Blue Jays Report - July 13th, 2002

LATEST TEAM INFO

Raulin' on The River

The biggest news out of Toronto in recent weeks is also among the biggest news in baseball. Raul Mondesi, the speedster/slugger turned striker/outer has departed the city of Toronto and taken up residence in right field next to the Hudson River. Mondesi is a Yankee now and all Toronto has to show for their 1991 first round pick, Shawn Green, is a double A lefthander named Scott Wiggins and $6 million of salary to be paid to a player on a division rival. But we're not bitter.

The deal really is part of JP Riccardi's arduous taks of cleaning up the mess left by former GM, Gord Ash. Mondesi's contract was an albatross that needed to be severed one way or another. The move has allowed manager Carlos Tosca to play a full time outfield of Shannon Stewart, Vernon Wells and Jose Cruz Jr. The latter taking over right field duties. All three outfielders are much happier to have their positions secured for the immediate future and their performance at the plate has reflected this healthy change.

The other big winner in the Mondesi deal is Josh Phelps. A catcher with Toronto's triple A affiliate in Syracuse, Phelps was putting up incredible power numbers before the Mondesi trade opened up a roster spot for the All Star to be. Phelps brings his 24 home runs and 64 RBIs to the big league team.

With Toronto already carrying three catchers in Fletcher, Huckaby and Wilson, Phelps has been relegated to the DH spot for now. Which is probably a good place for him to learn the ins and outs of major league pitching without having to concentrate on calling the games.

The Doctor Is In

Roy "Doc" Halladay continues to pitch like the All Star he has now been acknowledged as. Roy is 3-1 with 24 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA in his last five starts. Just last night he blanked the mighty Red Sox and beat the formidable Derek Lowe head to head. Halladay is the big bright spot in the Blue Jays rotation and looks like a lock to finish the season in the upper echelon of American League pitching. Oh and that one loss? It was a 2-1 loss to the Expos, Roy gave up a 2 run homer to Tatis. No exactly a blowout.

Short Changed

The Toronto Sun is reporting a shift in short stop policy that has been evident to Toronto fans for awhile now. Felip Lopez is no longer a full time middle infielder. Since taking over at the begining of June, Tosca has shown an affinity for playing Chris Woodward at various positions around the infield. With Eric Hinske at third and Joe Lawrence at second, Woodward has had more than his share of playing time at his natural position of short stop. Felipe Lopez hasn't done much to preserve his job as a starter boasting an anemic .233 average to this date. Woodward will share playing time with Lopez at short stop for now.

LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

All in all, Toronto fans have to be pretty happy with the movement they are seeing within the organization. Roy Halladay was quoted as saying he is optomistic about the moves that are being made around him and for the first time he is seeing a winning future for the team. Mondesi's media tirade was probably Toronto's darkest hour and with the big man moving on, so can the rest of us.

With Halladay securing his spot as the team ace and Eric Hinske showing All Star potential with every at bat, Blue Jay fans finally have something to look forward to. We are getting a good look at our future here. With slugger Josh Phelps showing patience and diligence at the plate and outfielder Vernon Wells settling into his full time job, the city of Toronto may soon start to see the kinds of baseball games that brought 50,000 fans out every night back in the early '90s.

RUMOR MILL

When a team makes a move like the Mondesi trade, rumours abound about who is next to go. Stories continue to surface about Toronto's remaining outfielders, Cruz and Stewart and how well they would fit into places like Seattle or Oakland. But those are unlikely moves given the comfort level in the outfield right now.

A rumour has also surfaced that the Angels have expressed interest in closer Kelvim Escobar. This would be a blow to fantasy owners as Escobar would become a setup man in Anaheim for sure. If something like this did happen, I would expect to see Cliff Politte given the chance to close in Toronto. Or perhaps Corey Thurman, but he would have to get the walks under control first.

My own personal rumour is that Delgado could be on the block. Josh Phelps has been taking grounders at first base and as the fourth catcher on the team, it seems unlikely that he will see much playing time behind the plate. Phelps' power numbers are more than adequate for a first baseman and his paycheque is certainly more desirable to the Blue Jays cost cutting measures than Delgado's $20 million a year. Having said that, Delgado won't be traded for anything short of a number one starting pitcher. He is too valuable to unload like they did Mondesi. Delgado probably wouldn't fetch his true value right now, but if he shows his triple crown potential anytime soon, look for Riccardi to try and pull a blockbuster, moving Phelps into the 1B spot and rounding out a truly rookie infield.

There is also talk of moving a starting pitcher, either Loiaza, Carpenter or both before the deadline. No names or places yet, just talk.

INJURIES

Chris Woodward had a short stint on the DL, but as previously mentioned, he is back and sharing short stop duties with Felipe Lopez. Luke Prokopec is still the only player of consequence on the disabled list and he is should be back in late July. It is expected that he will return the starting rotation, probably to replace one of the guys they intend to trade.

ON THE FARM

With Phelps now called up to the big league team, the most interesting name in the minor league system is Jayson Werth. He's a catcher, batting only .237 but he has 11 home runs, 50 RBIs and get this, 20 stolen bases in Syracuse so far this season. A catcher with 20/20 or even 30/30 potential is interesting to say the least. Don't expect to see him with the big team anytime soon. There is a glut of catchers that needs to be worked through before Werth gets to show his stuff, but his numbers certainly are impressive.

Orlando Hudson is still with the triple A team as well. He continues to hit for average and his defense is solid, but the Blue Jays are out of options for Joe Lawrence, so he will be given every opportunity to show his stuff before Hudson gets the call. There is also talk of moving Felipe Lopez over the second base which would further hinder Hudson's chances of making the big league team.

QUICK VIEW

ADD: C Josh Phelps - He put up huge power numbers in triple A before getting the call to replace Mondesi as the DH. What is most impressive about Phelps is that while he has big power potential, he hasn't hit a homer yet. He's being patient and making good contact, not trying to kill every ball. He will hit the homers, that's for sure, but for now he is content to take what he's given, going the other way and getting timely hits against some of the American Leagues best pitchers. AND he qualifies at catcher in most leagues.

DROP: SS Felipe Lopez - There is probably too much depth at short stop for anyone to still be carrying the youngster, but if you were hoping for a miracle, it didn't happen. Lopez will now get half the playing time he was getting and that doesn't bode well for his fantasy stats.

HOLD: OF Shannon Stewart - He has been getting on base ok, but he hasn't been running. I think he is settling back into his full time outfield job and he stole his first base in a long time last night. If you've been hanging onto Stewart waiting for him to run again, you're patience may soon pay off. Give him a little more time and you could see the runs and SBs start to skyrocket.

TRADE: CP Kelvim Escobar - Escobar could be the next major league closer to lose his job. If you can find a sucker for him, pull the trigger. His ERA and the fact that he plays on a sub .500 team makes him somewhat less desirable, but a closer is a closer and as long as he has the job he will have value. Make the deal now before it's too late.