Blue Jays 2010

[shack]

Do I actually dare to want to start a discussion of our MLB team this year? Might as well beat Marc and Guy to it.

All I can say is since expectations are so low the only way they can surprise us is by exceeding them.

I guess I'm the eternal spring training optimist and will hope that the exuberance of youth and the decreased pressure associated with the above mentioned expectation level will allow them to play close to .500, which I know is a lot to ask.

More importantly may the seeds of AA's long term plan of youth, scouting and development begin to sprout sooner than later.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

Sad to see Doc go. Hope he wins a Cy Young and World Series with the Phils to build toward/solidify his HoF case. (And I hope the Jays get a bit of the "Ewing Theory" effect.)

I'm disheartened and concerned by Brad Arnsberg's departure. I think he really helped develop all of the young arms that Jays fans are so optimistic about...

I'm hopeful that Alex Anthopolous is all he's cracked up to be and I'm pretty sure that he won't let his ego get in the way of things like his predecessor.

I hope Lind and Hill continue to hit like All-Stars and that Snider and some of the other young talents develops and improves. I hope we get a few pleasant surprises out of the veterans. I hope the young arms bounce back. I hope we get something, anything remotely All-Star calibre-ish out of Vernon Wells.

I think .500 would be a great start. And very optimistic.

 

[spunkymonkey]

All I can say is since expectations are so low the only way they can surprise us is by exceeding them.

That's a fair assessment. What the Jays seem to be doing reminds me of what the Montreal Expos did in the late 90s when they couldn't afford high price free agents but they had such a good farm team that they invested in young players and when it was time to renegotiate contracts they could draft picks. It worked out well for Montreal for a few years, they brought up some of the all-stars, but ultimately as they moved to Washington, maybe the strategy didn't really work.

 

[shack]

That's a fair assessment. What the Jays seem to be doing reminds me of what the Montreal Expos did in the late 90s when they couldn't afford high price free agents but they had such a good farm team that they invested in young players and when it was time to renegotiate contracts they could draft picks. It worked out well for Montreal for a few years, they brought up some of the all-stars, but ultimately as they moved to Washington, maybe the strategy didn't really work.

I think the difference here is that the Jays have deeper pockets than the late era Expos. It's just that right now is not the time to spend. I think if and when the time comes they will have cash to spend whether if it is to resign an important player or to bring in a final piece or two of the puzzle if they happen to be in a position to contend.

 

[mandrill]

All is not bleak. If Lind and Hill stay hot and Vernon returns somewhat to form, we have the makings of a decent offence. And then we have Marcum and McGowan returning (hopefully) to good health. With a lot of luck, we might even sneak into 2nd place in the East.

 

[samgyeopsal27]

I think that although expectations are low, the Jays do have a nice core of young talent to build on for the future and hopefully be competitive again in a few years.

There are a few interesting arms with the Jays now. Marcum is coming back from injury and so is McGowan. Marcum was amazing before he went down and McGowan always had the promise. Ricky Romero scares me a little bit as I'm not sure he will continue his success and I don't think I will ever forget JP taking him over Tulowitzki, but that is hardly Romero's fault. One kid I really like is Marc Rzepczynski. He has a decent K/9 and I think he will surprise a lot of people this year. I love Brandon Morrow's upside. Hopefully he will stay in the rotation and if that doesn't pan out, he could always close for us. All in all, I think the future looks bright.

 

[SkyRider]

All in all, I think the future looks bright.

The future always looks bright in March. Anyway, I wish the Jays all the best.

 

[Hurricane Hank]

2nd in East? ROFLMAO.

 

[dagwood69]

all the really good teams seem to be strong down the middle. Hill is a budding allstar at second, Wells is unknown, and how come we never have an allstar catcher?..The Yanks have Posada, the Bosox, Veritek,, the Dodgers, Russell Martin,,,the Jays,,,well,,,somebody named Buck....I,d take Pudge Rodriquez in his prime,,,

 

[mooklicious]

all the really good teams seem to be strong down the middle. Hill is a budding allstar at second, Wells is unknown, and how come we never have an allstar catcher?..The Yanks have Posada, the Bosox, Veritek,, the Dodgers, Russell Martin,,,the Jays,,,well,,,somebody named Buck....I,d take Pudge Rodriquez in his prime,,,

Vernon Wells isn't an unknown, he has been known to suck badly for the last few years. He's 32 this year and he isn't getting any better. We should all thank JP for the albatross. On a brighter note, Lind had a great season last year and I still believe Snider will be a star in the league.

 

[shack]

Vernon Wells is 32 this year and he isn't getting any better. I still believe Snider will be a star in the league.

Hopefully you are only batting .500

 

[dj1470]

It's almost a given here at our office that the Jays will lose 100+ games this year.
Really. A record of 62-100 is not out of the realm of possibility for this team.
They have no pitching. Period. End of story.

 

[pencilneckgeek2]

Oddsmakers are posting the Blue Jays total wins at 70 or 71, depending where you look. Time for a wager on the under there, dj.

 

[mandrill]

It's almost a given here at our office that the Jays will lose 100+ games this year.
Really. A record of 62-100 is not out of the realm of possibility for this team.
They have no pitching. Period. End of story.

Well, they have pitching. It's just a question of whether it'll be healthy enough to play. Marcum and McGowan were solid 2 years ago. There were periods in 08 when Marcum pitched as well as Doc. Romero is a reasonable middle of rotation pitcher. I think they'll win mid 70 games (as usual).

 

[K Douglas]

I would be shocked if the Jays win 65 games this season. Yes we can hit but our ace is Ricky Romero for crying out loud!!

 

[teassoc]

I would be shocked if the Jays win 65 games this season. Yes we can hit but our ace is Ricky Romero for crying out loud!!

If they can recover some of their pitching form from a couple of seasons ago, they could still be strong in terms of pitching. On that basis, Romero might not even get into the lineup with Marcum and McGowan, and possibly others ahead of him. Lot's of if's of course!

I think they'll do alright this year as I expect Wells in particular to have a much better season.

 

[dj1470]

This is the problem people.
You are talking about McGowan and Marcum like they are major league pitchers or something.
These guys are 4 or 5 starters on a good team AT BEST.

The Jays will be the worst in MLB this year.

Maybe they are taking some lessons from the Leafs?

 

[mandrill]

This is the problem people.
You are talking about McGowan and Marcum like they are major league pitchers or something.
These guys are 4 or 5 starters on a good team AT BEST.

The Jays will be the worst in MLB this year.

Maybe they are taking some lessons from the Leafs?

Check the stats from 2008. Marcum had a very solid record. McGowan took a no-hitter into the 7th or 8th when he was healthy.

Can't think of many minor league pitchers who could do that.

 

[shuda]

They are a lock for 90 losses and may well reach 100.
However, give AA 3yr and it could well be a very different story.

 

[shack]

Check the stats from 2008. Marcum had a very solid record. McGowan took a no-hitter into the 7th or 8th when he was healthy.

Can't think of many minor league pitchers who could do that.

No sense getting into a discussion with him because all he ever does is put down the Leafs and Leaf fans (not that it's necessarily unwarranted) and now the Jays and Jay fans. All he does is post putdowns and adds nothing to the discussion.