Season Preview Part 2 - Bluejaysfan65's Dynasty

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Season Preview Part 2

Posted on July 17, 2013 at 07:01 PM.

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Complete Toronto Blue Jays 2013 Season Preview: Pitching

Scouting the Starting Pitching

The injury bug left the 2012 Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff as a fraction of what it was when the season started. Players that were counted on early in the season, including Kyle Drabek, Brandon Morrow, Drew Hutchison and Sergio Santos, all missed significant time with various injuries last year.

But what a difference a year makes. A couple phone calls from general manager Alex Anthopoulos, and what was a fairly meager starting rotation turned into an absolute powerhouse in the already strong AL East.

Although there are seven starting pitchers listed on the Blue Jays website right now, the five that will see regular time on the hill are extremely strong. Offseason trades brought the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto, along with Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle.

These trades made enough of an effect to move last year's Opening Day starter, Ricky Romero, to fifth on the depth chart. They also warranted an investigation from MLB commissioner Bud Selig, and made Twitter erupt, but that is beside the point right now.

R.A. Dickey was absolutely lethal last year with the New York Mets. He finished the season with a 2.73 ERA and struck out 8.9 hitters per nine innings en route to his first All-Star appearance and the Cy Young. His performance has earned him the chance to pitch on Opening Day for his new club.

Since there is not much room to improve, even a slight decline in production out of Dickey will be acceptable. There is a popular theory amongst his critics that Dickey will falter in the windless confines of a domed stadium, but the evidence indicates otherwise. Last year Dickey pitched in Tropicana Field, under a dome, and recorded a one hit complete game.

Brandon Morrow has shown Blue Jays fans what he is capable of over the last three years, including coming within one out of throwing a no-hitter against the Tampa Rays. He is coming off an injury-plagued year where he only pitched 124.2 innings and struggled to get batters out via the strikeout. He recorded 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings, a career low for a pitcher who has relied on the strikeout as a means to retire batters throughout his career.

Mark Buehrle�s transition to Toronto has been less than ideal for him and his family, having to leave behind his family dog due to a ban on the breed in Ontario. His Staffordshire Terrier/bulldog mix will stay with his family in St. Louis and not make the move to Toronto.

There is no reasonable way to predict how living away from his family for the first time in his career will affect his performance on the field, but his career statistics speak for themselves.

Buehrle has recorded double digit wins in each of his last 12 seasons and has a career 3.82 ERA. He has pitched at least 200 innings and, on average, gives up just one home run a game.

Buehrle is entering the latter years of his career, but at 33 years old, still looks to have the drive to compete. Pitching out of the third spot in the rotation, the Blue Jays hope to get his usual 200-inning, ten win season. Anything less would be disappointing, anything more would be a bonus.

Another newcomer that found himself in blue and white by way of the Miami Marlins is Josh Johnson. In 2011, Johnson found himself on the disabled list and only pitched in nine games. Last year, although healed, he struggled to win games and was shipped out as part of a salary-cutting move by owner Jeffrey Loria.

Johnson relies heavily on his slider, a pitch notoriously hard on the arm and one that typically takes a little longer to regain control after sustaining an injury. If he can find his deadly knockout pitch that allowed him to strikeout 191 batters in 2009, he should be able to get his record back to well above .500.

The motivation for Johnson to have a good season has never been higher. He is in the last year of his contract and will be rewarded in the offseason with a significant pay raise if he can regain his form.

The last piece of the rotation puzzle is the much talked about Ricky Romero. Romero�s struggles last season have been well documented and analyzed, but offseason surgery has him feeling better and looking to get past last season�s woes.

(Offseason surgery, by the way, that was performed to correct elbow problems. Elbow problems that were apparently not a factor in his struggles last year, although he feels �100 times better� after the surgery. Curious to say the least.)

Romero will have an improved offense to give him run support, and with the flexibility in the rotation, he may find himself matched up against opponent�s fourth and fifth starter for at least the early part of the season. He should be able to exploit this mismatch and get off to a strong start.

As a whole, the rotation looks to be a force. They have the talent and diversity to cause serious problems for hitters.

In any three game series the Blue Jays can really mess with hitters' timing. Imagine facing Romero�s curve one day, Dickey�s knuckleball the next and Morrow�s fastball the third day. Absolutely lethal.

Scouting the Bullpen

The bullpen is one of the only areas that did not see major changes this offseason. Just two new faces grace the relief pitching corps, Esmil Rogers and Jeremy Jeffress, both acquired to add depth.

Heading into the season, the most talked about role in the bullpen will be the closer. When Sergio Santos got injured last year, Casey Janssen filled in admirably. His 22 save performance earned him the opportunity to begin this season as the closer, forcing Santos into the setup role.

The old adage that you can never have too much pitching holds true for the Blue Jays bullpen, as there are a number of players that could pitch in each role. Janssen and Santos are capable of handling the closer�s duties with the odd man out being the setup man.

Converted starter Brett Cecil, Brad Lincoln and, potentially, J.A. Happ will see time in long relief. Aaron Loup and Steve Delabar will be the middle relief pitchers, while Rogers, Jeffress and Darren Oliver will be counted on as specialists.

If everything goes according to plan, the Jays will not have to go deep into the bullpen, as Dickey and Buehrle will be expected to pitch over 200 innings while, most nights, the other starters should be able to provide at least six innings of work.

If things go awry, the bullpen is well stocked to handle the task. Save for Aaron Loup, each member of the bullpen has at least three years experience pitching in the MLB. Whereas youth may be beneficial elsewhere on the diamond, experience in the bullpen to tackle high-pressure situations is always a plus.