The fast start by the Toronto Blue Jays, sitting atop the American League East after its first ten games, has been one of the early surprises of this 2009 season. The .313 team batting average is the best in the majors while averaging 6.8 runs and 11.8 hits per game. The pitching hasn't quite been as good as it was a year ago, but that was expected with its young starting rotation.

With that in mind, I sat down with Sportsnet analyst Pat Tabler to go over a litany of subjects.

Scott Carson: The Blue Jays are now into the second week of the schedule, with the Jays enjoying some success, winning seven of its first 10 games. What has surprised you, and have there been any disappointments?

Pat Tabler: The first thing that has surprised me is the hitting. I thought that the Jays would be better offensively with a full spring of work with Cito and Gene Tenace. But I didn't think we would see the sheer amount of hitting the Jays are putting up. Homeruns and extra base hits are a nightly thing. The hitters look very confident and aggressive. I guess the bullpen, early on, has been a bit of a disappointment. They were so good last year. I'm sure Brad Arnsberg will figure it out and the 'pen will be just fine. They were the best in baseball last year in terms of ERA.

SC: It seems through the first part of the season that the Jays may be employing a platoon at first base. Is this a good thing?

PT: This early in the season, Cito has not talked about a platoon at first base. Lyle Overbay has done it in the past and Cito knows he will do it for him again. It is nice to know that just down the bench is a veteran in Kevin Millar who can spell Lyle and give him some time off when he needs it. Millar had two successful days in Cleveland last weekend swinging the bat. Something else to consider: Overbay is a superior fielder. On a team without a lot of strikeout pitchers, you need good defence.

SC: A lot was expected from young sluggers Adam Lind and Travis Snider this season, and they've held up their end of the bargain. Do they have the make-up and stroke to keep this up over a whole season?

PT: When we talk of early surprises, these two young hitters are at the top of the list. I have been very impressed with their approach at the plate, their discipline and their production. As you watch these two hitters nothing tells me that they will go into prolonged slumps. Their fundamentals of hitting are too good. They certainly have the makeup and talent to keep this up for a full season.

SC: The inexperience in the rotation behind Roy Halladay has been well documented. What are your thoughts on their performances to date?

PT: This is the huge question about this team. Will they get the starting pitching, after Roy Halladay? I think the bigger question is...do they have the pitching DEPTH behind Doc? Injuries are a big part of the equation. We saw that last night with Jesse Litsch. Do they have the resources in the minor leagues or can they find a veteran out there? Purcey and Romero are young and have big league arms. I think they will be fine. When they are not pitching, just sit there and watch how Halladay goes about his job. Scott Richmond can pitch in the big leagues. He has the tools but has to be on his game to win. If there are more injuries, that's when I would start to worry.

SC: We noticed towards the end of spring training that reliever Brandon League had changed his arm slot, and the results to date have been poor. Why do you think they changed the way he was throwing?

PT: I asked Brad Arnsberg the pitching coach about this on Brandon and he told me they have not changed anything with him. The arm slot that we have seen could be the result of not enough reps on the mound. League is still doing his regular pre-game throwing along with his long toss program but as a reliever, with the chance of getting into that day's game, is not getting the time he needs on the mound to work out the kinks. He is still throwing hard and as the season goes along, I am sure we will see the Brandon League that throws 98 mph with good control and biting action on his pitches.

SC: Closer B.J. Ryan struggled this spring and it has carried into the regular season. What have you noticed?

PT: I've noticed that the great control that BJ has had in the past is not there. So much has been said about the velocity. His MPH is getting up to where he needs it to be but it's the location that I have not seen. It doesn't look like he can throw the ball where he wants to. He pitched in nine big league spring innings so it's not the lack of work. BJ is the kind of guy that needs consistent work and then he'll fall into a nice groove and be the same guy who saved 32 games for the Jays last season.

	A young and Royal Pat Tabler.

SC: Marco Scutaro is not your prototypical lead-off but he's been successful so far. Should they stick with him, or go out and get a traditional hitter for the top of the order?

PT: Easier said than done! There are no Brian Roberts, Jose Reyes types out there. I'm sure Cito would like to have a little more speed at the top of his lineup. He has talked about that in the past. With the way this lineup is put together, though, Scutaro is the best option. He has a good eye, makes solid contact, will hurt you if the pitcher makes a mistake. One thought ... who leads off when Marco needs a day off? What if there is an injury? I need to go talk to Cito!

SC: There's no denying that the Jays hitting has improved dramatically since the coaching changes of last June. Why has this happened?

PT: The Jays are a different team with the wood in its hands now. Every player steps into the box now aggressive. No more waiting out the pitchers. You know, in the major leagues you might get one pitch to hit per at bat. You better not miss it. If you are up there taking, taking, taking, your pitch to hit might have been the first one you saw. Now, the Jays seem to have a plan and are aggressively attacking the baseball. Watching this offense now is a heck of a lot of fun.

SC: Based upon its early success, do they Jays have enough to push the top three teams in the East, even if everything breaks its way?

PT: Everything would have to break its way and then some. If you look at the other teams in its division the one common denominator is they all have starting pitching depth. Boston. New York and Tampa Bay have five, six, even seven starters to run out there. Over 162 games this is what makes a division champ. It will be very tough to climb over these three teams to make the playoffs. So the expectations aren't there. That is actually a good thing in my mind.

SC: The farm system is finally bearing fruit (Lind, Snider, Purcey, Romero). What are your impressions of what the franchise has on the way moving forward?

PT: The farm system is the life blood of your organization. Yes, it is starting to produce major league talent. It's too bad that we have seen injuries to some of the young players. Marcum and Janssen come to mind. There is still al ot of talent down there pushing their way to the top. I can't wait to see some of the players from the 2007 draft make their way up the ladder. Remember, that was the year the Jays had a ton of picks. I got to see Justin Jackson at the end of spring training and came away real impressed. A few other names that I have heard...Kevin Ahrens, Brad Mills, Brett Cecil, J.P. Arencibia, David Cooper. The future looks good for the Jays.