What does the rest of the AL East think of the 2010 Jays?(Part 1 of 5)

February 4th, 2010 | by jays1992 |

Today, we begin a series of related question and answer pieces that I have sent out to fellow bloggers of team in the best division in baseball, the American League East.

Once we display all opposing team viewpoints, I will give the hometown viewpoint, in response to these same questions.

In today’s piece, Darryl Johnston, who is doing an awesome job at www.soxteaparty.com answers nine questions about the Toronto Blue Jays.

1. Who will be the predominant leadoff batter for Toronto this season?

Yikes, I hadn’t realized the impact of Marco Scutaro leaving Toronto and what that would do to the leadoff spot. My pick now would have to be Aaron Hill, although I think he is better suited in the 2-hole. Jose Bautista has a nice walk rate, but my guess is he is just a utility guy if they want Randy Ruiz to DH. Hill’s OBP is nothing spectacular either. Toronto needs to find a real leadoff guy by March or it will be a carousel all season.

2 Adam Lind and Aaron Hill were both Silver Slugger winners last year. Do you see a drop in production from either of them this season?

Aaron Hill, yes. Adam Lind, no. I like Hill, but I feel like that power is going to be a big outlier when his career is all said and done. His raw power numbers were identical to 2007, but he really benefitted from a huge jump in his HR/FB rate. I would expect that to come back to career levels and Hill should be perched around 25 HRs and not 35+ HRs. Still nothing to sneeze at though.

Lind on the other hand, may actually improve on his 2009 numbers. Nothing about that season screams anomaly. He even increased his power in the second half. The walk rate improved three percentage points over 2008 and he finally hit left-handed pitching. I’d pencil him in for .305 BA, 35 HRs, 110+ RBI and 90+ runs. At age 27, he is the real deal.

3 Should the Jays resign Carlos Delgado as their likely DH or should they look at internal options?

I think Carlos Delgado returning to Toronto would be a good fit and play into the nostalgia. People better not sleep on the old man either. He still has all of his plate skills and is incredibly overlooked, yet productive. It would push Lind full time to the OF and Ruiz would have to see spot-action, but I think Delgado makes sense for Toronto. He needs to DH though, so it’s American League or nothing for Delgado.

4 Brendan Morrow has been a starter/reliever throughout his time is Seattle. Where would he be most valuable to the Jays?

Seattle fiddled with Morrow so much that I think his growth was stunted. He is a strikeout, flyball pitcher. I would slot him in as the #3 or #4 guy in the Blue Jays rotation and let him find his way. He struggles a little with walks so it will be imperative that he keeps the ball in the park, especially being an extreme flyball pitcher.

5 Where would you bat Vernon Wells and where should he play in the field?

I’ll say right now that Vernon Wells should not be the cleanup hitter anymore. That power is trending the wrong way and it’s probably not going to suddenly return after a slow decline. His line drive rates are also slowly careening and I don’t expect him to top anything better than 20 HRs and .275 BA. I would hit him second actually. I think he has to play the field. There is enough logjam with Ruiz and Overbay.

Assuming no Carlos Delgado:

1. Aaron Hill

3. Adam Lind

5. Randy Ruiz

8. John Buck

6 What do you expect out of Edwin Encarnacion this season offensively?

Encarnacion was a good gamble by the Toronto front office. I like his plate skills, but he lacks a little in the way of making contact. He’s had some injuries and been bitten a little by balls in play. At first blush, I would put him down for .260 BA, 25 HRs, 75 RBI and 75 Runs.

7 Who will be the Jays MVP this season?

Adam Lind in a runaway. I fully expect a sustained three-year breakout starting with last year. After 2011, we will see him as a 40 HR guy and a menace to the American League.

8. Who is the sleeper pick, from this roster and why?

The sleeper on this team is Ricky Romero. Maybe that’s not exactly breaking news in Toronto, but I see this kid as a guy who has flashed some serious upside. Not a lot of people are on to him yet. I like strikeout pitchers who keep the ball on the ground and Romero does both. He is a little streaky though and can struggle with free passes. I saw him a lot when he was with Toronto’s AA affiliate in New Hampshire and Romero was completely dominant at times. If he can put it together in 2010, I think you have a 16 win pitcher with an ERA in the high 3’s.

9 Let’s say, on Opening Day, the Jays lead by a run in the top of the ninth. The reliever who comes on to close will be ________.

Probably Jason Frasor, but now Kevin Gregg comes along to spoil his fun. Frasor looked like he could do it in the second half last year, but why would Gregg sign in Toronto without a legit shot at the gig? This is a tough question but I will say, on Opening Day, it’s Frasor.