BY THOMAS HORN – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The 2012 Blue Jays are filled with a contingent of emerging young talent such as Brett Lawrie, J.P Arencibia, Eric Thames and Henderson Alvarez. All of these players were great contributors to the Blue Jays throughout the 2011 season and expect to do the same in 2012.
There is one Blue Jay that I expect more of this year, Colby Rasmus.
Have your say: Have an opinion on the news of the day? Better yet, want to join the Fan Fuel blog network? Visit the Fan Fuel page for more | Draft cap will hurt Blue Jays
Colby Rasmus reminds me a lot of Vernon Wells in some ways. He’s effortless in the outfield, has speed on the base paths, and has power in his swing. Unlike Wells, Rasmus has always been subject to extremely high expectations. Ranked the third best prospect of 2009, Rasmus entered baseball crazy St. Louis at only 22 years old.
After putting up solid numbers his rookie year, he failed to meet expectations of the organization, and after much scrutiny from his manager Tony La Russa, Rasmus was traded.
So why is now the time for Colby Rasmus?
It’s a fresh start, a smaller market, a young team, and a great city. No more trade rumours, no more expectations, and hopefully no more coaching from his father. Now is the time to take a deep breath and forget about the burdens of the past and look towards a successful future in Toronto. In other words I do not believe this is an issue of talent for Colby but simply an issue of the mentality he has when he goes up to bat.
By clearing his head, relaxing and focusing on what he’s been working on with coaches and trainers, I expect Rasmus to spread his wings and reach the high ceiling of potential that has been following him for years.
The Blue Jays have refrained from spending money this offseason and I hope fans know why. It’s the core of young talent itching to emerge and shock the baseball world, and Colby Rasmus will be at the center of that.
Have patience Jays fans, Shoeless Joe Jackson said it well in Field of Dreams – “If you build it, they will come.” When Anthopoulos is done building this core of young talent, the big names will flock to Toronto to relive the glory days.
Related read:
More Baseball: Jays fans need to relax