Toronto Blue Jays
| |
|
| Projected Lineup |
|---|
| LF |
Shannon Stewart |
| SS |
Chris Woodward |
| CF |
Vernon Wells |
| 1B |
Carlos Delgado |
| 3B |
Eric Hinske |
| DH |
Josh Phelps |
| RF |
Frank Catalanotto |
| 2B |
Orlando Hudson |
| C |
Ken Huckaby |
| Projected Rotation |
|---|
| RHP |
Roy Halladay |
| RHP |
Cory Lidle |
| RHP |
Tanyan Sturtze |
| LHP |
Mark Hendrickson |
| RHP |
Pete Walker |
| CL |
Kelvim Escobar |
| |
|
By Doug Furnad, SI.com
With a solid young nucleus in place, the Blue Jays will contend in AL East. Maybe not this year. But soon.
There's reason for optimism. Toronto went 44-32 after the All-Star break as Eric Hinske and Josh Phelphs emerged as future All-Stars. Roy Halladay established himself as a legitimate ace.
The Jays were seven games over .500 (58-51) under Carlos Tosca, who must continue to blend his youngsters with the older guys to build a cohesive team.
Staying above .500 will depend largely on the an inexperienced starting rotation. Toronto is rebuilding around Halladay (19-7, 2.93 ERA), with rookies Justin Miller (9-5, 5.54), Pete Walker (10-5, 4.33) and Mark Hendrickson (3-0, 2.45) rounding out the rotation.
Limited by a $55 million payroll ($19 million going to Carlos Delgado), general manager J.P. Ricciardi stocked his roster with Rule V draft picks and low-priced free agents over the winter. Ricciardi traded for Cory Lidle and signed Frank Catalanotto, Mike Bordick and Tanyon Sturtze for less than what it would have cost to re-sign Jose Cruz Jr.
Right field could be a problem. Frank Catalanotto comes over from Texas, but he is an infielder by trade. There are concerns that his arm isn’t strong enough for right field, and he has already taken one fly ball to the face this spring.
If Catalanotto has to move, he could supplant Orlando Hudson at second base, making Jason Werth the outfield starter.
The rotation is strong at the top, but suspect after that. Staff ace Roy Halladay won 19 games last season, but the four projected starters won a combined 25 games. Cory Lidle is a nice, but if you throw out his awesome August (5-0, 0.20 ERA) then he was just 3-10 the rest of the way.
Mark Hendrickson has made the transition from basketball to baseball, and at 6-foot-9 he can be a force on the mound. He won three starts at the end of 2002, and should be a good find at the end of the rotation.
Orlando Hudson was expected to be an impact playe catalyst at the top of the lineup last year. Instead, after a spring where he likened GM J.P. Ricciardi to a pimp, he went back to Class AAA to work on his attitude and his game. Hudson has the tools to be an impact player, but he has to act like a professional if he wants to stick in the majors. If he doesn't, Dave Berg or Frank Catalanotto could take the second base job from Hudson.
The Jays have many young players who will contribute, but Rule V pick Aquilino Lopez may have the most impact on the 2003 club. Lopez, who went went 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in Class AAA last season, will open the season in the bullpen. If he continues to develop, Toronto could afford to move Kelvim Escobar back into the rotation or perhaps trade Escobar to fill any of the teams other needs.
Arrivals: RHP Cory Lidle (from Oakland as a trade); RF Frank Catalanotto (from Texas as a free agent), RHP Tanyon Sturtze (from Tampa Bay as a free agent), SS Mike Bordick (from Baltimore as free agent), C Greg Myers (from Oakland as a free agent), RP Jeff Tam (from Oakland as free agent), RHP Jason Arnold (from Oakland as trade), OF John-Ford Griffin (from Oakland as a trade), RHP Aguilino Lopez (in the Rule 5 draft from Seattle), RHP Gary Majewski (in the Rule 5 draft from the Chicago White Sox) and OF Jason Dubois (in the Rule 5 draft from the Chicago Cubs).
Departures: OF Jose Cruz (to San Francisco as a free agent), SS Felipe Lopez (to Cincinnati as a trade), RHP Chris Carpenter (to St. Louis as free agent), RHP Felix Heredia (to Cincinnati as free agent), RHP Esteban Loaiza (to the Chicago White Sox as free agent), LHP Mike Sirotka (to Chicago as a free agent).
The Blue Jays are searching for an identity and some consistency. Even if all the youngsters and Rule V picks come through, and even if Delgado and Stewart stay healthy, the Jays are still destined for no better than third place in the AL East. At least there's hope for the future.
|
