2008 Toronto Blue Jays Picks & Predictions
May 22, 2008
The Blue Jays sneaked into the number two spot in the AL East in 2006, but could not build on their performance as Vernon Wells had a lackluster season and Lyle Overbay caught the injury bug. Find out if the Jays can get right back in the thick of things in the AL East in Dave Price’s 2008 Toronto Blue Jays predictions.
Pitching
Ace Roy Halladay gives the Jays a chance to win every time he toes the rubber. Halladay went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 2007. A.J. Burnett has made four trips to the DL in two seasons and is proving not to be worth the price Toronto coughed up for him. He went 10-8 with a 3.76 ERA in only 165.2 innings. The Jays desperately need him to be a 200 innings guy. Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum are a couple of mid-20’s youngsters who have already impressed. Southpaw closer B.J. Ryan had 74 saves between the 2005-2006 seasons. Jeremy Accardo provides insurance if Ryan doesn’t return to his old self. Accardo was ultra-tough on lefties last season, limiting them to a .161 average.
Offense
The offense is where the Jays do not stack up with Boston and New York in the AL East and G.M. J.P. Ricciardi didn’t do anything to change that. Lyle Overbay is coming off a poor, injury riddled season. Vernon Wells, the Jays’ biggest star, hit only .245 last year adding only 16 homeruns and 80 RBIs. It broke his streak of five straight seasons with at least 20 round trippers. It appears he got paid last season and then crapped out. We’ll see how bad he wants to be great by what he does in 2008. Alex Rios did live up to billing ranking in the AL top 10 in 10 categories. The Rays desperately need Scotty Rolen to be healthy and affective to make this lineup work. Frank Thomas and Matt Stairs are not the answers to contending with the power of the East.
Defense
The Jays will sacrifice defense for offense at shortstop with David Eckstein getting most of the starts. Look for defensive wizard John McDonald to spell him, especially when Halladay starts. The Jays think second baseman Aaron Hill is a Gold Glover in the making. Hill led AL two-baggers in assists per nine innings, and was second in total chances and double plays. The Jays are more concerned with the power numbers they are hoping that Rolen and Overbay can produce at the corners. Both have solid gloves. Matt Stairs doesn’t have much speed in left, but Vernon Wells usually bails him out.
Toronto’s starting pitching staff is better then New York’s, but it isn’t better than Boston’s and both of the perennial AL East powers have the upper hand in terms of offense. I expect the Toronto to finish third in the AL East.
Dave Price’s MLB betting previews will help you gain an edge over your bookmaker on opening day. Instead of going into the season blind, brush up on your MLB knowledge with Dave and beat the MLB odds all season long.
Odds to win AL East: 6/1
Odds to win AL Pennant: 16/1
Odds to win World Series: 35/1
AL East
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