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The Toronto Blue Jays are looking at somewhat of a rebuilding year in 2010. For the first time in 12 seasons, the Jays will be without ace Roy Halladay after the team traded him to the Phillies during the off-season. With new GM Alex Anthopoulos looking to pick up the pieces after JP Ricciardi's departure and return the team to winning ways, here's what we can expect this season.
Hitters
Adam Lind - DH/OF
Serious man-crush? Check. Bursting onto the scene last season with 35 homers and 114 RBI, Lind showed people what regular playing time can accomplish. Prior to last season, Lind had never hit above.282 while seeing less than 350 at-bats during each season in 2007 & 2008. Lind has great plate coverage and can drive the ball to all parts of the field. He's really one of the most undervalued hitters in the American League especially playing in the tough AL East. Lind will be at it again this season while batting in the third slot for the Jays behind second baseman Aaron Hill. You may see a slight regression in the average department, but should still hit close to .300.
Travis Snider - OF
I wrote about Snider in my Grapefruit Goodies piece, so I won't go too deep with Travis here. The big thing for Snider is finding consistency. He figures to be the everyday starter in left field for manager Cito Gaston this season with the job his to lose. There is no doubt that Snider can hit the big fly, but he will need to concentrate on making contact and hitting for average in order to stay in the lineup. Don't believe the hype about Snider breaking out this season? Keith Law of ESPN agrees with me, he listed Snider on his list of breakout candidates (subscription required).
Edwin Encarnacion - 3B
When not burning his face on fireworks, Edwin enjoys attempting to play third base for the Jays. It looked like he was headed to DL to open the season, but made it back just in time to Spring Training to be ready for opening day. All kidding aside, I like Edwin (as do many of you) as a CI/3B sleeper this season. He shouldn't have any problems with playing time and should post HR totals somewhere close to 20. He will likely be batting 5th or 6th in the lineup, so the opportunity to drive runners in is real.
Pitchers
Shaun Marcum - SP
Named the opening day starter in Toronto this season, Marcum is fresh off Tommy John surgery during the 2008 season. Marcum should see close to 200 innings this season as the staff ace, but his numbers could be poor given the Jays offense and bullpen. Marcum will have win totals in the double digits and post nice K/9 totals, but that's about it.
It will certainly be a tough year for the Jays in 2010. Playing in one of the toughest divisions in all of baseball and having to compete with teams that win almost 90 games each season can definitely be a struggle with little talent on the field. Not all is lost though, the Jays acquired some young prospects through all their trades this off-season that will certainly help the Jays down the road.
