Are the Blue Jays for real?

[nsentv]

Forgive me if this question has already been asked, but who thinks that the Toronto Blue Jays have a real possibility of either winning the AL East or getting the Wildcard? Personally, I don't think they have a chance in hell, mainly because they're in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox.

[CC97]

Forgive me if this question has already been asked, but who thinks that the Toronto Blue Jays have a real possibility of either winning the AL East or getting the Wildcard? Personally, I don't think they have a chance in hell, mainly because they're in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox.

I dunno... last season just before losing Halladay (early July) the Jays were 5 games out and ahead of the Yankees.

Take that team, add Glaus, Overbay, Molina, Burnett and Ryan.

If those guys play as well as they have over their career the Jays could seriously make a run for at least the wildcard... especially if the Yankees and/or Red Sox suffer injury problems (both have aging rotations).

Lots of "ifs" but it's not that unbelievable.

Besides, this isn't supposed to be a one-season run for the Jays... there are no players (that I can think of) over 31 in their starting lineup and rotation, this is a team that could compete this year, and should get even stronger from year to year.

[Neon_Matrix]

Well they played last night with a full roster team and beat the Pirates 9-2. While they have had a very poor pre-season, they primarily used minor leaguers. The pitching, which I thought would never be a problem, is kind of scaring me because lately Burnett, Halladay and Towers haven't pitched THAT well in the few innings they have had to work their stuff.

I dont know...they have what it takes, but I really dobut they will be THAT good until late in the season or next when everyone has gelled and whatnot.

[Jigga]

Yes, they are. On paper. Gotta give 'em a shot. The Yankees and Red Sox have HUGE pitching issues. The Yanks don't know who's even in the rotation due to injuries. Boston has Schilling and Wells coming off injuries and Clement and Becket are consistently inconsistent. Both should be good, but they aren't going to run away and hide.

Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in the American League and one of the few pitchers in the game that can carry a team on his back. BJ Ryan should be an elite closer for 3-4 years if he can stay healthy. There are still questions of course, surrounding AJ Burnett, but like Josh Beckett, he has filthy, ridiculous, wicked stuff and if he can get his head out of his ass, he'll win 15-18 games. They have some mashers on offense, too.

Who knows once the season starts how ANYTHING turns out. The Yankees were supposed to be the best offensive team in the history of baseball last year and their 4 1/2 ace staff was supposed to dominate, they weren't. The White Sox weren't even a favorite to win the Wild Card (Boston was). Minnesota was the cutesy little dark-horse pick to win the World Series by the so-called "experts" (uh yeah, how'd that turn out). The Astros were 15 games below .500 and made it to the World Series in the same season.

My point is that you truly never know, but I'd feel better as a Blue Jay fan than I do as an Oriole fan. At least the Blue Jay fans have hope.

[HatCityEnforcer]

If they Halladay & Lilly can stay healthy, the Jays starting pitching could be the best in the East...heck, IMO, it's better than what the Sawks offer (note on that: I think they're gonna regret dealing Arroyo) and could be better than what the Yanks have too.

So, to answer the question posed, yep, the Jays are for real. Wouldn't shock me if they did end up winning the East.

[Intimidator85]

No, they're not. The Blue Jays probably will come in third in the division, trailing the Yankees and Red Sox. Also, either the Angels or A's (probably Oakland) will claim the Wild Card. I just don't think the Blue Jays have enough to outlast the Yankees, who may be the best team in the AL. The Blue Jays probably have enough to win 85-90 games, though. They should definitely win more than they lose.

[pcgd]

I may eat my words, but I just don't believe in B.J. Ryan. The dude has 42 CAREER saves. That's roughly 1.1 million per save. The elite closers get that in a season. He had a hell of a year last year, and in this era of grossly overpaid relievers, he got what he deserved...I guess.

The interesting thing about Burnett is how he was precieved by the two organizations' fan bases that went after him the hardest. The Cardinals fans were hoping they didn't get him (at least for that amount of money) while he's Toronto's savior. The guy has awesome stuff, but to me, he'll always be a Mark Prior/Kerry Wood. Lots of hype, no results.

I love all the Catching Molina's and I think that will improve the team tremendously. I believe that was their best move of the off-season. I think their offensive upgrade was good. I just think Toronoto is a few years away. I can see them winning the East, but not because they are that much better, but because New York and boston has slide so much. That's my take. But as always remember, I'm an idiot.

[jkrdevil]

Yes they have a realistic shot at making the playoffs. To me though Burnett is a question mark coming over from the Netional League. Pitchers coming from the NL to AL tend to struggle for the most part because the lineup are much deeper in the AL. If Burnett can adjust the JAys will be in the thick of the wild card race and might win it.

[leopard88]

My point is that you truly never know, but I'd feel better as a Blue Jay fan than I do as an Oriole fan. At least the Blue Jay fans have hope.

Hey, I have hope!! I HOPE the Orioles are better than everyone expects. If the young pitchers continue to improve (and we all saw what Cabrera did in the

WBC), that isn't such an unreasonble expectation. Hoping they can contend this year, on the other hand, may be unreasonable. Wait 'til next year . . . again.

[Camden Crazy]

EDIT: Nevermind..but to people hating on the Orioles, stop making yourselves look like ignorant morons who know nothing.

[CC97]

At least the Blue Jay fans have hope.

I'm getting sick of flat out stupid, ignorant, ridiculous statements like these. Thanks for making yourself look like an idiot. Yeah, the Orioles have Nick Markakis, Adam Loewen, Hayden Penn, Nolan Reimold, Garrett Olson, James Johnson, and Val Majewski due in Baltimore in the next year or two, and Markakis, Penn, Olson, and Loewen get on almost every top 100 prospect list put out (with Markakis and Loewen in the top 50), but we're not supposed to have hope about anything. We have nothing to look forward too apparently. I guess they have no future and they're going to be terrible forever. That's what your stupid comment is implying, and it's one of the most ignorant things I have ever read.

You had hope in 1998 too, what happened there?

4th

4th

4th

4th

4th

4th

3rd!

4th

You take this whole thing way too personally... baseball = game = fun = chill

[HatCityEnforcer]

You had hope in 1998 too, what happened there?

One game in May...

Something about an ill-placed fastball into Tino Martinez's back by Armando "The Arsonist" Benitez, one of the wildest brawls in recent memory, and then Tim Raines taking the first pitch after the brawl and calmly depositing it into Section 39 of the bleachers.

That night was the end of the Orioles as a contender...and they still haven't recovered.

[leopard88]

You had hope in 1998 too, what happened there? 

One game in May...

Something about an ill-placed fastball into Tino Martinez's back by Armando "The Arsonist" Benitez, one of the wildest brawls in recent memory, and then Tim Raines taking the first pitch after the brawl and calmly depositing it into Section 39 of the bleachers.

That night was the end of the Orioles as a contender...and they still haven't recovered.

That sounds about right.

The other thing that happened is that the Orioles suddenly turned into the Yankees of the mid-to-late '80s. They had some big-name veterans on the team, but they all got old and/or started to underperform all at once. It was as if there was a whole team of Steve Kemps in black and orange uniforms. And, like the Yankees of that era, the Orioles lacked the farm system to provide reliable reinforcements.

[Audiodrama]

Are they for real? No, not yet. But do they have the potential to be? Absolutely.

I've posted this in other threads...each of the top three teams in the AL East (NYY, BOS, TOR) have their issues with pitching. I don't need to go into them because they've been endlessly talked about. We're not gonna know anything until mid-June or so. Let's just sit back and see how it plays out.

[Roger Clemente]

Forgive me if this question has already been asked, but who thinks that the Toronto Blue Jays have a real possibility of either winning the AL East or getting the Wildcard? Personally, I don't think they have a chance in hell, mainly because they're in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox.

Well...do you expect them to roll over and die?

"Oh please, come to our ballgames. We won't put up an effort if our division rivals are in town. We guarentee we won't win the championship. But come anyways."

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[Jigga]

EDIT: Nevermind..but to people hating on the Orioles, stop making yourselves look like ignorant morons who know nothing.

I'm not hating on the Orioles you ignorant son-of-a-bitch. I've been a FAN since 1982. Don't give me a god damn litany of prospects, you stupid little . Remember Ben McDonald, Alvie Shepherd, Darnell McDonald, and a hundred other flame outs and duds?

I love the team, but I'm not blind and stupid enough to think they're contenders. You may have your head up your ass, but clearly they suck and they will continue to suck for a while!

[Camden Crazy]

Yeah, I mean Markakis hitting .356 with a .463 OBP in Spring Training means nothing, and Adam Loewen breezing through the U.S. lineup in the WBC means nothing also. If you don't think the team will start competing come 2007, you're an idiot.

[Audiodrama]

Yeah, I mean Markakis hitting .356 with a .463 OBP in Spring Training means nothing

Um, that part actually DOES mean nothing. He's not facing Major League talent on a consistent basis in Spring Training. Spring stats often have no correlation to a player's regular season performance at all.

[CC97]

Yeah, I mean Markakis hitting .356 with a .463 OBP in Spring Training means nothing, and Adam Loewen breezing through the U.S. lineup in the WBC means nothing also. If you don't think the team will start competing come 2007, you're an idiot.

Well frankly, if you think Spring Training numbers mean anything then you're an... whatever you said he was.

[Jigga]

Yeah, I mean Markakis hitting .356 with a .463 OBP in Spring Training means nothing, and Adam Loewen breezing through the U.S. lineup in the WBC means nothing also. If you don't think the team will start competing come 2007, you're an idiot.

Again, I'm a objective fan, without my head up my ass. And last time I looked 2006 is not 2007 and my pointed comments were for the 2006 baseball season. Thanks for making yourself look stupid with very little help from me.