Predicting Blue Jays' Opening Day roster
TORONTO -- The start of Spring Training is almost here and it's time for the annual tradition of predicting the Blue Jays' 25-man roster. MLB.com will revisit these projections midway through camp, and then again at the end of Spring Training to see how close we came with manager Charlie
TORONTO -- The start of Spring Training is almost here and it's time for the annual tradition of predicting the Blue Jays' 25-man roster. MLB.com will revisit these projections midway through camp, and then again at the end of Spring Training to see how close we came with manager Charlie Montoyo's first Blue Jays squad:
Catcher (2):
Jansen is competing with
First base (2):
No changes from last season. Smoak returns as the undisputed starter, while Morales will open as the club's designated hitter and occasional starter at first. It's worth noting that both players are eligible for free agency at the end of the year.
Second base (1):
Travis should start the season at second, but he'll need a strong first couple of weeks to maintain his playing time. When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gets promoted,
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Third base (1): Drury
Drury is expected to spend the first couple of weeks as Toronto's starting third baseman, but all bets are off after that. The long-term job belongs to Guerrero, which likely means Drury either becomes a regular second baseman or returns to his roots as a super-utility player.
Shortstop (1):
Galvis should split playing time with
Outfield (4):
Hernandez and McKinney will compete for playing time in left, while Pillar returns as the starter in center and Grichuk is the man in right. If the Blue Jays opt to send one of Hernandez or McKinney to the Minors, it would open the door for
Utility (1): Gurriel
Gurriel is going to see a lot of time at shortstop, but he might also be used at second, third or possibly even a corner-outfield spot. Gurriel's never really had a permanent position before, but his versatility bodes well for his career. He's going to be an everyday player, but the position might keep changing.
Starting pitcher (5):
The only real question is whether Stroman, Sanchez and Shoemaker will be healthy at the start of the season and whether Richard can hold off a large group of candidates for the final spot in the rotation.
Relief pitcher (8):
This is one area of the roster where the Blue Jays likely aren't done adding. Last spring, Toronto added a trio of veterans --
Here's the breakdown for Round 1 of MLB.com's 25-man roster projections:
CATCHERS
Danny Jansen
Luke Maile
INFIELDERS
Justin Smoak
Devon Travis
Freddy Galvis
Brandon Drury
Kendrys Morales
OUTFIELDERS
Kevin Pillar
Randal Grichuk
Teoscar Hernandez
Billy McKinney
UTILITY PLAYERS
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
STARTING PITCHERS
Marcus Stroman
Aaron Sanchez
Ryan Borucki
Matt Shoemaker
Clayton Richard
RELIEF PITCHERS
Ken Giles
Ryan Tepera
Joe Biagini
Tim Mayza
David Paulino
Elvis Luciano
Jacob Waguespack
Mark Leiter Jr.
INJURED LIST
RHP David Phelps
Gregor Chisholm has covered the Blue Jays for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB and Facebook, and listen to his podcast.