Future Lineup?

Last week, the Blue Jays acquired a big piece that helps them toward their rebuild to a championship team. The addition of Colby Rasmus will now force a current Blue Jay to lose his job. It can be concluded that Yunel Escobar, Rasmus, Jose Bautista, Adam Lind and J.P. Arencibia have secured their spots in the lineup at SS, CF, RF, 1B and C respectively. That leaves four other spots (2B, 3B, LF and DH) with a few names to fill it out: Aaron Hill, Edwin Encarnacion, Travis Snider, Eric Thames and Brett Lawrie. Who will the Blue Jays feature at these positions next year? As it stands right now, many believe that the 2012 Blue Jays lineup will look something like:

SS Escobar

CF Rasmus

RF Bautista

1B Lind

3B Lawrie

DH Thames

C Arencibia

LF Snider

2B Hill

To an optimist, this lineup does have a lot of potential, but to a realist, this lineup raises a few questions. Let’s address some of these issues now.

Many Blue Jays fans are absolutely horrified that August 2^nd came and went and the Blue Jays did not call up Brett Lawrie. Lawrie has been tearing up AAA Las Vegas and many believe he should be up in the majors by now. Now we all know that Alex Anthopoulos is an aggressive general manager when it comes to trades and signings however, I think he is taking a conservative approach with this one. I believe the reason why Lawrie is not here is because of the recent play of Edwin Encarnacion. Since June, Encarnacion has been hitting .291 (158 ABs) with an OBP of .353 and an OPS of .885. During that time, he has hit 8 home runs along with 14 doubles. I believe these numbers have forced Anthopoulos to re-evaluate Encarnacion’s role and this might delay the call up of Lawrie until mid-August. If Encarnacion continues to have success at the DH position, not only do I think Lawrie will take away playing time from Eric Thames, but I believe we might see Encarnacion back as the DH for the 2012 season. All the Blue Jays have to do is pick up Encarnacion’s option.  

Now assuming the Blue Jays bring back Encarnacion or pick up a legitimate DH (preferably a right-handed DH), this forces a competition between Travis Snider and Eric Thames for the rights to plat leftfield. With the recent success of Thames, many are writing off Snider as a bust, even though he does have 5-tool potential. Snider has clearly shown us in his speed, range and arm and a glimpse of his fourth tool, power. Snider has had a rough ride in the major leagues. He was promoted to the big leagues one year early, where he struggled and was yo-yoed between Las Vegas and Toronto. The following year, he got off to a cold start but just as he was heating up, he injured his wrist and was placed on the disabled list for two and a half months. Upon his return, Cito Gaston wisely decided to platoon him with current Reds fourth outfielder Fred Lewis. Did I mention he was the lead off hitter when Lewis was not playing? Finally, in September, Snider started getting regular playing time and thus, started heating up, though the hitting barrage was cut short as the season came to an end. After such a tumultuous season, Snider managed to play in 82 games, and hit 14 home runs (evidence of power). It is imperative that Snider gets regular playing time for the rest of the season so the Blue Jays can better understand if Snider is truly going to be a great hitter or just a AAAA player.

Eric Thames is forcing Alex Anthopoulos to make this decision quickly. Thames got off to a great start in his second go round with big league team. However, Thames has cooled off since the All Star game and now has been dropped in the lineup since Rasmus was acquired. Thames features 2 tools at best, power and hitting for average. He is not a great defensively, possess a weak arm and is the slowest outfielder of five the Blue Jays have. Thames has what many scouts would say as ‘holes’ in his swing. Like Snider, he does strike out a lot, but unlike Snider, Thames does not have a ‘good-eye’ and will not draw a steady amount of walks. Is this the guy you want as your DH? Now at the moment, he is having a better year than Snider, but the most important question is what does the future hold for both Snider and Thames. The Blue Jays can afford to have both Snider and Thames in the lineup if Encarnacion does not return as the DH. If true, unless the Blue Jays do not acquire a power right-handed hitting second baseman, it would seem likely that Lawrie will hit fifth in the Blue Jays lineup. Question is, can Lawrie handle the pressure of hitting fifth and protecting Lind? Also, if Encarnacion continues his hot hitting, does it force Anthopoulos to trade Thames for a positional player such as a second baseman? The only way these questions can be answered is if all three Encarnacion, Thames and Snider get regular playing time at DH, LF and RF, respectively. Lawrie’s time will come and he will be the starting third baseman next year for the Toronto Blue Jays. I write this article to remind people that half a season does not make a career. By no mean am I saying that Thames is hitting over his head (though his .350 BABIP does) or saying that Encarnacion is going to be the next Jose Bautista. I am just writing this piece to inform you of a possible reason of why Lawrie is not up yet and what tough decisions face Alex Anthopoulos. I have complete faith that he will make the best decision this off-season.

Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts, I can be reached and followed at @ShakeelSalamath on twitter.