The Blue Jays went heavy on arms and Canadiana on the annual crapshoot known as the draft.
THE ARMS HAVE IT
In the first week of June, every year, the First Year Player Draft is held with some future stars and duds getting their names called. For the Blue Jays, taking part in the 33rd draft in franchise history, there have been some mixed results. For every great first round pick that had an impact - Lloyd Moseby (1978), Ed Sprague (1988), Shawn Green (1991), Shannon Stewart (1992), Chris Carpenter (1993), Roy Halladay (1995), Vernon Wells (1997) and Aaron Hill (2003) - there have been some names we never heard from again - Tom Goffena (1977), Garry Harris (1980), Greg David (1985), Earl Sanders (1986) and Miguel Negron (2000).
Let's face it, folks, any draft in any sport, outside out of the first dozen or so picks, is a crap shoot. A lot can happen between draft day and a first appearance in the Major Leagues. Can they sign the players, especially if they are represented by Scott Boras? Can a player/pitcher live up to the promise that they displayed in high school or college? Or will injuries rob them of their skills after turning pro? No one really knows.
For the Jays in 2009, it seems that their main focus was on shoring up the depth of pitching in their organization. An inordinate amount of injuries - Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch - has left their rotation ridiculously thin. With that in mind, pitching was certainly the order of the first couple of days in the draft where of the first 32 picks through 30 rounds, the Jays selected 20 pitchers (15 right-handers, 5 left-handers).
Their first pick (20th overall) was 21-year old right-hander Chad Jenkins, out of Kennesaw State University. Not exactly coming out of a major college conference, but from all that I've been able to gather from the web, he's got all the tools to be coming to a Rogers centre near you in the not-too-distant future. He has a nice, fluid motion which will, hopefully, keep him away from the elbow and shoulder injuries that have been sidelining a lot of arms in this system. And at 6'4" and 235 pounds, Jenkins cuts an imposing figure, something that recent draft picks from the Blue Jays can't claim.
After Jenkins, the Jays used their compensation pick from the Yankees' signing of A.J. Burnett to select left-hander James Paxton out of the University of Kentucky, a native of Ladner, BC, making him, with the 37th pick, the highest Canadian ever chosen by Canada's only Major League team. From what I've heard, he may be best suited as a reliever, but what do I know? Before yesterday, I wouldn't have known Paxton if he crashed his car into me at the local Tim Horton's drive-thru. The, surprise, surprise, they also took a Canadian left-hander, Jake Eliopoulos out of Sacred Heart High School in Newmarket, Ontario. The 18-year old is a long-term project and has seen time with the Brantford Red Sox and the Canadian National Junior team.
And with their third round pick, the Jays also tapped a pitcher in right-hander Jake Barrett out of Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona, who has been called the top high school player in that state.
Now the hard part for J.P. Ricciardi and his staff will be to sign these picks to professional contracts and start them on their journey's towards Toronto, the toughest likely to be Paxton who is represented by Boras, along with number one overall choice Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals.
NEW BAT COMING TO TOWN
The Blue Jays made a shrewd signing on Wednesday before their game with the Rangers was rained out. They signed veteran outfielder David Dellucci, who was released by the Indians on May 29th, to a minor league deal. He will report to Las Vegas (AAA) to get his timing back and will likely make his Toronto debut before the end of the month. His left-handed bat will be a welcome addition to the Jays' decidedly right-handed line-up and will give them another experienced stick on their bench. As recent as 2005, Dellucci slammed 29 home runs so he will be a welcomed addition if, of course, he can rediscover his stroke.
THIRD ENTRY IN THE CY YOUNG RACE
As we have witnessed this season, Jays' ace Roy Halladay (10-1, 2.52 ERA) and Kansas City's Zack Greinke (8-2, 1.55 ERA) are the early favourites for the A.L. Cy Young Award. But you can now put Detroit's Justin Verlander into the mix. Over his last nine starts, Verlander is 7-0 with a 1.10 ERA and the last pitch of his complete game win over the White Sox on Wednesday night - his 122nd of the game - was clocked at 98 mph on the 'Jugs Gun'. Impressive indeed.
