2006 Finish: 87-75 (.537), 10 Games Back, AL East.

Team Statistic: The Blue Jays 87 wins in 2006 were a franchise high since they won 88 games in 1998, though they haven't finished first in the AL East since 1993 when they won the World Series ending a streak of 4-straight seasons in first place.

Noteworthy: The last three years that Roy Halladay has thrown more than 200 innings in a season, he has 19, 22 and 16 wins (an average of 19 per season).

Key additions: DH Frank Thomas (OAK), C Sal Fasano (NYY), SS Royce Clayton (CIN), INF Jason Smith, RHP Geremi Gonzalez (MIL), RHP Tomo Ohka (MIL), RHP Matt Roney (OAK), (CHC), RHP John Thomson (ATL).

Key losses: C Bengie Molina (SF), SS Luis Figueroa (SF), IF/OF Frank Catalanotto (TEX), RHP Justin Speier (LAA), LHP Ted Lilly (CHC).

Rookie Sensation: Adam Lind, OF/DH OF (read more below in Top Prospect).

Overall Strengths: This team can hit. The Jays were third in the AL with a .284 team average, 4th with a .348 OBP and 2nd with a .463 SLG%. They also have one of the top 5 starters in the league (Roy Halladay) and one of the Junior Circuits five best closers (B.J. Ryan).

Overall Weaknesses: Though they have two top pitchers, the rest of their staff is full of question marks. A.J. Burnett, Gustavo Chacin, Tomo Ohka and John Thompson all come with health questions, and with Justin Speier gone via free agency (Anaheim), who will get the ball to Ryan?

IN THE FIELD

Projected Lineup

1. Reed Johnson, LF
2. Alexis Rios, RF
3. Vernon Wells, CF
4. Frank Thomas, DH
5. Troy Glaus, 3B
6. Lyle Overbay, 1B
7. Gregg Zaun, C
8. Aaron Hill, 2B
9. Royce Clayton, SS

CATCHER: In 2006, the Blue Jays split their catching duties between the since departed Bengie Molina and this years starter, Gregg Zaun. Zaun had a career best season in 2005 hitting .251-11-61-61, numbers that he closely matched in 2006 (.272-12-40) despite the fact that he had 144 fewer ABs. No spring chicken at 35-years of age, Zaun figures to have a solid chance at his third straight season of double digit homers and a chance to eclipse 50 RBIs marking him as a solid C2 in all leagues.

FIRST BASE: 16, 19, 22. Those are Lyle Overbay’s HR totals the past three years and the main reason that he is often overlooked when 1Bs are discussed (he is the Sleeper pick below). Over the last three years he has averaged 84 RBIs a season with a .296 average, a better number than Paul Konerko (.291) or Mark Teixeira (.288). Overbay certainly isn’t in the same class as those two, but he does offer a great value considering what his cost will be on draft day.

SECOND BASE: Aaron Hill certainly doesn’t have a “big” name, but he could produce solid numbers this year from the second base position after hitting .291-6-50-70-5 in 2006. As a rookie in 2005 Hill hit .274, and since he hit .298 vs. LHP and .288 vs. RHP in 2006, the average seems to be legit. Hill also closed out 2006 in fashion hitting .310-4-19-14 in 27 games in September giving a hint at the potential he posses at the plate. Hill is certainly at the bottom of the second tier of MI, but he could be a solid value pick if you were to nab him late. Hill also played 63 games at SS last year giving him added flexibility on a fantasy roster.

THIRD BASE: The Jays brought in a hulking man to “man” 3B and in his first year with the Jays Troy Glaus delivered the power the team had hoped for (.252-38-104-105-3). However, Glaus owns a career .253 average, so his power, with 29 or more HRs in 6 of 8 seasons, comes with a price. However, don’t overlook the fact that Glaus scored 105 runs last season, the fourth highest total amongst all major league 3B. Also, Glaus played 8 games at SS in 2006, so keep an eye on what your league rules are for eligibility cause he could offer a heck of a lot if he were to qualify at the SS position.

SHORTSTOP: Royce Clayton was brought in to man SS this year, though John McDonald (.223-3-23 with 7 SBS) is around if Royce falters (the team also has Russ Adams floating around). Clayton hit .258-2-40-49-14 splitting his time between the Reds and the Nats in 2006 and offers little other than a solid glove and some speed (he has stolen at least 10 bases the past three years). None of these SS options should be a target on draft day unless you are in an AL Only league.

OUT IN THE GRASS

LEFT FIELD:  Frank Catalanotto took his .297 career average to Texas and with it, the platoon that Reed Johnson dealt with last season. Johnson easily had the best season of his career last year (.319-12-49-86-8), and while none of his numbers other than his batting average are top notch, Reed has hit at least 10 HRs with 49 RBIs in three of his four seasons. Johnson was amazing in the first half of the season hitting .365 before settling in to hit .283 over his final 66 games. Johnson did bat .323 with a .867 OPS against LHP last year, and his numbers against RHP were almost the same (.317/.869) meaning that he should be OK without a platoon mate this year. Don’t pay for .320, but if you pay for .285, you should be happy.

CENTER FIELD: Who is the best all-around CF in the American League? An argument can certainly be made for Vernon Wells who produced a huge season in 2006 (.303-32-106-91-17), one that mirrors his breakout 2003 season (.317-33-117-1118-4). However, Wells had an average of .271-26-82-80-9 in the two years in between (2004-05), so which Wells will show up in 2007? Wells also hit just .294-11-40 in the second half of the season, so it might be wise to expect his numbers to regress slightly this season. Also of note; Wells 17 SB in 2007 were the first time in his five full seasons that he stole more than 9 bases in a season.

RIGHT FIELD: Alex Rios made the all-star team last year on the strength of a tremendous first half (.330-15-53-46-9). However, right before the all-star break he fouled a ball off his leg and an infection occurred knocking him out of action for a couple of weeks. When he returned, he was a shell of his formal self (.261-2-29-22-6). However, he did set career-highs across the board with his .302-17-82-68-15 season. Don’t forget, this guy entered 2006 with just 11 HRs and 87 RBIs in 907 career ABs, so even with his injury, last years numbers represent tremendous growth.

DESIGNATED HITTER: The team signed 39-year-old Frank Thomas to be their DH the next two years. While he certainly has plenty of pop after hitting 39 HRs last year and 30 the previous two years in just 345 ABs, his age, when combined with his poor health, make his move to a team that plays half its games on turf highly suspect. In fact, Thomas is the Bust pick below because of these factors. Frank did hit .298 with 20 HRs in the second half of the year for the A’s, and his 1.00 BB/K ratio was excellent, so there is a chance that as long as he stays on the field he could produce another strong season. However, Frank has played less than 80 games in three of the past six seasons.