Mailbag: What role will Batista play?
Do you think Miguel Batista's "troubles" closing out games late in the season are enough to cost him the closing job despite how good he was earlier in the year? -- Sean M., Hamilton, Ont.The Blue Jays haven't changed their mind about their closer. As of mid-October, Batista is still Toronto's first choice to serve as relief ace next season.
The right-hander's first season as a closer brought good and bad news. The closer successfully converted 31 of 39 save opportunities, but six of the eight blown saves came after the All-Star break. Batista went 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in August and 0-3 with a 7.36 mark in September, so his "troubles" were a little bit more than a blip on the radar screen.
Still, the veteran was given a very solid vote of confidence by J.P. Ricciardi, the team's general manager. Toronto expects improvement from Batista in his second run, and if he is unable to handle the job, the Jays have a host of hard-throwing options to choose between -- including Justin Speier and Jason Frasor, and perhaps even Dustin McGowan.
The Blue Jays expect to go out and improve in a lot of areas this winter, but late relief just isn't one of them. Things could certainly change, especially if the Jays are unable to acquire a starting pitcher this winter.
Who are the free agents from the Blue Jays? -- Dylan P., Shiloh, Ohio
This one is easy. The Blue Jays didn't have any free agents until last week, when they tried to outright Frank Menechino and Ken Huckaby off the 40-man roster and down to Triple-A Syracuse. Both veterans refused the assignment, opting instead for free agency. Menechino may come back on a Minor League contract, but Huckaby's stint with Toronto appears to be over.
The Jays have six players who are eligible for arbitration, and that should be an interesting sideline to watch this winter. Shea Hillenbrand and Ted Lilly both have been eligible previously, but Scott Downs, Pete Walker, Josh Towers and Orlando Hudson will be going through the process for the first time. Only Towers and Hudson are expected to get significant raises.
Walker may not even make it to arbitration. The Jays may elect to non-tender him -- waive the right to even offer him a contract -- before the process begins. Ricciardi said he won't try that strategy with Lilly, even though the southpaw could command a $5 million payday through arbitration.
What do you think is to become of Eric Hinske? Was this his last chance with the Jays? It seems to me that after his Rookie of the Year season, he has been more of a liability than anything else. Will he be a Jay next year? -- Tim M., Windsor, Ont.
Batista may sporadically bear the brunt of Toronto's collective frustrations, but Hinske hears about his shortcomings on a daily basis. He may never live up to his first season, but he hasn't been as bad as some fans would like to believe. This year, for instance, Hinske clearly outhit Hudson, Corey Koskie and Alex Rios -- but you never hear about that at the Rogers Centre.
You can even make a case that only three Toronto regulars -- Vernon Wells, Hillenbrand and Frank Catalanotto -- had better offensive seasons than Hinske. Of course, you're talking about a team that had its share of offensive struggles, so that may not necessarily mean much.
Now, plenty of you are reading this and thinking, "Of course he outhit half the team -- he's playing at a power position." Yes, but he was playing first base for the first season, and playing it relatively well defensively. Hinske's offensive numbers were below average for American League first basemen, but for the Blue Jays, he's one of the best in-house options.Strangely enough, that Rookie of the Year season may be the worst thing that ever happened to Hinske's career. Sure, it got him name recognition, job security and a lucrative contract extension, but it also obliterated any sense of fair expectation for his future performance. Hinske may need a change of scenery to progress as a player, but it doesn't appear that he'll get one.
How are the Taiwanese pitchers (Po-Hsuan Keng and Chi-Hung Cheng) the Blue Jays signed? Will they make it to the Major Leagues? -- Andrew K., Nanaimo, B.C.
It's still a little early to tell. Both Keng and Cheng pitched for Class A Lansing this year, which places them at least three seasons away from big-league consideration.
Keng just turned 21 years old last week, and he split his first season with Lansing between starting and relief. The youngster went 5-5 with a 5.08 ERA, allowing 98 hits in less than 80 innings of work. He got hit hard but walked just 22 batters.
Cheng is eight months younger than Keng, but he fared much better. Cheng notched a 7-6 record with a 3.15 ERA as Lansing's ace, and he struck out 142 batters in just 137 innings. Only two Midwest League pitchers had more strikeouts, and both of them pitched significantly more innings.
Both Keng and Cheng likely will move up a level next year, and if Cheng continues his dominance, the Jays may think about moving him onto the fast track. For now, he'll simply continue mowing down hitters who are at least close to his age.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
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