Staying Focused

So we have hit our first real bump of the season, losing the last 6 in a row. Let's stay focused and continue to move forward. No one (including me) predicted that the Jays would be in second place, only .5 games out of first come May 25th. If someone had told me at the start of the season this is where we would be come this time I would have gladly accepted while walking away calling that individual a fool underneath my breath.

Considering we have had a make-shift starting pitching rotation (outside of Halladay) all season, we are in pretty good position moving forward. If Rios and Wells would actually do something we will continue to compete.

Romero is scheduled to make his first appearance back in the rotation, while the Internet legend of Casey Janssen returned throwing 6 solid innings the other week.

Things are still ok in Jays land. No need to panic quite yet.

Janssen should be ready to come back soon....

This is good news considering what we are currently fielding at the moment, but I want Jays fans to be clear on Casey Janssen.

Janssen probably has the least amount of raw talent of all the Jays injured pitchers.
Purcey, Marcum, McGowan, Litsch, and even Romero are all ahead of Janssen on the depth chart. I do agree that Janssen is an upgrade on some of the pitchers in current starting 5, but I believe fans are being mis-informed when it comes to his actual talent.

IF everyone was healthy and based on actual talent (and Purcey could throw strikes) the rotation would be:

Halladay
Marcum
McGowan
Litsch
Purcey

Followed by:

Romero
Cecil
Janssen
Richmond

Janssen only has 17 major league starts and has been much more effective coming from the pen. I think fans need to understand although he is upgrade on what we currently have, he is still quite low on our depth chart

AJ vs. Doc - May 12th - Rogers Centre

Hopefully we have a good turnout of this game. It should be a good one. I have to admit, I am one of the folks that wants to see Burnett get lit up by the streaking Jays offence.

Sure it's only May 11th, but from a standings point of view this has been the best season in a long time in Jays land. Let's get some fans out to support the team! The Jays home attendence is currently ranked 26th in the majors, hovering just over 20,000 per game. Call me crazy, but I really think the campaign to lower fan expectations in the offseason by management is very much to blame here.

Where are all those fans that came out to game 1 and threw crap on the field now?

Final April Offensive Stats!! - Not Too Shabby

Final April stats:
Starters:Name/Batting Average/OBP/OPS
Marco Scutaro/.281/.421/.927
Aaron Hill/.365/.412/.979
Alex Rios/.248/.304/.670
Vernon Wells/.283/.345/.810
Adam Lind/.315/.400/.933
Scott Rolen/.317/.367/.794
Lyle Overbay/.250/.403/.903
Rod Barajas/.299/.333/.826
Travis Snider/.258/.324/.808

Bench
Jose Bautista/.317/.404/.867
Kevin Millar/.343/.395/.909
Jon Macdonald/.111/.111/.222
Michael Barrett/.167/.211/.544
Raul Chavez/.273/.273/.549

My Thoughts:
- Aaron Hill had an elite month (at any position)
- Lind, Scutaro, and Barajas had what would be considered well above average months for their respected position
- Overbay is an interesting case. Although his average is down, he is hitting for power and getting on base
- Wells had an average month. This is good news considering he normally starts off very slow
- Rolen had a good month. His OPS is down because of the lack extra-base hits he has
- Snider is doing well considering he is very much a "raw" rookie
- Bautista and Millar are mashing!
- Rios had an awful month
- All is all - a great month for the Jays offence

Offensive Stats Through April 22nd

Starters:

Name/Batting Average/OBP/OPS
Marco Scutaro/.262/.410/.935
Aaron Hill/.370/.397/.1028
Alex Rios/.246/.303/.636
Vernon Wells/.258/.333/.742
Adam Lind/.349/.414/.970
Scott Rolen/.291/.355/.791
Lyle Overbay/.333/.467/.1.078
Rod Barajas/.233/.261/.703
Travis Snider/.286/.342/.1.028

Bench

Jose Baustista/.344/.417/.854
Kevin Millar/.321/.367/.902
Jon Macdonald/.333/.333/.667
Michael Barrett/.167/.211/.544
Raul Chavez/.333/.333/.667

My Thoughts

- Well it is easy to see who has been hot and who hasn't
- I am in love with Overbay's number right now. I was not expecting this sort of start from him. Not playing him against lefties is such a great idea. Good job Cito
- Aaron Hill is a monster right now, and Lind continues to bash
- Bautista and Millar have been excellent coming off the bench. I understand that not playing Snider full time in not the "sexy" choice among our younger fans, but it is clearly the right thing to do
- The one great thing I notice about these stats is that we all know that Rios and Wells WILL get better...

*I included OPS because it is the best stat to prove production

.950plus = elite among baseball
.800 - .949 = All-Star season
.675 - .799 = good depending on position
.600 - .674 = acceptable for shortstops/second basemen and catchers
Below .599 - poor

Chicks Dig the Longball

I was thinking with all the power the likes of Aaron Hill and Marco Scutaro have been showing; who will lead this team in homeruns this season?

In my opinion Snider will struggle for a long period of time at one point in this season. He is just a rookie - Combine that with the fact that he will receive limited at-bats vs. left handed pitchers. I see him finishing the season with 15-19 homeruns. I know those comments will ruffle some feathers because he is the sexy choice amongst young Jays fans, but we have to be careful with Snider. He is a big part of our team moving forward.

Adam Lind is the wild-card regarding homeruns - This kid is very strong and when he makes contact he hits bombs. I can see him hitting 20-22 homeruns.

Hopefully Rolen and Overbay can hit in the 14-18 homerun range. Anything higher then that will be a real bonus. I am not going to guess how many Hill may hit because honestly I think his range is from 5-25.

However the million dollar man Vernon Wells is the likely favorite to lead this team in homeruns (probably the 25-30 range if he stays healthy), while Rios is proving himself to be a non-factor.

The Snider Dilemma

Many posters and bloggers are barking at Cito's decision not start Snider against left handed pitchers. Here is my opinion - Take if for it what is worth...

Cito is 100% correct by not starting Snider against lefties.

Trust me, I have my issues with Cito(the way he handles his starting pitchers), but this is not one of them.

Snider is a rookie, and rookies need confidence. Snider is not going gain confidence by going 0-4 against lefties at this stage in his career. Let him continue to mash righties and slowly install him into situations where he will face southpaws.

This is so correct it's funny.

Oh and the Jays are 7-3 to start the season....