Marcum!!

[starkeeper]

I thought last year that Marcum was the answer to #5 or maybe even #4 in the rotation for this year. I didn't hear any of that kind of talk in the Jays or even on baseball forums, so I kept my mouth shut, but this year he is pitching like he could put Burnett back to #3 and send Chacin packing. This guy is pitching great.
Next year.... #1 Doc
#2 Marcum
#3 Burnett
#4 McGowan
#5 Towers (or FA)

What do you all think about that?? Be nice now!!

[Big_Mac]

that does look pretty good actually. marcum has been a great surprise and mcgowan has done alot better then i thought, those two have been great. hopefully we can fill that five spot with a FA or via trade.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

I said it after Marcum went 8 innings near the end of last year, that I think he'll be good. This off-season I thought he'd be good enough for the #4 spot. Now, he's at least the #3 guy.

For now, I'm going to keep on holding out for Burnett to develop into that #2 guy. His stuff is just soo good that he can't simply be written off. That being said, I'm not as worried about Burnett fizzling as I was previously. Now that we have seen what our younger guys can do (don't forget, JP eventually sees Janssen in the rotation as well) I have bright prospects for next year in the pitching dept.

EDIT: As to the rotation next year, how about this:


Halladay
Burnett
Marcum
McGowan
Janssen
With BJ back as closer, Accardo and League will be set-up guys. This gives Litsch a little more time to develop in the minors or possibly in the pen. I think that this is a real possibility for next season.

[PJ-34]

I think Janssen is better suited to a bullpen, set-up guy. I think the Jays need to find a free agent or maybe make a deadline deal for a starting pitcher, and a good one. Burnett is a waste of money. 55 million for a record like that? he can't win and he's injured allllll the time. I like this

1. Halladay
2. Marcum
3. FA/deadline deal pitcher
4. Burnett/McGowan
5.McGowan/Burnett

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

Ya, but who do you suggest we sign? And if we're trading, who are we going to give up? Good starting pitching's gonna cost us at least Alex Rios, maybe more.

[Big_Mac]

Ya, but who do you suggest we sign? And if we're trading, who are we going to give up? Good starting pitching's gonna cost us at least Alex Rios, maybe more.

well i would consider trading rios, i would say either him or lind to go. johnson and wells has to stay unless we can get a leadoff guy to replace johnson but i really think johnson makes this offense go 'round

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

I think that the idea of making a trade is a bad one, especially since it's not needed.

With the emergence of the young pitchers drafted (and traded for) by JP, I don't think that we need to be giving up Rios, Lind or anyone else for that matter. The way it stands right now, we have:
Halladay
Marcum
McGowan
Towers
Litsch
Next season we'll still have all these guys (barring a trade) and Janssen will become available for the rotation at some point (assuming BJ makes it back eventually). This, in my mind, means that the starting pitching is set for next year. I wouldn't be against signing a couple of Thomson/Ohka's (Mark Redman, Bruce Chen, Steve Trachsel etc...), but I wouldn't go after a guy like Carlos Zambrano or Freddy Garcia.

[PJ-34]

Oh geez I forgot about Litsch. I also forgot the idea that we could trade Burnett. Maybe for a prospect from a team with no pitching. We have a crop of awsome young pitchers that we didn't even know about prior to the season. McGowan and Marcum were bullpen guys, maybe even trade bait and we hadn't even heared of Litsch. Maybe it's time Burnett left, he is no help to us.

[Chris from NY]

Giving up Lind or Rios is a bad idea, in my opinion. I think they should be able to sign some middle of the road veteran who can help log innings. It's too bad that the price for a starting pitcher is so high now. Looking back, I have to wonder if Burnett's contract helped lead to the other price of pitcher's being what it is. It seems like a better idea just to draft and develop pitchers. What ever happened to David Purcey and Ricky Romero anyway?

[starkeeper]

I agree that trading Rios or Lind for pitching isn't a great idea especially with the way the jays are developing these young arms. There are still other more viable options than choosing to lose an established all star and a blue chip prospect. Litsch, Towers, Jannsen and even Chacin are all still available for the #5 spot, although I would much rather see Chacin traded for whatever they can get.(which probably wouldn't be much) He has become so injury prone and inconsistent. I don't know what happened there.

[starkeeper]

MINOR LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT
It's been a tough road for Romero at New Hampshire
Southern California has produced more than its share of major league players. In this space, we'll take a look at how Southland players are faring in the minors. This week: the double-A Eastern League
By Bob Cuomo, Times Staff Writer
July 20, 2007


Ricky Romero of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats certainly didn't figure to still be looking for his first victory at this stage of the season, but extenuating circumstances have contributed to the situation.

Romero, a left-hander from Cal State Fullerton who was the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, is 0-3 with a 5.26 earned-run average.

Those aren't exactly the numbers you'd expect from a player rated the third-best prospect in the Blue Jays organization by Baseball America

Romero has made only nine starts, and therein lies part of the problem. In the third inning of his fourth start, on May 3 against the Trenton Thunder, he suffered a shoulder injury, and the Fisher Cats put him on the disabled list.

As a result, Romero missed at least eight starts. After a rehabilitation stint at Dunedin of the Class-A Florida State League, where he made one start, the Fisher Cats activated him on June 25.

Romero has since made five starts, going 0-2 with a 6.13 ERA. In 19 1/3 innings, he has yielded 19 hits and 13 earned runs and walked 19 while striking out 23. In his last outing, Tuesday night against the Portland Sea Dogs, he lasted only 2 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits and five runs in a 13-1 loss.

Romero started the 2006 season at Dunedin. He made 10 starts and was 2-1 with a 2.47 ERA. In 58 1/3 innings, he yielded 48 hits, walked 14 and struck out 61.

That performance earned him a promotion to New Hampshire. He lost his first six decisions before beating the Reading Phillies on Aug. 21. He made 12 starts for the Fisher Cats, going 2-7 with a 5.08 ERA.

[starkeeper]

Purcey is currently on the DL in New Hampshire. His record is 3-5 and his era is over 5.00. Not a banner year for Purcey so far, but he is young (only drafted in 2004) at 25 and because he is a south paw with promise the Jays will most likely be very patient with him.

[Big_Mac]

i hope romero can continue to develop. he seemed like he had so much potential when he got drafted and alot of analysts thought he was one of the best major league-ready prospects in the draft.

well i probably wouldn't have the nuts to trade rios or lind either, i would package one up to get a real good starter. we need one more good arm to get to become a playoff team. but, with the price of pitching nowadays, maybe this is a bad idea.

let's just hope burnett will opt out of his deal next season (didn't he have that option in his 3rd year or something?) he will never do it (he won't get money on the market like he's getting in TO) but we can always hope he will.

[PJ-34]

Purcey is currently on the DL in New Hampshire. His record is 3-5 and his era is over 5.00. Not a banner year for Purcey so far, but he is young (only drafted in 2004) at 25 and because he is a south paw with promise the Jays will most likely be very patient with him.


He played in Syracuse last year but didn't do so great. The first quarter of the season he was playing fantastic. His ERA was bellow 2.00 but I guess he fell apart

[Chris from NY]

well i probably wouldn't have the nuts to trade rios or lind either, i would package one up to get a real good starter. we need one more good arm to get to become a playoff team. but, with the price of pitching nowadays, maybe this is a bad idea.
But if Glaus goes, and Thomas nearing an age where he could retire whenever, it seems imperative that the Blue Jays have both Lind and Rios. A line-up with Thomas, Glaus, Rios, and/or Lind leaves the Blue Jays with just Johnson, Wells, Overbay, and Hill as dangerous hitters.

[Big_Mac]

But if Glaus goes, and Thomas nearing an age where he could retire whenever, it seems imperative that the Blue Jays have both Lind and Rios. A line-up with Thomas, Glaus, Rios, and/or Lind leaves the Blue Jays with just Johnson, Wells, Overbay, and Hill as dangerous hitters.

good point chris, i guess with thomas going at any point, that would open up the dh spot for lind. i just fear that they'll trade johnson, because he's the least talented of the group, and forget what an integeral part of the offense he is.

[feistyboy28]

There is no chance in hell Litsch is not in next years rotation. He is a complete lock. Here is what it is:

1. Halladay
2. Burnett
3. Marcum
4. Litsch
5. McGowan/Chacin/Janssen


Towers will be gone. If McG loses the battle with Chacin and Janssen for #5 he will be a long reliever. If Chacin loses the battle with Chacin and Janssen for #5 he will be a long reliever. If Janssen loses the battle with McGowan and Chacin for the #5 he will be a 7th or 8th inning guy again.

[PJ-34]

Yes flying27 I'm sure the guy who threw a 1 hitter, has an ERA just above our so called ace is going to be battling with a guy who has started five games and has an ERA at the same, and our set-up guy.

[feistyboy28]

Yes flying27 I'm sure the guy who threw a 1 hitter, has an ERA just above our so called ace is going to be battling with a guy who has started five games and has an ERA at the same, and our set-up guy.

Chacin has been injured this year. So suddenly he goes on the thrash can? He has started more games for the Jays then anyone on the team now except Halladay and Burnett. He finished a season with an ERA under 4, despite very few seasons in the majors.

Janssen has been our set up guy and awesome this year. Next year with League returning to a bigger role presumably, Ryan returning after the first couple months presumably, and Accardo and Downs already there, there might not be enough room for him to play a bigger enough role on the bullpen to befit his talents.

Litsch is the one who has a lower ERA then the teams so called ace, so who cares if someone else has one just a bit higher.

[PJ-34]

Rookies luck, and besides look at the diffrence in starts, and look how many wins Roy has.

[Big_Mac]

now he's ripping halladay.

[feistyboy28]

I never ripped on Halladay. Dont put words in my mouth.

[Richmond Hill Phoenix]

Guys, give him a break. He's not ripping on Halladay, he's calling it like it is (and it was Jays Scout who said "so-called ace" first anyways). Let's face it, Halladay hasn't exactly been himself this season. Whether it was the appendix thing or something else, he just wasn't the guy who went out there and you thought "This one's a lock to win". Hopefully next year there will finally be no more freak injuries.

As for Litsch, he may have a case to stay in the rotation next year. Sure he doesn't have that many innings as the others, but in 4 of his last 5 starts, he's pitched into the seventh giving up no more than one run. He's developping some consistency, and he certainly deserves at least a mention for the rotation next year (although I would say that it would be a bad idea to put him in there to start next season).

I heavily disagree with trading for, or signing pitchers. In either case we would be over-paying, and we have so many young pitchers in the first place that it makes it redundant IMO. Additionally, if we were to trade Burnett I would hope that we would get something above-average back. I know he has massive injury trouble, but he can throw 101 for heaven sakes. I'm inclined to give him as many chances as he needs to try and become the dominant pitcher that he should be.

[Chris from NY]

It's true Doc hasn't looked like the same dominant force at times this year. It's nothing I'm personally too concerned with. The mark of a true ace is the ability to bounce back from rocky stretches, and not worry about anything but going out and pitching strong. I believe Halladay is a true ace and will be able to right himself.

Lets also not forget, he's not pitching terribly. Sure he's a little below the lofty standard set before him, but he's still 11-5 and he's pitched 4 CG's.

[starkeeper]

Marcum could be becoming the "ace" of this pitchiing staff. What a game he had going tonight against the Royals!!

[Big_Mac]

Marcum could be becoming the "ace" of this pitchiing staff. What a game he had going tonight against the Royals!!

he's achieved that halladay circa-2003 "we are in this ballgame no matter what with him pitching" level last night for me.

if we can take positives from this season, definatly it would be the emergence of marcum, jannsen, accardo, mcgowan and litsch as guys that were at best last year were reliable spot starters (marcum, jannsen); a hard-throwing middle reliever (accardo); a guy who you were praying would just bust out his potential (mcgowan); and i guy who i never even heard of (litsch) and have emerged all of them as valuable members of this staff.