The OOTP X Toronto Blue Jays

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2012 Major League Award Winners

The 2012 Blue Jays would make a dissapointing exit from the American League Championship Series but they ran into a very strong Kansas City Royals team that would go on to capture the World Series Title. The Jays were suprised to learn that C J.P. Arencibia would be the AL Gold Glove winner at catcher and that RF Alex Rios would be named hte American League MVP. Rios did have a resurgance this year hitting .366 with 22 HR and 110 RBI but his temmate Arencibia had better nubers hitting .353 with 46 HR and driving in 153 Runs.

The rest of the award winners were:

National League Gold Golves

P Tim Sexton (Los Angeles Dodgers)
C Jeff Clement (Philedelphia Phillies)
1B Chris Marrero (Washington Nationals)
2B Brandon Phillips (Cincinatti Reds)
3B Hector Gomez (Colorado Rockies)
SS Jimmy Rollins (Philedelphia Phillies)
LF Tim Pfeiff (Houston Astros)
CF Jordan Schaeffer (Atlanta Braves)
RF Jason Heward (Atlanta Braves)

American League Gold Golves

P Michael Tonkin (Baltimore Orioles)
C J.P. Arencibia (Toronto Blue Jays)
1B Marios Castro (Oakland Athletics)
2B Lowie Abresca (Minnesota Twins)
3B Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays)
SS Toby Kuster (Oakland Athletics)
LF Michael Laliberte (Kansas City Royals)
CF Fred Kirby (Detroit Tigers)
RF Felix Pie (New York Yankees)

National League Rookie of the Year

LF Ricardo Gonzales (Chicago Cubs)
.307 29 HR 104 RBI

American League Rookie of the Year

2B Wilson Manuel (Kansas City Royals)
.359 6 HR 90 RBI 55 SB

National League Cy Young Award

CL Clay Meredith (Philedelphia Phillies)
9-3 54 SV 2.39 ERA 79 K

American League Cy Young Award

SP Zack Grinke (Kansas City Royals)
22-5 3.00 ERA 194 K

National League Manager of the Year

Pat Mahomes (Philedelphia Phillies)

American League Manager of the Year

Trey Hilman (Kansas City Royals)

National League Most Valuable Player

1B Albert Pujos (St. Louis Cardinals)
.335 33 HR 148 RBI

American League Most Valuable Player

RF Alex Rios (Toronto Blue Jays)
.366 22 HR 110 RBI

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2012 Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Year

The Blue Jays relied heavily on their farm system in 2012 and the record of AAA Las Vegas reflected that. Las Vegas was poached early and often and was devoid of much of the Jays top level talent for the majority of the year. As a result the 51's struggled to the worst record in the Pacific Coast League going 57-87 and finishing well out of the playoff race. The bright spot for the Jays organization was their affiliate in the Mid Western League, the Lansing Lugnuts finished first and brought home the Mid Western Championship trophy.

AAA Las Vegas 51's (57-87 Last in South Division)

LF Adam Loewwn
28 Years Old, LHB
Aquired: Signed by Toronto
2012 Stats: .272 28 HR 78 RBI
GM's Comments: Loewen had a very strong season for Las Vegas and managed to give the team some much needed offence when the Jays were forced to callup a number of their better offensive prospects. The downside for Loewen is that he has been passed on the Jays depth chart by a group of younger players and is not likely to get a shot at the big league level any time soon with the Jays.

AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats (67-75 4th in Northern Division)

1B Naozane Fukuda
24 Years Old, RHB
Aquired: 5th Round Pick 139th Overall in 2009 by Toronto
2012 Stats: .254 17 HR 74 RBI
GM's Comments: It was a down year offensively for most players in New Hampshire and Fukuda was no exception. He lead the team in HR's and RBIs and was the heart of the Fishercats offence this season. He will get a shot to be the starting firstbaseman for AAA Las Vegas next year and will also likely get an invitation to Spring Training.

High A Dunedin Blue Jays (57-83 5th in North Division)

SP Brian McJannet
21 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 99-101 MPH
Aquired: 15th Round Pick 458th Overall in 2011 by Toronto (Altavista HS)
2012 Stats: 8-1 2.43 ERA 32 BB 153 K
GM's Comments: McJannet has been a very good find late in the 2011 Draft. He has a very strong arm and shows very good control. His 101 MPH fastball made short work of the Eastern league hitters before a back problem prematurely ended his season. He is just 21 years old and will likely be headed to AAA Las Vegas to star the 2013 season and will get an invitation to Spring Training in 2013.

Low A Lansing (94-46 1st in East Division & 2012 Midwestern League Champions)

SP Diego Rodriguez
23 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 99-101 MPH
Aquired: 8th Round pick 248th overall in 2011 by Toronto (Notre Dame, NCAA)
2012 Stats: 21-4 1.59 ERA 38 BB 292 K's
GM's Comments: Rodriguez is another big hard throwing arm in the Jays system. He was an 8th round pick who has rounded into a very good pitcher for the Jays in the low minors. He was a 2012 Midwestern League Allstar and was named the 2012 Midwestern League Pitcher of the Year. He will be headed to AA New Hampshire to start the 2013 season and could see AAA Las Vegas before the end of the season.

Short Season A Auburn (46-30 2nd in Pickney Division)

LF Alfredo Rivera
20 Years Old, LHB
Aquired: 1st Round Supplemental Pick 33rd Overall by Toronto in 2011 (Santa Ana Highschool, USHSBA).
2012 Stats: .342 5 HR 42 RBI
GM's Comments: Rivera was a compensation pick awarded to the Jays for the loss of MR Jason Frasor and the 20 yearold tore up the New York Penn League in his second season of professional ball. He has tremendous talent and a very high ceiling and came a long way in 2012 in terms f his development. He will be assigned to Low A Lansing for the 2013 season and at just 20 years old the Jays have no plans to rush the youngsters development.

GCL Blue Jays (18-42 last in North Division)

SP John Anderson
22 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 97-99 MPH
Aquired: 2nd Round Pick 75th Overall by Toronto in 2012 (Yale University, NCAA)
2012 Stats: 5-4 2.45 ERA 38 BB 96 K
GM's Comments: Another hard throwing lefty in the Jays system, he came out of Yale and had a good season for a very bad GCL Blue Jays team. With a better offence he could have easily been 8-2. He is developing nicely and will bypass Single A and start the 2013 season with AA New Hampshire. The Jays scouting staff believe that he is ready for AAA competition now but we want to be careful to not ruin his development, especially since he was just drafted in the 2012 draft.

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2012 Blue Jays Offseason Report

The 2013 Blue Jays are going to be a much different team. The Jays finished the 2012 season with the best record in the majors at 115-47 but were ousted in the American League Championship Series by the eventual World Series Champions the Kansas City Royals. Toronto's 2013 buget was set by ownership at slightly over $103,000,000 US and their current payroll is already $98.5 million. Toronto has 10 players heading to salary arbitration this year and they are going to ahve to cut roughly $15-20 million worth of payroll in the offseason inorder to get under their projected buget.

This bugetary constraint was a main reason that the Jays did not offer CL Hong-Chih Kuo a new contract after the 2012 season and he was allowed to walk as a free agent. The 31 yearold from Taiwan was 6-2 with 37 SV and a 3.39 ERA for the Jays last season. He was demmanding a salary in the $8-10 million dollar range and that was just too much for the Jays. He would eventually end up signing a 1 year contract with the San Francisco Giants at $8.5 millon. He was also considered a Type B Freeagent and the Jays will receive a selection in the Supplemental Round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft as compensation.

Salary Arbitration Hearings

Toronto had 10 players that they would end up going to arbitration with. Toronto also declined to offer arbitration of 2B Aaron Hill and INF Joe Inglett. Both players became unrestricted free agents adn could sign with any team of their chosing.

The other 10 players would all agree to contracts for the following amounts:

3B Mike Moustakas - $7,830,000
SP Brett Cecil - $6,820,000
SS Carlos Triunfel - $663,000
SP Neftali Feliz - $6,485,400
1B Justin Smoak - $9,500,000
C J.P. Arencibia - $7,480,000
MR Kevin Jepsen - $600,000
CF Elijah Dukes - $7,994,000
SP David Purcey - $7,303,000
LF Travis Snider - $12,500,000

Player Trades

GM Ryan Stewart was very busy this offseason as he had to shed some salary inorder to stay within the teams designated budget for the 2013 season. The Jays started the offseason a little more than $20 million dollars over their budget and were forces to make a number of trades. GM Ryan Stewart "The hardest aspect of this offseason was attempting to move some of our talented players and to bring players back that will be able to step in and help us now. We are not heading into a rebuilding mode and we plan on competing next season. I think that the players that we brought in will compliment our guys that were on the roster last season"

The Jays first trade was a deal that saw them ship CF Elijah Dukes and his $7,944,000 contract to the Pittsburgh Pirates along with minor league SS Al Hoorelbe for CF David Price.

CF Elijah Dukes was aquired from the Nationals in 2010 as has been the Jays starting centerfielder since. In 2012 the 28 yearold hit .287 with 27 HR and 108 RBI. He has been a very good producer for the Jays over the last few seasons but he has had injury problems, missing a significant amout of time on the disabled list. The Jays also packeged up 23 yearold SS Al Hoorelbe who was the Jays 24th Round Pick 735th Overall in 2012 out of Northern Illinois University in the NCAA. He spent the entire 2012 season with the GCL Blue Jays and hit .304 with 1 HR and 3 RBI.

Coming back to the Jays is 25 yearold switch hitting CF David Price. Price was drafted by the Pirates in the 4th Round 115th overall in 2010 out of the Army Acadamy. He spent the entire 2012 season with the Pirates and hit .280 with 9 HR and drove in 30 RBIs. He was used as more of a backup in Pittsburgh but will be the Jays leadoff man and starting centerfielder in 2013. He can hit for average and a little power and is very fast on the basepaths. He will give the Jays an element of speed that they have not had in their lineup for a number of years.

The Jays second trade was a tough one to make. The Chicago Cubs and GM Joe Ellis were looking to make a splash in the NL Central and inquired about the availiability of the 2012 American League MVP RF Alex Rios. Rios has 3 years and nearly $38 million left on his contract. He has seen a resurgance over the last 2 seasons in Toronto and although it was not easy to do GM Ryan Stewart shipped Rios along with SS Carlos Triunfel and SP Madison Baumgarner to the Cubs for SS Joel Walker and MR Lawrence Harris.

The Jays ship out Rios who hit .366 with 22 HR and drove in 110 RBIs in 2012. The 31 yearold was named the American League MVP in 2012 and is coming off one of the best seasons in his career. Along with Rios the Jays esnt SS Carlos Triunfel who was the Jays starting shortstop last season. The 22 yearold hit .301 with 17 RH and 91 RBI. Rounding out the package is 23 yearold SP Madison Baumgarner who was up and down between AAA Las Vegas and the Jays multiple times last season. The southpaw was 5-8 with a 4.43 ERA for the 51's and did battle some arm problems that caused him to miss time on the disabled list.

The Jays aquire an allstar caliber player in SS Joel Walker. Walker was the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Cubs out of Penn State University and was already playing at the Major League Level at just 23 years old. He hit .286 with 7 HR and 38 RBIs in 2012 for the Cubs and the Jays are hoping he is the answer at short for the next decade. Walker is also defensively sound and has a very strong throwing arm, GM Ryan Stewart really wanted him as part of the package in return for Rios and it took a lot to pry him away from the Cubs. Toronto also gets MR Lawrence Harris a hard throwing 23 yearold righty who was the Cubs 15th Round Pick 433rd Overall in 2011 out of Northwestern University in the NCAA. He spent all of the 2012 season with the Cubs and was 1-1 with a 2.15 ERA with 15 BB and 33 K in just 31 innings pitched. He will compete for a spot in the Jays bullpen at spring training this year and the Jays see him as a future setup man.

GM Ryan Stewart's final move of the offseason was to ship SP Dustin McGowan to the Texas Rangers for 25 yearold SP Chris Oglethorpe.

The 30 yearold McGowan was 10-10 with a 5.80 ERA for the Jays as their #5 starter this season but is scheduled to make $4,360,000/year for the next 2 seasons and the Jays have some young arms in AAA that can do the same job for much cheeper.

Coming over to the Jays is SP Chris Oglethorpe. A 25 yearold righty with an average fastball in the 89-90 MPH range. He was the Rangers 5th Round Pick 147th Overall in 2010 out of Old Dominion in the NCAA. He was 10-10 with a 3.76 ERA with A Bakersfield. He doesn't scout as a front of the rotation starter but could be useful as a back of the rotation/spot starter out of the bullpen for the Jays.

The Blue Jays and GM Ryan Stewart managed to shave a significant amout of salary this offseason setting them up well under their $103,000,000 budget. The Jays saved $12,400,000 when 2B Aaron Hill and CL Hong-Chih Kuo were allowed to walk as free agents ($8 million for Hill, $4.4 million for Kuo). The Jays also saved a total of $25,467,600 with the trades that they made. This means that the Jays shaved a total of $37,867,600 off of their payroll which now sits at a comfortable $85,133,100.

Waiver Claim

The Jays added another bullpen arm as they claimed 22 yearold MR Willie O'Macken off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. O'Macken was a 17th Round Pick of the Pirates 505th overall in 2010 out of Bowling Green highschool and was 1-1 with 4 SV and a 1.64 ERA in AA Altona. The 22 yearold lefty has a very good fastball in the 94-96 MPH range and also throws a plus sinker. He will get an invitation to Spring Training in 2013 and will compete for a spot in the Jays bullpen.

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Blue Jays Spring Training 2013

The 2013 version of the Blue Jays have becun arriving at the Bobby Mattick training Center in Dunedin Florida as Spring Training activities are about to kick off. The Jays will open up the 2013 season as the defending American League East Champs and will look to avenge their early exit in the American League Championship to the Kansas City Royals.

The Jays will also have a number of new young faces in camp this season who as a number of moves were made in the offseason to get the team back to within their budget. The Jays traded veterans CF Elijah Dukes, RF Ales Rios and starting SS Carlos Triunfel, SP Dustin McGowan and SP Madison Baumgarner in the offseason. The Jays will have SS Joel Walker, CF David Price, MR Lawrence Harris and MR Willie O'Macken attending their first camp with the Jays.

Toronto will also have a number of their players from within their own Organization getting a chance at camp this season. SP Dan Oakes, SP Ruben Serrano and 3B Mark Terry will all be attending their first training camp with the Jays. SP Dan Oakes has moved the fastest of the three. he was a 3rd Round Pick of the Jays in 2011 out of Harvard and has gone from Short Season A Aubrn to AA New Hampshire and now will be up for a look with the big club. The 23 yearold Canadian will likely start in AAA Las Vegas but is a player to watch this season.

2013 Spring Training Invitees

Starting Pitchers

SP Brett Cecil - 8-2 3.77 ERA (Toronto)
SP Neftali Feliz - 20-4 3.90 ERA (Toronto)
SP Roy Halladay - 18-3 3.84 ERA (Toronto)
SP Dan Oakes - 13-7 3.33 ERA (AA New Hampshire)
SP David Purcey - 3-1 5.17 ERA (Toronto)
SP James Ryan - 17-1 3.14 ERA (Toronto)
SP Ruben Serrano - 7-7 4.15 ERA (AAA Las Vegas)

Bullpen

MR Byrn Conroy - 4-2 1 SV 7.07 ERA (Toronto)
MR Feliz Doubrint - 0-4 7 SV 5.08 ERA (Toronto)
MR Alan Farina - 6-2 3 SV 4.26 ERA (AAA Las Vegas)
MR Lawrence Harris - 1-1 2.15 ERA (Chicago Cubs)
MR Kevin Jepsen - 1-0 1 SV 7.74 ERA (AAA Las Vegas)
MR James Parr - 2-6 1 SV 5.55 ERA (AAA Las Vegas)
MR Willie O.Macken - 101 4 SV 1.64 ERA (AA Altoona)
MR Angel Perez - 6-5 4 SV 2.95 ERA (Toronto)
MR Manual Ramirez - 8-2 1 SV 3.96 ERA (Toronto)
CL Frank Pena - 12-5 4 SV 4.95 ERA (Toronto)

Position Players

C J.P. Arencibia - .346 42 HR 152 RBI (Toronto)
C Chris House - .232 5 HR 24 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)
C Jonathan Talley - .257 27 HR 63 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)

1B Ken Phelps - .326 22 HR 73 RBI (Toronto)
1B Justin Smoak - .321 29 HR 126 RBI (Toronto)

2B Bradley Emaus - .278 6 HR 31 RBI (Toronto)
2B Carlos Hernandez - .347 11 HR 50 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)

3B Mike Moustakas - .333 28 HR 92 RBI (Toronto)
3B Mark Terry - .309 9 HR 48 RBI (AA New Hampshire)

SS Joel Walker - .286 7 HR 38 RBI (Chicago Cubs)
SS Tyler Pastornicky - .247 10 HR 43 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)
SS Justin Jackson - .267 13 HR 75 RBI (Toronto)

LF Travis Snider - .301 23 HR 79 RBI (Toronto)
LF Alastair Parry - .351 4 HR 47 RBI (Toronto)
LF Adam Lind - .349 35 HR 115 RBI (Toronto)
CF David Price - .280 9 HR 30 RBI (Pittsburgh Pirates)
CF Darin Mastroianni - .257 6 HR 42 RBI (AA New Hampshire)
CF Eric Eiland - .249 3 HR 27 RBI (AA New Hampshire)

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2013 Blue Jays Ready for Season opener

April 4th, 2013

The Toronto Blue Jays have concluded a very good srping training and are ready to raise the curtain on the 2013 season. The Jays will open up at the Rogers Center in Toronto for a 3 game set against their division rivals the Boston Red Sox. Fans may not recognize a number of the new Jays to start the season but GM Ryan Stewart believes they will be household names soon "We brought in a number of exciting young players in the offseason and we have been able to develop a number of our own kids who are starting to get a shot at the big club. SS Joel Walker and CF David Price will be future Allstars, mark my words and both are superb defensively and will have Jays fans cheering for the plays they can make. It should be a very exciting season"

The season could also be a very exciting one for a long time Blue Jay SP Roy Halladay who starts the season with 196 career victories. He needs just 3 more to reach 200 and if he can get to 207 he will tie Bob Lemon and Carl Mays for 99th on the alltime list. The 35 yearold halladay still ahs a lot in the tank and will be the Jays opening day starter against Boston.

2013 Toronto Blue Jays

SP Roy Halladay (RHP)
SP Neftali Feliz (RHP)
SP James Ryan (RHP)
SP Brett Cecil (LHP)
SP David Purcey (LHP)

MR Willie O'Macken (LHP)
MR Byron Conroy (RHP)
MR Felx Doubront (LHP)
MR Lawrence Harris (RHP)
MR Manuel Ramirez (RHP)
MR Angel Perez (RHP)
CL Frank Pena (RHP)

C J.P. Arencibia (R)
C Chris House (R)
1B Justin Smoak (S)
1B Ken Phelps (L)
2B Carlos Hernandez (R)
2B Bradley Emaus (R)
3B Mike Moustakas (L)
SS Justin Jackson (R)
SS Joel Walker (R)
LF Travis Snider (L)
LF Adam Lind (L)
CF David Price (S)
CF Eric Eiland (R)
RF Alastair Parry (L)

Opening Day Lineup & Starting Pitcher

CF David Price
2B Carlos Hernandez
3B Mike Moustakas
RF Adam Lind
1B Justin Smoak
LF Travis Snider
SS Joel Walker
C J.P. Arencibia
DH Ken Phelps

SP Roy Halladay

*RF Alastair Parry was suffering from elbow tendinitis and was forced to go on the 15 day disabled list. LF Adam Lind moved over to RF and 1B Ken Phelps will DH. The Jays also called up CF Darin Mastroianni from AAA Las Vegas to start the season.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Top Prospects

April 11th, 2013

Baseball America has published their yearly rankings of the top 100 prospects in Major League baseball and the Jays farm system has moved up one spot from 5th in 2012 and now currently boast the 4th best farm system in the Majors. The Colorado Rockies have the No. 1 rated system followed by the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. The St. Louis Cardinals round out the top 5 behind the Jays. With 3 of the top 5 systems in the Majors in the American League East Division there is going to be some good young talent making their debuts and making a very tough division that much tougher.

Blue Jays Top 20 Prospects

1. SS Joel Walker (24, RHB) Walker was the centerpiece of the deal that saw the reining American League MVP RF Alex Rios shipped off to Chicago this offseason. Walker was the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 First Year Player Draft out of Penn State University in the NCAA and spent just 1 year in the minors before spending the majority of the 2012 season with the Cubs hitting .286 with 7 HR and 38 RBI. He is going to be the Jays opening day shortstop and the Jays think he has the talent to be an Allstar and a piece to build their team around. He is rated as the #9th best prospect by Baseball America.

2. 1B Ken Phelps (25, LHB) Phelps was the Jays 1st Round Pick 19th overall out of the University of Nebraska in 2010. Phelps made his debut with the Jays in 2012 and filled in for an injured 1B Justin Smoak for the last half of the season hitting .326 with 22 HR and driving in 73 runs. He pretty much played himself onto the roster for 2013 and will split time at the 1B and DH positions. Eventually he is going to be the Jays starting firstbaseman which means that 1B Justin Smoaks days are likely numbered in Toronto. He is rated as the #19th best prospect by Baseball Ameriaca.

3. SP John Anderson (22, LHP) Anderson was the Jays 2nd round pick 75th overall in the 2012 First Year Player Draft and has quickly gained some acclaim despite being drafted less than 1 year ago. He spent the entire 2012 season in the Gulf Coast League where he was 5-4 with a 2.94 ERA walking 21 and striking out 75. He has a very strong arm and a fastball in the 97-99 MPH range and also throws a slider, curveball and changeup. He is headed for AA New Hampshire in 2013 as my scouts believe he is able to skip A ball all together. He could be in the running for a spot in the Jays rotation as early as 2014. He is rated as the #40th best prospect according to baseball America's 2013 rankings.

4. 2B Carlos Hernandez (22, RHB) Hernandez was aquired from the Cleveland Indians in 2012 for 1B David Cooper. The former 2nd Round pick 69th overall out of Keewatin Highschool spent half of the 2012 season in AAA Las Vegas and hit .347 with 11 HR and 50 RBI. He is slated to be the Jays starting secondbaseman and leadoff hitter for the 2013 season. He has very good speed and can hit for a high average and steal bases. He won't hit a lot of homeruns but 10-15 a year is reasonable. He is rated as the #50th best prospect according to Baseball America.

5. Mack Boyle (22, RHP) Boyle is another product of the 2012 First Year Playe Draft. He was the Jays 4th Round Pick 135th Overall out of UCLA in the NCAA. He has a very good arm and a fastball in the 95-97 MPH Range and compliments it with a sinker and a slider. He spent all of 2012 in the GCL where he was 4-3 with a 2.43 ERA walking 35 and striking out 95. He still needs a lot of work on his control and will be moved a little slower through the system. He will be assigned to High A Dunedin for the 2013 season. He is rated as the #69 best prospect according to Baseball America's rankings.

6. SP Dan Oakes (24, LHP) Oakes was drafted by the Jays in the 3rd Round 99th Overall in 2011 out of Harvard University and continues his ascent up through the Jays system. He spent the entire 2012 season in AA New Hampshire and was 13-7 with a 3.33 ERA walking 69 and strikingout 274 batters. He was a 2012 Eastern League Allstar and is not fat from making his debut with the Jays. he will be assigned to AAA Las Vegas to start the 2013 season and could see time with the Jays if there are any injuries to the starting staff. He is rated as the #86th best prospect in the Majors according to Baseball America.

7. CF Dave Price (24, S) Price came over in an offseason deal that saw CF Elijah Dukes traded to the Pirates. He is a former 4th round pick 115th overall by Pittsburgh out of the Army Acadamy in 2010. He hit .280 with 9 HR and 30 RBIs for Pittsburgh last season and is scheduled to be the Jays opening day centerfielder in 2013. He is rated as the #96th best prospect in the Majors according to baseball America's Rankings.

8. SP Ruben Serrano (24, LHP) Serrano was drafted by the Jays in the 2010 Supplemental Round 50th Overall. He has a very good fastball in the 93-95 MPH Range and also features a plus slider and changeup and a forkball that he is working on but is currently considered just average. Serrano started the 2012 season in AA New Hampshire and was 5-0 with a 2.17 ERA before earning a promotion to AAA Las Vegas. After his callup he was 7-7 with a 4.15 ERA for the 51's. He will start the 2013 season in AAA but is not far from making his debut with the Jays.

9. LF Alfredo Rivera (21, LHB) Rivera was a supplemental selection of the Jays 33rd Overall in 2011 out of Santa Ana Highschool. After struggling in his first professional season in the GCL Rivera blossomed into one of the best hitters in Auburn of the New York Penn League. The 21 yearold hit .342 with 5 HR and drove in 45 RBIs and was the heart of the Doubledays offence. He was a 2012 NYP League Allstar and the 2012 NYP Gold Glove winner for left field. He is still very young and the Jays have no intentions of rushing him so he is headed to Low A Lansing for the 2013 season and will get his first taste of a full season of professional baseball.

10. SP Elias Randolph (21, LHP) Randolph is another big (6'5", 220 lb) lefty with a very strong fastball. He can bring his fastball in the 97-99 MPH range and also features a curveball and slider. He was drafted by the Jays in the 7th Round 218th overall in 2011 out of Glendale Highschool. Randolph continues to impress as he moves up through the Jays minor league system. In 2012 he was in Auburn of the New York Penn League and was very good as the teams #1 starter. he was 6-3 with a 2.51 ERA with 22 BB and 121 K's. He is very young and the Jays are not planing on moving him up quickly so he will also move to Lansing of the Midwestern League for his first full season of professional baseball.

11. SP James Ryan (22, RHP) Ryan is a former 1st round pick of the Jays in 2009 19th overall and started the 2012 season in AAA Las Vegas. He was called up when SP David Purcey was forced to go on the diasbled list. At the time he was 5-0 with a 0.76 ERA for the 51's. After his callup all he did was go 17-1 with a 3.14 ERA with 43 BB and 212 K's for the Jays. The 22 yearold has cemented a spot for himself in the Jays rotation for 2013 and beyond. He could be the heir apparent to Ace SP Roy Halladay for the Jays.

12. SP Rich Fowler (22, RHP) Fowler is the 3rd pitcher from the 2012 first year player draft to make an appearance on this list. He was selected in the 5th round 165th overall out of the University of San Francisco in the NCAA. He spent the entire 2012 season in the GCL and was 2-5 with a 2.46 ERA walking 29 and striking out 77. He pitched much better than his record would indicate but got very little run support. He throws a hard fastball in the 97-99 MPH range and has a plus slider and splitter. He was assigned to Lansing of the Midwestern League for the 2013 Season.

13. SP Robert Buchanen (23, RHP) Buchanen continues the Jays trend of drafting big hard throwing starters. He stands 6'4" and weighs 215 lbs. He can bring his fastball in the 97-99 MPH range and also features a curveball, cahngeup and forkball. He was drafted by the Jays in the 1st round 27th overall in 2011 out of George Mason University. In 2012 the big righty spent the entire season in AA New Hampshire where he was 11-9 with a 3.76 ERA walking 82 batters and striking out 176. He needs to cut down on the walks and work on his control a little before he is considered for a spot in the Jays rotation. He will start the 2013 season in AAA Las Vegas but could be a callup at some point during the season.

14. LF Alastair Parry (24, LHB) Parry was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 3rd Round 98th Overall in 2010 out of Fresno State University. He was traded to the Jays along with 3B Mike Moustakas before the start of the 2011 season. Parry started the 2013 season in AAA Las Vegas and was hitting .332 with 4 HR and 31 RBIs before being called up due to an injury to LF Travis Snider. After his callup he hit .351 with 4 HR and 47 RBIs and because of his performance played his way onto the team in 2013. He won't be a starter yet but he can play all 3 outfield positions and will give the regulars a much needed day off here and there.

15. 2B Brady Day (24, RHB) Day was drafted by the Jays in the 4th Round 123rd overall in 2010 out of the University of Arkansas. Day continues to move through the Jays system in 2012 he stopped in AA New Hampshire and he hit .297 with 14 HR and 76 RBI. He struggled a little with injuries and missed a number of games with stints on the disabled list. He is 100% healthy and will start the 2013 season in AAA Las Vegas and could make his debut with the Jays at some point during the 2013 season.

16. 3B Mark Terry (24, RHB) Terry was the Jays 1st Round Pick 11th Overall in 2010 out of the University of South Carolina. Terry spent the entire 2012 season in AA New Hampshire and was very good hitting .309 with 9 HR and 48 RBIs. He has not yet developed the power that the Jays thought he would when they drafted him 11th overall. He is still hitting for average and is scheduled to start the season in AAA Las Vegas. He could see time with the Jays at some point this season.

17. RF Glenn Boehmer (21, LHB) Boehmer was the Jays 7th Round Pick 213th Overall in 2010 out of Orlando Highschool. Boehmer struggled a little in his first full season of proball hitting just .268 with 9 HR and 68 RBIs in Low A Lansing of the Midwestern League. He is scheduled to start the 2013 season in High A Dunedin of the Florida State League and if he performs well could see himself moved up to AA New Hampshire before the end of the year.

18. SS Jose Garcia (24, Switch) Garcia was the Jays 9th round pick 273rd overall in 2010 out of the University of Georgia. Garcia struggled in AA New Hampshire in 2012 hitting just .224 with 11 HR and driving in 47 Runs. he was very solid defensively though and is starting to shapeup as a good option for the Jays as a utility/bench player at the major league level. he will be moved to AAA Las Vegas to start the 2013 season but if he struggles he could find himself right back in AA.

19. CL Mike Head (23, RHP) Head is the only reliever on the Jays top Prospects list. He was drafted in the 6th round 188th overall in 2011 out of Pepperdine University in the NCAA. He has a very good arm and brings his fastball in the 96-98 MPH range and also throws a very good sinker. Head continues to impress in the Jays minor leagues, he was 1-2 with 21 SV and a 1.20 ERA for Short Season A Auburn of the New York Penn League in 2012. He will start the 2013 season in AA New Hampshire but he won't be ready to go until around May as he has surgery to remove a bone spurr in his elbow at the conclusion of the 2012 season.

20. SP Joe Davis (25, RHP) Davis was drafted in the 2nd round 63rd overall in 2010 out of Cal Poly in the NCAA. Davis had a good season in 2012 and got himself back on track after a poor showing in the 2011 season. He was 11-10 with a 2.75 ERA with 55 BB and 245 K's for a very bad Dunedin team. He will start the 2013 season in AA New Hampshire and could move to AAA Las Vegas at some point this season.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Off to Good Start in 2013 - Tampa Not Far behind

May 1st, 2013

The Toronto Blue Jays kicked off the 2013 season at home at the Rogers Center in Toronto with a 3 game sweep of their division rivals the Boston Red Sox and would go onto finish the month of April with a record of 14-7. They currently are sitting in first place in the American League East Division and they lead the 2nd place Rays by just 1.5 games. The Boston Red Sox sit 3rd and they trail the Jays by 4.5 Games.

April's Hot Players

SP Neftali Feliz - 4-1 3.24 ERA
SP James Ryan - 3-0 3.10 ERA
SP Roy Halladay - 2-0 5.79 ERA
LF Adam Lind - .398 8 HR 18 RBI
C J.P. Arencibia - .397 6 HR 24 RBI
2B Carlos Hernandez - .348 1 HR 12 RBI
3B Mike Moustakas - .310 4 HR 16 RBI

April's Cold Players

SP David Purcey - 0-2 8.35 ERA
SS Justin Jackson - .143 0 HR 1 RBI
1B Justin Smoak - .224 2 HR 8 RBI
LF Travis Snider - .234 4 HR 14 RBI

April News & Transactions

Roy Halladay Win Watch

The Jays Ace started the 2013 season with 196 career victories needing just 4 more to hit 200 for his career. He started 2013 off well going 2-0 in his first two starts to push his total to 198 but his last start he picked up a no decision. So Halladay will head into May needing just 2 wins to hit 200 for his career.

Injuries

The Jays suffered a pair od injuries in April that required players to be put on the Disabled List. The first to go down was 1B Ken Phelps who was off to a great start to the season hitting .401 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. He suffered a sprained ankle and will miss the next 3 weeks. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list and rookie 3B Mark Terry who was hitting .375 with 0 HR and 7 RBIs for the 51's was recalled.

The Jays will also be without the services of newly aquired CF Dave Price who suffered a herniated disk in his neck and will miss the next 3-4 weeks. He was hitting .342 with 3 HR and 13 RBIs to start the season and was placed on the 15 day disabled list. CF Darin Mastroianni was recalled from AAA Las Vegas. The 27 yearold Mastroianni was hitting just .179 with 1 HR and 6 RBIs.

Awards

Majors

LF Adam Lind was named the American League Batter of the Month for April after hitting .398 with 8 HR and 18 RBIs to start the season.

Low A Lansing

MR Chris Schn (24th Round Pick 709th Overall in 2009) was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month in April after going 4-1 with 2 SV and a 2.22 ERA in 12 appearances.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Extend Lead to 5 Games in East

June 1st, 2013

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to roll along in the American League East and have managed to improve their lead over the Boston Red Sox to 5 games and the 3rd place Tampa Bay Rays trail the Jays by a toral of just 6 games. Toronto pushed their overall record to 34-17 and are currently riding an 8 game winning streak that has seen them take back-to-back 4 game sweeps of the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Jays will be looking to ride the momentum of their recent winning streak into June and hope to use it to distance themselves from the rest of the pack in the American League East.

May's Hot Players

SP Neftali Feliz - 5-0 3.93 ERA
SP Brett Cecil - 4-1 3.22 ERA
LF Adam Lind - .439 18 HR 38 RBI
LF Alastair Parry - .336 0 HR 20 RBI
C J.P. Arencibia - .310 7 HR 21 RBI
SS Joel Walker - .296 7 HR 22 RBI

May's Cold Players

SP Roy Halladay - 1-2 7.42 ERA
CF Dave Price - .222 0 HR 1 RBI
1B Justin Smoak - .235 7 HR 17 RBI
2B Carlos Hernandez - .237 2 HR 11 RBI

May's news & Transactions

Roy Halladay Milestone Watch

May was a rough month for the Jays 36 yearold Ace. He managed to go 1-2 in 4 starts and posted a 7.42 ERA in those 4 games. His one victory does move him to 199 in has career and his next one will give him 200 for his career. After he hits 200 career victories he will need just 7 more to tie Bob Lemon and Carl Mays for 100 on the Alltime wins list, a feat he should accomplish before the end of the 2013 season.

Injuries

The Jays rotation suffered a serious blow as they lost their #4 starter SP David Purcey for the remainder of the season. Purcey will miss the next 10 months with a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and was placed on the 60 day disabled list. He was just 0-3 with a 7.92 ERA at the time of the injury. The Jays recalled SP Dan Oakes a 23 yearold lefty who was the Jays 3rd round pick 99th overall in 2011 out of Harvard University to take his spot in the rotation. In 2013 Oakes was 2-1 with a 2.11 ERA in 6 starts for the AAA Las Vegas 51's.

The Jays also lost 3B Mike Moustakas for the next 3 weeks. He sufferes a mild shoulder strain and as a precaution he was placed on the 15 day disabled list. Moustakas is hitting .316 with 6 HR and 25 RBIs so far this season. 1B Ken Phelps was activated from the disabled list to fill Moustakas's spot on the 25 man roster.

Awards

High A Dunedin

SP Frank Parker (6th Round 169th Overall in 2009) was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for May after going 4-1 with a 0.96 ERA.

[ryan008]

2013 Major League Draft Preview

June 14th, 2013

The 2013 First Year Player Draft is here again and GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays Director of Scouting John Lalonde have been very busy pouring over scouting reports and video of the players availiable to be drafted this year. The Jays scouting and player development efforts have been paying dividends for the club over the last few seasons. Toronto currently has 6 players who were drafed by GM Ryan Stewart currently on their 25 man roster. SP James Ryan (1st Round, 2009), 1B Ken Phelps (1st Round, 2010), CL Frank Pena (10th Round, 2010), 1B Naozane Fukuda (5th Round 2009), SP Dan Oakes (3rd Round 2011) and 3B Mark Terry (1st Round 2011) are all making an impact with the Jays this year.

Baseball America recently released their yearly rankings of the top 10 players eligiable for the 2013 Draft and this year LF Enrique Gallindo a talented 5 tool outfielder from Pawnee Highschool headlines that list. This draft is very deep in talented hitting prospects as all 10 of the top 10 prospects are position players. The pitching crop, especially in the starting pitching category is very weak compared to other years.

In 2012 the Oakland Athletics finished with the worst record in all of Major League Baseball at 46-106 and earned the right to make the first overall pick in the draft. Oakland will be followed by Minnesota, the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners will round out the top 5 picks. Toronto will once again have to wait until the 30th overall pick in the first round before making their first selection. Toronto will also make the 4th overall selection in the Supplemental 1st Round as compensation for the loss of CL Hong-Chih Kuo who signed as a free agent in the offseason with the San Francisco Giants.

2012 Baseball America Top 10 Ranked Players

1. LF Enrique Galiando (Pawnee Highschool, USHSBA)
2. CF Jorge Ramiro (University of Ohio, NCAA)
3. RF Ronald Williams (University of California, NCAA)
4. SS Scott Smith (University of Indiana, NCAA)
5. CF Rod Nix (Pepperdine, NCAA)
6. RF Angel Sanchez (Ohio State University, NCAA)
7. LF Manuel Nunes (University of Vermount, NCAA)
8. LF Rodger Vasqez (Bowling Green, NCAA)
9. 3B Lachlan Anslow (University of Hartford, NCAA)
10. CF Orion Ortiz (Texas Christian University, NCAA)

Toronto Blue Jays Draft Preview


The Jays will have to wait until the end of the first round to make their first selection this year and than they will pick twice in 5 selections as they hold their own 1st round pick at #30 overall and they have the 4th pick in the supplemental 1st round. The Jays minor league system is pretty well stocked with young talent and they currently have the 5th best minor league system in the Majors. GM Ryan Stewart's philsophy has been to take the best player availiable and it doesn't look like it will change this year "We try not to draft for a need as your needs are very dynamic and you don't know what is going to happen 3-5 years down the road when these kids are ready to make the jump to the majors. We may start to take some more highschool age kids that have higher ceilings but need that extra time to develop since we have a fairly stable young roster and there is some good talent in the higher levels of our minor league system"

Blue Jays 1st Round Picks

2009 - 1st Round 19th Overall
SP James Ryan
The 23 yearold Ryan started the season as the Jays #2 starter and has continued to put up good numbers. After a 17-1 rookie season he has come back and started the year with a 9-3 record with a 3.85 ERA. He is living up to his billing as a possible #1 starter and the only reason he isn't the Jays #1 starter right now is that job is taken by SP Roy Halladay.

2010 - 1st Round 11th Overall
3B Mark Terry
Terry started off the season in AAA Las Vegas and struggled to a .259 average with 3 HR and 19 RBIs and battled a number of injuries that limited him to only 75 games with the 51's. He did get a brief callup with the Jays and did not fare much better hitting .257 with 2 HR and 15 RBIs. He is 25 years old and is quickly losing his prospect status and is falling down the Jays organizational depth chart.

2010 - 1st Round 19th Overall
1B Ken Phelps
Phelps made his debut with the Jays this year and has been onfire hitting .356 with 12 HR and 38 RBIs. He is not looking out of place at the Major League Level and the speculation is that he will eventually take over first base and 1B Justin Smoak will be traded.

2011 - 1st Round 27th Overall
SP Robert Buchanen
Buchanen struggled a little in a hitters friendly league in AAA Las Vegas where he is 6-10 with a 4,03 ERA with 50 BB and 122 K's. He has very good talent and stuff and my scouts are telling me that he is ready for the majors right now. At the latest he will be a callup in September but should someone go down with an injury he is the next availiable arm on the depth chart.

2012 - 1st Round 30th Overall
2B Mal Pritchard
Pritchard struggled to a .162 batting average for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in his first taste of professional baseball after being selected by the Jays in the first round in 2012. He was assigned to Auburn of the New York Penn League for 2012 which kicks off shortly. If his performance doesn't improve he will likely find himself back in the GCL for another season.

[ryan008]

Jays Select Highschool Outfielder with 1st Round Pick

June 15th, 2013

GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays Director of Scouting John Lalonde just completed their selection of 26 new players in the 2013 First Year Player Draft. Toronto added 15 highschool players from the United States Highschool Baseball Association along with 11 players out of the NCAA College ranks. Of the 26 players chosen on draft day 10 were pitchers and 16 were position players.

The first pick in the draft was made by the Oakland Athletics and they used it to select CF Carlos Torres out of Baton Rouge Highschool in Louisiana. Torres was not ranked in the top 10 of Baseball America's pre draft rankings but was considered one of the premier talents availiable in this draft class. He is a 5 tool player with tremendous speed and defensive ability in the outfield. He hit .363 with 14 HR and drove in 42 RBIs in 2013 and was the USHSBA Batter of the Year. He scouts as a potential superstar and is a perfect player to attempt to rebuild a franchise around. LF Enrique Gallardo who was ranked #1 by Baseball America would end up being selected 3rd overall by the New York Yankees.

Toronto Blue Jays Picks

First Round

The Blue Jays and GM Ryan Stewart would use their 1st round pick to select a highschooler for the second straight season. The Jays drafted RF Jose Ramierz, a 19 yearold outfielder out if Baton Rouge Highschool, the same school as 1st overall pick CF Carlos Torres. Ramirez is a very talented player he has above average power and plate discipline and can hit for a good average. He is just average at stealing bases but has a cannon for an arm and can play all 3 outfield positions. He hit .339 with 5 HR and 14 RBIs in 37 games in 2013 and was limited due to an arm injury. He is 100% healthy and will report to the GCL for the start of the rookie ball season.

Supplemental 1st Round

Toronto received a compensation selection in between the 1st round and second rounds for the loss of CL Hong-Chih Kuo who signed with the San Francisco Giants. The Jays used this pick to select SP Maruo Nieves a 19 yearold right hander out of Tampa Highschool. Nieves is a favorite of the Jays scouting Director and he has tremendous stuff. His 101+ MPH fastball is one of the best in the draft and he also throws a curve and a changeup to compliment it. He was 4-4 with a 2.94 ERA with 9 BB and 83 K's in 2013. He will need some time to develop and it is not yet known weather the Jays see him in the rotation or as a future closer. He will start in the rotation for the GCL Blue Jays in 2013.

Second Round

In the second round the Jays used the 74th overall pick in the draft to select their third consecutive highschool and second pitcher taking 19 yearold righty SP Juan Zamora out of Norfolk Highschool. Zamora is a big imposing figure on the mound standing 6'5" and weighing in at 225 lbs. He was 6-2 with a 4.85 ERA with just 6 BB and 66 K's in 2013. GM Ryan Stewart was going to select him with thir supplemental pick and was pleased to see that the big righty was still availiable in the second round. He has a very strong arm and his fastball can touch triple digits. He also throws a good slider and is working on a changeup that if he can ever master would make him a top flight starter. He was also assigned to the GCL.

Third Round

With the 104th overall selection the Jays took their first college bat selecting SS Rob Brady out of Kansas State University in the NCAA. The 22 yearold righthanded batter hit .386 with 10 HR and 33 RBIs for the Wildcats in 2013 and was an offensive leader for the team. He was an NCAA Allstar in 2013 and scouts as a potential starter at short. He will start the season with Auburn of the GCL as he is fairly well developed even for an NCAA product. His biggest asset is his versatility, he can play every position on the infield and even can play LF if necessary.

Fourth Round

With the 134th overall selection the Jays took C Andres Gatan, a 19 yearold catcher out of Chula Vista Highschool. Gatan is perhaps the best defensive catcher availiable in the 2013 draft. He has a plus arm and is excellent behind the plate. He is just above average with the bat and right now does not scout as a starting catcher. He hit .371 with 5 HR and 26 RBIs in 2013 and was assigned to the GCL Blue Jays for the Rookie League season.

Fifth Round

With their 164th overall pick the Jays selected hard throwing CL Alejandro Martinez out of Bowling Green Highschool. Martinez is a two pitch pitcher featuring a fastball in the 96-98 MPH range and a hard slider. He was 1-2 with 7 SV and a 3.86 ERA walking 7 and striking out 27 batters in 22 innings of work in 2013. He scouts as a feature colser and the Jays will use him as the Closer for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays to start the 2013 Rookie League Season.

Blue Jays Picks Rounds 6 - 25

6. SP Victor Gabriel (LSU, NCAA)
7. LF Abel Smith (Yale, NCAA)
8. SS Enrique Encarnacion (Anchorage Highschool, USHSBA)
9. 1B Migdonio Caro (Kingston HS, USHSBA)
10. 1B Justin Gilmore (Cal-State Fullerton, NCAA)
11. RF Pedro Sanchez (Harvard University, NCAA)
12. SP Leon Manuel (University of Portland, NCAA)
13. SP Roderick Seitzer (University of Indiana, NCAA)
14. CL Raleigh Hart (Laredo Highschool, USHSBA)
15. SP Antonio Lopez (Altavista Highschool, USHSBA)
16. C Edwardo Jarmillo (Boston College, NCAA)
17. C Tony Pena (Gonzaga University, NCAA)
18. LF Jose Sanchez (Texas Tech, NCAA)
19. LF Miguel Antunez (Barry Highschool, USHSBA)
20. 1B Rodger Hill (Toledo Highschool, USHSBA)
21. LF Mark De La Rosa (Baylor University, NCAA)
22. SP John Hodgett (Anchorage Highschool, USHSBA)
23. SP Murray Harrison (Kingston Highschool, USHSBA)
24. 1B Kawanani Sugiuna (Wellington Highschool, USHSBA)
25. 3B Lorenzo Gailo (University of Michigan, NCAA)

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Continue to Cruise In AL East

August 1st, 2013

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to put together another very strong season and have surged out to a 76-27 record at the conclusion of July. Toronto heads into the hot summer with a comfortable 12.5 game lead over the second place Tampa Bay Rays and an 18 game lead over the Boston Red Sox. The Jays have been lead by a resurgant SP Roy Halladay who is pitching like he is in his 20's again. The 35 yearold recently reached the 200 victory plateau and after posting a 4-0 record in the month of July he moved into 98th place on the Career Victories list. His win total of 209 has been bouyed by a 12-3 record in 2013 and he is definately not done ascending that list. The way he is pitching this year he may get srtong consideration for the American League Cy Young Award should he be able to maintain his current pace.

July's Hot Players

SP Roy Halladay - 4-0 7.62 ERA
SP Neftali Feliz - 2-0 6.75 ERA
SP Brett Cecil - 3-1 3.62 ERA
1B Ken Phelps - .442 10 HR 36 RBI
2B Carlos Hernandez - .398 2 HR 20 RBI
C J.P. Arencibia - .379 5 HR 18 RBI

July's Cold Players

C Chris House - .167 0 HR 0 RBI
CF Darin Mastroianni - .111 1 HR 2 RBI

July News & Transactions

2013 Allstar Game

The Blue Jays were well represented at the 2013 MLB Allstar game sending 5 players to participate. Representing the Jays were SP James Ryan, 1B Ken Phelps, LF Travis Snider, DH Adam Lind and C J.P. Arencibia. The game itself was a complete rout in the favur of the American League who demolished the National League 16-5. All of the Jays would see some time in the game and only LF Travis Snider (0-1 1 K) dod not record a hit. C J.P. Arencibia was the most productiove going 2-3 with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. 1B Ken Phelps was 1-3 with a double and an RBI in his first Allstar appearance and DH Adam Lind was 1-3 with a single, walk and RBI. SP James Ryan pitched an inning allowing 3 hits and 1 run while striking out 1 batter.

Contract Extensions

GM Ryan Stewart was pleased to announce that the club has come to terms on a 3 year $37.5 million extension with LF Travis Snider. The 26 yearold is hitting .271 with 17 HR and 62 RBIs in 2013 and will earn $12.5 million/year over the life of the contract.

Awards

Majors

1B Ken Phelps was named the American League batter of the month for July after hitting .442 with 10 HR and 36 RBI.

Minors

AAA Las Vegas

1B Naozane Fukuda (5th Round Pick 139th Overall in 2009) was named the Pacific Coast League Batter of the Month for July after hitting .324 with 9 HR and 18 RBI.

Short Season A Auburn

1B Francisco Martinez (7th Round Pick 225th overall in 2012) was named the New York Penn League Batter of the Month for July after hitting .345 with 5 HR and 12 RBI.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Trade Center 2013

July 31st, 2013

The Blue Jays made a pair of moves on deadline day this season. GM Ryan Stewart pulled the trigger on two moves, one minor and one major. the Jays big move of the day saw them deal 1B Justin Smoak and AAA SP Chris oglethorpe to the Boston Red Sox for a trio of minor leaguers. The centerpiece of the deal for the Jays is SP Peter Clark, along with Clark the Jays will receive CL Tony Brooks and RF Jose Rodriguez.

1B Justin Smoak is having a good season for the Jays in 2013 batting .297 with 24 HR and 73 RBIs. He is in the last year of his contract and is no longer arbitration eligiable. He is looking for a contract in the neighbourhood of $15 million a season for the next 7 years, an amount that the Jays just cannot afford. Moving Smoak makes room for rookie 1B Ken Phelps to take over as the Jays everyday firstbaseman.

Also headed to the Red Sox is 26 yearold righty SP Chris Oglethorpe who was aquired in the offseason for SP Dustin McGowan. He has spent all of 2013 as the 51's #5 starter and has gone 5-7 with a 4.73 ERA in 16 starts.

Coming over to the Jays is 23 yearold righty SP Peter Clark. Clark was the Red Sox's 1st Round Pick 14th overall in 2012 out of Washington State University and has already advanced to the AAA level. He has a very good fastball that peaks in the 96-98 MPH range and a good slider and changeup. He has been in AAA Pawtuckett for the entire 2013 season and has a record of 8-12 with a 3.24 ERA walking 106 and striking out 157. He needs to really cut down on the number of walks that he allows and work on his control and he will get a chance to do so in AAA Las Vegas for the remainder of the season.

The Jays will also receive 19 yearold righty CL Tony Brooks. Brooks has a decent arm and his fastball ranges from 90-92 MPH. He also throws a devastating slider. He was the Sox's 19th round pick 563rd overall in 2012 out of Arlington Highschool. He has a line of 1-1 with 8 SV and a 4.19 ERA with the Red Sox's rookie league team. He will be assigned to the GCL Blue Jays for the remainder of the 2013 season.

Completing the deal is 25 yearold RF Jose Rodriguez. Rodriguez was a supplemental round pick 31st overall in 2010 out of the University of Cincinatti in the NCAA. He spent the entire 2013 season in AA Portland hitting just .226 with 18 HR and 39 RBI. He has a ton of raw power but has been unable to harness it in the minor leagues. The Jays are hoping that a change of scenery will do him good. He will be assigned to AA New Hampshire for the remaidner of the 2013 season.

The Jays other deal was a relatively minor one that ship minor leaguers 3B Matt Townsend and MR Alan Farina and MR James Parr to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league CL Clark Dixon.

Townsend was the Jays 15th round pick 453rd overall in 2010 out of the University of Albany and has been playing in AA New Hampshire with the Fishercats where he hit .302 with 4 HR and 51 RBI. Farina and Parr were both pitching in AAA Las Vegas this season. Farina was 7-4 with a 5.26 ERA and Parr was 3-1 with 3 SV and a 4.42 ERA.

Moving to Toronto is 24 yearold righty CL Clark Dixon who was drafted by hthe Diamondbacks in the 14th round 422nd overall in 2011 out of the University of New Mexico. In 2013 he was ptching in AAA Reno and was 0-2 with 3 SV and a 6.17 ERA. He was assigned to AAA Las Vegas for the remainder of the season.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays 17.5 Up As September Hits

September 1st, 2013

The Blue Jays have managed to build a sizable lead in the American League East and now lead the second place Tampa Bay Rays by 17.5 games. Toronto has managed to put up a record of 95-34 and are on pace to match or even better their team record for wins in a season of 115. The Jays will have a tougher road as the playoffs approach, the team will be without 3 of their regulars including SP Roy Halladay, MR Willie O'Macken and LF Adam Lind who were all placed on the Disabled List with injuries that will cause them to miss the remainder of the season. The toughest blow is to lose SP Roy Halladay who was enjoying his best season in years. At the time of his injury he was 13-4 with a 6.17 ERA. He currently sits wity 210 career wins and is 95th on the alltime list. He shold be healthy and ready to go for the 2014 season.


August's Hot Players

SP Brett Cecil - 3-1 5.27 ERA
SP Neftali Feliz - 3-0 4.20 ERA
SP James Ryan - 2-0 2.60 ERA
C J.P. Arencibia - .388 10 HR 26 RBI
LF Travis Snider - .388 11 HR 28 RBI
2B Carlos HErnandez - .324 3 HR 16 RBI
1B Ken Phelps - .303 12 HR 35 RBI

August's Cold Players

MR Kevin Jepsen - 0-0 11.25 ERA
MR Felix Doubront - 0-0 1 SV 10.97 ERA
C Chris House - .214 0 HR 0 RBI

August News & Transactions

Injuries

The Jays were forced to place 4 players on the disabled list in August and 3 of them will not be eligiable to return until after the Playoffs conclude.

First to go down with an injury was SP Roy Halladay. Halladay was suffering from rotator cuff inflammation and will miss the next 3-4 months. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list. Halladay was 13-4 with a 6.17 ERA at the time of the injury. The Jays called up SP Ruben Serrano who is 9-5 with a 4.40 ERA for AAA Las Vegas.

Next to go down was CF David Price who suffered a strained posterior cruciate ligament and will require a 4 week stay on the disabled list. He was hitting .334 with 9 HR and 34 RBI. The Jays recalled RF Moises Sierra who is hitting .254 with 2 HR and 8 RBIs from AAA Las Vegas to take Price's spot on the rotation.

The injury bug would strike MR Willie O'Macken next. The 23 yearold was having a fantastic season with the Jays posting an 8-0 record with 2 SV and a 2.02 ERA. He will miss the next 3 months with a strained forearm. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list and MR Kevin Jepsen who was 2-2 with 5 SV and a 5.06 ERA in AAA Las Vegas.

The last player to go down with an injury was LF Adam Lind who will miss the next 4 months with a hip strain. He was hitting .362 with 47 HR and 125 RBI. He was placed on the 15 Day Disabled list and CF Darin Mastroanni who was hitting .221 with 4 HR and 13 RBI was recalled from AAA Las Vegas.

Awards

AAA Las Vegas

RF Jose Rodriguez (Aquired from Boston at trade deadline) was named the Pacific Coast League Batter of the Month for August after hitting .310 with 8 HR and 31 RBIs.

SP John Anderson (2nd Round 75th Overall in 2012) was named the Pitcher of the Month Award for August after going 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA.

AA New Hampshire

SP Joe Davis (2nd Round 69th Overall in 2010) was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for August after going 5-0 with a 2.49 ERA.

Low A Lansing

LF Alfredo Rivera (Supplemental pick 33rd Overall in 2011) was named the Batter of the Month in the Midwestern League after hitting .405 with 3 HR and 16 RBI.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Wrap Up top Spot in AL East

October 3rd, 2013

The 2013 Toronto Blue Jays managed to put together their second consecutive 110+ win season posting a record of 114-48 and easily taking the American League East crown by 15 games over the 2nd place Tampa bay Rays. Their total of 114 wins is second in team history to the 115 that they managed to put up during the 2012 season. Toronto also had the best record in baseball for the second straight season with the New York Mets having the next best at 103-59.

The Jays will head into the post season missing 3 of their top players in SP Roy Halladay, MR Willie O'Macken and LF Adam Lind. All 3 players will miss the duration of the post season with various injuries. The good news for the Jays is that despite having a number of players on the Disabled List they were able to still play consistent baseball and they managed to win 10 of their last 12 games during the regular season.

Toronto will open up the 2013 American League Division Series at home at the Rogers Center as they host the AL West Champs the Oakland Athletics. The Wild Card Champ Tampa Bay Rays will visit the AL Central Champs the Detroit Tigers in the other ALDS. In the National League the San Francisco Gaints will face the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers will tangle with the San Diego Padres.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Toppled by Atletics in 5 Games

October 10th, 2013

Well the Jays playoff woes continue as they made an early and completely unexpected exit from the post season for the second consecutive season. Since capturing the 2011 World Series the Jays have made two early exits, in 2012 they were defeated byt he Kansas City Royals in 4 straight games in the American League Championship Series and than this year they lost in 5 to the Oakland Athletics despite putting up the best record in baseball during the regular season.

ALDS Game #1 - Oakland Athletics @ Toronto Blue Jays

Jose Franco (16-8 3.99 ERA) vs
SP James Ryan (16-6 3.64 ERA)



W: MR Lawrence Harris (1-0)
L: CL Gustavo Bennios (0-1)
S: CL Frank Pena (1)

Toronto would take game #1 in dramatic fashion. Oakland would get on the board first as RF Mike Knight scored on a groundout by SS Toby Kuster in the top of the 3rd inning making it 1-0. Toronto would respond as 1B Ken Phelps blasted his forst career post season homerun, a 2 run shot that gave the Jays a 2-1 lead. The lead was short lived though as SS Toby Kuster was at it again doubling in a run in the 5th inning tieing the game at 2. In the top of the 6th inning the A's would surge out to a 5-2 lead as RF Mike Knight belted a 1-0 changeup into the left field seats for a 3 run homerun. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 8th inning when with 2 outs 1B Ken Phelps walked to load the bases and C J.P. Arencibia belted a 2-0 fastball into the centerfield bleachers to give Toronto a 6-5 lead. CL Frank Pena came on in the 9th and got the A's in order with 2 K's to recored the save and the Jays lead the ALDS 1-0.

ALDS Game #2 - Oakland Athletics @ Toronto Blue Jays

SP Gio Gonzalez (9-6 4.10 ERA) vs
SP Dan Oakes (9-5 3.37 ERA)



W: MR Manuel Ramirez (1-0)
L: MR Ed Herring (0-1)

The Jays would earn their second dramatic victory and it would come with the teas second grandslam in 2 days and this one would be a walkoff. The Jays started rookie SP Dan Oakes and he was very strong tossing 7 innings and allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits with 8 K's. The Jays woyuld give him some support in the 2nd inning as LF Travis Snider belted his first home run of the post season a 2 run shot that put the Jays ahed 2-0. Oakland would tie the game in the top of the 3rd inning as CF Miguel Gonzalez had a 2 run triple that knotted the game at 2. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the 9th inning when with 1 out the Jays loaded the bases for 3B Mike Moustakas who promptly deposited the 1st pitch he saw a 94 mile an hour fastball into the right field stands to give the Jays a walkoff victory and a commanding 2-0 series lead.

ALDS Game #3 - Toronto Blue Jays @ Oakland Athletics

SP Brett Cecil (18-7 3.79 ERA) vs
SP Michael Inoa (16-11 4.66 ERA)



W: MR George Berrios (1-1)
L: SP Brett Cecil (0-1)

SP Brett Cecil was roughed up lasting just 4.2 innings and allowing 7 earned runs. The big blow came in the 5th with the A's up 3-0 and having already scored once in the inningRF Mike Knight belted a grandslam for the A's essentially putting the game out of reach at 7-0. Toronto managed to score 2 runs in the 6th and 2 in the 9th on 2 run homeruns from 1B Ken Phelps and 2B Carlos Hernandez but the A's would tack on 3 more runs on a SS Toby Kuster triple in the 8th and the A's take game #3 10-4.

ALDS Game #4 - Toronto Blue Jays @ Oakland Athletics

SP Neftali Feliz (16-4 4.64 ERA) vs
SP Jose Franco (0-0 5.14 ERA)



W: MR Ed Herring (1-1)
L: CL Frank Pena (0-1)

Well the Jays late inning heroics seem to have run out as they would fall to the A's in 10 innings in game #4. The Jays got on the board first on RBI singles from CF Dave Price, LF Alastair Parry and DH Travis Snider leading the A's 3-0 after 5 1/2 innings. The A's rallied to knott the game at 3 in the bottom of the 6th on a 2 run double by SS Toby Kuster and an RBI single from C Kurt Suzuki. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 10th inning when 1B Marcos Castro won the game with a 2 run walkoff homerun to deep left field (429 feet) off of the Jays CL Frank Pena. With the win the A's forced a game #5 back in Toronto and have evened the best of 5 series at 2 games each.

ALDS Game #5 - Oakland Athletics @ Toronto Blue Jays

SP Gio Gonzalez (0-0 2.70 ERA) vs
SP James Ryan (0-0 3.37 ERA)



W: SP Geo Gonzalez (1-0)
L: SP James Ryan (0-1)

SP James Ryan did not have his stuff working tonight as he allowed 5 runs in the first inning and than 4 more over the next two before being pulled trailing 9-0. CF Miguel Gonzalez had a 3 run shot in the first and DH Matt Laporta added a 2 run shot in the second. RF Mike Knight continued to be a thorn in the side of the Jays going 5-6 with 2 HR and driving in 5 runs. The Jays would make the score a little more respectable in the bottom of the 9th as they got 3 two run homeruns from C J.P. Arencibia, SS Joel Walker and CF Dave Price but they woulds till fall 14-7 and would be eliminated from the post season again.

[metzrule3]

Wow, a 6.17 ERA was one of the best seasons in years for Halladay?

[ryan008]

New York Mets Capture 2013 World Series

The New York Mets finished the 2013 season with the 2nd highest win total int he Major Leagues at 103, just 11 behind the Blue Jays. Unlike the Jays the breezed through the playoffs defeating the San Francisco Giants in 4 games before sweeping the Brewers in 4 in the National League Champioship Series and than taking the World Series title in 5 games over the American League Champion Detroit Tigers who got past the A's in 6 games in the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series.

2013 Major League Award Winners Announced

The Blue Jays were only able to bring home a sigle piece of hardware from the 2013 MLB Awards Ceremony. C J.P. Arencibia took home his 3rd consecutive gold glove award and that would be the only Jays player to hear his name called on awards day.

The rest of the award winners were:

National League Gold Golves

P Fausto Carmona (Washington Nationals)
C Blake Murphy (St. Louis Cardinals)
1B Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals)
2B Phil Stevens (Washington Nationals)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)
SS Ryan Rodensplast (Atlanta Braves)
LF Quincy Peterson (Pittsburgh Pirates)
CF Luis Santana (Florida Marlins)
RF Lorenzo Velez (San Francisco Giants)

American League Gold Golves

P Francisco Lirano (Minnesota Twins)
C J.P. Arencibia (Toronto Blue Jays)
1B Eric Hosmer (Kansas City Royals)
2B Wilson Manuel (Kansas City Royals)
3B Salvador Marero (Minnesota Twins)
SS Toby Kuster (Oakland Athletics)
LF Terry Almonte (Seattle Mariners)
CF Fred Kirby (Detroit Tigers)
RF John Alvarez (Cleveland Indians)

National League Rookie of the Year

LF Ramone Lara (New York Mets)
.318 28 HR 90 RBI

American League Rookie of the Year

RF Robby Parker (Tampa Bay Rays)
.359 30 HR 109 RBI

National League Cy Young Award

SP Johan Santana (New York Mets)
22-10 3.41 ERA 258 K

American League Cy Young Award

Jake McGee (Tampa Bay Rays)
17-3 2.83 ERA 301 K

National League Manager of the Year

Scott Bankhead (New York Mets)

American League Manager of the Year

Ryan Stewart (Toronto Blue Jays)

National League Most Valuable Player

2B Jim Brown (Pittsburgh Pirates)
.374 38 HR 129 RBI

American League Most Valuable Player

RF Malcom Patrick (Texas Rangers)
.381 46 HR 124 RBI

[ryan008]

Originally Posted by metzrule3

Wow, a 6.17 ERA was one of the best seasons in years for Halladay?

It wasn't so much the ERA that I was going off it was more the record, he had 13 wins and just 4 losses in July and with 2 months left in the season I figured he would have a shot at winning 20 games. I didn't give much thought to his ERA, but looking back I am guessin a number of those wins were greatly helped by the offence!

[ryan008]

2013 Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Year

The Jays farm system was ranked #4 according to Baseball America's Rankings of the top farm systems in the Majors. The Jays have a number of very good young prospects in their system and currently playing on their Major League Roster. That talent is starting to pay dividends in terms of performance at the minor league level. Only the Dunedin Blue Jays in the Florida State League finished in lower than 3rd place in their division. AA New Hampshire was the best Jays minor league team winning their division but falling in the Eastern League Championship.

AAA Las Vegas 51's (71-73 2nd in South Division)

SS Jose Garcia
26 Years Old, Switch
Aquired: 9th Round Pick 273rd Overall in 2010 by Toronto (University of Georgia, NCAA)
2013 Stats: .318 12 HR 43 RBI
GM's Comments: Garcia has established himself as the Jays top prospect at short. He is tremendous defensively and has the potential to be a gold glover. He made some big strides with the bat in 2013 and managed to hit over .300 and added 12 HR. He is blocked at the majors by SS Joel Walker so he is unlikely to be a starter but he will get a shot to make the team in Spring Training next season.

AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats (90-52 1st in Northern Division & 2013 Eastern League Runners Up)

SP Elias Randolph
21 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 97-99 MPH
Aquired: 7th Round pick 218th Overall in 2011 by Toronto (Glendale Highschool, USHSBA)
2013 Stats: 13-4 3.48 ERA 44 BB 172 K
GM's Comments: Randolph is quickly becoming one of the Jays most promising pitching prospects in the system. He has very good stuff and excellent control. His K:BB ratio was almost 4:1 in New Hampshire last season. He is still just 21 years old and could be a steal for the Jays in the 7th Round of the draft. He will be promoted to AAA Las Vegas and will get an invitation to Spring Training in 2014 with the Jays. Toronto would like to get him a year or two in AAA before he is considered for a spot in the Jays rotation and at just 21 years old he has the time availiable for the Jays to move him slowly.

High A Dunedin Blue Jays (56-84 Last in North Division)

RF Jesus Guzman
23 Years Old, LHB
Aquired: 11th Round Pick 333rd Overall in 2010 by Toronto (Pawnee Highschool, USHSBA)
2013 Stats: .261 24 HR 77 RBI
GM's Comments: Just about everyone in Dunedin had a terriable season but if there was some light at the end of the tunnel it was Guzman. The 23 yearold lead Dunedin in homeruns and RBIs and nearly tripled his total of HR that he had at Lansing last season. He needs to work on making contact a little more and taking a few more pitches but his power surge was impressive. He will be assigned to AA New Hampshire for the 2014 season.

Low A Lansing (71-69 3rd in East Division)

LF Alfredo Rivera
21 Years Old, LHB
Aquired: Supplemental 1st Round Pick 33rd overall in 2011 by Toronto (Santa Ana Highschool, USHSBA)
2013 Stats: .389 3 HR 85 RBI
GM's Comments: Rivera continues to impress at every level that he stops at. He hit for a very high average leading the Lugnuts in batting average, RBI and onbase percentage. He is shaping up to be a very good leadoff hitter at the major league level. He doesn't hit for much power but drives the ball into the gaps well and has tremendous speed. The 21 yearold will be headed to AA New Hampshire for 2014 and could see AAA before the end of the season.

Short Season A Auburn (41-35 3rd in Pickney Division)

1B Francisco Martinez
20 Years Old, Switch
Aquired: 7th Round Pick 225th Overall by Toronto in 2012 (Middleville Highschool, USHSBA).
2013 Stats: .352 15 HR 45 RBI
GM's Comments: Martinez had a breakout season for Auburn in 2013 leading the team in just about every offensive category. He was a 2013 New York Penn League Allstar and the 2013 New York Penn League Batter of the Year. He scouts as a potential starting firstbaseman at the Major League level and he has a ton of pop in his bat. He is a switch hitter and very patient at the plate drawing a ton of walks and not swinging at bad pitches. He will be headed to Low A Lansing for his first full season of pro ball and the Jays will be watching his development closely.

GCL Blue Jays (36-25 2nd in North Division)

SP Mario Nieves
19 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 99-10 MPH
Aquired: Supplemental 1st Round Pick 34th Overall by Toronto in 2013 (Tampa Highschool, USHSBA)
2013 Stats: 5-3 2.09 ERA 34 BB 115 K
GM's Comments: This hard throwing youngster came straight out of highschool and did not miss a beat against much better competition in the GCL. He displayed very good command walking just 34 batters and striking out 115. He continues GM Ryan Stewarts trend of drafting big hard throwing starting pitchers (nieves stands 6'3" and 210 lbs). Toronto wants to be careful with the young righty and he will start the season in Auburn of the New York penn League and should move in to Low A Lansing or even Dunedin by the end of the 2014 season. The Jays have some pretty good depth at the starting pitching position in the minors and don't want to take a chance on blowing out a promising arm early.

[ryan008]

2013 Blue Jays Offseason Report

The 2013 regular season was another huge success for the Jays as they put together a record of 114-48 and not only finished atop the American League East Standings but managed to post the best record in all of Major League Baseball. The Jays headed into the post seasonto face the Oakland Athletics who wound up winning AL West Division with a record of 91-61 winning 23 fewer games than the Jays. The Jays were battling some injury issues as SP Roy Halladay, DH Adam Lind and MR Willie O'Macken were all on the DL and would miss the entire post season. Despite that the team boasted a strong pitching staff and a balanced lineup and they were still defeated in the first round by the A's in 5 games.

The 2013 offseason was not a busy one for GM Ryan Stewart as the team really only made a single trade and had 5 players go to salary arbitration.

Salary Arbitration

3B Mike Moustakas and C J.P. Arencibia headlined a list of 5 players who would go to salary arbitration with the Jays in the offseason. The other 3 players were SP Neftali Feliz, SP Brett Cecil and SP David Purcey. All 5 players would agree to one year contracts for the following amounts:

SP Brett Cecil - $7,107,000
3B Mike Moustakas - $7,047,000
SP Neftali Feliz - $7,128,000
C J.P. Arencibia - $12,500,000
SP David Purcey - $7,000,000

New Budget

The parent company of the Blue Jays, Rogers Communications announced that they were raising the teams buget to $112,272,937 for the 2013 season. The Jays current payroll sits at just under $95 million dollars after all of the salary arbitration cases have been settled. With the new buget the Jays have roughly $17 million dollars at their disposal but also have a number of players heading into their last years of arbitration and a few of their younger players will be arbitration eligiable at the end of the season and will be due significant raises.

Offseason Transactions

GM Ryan Stewart was very quiet during the 2013 offseason making just a single trade. Toronto sent often injured, but highly talented SP David Purcey and minor leage SS Jose Garcia to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RF Richard Davis.

SP David Purcey has tremendous talent and has had a few good seasons with the Jays but has had a terriable time staying healthy. He managed to pitch in just 6 games for the Jays in 2013 going 0-3 with a 7.92 ERA before going on the DL for the remainder of the season. He scouts as a top of the rotation potential and has had success at the big league level. His best season was in 2011 when he went 20-3 for the Jays with a 2.52 ERA.

The Jays will also send SS Jose Garcia, a 26 yearold switch hitter who was the Jays top short stop prospect. He is a slick fielder with a very good arm and can play all 4 positions on the infield and well. He hit .318 with 12 HR and 43 RBIs for AAA Las Vegas in 2013. He is a former 9th round pick 273rd overall by the Jays in 2010 out of the University of Georgia.

Moving to the Jays is 26 yearold RF Richard Davis. Davis is a former Supplemental 1st Round Pick of the Diamondbacks 33rd overall in 2010 out of Louisiana Tech University in the NCAA. In 2013 he spent the entire season with the Diamondbacks hitting .309 with 30 HR and 91 RBI. He will be the Jays opening day right fielder and should find himself in the middle of the Jays line up.