Toronto Blue Jays – Draft Day Dreaming

Seriously, what are you following the rest of the season for?  The Jays are done, cooked.  So what are the goals you have for the final twenty-nine games?

Me, I’d like to see one of the Buffalo outfielders step up and make it very difficult for the Jays to bring back Melky Cabrera next season.

Aug 15, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder

(22) throws his bat after striking out in the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at the Rogers Centre. Toronto defeated Boston 2-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Granted, getting rid of him will be difficult, but a bag of balls in return is surely better than seeing him waddle around the field for another season.  My preference is for Kevin Pillar to be the one, but if Anthony Gose decides he’s going to strike out at a more respectable rate, say 15% or lower, than ya, I’d take him too.

I’m also quite keen to see if Ryan Goins can handle being an everyday player.  So far he hasn’t looked out of place at all.  It’d be nice if he took a walk, or hit a double, but he’s already on the plus side as far as field metrics are concerned, something the other three that have manned the position (not including Lawrie’s small sample) cannot lay claim too.

Of course, I also look forward to potentially seeing Marcus Stroman start in September.

My biggest concern though, is how this putrid season affects the Blue Jays draft board during next year’s Rule 4 draft.  We already know they have the 11th pick after failing to sign this year’s 10th pick Phil Bickford.  If you had asked me in April where the Jays would be picking in 2014 I’d have said in the mid 20s.  Mid-season, the same question would have gotten a mid-teens response.  Now?  We’re looking at the possibility of top 5.

Not exactly the way they wanted, or expected to re-stock the cupboards after the off-season trades gutted the farm system, but hey, it’ll make things better for those of us that follow the minor league teams quite closely .

So, without further ado, Jays Journal’s updated draft order.  I’ve taken the numbers from baseballreference.com so that I could include a few extra columns.  The downside is that I can’t figure out how to code in the Jays guaranteed 11th pick.  Will work on that, but wouldn’t hold my breath.  For the time being, have just skipped eleven and put the Mets down for the 12th pick.

I’ve included columns such as home and road splits and recent records to see which teams are trending in the right direction.  For instance, the White Sox are currently trying to play their way out of a top five pick while their city brethren are going in the opposite direction.

I’ve also cut the table off after Colorado since the next team (Washington) is over .500 and let’s be honest, with R.A. Dickey and Mark Buerhle as your top two starters and a triple-A outfield, an even record is a pipe dream for the Jays.

In time, we’ll start to add in possible picks and their scouting reports based on how Toronto’s draft board looks, but that’s for the future.  For now, let’s just hope for a Jays loss and Brewers win.  Go Budweiser!