Jays should platoon Overbay & Ruiz at first base

The Blue Jays have several different directions they could go regarding their first base position for upcoming season. One possibility would be hand the reigns over to Brett Wallace (acquired from the A's via the Phillies in the Roy Halladay deal) with an eye to the future, or go with the status quo and have Lyle Overbay man first base like he has the past four years. A 3rd option, however, might be the most fruitful, which would feature a platoon situation between Overbay and late bloomer Randy Ruiz.

After spending 11 years in 11 different organizations, Ruiz received a promotion to the Jays late last season, hitting .313 with 10 homers with 17 RBI's in 33 games. The 2009 Pacific Coast League MVP dropped 22 pounds in the off-season, at the teams request, and has hit .500 this spring with 2 homers and a club leading 7 RBI. The time has come to see if Ruiz could translate his minor league success in a part time role over an extended period of time in the big leagues.

That would allow Overbay to solely face right handed pitching, where he hit at a solid .282 clip last year, as opposed to a dreadful .190 average against southpaws. The 33 year old, who is all but certain to leave the organization after the campaign is solid defensively which would aid the young starting rotation.

Wallace could then start the season in AAA Las Vegas, where he could get regular playing time to ease the transition to the major league level. Having been a third basemen for the majority of his minor league career, the 27th highest rated prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America, could then hone his craft defensively at first base in time to take over for the 2011 campaign.

Dana Eveland making impression at Jays camp

Perhaps the most unheralded acquisition in Alex Anthopoulos' first off season as Jays General Manager was prying pitcher Dana Eveland away from the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations. The way the 26 year old lefty has pitched in spring training, it's easy to see why Anthopoulos was so high on the southpaw in the first place.

Eveland, locked in a battle for either a rotation spot or a job in a crowded bullpen, has surrendered no earned runs in eight innings of work over the course of three appearances, striking out six. After posting a respectable 9-9 record in 29 starts two seasons ago, Eveland fell out of favour with the A's in '09 after yielding an ugly 7.40 ERA in his first six appearances of the campaign. He didn't fare a whole lot better in the minors with an ERA just shy of 5.00 in 21 starts.

Though it is unlikely at this point he'd make the Blue Birds starting rotation, he could be a valuable long reliever and spot starter. Toronto must think long and hard about keeping him with the team, however, because Eveland is out of options and he'd need to clear waivers before being sent down to AAA Las Vegas. Given his past success at the major league level and the fact it only took cash to acquire him from the A's, this could wind up being one savvy move by the Blue Jays rookie General Manager.

Joey Gathright seeks roster spot

Joey Gathright is known for his blazing fast speed on the base paths and in the outfield. The Blue Jays are in short supply of both, so the six year veteran of four major league teams is in the running for a roster spot. Gathright is being given every opportunity to make the team as either a fourth outfielder, or, if Travis Snider struggles in the spring, a chance to start every day in left field. He'd bring versatility to the club also, being able to hit lead-off on days that Jose Bautista is off and could spell Vernon Wells in center field.

Why am I posting about Gathright's chances of making the team despite him playing almost all of '09 in the minors? Basically it's just an excuse to show off his mad skills of jumping over cars!



By all accounts having Gathright on the team would be great for no other reason than to use him as a pinch runner because the Jays grossly miscast slick fielding John McDonald in that role last season. However, the 28 year old hasn't taken exactly taken advantage of his opportunity to head north with the big club to start the year, recording just 3 hits in 20 at bats with only one stolen base in the spring. Maybe he doesn't need to have a good camp. After all, he just needs to show G.M. Alex Anthopoulos and manager Cito Gaston that video. Then he'd make the team.

Jays closing in on netting shortstop of the future

The Toronto Blue Jays have spent the better part of a decade unsuccessfully trying to find their shortstop of the future. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has reportedly taken steps to change that, closing in on netting 21 year old Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria. According to the New York Post the Jays are believed to be offering around $10 million for the 6-foot-1, 170 pound prospect who is said to resemble a young Alfonso Soriano.

The New York Yankees, among others clubs, were interested in signing Hechavarria, but with Derek Jeter likely to receive an extension, the highly touted prospect didn't want to have a roadblock in getting to the majors, instead choosing Toronto. The Jays have been seeking a player of Hechavarria's calibre at the shortstop position for a long time, having used a different shortstop on opening day for the past five seasons.

When Anthopoulos took over the reigns as Toronto G.M. from J.P. Ricciardi, he noted a need for improving organizational scouting and player development programs with a focus on international talent. Inking the Blue Jays potential cornerstone shortstop would be the strongest indication that he's committed to doing just that.

Cito Gaston shouldn't be Jays manager this year

It will seem sacrilegious to suggest that Cito Gaston needs to be relieved of his duties as Jays manager but that's exactly what should happen. If Gaston were to commit to being the bench boss for the long term, then the 2 time World Series champion deserves to remain at his post to try to return the team back to glory; however, he only wants to manage in 2010 and then ride off into the sunset. That's not good enough. The Jays need a strong leader that has a clear vision for the present and future success of the franchise.

The Blue Birds have begun the process of rebuilding by firing the mercurial J.P. Ricciardi as GM and replacing him with fresh faced Alex Anthopoulos, so it makes sense to wipe the slate completely clean and start from scratch. The prospective candidate would have a more thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the roster and impart his philosophy on the Jays organization. It's counter productive for a club to have a lame duck manager counting down the days to retirement. The Jays need a strong communicator and motivator who is directly tied to the current and future success of the team. Cito Gaston is not that man.

Cecil faces uphill battle to make rotation

After displaying flashes of brilliance in his first tour of duty with the Blue Jays last season, Brett Cecil should have made the Blue Jays rotation coming out of spring training. However, the 23 year old faces longer than expected odds to start the year north of the border because of a freak accident that occurred in his kitchen.

Cecil suffered a cut to his left thumb while preparing food, and as a result, the club decided to take a precautionary stance and delay his start date nearly a week. In his first action of the spring on Wednesday, the '07 draft pick, limited to just throwing fastballs and changeups, struggled with his consistency in his two innings of work. Cecil, who started 17 contests for the Jays last season, struck out four but surrendered three runs on four hits, with the damage coming off the bat of a Cody Ransom three run home run.

With plenty of arms in the running for a starting job, including Shaun Marcum, Ricky Romero, Dustin McGowan, Brandon Morrow, Brian Tallet and Marc Rzepczynski, Cecil will likely find himself ticketed to AAA Las Vegas to begin the campaign. Where he hopes to avoid any more mishaps in the kitchen.

Blue Jays season pass: Buyer Beware

I have purchased the Toronto Star Blue Jays season pass the past two years, believing it to easily be the greatest deal in all of sports. It most certainly still is, but the Blue Jays organization has erred in a BIG way for this upcoming season. In fact, their latest stunt will almost certainly turn off prospective buyers who are unsure about whether to plunk down their cash to see a ball club that's expected to struggle mightily.

When I went to order the season pass online, I was shocked to see a big alteration to the deal. It used to be $114 for all 81 home games in the 500 level seats (did I mention it was the greatest deal in sports?) However, this year, the pass is only valid for 80 games, excluding the home opener! The past couple of seasons the box office was generous enough to not only give you a ticket for the home opener, but an additional ticket for the first game of the campaign as a nice gesture for buying a seasons worth of mediocre baseball. Not so anymore.

Buyer Beware: If you, like me, are used to getting the pass expecting to get tickets for the home opener, you'll be greatly disappointed. Instead, you'll have to purchase additional tickets for the Jays season debut April 12th against the Chicago White Sox. In light of the fact that this is expected to be a major down year with the departure of franchise icon Roy Halladay, this is an extremely curious maneuver by the organization; one that's sure to ruffle some feathers.