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Travis Snider is one young player who has certainly seen his fair share of ups-and-downs in his limited major league career.  After getting called up from Triple-A for the tailend of the 2008 season, and batting .301 in 24 games, he was likely thinking that he would be playing with the team the next season. 

This was not to be the case, and after struggling through April and May of 2009, he was again returned to Las Vegas.  The disappointment of the demotion seemed to affect him at first, but he soon returned to his old form, and batted .337 through 47 games.  This, of course, earned him another August call-up to the Blue Jays.

After a promising finish to 2009, where his average suffered but he still managed to put up impressive numbers, he would start with the Blue Jays in 2010.  His luck would be short lived though, and after going on a strong hot streak in May, he would injure his right wrist and miss 53 games on the DL. 

Now, once again, Snider is up playing with the Blue Jays.  He has shown flashes of enormous power, as the ball just seems to rocket off his bat, and improved defence in the outfield.  Despite this, Snider is unfortunately struggling once again. 

This is hardly surprising or a cause for worry for the young prospect, as every player goes through growing pains.  But it is showing what Snider will have to work on to improve against major league pitching and take the next step as a hitter.

His strike zone recognition seems to be his biggest problem, as he is too often swinging at balls off the plate.  Which, of course, causes him to strike out at a pretty rapid pace, 50 times in 177 at-bats this year.  The other possible issue could be that opposing pitchers are very aware of certain holes in his approach that he hasn’t fixed yet. 

This isn’t necessarily a problem, as he is still developing, and there are certainly a great many power hitters in the majors who sacrifice average for the sake of doubles and home runs.  Think about Carlos Pena, Adam Dunn, and Mark Reynolds as the prototypical example of that kind of hitter.  Hardly bad company to be in if you are Snider, but with his stats in the minors, it is quite possible that he could be hit for both power and average in the future. 

Snider is a 22 year old who is dedicated to improving at baseball, and like many on the Jays team, he doesn’t just want to be a role player, he wants to be great.  So it helps that the coaches are easing him into the role, slotting him usually into the eighth and ninth positions in the batting order to take some of the pressure off him.

Though with a logjam at the positions, Snider isn’t necessarily guaranteed to be playing every day.  This could prevent him from having the consistent playing time to work through his struggles, but then again, it could be the time he needs to improve without the pressure of the game.  If he can avoid more injury, and finish this year working through his struggles, next year could be a very productive year for Snider.

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If you were a general manager and you had on your roster a player in his sixth year in the majors putting up these numbers (336 AB, 54 R, 13 HR, 40 RBI, .235 AVG, .349 OBP, and .408 SLG), what would you project for his next year?

What if you were to make him a starter on your roster and give him somewhere between 500 and 600 at-bats? 

What if that player, given more playing time, would gain more confidence in his skills, develop a better eye at the plate, and improve the consistency with his power stroke?

Would you ever guess that player would lead the major leagues in home runs with 37, be third in the league with 87 RBI, 12th in runs scored, improve his OBP by 25 points, and up his SLG by 191 points?

It would seem safe to say that most people would not have predicted Jose Bautista’s breakout year, except perhaps himself. It would also seem to be in safe territory to suggest that the Blue Jays organization is rather happy about the emergence of Bautista as one of the premier power hitters in the league.

What this means for the Jays team is that they have one more threat in their lineup that opposing pitchers would prefer not to face. 

Bautista fits right into a lineup that has developed this year into an offensive powerhouse, and one that has slowly adapted throughout the year.

If you watched the Blue Jays at the beginning of the season, it was impressive how badly they could dismantle a pitcher with their power when the bats were hot. The problem was when they faced a pitcher who was on his game, the long ball became hard to come by, and the offence fizzled.

With the acquisition of Fred Lewis and Yunel Escobar, and the recent improvement shown by Adam Lind and Aaron Hill, the Jays have begun to adapt and figure out other ways to win ball games. They have started to steal, advance runners with bunts and sacrifice flies, and improve their discipline at the plate to get on base.

Of course, they haven’t abandoned the long ball, as they still lead the league in home runs with 183.

In the last 30 days, Lind has hit .313 with five HRs and 13 RBI, an impressive improvement on his first half production. Hill has hit .270 with five HRs and 14 RBI in that same time span. Escobar, the Blue Jays’ new shortstop, has gone .305 with three HR and 10 RBI over the past month.

With the way the Blue Jays are hitting right now, is it any wonder that the leading teams in the American League East are watching their backs? It is still rather premature to suggest that the Jays have any chance to creep up the rankings in time to slip into the wild card spot, but what about next year?

What if you combine the resurgence of Lind, Hill, and Escobar with a consistent Vernon Wells and a new slugging leader in Bautista? Then you add in Travis Snider and J.P. Arencibia, two highly touted youths who have put up impressive numbers in the minors. Snider has hit eight HRs and knocked in 21 RBI in just 161 AB, and Arencibia showed the high end of his potential when he went 4-for-5 in his debut with two HR.

This roster, complemented by players like Fred Lewis, Lyle Overbay, and Edwin Encarnacion, could challenge this year if everything goes right. More importantly, though, the Blue Jays’ batting next year could finally once again have the pieces to vault them into the playoffs and be contenders for the foreseeable future.

This is a complementary piece to “Why the Blue Jays’ Pitching Could Push Team into Playoff Contention” that I wrote on August 15th.

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With the Blue Jays signing pitcher Ricky Romero yesterday to a five-year, $30.1 million contract, they locked up a very important part of their rotation.

Romero, who is still only 25, has been very strong for the Jays this season, only his second in the major leagues.

His inexperience at the big league level does create a bit of risk in this deal. But considering his willingness to compete and his improving emotional and physical control, he could well be the Jays’ future ace locked up in a reasonable contract.

With his win today against the Angels, Romero joins Shaun Marcum with 10 wins, followed closely by Brandon Morrow and Brett Cecil, who each have nine wins. These four pitchers are all in their twenties, with Marcum actually being the oldest at 28 and Cecil being the youngest at 24. 

With Jays pitchers currently sitting sixth in the league in strikeouts, 12th in WHIP, and 19th in ERA, it is apparent that they are doing quite well, but with some obvious room for improvement. With the rapid improvement that these young pitchers are showing, and the considerable support and friendly competitiveness that they show to each other, the Jays could have the makings of solid rotation that could carry this team into the playoffs. 

Adding to these solid four starters is a wealth of young arms vying for the fifth spot in the rotation and keeping those previous four honest.

Jesse Litsch is a strong back of the rotation arm that unfortunately keeps getting hampered by injury troubles. Brad Mills (96.1 IP, 8-4, 85 K, 4.20 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) has had a good year in Triple-A so far but struggled in his three call-ups to the big club. Marc Rzepczynski (67.0 IP, 5-5, 61 K, 6.04 ERA, 1.61 WHIP), on the other hand, has struggled a bit this year in Las Vegas but fared a bit better with the Blue Jays.

Of course, even with a steadily improving young rotation, if you don’t have the relief pitching to support your team, it is unlikely that you are going to make it to the playoffs.

The Jays have done quite well this year with their veterans pitching most of the innings in relief. With Shawn Camp, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, and Kevin Gregg, the Blue Jays have been able to hold on to most leads fairly successfully, with Gregg actually 11th in the league in saves.

The problem is, with the Jays currently nine games back in the wild card race, the chances of them making it to the playoffs this year are rather unlikely. Then if you are looking at next year or the year after for their chance to overtake the AL East giants, then you have to address the fact that three of those veteran relief pitchers are free agents at the end of the year.

Alex Anthopoulos could re-sign them but might see the potential draft picks should they sign elsewhere as more attractive options, which might be part of the reason he didn’t trade any of them at the deadline.

The Blue Jays could potentially fill these spots with the likes of Josh Roenicke, David Purcey, and Rommie Lewis, but Anthopoulos has said in past interviews that he likes the presence of veterans in relief. 

The Blue Jays have been a surprise in many ways this year, perhaps none more so than the pitching. If these young arms can continue their development and avoid injury, then they have a chance to be a very formidable rotation. If the relief pitching can be solidified heading into next year, then the starters can relax in trust that their games are in capable hands. 

There is an aura of enthusiasm surrounding the Blue Jays lately, and it would be quite a feat for them to make the wild card spot, but there is a great reason to hope even if they don’t. There is a bright future here, make no mistake, and with a little bit of luck the Jays could have the pitching to make the jump back into the playoffs.

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The Toronto Blue Jays came into the series against the Boston Red Sox riding a wave of momentum in the clubhouse and enthusiasm in the city. 

Unfortunately, they hit a bit of a wall with two straight losses to their old American League East foes, falling 7-5 and 10-1.  If they can win Thursday night’s game, they still have a chance of recapturing that feeling heading into a three-game series in Anaheim against the Angels.

That would be a welcome boost to a team that has been contemplating the possibility of challenging for a wild card spot and has therefore recently seen a surge of support in Toronto.

While it is never a good thing to lose two games to a team you are trying to catch, there are still some positives that the team can draw from these games.

Shaun Marcum didn’t pitch nearly as badly as his line or the result of the game would suggest in his 10-1 loss.  Marcum’s strength as a pitcher lies in his control. He doesn’t have the pure stuff to dominate and neither is he a fireballer, so where he fools batters is in picking the corners of the strike zone and changing up his pitches. 

The problem was that the umpire was calling such a limited strike zone that Marcum was forced to start throwing it down the middle after walking two and hitting a batter in the first inning. 

Now, since he doesn’t have the power like Buchholz to simply blow it by the batter, and he couldn’t dance around the strike zone due to the patience of the Boston lineup, he became quite hittable. 

It is, of course, a cop-out to blame the umpire, but Marcum has been a very strong pitcher this year and this outing shouldn’t suggest that his season is going to take a turn for the worse.

The expectations began to rise for rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia after he had a spectacular debut against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 4-for-5, with two home runs and a double.  Baseball is a humbling game, though, and he ended up going 0-for-7 in his next two games. 

What stood out from this was not his plate struggles, as that will happen with any rookie, but his willingness to learn from the other Jays catchers and pitchers and his devotion to helping the team.

It seemed that Arencibia pulled a page right out of Jose Molina’s playbook tonight when he caught a pitch from Marcum and immediately rifled it to Lyle Overbay at first.  He had noticed the Boston baserunner straying too far from first and with a very accurate throw almost succeeded in picking him off. 

It is smart plays like that, when successful, that can be game changers and swing the momentum to your team.  If he is to be the future of the Blue Jays, it is good to see that Arencibia can contribute with more than just his bat.

Finally, although Travis Snider hasn’t heated up at the plate like he had before going down with injury, there are signs of his recovery.  He went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, and three RBI in the first game against Boston.  Then in the second game, although going 0-for-4, he did manage to score the only run for the Jays in the ballgame. 

Snider hit the ball so hard directly at Mike Lowell that it ended up popping out of his glove and Snider reached first on an error.  Each time Travis Snider connects on a pitch, the ball seems to rocket off the bat like it was launched from a gun. Once he becomes more comfortable with big league pitching, that power will quickly convert into doubles and home runs.

The future is on display right now in the Blue Jays lineup, and it is showing a lot of promise.  It is looking like the fans are returning to the Rogers Centre, now that they know what they are cheering for.

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A.J. Burnett sure wasn’t happy to play his old team tonight. The Blue Jays bats ran rampant over the fireballer, knocking him out in the fifth inning after notching seven runs against him. The Blue Jays hit six doubles in the sixth, two of them by Travis Snider.  After the seven-run inning by the Jays that put them up 8-2, New York would come back to score runs in the bottom of the fifth, sixth and ninth. The Bluebirds would hang on though to win the heavy-hitting contest, 8-6.

The Blue Jays have a very tough schedule in August, facing several teams that are fighting for a playoff spot. Their familiar foes in the AL East, New York, Boston and Tampa, they will all face twice. Anaheim, Oakland and Detroit they will all face once, all of who can be tough competition. Another way of looking at this schedule is that the Blue Jays may play a large role in deciding who claims that Wild Card spot in the American League.

Perhaps the biggest concern for the Blue Jays is whether their young arms can keeping going late into summer. Shaun Marcum didn’t pitch at all last year, so hasn’t pitched a full season since 2007 and Jesse Litsch just returned recently from injury. Brandon Morrow was shuffled between starting and relief with the Mariners before becoming a full-time starter with the Jays this year.

This is Brett Cecil’s first full year in the majors, and while he has pitched fantastic, he could be on a limited innings count. Only Ricky Romero pitched a full season last year, and could likely hit the 200 innings mark this year. All of the Jays starters are yet to hit that 200 mark in their career though, which suggests that their may be more spot starts by Brad Mills or even Brian Tallet to help give these young pitchers some more rest.

Of course, the Blue Jays already know what kind of position they are in though, which means they have a lot to prove. They don’t want to roll over and die; they want to learn how to win against the best to prepare for next season. 

The easiest target is of course Boston, as they have been decimated by injuries this year (Kevin Youkilis might have been hurt as well tonight) and are behind Tampa by 6.5 games. New York will be difficult, but luckily the Jays will not have to face C.C. Sabathia in this series at least. Plus, the Yankees stadium suits the long ball style of the Toronto batters. Tampa will be difficult, as their diverse offense and strong pitching is always finding new ways to win. 

If the Blue Jays bats can stay potent, and their starters can stay healthy and find a way to pitch deep into ball games, the team certainly has a chance to play spoiler. If the Blue Jays want to be in this race next year, they are going to have to prove that they are capable of playing with the best.

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There have been many rumours swirling about the Blue Jays, suggesting who they might be moving before the July 31st trade deadline.  Names like Scott Downs, Jose Bautista, John Buck, and Kevin Gregg are all being mentioned as possible trade chips.  The rumour mill on ESPN even suggests that they might be buyers.  So what are Jays fans supposed to draw from all of this?

Well, it certainly suggests that GM Alex Anthopoulos isn’t content to sit back and hope that the Jays regain the top spot in the American League East.  Toronto is currently 12.5 games back from the Yankees in the division and 9.5 back from the Tampa Bay Rays for the Wild Card spot. So, although they might gain on Boston, due to all the injuries the team has sustained lately, it is unlikely that Tampa and New York would struggle enough in the second half for the Jays to overtake them.

If the Jays are buyers, as ESPN suggests, who might they be after, and are they still dealing these names that are mentioned?  The Jays look like they are set with their pitching rotation, although Jesse Litsch has been struggling, so they could be after another arm with perhaps a little more experience.  But this seems unlikely, considering the young pitching depth that the Jays have.

So in what positions could the Jays use an upgrade?  Well, they have a few set positions right now filled in by the players that the team is going to build around.  Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Travis Snider, and now Yunel Escobar are the Jays’ future and Vernon Wells is signed long-term and seems to be the leader of the club.  Both Fred Lewis and Jose Bautista are young enough and play important roles that could allow them to be a part of the Jays’ building. 

Then you have Brett Wallace and J.P. Arencibia tearing up Triple-A ball, waiting to get called up to fill first base and catcher.  So what does that leave?  Well, if Snider takes over right field in his return, that pushes Bautista to third base, which leaves Edwin Encarnacion the odd man out.  Encarnacion certainly has a powerful bat, and he is heating up lately with a nine-game hit streak, but on defense is where he struggles.  So if it is between Bautista and his league-leading 27 home runs, and Encarnacion’s streaky play, you can likely figure out who is going to win that competition.

Of course, this still doesn’t determine in which area the Jays need to improve the most, and if they were to be buyers, what would they be looking for?  With Snider’s inexperience, and Lewis’ streaky play at times, the team could be after another outfielder who could hit for average and be a threat on the base paths.  There is also the possibility that Wallace could still use some seasoning in the minors, and with Overbay becoming a free agent at the end of this year, they could deal their current first baseman for a more long-term solution, like they did in acquiring Escobar. 

Granted, this all seems rather unlikely.  The Jays are attempting to go with a youth movement right now and seem to want to allow their players to develop, and give their prospects a chance.  So if they make any moves, it would likely be dealing their veterans on expiring contracts for more prospects and draft picks.  If ESPN is right, and they want to be buyers, you can be sure that they would be pursuing a player signed for several years.  There is no sense in the Jays acquiring more players with expiring contracts for what would seem like an unlikely playoff run.

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Change is in the air here in Toronto.  It seems that most of the city’s sports teams are in the midst of an overhaul.  The Raptors are transitioning into the new era without Chris Bosh.  Brian Burke continues his push with the Maple Leafs in hopes that they can make the playoffs, acquiring Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong this offseason. 

Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos also continues to put his impressive stamp on the Toronto Blue Jays.

When he was appointed the new general manager this past offseason, he quickly signed several veterans to help defensively and guide the young pitching staff.  He made a pledge to put a greater emphasis on scouting and player development. 

Anthopolous then proceeded to make good on his promise, increasing not only the staff, but the range covered by those scouts.

This concept might have all been in vain had the Jays organization not put up the cash to sign international prospects.  In past years, they have either not pursued the free agents or they continually lost bidding wars to the Yankees or Red Sox.

Surprisingly, the Jays have been very active in the pursuit, successfully signing some highly coveted young players. 

The Blue Jays beat out the Yankees earlier in the year to sign 21-year-old Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria to a four-year, $10 million contract.  Since it should be a few years before the prospect is ready for the big leagues, Anthopoulos traded veteran Alex Gonzalez to the Atlanta Braves for Yunel Escobar. 

At 27 years old, Escobar provides a better bridge to Hecheverria. He has a career .291 average and a .368 on-base percentage and he could provide an important small-ball component on a team of sluggers. 

Since the Jays are currently 27th overall in both batting average and hits, their one-dimensional offense needs the abilities of Escobar in the lineup.  Though Yunel Escobar has been struggling this year with Atlanta, he has already shown signs of breaking out of the slump on the Blue Jays.

The Jays GM continues to put his scouts to good use with the signing of two 16-year-old prospects from Venezuela.  Adonis Cardona is a 6’4″ 180lb. right-handed pitcher and Gabriel Cenas, a 6’1″ 175 lb. third baseman; both will begin their professional career playing in the Dominican Summer League for the Blue Jays. 

Anthopolous has already shown, in his short tenure with the Blue Jays, that he has a strong eye for talent and will take every opportunity to improve the team immediately and in the future.  His trade of Brandon League for Brandon Morrow has worked out immensely well so far for the Jays, adding to a young core of starters. 

The catching tandem of Jose Molina and John Buck that he signed have proved to be great advisers to that young pitching staff.  Plus, one of his biggest moves was a simple trade with the San Francisco Giants for Fred Lewis, what seemed like a depth move at first.

When the Jays started the season with Jose Bautista leading off, it was quite obvious that he wasn’t quite suited for the role, and he struggled trying to adapt his game to the leadoff position. 

So when Fred Lewis became available to the Jays, Anthopoulos saw the opportunity to acquire a player that could provide what the Jays lacked.  Of course, it is unlikely even the GM foresaw how well Lewis would slot into the lead-off position and earn a starter position with the Blue Jays.  Lewis now leads the team in two categories with a .281 average and 10 stolen bases, as well as second among the starters in OBP with .343. 

Not to mention that once Bautista was moved into a spot in the order where his style would be more effective, he began to put up career numbers.  Bautista currently leads the league with 25 home runs, and is the Blue Jays leader in RBI and runs, with 58 and 57 respectively.

With the MLB trade deadline coming up, it is quite possible that Anthopoulos will be working the phones once again.  With the competition always at the highest in the American League East, the Jays GM knows that he has to take every opportunity to improve his team if he wants to contend.

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