It's the biggest division in baseball and it's smack dab in the middle of what learned baseball fans call the senior circuit.  Five of the six teams will be looking at former Blue Jays to boost their fortunes in 2010.  Guess which team could have the most former Jays on their roster this season?  Guess which team doesn't have a former Jay as of now?  Which player (not a former Jay!) denied me a free taco five years ago?  Who really let the dogs out?  And where the hell are my Toronto Star Season Passes already?  The answers to most of these questions and more in the Batter's Box 2010 NL Central rundown.

 

The Blue Jays have to replace some starter pitcher innings this season. You probably knew that.

3 teams with 88 wins or more last year after the winner in 2008 had just 84 wins, what to expect this time? All 5 teams have made the playoffs at least once between 2003 and 2009, so again, how to predict? Mix in that, vs 2008, the Dodgers were +11, Diamondbacks -12, Rockies +18, Padres -12, Giants +16 - most variable division out there - how the heck do you predict?

We've tried a variety of pre-season preview formats here on Batter's Box over the past few years, some with each team getting its own thread, some division-by-division, some all written by members of The Roster, others involving "guest" previews, some by invitation and other by volunteers.

This year? The answer is (Z) All of the Above.

Beginning later this week ...

So as we barrel forward into the 2010 season, the first decade of the 21st century, "the aughts" is now forever behind us. And I found myself musing on the drive home from work recently, was there a "Team of the Aughts" and if so, who was it?

I started wondering this because it occured to me that my first three full decades of baseball fandom all at least arguably had one team (for one season!) be the defining -- that's not necessarily the same as best -- team of that decade.

For instance, in the 1970's ...

Kermit the frog once said "It ain't easy being green" but it's a lot easier today as we celebrate all things Irish on this St. Patrick's Day.  We certainly hope the Green Jays have the luck of the Irish not only today against the Orioles but against the rest of the American League in 2010. 

Today, let's look at things from a fantasy baseball perspective.  USA Today Sports Weekly recently released its Fantasy Baseball issue and came out with its Fantasy Extra update issue today.  Three Green Jays made the Top 200 list with Aaron Hill being ranked 51st while Adam Lind and Vernon Wells were rated 64th and 160th respectively.  

Which player - Green Jays or otherwise - will have the luck of the Irish and who won't have it this season?  If you like, you can throw in an "out of nowhere" prediction like Ryan Howard hitting 74 homers this season but try to make it somewhat realistic.

Erin Go Bragh!  By the way, it's not a coincidence that this post comes up at 3:17 today!  Always thinking!!  :D

Spring training still has almost three weeks to go but the roster picture is starting to get clearer based on front office decisions, injuries and player performances.  At the beginning of spring training the battles were for starting pitcher spots, four of the bullpen jobs, the right handed DH and the one of the bench jobs.  Some of the spots have been decided and the list of candidates for the others are getting shorter.

Alex Anthopolous appears to have followed through on his promise to invest heavily in international free agents, as the NY Post is reporting that Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria has spurned the Yankees to sign a $10 million contract with the Jays. Hecheverria reportedly turned down the Yankees because he saw a quicker path to the majors with the Jays. A similar story has appeared on the Jays website. As both articles note, this is $2 million more than was paid to highly-regarded Red Sox SS prospect Jose Iglesias.

When we discuss "Hall Watch" candidates here on Batter's Box, we tend to (understandably) focus on the players of today's game who might someday have plaques hanging in Cooperstown.

But what about the skippers, the captains of the ship, the bench jockeys and leaders of those very same players? There are 17 managers currently in the Hall of Fame. Are any active skippers bound to join them there someday?

To my reading, there are currently only eight legitimate candidates to consider ...

Shaun "Of The Dead" Marcum made a lot of Rays hitters look like zombies as he delivered three shutout innings in the Jays 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte Thursday afternoon.    Jordan Bastian of bluejays.com reports the Kansas City native could be the man on the mound for the Opening Day start April 5th in Texas.

Bauxites don't generally like Michael Young's chances to reach the "magical" 3,000 hit mark.

So who does get 3,000 hits, among active players? Let's start by looking at the Active Top 10.

Ken Griffey Jr. is the active hits leader with 2,763 -- let's just admit it, he doesn't have another 237 base knocks in his future arsenal ...

Can once-upon-a-time Blue Jay prospect Michael Young reach 3000 career hits? Well, sure, he can, but will he?

Former Bauxite Scott Lucas, now the #2 man in Jamey Newberg's stellar Texas Ranger writer rotation, examines this question -- recently addressed on both MLB.com and in the Dallas Morning News -- in his latest edition of The Ranger Rundown.

It's one of the most sensible uses of historical statistical comparisons I've ever seen in this age of "most similars" and "closest comparables." Give it a read and check in with your opinion -- personally, I think he's hit the nail on the head. (And I hope he's wrong! My guess is he hopes so, too ...)

The Jays took another step towards Grapefruit League supremacy with a 9-1 pounding of the Yankees Saturday afternoon in Tampa.   Even better, the loss went to the starter who once pitched for Toronto.  Click here for the appropriate reaction.

The Jays new acquisition is hoping it's a good thing he was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox yesterday.  He's the subject of today's POTD!

The Blue Jays have claimed pitcher Casey Fein off waivers from the Red Sox.  The Sox claimed him from Detroit yesterday.  Meanwhile Scott Richmond has been placed on the 60-day DL.