Roundtable: Jays season in review

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CARSON: John Farrell gets a solid B. He had to manage the personalities of 24 different hitters and 29 pitchers (30 if you count Mike McCoy's emergency inning). For a first-time manager, coming from a pitching background, Farrell didn't over-manage, or go by "the book," which was a breath of fresh air. The only fault I had with him was that the offensive philosophy changed over the season from a run and gun style to one that sat back and waited for the long ball.

GRANGE: Interestingly enough Farrell gave himself a C when Jeff Blair and I asked just that on the radio Wednesday because, in part, he felt he hadn't managed his bullpen as well as he would have liked. I give him a B because I like managers and coaches who are willing to explain themselves. As for his bullpen management? Hard to juggle cracked eggs.

DAVIDI: I like the job Farrell did. Given all the roster filler he started the year with - remember Juan Rivera, Jayson Nix and Jo-Jo Reyes - the injuries, the inconsistencies of the pitching staff and the inevitable growing pains that come with 15 rookies plus a manager in his first year, I think he balanced it all pretty well. I'd give him a B.

WILNER: Farrell gets a solid B from me, taking into account that this was his first time managing at ANY level. He made a couple of moves the first five games of the season that made me cry with joy: Pinch-hitting Travis Snider for Juan Rivera in the fifth inning of a close game when the situation called for it, and leaving Marc Rzepczynski out to start the 9th inning in a save situation to face a lefty, then going to the closer.

He didn't do all that much convention-breaking after that, and backed off on the super-charged running game once he didn't have those horses anymore (Davis, Patterson, Snider). In a year that had a ton of turnover from a personnel perspective, Farrell had a lot to deal with and he stayed consistent in his approach, in his message and in his behaviour. That's a lot to ask of a rookie skipper.

SPORTSNET RADIO FAN 590 AUDIO: John Farrell on Jeff Blair Show

2. What was the biggest story of the year, on the field, or off?

CARSON: The long-awaited arrival of Brett Lawrie was my top story. After the Brewers had labeled him a "team wrecker", we saw none of that after he finally got the call to Toronto in early August. No one has played the game all out like Lawrie, certainly not since I've been around the team. There is nothing that this kid can't do.

GRANGE: Well, I suspect I won't be the only person to name Brett Lawrie, but whatever. His obvious star talent; his charisma and his Canadianness make him a huge, huge, figure for the future of the franchise and his loud arrival rescued what might have been a dreary second half.

DAVIDI: To me it has to be Brett Lawrie. I can't remember another Blue Jays prospect whose arrival was so breathlessly waited for, to be such an obsession for the fan base. Even within the organization, there were those who wanted him up well earlier, particularly when third base turned into an offensive black hole. Lawrie came up and gave the entire team a new life, his energy was infectious, and he delivered the goods.

WILNER: There was a ton of turnover on the roster. J.P. Arencibia set the club record for home runs by a catcher, Henderson Alvarez and Eric Thames emerged out of nowhere, the awesemnity of Jose Bautista increased and Ricky Romero had a breakthrough season.

But by far the biggest story of the year was the one that is just beginning to be written by Brett Lawrie.

Expectations were huge-first rounder, a Canadian, traded for Shaun Marcum. He turned heads in spring training, so much so that Farrell actually wanted to bring him north with the team, then he went down and destroyed Las Vegas. Most of the great memories of the season were supplied by Lawrie, from his grand slam against the A's (and subsequent dugout-destroying celebration) to his walkoff shot against the Red Sox on Labour Day, to any number of incredible defensive plays. He re-energized the team, the city and probably the entire country as far as Blue Jays baseball is concerned.

Good thing he doesn't have a lot to live up to next season.

3. Which player took the biggest step forward in 2011?

CARSON: It's a tie between Eric Thames and Henderson Alvarez. Thames wasn't even on the radar when spring training began, but played his way into consideration when the team broke camp, and took over as the everyday left fielder at mid-season. Alvarez was just a name on the minor league depth chart but made 10 starts down the stretch having jumped straight from Double-A. He has the stuff and poise to be in the rotation for a long time.

GRANGE: Rickey Romero went from a solid major league pitcher to a guy who anchored a staff and put up Justin Verlander-like numbers in the second half, all while giving off a young, team-first and friendly vibe. Impressive.

DAVIDI: There are quite a few contenders for this one. You can make a good case for Lawrie, J.P. Arencibia, Eric Thames, Henderson Alvarez, Joel Carreno, Adam Lind defensively, Adam Loewen. I'm going to go with Dustin McGowan. I never thought I'd see him pitch effectively, or at all for that matter, again. Great for him, a decent man, easy to root for. Let's hope he finds continued health.

WILNER: Ricky Romero took the biggest step forward for me. He went from a guy who we thought might be able to be someone who could pitch at the top of a rotation to a legitimate ace and a deserving all-star. With any sort of first-half run support, Romero might have been a 25-game winner this season. He lowered his WHIP from 1.29 to 1.14 - a huge improvement. His ERA went down almost a full run. He set career lows in hits per nine innings and walks per nine innings while pitching a career-high 215 innings.

In a season in which no other Blue Jays starting pitcher fulfilled his promise, Ricky Romero became an ace.

4. Which player took the biggest step back?

CARSON: Brett Cecil went from a 15-game winner in 2010 to winning just four games among his 20 starts this season. His drop in velocity was well documented, but what trouble me the most was that he seemed more worried about his appearance (faux hawk, mutton chop sideburns) than his performance. Then he showed up his manager by making him take the ball out of his glove instead of handing it to him when pulled from his final start. I wouldn't be shocked if he's in a different organization next spring.

DAVIDI: Quite a few contenders for this one, too. Travis Snider may be the biggest disappointment this year, because he both never got a long stretch to acclimate, and because he wasn't able to produce consistently in the time he did play. I think many of us felt he was on the cusp of a big year. He may very well be next spring. But he's got to fight his way on the team now.

GRANGE: Colby Rasmus was only here a brief time he went from a long-term answer 'stolen' from the Cardinals to a guy who gives every appearance of having every tool but no toolbox.

WILNER: For me, it's probably a tie between Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider. I know that Brett Cecil is a popular whipping boy, but he had exactly the same WHIP this year as last (1.326) and his ERA was only half a run higher despite the fact that he went from 15-7 to 4-11. I expected Drabek to be a solid contributor to the rotation for most of the season, getting his feet wet in a rookie year that was likely to be just OK, and I expected Snider to emerge as a budding star. Neither of those things came even close to happening.

The panel gives rookie Jays skipper John Farrell high marks for his first year on the job.

5. What should Alex Anthopoulos' No. 1 off-season priority be?

CARSON: Rebuilding the bullpen. The Colby Rasmus trade cost the Jays some reliable arms, and they are thin from the left side, which used to be this teams strong suit. I've heard whispers of prospect Nestor Molina having the stuff to be a future closer. Let's see if he can do it.

DAVIDI: A starting pitcher with enough track record that you can reasonably expect 200 innings from. That was such a problem this season and Ricky Romero can't be your only sure thing in the AL East. And I like the way the Brewers did it, making smart trades for players in their 3-6 years, rather than overspending on the free agent market. I can see the Jays going that route this winter.

GRANGE: Well, short of C.C. Sabbathia, how about a solid major league pitcher who can throw 200+ innings and serve as a solid No.2 or No.3 starter until the Jays homegrown talent is ready to do the job?

WILNER: Stay the course! Don't be swayed by screaming fans to make a big splash. Continue to develop a strong core of elite-level prospects and make smart moves without getting attached emotionally. Pounce on opportunities. If the Reds make Joey Votto available, go get him. Let Jose Molina go as a free agent because his replacement plus the sandwich pick he'll return will be better than what he will provide going forward. Don't cut bait on Drabek or Snider or Colby Rasmus, but don't hang too tightly to anyone if the opportunity to improve presents itself. Don't spend money just for the sake of spending money.

6. What should the Jays reasonably expect from Brett Lawrie in 2012?

CARSON:If he's healthy, I'm thinking .280 hitter, 35 doubles, 10 triples, 25 HR, 85 RBI, 20 steals. There's no reason to think that his up-tempo game will change. He's the real deal and will hopefully be with the franchise for a long time. Canadian fans absolutely love this kid.

GRANGE: It's unrealistic to expect him put up a season of the numbers he put him in August, for example, when they projected into MVP territory, but how about .280, 30 hr and 100 rbi and -- maybe most important -- 150 games played? Also: can he remain a fun, energetic and accessible guy when the the season drags and expectations may or may not be met?

DAVIDI: I don't want to put numbers on it, especially since he was tailing off when he broke his finger which says to me other teams were starting to get a book on him. I think we all need to remember that he's still got some growing pains to get through. It may not be until 2013 when we see a really monster year from him. I could be wrong on that, but patience with young players is a virtue.

WILNER: I don't know that there really is a realistic expectation of Lawrie for next year. His 43-game totals prorate over a full season to 34 home runs, 94 RBIs, 15 triples, 30 doubles, 98 runs scored and 26 stolen bases. That's ridiculous for a 21 year-old. The sky is the limit for him, but I don't expect him to be THAT good. I think it's safe to imagine that his OPS will drop into a more normal .850-.875 range and that he could be a 25-25 guy next season while continuing to bring huge energy and play strong defense.

But I wouldn't put anything past him-I'm the guy who said he'd be thrilled if Jose Bautista hit 30 homers this season, and he had that before the all-star break.

7. Are you now more or less confident about this team's chances of contending in 2012 than you were at the start of the season?

CARSON: That's tough to quantify because I never thought they would contend in 2012. They are certainly a better team than they were in 2010 despite a worse record, but they have added some nice pieces and the young players are learning the pro game on the fly. I'm thinking Alex Anthopoulos will be very active this off-season and we could see upwards of 10 new faces standing on the third base line being introduced on Opening Day next April.

GRANGE: I guess about the same, as I thought they were going to kind of suck this season, so being .500 is kind of a bonus. Contending in 2012 seems like a long shot, based as much on the division as anything else. It might take to 2013 before the in-house talent has matured enough to really help carry the load.

DAVIDI: I think you can see more upside now. They've gotten rid of much of the roster filler and are moving forward with younger, more athletic parts. You can get a sense of what this team is going to look like in the future. Is it enough? Depends on the pitching. You can't have enough of it, and they weren't close on that front this year. That's how they get better.

WILNER: Probably a little more. I didn't think that Drabek and Snider would take such big steps back, but I also didn't see Rasmus or Alvarez coming, or Thames emerging.

I don't think the Jays have a terrific shot at contending next season as currently constructed, but it's not about contending next season. You can't rush the timetable. Players will improve at their own rates.

They could absolutely pull a 2008 Tampa Bay Rays and win the A.L. East next year if everything comes together-the talent is unquestionably there. They could take a shot and fall just short, or they could be a .500 team again. But there's no doubt that the talent is there, it can just take a while to percolate.