Taking Flight | A Toronto Blue Jays Dynasty

[Bluejaysfan65]

So, this is the restart of my Toronto Blue Jays dynasty (which can be found here). That dynasty had to be discontinued due to a corrupted save file. Anyways, I will be starting a new one in this thread and I hope that it will be as good, if not better, than my last one. Have fun and enjoy!

Rosters: bhrangerfan0809 O.S. 2013 Rosters
Sliders: Custom
CPU Roster Control: Off
CPU Trading: On
Instant Trades: On


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***Graphics***
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By Frank Is The Tank


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***Special Thanks To The Following:***
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Graphics: Frank Is The Tank, absoluticris, mlb.com
Table/Layout Help: Crains13, BlueJays09, KHarmo88, jct32
For Trade Help: ACMilan99 and the entire trade thread
Everybody Else: Thanks for following and providing feedback when it was needed. You guys played a large role in this dynasty.

Table of Contents

2012 Season Preview
2012 Season First Half

Injured Players Rules:

Spoiler

1. Any player who is placed on the 15-day disabled list must play 2-10 games in the minors (depending on injury severity) before returning to the roster.
2. Any player who is placed on the 60-day disabled list must play 8-15 games in the minors (depending on injury severity) before returning to the roster.
3. Any pitcher who suffers an arm injury must play either 1 or 2 starts in the minors or 6 -10 relief appearances in the minors.
4. All players should be placed on the 15-day disabled list before the 60-day disabled list if possible.

Toronto Blue Jays Depth Chart - 2012 Catcher Josh Thole Henry Blanco First Base Edwin Encarnacion Adam Lind Jeff Baker Jose Bautista Second Base Emilio Bonifacio Maicer Izturis Brett Lawrie Third Base Brett Lawrie Maicer Izturis Jeff Baker Jose Bautista Shortstop Jose Reyes Maicer Izturis Left Field Anthony Gose Rajai Davis Jeff Baker Emilio Bonifacio Center Field Colby Rasmus Rajai Davis Anthony Gose Emilio Bonifacio Right Field Jose Bautista Anthony Gose Rajai Davis Emilio Bonifacio Starting Pitcher R.A. Dickey Drew Hutchison Mark Buehrle Josh Johnson Ricky Romero Relief Pitcher Brad Lincoln Steve Delabar Esmil Rogers Aaron Loup Darren Oliver Sergio Santos Closer Casey Janssen Designated Hitter Adam Lind Edwin Encarnacion Disabled List J.P. Arencibia (60-Day DL) Brandon Morrow (Rehab) Melky Cabrera (60-Day DL)

(Updated Monthly) MLB Standings - Updated: Jun 1, 2012 AL EAST W L GB RS RA New York Yankees 29 22 - 206 188 Toronto Blue Jays 28 23 1.0 156 162 Boston Red Sox 26 26 3.5 217 217 Baltimore Orioles 25 26 4.5 205 204 Tampa Bay Rays 21 30 8.0 200 201 AL CENTRAL W L GB RS RA Detroit Tigers 31 21 - 261 198 Minnesota Twins 24 27 6.5 212 246 Kansas City Royals 24 27 6.5 204 204 Cleveland Indians 20 30 10.0 198 249 Chicago White Sox 20 31 10.5 182 229 AL WEST W L GB RS RA Oakland Athletics 31 19 - 201 161 Seattle Mariners 29 23 3.0 184 185 Los Angeles Angels 25 27 7.0 188 200 Texas Rangers 24 27 7.5 224 201 AL WILD CARD RACE W L GB RS RA Seattle Mariners 29 23 - Toronto Blue Jays 28 23 0.5 Boston Red Sox 26 26 3.0 Baltimore Orioles 25 26 3.5 Los Angeles Angels 25 27 4.0 Texas Rangers 24 27 4.5 Minnesota Twins 24 27 4.5 Kansas City Royals 24 27 4.5 Tampa Bay Rays 21 30 7.5 Cleveland Indians 20 30 8.0 Chicago White Sox 20 31 8.5 NL EAST W L GB RS RA Washington Nationals 32 19 - 211 182 New York Mets 28 23 4.0 206 171 Atlanta Braves 27 25 5.5 209 201 Philadelphia Phillies 24 28 8.5 188 203 Miami Marlins 18 34 14.5 175 232 NL CENTRAL W L GB RS RA Milwaukee Brewers 31 20 - 208 178 Pittsburgh Pirates 27 23 3.5 228 222 St. Louis Cardinals 26 25 5.0 239 232 Cincinnati Reds 23 28 8.0 196 201 Houston Astros 22 29 9.0 190 214 Chicago Cubs 20 31 11.0 174 222 NL WEST W L GB RS RA Los Angeles Dodgers 32 19 - 179 160 San Francisco Giants 29 22 3.0 210 183 Colorado Rockies 25 25 6.5 225 210 Arizona Diamondbacks 25 26 7.0 201 203 San Diego Padres 21 31 11.5 182 200 NL WILD CARD RACE W L GB RS RA San Francisco Giants 29 22 - New York Mets 28 23 1.0 Pittsburgh Pirates 27 23 1.5 Atlanta Braves 27 25 2.5 St. Louis Cardinals 26 25 3.0 Colorado Rockies 25 25 3.5 Arizona Diamondbacks 25 26 4.0 Philadelphia Flyers 24 28 5.5 Cincinnati Reds 23 28 6.0 Houston Astros 22 29 7.0 San Diego Padres 21 31 8.5 Chicago Cubs 20 31 9.0 Miami Marlins 18 34 11.5

(Updated Monthly) 2012 Toronto Blue Jays Stats - Hitting NAME AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS BA OBP SLG Jose Bautista 185 21 47 7 0 11 25 8 40 1 0 .254 .287 .470 Emilio Bonifacio 152 21 43 3 3 1 8 4 14 31 2 .283 .304 .362 Edwin Encarnacion 175 19 46 8 0 15 29 2 26 1 0 .263 .275 .556 Brett Lawrie 167 15 30 5 2 4 13 0 21 18 5 .180 .181 .305 Jose Reyes 174 21 37 6 6 2 15 5 16 27 6 .213 .231 .351 Colby Rasmus 153 10 30 7 3 4 9 0 30 3 6 .196 .195 .359 Adam Lind 137 7 29 2 0 6 9 7 14 0 0 .212 .250 .358 Melky Cabrera (DL) 125 13 27 7 0 5 16 2 10 2 3 .216 .227 .392 Rajai Davis 79 12 20 2 0 4 5 0 5 14 1 .253 .253 .430 Josh Thole 74 3 10 2 0 0 6 2 7 0 0 .135 .158 .162 Jeff Baker 76 2 18 2 0 0 3 4 19 1 0 .237 .275 .263 Maicer Izturis 56 2 9 2 0 0 0 1 3 1 1 .161 .175 .196 J.P. Arencibia (DL) 54 3 9 4 0 1 3 0 10 0 0 .167 .167 .296 Henry Blanco 41 6 12 5 0 4 8 1 5 0 0 .293 .302 .707 Anthony Gose 38 2 11 0 1 0 2 0 5 7 1 .289 .289 .342 2012 Toronto Blue Jays Stats - Pitching NAME GP GS W L SV QS HLD IP H ER HR BB SO WHIP ERA Mark Buehrle 10 10 5 3 0 8 0 73.0 71 18 4 2 50 1.00 2.22 R.A. Dickey 11 11 3 5 0 6 0 72.2 63 29 9 15 58 1.07 3.59 Josh Johnson 10 10 6 2 0 7 0 66.0 70 27 7 6 48 1.15 3.68 Jeremy Hellickson 10 10 2 5 0 6 0 64.2 58 24 9 13 51 1.10 3.34 Drew Hutchison 4 4 2 1 0 2 0 25.1 28 10 1 4 27 1.26 3.55 Casey Janssen 21 0 0 1 19 0 0 20.2 20 9 3 0 20 0.97 3.92 Steve Delabar 15 0 0 0 0 0 4 16.2 12 1 0 2 17 0.84 0.54 Aaron Loup 12 0 2 0 0 0 2 16.2 14 5 1 1 11 0.90 2.70 Esmil Rogers 17 0 0 1 1 0 3 15.2 16 7 0 0 20 1.02 4.02 Darren Oliver 12 0 0 0 1 0 10 9.0 5 0 0 0 2 0.56 0.00 Sergio Santos 10 0 0 2 0 0 4 6.1 9 5 1 0 10 1.42 7.11 Brett Cecil 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 4.2 4 1 0 0 4 0.86 1.93 MLB League Leaders - Updated: Jun 1, 2012 Batting Average AVG Home Runs HR 1. Prince Fielder .379 1. Prince Fielder 19 2. Austin Jackson .343 2. Miguel Cabrera 18 3. Nick Markakis .332 3. Edwin Encarnacion 15 4. David Ortiz .328 4. Wil Myers 14 5. Yoenis Cespedes .327 5. Chris Davis 13 Runs Batted In RBI Stolen Bases SB 1. Miguel Cabrera 54 1. Emilio Bonifacio 31 2. Prince Fielder 47 2. Jose Reyes 27 3. Curtis Granderson 34 3. Brett Lawrie 18 4. David Ortiz 33 4. Coco Crisp 17 5. Robinson Cano 33 5. Desmond Jennings 16 Wins W Saves SV 1. Justin Verlander 8 1. Joel Hanrahan 20 2. Felix Hernandez 7 2. Casey Janssen 19 3. Andy Pettitte 7 3. Tom Wilhelmsen 16 4. Jason Hammel 6 4. Ryan Madson 15 5. Tommy Milone 6 5. Addison Reed 14 Earned Run Average ERA Strikeouts SO 1. Tommy Milone 1.78 1. Yu Darvish 87 2. Mark Buehrle 2.22 2. Justin Verlander 86 3. Chris Tillman 2.27 3. C.C. Sabathia 78 4. Justin Verlander 2.35 4. Felix Hernandez 77 5. C.C. Sabathia 2.51 5. Max Scherzer 76

(Updated Monthly) Toronto Blue Jays 2013 Schedule DATE OPPONENT RESULT Apr 5 at Cleveland Indians Lost, 6-2 Apr 7 at Cleveland Indians Won, 1-0 Apr 8 at Cleveland Indians Won, 2-0 Apr 9 vs Boston Red Sox Won, 5-3 Apr 10 vs Boston Red Sox Lost, 5-4 Apr 11 vs Boston Red Sox Won, 5-4 Apr 13 vs Baltimore Orioles Lost, 4-1 Apr 14 vs Baltimore Orioles Won, 3-1 Apr 15 vs Baltimore Orioles Won, 2-0 Apr 17 vs Tampa Bay Rays Won, 5-0 Apr 18 vs Tampa Bay Rays Won, 3-2 Apr 19 vs Tampa Bay Rays Won, 5-4 Apr 20 at Kansas City Royals Lost, 2-0 Apr 21 at Kansas City Royals Won, 2-0 Apr 22 at Kansas City Royals Won, 5-4 Apr 23 at Kansas City Royals Lost, 3-1 Apr 24 at Baltimore Orioles Won, 4-1 Apr 25 at Baltimore Orioles Lost, 2-1 Apr 26 at Baltimore Orioles Lost, 9-2 Apr 27 vs Seattle Mariners Lost, 3-0 Apr 28 vs Seattle Mariners Lost, 10-5 Apr 29 vs Seattle Mariners Won, 5-1 Apr 30 vs Texas Rangers Won, 4-1 May 1 vs Texas Rangers Lost, 13-2 May 2 vs Texas Rangers Lost, 5-3 May 3 at Los Angeles Angels Won, 4-0 May 4 at Los Angeles Angels Won, 3-0 May 5 at Los Angeles Angels Lost, 6-2 May 6 at Los Angeles Angels Won, 2-1 May 7 at Oakland Athletics Won, 5-1 May 8 at Oakland Athletics Lost, 6-2 May 9 at Minnesota Twins Won, 3-1 May 10 at Minnesota Twins Lost, 3-2 May 11 at Minnesota Twins Won, 8-5 May 12 at Minnesota Twins Won, 52- May 14 vs Tampa Bay Rays Won, 5-3 May 15 vs Tampa Bay Rays Won, 5-4 May 16 vs New York Yankees Lost, 4-2 May 17 vs New York Yankees Won, 2-1 May 18 vs New York Mets Lost, 2-1 May 19 vs New York Mets Lost, 4-3 May 20 vs New York Mets Lost, 4-2 May 21 at Tampa Bay Rays Won, 4-1 May 22 at Tampa Bay Rays Won, 5-3 May 23 at Tampa Bay Rays Lost, 3-0 May 25 at Texas Rangers Won, 3-1 May 26 at Texas Rangers Lost, 6-2 May 27 at Texas Rangers Won, 6-3 May 28 vs Baltimore Orioles Lost, 6-3 May 29 vs Baltimore Orioles Lost, 3-1 May 30 vs Baltimore Orioles Lost, 6-2

Pittsburgh, Texas, Toronto Trade Summary Team Player Statistics Blue Jays Receive LHP Justin Wilson (from Pirates) 3.78 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 135.2 IP (AA/AAA) RHP Justin Miller (from Rangers) 9-1, 1.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 69.2 IP (AA) LF Jeff Baker (from Rangers) .248 BA, 25 RBI, 4 HR (Last Season) Rangers Receive LHP Luis Perez (from Blue Jays) 3-3, 5.12 ERA, 1.55 WHIP (Last Season) SS Jordy Mercer (from Pirates) .239 BA, .304 OBP (AAA) Pirates Receive LHP J.A. Happ (from Blue Jays) 1-2, 4.40 ERA Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays Trade Summary Team Player Statistics Blue Jays Receive OF J.B. Schuck .360 AVG, .409 OBP, 21 RBI (AAA) Angels Receive OF Moises Sierra .289 AVG, .337 OBP, 21 RBI, 3 HR (AAA)

[skeletore2002]

Good luck with this! I really enjoy playing with the Jays

[KHarmo88]

I've learned something from a few of you guys on here, make two save files hah!

Good luck with the restart!!

[joshrmlb]

You know I'll be following for sure .

[Bluejaysfan65]

Quote: Originally Posted by KHarmo88

I've learned something from a few of you guys on here, make two save files hah! Good luck with the restart!!

Yup. I've learnt that too lol

[Bluejaysfan65]

Complete Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview: Overview

Optimism is running rampant on the streets of Toronto, and rightly so. The excitement is due almost entirely to the offseason moves made by the Blue Jays.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos made good on his promise that he spend the necessary money in order to improve his team.

He was able to improve defensively, offensively, his starting pitching and his bullpen via trade as well as free agency. Big name acquisitions now comprise a large part of the team and I, for one, cannot wait to get this season underway.

Here is a complete overview of how the Blue Jays are shaping up heading in 2013.



2012 Record: 73-89, fourth in AL East



Key Arrivals: RHP R.A. Dickey (from NY Mets), RHP Josh Johnson (from Miami), LHP Mark Buehrle (from Miami), SS Jose Reyes (from Miami), IF Emilio Bonifacio (from Miami), OF Melky Cabrera (FA), IF Maicer Izturis (FA), RHP Jeremy Jeffress (contract purchased), RHP Esmil Rogers (from Cleveland), C Josh Thole (from NY Mets), C Henry Blanco (FA)



Key Departures: SS Yunel Escobar (to Miami), 2B Kelly Johnson (FA), RHP Henderson Alvarez (to Miami), C Jeff Mathis (to Miami), SS Adeiny Hachavarria (to Miami), RHP Jason Frasor (FA), SS Omar Vizquel (Retirement), 3B Yan Gomes (to Cleveland)



Projected Rotation (as per the official site)

1. R.A. Dickey (20-6, 2.73 ERA, 1.053 WHIP)

2. Brandon Morrow (10-7, 2.96, 1.115)

3. Mark Buehrle (13-13, 3.74, 1.171)

4. Josh Johnson (8-14, 3.81, 1.280)

5. Ricky Romero (9-14, 5.77, 1.674)



Projected Starters (BA/OBP/SLG)

C: J.P. Arencibia (.233/.275/.435)

1B: Edwin Encarnacion (.280/.384/.557)

2B: Maicer Izturis (.256/.320/.315)

3B: Brett Lawrie (.273/.324/.405)

SS: Jose Reyes (.287/.347/.433)

LF: Melky Cabrera (.346/.390/.516)

CF: Colby Rasmus (.223/.289/.400)

RF: Jose Bautista (.241/.358/.527)

DH: Adam Lind (.255/.314/.414)

*** All credit goes to Matthew Appleby from BleacherReport.

[Bluejaysfan65]

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.

[Bluejaysfan65]

Complete Toronto Blue Jays 2013 Season Preview: Hitting

Scouting the Hitting

The best part about the offseason trades that changed the makeup of the lineup so drastically is that the Blue Jays gave up very little major league quality talent.

Last year’s shortstop Yunel Escobar was shipped out, along with Adeiny Hachavarria and Jeff Mathis, while Kelly Johnson was lost to free agency; but other than that, most of the talent was retained. With more hitters coming in than leaving, manager John Gibbons has a lot of firepower and lineup combinations to work with.

Whereas last year the lead of spot was a trial and error type of situation, newly acquired Jose Reyes will be a mainstay at the top of the order this year.

Reyes has proven he can be an extremely effective leadoff hitter with a career .342 OBP, and just one year removed from hitting .337 with the Mets. He has the speed (410 career stolen bases) and power (462 career extra base hits) to be a real threat at the top of the order.

Who will hit second is a little bit less definitive, but there is really no bad option. Whether it ends up being Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie, Emilio Bonifacio or a revolving door of players, the Blue Jays are in a fortunate situation to have so many options. Whoever hits second will be tasked with getting on base (ideally pushing Reyes into scoring position) for the big guns that are coming up next.

Hitting Bautista third in the lineup is probably the best thing for this team. Firstly, it forces opposing pitchers to face him in the first inning. It also means that pitchers cannot pitch around him in order to get past him in the lineup.

The reason it is foolish to pitch around Bautista is the Blue Jays clean up hitter, Edwin Encarnacion. He enjoyed a breakout season in 2011 and has never looked back. He has hit .276 over the last two years including 42 homeruns last year.

While once a liability at the plate (career .245 BA pre-2010), and in the field (his 103 errors from 2005 to 2010 earned him the nickname E5) Encarnacion is now a source of strength in a very powerful lineup.

The rest of the lineup will be some combination of Colby Rasmus, Adam Lind, J.P. Arencibia, and Maicer Izturis. Each of these hitters have the ability to contribute significantly to the team but have struggled to do so consistently in their career.

Rasmus hit .276 in 2009 and saw his average drop to .225 in 2011 before recording 75 RBI in 2011. Regardless of his performance at the plate, Rasmus has been steadily improving in the outfield and has played the ultra-important center field position well during his time in Toronto. Whether or not he can hit consistently at the plate will be secondary to his play in the field, especially hitting alongside such talented hitters.

The ever-so-frustrating Adam Lind will be on a short leash this season. His time in Toronto was on the clock last year, and that clock may become an hourglass this season.

When the Blue Jays put him on waivers last year, not one team filed a claim for him. That was a clear indication of his perceived value around the league, and unless he can improve at the plate, he will be spending much of his year two hours down the road in AAA Buffalo.

That being said, when he hits, he hits well. In 2009 he hit .305, and after being recalled from AAA last year, he hit .301 to close out the season. Consistency is a clear issue for Lind, but his upside remains an enticing conversation piece. If he can figure out how hit consistently, he may be the piece that turns a good lineup into a great one.

The Blue Jays have a very good batting order. Not the best in the league, but powerful enough to give their starting pitchers a lead. Which may be all they need.