Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

Toronto Blue Jays Team Preview

March 20, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

2005 RECORD: 80-82 (Third in AL East - Did not make playoffs)

OVERVIEW

When general manager J.P. Ricciardi came to Toronto, he had a five-year plan that he put in place. The first two years of that plan involved cutting costs, investing in youth and building up the farm system. This offseason marked the third year of his plan and it was by far the most active. With majority owner Ted Rogers giving the green light, Ricciardi was allowed to increase the payroll by over $30 million and bring in some of the most sought-after free agents.

While some might say he overpaid, Ricciardi addressed the need for a No. 2 starter in A.J. Burnett and solidified the bullpen with the signing of former Baltimore Orioles closer B.J. Ryan. He also added a much needed bat by acquiring 3B Troy Glaus. C Bengie Molina and 1B Lyle Overbay were the other two major transactions that Ricciardi pulled off. The buzz is back in baseball in Toronto; however, now the team needs to reward Ricciardi's faith in it. They are still in tough against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but if they ever had a shot at the wild card, or even division title, this would seem to be their year.

POSITIONAL DUEL

With their offseason moves the Blue Jays essentially already have their opening roster set in place. Former Rookie of the Year 1B/RF Eric Hinske could challenge DH Shea Hillenbrand for at-bats, and he's also attempting a transition to right field, because Hinske seems to be the odd man out in the infield with Glaus and Overbay set at the corners. Hinske might also be given a run in the outfield sometime during the season to try and fit him in.

The Blue Jays figure to play the match-up game a lot heading into the season. At the corner outfield spots, expect them to go with LF Reed Johnson and RF Alexis Rios versus southpaws and LF Frank Catalanotto and Hinske against righties. If one of them distinguishes himself quite a bit this spring, he could parlay the opportunity into more of a full-time gig.

C Gregg Zaun will most likely lose time to Molina. Zaun was the catcher last year and is one of the leaders in the clubhouse, so expect him to see some playing time but not nearly as much as last year. In 2005 he was also better at getting on base than Molina (.355 OBP compared to Molina's .336 OBP); however Molina has the better power and defense so expect him to get the majority of playing time. One good thing about Zaun is that he is a team player, so don't expect him to complain much with Molina cutting into his playing time.

FADING FAST

Hinske has failed to capitalize on the bright start to his career and this season he looks to be a part-time player. He has put up decent numbers so far in spring training and the club is happy with his progress, but once the real games start don't expect much from him as he struggles to find a place in the team.

COMING ON STRONG

2B Aaron Hill made a huge impression on the Blue Jays last year, so much so that they traded their Gold Glove-winning 2B Orlando Hudson to the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason. Hill is a contact hitter who doesn’t have great power (only three home runs), but he is a hit machine (.274 average). When he was first called up there were some comparisons between him and former Blue Jays great Paul Molitor.

SP Gustavo Chacin was expected to challenge for a spot low in the rotation last season and ended up being the most consistent of all Blue Jays pitchers. He posted a 13-9 record with a 3.72 ERA over the course of the season. Expect more of the same from Chacin as he proved to be consistent even with pressure added on, as he showed when he was thrust into the No. 1 spot on the rotation.

ON THE REBOUND

CF Vernon Wells has had a couple of down years with the lack of protection in the lineup and the pressures of being "the man" in Toronto. With the addition of Glaus and Overbay, he finally has someone dangerous batting behind him, something he hasn't had since now New York Mets 1B Carlos Delgado left town. His numbers, especially his runs, should increase this year as he gets better protection in the lineup.

RHP A.J. Burnett burned most of his bridges with the Florida Marlins before coming to Toronto. He faded badly down the stretch last year (0-6 in his last six starts) and was even called out by his manager, something he didn’t take kindly to. He should thrive up north, where he is in a new environment and should be much happier. He has some of the best stuff in the league and this could be the year he puts it all together.

INJURY REPORT

Two of the top three pitchers Toronto has will be returning from injury this year. Halladay (shin) was having a Cy Young-caliber season when a line drive from Texas Rangers OF Kevin Mench ended it prematurely. Luckily it is not the type of injury that should have any lasting effects, so expect Halladay to be back to his stellar form this season.

SP Ted Lilly (shoulder) also battled injury troubles last year as he was bothered by shoulder tendonitis for most of the season. He did manage to garner 11 victories however, and he is a former All-Star. He should fit in nicely in the No. 3 spot, but he is not a power pitcher and his pitch counts tend to be very high because of this, so it's always possible that it could be a nagging injury for the most of the season.

CLOSER UNDERSTUDY

When the Blue Jays thrust RP Jason Frasor into the closer's role early in the 2004 season, he responded with 17 saves. He stumbled in the second half of the season, but at the time the Blue Jays thought that they might have discovered their closer of the future. Fast forward to 2006; Frasor entered camp as Ryan's setup man, and if for any reason the burly lefty falters, Frasor is likely to get first crack because of his experience and confidence in the role.

ON DECK

SP Dustin McGowan is the best prospect the Blue Jays have down on the farm. He is a power pitcher with a 95-mph fastball and has two good complementary pitches in his curveball and changeup. He made an appearance at the end of last season and put up poor numbers (1-3, 6.35); however he was only one year removed from Tommy John surgery and the Blue Jays feel as though he'll improve immensely on those numbers.

PROJECT LINEUP

1) SS Russ Adams (.256, 63 RBI, 68 runs)

2) LF Frank Catalanotto (.301, 59 RBI, 56 runs)

3) CF Vernon Wells (.269, 28 HRs, 97 RBI, 78 runs)

4) 3B Troy Glaus (.258, 37 HRs, 97 RBI, 78 runs) w/ ARZ

5) 1B Lyle Overbay (.276, 19 HRs, 72 RBI, 80 runs) w/ MIL

6) DH Shea Hillenbrand (.291, 18 HRs, 82 RBI, 91 runs)

7) C Bengie Molina (.295, 15 HRs, 69 RBI)

8) RF Alexis Rios (.262, 59 RBI, 71 runs)

9) 2B Aaron Hill (.274, 40 RBI, 49 runs)

PROJECT ROTATION

1) Roy Halladay (12-4, 2.41 ERA)

2) A.J. Burnett (12-12, 3.44 ERA) w/ FLA

3) Ted Lilly (10-11, 5.56 ERA)

4) Gustavo Chacin (13-9, 3.72 ERA)

5) Josh Towers (13-12, 3.71 ERA)

BULLPEN

Middle Relief: Vinnie Chulk, Scott Schoeneweis

Setup: Justin Speier, Jason Frasor

Closer: B.J. Ryan (1-4, 2.43 ERA, 36 saves)

Author Bio

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.