Post by Paul - Jays GM on Feb 27, 2010 23:58:21 GMT -5
In the 5th season since expansion, the Toronto Blue Jays are poised to make a run to the top of the American League. With solid starters at nearly every position, most of whom were drafted and developed in the Jays system, the team seems ready to join in the hunt for a playoff spot in the tough American League East. Here is a look at the Jays of today and tomorrow:
Starting Rotation:
Perhaps the strongest element of the organization, the Jays may have the strongest starting rotation in all of baseball once this group enter peak.
Roger Clemens 19 y/o 93/97
"The Rocket" was selected with the 1st overall pick in the 1980 amateur draft. Clemens is currently the #1 starter in the Jays rotation and despite a tough rookie season in 1981, his progress should make him a perennial cy-young candidate and league strikeout leader.
Frank Viola 22 y/o 93/100
Frank "Sweet Music" Viola was selected with the 7th overall pick in the 1978 amateur draft. After 5 years developing in the minors, Viola is solidly entrenched in the Jays rotation and many Jays scouts feel that he has the potential to eclipse Clemens as the top starter in the Jays rotation.
Shane Rawley 26 y/o 93/95
A 2nd round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, the Jays acquired Rawley from the Red Sox in a huge deal that sent expansion draftees 1B Ron Blomberg, SP Jim Barr, 2B Jerry Remy, and the Jays 4th round pick to Boston for the Red Sox's first and 4th round picks, Rawley, RF Glenn Wilson (see below) and IF Jerry Kenny.
Dennis Boyd 22 y/o 87/97
Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd was selected using the 1977 1st round pick acquired from the Boston Red Sox. 5 years in the minors has seen Oil Can develop into a fireballer with nasty movement who has exploded onto the Jays rotation with a 4-0 start to the season thanks to a tidy 2.27 ERA and an OBA of .198! Call him a 4th starter if you wish, but I wouldn't!
Bryn Smith 26 y/o 87/87
Bryn Smith was selected with the 1st pick of the 2nd round in the 1973 amateur draft by the Oakland A's. The Jays acquired Smith with the 93 pick (47th round) of the 1976 expansion draft! At the time Smith was a paltry 59/78 but Jays scouts had a feeling that given the right circumstances, he could develop into something special. Well, an 87 overall #5 starter from the 93rd pick in an expansion draft is pretty special in my books!
In the 'Pen
While not all of the future of the Jays shut-down crew are at the major league level, there are some quality arms working out of the pen.
CL Tom Henke 24 y/o 92/92
"The Terminator" was drafted 18th overall by the Montreal Expos in the 1975 Amateur draft. The Jays acquired Henke with the 5th pick in the 1976 expansion draft. Henke has developed into a dominant closer posting a perfect 5/5 save record this season with a 1.80 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched. Henke will be counted on to lock down a growing number of Blue Jay wins as the team approaches the playoffs in the 1984 or 1985 season.
Tom Gorman 24 y/o 88/93
Gorman was selected in the 2nd round of the 1975 amateur draft by the Houston Astros. The Blue Jays acquired Gorman with the 9th pick in the 1976 expansion draft. Gorman pitched a solid rookie campaign posting a 2-4 record and a 3.70 ERA in 73.0 relief innings. The combindation of Gorman and Henke should give the Jays a lights out 1-2 combination for the 8th and 9th innings!
Mike Boddicker 24 y/o 83/83
Boddicker was another late expansion pick by the Jays. Selected with the 89th pick, the then 60/79 rated prospect has pitched 320.1 innings over the past 4 seasons with an overall ERA of 4.69. He is a workhorse in the bullpen logging 120+ innings without a single start each of the past two seasons.
John Littlefield 28 y/o 79/79
An original Blue Jay, Littlefield was selected with the 29th pick of the 1976 expansion draft. A former starter, Littlefield has compiled a 48-67 record with the expansion Jays over 159 starts since 1977. Littlefield has logged 960.0 innings with a respectable 4.28 ERA and has provided the Jays with many quality outings.
Bruce Berenyi 27 y/o 84/84
Another original Blue Jay, Berenyi was selected with the 7th pick of the 1976 expansion draft. Bruce has had his ups and downs, but he has settled into the role as a long reliever/spot starter by recording his first winning season (1981, 12-8) and lowering his ERA from 6.27 (1979) to 4.38 (1980).
Dave Smith 27 y/o 85/85
Smith was picked with high expectations with the 3rd pick in the 1976 expansion draft. Smith was an 82/93 rated prospect when the league converted from 2k8 to 2k10 and his ratings dropped like a stone. A low power, high movement pitcher, Smith has had his struggles poting an 0-13 record with a 9.08 ERA in a forgettable 1979 season after a tough luck 8-17 record despite a respectable 4.76 ERA in 193.0 Innings in 1978. Since then he has bounced back lowering his ERA to 4.40 and 4.89 in 1980 and 1981 and finally posting a winning record in 1981 with an 11-8 record.
The Lineup
Most of the Jays main position players are in place for the future with the exception of 1B (Razor Shines) and 2B (still looking!). Here is a postition by position review of the team.
C - Marv Foley/Rick Cerone
This platoon of catchers were both expansion draft picks.
3B - Luis Salazar 25 y/o 85/97
Salazar was acquired in a trade with the Twins for reliever Eduardo Rodriguez.
SS - Odie Davis 26 y/o - 72/95
Recently acquired Davis has cracked the lineup despite being 23 points away from his peak.
LF Tim Raines 22 y/o - 93/93
The Jays first ever amateur draftee, picked with the 2nd overall pick of the 1977 draft. One of the top leadoff men in the game, Raines has been appraching the .400 OPB level in recent play and his speed is feared by many catchers. a 300+ hitter who is capable of 60+ steals per year, Raines has scored 100+ runs in each of the last two seasons and broke the 200 hit barrier in 1981.
CF Mitch Webster 22 y/o 77/90
Recently acquired switch hitting CF, Webster is boasting a 700+ OPS despite being 23 points below peak. What may make things interesting for Webster is the Jays recent selection of CF Ellis Burks with their 1st round pick this season.
RF Glenn Wilson 23 y/o 85/100
The 3rd and final piece acquired in that monster deal with Boston, Wilson is developing into a middle of the order masher. With fewer than 400 major league AB's to his resume, he has already compiled a career batting average of .312 and a career OPS of .778!
The Jays are nearly set to compete for a playoff position in TMBL's tough American League East. With the pieces currently in place and some great assets in the minors (1B's Razor Shines 72/94 and Pete Dalena 62/92; 3B Chris Brown 64/94; RF Paul O'Neill 75/94; and RP's Jon Perlman 79/88, Scott Terry 78/93, and Mark Thurmond 73/88) taking over as the dominant team in the AL East is just a season or two away!
Starting Rotation:
Perhaps the strongest element of the organization, the Jays may have the strongest starting rotation in all of baseball once this group enter peak.
Roger Clemens 19 y/o 93/97
"The Rocket" was selected with the 1st overall pick in the 1980 amateur draft. Clemens is currently the #1 starter in the Jays rotation and despite a tough rookie season in 1981, his progress should make him a perennial cy-young candidate and league strikeout leader.
Frank Viola 22 y/o 93/100
Frank "Sweet Music" Viola was selected with the 7th overall pick in the 1978 amateur draft. After 5 years developing in the minors, Viola is solidly entrenched in the Jays rotation and many Jays scouts feel that he has the potential to eclipse Clemens as the top starter in the Jays rotation.
Shane Rawley 26 y/o 93/95
A 2nd round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, the Jays acquired Rawley from the Red Sox in a huge deal that sent expansion draftees 1B Ron Blomberg, SP Jim Barr, 2B Jerry Remy, and the Jays 4th round pick to Boston for the Red Sox's first and 4th round picks, Rawley, RF Glenn Wilson (see below) and IF Jerry Kenny.
Dennis Boyd 22 y/o 87/97
Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd was selected using the 1977 1st round pick acquired from the Boston Red Sox. 5 years in the minors has seen Oil Can develop into a fireballer with nasty movement who has exploded onto the Jays rotation with a 4-0 start to the season thanks to a tidy 2.27 ERA and an OBA of .198! Call him a 4th starter if you wish, but I wouldn't!
Bryn Smith 26 y/o 87/87
Bryn Smith was selected with the 1st pick of the 2nd round in the 1973 amateur draft by the Oakland A's. The Jays acquired Smith with the 93 pick (47th round) of the 1976 expansion draft! At the time Smith was a paltry 59/78 but Jays scouts had a feeling that given the right circumstances, he could develop into something special. Well, an 87 overall #5 starter from the 93rd pick in an expansion draft is pretty special in my books!
In the 'Pen
While not all of the future of the Jays shut-down crew are at the major league level, there are some quality arms working out of the pen.
CL Tom Henke 24 y/o 92/92
"The Terminator" was drafted 18th overall by the Montreal Expos in the 1975 Amateur draft. The Jays acquired Henke with the 5th pick in the 1976 expansion draft. Henke has developed into a dominant closer posting a perfect 5/5 save record this season with a 1.80 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched. Henke will be counted on to lock down a growing number of Blue Jay wins as the team approaches the playoffs in the 1984 or 1985 season.
Tom Gorman 24 y/o 88/93
Gorman was selected in the 2nd round of the 1975 amateur draft by the Houston Astros. The Blue Jays acquired Gorman with the 9th pick in the 1976 expansion draft. Gorman pitched a solid rookie campaign posting a 2-4 record and a 3.70 ERA in 73.0 relief innings. The combindation of Gorman and Henke should give the Jays a lights out 1-2 combination for the 8th and 9th innings!
Mike Boddicker 24 y/o 83/83
Boddicker was another late expansion pick by the Jays. Selected with the 89th pick, the then 60/79 rated prospect has pitched 320.1 innings over the past 4 seasons with an overall ERA of 4.69. He is a workhorse in the bullpen logging 120+ innings without a single start each of the past two seasons.
John Littlefield 28 y/o 79/79
An original Blue Jay, Littlefield was selected with the 29th pick of the 1976 expansion draft. A former starter, Littlefield has compiled a 48-67 record with the expansion Jays over 159 starts since 1977. Littlefield has logged 960.0 innings with a respectable 4.28 ERA and has provided the Jays with many quality outings.
Bruce Berenyi 27 y/o 84/84
Another original Blue Jay, Berenyi was selected with the 7th pick of the 1976 expansion draft. Bruce has had his ups and downs, but he has settled into the role as a long reliever/spot starter by recording his first winning season (1981, 12-8) and lowering his ERA from 6.27 (1979) to 4.38 (1980).
Dave Smith 27 y/o 85/85
Smith was picked with high expectations with the 3rd pick in the 1976 expansion draft. Smith was an 82/93 rated prospect when the league converted from 2k8 to 2k10 and his ratings dropped like a stone. A low power, high movement pitcher, Smith has had his struggles poting an 0-13 record with a 9.08 ERA in a forgettable 1979 season after a tough luck 8-17 record despite a respectable 4.76 ERA in 193.0 Innings in 1978. Since then he has bounced back lowering his ERA to 4.40 and 4.89 in 1980 and 1981 and finally posting a winning record in 1981 with an 11-8 record.
The Lineup
Most of the Jays main position players are in place for the future with the exception of 1B (Razor Shines) and 2B (still looking!). Here is a postition by position review of the team.
C - Marv Foley/Rick Cerone
This platoon of catchers were both expansion draft picks.
3B - Luis Salazar 25 y/o 85/97
Salazar was acquired in a trade with the Twins for reliever Eduardo Rodriguez.
SS - Odie Davis 26 y/o - 72/95
Recently acquired Davis has cracked the lineup despite being 23 points away from his peak.
LF Tim Raines 22 y/o - 93/93
The Jays first ever amateur draftee, picked with the 2nd overall pick of the 1977 draft. One of the top leadoff men in the game, Raines has been appraching the .400 OPB level in recent play and his speed is feared by many catchers. a 300+ hitter who is capable of 60+ steals per year, Raines has scored 100+ runs in each of the last two seasons and broke the 200 hit barrier in 1981.
CF Mitch Webster 22 y/o 77/90
Recently acquired switch hitting CF, Webster is boasting a 700+ OPS despite being 23 points below peak. What may make things interesting for Webster is the Jays recent selection of CF Ellis Burks with their 1st round pick this season.
RF Glenn Wilson 23 y/o 85/100
The 3rd and final piece acquired in that monster deal with Boston, Wilson is developing into a middle of the order masher. With fewer than 400 major league AB's to his resume, he has already compiled a career batting average of .312 and a career OPS of .778!
The Jays are nearly set to compete for a playoff position in TMBL's tough American League East. With the pieces currently in place and some great assets in the minors (1B's Razor Shines 72/94 and Pete Dalena 62/92; 3B Chris Brown 64/94; RF Paul O'Neill 75/94; and RP's Jon Perlman 79/88, Scott Terry 78/93, and Mark Thurmond 73/88) taking over as the dominant team in the AL East is just a season or two away!