Here’s a revision of the in-season moves that have added to the ever-changing Jays depth and bench:

1. 4/13/10: Every single Jays fan was aware that the Jays had no in-house SS option at any level in the minors that seemed to be on the rise or able to handle SS duties in MLB within the next 3-4 years. So what does AA do? Well, he steals what most believe was the best international SS prospect from under their hated rivals nose when he acquires Adeiny Hechavarria. Sure, the kid is rough around the edges and will take some time to develop, but a 1-2 year time-line is better than anything that was going to be available on the FA market or in the draft, so this was by far the most important and best acquisition made by AA.
2. 4/15/10: The second acquisition was Fred Lewis from the Giants for peanuts and a bobble head of Alex Anthopolous that says “gotcha” continuously. We all know the impact he’s had in settling the top of the lineup and he’s learning to hit the inside pitches….oh oh…. (more…)

Here’s the problem to that theory – instead of warming up slightly or at the very least maintaining the low level of play Adam Lind has attained this season, his stats are getting even worse and he is clearly losing his focus and confidence.

Over his last 10 games, Adam Lind sports a .135 average, has 1 HR (none in last 9 games), has struck out 13 times in 37 AB (35% SO rate), only walked 4 times, scored 2 runs and drove in only 5 despite hitting 3rd in the lineup. His OBP for the year is now .278 and his slugging percentage is .361 – by far the lowest of any 3rd hitter in MLB. He doesn’t run the bases well, doesn’t play D, and isn’t hitting, so what exactly is his role with the Jays right now? He’s playing at half the level Randy Ruiz was giving the Jays, and Ruiz left for Japan after being released by the Jays, so what does that tell us? It tells us that something needs to change, and it starts with the lineup. (more…)

I heard Cito Gaston on XM’s MLB Radio talking about Travis Snider and how nice it was to see him get hotter at the plate. While he had praise for Travis, he also mentioned just how disappointed he still was that Lyle Overbay was having such a hard time at the plate – just after being asked about Brett Wallace and his hot bat in AAA, who has 9 HRs to go with his .363 OBP. Cito couldn’t say just when Brett will be coming up with the Jays, but I’m starting to get the feeling that the Jays may be getting more and more comfortable with either taking back minimum value from a trade partner and paying most of Lyle’s contract, or with releasing him outright. The Jays have so many alternatives in Randy Ruiz, Brian Dopirak, and Brett Wallace that it really is a no risk move.

What should or would the Jays get in return for Lyle Overbay in the best scenario, which would b ethat he finds his 15-20 HR .270+ form? That’s the new poll now that we have the result fo the Vernon Wells poll which had the majority of fans believing that Vernon will in fact exceed 30 HRs.

Only one thing bugs me about this game – that John McDonald was allowed to hit in the 9th to record the last out. I’m positive that if you asked John whether he’d be pissed about being taken out of the game to give the Jays a chance to hit, he’d say no way. I will even go as far as to say this – Cito Gaston is obviously under utilizing Randy Ruiz because he is absolutely certain that a hot Randy Ruiz would kill his chances of being able to use Lyle Overbay in the lineup, something he adamantly wants to avoid. What would happen if Randy was brought in all of those times he should have been and he produced something big? Management and fans alike would have pressured Cito to play Randy. Instead, Cito keeps Randy on the bench, keeps Lyle and John in the lineup, and hopes Lyle finds hit swing again so that the Jays can trade him when they get a decent offer.

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• The lineup: Lyle Overbay continues to hit 5th despite a .070 average – I’ll tell you one thing, if Snider had a .070 average he wouldn’t even be in the lineup, so what makes Overbay so special? Oh yeah, $7,000,000, that’s what. He is giving opponents a break after facing the top 4 guys and I’ll get to that last AB later.
• Even if you insist on putting Overbay in the lineup, how about moving him down to the 8th or 9th hole until he finds his swing? Randy Ruiz would have been a nice fit in the 5th spot instead of Lyle.
• The first part of the actual game I thought didn’t make sense for Cito was when Jeremy Accardo was on the mound, obviously struggling to locate his pitches, and he leaves him in there despite having about as fresh a pen as a coach could ask for. There is no excuse for not having 1-2 arms ready to take over before Matsui came up to bat. As it was, Gaston decided to stand pat and 3 runs later, the Jays came up to bat.
• So the Jays make a dent, get some offensive things going, and Cito allows John McDonald to come up to bat in the 8th when he could have used anyone on the bench and put in McCoy defensively thereafter. How badly did he want the win anyway? I can somewhat understand keeping John in because his average is .165 higher than Overbay’s, but come on Cito, the newly acquired Fred Lewis had a much better shot at making an impact than John did.
• Lyle Overbay came up to bat with 1 runner on in the 8th, despite looking lost, helpless, and weak at the plate. Seriously, the swings he took made it look like he was asking the question “should I swing now?”. I’m not sure exactly what the issue is with Lyle, and I sympathize with him for his troubles because he is a good guy, but Cito is the coach and has to make hard decisions sometimes. Take Lyle out of that situation and let both players and fans know you want to win.
• My final point is with John Buck’s performance defensively speaking – or lack of it. I’ve seen a lot of passed balls on his account lately and it’s starting to get to me. He’s such a big guy that he has problems moving around back there. I also noticed that other teams do not respect his arm in the least and run on him whenever they get the chance, not a great combination of skills to have behind the plate if you ask me. He’s also hitting .200 on the year so far, although he has shown real power. My thought is this: with the Angels in town, could Alex Anthopolous land a trade for Mike Napoli who is very disgruntled right now about his playing time? Or are the Jays better off waiting for JP Arencibia to arrive? I’m not sure what the Angels would want for Napoli, but he would be a huge upgrade over John Buck both defensively and offensively speaking. Just a thought. I like Buck, but know those passed balls and free running against him can be a serious detriment to the Jays throughout the season.

Who knows, maybe I’m just disgruntled because I thought that the Jays could have won this game with some decent coaching and am taking it out too soon after the game. But, the Jays definitely need to win these sorts of games and have to get the right kind of support from the coach to put them in a situation to win, and Cito definitely did the opposite tonight. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised in the Angels wanted to thank him for the win.

10 - JP Arencibia – The Power Prodigy

I thought we should start the list with the lightest but most powerful news of the spring, JP Arencibia. If you didn’t know how much power inhabits that wild swing of JP’s before this spring, you do now. He hit 3 HRs this spring in only 21 ABs (1 every 7 ABs) and he isn’t even warmed up yet. Sure, the average sucks at .182, but his slugging sits at .619. He has the potential to be a difference maker in the lineup, plain and simple. At some point this season in AAA, I truly hope he makes headway at becoming more selective and can hit in the .245 to .265 range, because if he can, the Jays have the catching version of Adam Dunn on their hands, and I’m not sure how many teams would say no to that!

9 – Brett Cecil Finds His Form

After 2 weeks of spring training, if you would have asked me what Brett Cecil’s chances were of getting one of the first 5 starts in the rotation, I would have said slim to none. How quickly things change. Cecil, against the division rival Red Sox no less, turned in 5 excellent innings yesterday and wound up allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk in those 5 inning, while striking out 4. The majority of the Red Sox regulars were in there, so that can be used as an excuse. With Brandan Morrow’s issues and the fact that Tallet has been semi-effective this spring, Cecil could get a shot to begin the year in the rotation if he has 1 more great start and Morrow is unable to go.

8 - Travis Snider Shows Glimpses of Promise

I have to admit that I was expecting more this spring from Travis Snider. I wanted him to come out like gangbusters and eat the ball alive. Well, although he didn’t do that for the most part, he did get the 3rd most ABs amongst Jays hitters at 42, and has managed a semi-respectable .262 average with 3 HRs, 2 doubles and 1 SB. His OBP is manageable at .319 where he hits in the lineup, but if Snider is going to move up in the lineup he needs to level the ball and show he can be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. He hasn’t done that yet….well, once this spring, when he hit all 3 of his HRs in 3 consecutive ABs and all of us took notice. If Snider can put together a good April, there is a chance he could be that breakout player the Jays will need this season to be successful.

7 – Michael McDade and Brad Emaus Open Some Eyes

Spring Training is a time when players in the minors get a shot to open up the eyes of Jays management and show them the potential they have in the minors. Well, 2 players took that opportunity and sprinted with it. Micheal McDade, who was brought on in the middle of the spring, has managed 6 hits in his 11 AB, 3 of them doubles, for a .545 average. After crushing the ball in LoA, the 20 year old 6’1″ 260 lbs McDade will get a shot at HiA in 2010 at a minimum, but may just have bumped that up to AA with this performance. He’ll be 21 in May, and he may very well provide some all important depth at 1B and DH in the near future. Brad Emaus, on the other hand, continued what has been a history of strong springs. In 2009, Emaus had an excellent spring, only to falter down the road and wind up with a disappointing season. Regardless, you have to hand it to him because he has really done well once again with his 38 ABs as he maintained a .395 average with 4 doubles and 2 SBs this spring. He’ll begin the year in AAA and will be up with the Jays in a bench role should he be needed in 2010. Having a player like Emaus, who can play all infield positions, in AAA and ready to play makes a huge difference for the Jays as they know they have someone capable waiting in the wings.

6 – Sean Ochinko Gets Time at 3B

Maybe I’m alone in thinking that this was big news, but when a catcher who is known to be gritty, a leader, and someone who can hit in college who gets pushed to 3B in spring training – a time when teams are always on the look out for catchers – I take notice. 3B always seems to be the first position that teams want to push their catchers to if they can no longer sit behind the plate. Russel Martin, Neil Walker, and many others have been tried at this position and it seems to work in most cases. It could be an anomaly, something that only lasts for the spring, and Sean could head back behind the plate in 2010. But if he does stay at 3B, it changes the depth charts at the position significantly. In fact, some could make the argument that he would become THE best 3B prospect the Jays have at the hot corner. Kevin Ahrens hasn’t shown much, neither has Balbino Fuenmayor, and Gustavo Pierre is still playing at SS for now. So to me, this is big news for the Jays system if it comes to pass that Sean remains at 3B, as he becomes the most likely successor to Edwin Encarnacion (barring a trade or high draft pick use). Ochinko has 2 hits in his 6 AB, with a double, and did not make an error at 3B.

5 – Jose Bautista and The Arrival of Mike McCoy – The Lead Off Men

After losing Marco Scutaro to FA, the Jays had no real lead off type player to take his place at the top of the lineup. In the off season, Alex Anthopolous went out and got Mike McCoy off waivers from the Rockies and the Jays decided to give Jose Bautista a shot at the top of the lineup in 2010. The problem is, Bautista has a career .329 OBP, doesn’t steal bases, and hits .202 against RHP. Has it mattered this spring? Not one bit, as Bautista has accumulated a .441 average with 3 HRs and 5 doubles in only 34 ABs. I doubt he can keep that up, but he’s proven he’ll do whatever it takes to stay at lead off and can be effective there – so far. McCoy, on the other hand, has also held his own and his historical numbers match his performance thus far (although he had to sit out for a short period with shoulder soreness). In 19 ABs, the other lead off candidate had a .474 average and the highest OBP of the spring for the Jays at .583 (Bautista sits at .441). With McCoy opening up many eyes in the Jays and Cito Gaston voicing his opinion that McCoy may have won a bench spot – due to performance and versatility – it seems that the Jays lead off position in the lineup is much better off after this spring than any of us would have believed prior to it.

4 – Randy Ruiz Proves 2009 Was No Fluke

46 ABs, 19 hits, 2 doubles, 3 HRs, .460 OBP and .652 SLG – the spring stats put up by Randy Ruiz continue the torrid pace he put up last season (10 HRs in only 115 ABs and a .313 average). Many still doubt Randy can get the right number of ABs to be effective or that he’ll continue this trend, I say why not? He’s mature, has a ton of experience dealing with adversity, and wants to run with the opportunity he’s finally received. I put him down for an easy 20 HRs this season and a very decent number of ABs if he continues to hit as he has. If the Jays deal Overbay early enough, Randy could even break the 30 HR mark, which would give the Jays the possibility of three 30 HR guys for the first time since……I can’t remember when? I’ll look it up, but it sure would make a big difference for the Jays to compete with Randy in the lineup in 2010.

3 – Jays Depth Gets Much Better

Continuing on from the Ruiz bit, the Jays have more depth overall than I can recall them having since the 90s. From the depth in SP, to the ridiculous depth in RP, and the promising bench and AA/AAA depth the hitters have, the Jays have a lot of talent to draw from in 2010. If we accept the rotation of Marcum, Romero, Morrow, Rzepczynski, Tallet – the Jays still have Eveland, Mills, Jackson, Purcey, Stewart, Drabek, and Gonzalez to draw from. The RP depth is so deep that it could allow for 3 guys to be traded – as expected – and still maintain a decent pen overall. The bench of Randy Ruiz, Mike McCoy, Jose Molina, and John McDonald should more versatility, power, and defense capabilities than most of the benches I remember the Jays having. Finally, guys like Emaus, Arencibia, Reed, Lubanski, and eventually Hechevarria who’ll be playing in AAA provide more depth in the top minors that the Jays can draw from. All this is very important, as it is a long season, and everyone likes that surprise story fo the guy who came from the minors or the bench and had a huge impact on his or her team.

2 – Dana Eveland: New Acquisition Proves His Value

When Alex acquired Eveland, I was taken aback at just how many SP the new Jays GM was going after and really didn’t see much hope for him to make the rotation. Well, both AA and Eveland showed exactly why he was brought in and that he may actually be the best SP injury insurance policy the Jays have for 2010. His spring performances, a total of 16 IP with 11 Ks, 5 walks and a 1.69 ERA have been outstanding. With Brian Tallet being inconsistent thus far and Brandon Morrow not being at 100% yet, Eveland could get a shot to prove himself sooner rather than later.

1 - Ricky Romero Takes The Reins

Sure, Shaun Marcum has the opening day start because of his experience and tenure with the Jays, but to me, Ricky Romero has taken over the #1 role with the Jays and has done so with gusto. Everything is down in the zone, he is pitching efficiently, and he is getting more ground-outs than ever before as a result. In his 4 spring games pitched, he has accumulated 14 IP, 9 Ks, 6 walks and a 1.93 ERA. He said that he learned a lot from watching Doc pitch and that pitching to contact has now become part of his priorities. The Jays will need for someone like Romero to take the reigns, because after missing all of 2009 with injury, guys like Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan can only provide so many innings in 2010. Look for Romero to be one of only a couple of Jays SP to have 12 plus wins this season, and to really put his stamp on his status as the #1 Jays pitcher in the rotation.

All this brings me to my next point about Jose Julio Ruiz, who set up yet another “meet and greet” with scouts in the Dominican Republic. Let’s say the Jays bench is as set above. Lyle Overbay is the starting 1B, Randy Ruiz is the backup 1B, Brian Dopriak is the 1B in AAA, David Cooper is the 1B in AA, and Michael McDade – who is still in spring training with the Jays and getting more ABs than I would have thought – should begin the year in HiA Dunedin. Where would the Jays fit someone like Jose Julio Ruiz in? I have no idea, and I still have no idea why Lyle Overbay is still with the Jays either, but the 1B position is crowded as can be – and that’s all without the inclusion of Brett Wallace, who is supposedly the 1B of the future for the Jays……something just isn’t adding up.

I believe that the Jays are still very hopeful that Brett Wallace will stick at 3B, because if he does, it allows them to maintain their much better options at 1B in the future than what they have as 3B options. It’s much easier to envision an infield with Wallace at 3B and McDade at 1B than one with Wallace at 1B and _____ at 3B. Something’s got to give, that’s all I’m saying. The Jays can’t keep Brian Dopirak in the minors forever and he clearly deserves a shot to prove himself in the majors. But who’s going to trade much for an unproven commodity? Alright, rewind, let’s start from the beginning….what would you do if you were Alex Anthopolous in his current situation?

1 – Hope Lyle Overbay has a quick start and that a team is willing to pick him up along with his entire salary, and that the Jays can also get 1 decent prospect for him. By all indications, he should be traded by the deadline. Atlanta is my favorite landing spot since Troy Glaus is a walking first aid sign. Now that they’ve committed to keeping Heyward around to begin the year, we know it’s an “all-in” season for the Braves. Scott Downs and Lyle Overbay for…..?

2 – Keep Michael McDade in spring training as long as possible in order to get a real indication as to what you have in the lower minors. If he’s as good as he seems to be, maybe David Cooper becomes a trade chip as some teams will still believe in his overall potential. McDade can then skip HiA and go right to AA.

3 – Once Overbay is dealt, Alex can bring up Brian Dopirak and hope he takes off like a rocket. If he does, that gives him yet another trade chip to use in future dealings. Dopirak and Ruiz can split time at 1B. If he falters, Alex can release Dopirak at a low cost or send him back to AAA and release him thereafter. Either way, it’s a low risk proposition. In the faltering case, the Jays can bring up Brett Wallace in his place and all is well.

4 – The Jays can also decide to keep Dopirak at 1B if he does well. Why not? He’s cheap and can provide more than enough power at the position. In this case, Wallace would get a shot at 3B for 2010. If it’s obvious that Wallace at 3B is not an option for 2011, then Alex can make a deal with Dopirak included in the off season – with his value being much higher due to proving himself in 2010 – and Wallace slides into 1B to start 2011.

Altogether, everything breaks down to the following: Overbay needs to be dealt before the deadline, Dopirak should get the first shot to prove his value on the trade market or to allow Wallace to prove himself as a 3B, Wallace should be tried at 3B before being sent to 1B to allow for others to prove their values as 1B, and Cooper and McDade need room to grow in the minors very soon – so all of this needs to get sorted out pronto if the Jays want to max out the situation. In any of these cases, I can’t see the Jays paying the reported $2 million for Jose Julio Ruiz who is reportedly out of shape and has a chip on his shoulder already. I’d rather see them make a play for Reidier Roibal, another Cuban prospect – a pitcher this time, who is supposed to have a huge upside and is only 20 years old. I hope I’m right in assuming all of this. Does anyone see it differently? Does Ruiz actually seem like he’d fit in the OF instead of at 1B? Why not stay with Jeremy Reed at a much cheaper rate?

The 1B Jays issues are confusing to say the least. Hopefully Alex can clear them up by May and land a good 3B prospect in the process.

• Vernon Wells continued his strong start with his first HR of the spring, and is now hitting .600 after 5 games;
• Jose Bautista has done better, hitting .636 from his new home at the top of the lineup, and went 1 for 3 with his 2nd HR of the spring coming off Jeremy Bonderman to lead off the game;
• Randy Ruiz created some seperation between him and Brian Dopirak by crushing a grand slam off of Bonderman and is now hitting .615 on the spring;
• Reserve OF candidates Chris Lubanski and Jeremy Reed doubled and Mike McCoy went 1 for 1 but was caught stealing by Rabelo;
• The Jays managed 13 hits on the day, which gives them a total of 45 hits over the last 3 games. Talk about starting out with the hot bats!
• Brian Tallet, who could be the leading candidate for the 5th spot in the rotation according to this Jordan Bastien piece, struggled during his 2 innings of work. He allowed 4 ER through 4 hits and 2 walks. He still got the win however, and the pen candidates really shut the door behind him, allowing only 1 ER over 7 innings with only 5 hits allowed and no walks. The pen does look great so far!
• If Travis Snider continues to slump at the bottom of the lineup, I have a feeling he’ll be heading to Las Vegas. I’m not sure why he’s struggling so much, but with Jeremy Reed and Chris Lubanski lurking for his spot and with Snider still having options, he needs to get the bat going if he wants to keep his job. Besides, Randy Ruiz is proving all of the power the Jays wanted out of Snider, so if they play Adam Lind in LF they can fit Ruiz in at DH, which gives them a more potent lineup for 2010. Obviously, having an effective Snider is much more important, but he needs to learn to hit to his abilities first. I didn’t think this could or would happen before the spring started, but it’s definitely looking more likely now.

For those who are interested in watching hyped up players and seeing if they are as good as the hype, are you ever in for a treat over the next 2 days! First, we get to watch Aroldis Chapman take to the mound versus Kansas City in the late afternoon today. He will be followed by Stephen Strasburg, who is scheduled to take to the mound Tuesday against Detroit. Both pitchers are worth the look and should be fun to watch when they arrive in 2010, whether it happens at the beginning or middle of the season. It’s pretty rare that the league has two pitchers of this caliber making their starts. Let’s just say I’m glad they’re in the NL and that the Jays won’t have to face them for years to come!

Injuries are starting to pile up league wide which could get the ball rolling for trades. Angel Guzman, a RP with the Cubs they were counting on to set Carlos Marmol up, has gone down this spring and heightens the chances of a deal between them and the Jays. They’ve been interested in Jason Frasor for quite a while. Another team may be on the lookout for a RP however, as Joe Nathan has just been taken to get an MRI on his elbow. Minnesota has some internal options to take a spot in their pen, such as Anthony Slama who has dominated in the minor leagues or Rob Delaney, nut they could be on the lookout for more established and experienced names. When you consider the money they’ve spent to be competitive this season, from just $65 million in 2009 to over $93 million in 2010, you know they’re serious about winning and will deal if they have to in order to plug some early holes. It may be that Nathan will be fine, but Alex may have another trade partner here.

Other players who have gone down to injury across the league include C Russell Martin (to be replaced internally by AJ Hill and Brad Ausmus), and 3B Alex Gordon in Kansas City (to be replaced by Alberto Callaspo).

As it stands today, the probable starters are as follows (in order of the lineup expected to be in place to begin the season):

• RF – Jose Bautista
• 2B – Aaron Hill
• DH – Adam Lind
• CF – Vernon Wells
• 1B – Lyle Overbay
• 3B – Edwin Encarnacion
• LF – Travis Snider
• SS – Alex Gonzalez
• C – John Buck

That leaves the following players vying for bench roles in spring training (with probable positions they can play included):

• 2B/SS/3B/OF – Mike McCoy
• 2B/SS/OF – Jarrett Hoffpauir
• 2B/SS/3B – John McDonald
• 2B/SS/3B – Brad Emaus
• SS – Jesus Merchan
• OF – Chris Lubanski
• OF – Jorge Padilla
• OF – Joey Gathright
• OF – Jeremy Reed
• 1B – David Cooper
• 1B/DH – Brian Dopirak
• 1B/DH – Randy Ruiz
• C – Jose Molina
• C – Raul Chavez

From those listed above, John McDonald and one of Jose Molina or Raul Chavez will be guaranteed a spot on the bench. Since I do believe the Jays want experienced catchers with their young pitchers, and he comes in cheap and allows Chavez to return to AAA to teach JP Arencibia a thing or two, I believe Jose Molina may have the inside shot at the C bench role.

INF bench – John McDonald, C bench – Jose Molina (Raul Chavez)

So that leaves 2 bench spots to be filled for 1B/OF. We can easily conclude that if Lyle Overbay is still with the Jays when the season starts only one of Brian Dopirak and Randy Ruiz will make it onto the bench. I give a slight edge to Randy Ruiz in this case because chances are that they want Dopirak to play every day to better his defensive skills while Ruiz can fill in nicely at DH as well as an emergency 1B when needed. So, if we assume Ruiz makes the bench, that leaves us with 1 spot remaining.

1B/DH bench spot – Randy Ruiz (Brian Dopirak)

I would next group Emaus, McCoy, and Hoffpauir into the middle infielder category and would discount Emaus immediately because he has options remaining and needs more development in AAA. Both McCoy and Hoffpauir could easily make the bench, however it may be tough for the Jays to find playing time for either of them. Aaron Hill will play everyday minus the odd day off, and Alex Gonzalez and Johnny Mac will alternate at SS. The Jays are also going to carry one of Ruiz or Dopirak, so that leaves the 3B backup and OF backup roles.  This leads me to believe that McCoy – who has a lot of experience at 3B and in the OF – has a better chance to get that bench spot.

However, it also leaves us with a quite a battle because if McCoy has a shot at that OF spot – he’ll be battling a few capable OFers brought in by Alex. Joey Gathright (28), Chris Lubanski (24), Jorge Padilla (31), and Jeremy Reed (28) are all capable outfielders that would gladly take a role on the Jays bench. If I were a betting man, I’d say that Chris Lubanski has the best chance to make the bench due to age and ceiling, as well as his ability to play all OF positions. People seem to like Gathright in MLB, but I’m not a huge fan. I’d rather have McCoy on the bench, who can also play all OF positions and also plays all over the infield, instead of a 1 dimensional guy. McCoy fits better at the top of the lineup than Gathright does and has more success stealing bases. Still, if any of the others have a breakout spring, they could take that last bench spot.

That would round off the bench to the following 4 players:

John McDonald (2B/SS) bats right – Randy Ruiz (1B/DH) bats right – Jose Molina (C) bats right – Mike McCoy (2B/SS/3B/OF) bats right (but his both lefties and righties very well).

Not too bad a bench if you ask me. I still think Joey Gathright has a chance to make it ahead of McCoy, and it could come down to the spring training performance of each player. Whichever one doesn’t make it will most likely end up in AAA. Jarrett Hoffpauir should join that player, along with Brian Dopirak, Raul Chavez, Brad Emaus, and others who the Jays want to stick around. David Cooper should return to AA if Dopirak is in AAA. All-in-all the Jays have a pretty decent bench and good depth for position battles. They don’t have any real pressing needs on their bench, from what I can tell, and should have the depth to help them win some games. Mike McCoy in particular could become a mainstay on the bench to the point of taking a starting role should the opportunity arise.