2008 Year in Review - The Bullpen 2008

The Pitchers Represent the strength of the 2008 Blue Jays. Brad Arnsberg has done a wonderful job getting all these guys to pitch to their full potential. Arnsberg is a first rate pitching coach and will remain with the Blue Jays for as long as he wants a job.

In our review we will start with the Bullpen:

49 Jeremy Accardo DL - Had a terrific 2007 and was going to be a large of the pen in 2008. Struggled in a set up role early in the year. This will be his role moving forward and we see him returning to form.
57 Shawn Camp – As a minor league free agent, this was a great pick up. His sinking fastball is tough on both righties and lefties. Depending on the Accardo situation, he may be the odd man out in ’09 but he should find a major league job based on how well he performed this year.
39 Jesse Carlson – Wow!!! Where did this guy come from and can we get another few? Great slider and extremely tough on lefties. Dominated the Rangers in an outing in June that will go down as one of the great relief efforts in Team history.
37 Scott Downs – Stellar! Tough luck with the ankle.
54 Jason Frasor – Probably won’t be brought back. If we still have options they may look to trade him as he still has value.
44 Casey Janssen – Possible Starter in 2009 – Rotator cuff injury was very disappointing.
22 Brandon League – May challenge for the closer role. Has the best Fastball in the American League.
52 B.J. Ryan – Had a solid year but not worth 12Mil.
56 Brian Tallet – Great long man and has come into his own with this club. Fell out of favor with Cito, but should be back with the club in 2009.
40 Brian Wolfe – Wolfe is a bubble guy – he has great command and the Jays will probably keep him up, but he is a perfect example of how strong this clubs pitching is and will continue to be. Every team in Baseball could find a spot for this guy. If everyone is healthy, he would be in Syracuse for the entire year.

Travis Snider is the Real Deal

So - having just watched Travis Snider crush a Kevin Slowey offering to deep centre. I am thinking the JP might have finally found a winner. True his draft results have not been amazing - Adams, Romero, - But with Purcey making a huge impact this year and bigger and better things to come. JP might be showing something of ability to pick first rounders.

Anyway back to Snider - Not since Carlos have I seen a BJ with a prettier swing. His raw poor is on a poor or atleast close to Delgado, plus his ability to hit the ball the other way is something that Delgado couldn't do at this age.

Keep swinging!

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