And the votes are in …

Rookie of the Year honours were doled out today, and Boston’s Dustin Pedroia took home the AL award, while Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun narrowly edged Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki for the honours in the NL.

Though no Blue Jay rookie received any votes, Toronto had a few first-year players contribute in 2007. Adam Lind, who was summoned from Triple-A Syracuse in April when Reed Johnson went down with an injury, batted .238 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 89 total games. Curtis Thigpen, meanwhile, played 47 games split between catcher and first base, batting .238 with 11 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

On the mound, Jesse Litsch was a pleasant surprise, going 7-9 with a very decent 3.81 ERA in 20 starts. Brian Wolfe, meanwhile, finished with a 3-1 mark and a 2.98 ERA in 38 games out of the bullpen.

In 31 years as a franchise, the Toronto Blue Jays have had two Rookie of the Year award winners. Alfredo Griffin captured the award in 1979, while Eric Hinske accomplished the feat in 2002. Here’s a look at some of the top rookie campaigns in Blue Jays history …

Bob Bailor, 1977 — In Toronto’s inaugural season, Bailor hit .310 with 21 doubles and 15 stolen bases in 122 games — including 54 at shortstop and 63 in the outfield. For his efforts, he also earned Toronto’s first ever Player of the Year award, as selected by the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers Association.

Alfredo Griffin, 1979 — The Blue Jay shortstop became the first Toronto player to earn AL Rookie of the Year honours, splitting the award with Minnesota’s John Castino. In 153 games, Griffin batted .287 with a career-high 179 hits and 81 runs scored.

Mark Eichhorn, 1986 — Recognized by The Sporting News as Rookie Pitcher of the Year, Eichhorn went 14-6 with an impressive 1.72 ERA in 69 relief appearances. In 157.0 innings of work, the submariner posted 166 strikeouts compared to just 45 walks.

John Olerud, 1990 — In 111 games, the sweet-swinging Olerud posted a .364 on-base percentage (.265 average) with 14 homers and 48 RBIs.

Juan Guzman, 1991 — The hard-throwing right-hander finished second behind Chuck Knoblauch for AL Rookie of the Year after posting a 10-3 record and a 2.99 ERA in 23 starts.

Shawn Green, 1995 — The left-handed hitting Green batted .288 with 31 doubles, 15 homers and 54 RBIs in 121 contests.

Jose Cruz Jr., 1997 — Split between Seattle and Toronto, Cruz finished second (Nomar Garciaparra) in the AL Rookie of the Year race, compiling 26 home runs and 68 RBIs in 104 games.

Billy Koch, 1999 — Called up in May, Koch recorded 31 saves and posted an ERA of 3.39 in 56 contests.

Eric Hinske, 2002 — The third baseman had his best season as a Blue Jay, batting .279 (.365 OBP) with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs en route to winning the AL Rookie of the Year award.

How about Shannon Stewart?

Among the top priorities for Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi this offseason include solidifying the left field position, as well as the leadoff spot in the batting order. This corner asks: Why not do both with one move? In other words, why not sign veteran free agent and former Blue Jay Shannon Stewart?

Stewart, who will turn 34 in February, spent 2007 on a one-year $1-million contract with the Oakland Athletics. In 146 games, he batted a team-high .290 (.345 on-base percentage) with 12 homers and 48 RBIs. That performance will certainly call for a raise in ‘08, and Stewart may be looking for a deal longer than one year. Still, the Blue Jays would be wise to have a discussion with the outfielder.

As it stands right now, Ricciardi appears content with having Reed Johnson and 40-year-old Matt Stairs share the left field duties in ‘08. There are a number of problems with this scenario, however. First off, there are question marks surrounding Johnson’s ability to regain his 2006 form. After returning from surgery in July last year, the 30-year-old hit just .232 (56-for-241). Even more disconcerting were his 48 strikeouts compared to just 14 walks. Meanwhile, virtually no one expects Stairs to replicate his numbers from last season. Ideally, the veteran should be used for the occasional start in the outfield, as well as at first base.

The additional bonus that Shannon Stewart brings to the table is his ability to bat leadoff, something the Blue Jays sorely lacked in 2007. Alex Rios spent a good chunk of the season in the leadoff spot, but he is better suited for the middle of the order. Not only has he shown the ability to hit for power and drive in runs, but he also amasses the high strikeout totals (team-high 103 in ‘07) that come with the territory. Stewart, meanwhile, struck out just 60 times last year. A handful of leg injuries have slowed him down on the basepaths, though that isn’t much of a hindrance, as Ricciardi and the Blue Jays have shown no desire to steal bases in recent years anyways.

With the scenario as it stands today, Stairs would get into games against some right-handed pitchers in 2008. With Stewart, however, there’s no need to sit him against righties or lefties. For his career (12 seasons), he has batted .293 against left-handers and .299 against right-handers.

This, of course, brings up the question: Do the Blue Jays then let Johnson go? After all, he is up for arbitration this winter after making $3.075 million in 2007. That could be money better used to sign the veteran Stewart.

The verdict? Go with Stewart.

Risky business

When it comes to free agent signings, it’s often a crapshoot for baseball’s general managers. For every successful signing, it seems there are a handful of deals that don’t pan out. Of course, depending on the amount invested, free agent busts can produce a significant negative impact on a franchise.

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman has compiled his list of the 10 worst free-agent contracts in the last 10 years, a list that includes Albert Belle, Kevin Brown and Mo Vaughn, to name a few. Fortunately, there are no Toronto Blue Jays’ signings on that list. Make no mistake, though — When it comes to free agent deals, the Blue Jays certainly aren’t without their own horror stories. Consider the following …

Ken Dayley — Jays GM Pat Gillick was looking to bring in a left-handed reliever for the 1991 campaign when he began discussions with Dayley, who had spent the previous six seasons as the setup man for the St. Louis Cardinals. Dayley was perhaps the most appealing reliever in the 1990 free agent class, and Gillick landed his services with a three-year contract worth $6 million. Unfortunately, that was the start of Dayley’s demise. The left-hander was hit by a number of injuries and ailments during his time with the Blue Jays, including an ear infection that caused vertigo. Dayley pitched in only eight games in 1991, missed the entire ‘92 season, and appeared twice in ‘93 before the Blue Jays released him on April 15. Though he was signed by the Dodgers shortly thereafter, Dayley never pitched in the majors again.

Danny Darwin — Coming off a dismal final season with the Red Sox, the 39-year-old Darwin signed a one-year deal to be the Blue Jays’ fifth starter in 1995. It should be noted that Toronto got the veteran for just $300,000 — though that doesn’t necessarily excuse his performance. In 13 games (11 starts), Darwin went an awful 1-8 with a 7.62 ERA before the Jays released the struggling hurler in mid-July.

Erik Hanson — Gord Ash landed another ex-Red Sox hurler prior to the ‘96 campaign. This time it was Erik Hanson, who was coming off a career year (15-5, 4.24 ERA in 29 starts). Ash tabbed him as Toronto’s new No. 1 starter, dishing out $9.4 million for a three-year contract. The right-hander made a career-high 35 starts for the Jays in ‘96, but finished 13-17 with a disappointing 5.41 ERA. In the process, he set a new single-season franchise record by allowing 129 earned runs. And that was pretty much all she wrote for Hanson. Because of injuries, the ‘ace’ right-hander made just 14 appearances (10 starts) over the next two seasons, going a combined 0-3 with a 6.61 ERA to end his career.

Who’s on first?

Curtis Thigpen currently finds himself in a unique situation. The Blue Jays believe that the 24-year-old prospect will be ready for a full-time role with the big club in 2009. However, the same can be said of Robinzon Diaz, another 24-year-old catcher in the Jays’ minor league system. Because of this, J.P. Ricciardi & Co. are discussing moving the athletic Thigpen to another position.

“The most important thing is we like the way Thigpen hits and we have to try to find a way to get him in the lineup,” said Ricciardi in a recent interview with MLB.com. The youngster has already played 14 games at first base for Toronto, doing so last year for the injury-riddled ball club. There is also talk of trying the youngster at third base. Though it is rare, this won’t be the first time a Toronto player has made a position change. Consider these …

Dave Stieb — Prior to being drafted by the Blue Jays in the 5th round in 1978, Stieb played centre field for Southern Illinois University. The following comes courtesy of ‘Diamond Dreams: 20 Years of Blue Jays Baseball’, written by Stephen Brunt.

“Stieb was a pretty good centre fielder,” said scout Al LaMacchia. “He could run, throw. Go get the ball. But we didn’t particularly like the way he hit.” LaMacchia did, however, like the way he pitched. The problem was, Stieb saw himself as an outfielder only. “I’m a centre fielder,” Stieb told LaMacchia. “I’m going to be selected as an All American centre fielder in the NCAA.” Knowing full well that Stieb was better suited as a pitcher, LaMacchia told Bobby Mattick, “To get him, we have to give him a chance to play centre. But I think he’ll fail. There’s not any doubt in my mind that he’ll fail. And then we will make a pitcher out of him.” Of course, the plan worked, and Stieb quickly realized that his future lay on the mound.

In 15 seasons, Stieb, the winningest pitcher in franchise history, posted a career record of 175-134 along with a 3.42 ERA. He also remains the lone Toronto pitcher to toss a no-hitter, doing so on Sept. 2, 1990 against the Cleveland Indians.

Carlos Delgado — Signed as a catcher by the Blue Jays in 1988 (as a 16-year-old), Delgado was blocked at the big league level by Pat Borders. Eager to get his bat in the lineup, the Jays tried Delgado in the outfield in 1994. After another short stint in the outfield in ‘95, Delgado was given a full-time role as the designated hitter in ‘96. With the departure of John Olerud at the end of that season, Delgado was moved to first base, a position he would play for the remainder of his career with the Blue Jays.

In 11 seasons, Delgado amassed 336 home runs and 1,058 RBIs. He remains the franchise leader in those categories, as well as runs scored (889), doubles (343), walks (827), total bases (2,786) and slugging percentage (.556).

(Free?) Agents?

With the Blue Jays expected to have a salary budget of around $90-million for 2008, it’s not likely that the club will be able to afford any of the top free agents this offseason. This, of course, is a change from the past two winters, where J.P. Ricciardi parlayed an increased budget into a handful of key free agent signings.

Ricciardi and the Blue Jays brass stole the show at Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings in Dallas, TX in 2005, signing the top two pitchers on the market — A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan. The club also added catcher Bengie Molina and reliever Scott Schoeneweis via free agency. Last winter, Ricciardi was busy again, this time getting slugger Frank Thomas to sign on the dotted line.

Heading into the 2007 offseason, the Blue Jays had signed a total of 80 players via free agency during the team’s 30-year history. Here are some memorable ones …

1992 — Jack Morris & Dave Winfield

Pat Gillick & Company managed to grab the best free agent pitcher available following the 1991 season, signing World Series hero Jack Morris to a two-year deal (plus an option) worth a total of $10.85 million. Morris, who became the first Blue Jay to win 20 games in a season, played a major role in getting Toronto to the postseason again. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays also brought in veteran Dave Winfield to be the club’s designated hitter in ‘92. At 40 years of age, Winfield batted .290 with 26 home runs and 108 RBIs. Of course, he also drove in what turned out to be the winning run during Game 6 of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves, giving Toronto its first ever championship.

1993 — Dave Stewart & Paul Molitor

Former nemesis Dave Stewart joined the Blue Jays prior to the 1993 campaign, signing a two-year deal worth $8.5 million. After posting a very average 12-8 record and 4.44 ERA, the man with the menacing stare was lights out in the ALCS, going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA against the White Sox. Stewart also made the start in Game 6 of the World Series against the Phillies. He settled for a no-decision in that contest, and watched from the bench as Joe Carter delivered the Series-winning homer in the ninth. Paul Molitor, meanwhile, was brought in to replace Winfield as the designated hitter for the ‘93 campaign. In 160 games, Molitor batted .332 with 22 homers and 111 RBIs, finishing second — to teammate John Olerud — in the American League in hitting. As an encore, the 37-year-old took home World Series MVP honours, batting .500 (12-for-24) with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs for the series.

1997 — Roger Clemens

The Rocket landed in Toronto prior to the 1997 season, signing a two-year deal worth $17 million. Though the Jays failed to contend in either campaign, Clemens certainly held his end of the bargain, winning the American League Cy Young award during both seasons. He also earned the unofficial ‘pitcher’s triple crown’, leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA in back-to-back campaigns.

Video replay on the way?

Thanks in large part to Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, Major League Baseball is now taking a close look at whether the league should institute video replay as an aid to umpires on close calls. In a poll at the GM meetings in Orlando, FL yesterday, 25 out of 30 respondents voted in favour of the new technology. Perhaps no one put it better than White Sox GM and former Blue Jay Ken Williams, who said the following: “All anybody is interested in is getting it right. It will be a lot easier and less time to get that right than some of these arguments that ensue when a call is disputed.”

As an Associated Press article points out today, the use of video replay would be ‘limited to boundary calls — whether potential home runs are fair or foul, whether balls go over fences or hit the tops and bounce back, and whether fans interfere with possible homers.’ While I agree that certain calls — like balls and strikes — should never be handed over to technology, I feel there are others that could truly benefit from having ‘another look’. Of course, Holliday’s play at the plate is a prime example.

The Star’s Dave Perkins offers a good example of why — because of continuous action — certain plays simply cannot be subject to video replay. But what about other isolated plays? After all, as Perkins points out, “When technology is available to get something right, why not use it?” I’ll defer to Paul Godfrey, who offered his opinion to the Globe’s Robert Macleod: “I think you should have at least one opportunity to ask for a replay on a play like a close slide at the plate or on a play that changes the complexion of the game.”

It seems to me that the Blue Jays could have really used video replay when this happened …

Oct. 20, 1992 — With runners on first and second and no one out in Game 3 of the ‘92 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Toronto centre-fielder Devon White makes a spectacular catch at the wall to rob David Justice of extra bases. White then relays the ball into the infield, where third baseman Kelly Gruber chases Deion Sanders back to second. With Terry Pendleton having already passed Sanders on the basepaths, Gruber dives and tags ‘Neon Deion’ on the heel. However, second-base umpire Bob Davidson gets the call wrong, taking away what would have been the first World Series triple play since 1920.

As an aside, the great Vin Scully had this to say about White’s catch: “I saw Mays’ catch. And this one, to me, was better.”

Trades on the horizon?

With the GM meetings in full swing, it’s time to talk trades. For what it’s worth, Jays’ boss J.P. Ricciardi has said that Toronto is not looking to make any major changes this offseason. “We’d have to really get blown away to do something major,” said Ricciardi in a recent MLB.com interview. “If we made a trade it would be an admission that we have a chance to get really, really good — like hit a home run on someone where, ‘This is just unbelievable.’”

In all fairness, the current Jays ball club certainly isn’t in need of an overhaul. Aside from a move to get another shortstop or a backup catcher, there’s really no need to make many changes, which is why Ricciardi said, “For us to move someone, it would have to be to get someone who is an unbelievable difference maker.”

I think J.P. is talking about trades like these …

Dec. 6, 1978 — Blue Jays acquire shortstop Alfredo Griffin and third baseman Phil Lansford from the Cleveland Indians for reliever Victor Cruz. Griffin has an immediate impact, earning AL Rookie of the Year honours in ‘79. The shortstop plays six solid seasons with the Blue Jays before departing for Oakland. Fittingly, Griffin returns for the Jays’ World Series-winning 1992 & 1993 campaigns.

Dec. 9, 1982 — Jays’ GM Pat Gillick swings a deal with the Yankees to get a young Fred McGriff along with Dave Collins and Mike Morgan in exchange for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd. McGriff, who makes the big club in ‘87, ends up with 125 homers in four seasons before …

Dec. 5, 1990 — Gillick sends Mcgriff and shortstop Tony Fernandez to the San Diego Padres for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. I think it’s safe to say that both of these players become ‘unbelievable difference makers’. Aside from hitting the biggest home run in Blue Jays history, Carter compiles 203 long balls and 736 RBIs over seven seasons. Alomar, meanwhile, wins a gold glove in each of his five seasons in Toronto. As well, his game-tying ninth inning homer off Dennis Eckersley in Game 5 of the ‘92 ALCS serves as the unofficial turning point in Blue Jays franchise history.

A.J. Burnett: The Jays’ ‘X-factor’

A quick look at the final pitching statistics for 2007 shows the following strikeout leaders: Jake Peavy (240), Scott Kazmir (239), Johan Santana (235) and Erik Bedard (221). That’s a pretty impressive foursome. Peavy, for one, is the favourite to earn NL Cy Young honours after posting a record of 19-6 and an ERA of 2.54 during the ‘07 regular campaign. Santana, meanwhile, earned his second Cy Young in three seasons when he took home the AL award in 2006. Bedard was among the favourites for the award this season before going down with an oblique strain in August. Up to that point, the left-hander had posted a 13-5 mark along with an impressive 3.16 ERA. Finally, Kazmir enjoyed the best season of his young career with the D-Rays in ‘07, going 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA in 34 starts.

Not surprisingly, this group of hurlers made up four of the five starting pitchers in the league to average more than one strikeout per inning pitched (minimum 150.0 IP). The other starter? A.J. Burnett.

The hard-throwing Blue Jay right-hander compiled 176 strikeouts in 165 2/3 innings of work, giving him the best strikeout-to-inning ratio of his career. After spending a month and a half on the DL, Burnett returned in August to go 4-1 with an impressive 1.97 ERA in his next eight starts. His overall numbers were strikingly similar to 2006, as he finished the ‘07 campaign with a 10-8 record and a 3.75 ERA. He was very effective, and a strong number two starter … when healthy. That’s been the tagline for Burnett since he signed with the Blue Jays two winters ago. That’s why he will again be the ‘X-factor’ for Toronto in 2008. With the emergence of youngsters Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum, the Jays have the chance to field one of the best pitching staffs in the American League next year. But it would be severely diminished if Burnett were to miss significant time due to injury.

Will Burnett enjoy his first injury-free campaign with the Blue Jays in ‘08? If so, Toronto would find itself in great position to make a run at a playoff spot. 

Is Hill a two-hitter?

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007 was the play of second baseman Aaron Hill, who put up solid offensive numbers to match his gold glove-calibre defense. In a team-high 160 games, Hill batted .291 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs. He also compiled a team-high 47 doubles to best Roberto Alomar’s previous team record of 41 (1991) by a second sacker. Hill’s home run total also tied the mark Alomar set in 1993, a season in which the former Blue Jay All-Star also drove in 93 runs out of the two-hole.

On the surface, it seems that Hill may be suited to bat second, as well. That is, until you look at his strikeout totals. In fact, that alone is what kept the 25-year-old from having an even better campaign in ‘07, and will likely keep him in the bottom third of a (healthy) Blue Jays lineup. Hill’s 102 strikeouts matched Troy Glaus’ number for the second-most on the team last year (Alex Rios, 103). With just 41 walks on the season, he also posted the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.49) among those Jays with at least 400 plate appearances.

By comparison, Alomar — who served as the ‘A’ in ‘WAMCO’ for Toronto in 1993 — walked more times (80) than he struck out (67) that season en route to posting a .408 on-base percentage. Hill, by contrast, finished with an on-base mark of .333 in ‘07. Hill’s batting average would likely have been higher, as well, had he put the ball in play more often. His .291 mark fails in comparison to the .326 average that Alomar posted in ‘93, placing him third in the American League behind two teammates (John Olerud, .363 & Paul Molitor, .332).

So, is Hill a number two hitter? No … at least, not yet. The 2008 campaign, after all, will be just his fourth (third full season) in the bigs. He’ll likely improve on his plate discipline as he continues to get more experience. Until then, however, who should fill in at number two? There’s certainly no clear-cut two-slot hitter on the club. Eleven different players took a crack at it at least once last year, with Lyle Overbay (51 games) getting the most time there. One thing’s for sure: A lack of continuity in the lineup was a major problem for the Blue Jays in ‘07. Solving that problem early in ‘08 will go a long way towards making a run at a playoff spot come October.

Stairs will return

The Blue Jays announced Friday that the club has re-signed veteran Matt Stairs to a two-year contract worth $3.25 million. The St. John’s, NB native has earned a significant raise due to his highly successful 2007 season. In 125 games last year, Stairs hit .289 with 21 homers and 64 RBIs for the Blue Jays, who were without the services of outfielder Reed Johnson for much of the year due to injury.

It’s hard to say what the Canadian will produce in 2008 and beyond. Stairs is climbing in age, after all. In fact, he will be 40 years old when the first pitch is thrown on Opening Day — April 4 — of next season. Should the Blue Jays keep Johnson, it’s likely that he and Stairs will share the duties in left field. If that were the case, however, 24-year-old Adam Lind would likely start the campaign at Triple-A Syracuse.

——

Should Stairs fulfill this new contract in its entirety, he would become the oldest position player in Blue Jay history. Here’s a list of those who’ve played for Toronto past the age of 40 (and their age at last game):

Phil Niekro, RHP — 48 years, 4 months, 28 days
Dave Stieb, RHP — 41 years, 2 months, 3 days
Dave Winfield, DH — 41 years, 0 months, 21 days
Dave Parker, DH — 40 years, 3 months, 23 days
Dan Plesac, LHP — 40 years, 3 months, 18 days

And let’s not forget that DH Frank Thomas will turn 40 on May 27 of next season. 

Here’s hoping Stairs enjoys life after 40 as much as former Blue Jay Dave Winfield, who was acquired as a 40-year-old during the 1991 offseason. As Toronto’s DH in ‘92, Winfield hit .290 with 26 home runs and 108 RBIs, leading the Jays back to the playoffs. And for an encore, Winfield laced an 11th-inning double to bring home two runs — including the eventual winner – in Game 6 against the Atlanta Braves to clinch Toronto’s first ever World Series championship.