Toronto Blue Jays

Sometimes Jose Bautista drives in runs by hitting home runs. (He has 95 RBIs, third in the American League, going into today's games, and is tops in four-baggers.) At other times, he drives in runs--well, by running.

That was the case last night, in the bottom of the fourth, with two out and two on to Bautista against the New York Yankees. By capturing first base, he had loaded the bases for Vernon Wells, described by the Yankees' commentator as "dangerous."

As the Blue Jays continue to try and play the role of spoiler against the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees one more important date looms on the calender. That is of course next Wednesday when the calender turns to September. At that point the Blue Jays can increase their active roster to as many as forty players. No team ever adds the full fifteen and teams often only call-up a few extra players.

The Toronto Blue Jays play in the most competitive division in baseball, yet have assembled a five-man rotation, who all have potential fantasy upside. 

Let’s take a look at the candidates in order to determine the potential long-term success:

Brandon Morrow

The 17-strikeout game aside, Morrow has a ton of potential and might just now be scraping the surface of his ability. 

I won't link you to the article which is the basis for this article, but I will give you a brief summary:

Travis Snider is one young player who has certainly seen his fair share of ups-and-downs in his limited major league career.  After getting called up from Triple-A for the tailend of the 2008 season, and batting .301 in 24 games, he was likely thinking that he would be playing with the team the next season. 

Jed Lowrie recorded all three outs in the top of the 11th and made sure the Toronto Blue Jays wouldn’t retire a batter in the bottom.

The Boston Red Sox first baseman was playing well out of position, but with the injuries suffered to a bounty of stars, he took over the role.

Mike Lowell needed a day off and Victor Martinez needed to catch because there other three backstops are on the disabled list.

What's a home run leader gotta do to get noticed around here?

Seriously.  Who is this guy?  And why are we not making a bigger deal out of this?

Bautista, the journeyman of six different MLB franchises, currently leads the majors leagues in home runs with 38 with less than 40 games remaining.

To put that in perspective, MVP front runner Miguel Cabrera, who has single-handedly kept the Tigers in playoff contention, has 31. 

Albert Pujols has 32.

If you were a general manager and you had on your roster a player in his sixth year in the majors putting up these numbers (336 AB, 54 R, 13 HR, 40 RBI, .235 AVG, .349 OBP, and .408 SLG), what would you project for his next year?

What if you were to make him a starter on your roster and give him somewhere between 500 and 600 at-bats? 

What if that player, given more playing time, would gain more confidence in his skills, develop a better eye at the plate, and improve the consistency with his power stroke?

It was a long time coming, but according to reports, that Jays have signed their first-round pick Deck McGuire to a $2 million contract.

McGuire, who has drawn comparisons to Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, was a standout pitcher for Georgia Tech in college. At 6'6", 225 lbs, he already has a MLB-ready body, now it's time to harness his ability and learn some control.

As reported by Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays put both Vernon Wells and Edwin Encarnacion on waivers earlier in the week. News has come out that both of them have cleared waivers and can now be traded.

Wells comes as no surprise, given his monster contract, but Encarnacion clearing does raise questions on his future with the ball club.