Blake Swihart is a very interesting idea though. He should hit for average and a bit of power (no Cron power) but does his lack of a position phase us ? We don’t need him as a catcher so … outfield ? If you believe in the bat then why not he should be one of the best.

I agree with lolwut, Bell is the bat I want, but the more and more I read about him the less I think he will be avaiable. Every system would instantly be better for having him and he should be a real blue chip prospect.

Bell’s the man, Wong is still a solid choice, Baez would work to, Swihart I wouldn’t hate, but I also think Derek Fisher would be a solid choice but id wonder if he would have been there at 35 for us.

If there is any hitter I want in the 1st round, it’s him. We need that fantastic bat with tremendous power in the minors if Snider doesn’t live up to his potential which is what it’s looking like at this point.

“In Division I, batting average was down to .279 from .301, home runs were down to 0.47 per game from 0.85 and scoring was down to 5.63 runs per game from 6.98. Shutouts rose to 444 from 277.

Ohio State coach Greg Beals knew the game would change drastically once he saw the players using the bats during practice last fall.

“You had to change the way you play baseball,” Beals said. “The thing I like about it is the game is based on pitching and defense with these bats. You can no longer sit back and wait for the three-run homer to be a successful team. You have to go from first to third on a hit. Speed is even more important. You have to do the little things well”

The reason I shied away from Cron was that it’s much easier to pick up Matsui (say) to cover DH for a year or two than it is to pick up a veteran 2B for the same reason.

Wong hasn’t got the bat that Cron has but overall he gives much more to the team and it’s how I would go. You’re right though, it isn’t taking the best player but is taking an extremely good player who fits the organisation better.

I also thought about hitting Lawrie second but thought that his slightly higher power than Escobar fit better at 6 but either way works. In your line-up you have four young players in a row at 8, 9, 1 & 2 and that would concern me a bit.

Bradley Jr plays great D, has a canon of an arm, and should steal lots of bases, but his power is seriously in doubt, he was having a hard time even before he got injured and I’m not sure he’s a great fit for the Jays. He’s very talented, no doubt about it, but I put him behind the others listed above at this point.

You provide a good lineup above, but one that lacks a little in the way of power when you consider other powers in the AL East. Obviously that depends on who that Free Agent DH becomes. If it’s Price Fielder, then all is well. But my favored lineup would be as follows if the Jays do grab Cron and have him in the lineup in 2013.

1. CF Gose (L)
2. 3B Lawrie (R)
3. RF Bautista (R)
4. 1B/DH Lind (L)
5. 1B/DH Cron (R)
6. 2B Hill/Escobar (R)
7. LF Snider / Thames (L)
8. C Arencibia / d’Arnaud (R)
9. SS Hechavarria (R)

I like Lawrie and his grit/speed/power in the 2-hole, I like the speed spread through the lineup, I like the power spread through the lineup, and there is a good LHB/RHB balance. I still think the Jays will need to decide between keeping Hill or Escobar around, and I believe that keeping Escobar will make more sense due to the fact that the Jays can reap the benefits of some draft picks if Hill is healthy enough for the remainder of the season.

Letting him go would save them $16 million over 2 years, would give them 1 or 2 draft picks within the first 2 rounds, and would allow the Jays to use an all Cuban middle infield by shifting Escbar to 2B. His bat would play well there. I’m not saying it’ll happen that way, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it does. Some of that will depend on how well Hechavarria’s bat develops in 2011.

Would I mind if the Jays pass on Cron to grab Wong? Definitely not, he’s a very high quality player. Does he help replace Bautista when his power diminishes within the next 3-4 years? Not nearly as much as what Cron would do for the Jays. For the Jays to dominate in the AL East, they need POWER!!! You don’t have to look any further than the struggles the Jays have had to support JBau in the lineup. Without his obscene performance, the Jays could have been Minnesota Twins bad thus far in 2011.

In my opinion, the Jays need a bat like Cron’s in the system. Although I love Michael McDade and his potential, he’s the closest thing the Jays have to a power hitter with MLB potential and his power rates as 55-60 on the 20/80 scale.

That’s just my take on it.

Saying that, I love the idea of taking Wong at #21. I’ve read maybe half a dozen scouting reports on him and they all say he’s going to be an impact bat and a quick mover in the system and he’s playing a position where the farm is weak so it just seems to fit perfectly to me. Taking more pitching seems wrong, as does a catcher or outfielder as the system is stacked in all these positions.

Originally he was projected to go around number 30 or so and I wondered whether he’d be available at #35 but I doubt it now, every mock draft I’ve seen has him going mid to late 20′s.

Agree with Dave, taking a DH type with your first pick seems a bit of a reach, you can pick up those veteran guys easily and pretty cheaply nearly every year as a FA, no need to waste a high pick on them.

Looking forward to 2013 I can see a very nicely balanced line-up

1. Gose (L)
2. Escobar/Hechavarria (R)
3. Free Agent DH (L)
4. Bautista (R)
5. Lind (L)
6. Lawrie (R)
7. Snider/Thames/A.N.Other (L)
8. Wong (L)
9. Arencibia/D’Arnaud/A.N.Other (R)