At Home Plate - 2008 Toronto Blue Jays Preview

2008 Toronto Blue Jays Preview

Written by Nicholas Kramer (Contact & Archive) on March 18, 2008

2007 Record: 83-79, 3rd Place in AL East
Home Field: Rogers Centre

Into the Blue Nest
OF Shannon Stewart (Free Agent from Oakland)
INF Ray Olmedo (Waivers from Pittsburgh)
C Rod Barajas (Free Agent from Phillies)
3B Scott Rolen (Trade from St. Louis)
RHP Randy Wells (Rule 5 from Cubs)
SS David Eckstein (Free Agent from St. Louis)
OF/INF Buck Coats (Trade from Cincinnati)
MR Armando Benitez signed (Free Agent)

Flew the Coop
P Ryan Houston (Traded to Cincinnati)
P Justin James (Released)
3B Troy Glaus (Traded to St. Louis)

The Skinny: In 2007 Toronto did what they are good at: just being another team in the AL East. With a winning percentage of .512 and still being a thorn in the side of the Yankees and Red Sox, Toronto took a small tumble from the '06 season. They had a team that could have been competitive, but the injury bug bit and bit hard. This year could be better, possibly a season in contention for the wild card.

Strengths: BJ Ryan appears to be healthy and is trying to cement himself back in to the closer role. David Eckstein, although getting older, is still a defensive wizard and will bring his hitting friendly bat with him. Another big strength is Scott Rolen. Rolen was picked up for Troy Glaus from St. Louis in a trade that swapped two injury prone/big contract players. Rolen looks very good this spring training and the Blue Jays will need him to stay hot through the season if they wish to be competitive in the AL East.

Alex Rios gives Toronto an outfielder that’s good on offense and defense and brings hope that he will have a terrific year and re-sign long-term. Toronto’s starting pitching will also need to be hot. Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett will need to show that they can lead the staff through the season if they wish to be in the post season. Burnett will need to be healthy and management will need to protect his arm.

Weakness: Vernon Wells. Most would think that he is not a weakness but after a lackluster 2007, what can you say about him that is positive? He looked more like Richie Sexson more than the Wells everyone seemed to know. He has to make a comeback and show that he is still able to be productive in a way that can help the Jays in 08.

Another big weakness is the injury bug. When it bites the Blue Jays it bites like Bird Flu and infects every player at some point. Look for the Blue Jays during spring training to work on injury prevention and anything that keeps these players in peak shape.

Potential Lineup:

1. SS David Eckstein
2. RF Alex Rios
3. CF Vernon Wells
4. DH Frank Thomas
5. LF Matt Stairs
6. 2B Aaron Hill
7. 3B Scott Rolen
8. 1B Lyle Overbay
9. C Greg Zaun

Starting Rotation
1. Roy Halladay
2. AJ Burnett
3. Dustin McGowan
4. Shaun Marcum
5. Jesse Listch

Keys to Success: Boston, Tampa and New York will have to severely underachieve in a way that can propel Toronto to contention. It is possible thanks to early injuries and inexperience that is plaguing Boston, Tampa and New York. Toronto has to also keep healthy with little or no injuries during the season.

Prediction: Toronto can be like the Seattle Mariners of '07. No one is expecting them to do much because of their past. Their individual players’ experience could lead to success. They have several veterans that have played in pressure situations and their young guys seem to be able to handle pressure well. It will not take career years for the Blue Jays to win the East, but a lack of production from other teams in their division.

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Comments (2)

Excellent tips. Really useful stuff .Never had an idea about this, will look for more of such informative posts from your side.. good job...Keep it up

Toronto Blue Jays are sort of underestimated because of their past. No matters what happened in the past, the future is counting now. We must have confidence in their success.