EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

	TORONTO BLUE JAYS
	2000 Spring Training Schedule
	2000 Regular Season Schedule

1999 Record: 84-78 (3rd place, AL East, 14 GB)

1999 Payroll: $48.8 million (14th)

1999 Team Statistics (AL rank) Batting Avg. .280 (5th)         Opp. Average .280 (8th) Runs Scored 883 (5th) ERA 4.92 (8th) Home Runs 212 (4th) Fielding Pct. .983 (5th)

1999 Recap: Carlos Delgado (44 HR, 144 RBI) and Shawn Green (42 HR, 123 RBI) had monster seasons and rookie Billy Koch saved 31 games, but the starting pitching was awful (5.14 ERA). The youthful Jays started 12-4 and then lost 31 of 46 games. A scorching July (19-7) lifted Toronto in the wild card lead -- a position they held as late as August 12 -- but a late-season free fall sealed their fate.

1999 Highlight: The breakout seasons of infielders Homer Bush (.320 BA, 32 SB) and Tony Batista (.285 BA, 26 HR in 98 games) -- both of whom were acquired in trades.

1999 Lowlight: Manager Tim Johnson, who lost all credibility after lying about military service in Vietnam, was let go in a rare spring training dismissal.

Manager: Jim Fregosi (84-78 with Toronto, 945-1016 in 14 seasons)

Coaches: Cito Gaston (batting), Langford (pitching), Bobby Knopp (first base), Terry Bevington (third base), Roly de Armas (bullpen), Rick Lee Elia (bench)

Camp Site: Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin, Fla.

Reporting Dates: Pitchers and catchers on Feb. 18; full squad on Feb. 22.

Additions OF Raul Mondesi, LHP Pedro Borbon, RHP Lance Painter, C Alberto Castillo, RHP Frank Castillo

Subtractions: OF Shawn Green, RHP Pat Hentgen, LHP Graeme Lloyd, LHP Paul Spoljaric, C Mike Matheny, C Pat Borders, OF Brian McRae, 3B Tony Fernandez

Spring Cleaning: The Blue Jays Opening Day lineup is essentially set heading into camp. In fact, five of the eight regulars are signed to multi-year deals -- Bush, Delgado, Batista, Raul Mondesi and Shannon Stewart. The only spot up for grabs is center field where Jose Cruz Jr. and phenom Vernon Wells will push each other for playing time. Batista moves to the hot corner with the departure of Tony Fernandez and a healthy Alex Gonzalez returns to shortstop.

On The Flip Side Most home runs after switching leagues midseason Year  Player, Team  HR  1999  Tony Batista, TOR  26  1997  Mark McGwire, STL  24  1988  Tom Brunansky, MIN  22  1971  John Briggs, MIL  21  1987  John Shelby, LA  21

Homer Bush, who holds the single-season record for homers by a Homer (5), will likely bat second behind Stewart in his first full season. David Segui, arguably the best fielding first baseman in the majors, will have to adjust to life as a DH because Delgado wants play in the field. Raul Mondesi gets a fresh start in the American League and is capable of Shawn Green numbers. The central issue in camp is the status of the starting rotation. Innings-eater Pat Hentgen is gone, but the starting five appears solid on paper -- David Wells, Joey Hamilton, Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay and Kelvim Escobar. However, each comes with some baggage. Wells is not exactly a picture of health, Hamilton is a year removed from rotator cuff surgery, Carpenter has been bothered with elbow problems, Halladay's 1999 season ended with shoulder problems, and there are concerns about Escobar's maturity. The late-innings will feature John Frascatore and Paul Quantrill setting up Billy Koch, but the rest of the bullpen is unsettled heading into spring training.

Key Acquisition: Raul Mondesi's reputation took a major-league beating last season even though he set career highs in home runs (33), RBIs (99) and stolen bases (36). After escaping the L.A. spotlight, Mondesi could be primed for a huge season, especially with speedsters Stewart and Bush batting in front of him. It will be interesting to see if Shawn Green can put up Raul Mondesi numbers in hitter-unfriendly Dodger Stadium.

The Future is Now: Jose Cruz hit 26 home runs in his rookie season, but just 25 in the two years since. Fregosi has tried to everything to motivate Cruz, including benchings and demotions to the minors, but nothing worked. Cruz, 26, finished the 1999 season strong (.355 in September) and it carried over to Winter ball where he was named MVP of the Caribbean World Series. Maybe new hitting coach Cito Gaston can help him maintain his stroke.

Opportunity Knocks: Vernon Wells, 21, is the gem of the Blue Jays system. He was named top prospect at three minor league levels last year and is Toronto's center fielder of the not-so-distant future. In his major league audition last September, Wells looked rushed but not overmatched, hitting .261 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 88 at bats. He will probably end up back in AAA unless Cruz goes in the tank.

Prospects to Watch: 2B Brent Abernathy, LHP Clayton Andrews, RHP Gary Glover, SS Felipe Lopez, RHP John Sneed, OF Vernon Wells, 1B-OF Kevin Witt

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