Who's this years Edwin Encarnacion ?

[a_roid_3333]

I like Rasmus, Arencibia is going to have a BIG year. The reason I really like Colby is ofcourse his natural talent and the fact that with all the big moves this off season, and already having Bautista and EE on the roster, no ones really talking about/paying attention to Rasmus, which is to his liking

[scaramantula]

adam lind, hes finally going to get it together this year (unless he gets traded)

[2009mvp]

I wanna punch things just from reading Adam Lind's name. ****ing **** man, you can't spend 150M or whatever the number was and then go into the season with him as a key bat. Do better AA, it shouldn't be that hard.

[Twitchy]

I wanna punch things just from reading Adam Lind's name. ****ing **** man, you can't spend 150M or whatever the number was and then go into the season with him as a key bat. Do better AA, it shouldn't be that hard.

At this point just treat him like a sunk cost and move on. The Yanks are vulnerable right now and going in with Lind is just unacceptable.

[Monkefied]

My vote is for JPA to have a break out year. I made the prediction earlier in the year, only to second guess myself after Greg Zaun made the same prediction.

JPA .265/.310/.490 With 30HR's.

[scaramantula]

At this point just treat him like a sunk cost and move on. The Yanks are vulnerable right now and going in with Lind is just unacceptable.

you are right we should just give up on him, just like we did bautista and EE

[2009mvp]

^^That's the worst logic ever.

[Bob Loblaw]

you are right we should just give up on him, just like we did bautista and EE

Hill would be a better example. Not that i think Lind will revert back to 09 form though

[FlakeyFool]

you are right we should just give up on him, just like we did bautista and EE

[Kelly Gruber]

Like it or not people should get used to Lind in the 5 hole. The Jays need a LH power presence and with the line-up they have, it's smarter to see what you can get out of Lind at DH. If they have more money, then fine, go sign for or trade for an upgrade, I just don't see that happening. He's well liked within the Jays' organization and I think you guys will have something to complain about all year, and that's Lind facing RHP every day in a Blue Jays' uniform.

As a fan, of course I'd like an upgrade, but finding a LH power bat that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to acquire is no simple task, especially if AA is working with a maxed out budget.

[2009mvp]

Is Lind a power presence though? 60 HR's and a .428 SLG/.188 ISO over the last 3 seasons would kind of show otherwise. Hell, I'd probably be more confident in Rasmus in the 5 spot than him at this point, and he's been pretty awful lately too. I don't buy any of that maxed out budget stuff either, it simply shouldn't be that hard to free up a few million to chase another bat (certainly doesn't need to be LH'd, either). You've got 11M in dead weight between Buck/Lind, you've got 4.5M that may or may not actually be on the books for Oliver. You've got ~6M between Bonifacio and Rajai, one of whom would be unnecessary with the addition of a fulltime DH (assuming Maicer is your 2B). And then there's the fact that everyone involved from the top down has a ton invested in this team. You really think Rogers draws the line here if AA goes to Beeston and tells him he can pick up a middle of the order bat for another 5 or 6M to replace a guy who's been worth -0.2 wins over the past 3 years? I don't.

[Ace Drivers]

So I'm seeing a lot of Lind (former silver slugger), Rasmus (hit 23 HR's last year, 75 runs, and 75 RBI's), Lawrie (young awesome prospect)...

My point in mentioning this is that these guys have already had break out years...Rasmus with those numbers and his defence is already a top 40 guy in the AL...and like many have mentioned previously will it really surprise you if Lawrie lives up to the hype? And well its expected Romero has a bounce back year...it shouldn't surprise you.

Not one person on this forum would have predicted EE's year last year as he never really did anything close to that before...nor did Bautista.

So who will be the biggest surprise and do something no one expects...

This is actually very difficult to answer...there's not really a guy on our team who hasn't done something and if plays at the level they should then we will could 110 games.

So my surprise player of the year will be Chad Jenkins...our 6th starter. I see him winning 15 games because Ricky's gonna spend the year on the DL...if we get 25 starts out of Morrow and Johnson that will be awesome...point being the 6th starter on our team will get 25 starts due to others injuries and do very well because of it. he will 15 games because our offence is dirty!

[JaysLeafs98]

I think if Bonifacio plays every day he would be my pick. Not on the defensive side so much but if he can return to his 2011 form I think he could be outstanding in Rogers Centre. The other guys in the Marlins trade also think he is highly under-rated but i guess we'll find out.

[Ace Drivers]

Is Lind a power presence though? 60 HR's and a .428 SLG/.188 ISO over the last 3 seasons would kind of show otherwise. Hell, I'd probably be more confident in Rasmus in the 5 spot than him at this point, and he's been pretty awful lately too. I don't buy any of that maxed out budget stuff either, it simply shouldn't be that hard to free up a few million to chase another bat (certainly doesn't need to be LH'd, either). You've got 11M in dead weight between Buck/Lind, you've got 4.5M that may or may not actually be on the books for Oliver. You've got ~6M between Bonifacio and Rajai, one of whom would be unnecessary with the addition of a fulltime DH (assuming Maicer is your 2B). And then there's the fact that everyone involved from the top down has a ton invested in this team. You really think Rogers draws the line here if AA goes to Beeston and tells him he can pick up a middle of the order bat for another 5 or 6M to replace a guy who's been worth -0.2 wins over the past 3 years? I don't.

I thought this was a thread about next year's breakout/surprise player...I think there are many trade/hate Lind threads...

WHO IS YOUR PREDICTION ON THE SURPRISE PLAYER NEXT YEAR?

[Twitchy]

you are right we should just give up on him, just like we did bautista and EE

Because those situations are totally relevant.

The Jays weren't in a position to compete when Bautista was given a spot to start everyday. Ever if they were, they simply didn't have an OF capable of pushing him off the position.

E5 WAS let go, and then they brought him back because they didn't have any other options.

In Lind, he's shown absolutely nothing since 2009. You can sig quote me, make fun of me all you want if Lind has a good season, but the bottom line is the Jays simply are shooting themselves in the foot and potentially throwing away their chance to compete by using Lind as the everyday or part time 1B.

Now is not the time for mediocrity.

Like it or not people should get used to Lind in the 5 hole.

Accepting the fact that Lind is going to be the 1B and realizing that virtually every other 1B/DH in the game is a better hitter are two different things.

The Jays need a LH power presence and with the line-up they have, it's smarter to see what you can get out of Lind at DH.

And what are they going to get out of him this year that they haven't the past 3 years? Your left handed power bat has hit 246/296/428 (728 OPS, 93 OPS+) since 2010. There's a pretty good chance that Maicer Izturis outhits Lind.

And if you think I'm joking, Izturis has hit 264/327/360 (95 OPS+) since 2010. In other words, a part time middle infielder has a chance to outhit your starting 1B. Let that sink in, that the guy who might not be good enough to play 2B fulltime might out hit your 1B.

If they have more money, then fine, go sign for or trade for an upgrade, I just don't see that happening. He's well liked within the Jays' organization and I think you guys will have something to complain about all year, and that's Lind facing RHP every day in a Blue Jays' uniform.

A fairly valid complaint, when he barely hits better than a middle infielder.

As a fan, of course I'd like an upgrade, but finding a LH power bat that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to acquire is no simple task, especially if AA is working with a maxed out budget.

Nobody said they had to get a guy who costs an arm or a leg. An 800 OPS would be good enough at this point, as the odds of Lind breaking 750 are pretty damn slim.