The OOTP X Toronto Blue Jays

[ryan008]

I am having some pretty bad importing problems with my Fictional Toronto Blue Jays from OOTP 9 so I have decided to put that one on hold for the time being. I have played a couple of test leagues with OOTP X as the Jays and playing with the real players is a ton of fun so I thought why not do a real Jays Dynasty.

The Game is setup as is out of the 'box'. The only things that I have changed is to add the NCAA College Feeder league (112 teams) and a fictional United States Highschool League (the 80 team United States Highschool Baseball Association). The first year of the draft will consist of the feeder league players as well as additional game generated players just to make sure that there are enough players availiable to fillout the 25 rounds. In the second year I will be turning off the 'Additional Players' option and it will be fed strictly from the feeder leagues.

I have a couple of ideas of things I would like to add to the league as I go on like a competing Mexican or Japanease League or a few independent leagues, if anyone has any ideas for things they would like to see please just let me know. I am open to suggestions!

Okay here we go with the 2009 Toronto Blue Jays!

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Fire J.P. Riccardi, Ryan Stewart Hired as Next General Manager

April 4th, 2009

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced that the club has parted ways with General Manager J.P. Riccardi and hired 28 yearold Ryan Stewart to be the clubs next GM. The Jays are comming off of a 2008 season that saw them win 86 games but still finish in 4th place behind the American League East powerhouses the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

New GM Ryan Stewart addressed the media at the Rogers Center in Toronto for the first time "This club is in need of a top to bottom reorginization. Our 2009 Payroll is going to be roughly $87,317,900 and our 2010 payroll is projected to be $101,859,000 which is well over our current buget of $96,400,000. The old GM signed some very long term, big money contracts that unless we can move may really tie our hands for the next few seasons. I plan on putting my own stamp on this team rght away, I like to make moves but only if they make sense for the team in the long term, I will not move players just for the sake of trading. I will say one thing though, there is one player who is not going anywhere and that is SP Roy Halladay, I would love to see him retire as a Jay"

The Jays also announced that their current MLB Staff would be staying on and this includes:

Manager: Cito Gaston (65 Years Old)
Bench Coach: Brian Butterfield (51 Years Old)
Hitting Coach: Gene Tennace (62 Years Old)
Pitching Coach: Brad Arnsberg (45 Years Old)
Scouting Director: Robert Brown (39 Years Old)
Trainer: George Poulis (49 Years Old)

[ryan008]

2009 Toronto Blue Jays Part 1: The Starting Pitchers

The Toronto Blue Jays of 2008 had a solid rotation that included SP Roy Halladay, SP A.J. Burnett, SP Shaun Marcum and SP Dustin McGowan, well the 2009 version has just one of those players returning. SP Roy Halladay will once again headline a staff but this one has been decimated by injuries. SP Shaun Marcum and SP Dustin McGowan are both on the 60 Day Disabled list and will not be able to return until August at the earliest. The Jays also lost SP A.J. Burnet as a free agent to their division rivals the New York Yankees. The 2009 Jays starting rotation is going to be very young and inexperienced and could be the Jays biggest weakness this season.

Starters


SP Roy Halladay
31 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 92-94 MPH
2008 Stats: 20-11 2.78 ERA 39 BB 206 K
Contract: 3 Years at an average of $15,432,000/year remaining
GM's Comments: Halladay is comming off of a 2008 season that saw him finish second in the Cy Young Voting to Cleveland's SP Cliff Lee. He has tremendous stuff and is the workhorse and anchor of the JAys rotation. He will be the Jays opening day starter in 2009.


SP Brian Tallet
31 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-2 2.88 ERA 22 BB 47 K
Contract: 1 year $1,015,000 *Arbitration Eligiable
GM's Comments: Tallet was very good in a relief role for the Jays in 2008 but this year he has been slotted into the rotation to fill in for some injuries. He has passable stuff, the big question is if he is going to be able to handle the increase in innings as a starter.


SP Jesse Litsch
24 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: 13-9 3.58 ERA 39 BB 99 K
Contract: $414,000 *Autorenew
GM's Comments: Litsch was a pleasent suprise for the Jays in 2008 coming up from AA New Hampshire and winning 13 games. He has the second most games started at the Major League Level for the Jays (behind Halladay) and that should give a good indication of just how raw and young this rotation is.


SP Scott Richmond
29 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-3 4.00 ERA 2 BB 20 K
Contract: $402,000 *Autorenew
GM's Comments: Richmond has okay stuff and is going to be looked to as an innings eater this year. At 29 he is one of the older starters in the rotation, but only has 5 games of Major League experience.


SP David Purcey
6 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 90-92 MPH
2008 Stats: 3-6 5.54 ERA 29 BB 58 K
Contract: $403,700 *Autorenew
GM's Comments: Purcey is one of the Jays top pitching prospects. A former 1st Round pick he made his Major League Debut last season and faired pretty well. He will be the Jays #5 starter this season and will also be looked to to eat up some innings.

Blue Jays Pitching Prospects

The Jays top pitching prospect is 22 yearold SP Brett Cecil who was 2-3 with a 4.11 ERA for AAA Las Vegas last season. Cecil will begin the season back in Las Vegas but could make his major league debut at some point this season. Also in AAA are SP Rickey Romero a 24 yearold lefty who is also a former 1st round pick of the Jays. Romero was 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA for Las Vegas last year and could see some time in the Majors this season. Rounding out the Jays pitching prospects is 24 yearold SP Brad Mills who was 3-2 with a 1.10 ERA for AA New Hampshire last year and has been moved up to AA Las Vegas for the 2009 season.

[ryan008]

2009 Blue Jays Part 2: The Bullpen

The Jays bullpen has definately been one of the teams strengths over the past few seasons. Despite injuries to key players like MR Casey Janssen and CL B.J. Ryan the Jays have been able to plug the holes and have consistently had one of the better pens in the majors. 2009 should be no different as the majority of the Jays pitchers are back. CL B.J. Ryan is back as the closer. Only MR Casey Janssen will miss the first few weeks of the season as he is still on the disabled list. After he iseligiable to come off he will be sent to AAA Las Vegas to get some innings in and than will likely join the club in late May, early June.

The Bullpen


MR Jason Frasor
31 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 93-95 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-2 4.18 ERA 32 BB 42 K
Contract: 1 year $1,450,000 *Arbitration Eligiable
GM's Comments: Frasor had a good season for the Jays last year. He is a hard throwing righty who served as the right handed setup man as well as a good late inning option. He is going to reprise that role again this year.


MR Brandon League
26 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 94-96 MPH
2008 Stats: 1-2 1 SV 2.18 ERA 15 BB 23 K
Contract: 1 year $640,000 *Auto renew
GM's Comments: League has a big arm and he showed glimpses of what he could be last year. He is a little bit wild and needs to cut down on his walks, but he is a very good option down in the Jays pen. The Jays are grooming him to be the future setup man.


MR Jeremy Accardo
27 Years Old, RHP, Velocity: 93-95 MPH
2008 Stats: 0-3 4 SV 6.57 ERA 4 BB 5 K
Contract: 1 year $900,000 *Auto renew
GM's Comments: Accardo is coming off of an injury that limited him to just 16 games in 2008. He has very good stuff and saved 30 games when B.J. Ryan went on the disabled list in 2007. We are hoping that he can regain his form from 2 seasons ago and can stay healthy. He will start as a middle innings reliever for the Jays and if he can prove himself he will slot back into the 8th inning setup man role.


MR Scott Downs
33 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 89-90 MPH
2008 Stats: 0-3 5 SV 1.78 ERA 27 BB 57 K
Contract: 2 years $3,750,000
GM's Comments: Downs was lights out last year in the late innings and as a situational lefty. He is going to be thelefthanded 8th inning guy this season and is an invaluable part of the Jays pen.


MR Jesse Carlson
28 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 87-89 MPH
2008 Stats: 7-2 2 SV 2.25 ERA 21 BB 55 K
Contract: 1 year $408,000 *Autorenew
GM's Comments: Carlson came out of no where last season and established himself as one of the Jays best relievers. He is very good at getting out lefties and is also very tough on righthanded batters. He is slated to be a situational lefty this year but he has the endurance to be the long man out of the pen for the Jays as well.


CL B.J. Ryan
33 Years Old, LHP, Velocity: 87-89 MPH
2008 Stats: 2-4 32 SV 2.95 ERA 28 BB 58 K
Contract: 2 year $10,000,000/year
GM's Comments: Had a good season last year but I think his $10 million price tag is just way too much for the Jays at this point. I have had a few inquiries into his availiability but nothing concrete as of yet. Ryan will be the Jays closer to start the season.

Minor Leagues

The Jays don't have a lot of up and commig middle relievers down on the farm, infact the only players who are really close to being MLB ready are too old to be considered prospects. MR Casey Janssen who is on the disabled oist is slated to return in a few weeks and should give the Jays a boos but other than that the top middle relievers are 33 yearold CL Shawn Camp and 28 yearold MR Brian Wolfe who are both in AAA Las Vegas.

[ryan008]

2009 Toronto Blue Jays Part 3: The Batters

The Blue Jays struggled offensively in 2008 which is suprising considering the talent that the team has. The Jays are coming back pretty much intact from last season with a couple of subtle additions. Toronto will have 1B Kevin Millar who signed as a free agent in the offseason and made the club out of spring training and 3B Jose Bautista will be on the roster fulltime after being claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. Toronto will also get back 2B Aaron Hill who was out for most of last season after suffering a concussion as a result of a collision with David Eckstein in Oakland.

Batters


C Rod Barajas
33 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .249 11 HR 49 RBI
Contract: 2 years ($2,500,000/$479,000)
GM's Comments: Barajas spent the 208 season splitting time with C Gregg Zaun. Zaun departed for Baltimore as a free agent in the offseason so Barajas is going to be the Jays everyday catcher this year. He is good behind the plate and can contribute offensively so he shuold be a good option for the Jays.


C Michael Barrett
32 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .202 2 HR 9 RBI (San Diego)
Contract: 1 year $600,000
GM's Comments: Barrett was signed to provide a veteran backup to Barajas and will keep the spot warm until the Jays top catching prospect C J.P. Arencibia is ready to make the jump from AAA to the Majors. Barrett has a pretty good bat and is defensively responsible and will make a good tandem with Barajas behind the plate for the Jays.


1B Kevin Millar
37 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .234 20 HR 72 RBI (Baltimore)
Contract: 1 year $850,000
GM's Comments: Millar was given a minor league contract and an invitation to Spring Training this year and he made the team. He gives the Jays a right handed option at 1B and a veteran bat in the DH position and off the bench.


1B Lyle Overbay
32 Years Old, LHB
2008 Stats: .270 15 HR 69 RBI
Contract: 2 years $7,000,000/year
GM's Comments: Overbay was one of the Jays best offensive players 2 seasons ago but suffered a broken hand that limited him last season and his numbers suffered as a result. He is 100% healthy and the Jays are hoping that he can regain his form from 2 seasons ago.


2B Joe Inglett
30 Years Old, LHB
2008 Stats: .297 3 HR 39 RBI
Contract: 1 year $411,300 *Autorenew
GM's Comments: Inglet stepped in as the starter at second when Aaron Hill went down with the injury and was very good. He is going to move back into a backup/utility role this year as Hill is back and ready to play. He is a valuable lefthanded bat off the bench and can play a wide range of positions in the infield and the outfield.


2B Aaron Hill
27 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .263 2 HR 20 RBI
Contract: 2nd Year of a 5 year $20,000,000 Contract
GM's Comments: The Jays are happy to have Hill abck in the lineup after he suffered the concussion in Oakland last year and missed the majority of the season. Hill is a valuable bat for the Jays and a big part of their offence. He is also very good defensively.


3B Scott Rolen
34 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .262 11 HR 50 RBI
Contract: 2 years $11,000,000/year
GM's Comments: Rolen was aquired last season in a deal that send 3B Troy Glaus to the Cardinals. He is a very good defensive thirdbaseman whos offensive output was down considerable from last season. He did struggle with a fe injuries over the course of the season. He seems to be healthy again and the Jays are hoping he can provide some pop to the offence.


SS John McDOnald
34 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .210 1 HR 18 RBI
Contract: 1 year $1,900,000
GM's Comments: McDonald is one of the best fielders in the game but is below average with the bat. He is going to be the Jays late inning/defensive replacement on the infield and will also be used to give the regulars a day off here and there.


SS Marco Scutaro
33 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .267 7 HR 60 RBI
Contract: 1 year $1,100,000
GM's Comments: Scutaro split time at SS with John McDonald last year but this year he is going to be the starting SS. He is above average defensively and hits for a pretty good average. He can also steal a base or two and is slated to be the Jays leadoff hitter.


LF Adam Lind
25 Years Old, LHB
2008 Stats: .282 9 HR 40 RBI
Contract: 1 years $411,800 *Auto Renew
GM's Comments: Lind was very good as a late season callup last year and is scheduled to be the everyday DH for the Jays this year. When he isn't DH'ing he will split time with rookie LF Travis Snider in the outfield. lind has a very good bat and has the potential to be a very good hitter in the Majors.


LF Travis Snider
21 Years Old, LHB
2008 Stats: .301 2 HR 13 RBI
Contract: 1 year $401,400 Auto Renew
GM's Comments: The 21 yearold Snider is the Jays top prospect and had a great showing as a September callup last season. He is slated to be the Jays starting LF this year and will split time there with LF Adam Lind. He will also DH a little. He is better defensively than Lind and has a better arm. If he reaches his potential he could be a superstar in the Majors.


CF Vernon Wells
30 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .300 20 HR 78 RBI
Contract: 6 years $126,000,000 remaining
GM's Comments: Wells is coming off of a year where he struggled with injuries and still managed to hit over .200 with 20 HR. He has the biggest contract on the Jays and is under a lot of pressure to perform up to it. He is 100% healthy this season and we are hoping for big things from him.


RF Alex Rios
28 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .297 15 HR 79 RBI
Contract: 7 years $73,000,000 Remaining
GM's Comments: Rios is a frustrating player. he has a ton of pitential but just can't seem to reach it. He could easily hit 30 plus homeruns and drive in 100 RBIs but just can't ever seem to get it all going. He is signed long term for the Jays so he isn't going anywhere at the moment. We are goign to give him some more time to develop but at 28 his time is almost up.


RF Jose Bautista
28 Years Old, RHB
2008 Stats: .242 12 HR 44 RBI
Contract: 1 year $2,400,000
GM's Comments: Bautista came over last season off waivers from the Pirates and is going to be used as a utility outfielder/infielder this season. He can play all 3 outfield positions as well as thirdbase. He is another veteran righthanded bat off the bench for the Jays and will also see some time as the DH.

Minors

The Jays top prospect is LF Travis Snider who is scheduled to start the season with the Jays, behind Snider Toronto has a couple of players who could make the club shortly. Headlinging this list is 23 yearold C J.P. Arencibia who will start the season in AAA, also in AAA is 24 yearold 2B Scott Campbell and 26 yearold OF Buck Coates. Besides these players most of the Jays top prospects are in the low minors.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Make Trio of Moves Before Opening Day

April 7th, 2009

GM Ryan Stewart was busy just as the curtain was about to raise on the 2009 season. The Blue Jays made three moves, but noe of them will have much of an impact on the 2009 season.

The Jays first move was to sign injured SP Ben Sheets to a minor league contract. The 30 yearold righthander is currently injured and will likely not return until August. GM Ryan Stewart on the signing "We have suffered quite a few injuries to our starting rotation with McGowan and Marcum out and it is always good to ahve options. Sheets is a power pitcher with a pretty good track record and at the cost of a minor league contract he is a very cheep option. If we like what we see we can try and sign him for the 2010 season"

After the Sheets signing the Jays made a pair of trades. The first was a swap with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers approached the Jays about the availiablility of 1B Kevin Millar and the two teams were able to work out a swap. Millar will be off the Los Angeles and MR Hong-chin Kuo will be heading to Toronto.

Millar was signed by the Jays as a free agent in the offseason after spending the 2008 seson with the Baltimore Orioles. He had signed a 1 year $850,000 contract with the Jays and was going to platoon with 1B Lyle Overbay at first base.

Coming over to the Jays is MR Hong-chin Kuo a 27 yearold lefty who throws in the 92-94 MPH range. He was 5-3 with 1 SV aand a 2.14 ERA for the Dodgers last season. He is making $437,000 this year and the deal wil save the Jays a little over $400,000 in budget room this season.

GM Ryan Stewart's final move before the 2009 season started was to make a trade with the Texas Rangers. The Jays were looking for a replacement for 1B Lyle Overbay who has seen his skills deteriorate over the last few seasons, mainly due to injury and they may have found him. The Jays sent a package of prospects to the Rangers for 22 yearold 1B Justin Smoak.

Heading to the Rangers are 23 yearold C Brian Jeroloman. Jeroloman is a very good all around gatcher with a pretty good bat and is very strong defensively. He hit .200 with 0 HR and 5 RBI in limited atbats for AAA Syracuse last season. The Jays will also sent 22 yearold lefthanded batter LF Eric Thames. Thames has a lot of upside. He is tremendously fast and has abouve average defensive skills. He just needs to work on his hitting and he could be a starting outfielder in the majors. The last player included in the deal is powerhitting 1B Nathaniel Nelson. Nelson is a 24 yearold who was with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in 2008 and hit .171 with 2 HR and 11 RBIs in a limited role. He is a pure hitter who is not very good defensively and is better suited as a DH.

Coming over to the Jays is 22 yearold switch hitting 1B Justin Smoak. Smoak was drafted by the Rangers in the 1st Round 11th overall in 2008 and was already in AA. He is ticketed for AAA Las Vegas for the start of this season. GM Ryan Stewart "Smoak is a player that our scouting staff really like. He is a switch hitter with power and is defensively sound. He is a year or two away from the Majors which will work out very well as Overbay still has 2 years left on his contract"

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Open with Terriable Month

May 1st, 2009

The Toronto Blue Jays did not get off to the start that new GM Ryan Stewart would have liked. The Jays struggled out of the gate and started on a very sour note being swept by the Tigers in 4 straight at the Rogers Center. It did not get much better for the Jays as the team went 9-15 in April and are currently sitting in the basement in the American League East. The Jays trail the 1st Place Yankees by 4.5 games in the East and they sit 10th in the American League Wild Card standings, trailing the Boston Red Sox by 3.5 games.

April was a bad month for the Jays in terms of injuries as well. Toronto was forced to place 3 players on the Disabled List with long term injuries. Toronto lost RF Alex Rios, 2B Aaron Hill and SS Marco Scutaro all for extended periods of time.

April's Hot Players

SP Roy Halladay - 2-1 2.75 ERA
SP Brian Tallet - 3-0 2.93 ERA
C Rod Barajas - .325 5 HR 11 RBI
CF Vernon Wells - .261 2 HR 13 RBI
LF Travis Snider - .250 4 HR 12 RBI

April's Cold Players

SP Scott Richmond - 0-4 6.26 ERA
SP Jesse Litsch - 0-3 5.61 ERA
3B Scott Rolen - .183 2 HR 8 RBI

April News & Transactions

Injuries

The injuries began to pile up early as RF Alex Rios was the first to go down in the 3rd game of the season. Rios suffered a sprained elbow and is expected to miss the next 5 weeks. He was placed on the 15 Day Disabled list and 26 yerold RF Buck Coates who is hitting .200 with 0 HR and 0 RBI for AAA Las Vegas was recalled.

Next it was the Jays starting secondbaseman 2B Aaron Hill who suffered a strained hamstring and will be out for the next 3 weeks. Hill was placed on the 15 Day Disabled list and SS Russ Adams was recalled from AAA Las Vegas. Adams was hitting .210 with 3 HR and 6 RBI at the time of his recall.

Finally the Jays would lose their starting SS Marco Scutaro who went down with a fractured foot. He is expected to miss the next 5 weeks and was placed on the 15 Day Disabled list. Toronto recalled veteran journeyman 3B Howie Clark who is hitting .377 with 2 HR and 11 RBIs for the 51's to take Scutaro's spot in the lineup.

Awards

The Jays were pleased to learn that rookie LF Travis Snider was named the American League Rookie of the Month for April after hitting .250 with 4 HR and 12 RBIs.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Playing Better Baseball, Climb Out of the AL East Basement

June 1st, 2009

The Toronto Blue Jays put together a strong month of May thanks to some great pitching from their top 3 starters. Toronto went 19-10 and improved to 28-25 overall. The Jays got strong months from SP Roy Halladay, SP Jesse Litsch and SP Brian Tallet who combined for 10 of the Jays 19 wins. On the Year the Jays pulled to within 1 game of the American League East leading Tampa Bay Rays and moved from 10th in the American League Wild Card Standings to 4th, 2 games back of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

May's Hot Players

SP Roy Halladay - 4-1 2.38 ERA
SP Jesse Litsch - 3-1 2.68 ERA
SP Brian Tallet - 3-1 4.54 ERA
CL B.J. Ryan 0-0 12 SV 1.93 ERA
C Rod Barajas - .319 5 HR 14 RBI
LF Adam Lind - .315 3 HR 14 RBI

May's Cold Players

SP Scott Richmond - 1-3 6.75 ERA
LF Travis Snider - .247 3 HR 14 RBI
3B Scott Rolen - .216 2 HR 11 RBI
CF Vernon Wells - .123 1 HR 6 RBI

May News & Transactions

Signings

GM Ryan Stewart announced that the Jays have come to terms with veteran SP Paul Byrd on a minor league contract. The 38 yearold Byrd split time between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox in 2008. He was assigned to AAA Las Vegas and could see time withe Jays shortly. GM Ryan Stewart "We are always looking for insurance at pitcher and Byrd is a veteran arm who we think will be able to help us out at some point this season. At a minor league contract he also costs us virtually nothing"

Transactions

The Jays made a fleury of roster moves as players returned from the disabled list. 2B Aaron Hill, RF Alex Rios and SS Marco Scutaro all returned from the DL. 3B Howie Clark and RF Buck Coates were optioned to AAA Las Vegas.

Toronto also announced that SP Scott Richmond who had struggled this year going 1-7 with a 6.53 ERA was optioned to AAA Syracuse and 22 yearold rookie SP Brett Cecil was recalled and will make his major league debut with the Jays this year. Cecil was 4-5 with a 4.52 ERA for Las Vegas at the time of his recall.

Injuries

The Jays only had one player suffer an injury that required a stay on the disabled list in May as SS John McDonald will be out for the next 5 weeks after twisting his ankle. McDonald was placed on the 15 Day Disabled list and SS Russ Adams who was schedueled to be optioned to AAA Las Vegas will remain with the club.

Minor League Update

AAA Syracuse

1B Brett Harper was named the Pacific Coast League Batter of the Month after an impressive month that saw him hit .362 with 14 HR and 34 RBIs.

High A Dunedin

LF Johermyn Chavez was named the Florida State League Batter of the month after hitting .393 with 4 HR and 13 RBI.

Low A Lansing

SS Jesus Gonzalez was named the Midwestern League batter of the month hitting .319 with 10 HR and 36 RBIs.

SP Dustin Antolin was named the Midwestern Pitcher of the Month after posting a 4-0 record and a 1.60 ERA.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays First Year Player Draft Recap

June 15th, 2009

GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays Director of Scouting Jon Lalonde were very busy today as the 2009 First Year Player Draft was conducted. The Washington Nationals finished with the worst record in the Majors last year and were the first to select in the 2009 Draft. The Jays wound up with the 20th overall selection in each round.

The Nationals used the 1st Overall pick to select RF Wayne Weaver out of Akron University in the NCAA. The 22 yearold was considered the No. 1 prospect heading into the draft by Baseball America. He is a 5 tool player with great speed and a very strong arm. The only real knock against his is the fact that he strikes out a ton.

*Because this was the 1st Draft and I was affraid that there would not be enough players generated from the feeder leagues the first year I had the draft use Feeder Leagues & Additional Players. Some players will have no stats. This will be the only year that the Additional Players option will be used, next season it will be 100% feeder leagues*

Toronto Blue Jays Picks

First Round - 20th Overall

SP James Ryan, 20 Years Old, RHP
Ryan is a hard throwing righty with 3 plus pitches. He can bring his fastball in the 95-97 MPH range and complements it with a vary good slider and changeup. He has very good control aswell and scouts as a top of the rotation starter. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

Second Round - 50th Overall

RF Remie Letroit, 18 Years Old, LHB
Letroit is a purely offensive secondbaseman. He has very good raw power and has a very good eye at the plate. He sprays the ball to all fields with power and has the potential to be a .300 hitter at the major league level. His only knock (and likely the reason he fell out of the 1st Round) is the fact that his defence is below average and his arm is just at the league average. He can definately make up for any fielding shortcommings with his bat. He was also assigned to the Gulf Coast Blue Jays.

Third Round - 80th Overall

3B Edward Goodwin, 17 Years Old, RHB
Goodwin is much like 2nd Round Pick Letroit, he is very strong at the plate and will hit for a nice combination of average and power and has a very good eye in the batters box. Defensively he is only average but he has a very strong throwing arm and because of it should be able to stay at third in the minors. He is very raw at just 17 years old and is definately a project for the Jays development staff, but if he pans out he could be a servicable major leaguer. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast League and could see a few seasons there before he advances.

Fourth Round - 110th Overall

SP Riemer Birkham, 20 Years OLd, RHP
Birkham has a good fastball in the 93-95 MPH range and compliments it with 3 other above avarage pitches. He has very good stuff and control but his stuff has very little movement and has the potential to be hit around quite a bit. He scouts as a middle of the rotation arm and the Jays see him as a #3 or 4 starter in the Majors. He is never going to win 20 games a year but he looks like he is durable and should eat up some innings.

Fifth Round - 140th Overall

1B Naozane Fukuda, 20 Years Old, RHB
The native of Tokyo, Japan is a free swinging power hitting first baseman. He has tremendous pop in his bat that is generated by his 6'5" 230 lb frame. He grades out as below average defensively but is good enough at first that he won't stickout. As a prototypical power hitter he has an all or nothing swing and tends to strikeout a lot. He will really need to work on his hitting to contact in the minors. He was assigned to the GCL Blue Jays for the Rookie League Season.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Sitting 2 Games Under .500 After June

July 1st, 2009

The Toronto Blue Jays finished the month of June with a record on 14-19 and have fallen to 39-41 on the season. Toronto is currently sitting in a familiar spot, 4th in the East trailing the first place Boston Red Sox by 4.5 games. In the American League Wild Card Race the Jays are sitting in 4th place 3 games behind their division rivals the Tampa bay Rays.

GM Ryan Stewart on his teams performance to date "I am not suprised at where we are sitting we have been hit very hard with injuries this year. Having 4 and 5 of our starting players on the DL at t once is a tough obsticale to overcome. We have seen some encouraging signs though like rookie SP Brett Cecil who made his major league debut with the Jays going 7 innings allowing just 2 runs and striking out 7 and taking a no decision. Some of our younger kids are starting to step it up and when we get healthy if we can hang on long enough we may be able to make a run"

June's Hot Players

SP Roy Halladay - 2-2 5.49 ERA
LF Adam Lind - .333 2 HR 14 RBI
CF Vernon Wells - .313 7 HR 23 RBI
SP Brett Cecil - 2-3 7.43 ERA

June's Cold Players

SP Jesse Litsch - 1-3 6.47 ERA
SP David Purcey - 0-2 5.13 ERA
SP Brian Tallet - 0-3 4.08 ERA
RF Alex Rios - .207 4 HR 12 RBI
3B Scott Rolen - .219 2 HR 9 RBI
2B Aaron Hill - .232 1 HR 3 RBI

June News & Transactions

Injuries

Well the Jays infirmary got a lttle busier in June as the team added two more regulars to the disabled list.

The first to go down was CL B.J. Ryan who is suffering from a tired arm. As a precaution the Jays put him on the 15 Day Disabled list and recalled MR Casey Janssen from AAA Las Vegas. Ryan has rebounded nicely in 2009 leading the league with 24 saves and has a 3.38 ERA. Janssen is 0-1 with 1 SV and a 3.09 ERA for AAA LAs Vegas this year after just recently being activated from the disabled list.

Next it was C Rod Barajas who would suffer a plantar fascitis and would be placed on the 15 day disabled list. He was hitting .313 with 12 HR and 36 RBIs. The Jays recalled thier top catching prospect C J.P. Arencibia who is hitting .242 with 16 HR and 45 RBIs with the 51's.

Minor Leagues

AAA Syracuse

1B Brett Harper was named the Pacific Coast League Batter of the Month fr June hitting .378 with 15 HR and 47 RBIs.

AA New Hampshire

1B Brian Dorpik was named the Eastern League Batter of the Month for June after hitting .337 with 14 HR and 29 RBIs.

High A Dunedin

2B John Tolisano was named the Florida State League Batter of the Month for June hitting .345 with 7 HR and 19 RBIs.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Playoff Hopes Fading Fast

August 1st, 2009

The Blue Jays have quickly faded back in the American League East Standings. After the month of July the Jays are 14 games back of the American League East leading Boston Red Sox. In the Wild Card race the Jays are dwon but not necessarily out. They are in 6th place and 7 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays, but they would ahve to leapfrog the likes of the Yankees, White Sox, Angles and Athletics in order to capture the Wild Card. After the month the Jays record stands at 48-56 overall.

July's Hot Players

SP Paul Byrd 1-0 3.38 ERA
SP Jesse Litsch - 2-0 1.43 ERA
C Rod Barajas - .333 2 HR 6 RBI
RF Alex Rios - .314 2 HR 12 RBI
LF Adam Lind - .271 6 HR 30 RBI

July's Cold Players

SP Brett Cecil - 0-4 8.51 ERA
MR Jesse Carlson - 0-1 9.50 ERA
CF Vernon Wells - .225 1 HR 11 RBI
RF Jose Bautista - .154 1 HR 3 RBI

July News & Transactions

Allstars

The Blue Jays would sent a single player to be their representative at the 2009 Allstar Game. SP Roy Halladay pitched a scoreless 6th inning in a 6-5 American League victory over the National League. SP Rick Porcello got the victory for the American League and 1B Mark Texiera was 3-3 with 2 HR and 3 RBIs.

Injuries

The Jays injuries woes continued as they would lose two more players to long term injuries. Both players will miss the rest of the 2009 season.

MR Brandon League was the first to go down sufferign a torn meniscus in his knee. He was 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA so far in 2009. He was placed on the 60 Day Disabled list and MR Brian Burres who is 502 with 1 SV and a 4.23 ERA was recalled from AAA Las Vegas.

The next to go down was SP David Purcey who suffered a shoulder impingement and is going to be out for at least 4 months. The 26 yearold was having a decent season for the Jays going 4-5 with a 4.11 ERA as the teams #4 starter. He was placed on the 15 Day Disabled list and 38 yearold veteran SP Paul Byrd was recalled from AAA Las Vegas. Byrd was 4-6 with a 5.78 ERA since signing a minor league contract with the Jays.

Minor Leagues

AAA Syracuse

CL Shawn Camp was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the month after he went 2-0 with 8 SV and a 1.38 ERA.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Fall to 16 Back in AL East

September 1st, 2009

The Blue Jays hopes of reaching the post season have all but been extinguished as the team now trails the Boston Red Sox by a total of 16 games in the American League East. The Jays have a record of 61-69 good enough for 3rd in the East behind the Red Sox and Rays and just 2 games up on the New York Yankees. In the Wild Card Race the Jays are also well off the pace sitting in 9th place trailing the Chicago White Sox by 8.5 games.

The Jays will be looking to next season as they will get a look at a couple of their injured arms that are coming off the disabled list. Both SP Shaun Marcum and SP Dustin McGowan are eligiable to come off the disabled list. Toronto will also get a look at SP Ben Sheets who was signed to a minor league contract at the begining of the season. He is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season but if he impresses the Jays they may consider signing him to a contract extension.

August's Hot Players

SP Roy Halladay - 3-0 4.66 ERA
LF Adam Lind - .383 7 HR 22 RBI
RF Alex Rios - .356 4 HR 12 RBI
LF Travis Snider - .245 5 HR 19 RBI

August's Cold Players

SP Paul Byrd - 0-3 6.75 ERA
SS Marco Scutaro - .139 2 HR 4 RBI
C Rod Barajas - .250 0 HR 9 RBI

August News & Transactions

Announcements

SP Paul Byrd announced that he is going to retire at the end of the 2009 season. The 39 yearold is 1-3 wit a 6.35 ERA for the Jays this season after being called up from AAA Las Vegas late in the season. In his career he is 109-96 with a 4.40 ERA.

Injuries

The Jays only had one player require a stay on the disabled list as CF Vernon Wells is suffering from shoulder tendinitis and will miss the remainder of the season. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list. RF Buck Coates was recalled from AAA Las Vegas. In 2009 Coates is hitting .229 with 6 HR and 31 RBIs.

September Callups

The Jays have called up two of their top prospects in 1B Justin Smoak and C J.P. Arencibia. Both players will get the oppertunity to get into some games and get some atbats against major league pitching. Smoak is hitting .241 with 25 HR and 69 RBIs and Arencibia is hitting .269 with 22 HR and 64 RBI for AAA Las Vegas.

Minor League Update

AAA Syracuse

1B Brian Harper was named the Pacifica Coast Leage batter of the month hitting .357 with 10 HR and 26 RBI.

AA New Hampshire

1B David Cooper was named the Eastern League Batter of the month after hitting .365 with 13 HR and 31 RBIs

High A Dunedin

1B Leance Soto was named the Florida State League Batter of the Month after hitting .321 with 8 HR and 22 RBIs.

Low A Lansing

1B Manual Rodriguez was named the Midwestern League Batter of the month after hitting .380 with 7 HR and 31 RBIs.

[ryan008]

Regular Season Ends. Jays Finish 10 Games Under .500

The 2009 season has come and gone and it was a tumultous one for the Jays as they literally limped to a record of 76-86 finishing in 4th place in the American League East 18 games behind the division leading Boston Red Sox. Toronto's biggest problem this season was the injury bug as they constantly had 2 or more of their regulars on the disabled list for long stretches of time.

The 2009 World Series would eventually go to the Cincinatti Reds who would defeat the Boston Red Sox in 4 games to 1 to capture the title. With the season over it is expected to be a busy one as the Jays have a numbe rof players who are either free agents or arbitration eligiable. The Jays will also have some holes to fill in their coaching staff as Manager Cito Gaston and Hitting Coach Gene Tennace have both decided to retire.

2009 Season Standings & League Leaders

[ryan008]

2009 Major League Award Winners

The Blue Jays may not ahve been able to make the playoffs, but they were able to take home some hardware from the end of the year awards ceremony. Three Jays players were called up to the podium to receive awards. SP Roy Halladay was named the American League Gold Glove Award winner at pitcher and RF Alex Rios took home the Gold Glove for right field. In a suprise announcement DH Adam Lind was named the American League MVP after hitting .316 with 34 HR and driving in 111 Runs.

The rest of the award winners were:

National League Gold Golves

P Doug Davis (Arizona Diamondnacks)
C Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals)
1B Chad Tracy (Arizona Diamondbacks)
2B Jeff Baker (Washington Nationals)
3B Andy Laroche (Pittsburgh Pirates)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies)
LF Fred Lewis (Atlanta Braves)
CF Dexter Fowler (Colorado Rockies)
RF Jason Werth (Philedelphia Phillies)

American League Gold Golves

P Roy Halladay (Toronto Blue Jays)
C Dioner Navarro (Texas Rangers)
1B Mark Texiera (New York Yankees)
2B Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers)
3B Adrian Beltre (Kansas City Royals)
SS Elvis Andrus (Texas Rangers)
LF Adam Jones (Baltimore Orioles)
CF Coco Crisp (Kansas City Royals)
RF Alex Rios (Toronto Blue Jays)

National League Rookie of the Year

CF Dexter Fowler (Colorado Rockies)
.331 16 HR 69 RBI

American League Rookie of the Year

C Matt Wieters (Baltimore Orioles)
.284 15 HR 77 RBI

National League Cy Young Award

SP Aaron Harang (Cincinatti Reds)
21-6 2.88 ERA 182 K

American League Cy Young Award

SP Justin Masterson (Boston Red Sox)
19-9 3.10 ERA 178 K

National League Manager of the Year

Dusty Baker (Cincinatti Reds)

American League Manager of the Year

Terry Francona (Boston Red Sox)

National League Most Valuable Player

1B Prince Fielder (Milwaukee Brewers)
.331 39 HR 115 RBI

American League Most Valuable Player

DH Adam Lind (Toronto Blue Jays)
.316 34 HR 111 RBI

[ryan008]

Blue Jays 2009 Offseason Report

GM Ryan Stewart knew he was going to be very busy heading into this first offseason with the Jays as General Manager. Toronto is coming off of its second consecutive 4th Place Finish in the American League East Divison. The Jays record of 76-86 put them well back of the Division Champions the Boston Red Sox. GM Ryan Stewart was asked what his plan was for the 2009 offseason "This is going to be a very busy time for us as an organization. We have to hire some new Coaching Personnel for out Major league team as we lost both Cito Gaston and Gene Tennace to retirements and we had a few of our minor league managers move on. We also have some holes that I would like to fill in the lineup particularly at the shortstop position. We are also going to evaluate what we would like to do in 2010 as we have almost $30 million in salary coming off the books after next season"

Salary Arbitration Hearings

The Jays offseason got into full swing with the Salary Arbitration Hearings. Toronto had 6 players eligiable for arbitartion and the Jays decided to offer arbitration to all of them. These players were all awarded a 1 year contract for the following amounts:

MR Hong-Chih Kuo - $1,848,600
MR Jason Frasor - $2,210,000
SP Shaun Marcum - $2,188,300
SP Dustin McGowan - $2,725,000
MR Casey Janssen - $2,235,700
SP Brian Tallet - $1,500,000

Free Agency

The Jays would have 6 players (5 major leaguers and 1 minor league free agent) leave via free agency in the offseason. The most notable was SP Ben Sheets who signed with the Jays as a free agent at the start of the 2009 season. He was demmanding a 5 year deal in the Neighbourhood of $50 million dollars and the Jays did not have the buget room to sign such a deal. The Jays also lost C Michael Barrett, SS Marco Scutaro, RF Jason Lane, MR Jeremy Accardo and MR Brandon League all chose to test the free agent waters. The Blue Jays will save a total of just under $7 million dollars that will keep them under their buget for the 2010 season.

Player Trades

GM Ryan Stewart would be very busy in the offseason making 4 trades aimed at improving the club for next season and to aleviate some of the teams bugetary constraints.

Blue Jays Giants Trade

THe first trade the Jays made was initiated by the Giants GM Brian Sabean who showed interest in SP Scott Richmond and 1B Lyle Overbay. The Giants were looking for a starter to slot in the end of a very strong rotation that included SP Tim Lincecum, SP Matt Cain, SP Jonathan Sanchez and SP Barry Zito. The Jays and Giants agreed to a 5 player swap that saw SP Scott Richmond, 1B Lyle Overbay and minor leaguers 2B Scott Campbell and 1B Teddy Anund headed to the Giants in exchange for minor league SP Madison Baumgarner.

Richmond started the season in the Jays rotation but struggled to a 1-7 record and was than demoted to AAA Syracuse where he was 9-5 with a 3.48 ERA. Overbay was the Jays starting 1B for the entire season and hit .262 with 13 HR and 59 RBIs. The 33 yearold Overbay has 1 year and $7,000,000 left on his contract and was being pushed by 1B Justin Smoak in AAA Las Vegas. Also headed to the Giants is 25 yearold 2B Scott Campbell. Campbell hit .255 with 17 HR and drove in 51 runs for the 51's in 2009. Rounding out the players headed to the Giants is 17 yearold 1B Teddy Anund. Anund was the Jays 11th Round Pick 319th Overall in 2009 and he had a great season in the Gulf Coast League hitting .306 with 11 HR and 46 RBIs.

The Jays get 21 yearold SP Madison Baumgarner who was the 11th OVerall pick in the first round in 2007 by the Giants. He spent the entire season with AAA Fresno and was 5-10 with an ERA of 8.42. He has mid 90's fastball (92-94 MPH) and very good control and movement. He will likely get an invitation to Spring Training this year but will start the season with AAA Las Vegas.

Blue Jays - Rangers Deal

The Blue Jays had an abundace of yong pitchers in SP Shaun Marcum, SP Dustin McGowan, SP Jesse Litsch, SP Brian Tallet, SP Scott Richmond, SP David Purcey and SP Brett Cecil all poised to compete for 3 open spots in the Jays rotatio. GM Ryan Stewart managed to use some of that depth in the next 2 deals to bring in some good young talent.

In a deal with the Rangers the Jays sent SP Jesse Litsch and minor league 3B Kevin Ahrens to the Texas Rangers for minor league SP Neftali Feliz.

The 25 yearold Litsch was 9-13 for the Jays in 2009 with an ERA of 3.97. He spent most of the season as the teams #3 starter. He was quickly being surpassed on the Jays depth chart by some younger arms and was likely headed to the bullpen or AAA Las Vegas for the 2010 season. With the Rangers he will ge the chance to be an everyday starter. Toronto also sent the #45th rated prospect in the Majors in 3B Kevin Ahrens to the Rangers to complete the deal. Ahrens is a 20 yearold switchitting 3B who hit .272 with 10 HR and 65 RBIs with AA New Hampshire. He was quickly moving up the Jays depth chart and was slated to start the 2010 season with Las Vegas.

Coming over to the Jays is 21 yearold right handed pitcher SP Neftali Feliz. Feliz has a power arm and is just the type of player that GM Ryan Stewart and his scouting staff are looking for "We like big strong pitchers with hard, heavy fastballs like a Roy Halladay. Feliz is a big boy at 6'3" and a fastball in the 94-96 MPH range. we like this kid a lot and tried to pick him up at the trade deadline without success" Feliz was 14-6 with a 3.91 ERA for AAA Oklahoma in 2009 and will get an invitation to Spring Training for the Jays. He may even get a shot at being the teams #5 starter this year.

Blue Jays - Nationals Deal

The second last move the Jays would make was a suprising one. GM Ryan Stewar was approached by the Nationals GM Omay Minaya about the availiability of SP Shaun Marcum, the Nationals offered the Jays a straight deal of Marcum for CF Elijah Dukes and GM Ryan Stewart accepted.

SP Shaun Marcum is a 28 yearold righty who missed the majority of the 2009 season with arm troubles but was 2-1 with a 4.98 ERA in 4 starts in September.

CF Elijah Dukes is a 25 yearold right handed batter who hit .275 with 21 HR an 74 RBIs for a bad Nationals team last season. He will likely be the Jays opening day centerfielder as CF Vernon Wells has been aful and is not coming close to living up to his $23,000,000 a year price tag.

Blue Jays - Mariners Trade

In the final move of a very busy offseason the Jays would send another of their starters along with a pair of minor league pitching prospects to the Mariners to fill their hole at short. Toronto agreed to send SP Brian Tallet and minor leaguers SP Kyle Ginley and SP Jonas Cutto to the Mariners for SS Carols Triunfel.

SP Brian Tallet was very good filling in the starting rotation at the begining of the season. He started out strong posting a 6-2 record in the first 3 months of the season but seemed to tire near the end and wound up with a record of 13-13 with a 4.59 ERA. He would have been bumped out of the rotation and back into the bullpen with the return of some of the Jays injured pitchers but he will get to continue as a starter for the Mariners. The Jays also sent SP Kyle Ginley a 23 yearold righty who was 10-9 with a 4.42 ERA for Low A Lansing and SP Jonas Cuotto a 23 yearold righty also from Lansing who was 5-7 with a 5.55 ERA.

Coming over to the Jays is 19 yearold SS Carlos Triunfel. He spent the entire season with AAA Tacome hitting a respectable .286 with 8 HR and 30 RBIs. According to my scouts he is major league ready now and could be the Jays openting day shortstop. He doesn't have a lot of power but will hit for a good average and steal a few bases.

Waiver Pickup

The Jays claimed 25 yearold MR Kevin Jepsen off of waivers from the Texas Rangers. Jepsen is a hard throwing right hander whowas 3-2 with 1 SV and a 6.75 ERA with the Rangers last season. He has very good stuff but needs to work on his control. He walked 30 batters and struckout 21 in 34.2 innings of work last season.

Staff Signings

The Jays announced that they have found a replacement for Manager Cito Gaston and Hitting Coach Gene Tennace who both retired at the conclusion of the 2009 season. Mike Hargrove will take over as the teams manager and 44 yearold Sean Berry will be the teams new hitting coach.

Other News

The Commissioner's Office informed the Jays that they will receive a 1st Round Pick from the Tampa Bay Rays as well as a Supplemental 1st Round Selection for the loss of SP Ben Sheets. Sheets signed a 5 year $26.5 million dollar contract with the Rays in the offseason. He was 1-2 with a 4.46 ERA with 9 BB and 29 K's after coming off the disabled list for the Jays in 2009.

[ryan008]

2010 Blue Jays Ready to Take Flight

The Toronto Blue Jays and GM Ryan Stewart have come through their first offseason and this one was a very busy one for the Jays. Toronto brought in a host of new players as well as a new manager and hitting coach the Jays will have a revamped pitchig staff as the Jays starters are finally healthy and will start the season with an intact rotation. The Jays offence will also have some youth injected in it as rookies 1B Justin Smoak and C J.P. Arencibia will be the starters and CF Elijah Dukes will be the opening day centerfielder. Toronto will also have the 2009 AL MVP DH Adam Lind in the lineup looking to build upon an impressive 2009 season that saw him hit .316 with 34 HR and drive in 111 RBIs. The Jays will open up the 2010 season with a 3 games series against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Center in Toronto. Game #1 will feature SP Roy Halladay taking on the Rays young ace SP Davis Price.

2010 Toronto Blue Jays

Starting Pitchers

SP Roy Halladay - 16-7 3.68 ERA
SP Dustin McGowan - 0-2 10.22 ERA
SP David Purcey - 4-5 4.11 ERA
SP Neftali Feliz - 14-6 3.91 ERA (AAA Fresno)
SP Brett Cecil - 3-10 5.76 ERA

Bullpen

MR Jason Frasor - 4-3 1 SV 4.12 ERA
MR Hong-Chih Kuo - 11-5 5 SV 5.38 ERA
MR Casey Janssen - 0-4 3 SV 3.56 ERA
MR Kevin Jepsen - 3-2 1 SV 6.75 ERA (Texas)
MR Scott Downs - 2-1 3 SV 3.76 ERA
MR Jesse Carlson - 3-3 4 SV 4.94 ERA
CL B.J. Ryan - 3-6 30 SV 2.95 ERA

Position Players

C Rod Barajas - .305 14 HR 47 RBI
C J.P. Arencibia - .269 22 HR 64 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)
1B Justin Smoak - .241 25 HR 69 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)
2B Aaron Hill - .271 11 HR 48 RBI
2B Joe Inglet - .252 2 HR 11 RBI
3B Scott Rolen - .235 14 HR 62 RBI
3B Angel Sanchez - .247 11 HR 30 RBI (AAA Las Vegas)
SS Carlos Triunfel - .286 8 HR 30 RBI (AAA Tacoma)
LF Travis Snider - .259 21 HR 80 RBI
CF Elijah Dukes - .275 21 HR 74 RBI (Washington)
CF Vernon Wells - .227 12 HR 56 RBI
RF Alex Rios - .277 15 HR 56 RBI
DH Adam Lind - .316 34 HR 111 RBI

Opening Day Lineup

RF Alex Rios
CF Elijah Dukes
1B Justin Smoak
DH Adam lind
LF Travis Snider
3B Scott Rolen
2B Aaron Hill
C J.P. Arencibia
SS Carlos Triunfel

SP Roy Halladay

[ryan008]

Blue Jays off to Slow Start

May 1st, 2010

The Toronto Blue Jays did not get off to the hot start that GM RyanStewart was hoping for. The Jays stumbled out of the gate being swept by the Rays in a 3 game series at home. Their record at the end of April is just 7-9 which is good enough for 4th place in the East trailing the Boston Red Sox by 4.5 games. In the Wild Card Standings the Jays are sitting in 9th place but just 2.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians.

Despite their record there are some bright spots for the Jays. SP Dustin McGowan who is starting the season in the rotation after missing all most all of the 2009 season with arm problems has posted a 2-0 record and a microscopic 0.87 ERA in 3 starts. DH Adam Lind is also showing that him being named the American League MVP was not a fluke as he came storming out of the gate hitting .393 with 8 HR and 23 RBI and was named the American League Batter of the Month for April.

April's Hot Players

SP Roy Halladay - 2-0 4.55 ERA
SP Dustin McGowan - 2-0 0.87 ERA
DH Adam Lind - .393 8 HR 23 RBI
2B Aaron Hill - .313 1 HR 6 RBI
1B Justin Smoak - .304 3 HR 13 RBI

April's Cold Players

MR Kevin Jepsen - 0-0 135.14 ERA
CF Elijah Dukes - .220 4 HR 11 RBI
RF Alex Rios - .232 3 HR 6 RBI
SS Carlos Triunfel - .238 0 HR 4 RBI

April News & Transactions

Injuries

The Jays were not able to escape April without adding a player to the disabled list. This one was a serious injury as well as LF Travis Snider who is off to a very good start to the season hitting .333 with 2 HR and 11 RBI will miss the next 5 months after suffering a partially torn abrum. He was placed on the 60 Day Disabled List and RF Buck Coates who is hitting .217 with 0 HR and 1 RBI for AAA Las Vegas was recalled.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Explode in May - In 3 Way Tie For AL East Lead

June 1st, 2010

The Toronto Blue Jays burst to life in May after a slow April that saw them go 7-9, in May the Jays posted a record of 19-10 and surged from 4th place in the American League East to find themselves in a 3-way tie with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays for 1st In the American League East. The bad news for the Jays however, is that if the playoffs started today they would still miss as the Red Sox hold the tiebreaker in the Wild Card. Toronto started off the month with a 4 game series with the Rangers down in Arlington and Toronto hammered Texas in the 4 games outscoring the Ranges 46-8 and sweeping the series, they managed to keep that momentum going and posted the best record in the Majors in the month of May.

May's Hot Players

SP Brett Cecil - 3-1 3.68 ERA
SP Dustin McGowan - 3-1 4.71 ERA
CL B.J. Ryan - 1-1 6 SV 0.96 ERA
1B Justin Smoak - .354 6 HR 21 RBI
C J.P. Arencibia - .341 3 HR 9 RBI
3B Scott Rolen - .320 4 HR 20 RBI
LF Adam Lind - .307 8 HR 24 RBI

May's Cold Players

CF Vernon Wells - .203 5 HR 11 RBI
SS Carlos Triunfel - .253 0 HR 9 RBI

May News & Transactions

Awards

The Jays were pleased to learn that 1B Justin Smoak was awarded the American League Rookie of the Month Award for May after hitting an impressive .354 with 6 HR and driving in 21 RBIs.

Injuries

The Jays were forced to add a pair of names to their disabled list in May as they would have 2 players suffer injuries that required a stay on the disabled list.

The first to get hurt was CF Elijah Dukes who is suffering from some knee tendinitis and will miss the next 3 weeks. Dukes was hitting .257 with 8 HR and 20 RBIs at the time of the injury, he was placed on the 15 day disabled list and CF Sean Shoffit who is batting .278 with 7 HR and 18 RBI for AAA Las Vegas was recalled.

The next injury was a much more serious one as the Jasy would lose one of their young starters for the entire season. SP David Purcey suffered a torn flexor muscle in his elbow and he will miss the next 9-10 months. Purcey was off to a strong start to the season with a record of 5-2 and a 3.91 ERA. He was placed on the 60 Day Disabled list and SP Madison Baumgarner who is 3-5 with a 7.43 ERA with AAA Las Vegas was recalled to take his spot in the rotation.

[ryan008]

2010 Major League Draft Preview

June 14th, 2011

The 2011 First Year Player Draft will take place tomorrow. There are some 1200 players from the NCAA College ranks and the United States Highschool Baseball Association (USHSBA) who are hoping that they will hear their name called by a major league team. Tomorrow's draft will consist of 25 rounds and a supplementary 1st round between the 1st and 2nd rounds. This year the supplemental round will have 23 selections.

The 2010 draft pool is very heavy in hitting talent and that was reflected when Baseball America released their pre draft top 10 players eligiable for the draft. These players are:

1. 3B Jim Brown (University of Florida Gators, NCAA)
2. CF Jamal Merkling (Auburn University Tigers, NCAA)
3. CF Luis Santana (Glendale Highschool, USHSBA)
4. CF Brooks Yelland (Eureka Mills Highschool, USHSBA)
5. C Dong-young Nang (Keewatin Highschool, USHSBA)
6. 2B Wilson Manual (University of Vermount Catamounts, NCAA)
7. 3B Oliver Gonzalez (William & Mary University, NCAA)
8. LF Paul Turner (Baton Rouge Highschool, USHSBA)
9. 1B Ismael Zaragoza (University of Mississippi Rebels, NCAA)
10. RF Miguel Ramirez (Univerisity of Texas Longhorns, NCAA)

Although 3B Jim Brown is rated the #1 prospect by Baseball American he is not the consensis #1 selection by the scouts. This years draft is void of an elite prospect that is guranteed to be the #1 overall pick. Instead it is full of very strong all around players and it will be up to the scouting staffs to determine who should go at #1 overall.

The Washington Nationals finished with the worst record in the Majors last season and will once again select first overall. Washington will be followed by San Diego, Pittsburgh, Houston and Texas rounding out the top 5 selections.

Toronto Blue Jays Draft Preview

The Blue Jays hold 2 selections in the first round and a supplemental 1st round pick thanks to SP Ben Sheets signing as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto will make their first selection at #11 overall (their own 1st Round pick) and than again at #19 (from Tampa Bay) and than have the #50th pick (in the supplemental round) before selecting at regular intervals of 30 starting with their 2nd round pick.

GM Ryan Stewart was asked about what he and his Director of Scouting Jim Lalonde were looking for in this draft "There is a lot of talent coming out of the NCAA College ranks this year, particularly from batters. A number of these kids could go as top 5 or top 10 picks but may fall to us at #11. We also have our eyes on a couple of starting pitchers who we think may still be on the board when we select in the later rounds. The focus in theis draft seems to be on hitters but I think an impact starter or two may come out of this draft"

Blue Jays 1st Round Picks

2009 - 1st Round 19th Overall
SP James Ryan
Ryan had a good season for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in 2009 posting a 5-3 record with a 5.69 ERA. He was promoted to Low A Lansing for 2010 and so far has a 3-6 record with a very sharp 1.86 ERA. He won't likely be in Lansing long and could be moved to Dunedin or even New Hampshire before the season ends. He still projects as a middle of the rotation arm and he is the #1 rated pitching prospect in the Jays system and is rated #14th by Baseball America in the Majors.

[ryan008]

Blue Jays Add to Minors with Nice Haul from Draft

June 15th, 2010

The 2010 First Year Player Draft concluded today and the Jays welcomed 27 new players to the organization. Toronto selected a total of 15 players from the NCAA College ranks and 12 from the USHSBA. By position the Jays took 19 position players and just 8 pitchers.

The Washington Nationals held the first overall pick and suprised everyone by taking 3B Phil Stevens out of VCU in the NCAA. He was not in Baseball Americas pre-draft top 10 rankings. Stevens is a very solid all around player who has tremendous power and the ability to hit for a high average. He hit .374 with 11 HR and had 34 RBIs in 2010. The #1 rated player 3B Jim Brown would end up being taken at #3 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Toronto Blue Jays Picks

First Round

With their first round selection at #11 overall the Jays selected 22 yearold 3B Mark Terry out of the University of South Carolina. The former Gamecock hit .399 with 12 HR and drove in 40 Runs in 2010 and was an NCAA East Allstar. He is very solid defensively and projects to hit 25-30 HR in the Majors. Defensively he could one day challenge for a gold glove and has a strong accurate arm from third. He was assigned to Short Season A Auburn of the New York Penn League for the short season A season.

With their second selection in the first round at #19 overall the Jays took another college player in 1B Ken Phelps. The 22 yearold Phelps is a big strong kid at 6'1" and 230 lbs. He hit .373 with 12 HR and drove in 40 runs for the University of Nebraska in 2010. He is a very powerful hitter and could hit upwards of 40 homeruns in the majors. His only real weakness is that he has a tendancy to strikeout a lot and doesn't walk much. Defensively he is very good and even has an above average arm. He was also assigned to the Auburn Double Days of the New York Penn League.

Supplemental Round

With the 20th pick in the supplemental round the Jays selected 22 yearold lefthanded pitcher SP Ruben Serrano out of the University of California Irvine. Serrano is a big hard throwing lefty stading 6'5" tall and weighing in at 205 lbs. His fastball is very hard and heavy int he 93-95 MPH range. He was 6-3 with a 3.73 ERA with just 7 walks and 67 BB. He throws 4 pitches a fastball, curveball, slider and forkball all are above average and he can get anyone over for a strike at any time in the count. He was assigned to Auburn of the New York Penn League.

Second Round

With the 63rd overall selection the Jays went back to the NCAA to select 22 yearold right hander SP Joe Davis out of Cal Poly University. Davis has a big arm in a small package. he stands just 5'8" tall but can bring his fastball in the 93-95 MPH range. He was 4-5 with a 5.28 ERA with 9 BB and 74 K's last season. He throws 4 pitches a plus fastball, curveball and forkball but his changeup is way below average even for a college starter. He scouts as a back end of the rotation starter and the Jays see him as a #4 or 5 starter in the future. He was also assigned to Auburn.

Third Round

With the 93rd overall selection the Jasy selected their first highschooler taking LF Aaron Walker out of Akron Highschool. The 19 yearold Walker is a very toolsy player who has the potential to hit for both average and power. He hit .380 with 6 HR and 42 RBIs in 2010. He is very quick on the basepaths and should steal a few bases. He is also good defensively and has a great arm from the outfield. He was assigned to the GLC Blue Jays and is quite raw, so he could spend a few seasons there before he is ready to move up.

Fourth Round

With the 123rd overall pick the Jays selected 22 yearold 2B Brady Day out of the University of Arkansas. The former Razorback is a defensive whiz who can play all 4 infield positions and well. He has an above average arm but scouts as having the most potential at second base. He hit .336 with 6 HR and 25 RBI. He doesn't scout as being a starting infielder at the moment but he Jays believe he can be a very good super utility player for them. He was assigned to Auburn.

Fifth Round

With their 153rd overall selection the Jays grabbed a 19 yearold fireballing lefthanded starter SP Ed Webster out of Cave Junction Highschool. The 5'11" 215 lb lefty ahs a very lively arm that can bring a fastball in the 95-97 MPH range. He was 6-3 with a 5.45 ERA with 24 BB and 79 K's on 2010. The only question mark surrounding him is the fact that he onle throws a fastball and a slider and that he may be better suited for the bullpen. He will be used as a starter for now but may be moved to the bullpen down the road. He was assigned to the GCL Blue Jays.

Blue Jays Picks Rounds 6 - 25

6. C Jose Menlado (Minneapolis Highschool, USHSBA)
7. RF Glenn Boehmer (Orlando Highschool, USHSBA)
8. SP John WIle (University of Oklahoma, NCAA)
9. SS Jose Garcia (University of Georgia, NCAA)
10. SP Frank Pena (Oregon State University, NCAA)
11. RF Jesus German (Pawnee Highschool, USHSBA)
12. SS Bruce Sweeney (Williamsberg Highschool, USHSBA)
13. RF Kevin Cotton (Progresso Highschool, USHSBA)
14. 1B Anthony Curray (Binghamton University, NCAA)
15. 3B Matt Townsend (Albany University, NCAA)
16. SP Andrew Simpson (Binghamton University, NCAA)
17. RF Burt Robinson (Saint Paul Highschool, USHSBA)
18. 2B Jeff Beck (Brookshire Highschool, USHSBA)
19. LF Mike Garcia (University of California-Irvine, NCAA)
20. SP Bellchior Morna (Annadale Highschool, USHSBA)
21. MR Paul Robertson (University of Western Michigan, NCAA)
22. 2B Brian Hicks (Texas A&M University, NCAA)
23. 1B Yoichibei Baba (Cal State Fullerton, NCAA)
24. 3B Manual Rodriguez (Vanderbilt University, NCAA)
25. 2B Jeff McKee (Modesto Highschool, USHSBA)