TORONTO BLUE JAYS
| Tony Batista (3B, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ARI 106 293 80 16 1 18 46 41 18 52 273 318 519 1 1 1999 ARI-TOR 142 519 144 30 1 31 77 100 38 96 277 329 518 4 0 2000 TOR 154 620 163 32 2 41 96 114 35 121 263 307 519 5 4 |
| The new Butch Hobson. No, that's silly, Tony doesn't remind anyone of Butch Hobson, even though he too is a third baseman who hits home runs and swings at anything near the plate. Tony's a decent player, plays good defence, and he might have his best year in 2001. He seemed to tire a bit in 2000; it had been a long time since he had played a full season, and he may be a bit more prepared this year. |
| Pedro Borbon (33, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL DID NOT PITCH 1999 LA 4 3 70 0 0 0 1 51 39 29 33 409 2000 TOR 1 1 59 0 0 0 1 42 45 38 29 648 |
| Borbon missed two seasons with elbow surgery; he came back with a solid year in 1999, but last year the arm problems returned. They didn't limit his ability to pitch - only his ability to throw strikes. He had some bone chips removed after the season; he can get out left-handers (a .209 average), but if he keeps clogging up the basepaths with free passes he'll be in some trouble. |
| Homer Bush (2B, 28, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 NYY 45 71 27 3 0 1 17 5 5 19 380 421 465 6 3 1999 TOR 128 485 155 26 4 5 69 55 21 82 320 353 421 32 8 2000 TOR 76 297 64 8 0 1 38 18 18 60 215 271 253 9 4 |
| Bush had a bad start to the year, then got worse. A broken hand during the summer put his season out of its misery... and now the Blue Jays are scratching their heads about what he might do in 2001. My guess is that he hits .280 with some stolen bases and solid defence. |
| Chris Carpenter (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TOR 12 7 33 24 1 1 0 175 177 61 136 437 1999 TOR 9 8 24 24 4 1 0 150 177 48 106 438 2000 TOR 10 12 34 27 2 0 0 175 204 83 113 626 |
| The Blue Jays were hoping that Carpenter would step up and become one of the better pitchers in the league; instead, he gave up more runs than any other pitcher in the American League. He's a hard thrower with a good curveball; he's had some nagging shoulder ailments the past couple of years, but nothing that has required major surgery. He's young, and has pitched well in the past... that's about the extent of his positives. His future is in some question, but 12-14 wins is a reasonable expectation. |
| Hector Carrasco (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 MIN 4 2 63 0 0 0 1 61 75 31 46 438 1999 MIN 2 3 39 0 0 0 1 49 48 18 35 496 2000 MIN-BOS 5 4 69 1 0 0 1 79 90 38 64 469 |
| From year to year, Carrasco's performance almost never changes. He's obviously not one of the top relievers in the league, but his good games outnumber his bad ones. A good guy to have in middle relief and add depth to the bullpen. |
| Alberto Castillo (CA, 31, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 NYM 38 83 17 4 0 2 13 7 9 17 205 290 325 0 2 1999 STL 93 255 67 8 0 4 21 31 24 48 263 326 341 0 0 2000 TOR 66 185 39 7 0 1 14 16 21 36 211 287 265 0 0 |
| Castillo is a good defensive catcher who doesn't put many runs on the board. At age 31, he'll be hoping that there's a team out there looking for a player with those credentials. |
| Pasqual Coco (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 3 7 15 15 1 0 0 82 62 32 84 320 1999 A 11 1 14 14 0 0 0 98 67 25 83 221 1999 A 4 6 13 13 2 0 0 75 81 36 59 564 2000 AA 12 7 27 26 2 0 0 168 154 68 142 376 |
| After spending three seasons in the lower minors, Coco moved up to Double-AA, and had a fine season at Tennessee. He looks like a fine prospect. He's very young, but hasn't been rushed; he throws strikes, and has good stuff. I'd look for him to start winning games in another year. |
| Marty Cordova (OF, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 MIN 119 438 111 20 2 10 52 69 50 103 253 333 377 3 6 1999 MIN 124 425 121 28 3 14 62 70 48 96 285 365 464 13 4 2000 TOR 62 200 49 7 0 4 23 18 18 35 245 317 340 3 2 |
| Cordova was signed by the Blue Jays to be their fourth outfielder, and was a bust. It's a role he better get used to, since I doubt he will get another chance to be a regular player. If he doesn't player better in 2001, his career might quickly come to an end... no, it won't end, he'll just wind up back in Minnesota. |
| Jose Cruz (CF, 27, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 105 352 89 14 3 11 55 42 57 99 253 354 403 11 4 1999 TOR 106 349 84 19 3 14 63 45 64 91 241 358 433 14 4 2000 TOR 162 603 146 32 5 31 91 76 71 129 242 323 466 15 5 |
| He had his best season; actually, it wasn't much different than the previous three, except that he managed to avoid a demotion to the minors. I don't know why Cruz isn't a better player; he has good power, good knowledge of the strike zone, isn't a wild swinger. But when he works the count in his favour and gets a good pitch to hit, he usually misses it. More of the same in 2001, with a chance to move his average up into the .270 range. |
| Matt DeWitt (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 6 9 24 24 1 0 0 148 132 18 118 364 1999 AA 9 8 26 26 0 0 0 148 153 59 107 443 2000 AAA 4 5 31 7 0 0 15 65 78 25 41 487 |
| DeWitt is a young pitcher whom the White Sox acquired from Toronto in the David Wells deal. He looked like a good prospect in 1998, but has been very stinky the past two seasons. He's still very young, and the Sox may be able to teach him some new tricks, but at the moment he doesn't look like he will ever be a good pitcher. ADDENDUM: DeWitt has been returned to Toronto, which I guess is compensation for the White Sox dealing the Blue Jays two guys whose arms are about to fall off. Good thing he didn't badmouth his old team. |
| Carlos Delgado (1B, 29, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 142 530 155 43 1 38 94 115 73 139 292 385 592 3 0 1999 TOR 152 573 156 39 0 44 113 134 86 141 272 377 571 1 1 2000 TOR 162 569 196 57 1 41 115 137 123 104 344 470 664 0 1 |
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Carlos fans (like myself) were waiting for him to bust loose with an MVP-type season. He overachieved, and was one of the most devastating hitters in baseball all season, staying in contention for the Triple Crown until mid-September. Interesting note: Carlos had a big year at the Skydome, hitting 30 of his home runs at home. In 1999, however, Carlos led the league in road homers, with 27. Two flukes in a row? As I write this in December, Delgado is the highest paid player in baseball, though that could change by the time I finish this paragraph. I wouldn't expect him to hit .340 with 99 extra-base hits every year... but he should remain an MVP candidate. |
| Kelvim Escobar (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TOR 7 3 22 10 0 0 0 79 72 35 72 373 1999 TOR 14 11 33 30 1 0 0 174 203 81 129 569 2000 TOR 10 15 43 24 3 1 2 180 186 85 142 535 |
| Escobar had a rough season, and was moved to the bullpen during the summer. He will apparently open the 2001 season as Toronto's setup man; he's done this once before, in the opening weeks of 1998. He's also been a closer (1997) and a starting pitcher. He's a young, talented pitcher who has won more games than he lost, but I suspect that if he has big years ahead of him, it will be with a team that knows what to do with him. |
| Scott Eyre (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 2000 AAA 3 2 47 0 0 0 12 48 33 20 46 300 |
| Eyre's career has been an ugly one so far. But he spent most of last year closing games at Charlotte, and did a fine job. The Blue Jays acquired him after the season, and he'll be fighting about ten other left-handers for a spot in their bullpen. He might be okay, but there are no great expectations here. |
| Darrin Fletcher (CA, 34, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 124 407 115 23 1 9 37 52 25 39 283 328 410 0 0 1999 TOR 115 412 120 26 0 18 48 80 26 47 291 339 485 0 0 2000 TOR 122 416 133 19 1 20 43 58 20 45 320 355 514 1 0 |
| Fletcher had one of his best years at the plate; he has also developed into a very tough out for left-handers, and last year hit .342 against them. He's not great defensively, but no one cares because he hits; his age is becoming a concern, but he'll probrably keep his average over .280 this season. |
| John Frascatore (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 STL 3 4 69 0 0 0 0 95 95 36 49 414 1999 ARI-TOR 8 5 59 0 0 0 1 70 73 21 37 373 2000 TOR 2 4 60 0 0 0 0 73 87 33 30 542 |
| When John Frascatore starts walking more batters than he strikes out, it's probably time to look for other options. Frascatore isn't old, and may pitch a little better in 2001... but I'd rather that it was someone else's team that took a chance on him. |
| Jeff Frye (IF/OF, 35, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 INJURED - DID NOT PLAY 1999 BOS 41 114 32 3 0 1 14 12 14 11 281 362 333 2 2 2000 BOS-COL 106 326 100 19 0 1 49 16 36 54 307 377 374 5 3 |
| In the midst of a pennant race, the Red Sox made a boneheaded deal with the Rockies in which they somehow managed to exchange Jeff Frye for Mike Lansing. What were they thinking? Frye is one of the best utility players in the league; he could have been one of the best second basemen in the league had he been able to stay healthy. Now, he's getting on in years... but he's still a terrific player off the bench, hits for average and gets on base and does an all-around good job. |
| Brad Fullmer (DH, 26, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 MON 140 505 138 44 2 13 58 73 39 70 273 327 446 6 6 1999 MON 100 347 96 34 2 9 38 47 22 35 277 321 464 2 3 2000 TOR 133 482 142 29 1 32 76 104 30 68 295 340 558 3 1 |
| In a three-way deal before the season, the Blue Jays dealt David Segui to Texas, and picked up Fullmer from Montreal. It was a good deal. Fullmer is still young; he should be able to hit .300 consistently in the future, and the Jays are hoping that his power surge will continue. |
| Alex Gonzalez (SS, 28, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 158 568 136 28 1 13 70 51 28 121 239 281 361 21 6 1999 TOR 38 154 45 13 0 2 22 12 16 23 292 370 416 4 2 2000 TOR 141 527 133 31 2 15 68 69 43 113 252 313 404 4 4 |
| Gonzalez had his best year, playing good defense at short while contributing a little at the plate. He's an adequate shortstop, a good, consistent defender who is also a bad hitter, but at least he's improved a bit with the bat the past couple of years. He's not likely to improve much more. |
| Todd Greene (DH, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ANA 29 71 18 4 0 1 3 7 2 20 254 274 352 0 0 1999 ANA 97 321 78 20 0 14 36 42 12 63 243 275 436 1 4 2000 TOR 34 85 20 2 0 5 11 10 5 18 235 278 435 0 0 |
| Greene was released by Anaheim before the season; he signed with the Blue Jays, but didn't get into the lineup too often. Greene has power, but has had trouble staying healthy and finding a role to play. His experience as a catcher gives him some versatility that most right-handed DH's don't have. |
| Charlie Greene (CA, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 MIL 32 42 8 1 0 0 4 1 5 11 190 271 214 0 0 |
| Greene's a warm body who blocks pitches, and doesn't advertise himself as anything more than that. Funny thing is, most teams need a guy like this at some point during the season; catchig is a tough position. |
| Eric Gunderson (35, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 2000 AAA 2 4 46 0 0 0 4 50 60 18 31 375 |
| Gunderson is a veteran left-hander who doesn't fool many batters. His career is almost over. |
| Mark Guthrie (36, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 LA 2 1 53 0 0 0 0 54 56 24 45 350 1999 BOS-CHC 1 3 57 0 0 0 2 58 57 24 45 537 2000 3TEAMS 3 6 76 0 0 0 0 71 70 37 63 467 |
| Guthrie's a veteran left-hander, and he's also become a traveling man. He didn't pitch too badly last year, but he wasn't very effective against left-handers, and he also threw 13 wild pitches. He'll land on his feet somewhere. |
| Roy Halladay (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 9 5 21 21 1 1 0 116 107 53 71 379 2000 AAA 2 3 11 11 3 0 0 74 85 21 38 550 |
| I said a lot of nice things about Halladay last season, and was dismayed when he had one of the worst seasons in the History of Pitching. He's still young, looks good on the mound, and has a history of success. I might suggest that he will come back and pitch well... but he was so awful in 2000 that I don't know how I could justify saying that. |
| Joey Hamilton (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SD 13 13 34 34 0 0 0 217 220 106 147 427 1999 TOR 7 8 22 18 0 0 0 98 118 39 56 652 2000 TOR 2 1 6 6 0 0 0 33 28 12 15 355 |
| Hamilton's two seasons with the Blue Jays have been a disaster; last year he missed most of the season with shoulder problems, and made only six starts (albeit good starts). When healthy, he was a decent pitcher; he also has one year left on his contract with the Jays, and they will be hoping that he can win at least a dozen games for them this year... but let's not hold our breath. |
| Trenidad Hubbard (OF, 35, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 LA 94 208 62 9 1 7 29 18 18 46 298 358 452 9 5 1999 LA 82 105 33 5 0 1 23 13 13 24 314 387 390 4 3 2000 ATL-BAL 92 108 20 2 2 1 18 6 11 23 185 267 269 4 2 |
| He was consistent, hitting .185 for both Baltimore and Atlanta. He has played well enough in the past that someone will give him a look in spring training; he has a decent chance of making a roster in April. |
| Billy Koch (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 14 7 25 25 0 0 0 125 120 41 108 375 |
| Koch had an exceptional sophomore season, and is now in a position to rise among the best closers in the game. He upped his workload and his save total, won nine games and also display excellent control. He throws very, very hard, and there is good reason to think that his strikeout rate will jump upwards; if he remains healthy (he is two years removed from elbow surgery) then he should be great. |
| Esteban Loaiza (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 PIT-TEX 9 11 35 28 1 0 0 170 199 52 108 519 1999 TEX 9 5 30 15 0 0 0 120 128 40 77 456 2000 TEX-TOR 10 13 34 31 1 1 1 199 228 57 137 456 |
| Loaiza's an ordinary pitcher whose performance also never changes from year to year. If he's ever going to be good, it will be this year; his control is quite good, and his strikeout/walk ratio was excellent. He pitched very well after joining the Blue Jays in July; they will be hoping that he can continue his success and provide 12-14 wins. |
| Raul Mondesi (RF, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 LA 148 580 162 26 5 30 85 90 30 112 279 316 497 16 10 1999 LA 159 601 152 29 5 33 98 99 71 134 253 332 483 36 9 2000 TOR 96 388 105 22 2 24 78 67 32 73 271 329 523 22 6 |
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Mondesi's first year in Toronto was a mixed bag. He displayed some impressive power and speed, but otherwise underachieved. His batting average was ordinary, his OBA was poor, and he had more errors than assists in the outfield. He also went on the 60-day DL in the summer after bone chips were discovered in his elbow. The bad elbow may have had something to do with his defensive problems. But this was the third straight year that Mondesi has posted a disappointing batting average. If he doesn't hit better than .270, then he is just an average outfielder. He was a popular addition to the Jays, and there were no signs of the attitude problems that plagued him in Los Angeles. Now, Toronto fans will be hoping he gets his game back to where it was a few years ago. |
| Mickey Morandini (2B, 35, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CHC 154 582 172 20 4 8 93 53 72 84 296 380 385 13 1 1999 CHC 144 456 110 18 5 4 60 37 48 61 241 319 329 6 6 2000 PHI-TOR 126 409 105 15 4 0 41 29 36 77 257 322 313 6 2 |
| Morandini began the year with Philly, then was traded to Toronto after they found themselves without a second baseman. After two poor seasons with the bat, he has established that he can't play every day anymore. He doesn't but runs on the board, he strikes out a lot and he also hits into too many double plays. He might be okay in a limited role on the bench, providing some veteran help when needed... but it has to be a very limited role. |
| Pete Munro (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 7 9 26 25 0 0 0 151 169 58 117 507 1999 AAA 6 1 18 11 0 0 0 70 70 33 68 310 2000 AAA 5 5 15 15 3 1 0 93 79 39 60 321 |
| Munro is a young pitcher who has spent the past three years in the Blue Jays' organization. He's not bad, but he's had some elbow trouble; if he has a future, it will probably be in long relief. |
| Jaime Navarro (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CHW 8 16 37 27 1 0 1 172 223 77 71 636 1999 CHW 8 13 32 27 0 0 0 160 206 71 74 609 2000 MIL-CLE 0 6 12 7 0 0 0 33 54 23 16 1053 |
| The Blue Jays have invited him to spring training, hoping that they can do for his career what they did for Frank Castillo's. I wish them well. Navarro's record the past four seasons is 25-49. His ERA over that same span is 6.32. |
| Lance Painter (34, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 STL 4 0 65 0 0 0 1 47 42 28 39 399 1999 STL 4 5 56 4 0 0 1 63 63 25 56 483 2000 TOR 2 0 42 2 0 0 0 67 69 22 53 473 |
| Painter was one of many left-handers whom the Blue Jays used in their bullpen last year. Painter was probably the best of the lot, but he hurt his elbow after making a couple of starts during the summer. Assuming he is healthy and back in the bullpen, he will probably have a good year. |
| Steve Parris (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CIN 6 5 18 16 1 1 0 99 89 32 77 373 1999 CIN 11 4 22 21 2 1 0 129 124 52 86 350 2000 CIN 12 17 33 33 0 0 0 193 227 71 117 481 |
| After five years, Parris is a .500 pitcher (35-35). The Blue Jays have acquired him to provide some stability in the rotation, but he probably won't be anything more than a .500 pitcher this year - and a sharp decline is also a real possibility. |
| Josh Phelps (CA, 23, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 117 385 102 24 1 8 48 44 40 80 265 342 395 2 0 1999 A 110 406 133 27 4 20 72 88 28 104 328 379 562 6 3 2000 A 30 113 36 7 0 12 26 34 12 34 319 386 699 0 0 2000 AA 56 184 42 9 1 9 23 28 15 66 228 308 435 1 0 |
| Phelps established himself as a long-range prospect with a good year at Dunedin in 1999. Last year he was promoted to Tennessee, and struggled. If you can't hit at Tennessee, then you've got quite a bit of learning to do. But Phelps is young, and has time to improve. And the Blue Jays seem to like him; they even gave him his first major league at bat last year (he struck out). |
| Dan Plesac (39, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TOR 4 3 78 0 0 0 4 50 41 16 55 378 1999 TOR-ARI 2 4 64 0 0 0 1 44 50 17 53 589 2000 ARI 5 1 62 0 0 0 0 40 34 26 45 315 |
| Plesac had a good year, winning most of his decisions, posting a good ERA, and striking out more than a batter per inning. One frustation: he was hit hard by left-handers, but righties hit just .194 off him. Aren't those numbers supposed to be reversed? |
| Paul Quantrill (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TOR 3 4 82 0 0 0 7 80 88 22 59 259 1999 TOR 3 2 41 0 0 0 0 49 53 17 28 333 2000 TOR 2 5 68 0 0 0 1 84 100 25 47 452 |
| Quantrill is a durable reliever with good control, though he gets hit fairly hard. He's a valuable pitcher, but I'd rather have him start an inning, then come in with the winning run on second base. |
| Brian Simmons (OF, 28, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 138 546 143 28 12 15 108 72 88 124 262 365 440 15 12 1998 AAA 94 355 103 21 4 13 72 51 41 82 290 363 482 10 6 1999 AAA 78 285 77 14 0 10 53 44 37 60 270 363 425 8 2 |
| Simmons tore his ACL during last spring, and missed the entire season. During the winter he was dealt to Toronto as part of the Wells/Sirotka deal. He will likely be the fourth outfielder in Toronto; at this point, the best thing you can say about Simmons is that someone wants him. |
| Mike Sirotka (30, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CHW 14 15 33 33 5 0 0 211 255 47 128 506 1999 CHW 11 13 32 32 3 1 0 209 236 57 125 400 2000 CHW 15 10 32 32 1 0 0 197 203 69 128 379 |
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Sirotka had a good year; he won 15 games, was third in the league in ERA, and led the White Sox to the division title. As I write this, he is having a fascinating off-season. First, he was dealt to the Blue Jays in exchange for David Wells. Shortly after his arrival in Toronto, he was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder - throwing his season into doubt. As I write this, the Blue Jays are seeking some form of compensation... while hoping that Sirotka can pitch at least part of the season before having surgery. |
| Shannon Stewart (LF, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 144 516 144 29 3 12 90 55 67 77 279 377 417 51 18 1999 TOR 145 608 185 28 2 11 102 67 59 83 304 371 411 37 14 2000 TOR 136 583 186 43 5 21 107 69 37 79 319 363 518 20 5 |
| Stewart had a terrific season, batting almost .320 while hitting with much more power than he had shown in the past. When he was young his greatest asset was his speed, but when he tries to steal bases he has a tendency to get hurt (last year he went on the DL after pulling a hamstring). He may try to run more often this year, but I'm sure the first priority for the Jays is to keep him healthy. |
| Andy Thompson (OF, 25, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 125 481 137 33 2 14 74 88 54 69 285 357 449 8 3 1999 AA-AAA 129 483 129 33 5 31 98 95 55 100 267 354 549 12 3 2000 AAA 121 426 105 27 2 22 59 65 50 95 246 334 474 9 2 |
| Thompson is a Blue Jays' prospect; he showed some power in 1999, but didn't show much of anything last year. He needs to make a big move this year if he wants to have a career... but I'm skeptical that we'll see anything special. |
| Ryan Thompson (OF, 33, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 2000 AAA 86 326 93 23 3 23 45 75 27 72 285 342 586 10 3 |
| Thompson was a Blue Jay prospect many years ago; he was dealt to the Mets in 1992 along with Jeff Kent, in the deal that sent David Cone to Toronto. Last year, Kent won an MVP Award, and Thompson... well, who knows, maybe he got a World Series for his efforts. He has some power, but he's not going to get many at bats this year. |
| Vernon Wells (CF, 22, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 TOR 24 88 23 5 0 1 8 8 4 18 261 293 352 1 1 |
| Wells established himself as a super-prospect in 1999, and had a chance to be Toronto's starting centre-fielder last year. Instead, he spent the year at Syracuse, and had a miserable season. He's still very, very young, and absolutely no one will be surprised if he is back hitting .340 again this year. |
| DeWayne Wise (OF, 23, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 127 496 111 15 9 2 61 44 41 111 224 280 302 27 17 1999 A 131 502 127 20 13 11 70 81 42 81 253 312 410 35 13 |
| Wise was claimed by the Blue Jays in the Rule V draft; they had to keep him on their roster all season, but he spent most of the year on the DL because of a convenient injury to his big toe. 2000 was a complete writeoff for Wise; before that, he didn't look anything like a major league player. He's still young, but he has a lot of work to do, and he has to make up for lost time. |
| Chris Woodward (IF, 25, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA-AAA 98 338 79 18 0 5 45 33 33 67 234 305 331 4 6 1999 AAA 75 281 82 20 3 1 46 20 38 49 292 378 395 4 0 2000 AAA 37 143 46 13 2 5 23 25 11 30 322 370 545 2 0 |
| Woodward is a young infielder who might surprise. He didn't hit very well with Toronto last year, but the Jays have rarely given him enough at bats at any level to establish himself. He doesn't have anything left to prove at Syracuse; he won't be a starter this year in Toronto, but with some luck he could be a valuable utility player. In six years in the minors, he has hit only 16 home runs... but don't be surprised if he shows some surprising power. |