Rod Barajas – Barajas has been ….. Barajas. He’s doesn’t walk, has a little bit of pop in his bat, and is solid behind the plate. Oh yeah he stole a base for the first time since 2002.

B

Raul Chavez – 70 AB’s and not a single walk. I believe he has the most AB’s out of any player without a walk. He’s a generic backup catcher. While he offers very little with the bat, he has done a good job controlling the running game.

B

Michael Barrett – Got injured early in the season and haven’t seen him in a Jays uni since.

Incomplete

Lyle Overbay – The 2nd biggest surprise of the season. Based on what I saw the previous 2 seasons, I thought Overbay was pretty much finished as a solid regular. He has been productive every month at the plate and on the field.

B+

Kevin Millar – Stick a fork in him because he has nothing left in the tank. I didn’t expect much from him at the beginning of the season. At this point, he’s a waste of a roster spot.

It’s time for him to Cowboy Up out of the Jays clubhouse.

C-

Aaron Hill – Welcome your 2009 all-star Aaron Hill! Didn’t someone on this site suggest Aaron Hill and Joe Inglett should have competed for the starting 2B job in the off-season? Would I like Hill to be more selective? I thought so until I saw that he is hitting .373/.368/.627 on the first pitch. The magical Age 27 season………..

A

John McDonald – He must have a lot of splinters…..

Incomplete

Marco Scutaro – For a player with 23 doubles, his slugging percentage is pretty low at .414. Depending on your point of view, either Jeter or Scutaro has been the best SS in the AL this season. At age 33, he is having a career year. He’s frequently on base, the smartest base runner on the Jays, and deserves serious consideration for a Gold Glove. If he isn’t at the all-star game, something is seriously wrong.

A

Scott Rolen – The biggest surprise of the season. Despite the hot September last year, I thought Rolen was finished. While he’s not hitting a lot of HR’s, he is pounding out the doubles. Does any player in MLB have a faster HR trot than Rolen?

A

Jose Bautista – Punch against LHP and Judy against RHP.

B

Travis Snider – Got off to a good start and than flamed out. I like the power he brings from the 9 spot though.

C

Adam Lind – A professional hitter. The hitting he displayed in the minors has finally showed up in The Show. He’s knocked around RHP and LHP. He’s a lot more selective at the plate and has demonstrated the ability to foul off tough pitches when there’s 2 strikes in the count. He doesn’t have a strong arm, but he’s good enough to play in the OF.

A

Vernon Wells – This is a family approved site so I won’t say anything else.

F

Alex Rios – This is a family approved site so I won’t say anything else.

F

Roy Halladay – One of the best pitchers in baseball. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Red Sox or Yanks uniform once his contract expires……….. Great players deserve a chance to compete for a World Series.

A+

Ricky Romero – How can a player be so bad to mediocre in the minors, be so good in the Majors? I doubt it’s just Brad Arnsberg. I never thought I would say this but Romero has ace potential.

A

Scott Richmond – Because of his background, people are waiting any minute for the roof to cave in. In his 112+ innings in the Majors, he has been an above average starter. He gives up way too many HR’s and is getting crushed by LHH but he’s excellent against RHH and has a very healthy K rate. You get all this for $400,000.

B+

Brian Tallet – If you look up league average pitcher, you will see a picture of Brian Tallet. Is he the next Doug Davis, Dave Bush, or Jon Garland?

B

Scott Downs – What an embarrassing way to get injured. When he was healthy, he was lights out.

A-

Jason Frasor – Great time to have a career year. The changeup will probably add at least a million dollars to his bank account. RHH are only slugging .200. I would like to see him used more often.

A-

Brandon League – One day he’s excellent, the next day he’s awful. With 134 games under his belt, you could almost call him a veteran. I still don’t even know if he’s a future closer or 12th man on a pitching staff. Something isn’t clicking and I don’t know what it is.

C-

Jesse Carlson – You could make a case he doesn’t even belong in the Majors. Hitters have clearly figured him out.

C-

Shawn Camp – Hasn’t been good, hasn’t been bad. Every bullpen in baseball has this type of pitcher.

C+

BJ Ryan – Do you enjoy kicking somebody while they are down? I don’t, so I’ll stop here.

F

Casey Janssen, Brett Cecil, David Purcey, Robert Ray, Brad Mills, Jesse Litsch, Dick Hayhurst, Jeremy Accardo

Incomplete

Even if it wasn't baseball-related, what did you do this Canada Day, and what do you still plan on doing?

I was telling Joe this in a Facebook post this afternoon. I sent an e-mail to my work group here in North Texas today announcing that it was Canada Day and the unanimous response -- including from the Canadian expatriate who sits next to me -- was "Oh." To be fair, the bosslady, whose hubby is a Canadian (he's a hockey coach, naturally), wasn't around to raise the ol' Maple Leaf.

I think he just needs one cathartic blow-up at home after a strike out or pop up - just go ballistic - snap the bat over his knee, then storm to the dugout and lose it on the Gatorade cooler. Fans will respond with "Hey, at least he showed a little emotion," and he'll come back refreshed and ready to rake.

Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

As the site's resident Official Yankee Fan, obviously I'd love to see Halladay in pinstripes ... but that said, I hope he doesn't leave Toronto. The guy IS the Blue Jays to much of North America. I suspect he knows that and wouldn't necessarily want to dive into the Bronx mess or the hellhole that is Beantown just to try to get a ring (the Yankees haven't won one this century, incidentally.)

I hope he retires a Jay. And incidentally, I'd be shocked if he didn't end up in the HOF, almost regardless. Apologies to Dave Steib, but the best pitcher in franchise history and a multiple (mark it down) Cy Young Award winner? He may not get to 200 wins -- he's at what, 141 or something? -- but the new era of starting pitcher is going to strt getting Hall Calls without that magic number and without a Dean-like or Koufax-like injury exception.

I think he just needs one cathartic blow-up at home after a strike out or pop up - just go ballistic - snap the bat over his knee, then storm to the dugout and lose it on the Gatorade cooler

Who would experience the catharsis, you or Wells?

Why is visual evidence of his frustration so imperative? Is it not plausible that he is extremely frustrated even if he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve? Hissy fits are not always signs of passion. Sometimes they are just signs of immaturity.

I don't know where this idea that Wells does not display his frustration come from.

I hear him often, on my TV, voicing his displeasure with a pop-up or K with 1 or 2 choice words. You can imagine what they are. He is clearly passionate, I don't doubt this. He just has to relax, which is hard to do when you're the face of the franchise (non pitching side) and you're performing far below everybody's expectations.

J.Morneau (28): 298ab, 20db, 19hr, 64rbi, .309/.389/.574/.963
M.Teixeira (29): 284ab, 22db, 20hr, 60rbi, .278/.386/.567/.953
M.Cabrera (26): 284ab, 16db, 16hr, 47rbi, .331/.395/.556/.951
A.Lind (25): 302ab, 25db, 16hr, 53rbi, .315/.389/.556/.946
E.Longoria (23): 276ab, 24db, 16hr, 63rbi, .297/.377/.558/.935

Those are the top 5 hitters in the AL halfway through the season who have played full time the whole year without missing any time to injuries.

Adam Lind is good.

I also have to speak up as vehemently as possible against your comments re: Halladay.
The baseball fan in me just loves to watch Halladay pitch, but I would absolutely be crushed to see him pitching for either the Red Sox or Yankees. I would absolutely mind that. I hope if he leaves town he at least goes to the AL West if not the NL.

I’m a Yankees and Red Sox fan so I would love to see Doc pitch for either team. Doc will never get the chance to pitch in a World Series under the current Jays regime. Unlike the Jays, the Red Sox and Yankees are contenders every season for the big prize. I know Doc loves Toronto, but he’s stashed away in a foreign Country on a non-contending ballclub. He deserves to pitch on the biggest stage with a big market US team such as the Yankees or Red Sox.

The Seattle Mariners third baseman tonight is... Chris Woodward.

Beltre decided to have surgery. Lookout Landing already determined that Woodward was actually an improvement at SS for Seatle over Betancourt.

The next ten games (or 13 if you include the Bos series after the ASG) are going to determine whether JP becomes a seller or buyer. These are basically the most important games of the year in determining the future course of the season. Now is a good time to go on a win streak (hint, hint).

I believe it was Rick Reilly, as much as I otherwise dislike him, who had one of the best lines about the Yankees when he said it was like rooting for the bulldozer against the tulip.

Dewey; Chuck : My comment was tongue in cheek (I thought the over-the-top description of such a blow up was evidence of this)...I dream about the raking, not the cooler lying on the dugout floor.

My comment was tongue in cheek

You're an infrequent poster so I don't know you and didn't know to pick up on that. Many, especially on talk radio, have expressed your position sans tongue, sans cheek.

Communication via the internet needs a sarcasm font. Smileys can't be the best alternative.

Doc will never get the chance to pitch in a World Series under the current Jays regime.... he's stashed away in a foreign Country on a non-contending ballclub.

Wow, another fan with a crystal ball who is absolutely certain about the results of this season -- and the next 5 or 10 seasons too!   There's hardly any point in us watching the Jays this season or the next few seasons, because it's already been decreed that the team has zero chance of contending....   No need for us to discuss baseball any further, the results are already preordained by those who know the future!

Oh, hush, CF. You're in a foreign country, what could YOU know?

(Now, where's that sarcasm font?)

Ron -

Pretty accurate report card!

I wonder how many other readers are sitting here wishing the Jays pulled the trigger on the Rios for Lincicum deal a while back.....

Ron is clearly extremely pessimistic on the Blue Jays. He put them down for 75 wins this year in the prediction contest. His report card was a fair analysis of the team, and seemed objective. I am having a difficult time understanding why he is unable to maintain this objective approach when looking at the team as a whole and going forward, since he's now proclaiming that they will never win a World Series under this current regime.  Despite the fact that JP Riccardi, despite all his flaws has clearly shown improvement in virtually every aspect of the job year over year. Some areas took longer to improve, but he has made steady gains. Let's see if he can finally get off the fence when it comes to being a buyer or seller, should the situation warrant it come late July.

The Jays could still clearly finish with 75 wins, but I bet if you asked Ron what the Jays record would be come July 3rd, he wouldn't have guessed said anything over .500, especially if you had told him that the rotation would be Halladay + Richmond + Romero + Tallet + <Insert Random double A or triple A> pitcher.

A lot of people seem to have an extremely hard time properly evaluating the talent level on this team. Me included, I put them down for 85 or 86 wins, but not if you had told me what would happen to their rotation...

Wow, another fan with a crystal ball who is absolutely certain about the results of this season -- and the next 5 or 10 seasons too!  

It's good to see such optimism.  Rogers loves fans like you, checking the attendence though you are in a definite minority.

The 2009 season is clearly slipping away.  The Jays have gotten brilliant performances from Roy, Rolen, Scutaro, Hill and Overbay and they are still only 4 games above .500 against the much easier half of their schedule.

It's clear why the team has been 'targeting' 2010.  It's not because they think that's when their pitching will mature and hit their stride, it's because it's the last year that the team can keep Roy Halladay and field a roster of major league quality players.  They have stuck with Riccardi and this is where they are, they need a miracle to make the 2009 postseason, they are chasing the three best teams in baseball with a roster that is clearly a notch below New York, Boston and Tampa.  To compete past 2010 they need devine intervention in the form of an angel who makes Vernon Wells' contract disappear.

The team will have two options both of with lead to dark days:

A.  Resign Halladay at upwards of 20MM+ a year.  This leads to ~50% of the team's payroll to be spend on 2 players.  There is no way to compete with Boston and New York when you are paying 40MM for 23 players on your roster.  (Please do not bring up Tampa:  If you've lost 90+ games for 11 years then yes you can put yourself in position to compete for a short period of time by virtue of drafting in the top 3 for a decade, this is not an option for the 2011-2014 Blue Jays)

B.  Allow Halladay to leave, most likely to a team in the division.  This leads to a fan revolt.  Attendance plummets which causes the payroll to fall even farther, the money that would have been spent on Halladay isn't spent on anyone and the team is parked in last for the next half-decade. 

It's heresy at Battersbox to point out that the farm system is not going to provide enough to compete.  Certainly a couple of the starters will have nice careers, and Snider still has a chance to be a great player, but this team does not have a young lineup and has a number of near-term needs for position players.   Look at the position players in the BB offseason Top 10.  Beyond Snider who also struggled, it's a who's who of disappointment:  Arencibia/Cooper/Ahrens/Jackson/Campbell... not a whole lot to be positive about there. 

The 2006 post-season Top 30 prospect list contains exactly 1 position player who has established himself as a major league player.  Adam Lind.  (Unless you are giving Ryan Roberts credit for his bench role in Arizona this season).   The Riccardi era Jays have been able to develop pitchers (although there is enough injury smoke to wonder if there is a fire), but have not been able to generate enough position players to be competitive in this division. 

Is it difficult to be stuck in the toughest division in American professional sports?  Certainly.  That's why it takes excellent leadership to overcome the inherent disadvantages.  This front office has shown that it can't win in this market, and because of a few decisions like the Wells contract it's about to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.  It's been talked about often that when Riccardi took over the organization was a mess.  While true, in the next 3 years he's going to leave it worse off then he found it.

They have stuck with Riccardi and this is where they are, they need a miracle to make the 2009 postseason

I'd say for most, their odds are better now than they were in March.  But for me, some things have gone well this year and some have gone poorly and we're right about where I thought we'd be.

....he's now proclaiming that they will never win a World Series under this current regime....

No, actually he proclaimed that the Jays will never even PLAY in a World Series under the current regime. He also labelled them a "non-contending team." 

As for me, I'm not a blind optimist -- I'm not predicting that the Jays will be in the World Series within the next few years, I'm merely saying that the possibility cannot be completely ruled out.  And I'm saying that we cannot completely rule out the possibility that the Jays could be a contender for years to come. Why?  Because the conventional wisdom in baseball is so often proven wrong.  Conventional wisdom declared that Ricky Romero was a complete bust, an embarrassment to Ricciardi and the Jays scouts.  Instead, he was the AL rookie-of-the-month for June and has the 6th-best ERA in the league.  Conventional wisdom a year ago said Scott Richmond was not even a prospect. Instead he is one of the top 20 pitchers in the league by ERA. Conventional wisdom said Scott Rolen was washed up, a mere shadow of his old self. Instead he is the 2nd-leading hitter in the league by batting average.  Conventional wisdom said the Jays had no chance this year.  Instead they were among the league leaders in several offensive and defensive categories for months.  When people declare with confidence that the Jays cannot be contenders, I look at it as conventional wisdom, which may or may not be proven right.

I agree with the F for Wells. You have to think of a report card as assigning grades, with the most basic distinction being between passing and failing, then how well you did if you did pass. Given his talent, he is falling drastically short of expectations. I'd give him an F too. He would get a D or a C if he was posting a merely poor season (10 HR's, 40ish RBI's, .265 - .270 average) and playing merely below average defence. He would get an A or B if he was playing average D and posting an OPS+ in the 120 range.  Something like that...

I have one wish for the 2010 Blue Jays (sorry, but I still believe 2009 is merely a "development" year and 86 wins would be fine by me). My one wish (other than good health I suppose...two wishes!) is that the Jays outperform their run differential. That's all. Just some good luck for a change. I am not quite sure what JP can do if the Jays refuse to distribute their runs more evenly (or even favourably for once). 83 wins (+54) in 2007, 86 wins (+104, 2nd best in AL) in 2008 and so far in 2009, 42-39 (+38). Of course, when the AL East is +333 in 2008...

Really, far more important than anything JP can do is for MLB to balance the schedule, axe the divisions and have the top 4 teams in the AL make the playoffs every year (yes, Wilner's suggestion). Quite frankly, if the Jays resign Halladay and are willing to spend $50 million on the non-Wells/Halladay part of the team, I see them contending for a top 4 spot in the AL from 2010 until whenever Halladay's contract expires/the other 23 players require a salary beyond $50 million. But this does not seem like an option in the forseeable future. So let's focus on why the Jays could be a playoff team if they simply distribute their run differential effectively in 2010...

A Halladay/Romero/Marcum/Cecil/Rzepcynzki 2010 rotation (assuming McGowan isn't healthy) could be the best in the majors, espescially with the elite infield defence (assuming Scoot resigns). And Richmond/Tallet/Purcey/Mills are pretty solid backup options (though Purcey is zapping my last nerve). Frankly, it would be pretty hard to take Richmond out of the rotation and Tallet is a nice average starter (for anyone who wanted Paul Byrd). Either way, the 2008 rotation was dominant and the 2010 rotation looks like it could be even better. It could be worse as well, but certainly the potential of JP's young arms (and Halladay) are evident.

The bullpen has shown that it can be very good. It was excellent in 2008 and while BJ Ryan seems to be done, a solid return by Accardo and hopefully Janssen along with contributions from guys like Castro and maybe even Farquar could have the 'pen amongst the best in baseball again in 2010. Bullpens are unpredictable...hence, based on the evidence, nobody should say with utmost certainty that the Jays bullpen cannot be very good in 2010.

The 2009 Blue Jays, in my opinion, have proven that they have a much greater potential for hitting than the 2008 version. Sure, it is difficult to predict that all of the Jays "surprise" hitters (Lind/Rolen/Hill/Overbay/Scoot) will perform as well in 2010. But, Wells and Rios HAVE to improve (I hope). The catcher is the catcher, but DH could be filled with Snider hitting 30 HR's and 100 RBIs. Sure, nobody will predict it, but obviously it's possible. I can't see DH being as much of a black hole as it has been in the first half of 2009. Regardless, the 2010 Jays should hit better than the 2008 Jays.

So, basically, I believe the 2010 Jays could be as good in pretty much every area as the 2008 Jays and better in some areas (SS if Scoot resigns, DH + LF with Lind/Snider, 2B with Hill etc). Is it completely unreasonable to expect the Jays to be +100 in the run differential department in 2010? So...all the Jays need is some luck for once...

Finally, even though I doubt it happens, I would love to see a contract extension for JP. He has clearly improved at his job and, quite frankly, he has fielded some very good teams that people would take notice of if the schedule was balanced. He doesn't have an unlimited payroll and he didn't dwell at ther bottom of the AL East like TBay and snagged a bunch of high draft picks, sell off players every year for assets (Kazmir!) and have a roster with a bunch of holes that could allow surprise performances (i.e. Pena/Zobrist etc).

P.S. In defence of JP...sure he didn't draft Halladay...but he didn't draft Wells/Rios either. But he (Paul Godfrey in Wells' case we hope) gave all of them their current contracts. So if the popular belief is to give Ash credit for drafting Halladay (though Halladay had never appeared in an All-Star game until JP arrived in 2002 - hence JP didn't inherit an "all-star" per se), then we must curse Ash for drafting Wells and Rios because without these players, the Jays would have a ton more payroll and could replace their current production with a few million dollars. Curse Ash!

A Halladay/Romero/Marcum/Cecil/Rzepcynzki 2010 rotation (assuming McGowan isn't healthy) could be the best in the majors

More likely it's the fourth best in the division, nevermind baseball.

New York has Sabathia, A.J., Joba, Hughes, Wang, plus off season signing.

Tampa has Shields, Garza, Neimann, Price, Kazmir, Sonnastine, prospects.

Boston has Lester, Beckett, Wakefield, Masterson, Bucholtz, Tazawa, Matsuzaka.

Others that I'd clearly favor off the top of my head.
Detroit: Verlander, Jackson, Porcello, Galarraga, whoever

SF: Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Sanchez, Bumgartner

LA: Billingsley, Kershaw, Kuroda, Wolf, whoever

Cinci: Harang, Cueto, Volquez, Owings, Arroyo, Bailey

BTW, whoever runs the site, woot.net is horribly slow.

More likely it's the fourth best in the division, nevermind baseball.

Anyone who watched the Jays series this weekend in NY would not try and compare the Blue Jays ERA to the Yankees ERA.  Did you see the HR Matsui hit against Cecil?  How about Damon off Halladay?   Any ball hit in the air to right gets out, Matsui has 10 home runs at home already.  Damon is going to SHATTER his career high in home runs. 

I respect the fact you are looking for the positive as a fan, but the Jays are going to finish 15 games out of 3rd this year and are going to lose ground next year.  The idea that 2010 is the year they are going to compete is a fantasy. 

They have gotten career half seasons from a handful of players and as I write this in the fifth inning on Sunday have a chance to leave NY at exactly .500. 

They are going to spend 3/8th of their payroll next year on Wells and Ryan.  Note Ryan came into the game today in the 4th inning.  2010 is more likely to end up behind Baltimore then it is in front of New York, Tampa or Boston. 

The 2010 Blue Jays are going to pitch to a better then 122 ERA+?  That's what the 2008 accomplished. 

This team is not a contender this year.  What exactly is going to be different next year?

The home games remaining are 6 each in the division, 4 with Minnesota and Seattle and 3 with Cleveland and Los Angeles.

The road games remaining are 6 each at Baltimore, Boston, & New York, 9 at Tampa, 4 at Detroit, and 3 each with Oakland, Seattle and Texas.

That's a brutal schedule against a number of teams that are going to be looking to add to their already good rosters.  The Jays are on their way to 76-78 wins, yet somehow next year they are going to win 90 games without having any ability to spend money in the offseason? 

Where exactly does that come from?   90 wins isn't getting anyone to the wildcard in this league.  The American League Wild Card winner is getting to 94-96 wins.  There is a good chance there is a 92-94 win team that stays home in the division this year.