So much so, that I decided to divide the pitchers into separate posts for starters and relievers for this affiliate. Outside of Colby Broussard, there will likely never be any buzz in the future surrounding the majority of the relievers that the GCL Jays used this season because of their ages relative to the level or their transition from the Dominican Summer League. The starters, however, are quite different, since there are some recognizable names in that group, so here’s a look at them on their own.

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First, kudos to Marcum who brought the Jays to within 9 games of both the wild card and the AL East lead. Second, congrats to Anthopolous who continues to get the job done in an extremely encouraging manner.

Here’s a rundown of the last minute signings completed by Alex and the Jays:

1st rounder Deck McGuire, $2 million ($209,000 million over MLB’s recommended slot amount)

I do not make any pretention of believing Deck McGuire will be anything greater than a great #3 starter with a slight possibility of being a number 2 if everything falls into place and his experience makes him better. His stuff just doesn’t play that highly. However, his floor is high, meaning that the Jays are pretty well assured of getting a #4 starter at a minimum, which makes the cost of signing him inevitably higher.

2nd rounder Griffin Murphy, $800,000

This was a crucial signing for the Jays as Griffin was the top LHP they got in this draft class and a real talent who has top of the rotation potential. He’s already a blogger-prospect favorite for the Jays writers and will surely make BA’s top 30 Jays prospect list in 2011.

4th rounder Sam Dyson, $600,000

The 5th RHP to be drafted by the Jays in the top 4 rounds, Sam gets a nice bonus for a 4th rounder but will have to fight off a bunch of talented guys to get any sort of shot at being a starter in The Show for the Jays. He’s also the smallest of the 5 RHP drafted in the first 4 rounds, making him the immediate underdog. (more…)