Nothing like a bit of good ol’ optimism to get things rolling before spring training, eh?
Blue Jays manager John Farrell appeared on Prime Time Sports on the FAN 590 for an interview a couple of days ago, mostly laying out the official line for the team headed into the 2012 season. That line, in short: The 2012 Blue Jays “able to compete — and win the division.”
Of course, there’s a lot more to it. Farrell suggested that he feels the team, with the additions of Santos as closer, and a full year of Lawrie on slate, have enough talent to make the next jump into contention in AL East. Particularly, the manager named Brett Cecil and Colby Rasmus as two key players whose performances will have to improve for the Blue Jays to accomplish their goals, saying “Last year we came in and it was Adam Lind and Aaron Hill that we looked at as two guys would give us a huge boost toward making that next step. This year it’s Brett and Colby.”
As with any young club looking to make the next step, Farrell realises that there will be major question marks going into the 2012 season as well, the biggest of which should be the rotation headed into this season. Barring the acquisition of a bonafide front-line starter, the Blue Jays will once again be led by Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow, with Cecil, Alvarez, Drabek, and McGowan competing for the final spots. Farrell acknowledged the need for the rotation to be more consistent, suggesting “that is still the one area where we’ve got to make the greatest strides to add 10 more wins”.
None of this is surprising, of course, and I think it’s good for Farrell to set the goals high for 2012. This is a team that has a good amount of youth and upside, and an over-achieving year would not be out of the question. As for how realistic it is? That’s a bit harder to answer. I think I’m pretty optimistic about the Blue Jays going forward, but would still acknowledge that, on paper, they are still the 4th-place team in the AL East. The acquisition of Santos, Frasor and Oliver should provide some stability on the back-end, and this year’s Bautista-led offense that should score more runs than last season, with the additions of Lawrie, Johnson for the full year. Still, there are a lot for this young club to prove against some tough teams – the top-tier rotation in Tampa Bay whose offense is somewhat underrated, or the perennially-stacked lineups of the big spenders in the division. I’ll have more scattered thoughts on the upcoming season once Prince Fielder signs with the Nationals and breaks my heart the off-season moves are just about done.
Still…could 91 wins happen this season for the Blue Jays? John Farrell thinks so. That’s why they play the 162 games, after all.
Buy Toronto Blue Jays Tickets | Buy Toronto Blue Jays Apparel
