Blog Archives

Toronto Blue Jays Organizational Charts: Payroll, Depth Charts And Rosters, (MLB + MiLB)

Like us on Facebook here

Saturday, June.14/2013

The Blue Jays have played better baseball of late, are now 30 - 36. They sit in last place in the AL East. Mark Buerhle was great in a 8 - 0 win versus Texas Fri.

The Blue Jays have played better baseball of late, are now 30 – 36. They sit in last place in the AL East – 9.5 Games Behind the Boston Red Sox. Mark Buerhle was great in a 8 – 0 win versus Texas Fri. The two teams continue a Series today.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website here Follow @prosportsroster

You guys are all in for a treat. Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website. He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams.

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball. He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis. After you click on it….Bookmark it. There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page. Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Blue Jays Organization click here

Read the rest of this entry →

About these ads

Posted in MLB Payroll and Contracts, MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

Leave a Comment

Tags: 1b Henderson Alvarez, 2013 Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects, A.J. Jimenez, aaron loup, Aaron Munoz, aaron sanchez, adam lind, adam loewen, Ajay Meyer, AL East, Alan Farina, alex anthopoulos, Alex Hinshaw, Alonzo Gonzalez, Amadeo Zazueta, American league, Andrew Burns, Andrew Sikula, andy laroche, anthony gose, Art Solomon, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Balbino Fuenmayor, Ben White, Blake McFarland, Blue Jays 25 man roster, blue jays 40 man roster, Blue Jays Management, Blue Jays PITCHERS, Blue Jays POSITION PLAYERS, Bob Stanley, Bobby Brosnahan, Bobby Korecky, Bobby Meacham, boston red sox, Brad Delatte, Brad Glenn, brad lincoln, brandon morrow, brett cecil, brett lawrie, Brian Van Kirk, Bruce Walton, Bryan Kervin, Bryan Longpre, Buddy Carlyle, Buffalo Bisons (INT), Buffalo Bisons PITCHERS, Buffalo Bisons POSITION PLAYERS, c Aaron Sanchez, c Anthony Gose, c Carlos Perez, c Chad Jenkins, c end sumar, c Jake Marisnick, c Zach Stewart, Carlos Ramirez, Casey Beck, Casey Janssen, casey lawrence, Chad Beck, chad jenkins, chad mottola, Chorye Spoone, Chris Hawkins, Chris Schaeffer, Christian Lopes, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, Chuck Johnson, Clayton McCullough, Clint Robinson, colby rasmus, Colton Turner, Dalton Pompey, Dan Klein, Daniel Arcila, Daniel Norris, Danny Barnes, Darold Knowles, darren oliver, Dave Bush, Dave Pano, Dayton Marze, Deck McGuire. Ryan Tepera, DeMarlo Hale, Derrick Chung, Don Logan, drew hutchinson, Drew Permison, Dunedin Blue Jays (FSL), Dunedin Blue Jays PITCHERS, Dunedin Blue Jays POSITION PLAYERS, Dustin Antolin, dustin mcGowan, Dwayne Murphy, dwight smith jr., Edgar Gonzalez, edwin encarnacion, Efrain Nieves, Egan Smith, emilio bonifacio, Emilio Guerrero, Eric Brown, Eric Phillips, Esmil Rogers, Eugenio Velez, Fernando Hernandez, Gabe Jacobo, Gary Allenson, Griffin Murphy, Gustavo Pierre, hank aaron award winners, Henry Blanco, Ian Kadish, Ian Parmley, j.a. happ, j.p. arencibia, Jack Murphy, Jason Leblebijian, Javier Avendano, Jeremy Jeffress, Jesse Hernandez, Jim Czajkowski, Jim Negrych, Joel Carreno, john anderson, john gibbons, John Stilson, John Tamargo Jr., John Tolisano, Jon Nunnally, Jon Talley, Jonathan Jones, Jonathan Lucas, Jonathon Berti, Jorge Flores, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh johnson, josh thole, Juan Perez, Justin Germano Claudio Vargas, Justin Jackson, K.C. Hobson, Kellen Sweeney, Kenny Graham, Kenny Wilson, Kevin Ahrens, Kevin Nolan, Kevin Patterson, Kevin Pillar, Kramer Champlin, Kyle Anderson, kyle drabek, Lance Zawadzki, Lansing Lugnuts (MID), Lansing Lugnuts PITCHERS, Lansing Lugnuts POSITION PLAYERS, Leo Hernandez, lhp Aaron Sanchez, lhp Justin Jackson, lhp Justin Nicolino, lhp Roberto Osuna, Luis Antonio Jimenez, luis perez, Luis Rivera, maicer izturis, Marco Grifantini, marcus knecht, marcus stroman, Marcus Walden, mark buehrle, mark derosa, Marty Brown, Matt Johnson, Matt Newman, Matt Wright, mauro gomez, melky cabrera, Michael Crouse, Michael Nickeas, Michael Schwimer, Mickey Storey, Mike McCoy, moises sierra, munenori kawasaki, Neil Wagner, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (EAS), New Hampshire Fisher Cats PITCHERS, New Hampshire Fisher Cats POSITION PLAYERS, Nicholas Baligod, Nicholas Purdy, Nick Baligod, of 2010 Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects, of Daniel Norris, of Jake Marisnick, of John Stilson, of Josh Roenicke, of Noah Syndergaard, of Travis D'Arnaud, Oliver Dominguez, Pat Day, paul beeston, Pete Walker, Peter Mooney, Pierce Rankin, r.a. dickey, rajai davis, Ramon Ortiz, Randy Boone, rhp 2011 Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects, rhp 2012 Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects, rhp Aaron Sanchez, rhp Adeiny Hechavarria, rhp Anthony Gose, rhp Asher Wojciechowski, rhp Brad Mills, rhp David Cooper, rhp Deck McGuire, rhp Drew Hutchison, rhp J.P. Arencibia, rhp Jake Marisnick, rhp Justin Nicolino, rhp Marcus Stroman, rhp Noah Syndergaard, Ricardo Nanita, Rich Thompson, Richie Hebner, Rick Brenner, ricky romero, Roan Salas, Roberto Osuna, Ronald Melendez, Ryan Goins, ryan langerhans, Ryan Schimpf, Santiago Nessy, Scott Copeland, Scott Gracey, Sean Nolin, Sean Ochinko, sergio santos, Seth Conner, Shane Opitz, shawn griffith, Shelby Nelson, ss Carlos Perez, ss D.J. Davis, steve Delabar, Stubby Clapp, Taylor Cole, texas rangers, Thad Weber, todd redmond, Tom Dickson, Tom Signore, Tommy Hottovy, Tony Davis, toronto blue jays, travis d'arnaud, Travis Garrett, Tucker Donahue, Tucker Frawley, twitter @chuckbooth3024, Tyler Ybarra, Tyson Brummett, Vancouver Canadians (NW), Vancouver Canadians PITCHERS, Vancouver Canadians POSITION PLAYERS, Vince Horsman, Wil Browning, Willie Collazo, Zach Stewart, Zack Breault

Ricky Romero: Aiming For 2013 As The #5 Starter

Mar 19

Posted by bernieolshansky

Follow @mlbreports

Like us on Facebook here

Tuesday March 19th, 2013

Ricky Romero had a rough 2012 campaign, posting a 9-14 record to go with a sky-high 5.77 ERA. He is looking to rebound in 2013 with the help of the revamped Blue Jays lineup and rotation.

Ricky Romero led the American League with 105 Walks – and featured a brutal WHIP of 1.674 en route to a 9 – 14 campaign with a 5.77 ERA. This was only a year removed from being an ALL – Star in 2010 – and finishing 10th in AL CY Young Voting. The Blue Jays Left Handed Pitcher was 15 – 11, with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.138 WHIP. After the year, the team traded for Josh Johnson, former AL Cy Young winner Mark Buerhle – and reigning NL CY Young winner R.A. Dickey. Along with fellow returning Blue Jays Starter Brandon Morrow.

Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky

At the beginning of 2012, Ricky Romero was solidified as the number one starter in a strong Toronto Blue Jays roster. In the previous three years of his career, he only had an ERA above 4.00 once (in his rookie season, 4.30), and had won more than 10 games every year.

2012 was an absolute disaster for Romero as he posted a sky-high 5.77 ERA and a 9 – 14 record. He had fans confused as to how such a solid pitcher could do a complete 180 and turn from an ace to an iffy back-of-the-rotation starter.

Romero is in a very interesting situation for 2013. The Blue Jays added two very formidable starters in Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle when they acquired the two in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins. The two former Marlins starters will help support the preexisting rotation consisting of Brandon Morrowand Romero..

Also in contention for a spot is Kyle Drabek, who has made starts over the past couple of years, but has never really stuck. Johnson, Buehrle, Morrow, and Alvarez will round out the top four spots, and Romero will most likely be the fifth starter for 2013.

Ricky Romero Interview:

Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles, The Rest: Everything Baseball

4 Comments

Tags: baseball, blue jays, brandon morrow, comeback, edwin encarnacion, era, five-starter, henderson alvarez, jays, jose reyes, josh johnson, kyle drabek, mark buehrle, Mark buerhle, melky cabrera, miami marlins, mlb, pitching, r.a. dickey, ricky romero, rotation, rotations, starting, struggle, toronto blue jays, walks

The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise 1994-2012: Part 2 of a 7 Part Series

Nov 28

Posted by mednickalex

Follow @mlbreports

Wednesday, Nov.28th, 2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5-7 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Teams Payroll going into 2013 and 5.The Ball Park that they play in. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) Be sure to check my author page with a list of all of my archived articles section here.

Today’s Part 2 Feature of the Blue Jays Franchise will be written by our Baseball Writer Alex Mednick. To do this franchise series service, Alex has studied this club a lot more than I have in the last 20 years and will do this article better justice for you the reader!

Alex Mednick (Baseball Writer and Analyst):

Note from Alex Mednick: Chuck Booth offered to me the opportunity to step in to his Franchise Series and cover the Blue Jays history from 1994-Present. I gladly accepted the honor.

In Part 1 of this series, Chuck covered the Blue Jays history from their humble beginnings at Exhibition Stadium in 1977, through the glory years in the late 80s and early 90s. The story dropped off right after the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Championships in 1992 and 1993. We closed the books with the walk-off winning home run by Joe Carter to win the World Series, and the parties and celebrations that were to follow across Ontario, Canada. I will pick it back up at the beginning of the 1994 season, when the Blue Jays had high hopes to win a third consecutive world championship.

(Scroll Down Past the Links or Click the READ MORE OF THIS ENTRY ICON.)

Franchise Series Links:

Franchise History Part 1 1977-1993:
http://mlbreports.com/2012/11/09/jays1/

The Hitters: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise Hitters: Part 3 Of A 7 Part Article Series:

The Pitchers: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise Pitchers Part 4 Of A 7 Part Series

Skydome: An Interview with ‘Rogers Centre Expert’ and “MLB reports Founder” Jonathan Hacohen Part 5 of 7

2013 Team Payroll:
http://mlbreports.com/2012/09/10/tor/

Special Bonus Fan Blog Of 2013 Team Payroll:
http://mlbreports.com/2012/09/12/torfanalex/

Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Historical Series, MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball

3 Comments

Tags: a-rod, a.j. burnett, aaron hill, ace, adam lind, AL East, alex anthopoulos, alex gonzalez, alex mednick, alex ríos, alex rodriguez, alexander ewing mednick, anthony gose, b.j. ryan, big hurt, billy beane, BJ Birdy, blue jays, bobby valentine, brad lincoln, brandon lyon, brandon morrow, brett lawrie, brett wallace, buck martinez, carlos beltran, carlos delgado, Cito gaston, colby rasmus, cy young, dave stieb, david carpenter, david cone, david wells, Devon White, Diamond, Duane Ward, edwin encarnacion, emilio bonifacio, eric hinske, esteban loaiza, Franchise Series, frank thomas, george bell, j.a. happ, j.p. arencibia, j.p. ricciardi, jake marisnick, jerry howarth, jim fregosi, jim hughson, JImmy Key, john gibbons, jose bautista, jose canseco, jose cruz jr, jose reyes, josh johnson, juan guzman, justin nicolino, kelly johnson, kyle drabek, lyle overbay, mark buehrle, melky cabre, melky cabrera, michael young, mike aviles, mike timlin, pat gillick, Pat Hentgen, paul molitor, paul spoljaric, philadelphia phillies, phillies, raul mondesi, ricky romero, roberto alomar, roger clemens, rogers centre, roy halladay, shannon stewart, shaun marcum, shawn green, shea hillenbrand, skydome, steve Delabar, ted lilly, Tom Cheek, tony batista, tony fernandez, toronto blue jays, travis d'arnaud, travis snider, troy glaus, vernon wells, yunel escobar

Is Daisuke Matsuzaka Worth The Risk? 3 Teams That Should Roll The Dice On Him

Nov 18

Posted by Jake Dal Porto

Follow @mlbreports

Sunday November 18th, 2012

Dice-0K was the biggest posting ever for a pitcher ever at 51 Million Dollars. the Red Sox ended up paying over 100 Million for the man when they signed him for 6 years and 52 Million dollars. He rewarded th em in 2007 and 2008, by going 31-14 and being a big cog in the wheel for the World Series Run in 2007. Matsuzaka is only 19-23 since those first 2 years.

Jake Dal Porto: What has become of Daisuke Matsuzaka? The once highly-touted Japanese import has struggled in recent years, posting a 5.53 earned run average since 2009. Due to this, the interest for him is extremely low.

However, don’t expect Matsuzaka to go unsigned this winter. While he is certainly a gamble, he’s worth the risk for teams with restricted payrolls.

Here some of those teams that could roll the dice on the 32-year-old: Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Player Profiles, MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

Leave a Comment

Tags: Andrew Cashner, anibal sanchez, boston red sox, brett cecil, clayton richard, cory luebke, daisuke matsuzaka, drew hutchison, edinson volquez, ervin santana, Felipe Paulino, j.a. happ, josh johnson, kansas city royals, kyle drabek, luke hochevar, mark buehrle, miami marlins, MLB Rumors, san diego padres, tommy john, toronto blue jays, zack greinke

Dissecting The Blockbuster Trade Between The Blue Jays And The Marlins

Nov 14

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Follow @mlbreports

Wednesday, November.14/2012

Jose Reyes is a .291 Career Hitter and has averaged 55 Steals and 110 Runs Per 162 Games Played. He should have no problem scoring runs with Encarnacion and Joey Bats hitting in the middle of the lineup for Toronto.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

I think you can safely say that the off-season has truly begun! I was writing on my computer yesterday when the big trade blew up on twitter. I live in White Rock, British Colombia, Canada, so you can only imagine how excited the whole country of Canada was to talk about baseball on the big media Social Website. Within minutes, it was clear that the Marlins and Jays were talking about a huge deal. There is a remarkable quality that I have admired about Alex Anthopoulos for a few years now. That his organization is pretty tight-lipped about their negotiations with any MLB team, just as it was with the Marlins on Tuesday. I waited a few minutes and then…..WHAM! A Blockbuster trade came right down the PIKE! Here is the trade in case you have been living under a rock for the past 24 hours.

To visit the 2013 Updated Version of the Toronto Blue Jays 2013 Payroll Blog I did click here

To the Blue Jays 2012 Stats:

SS/2B Jose Reyes .287 11 HRs 57 RBI, 86 Runs, 40 SB

SP Josh Johnson 8-14 3.81 ERA 191.1 IP 165 SO

C John Buck .192 12 HRs 41 RBI

2B/ss/3B/ Emilio Bonifacio .258 1 HR 11 RBI, 30 Runs, 25 SB in 244 AB

SP Mark Buehrle 13-13 3.74 ERA 202. IP (12th straight year of 200 IP+)

4 Million Dollars Cash

To the Marlins:

SS Yunel Escobar .253 9 HRs 51 RBI

2B/SS Adeiny Hechavarria .254 2 HRs 10 RBI, 126 AB

C Jeff Mathis .218 8 HRs 27 RBI, 211 AB

SP Henderson Alvarez 9-14 4.85 ERA 187.2 IP

Also Prospects:

SP Justin Nicolino:

RP: Anthony DeSclafini:

OF: Jake Marisnick Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

3 Comments

Tags: 2013 Blue Jays Payroll, 2013 Miami Marlins Payroll, adeiny hechavarria, anthony descalfini, anthony gose, blue jays, brett cecil, brett lawrie, chris coghlan, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, colby rasmus, drew hutchison, emilio bonifacio, free agent, giancarlo stanton, greg dobbs, hanley ramirez, henderson alvarez, j.a. happ, jacob turner, jake marisnick, jeff mathis, jeffrey loria, john buck, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh hamilton, josh johnson, justin nicolino, justin ruggiano, kyle drabek, logan morrison, Mark buerhle, miami marlins, mike redmond, nathan oevaldi, prince fielder, rajai davis, Reyes Trade, ricky nolasco, ricky romero, tommy john, toronto, travis d'arnaud, twitter @chuckbooth3024, yunel escobar

The Toronto Blue Jays Payroll 2013 and Contracts (Updated For MIA Trade Nov.13/2012)

Sep 10

Posted by chuckbooth3023

Follow @mlbreports

Monday, September.10/2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Teams Payroll going into 2013 and 5.The Ball Park that they play in. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) Be sure to check my author page with a list of all of my archived articles section here.

The Blue Jays have not qualified for the Playoffs since they won Back to Back World Series in 1992 and 1993. At that time, they were around the top of the MLB Payroll for all teams. How much will they spend in 2013?

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

It has been a disastrous season for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012. Only the Boston Red Sox can usurp them in the AL East for being more disappointing. It is not entirely anyone’s fault, injuries to many key pitchers-plus the loss of Jose Bautista just after the All-Break, crippled the team’s ability to compete. Just chalk up the season to unlucky. Fortunately for the Blue Jays, Alex Anthopoulos has kept the team flexible with the payroll going forward. I still think that getting out of the Vernon Wells and Alex Rios contracts was the biggest ‘Houdini Act’ of the New Millennium. Since he got out from under those contracts, only Joey Bats makes more than 10 Million Dollars now on the club. To contend in the AL East, the Jays will need to spend at least 100-110 Million Dollars. The core of the team is intact for a couple of more years. From 2013-2016 is the clubs best window to make a charge at the playoffs and have some success.

Perhaps the best move that the Blue Jays GM did this year was to lock up Edwin Encarnacion to a 3 YR/27 Million Dollar contract before he hit the Free Agency Market. In a downtrodden year, EE could have requested an arm and leg for his services and been obliged. He left between 8-10 Million Dollars on the Table in my opinion. The keys will be to lock up a couple of their young player to long-term contracts. The catching looks solid (Arencibia and Mathis) for years to come with some more prospects filtering through the Minor Leagues (Travis D’arnaurd.) Trading away Eric Thames and Travis Snider paved the way for the club to lock-up Colby Rasmus long-term-and maybe take a run at a power hitting Outfielder. The team’s starting pitching must heal up from multiple Tommy John Surgeries and come back to be relevant. The team should definitely be players for free agent pitchers.

For Part 1 of a 7 Part Article Series: The Toronto Blue Jays Franchise 1977-1993, click here

For Part 7 of the 7 Part Series: Blue Jays 2013 Team Payroll: A Readers Thoughts, Click Here:

Josh Johnson brings a career record of 56-37 (.602) to the Blue Jays lineup in 2013. With one year and 13.75 Million Dollars left on this current deal. will Toronto try and extend him or wait to see if he can stay healthy all year.

Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball

12 Comments

Tags: 30 for 30 series, aaron laffey, aaron loup, adam lind, adeiny hechavarria, AL East, alex anthopoulos, alex ríos, arbitration, baltimore, baltimore orioles, boston red sox, brad lincoln, brandon lyon, brandon morrow, brett cecil, brett lawrie, carlos villanueva, Casey Janssen, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, colby rasmus, darren oliver, dustin mcGowan, edwin encarnacion, emilio bonifacio, eric thames, henderson alvarez, j.a. happ, j.p. arencibia, Jason Frasor, jeff francis, jeff mathis, Jeremy guthrie, jesse litsch, john buck, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh johnson, kelly johnson, kyle drabek, maicer izturis, Marco scutaro, mark beuhrle, new york yankees, rajai davis, Rick Ankiel, ricky romero, robert coello, ryan ludwick, scott richmond, sergio santos, skydome, steve Delabar, tommy john, toronto blue jays, travis d'arnaud, vernon wells, willie bloomquist, yunel escobar

The Interesting Case of Francisco Liriano: Twins Look to Move a Starter by the Trade Deadline

Jul 26

Posted by Bryan Sheehan

Follow @mlbreports

Thursday July 26th, 2012

Bryan Sheehan (MLB Writer): There is no doubt that the Minnesota Twins are going to be sellers this year at the trade deadline. At 18 games under .500, they have the worst record in the American League, and with a team ERA of an even 5.00, they find themselves only ahead of the Colorado Rockies at the bottom in terms of pitching. According to Jayson Stark , the Twins are willing to move “just about anybody” on their roster, and all signs point to starter Francisco Liriano’s departure. The troubled starter ranks 93 out of 101 qualified pitchers in ERA (5.31) and is just one loss off a league worst 11. Liriano’s $5.5 million salary is fifth highest among Twins players, and it goes without saying that his performances are well below what he’s being paid. But does that mean he has no trade value? Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Player Profiles

Leave a Comment

Tags: baseball, brandon morrow, brett cecil, daisuke matsuzaka, ervin santana, francisco liriano, henderson alvarez, john lackey, kyle drabek, minnesota twins, mlb, ricky romero, starting pitcher, tommy hunter, toronto blue jays, trade deadline, zack greinke

MLB reports Monthly Power Rankings: May 2012

Follow @mlbreports

Tuesday May 8th, 2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-We are going to bring you a monthly power rankings every month of the season. There will be a few verses for each team. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts.

May Power Rankings

Texas (19-10) Josh Hamilton is clubbing the ball at his 2010 like AL MVP clip. Yu Darvish appears to be the real deal. Mike Napoli hits 8^th on most nights. Michael Young might be the most under-appreciated hitter in the last decade. Ian Kinsler is on pace for 162 runs. If Nelson Cruz starts hitting and or Nathan rounds into form, than this team may blitz by every one.
Tampa Bay (19-10) The pitching staff is incredible right now. David Price is asserting himself as one of the premier left-handed pitchers in baseball. Strong starts from Evan Longoria, Luke Scott and Carlos Pena have helped. Joe Maddon may be the best ‘in-game manager’ of baseball now with Tony La Russa out of the Majors.
Atlanta (18-12) The reason I have Atlanta rated so high is they are not even having a good year from Tim Hudson yet and Jair Jurrjens has been atrocious. Still they sit near the top of the standings. Chipper Jones has 21 RBI and Freddie Freeman has taken the next step so far with 26 RBI. Last year the team had a lot of players with career worst years and they were only eliminated on the last day of the season. This year may be different.
St. Louis (18-11) You lose a franchise player like Albert Pujols and you spend half the money for Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal, who are finally hitting the numbers like the back of their bubble gum cards from 5 years ago. Are we giving enough credit to Mark McGwire here? Lance Lynn has morphed into Chris Carpenter with his 6-0 start.
LA Dodgers (19-10) Matt Kemp is the best player in baseball right now and may walk away with the triple crown this year. Andre Ethier has matured into the RBI guy he needs to be. Solid pitching by Clayton Kershaw, Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly have this team looking solid. Dodgers look good in the future when the new ownership takes over. (more…)

Posted on May 8, 2012 | Image

The 2012 Toronto Blue Jays: Need a Big Bat to Contend in the A.L. East

May 2

Posted by lorimartinibelieves

Follow @mlbreports

Tuesday May 2nd, 2012

Rob Bland: Much has been said about the quiet offseason that Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos underwent. After the uproar that was caused by the media in the Yu Darvis bidding process, and the Prince Fielder free agency, fans became upset that Anthopoulos was just sitting on his hands. The fact that Anthopoulos stated numerous times that they would not be major players in free agency seemed to fall on deaf ears. Anthopoulos has been adamant about building this team with young and athleticism, the latter of which is something that Prince Fielder doesn’t necessarily embody. That’s no knock against Prince, because he is paid to mash, not steal bases.

The question is asked, do the Jays need a big bat or another arm to take that final leap into contention in the American League East? Now, I could answer this a few different ways. Read the rest of this entry →

Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis

Leave a Comment

Tags: adam lind, alex anthopoulos, anthony gose, baseball, brandon morrow, brett lawrie, edwin encarnacion, john farrell, jose bautista, kyle drabek, mlb, prince fielder, ricky romero, roy halladay, toronto blue jays, yu darvish