First Day of Spring...Training

Well it is the first day of spring...training and it definitely feels like it in Toronto with 10 cm of snow on the ground.

So with the Blue Jays first official workout in the books here is a superficial look at what you can expect from the Jays this season. A more in-depth review of the AL East and the rest of the majors will be coming closer to the season, but the hardcore fan needs to know these important tidbits...

The Jays were named one of the least recognizable teams in baseball in a survey down by ESPN. They came third behind the Pirates and Washington Nationals. Good company.

It looks like the most recognizable Jay, Dirk Hayhurst, also known by his twitter name @TheGarfoose was placed on the 60 Day disabled list the other day. Hayhurst has penned a new book about life in the bullpen and has been making the media rounds to promote it. Unfortunately, the reliever who only had an outside chance to make the club, but would have been a fan favourite, will be sidelined for most of the season after having his shoulder operated on.

The Jays had one, if not the best pitcher in baseball in Roy Halladay. He was dealt in the offseason to the Philadelphia Phillies which brought back prospects, but left a Grand Canyon size hole at the top of the rotation. According to the reports filed by MLB Blue Jays scribe Jordan Bastian, Manager Cito Gaston has an idea of who he projects in the rotation. It's a young rotation to say the least - Marcum, Romero, Tallet, Morrow, Rzepczynski. Jays fans shouldn't expect much this year from these young arms, but hopefully one of them turns into the next Dave Steib, Jimmy Key or Halladay.

Well if the pitching isn't all-star caliber yet, they must have the hitting to keep them in ball games. Well, Jays fans don't get your hopes up. Here is the projected opening day line-up from the same conversation that Bastian had with Cito today;
1. Bautista 2. Hill 3. Lind 4. Wells 5. Overbay 6. Encarnacion 7. Snider 8. Buck 9. Gonzalez. Not exactly murderers row and really, there is no way that Wells should bat fourth and Overbay fifth. This isn't 2003 if Cito hasn't noticed.

If the opening day of spring training is any indication, it could be a long season for the Jays and those 87 losses last year might not seem so bad.