The A.H. era began last year (After Halladay that is) and Blue Jay fans had hoped for the best, expected the worst, and got a tremendous 85 win season out of an exciting young group of ballplayers. Which brings us to the current year and a mixed bag of prognostication going on with some saying the Jays haven’t done much to improve and others saying they may have what it takes to compete for that elusive American League Wildcard spot. Here our 5 solid reasons to enjoy the season regardless of what camp you fall in. So get behind these boys – these Lunchbox Heroes (see point 2 and 5) - in 2011 as it will be the beginning of the next great era in Blue Jays baseball.
1. The nPo – the New Pitching Order: sad to see Shaun Marcum off to the Brewers, but his exit from this rotation has opened the way for the young crop of pitchers to show their stuff. We cannot wait to see a rotation that will include Romero, Morrow, Cecil, Drabek and probably Litsch or Rzepczynski. There are also a slew of other young arms that could crack this order or, in the least, give the Jays a tremendous amount of depth. Five years from now, we could say that we saw these future (or imminent) group of All-Stars when they started to really show their stuff - nPo 4 Life!
2. The Young Sluggers: no one is expecting the Jays to surpass the truly incredible team homerun total from last year, but we fans should have even more bashing to look forward to this year. The original ‘Lunchbox Hero’ Travis Snider will hopefully have an injury free year to hit some long ball, joined by J.P Arencibia and many of the usual suspects from last year – including the reigning MLB HR King Jose Bautista. We also have the young Canuck Brett Lawrie to look forward to who should get at least a partial season under his belt this year – and maybe more.
3. The John Farrell Crew: the Blue Jays new manager is 'new' at being the head honcho, but his resume speaks for itself – not least of which is his time as the pitching coach for the Red Sox. He has surrounded himself with many of the coaches - Dwayne Murphy for example - who have been pivotal in developing/improving the play of key players, as well as having former Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen in the bullpen, and a former catcher and manager – Don Wakamatsu – on the bench. Granted, fans generally don’t get excited about coaching per se, but this coaching staff will should guarantee the consistent improvement of a young crew throughout the year – which is exciting for true fans to watch.
4. Some Small Ball: loved the long ball last year, but Farrell has already said he expects to see a little small ball as well – the ability to generate those extra bases via steals or aggressive base running, bunting, hit and run plays – and this will make for some truly entertaining days at the park. Alex Anthopoulos has added some tools to the roster to make this possible – like Rajai Davis (probable leadoff hitter?) and Scott Podsednik (injury aside). I grew up with lots of love for Cito – I am nostalgic for the glory years – and even have an autographed Cito Gaston card – but I am looking forward to seeing a more ‘active’ manager and the psychology involved in small ball which adds another layer to the game.
5. The Twitter-sphere: last but not least – let’s get excited about this young group of guys and their willingness to engage with fans. No doubt social media and modern athletes don’t always mesh – and the recent history is already littered with bonehead decisions – too many to mention – but it seems these ‘New Jays’ are willing to take their chances and stay connected. So take them up on their offer – and get connected! Get online and follow @blawrie13, @jparencibia9, @CEC0208, and @RickyRo24. And don’t forget Travis Snider - who has given himself the moniker @Lunchboxhero45. So come on sports fans, let’s get behind our ‘Lunchbox Heroes’ and watch the beginning of the next great era in Blue Jay Baseball.
