, but got a chance to start in ’06 and made the most of it. With the departure of Rod Barajas and Benji Molina, he’s the every day guy. Backing him up will be Jason Phillips, who can also play first.

The Blue Jays in 2007 are primed to take on the powerhouse rival Yankees and Red Sox after a successful 2006 campaign. While the Blue Jays have a great offense, and deep bullpen, the pitching situation will be the deciding factor whether the team becomes a contender or regresses. With the improvements and additions that both the Yankees and Red Sox made, the Blue Jays have a difficult task ahead of them in 2007.