In the race for rotation spots, it has become increasingly clear that Marc Rzepczynski would have to pitch his was out of the competition this spring.

Cito Gaston has made it no secret that he was very impressed with the young lefty last season and the Blue Jays manager reiterated that again after Zep’s Grapefruit League debut on Thursday against the Tigers.

“I like the way he pitched for us last year,” Gaston said. “As I’ve said, his record surely didn’t show how well he pitched for us last year, but he did a good job. And, he did a great job today. Like I’ve said, when we leave, we leave with him.”

With that last statement, Cito means exactly what I said in the first paragraph. Zep would have to have a horrible spring not to make the Opening Day roster. And Gaston likes him so much, that if the Jays feel he isn’t one of the best starters, the manager said he would not mind having him in the bullpen.

Against the Tigers, Rzepczynski allowed no runs on one hit (an infield single that shortstop John McDonald nearly robbed with a diving grab and throw), and he finished with one strikeout and one walk, with 22 pitches (12 strikes).

Zep did issue a leadoff walk to Austin Jackson in the first — on four pitches, too — but he escaped the jam. The next hitter, Johnny Damon, hit a soft liner to short, where Johnny Mac gloved the ball for an out, and then quickly fired to first base to double up Jackson.

The way things currently stand, I think Rzepczynski is the leading candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation. The pitchers with the edge for the front four jobs are Ricky Romero, Shaun Marcum, Brandon Morrow, Brian Tallet and Dustin McGowan. I mention those five because each have been named by Gaston when discussing potential Opening Day starters.

DEBUTS: On the same day Roy Halladay made his debut as the ace of the Phillies, the Blue Jays brought all three prospects acquired in the Doc deal to the game against Detroit. Kyle Drabek and Brett Wallace made their Toronto debuts. Wallace went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a run scored. Drabek pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud did not play.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Gaston said of Drabek’s performance. “He was just missing just a little bit. From talking to [Jose] Molina a little bit, [pitching coach Bruce Walton] was telling me, he said he’s got good stuff. He’s firm. He just missed a little bit on certain pitches — up a little bit in the strike zone, But otherwise, his ball jumped. He was a little fired up, too.”

MOUND MOVES: The Blue Jays claimed righty Casey Fien off waivers from the Red Sox on Thursday and placed injured right-hander Scott Richmond on the 60-day DL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Richmond has been bothered with a right shoulder impingement, the same injury that dogged him down the stretch last year. The club really isn’t sure when Richmond will be able to return, but the Jays are not currently looking into surgery. As for Fien, he adds depth to the bullpen, and helps because he has player options. Toronto has a few arms in the mix for jobs who are out of options, as well as a Rule 5 pick in camp, and there is the possibility that Toronto could lose those pitchers if they do not make the Opening Day roster. Fien protects the Jays in case they face that type of situation.

CECIL SLICED: Lefty Brett Cecil, who is in the mix for a rotation job this spring, was scratched from Thursday’s game after cutting the thumb on his throwing hand. Walton said Cecil sliced the digit while cooking. Chatting with GM Alex Anthopoulos, he said Cecil can still throw, but the cut does hinder his curveball. So early in the spring, the Jays just wanted to be cautious, holding the lefty out of his two-inning appearance on Thursday. Cecil should be worked into a game in the next couple days.

BIRD FEED: Catching prospect J.P. Arencibia belted a mammoth two-run home run to break a 7-7 tie in the ninth inning, sending the Jays to a 9-7 win over Detroit. The blast — off Zach Miner — flew to left-center field and landed well up the hill over the wall. “I think this kid is going to be a legit catcher,” Gaston said. … Ray (formerly Reidier) Gonzalez made his spring debut for the Jays, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits over two innings. … Jarrett Hoffpair made an error at third base for the Jays, one day after commiting one at second. In all, Toronto has made four errors through two spring games. … Wednesday’s home run hero, Chris “The Big” Lubanski, went 0-for-3 on Thursday. … The battle for the bench spots is on. Brian Dopirak went 2-for-3 with one RBI, Randy Ruiz went 1-for-3 with one RBI, Mike McCoy went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored and a two-out bunt single (small ball!), Jeremy Reed went 1-for-3 with one RBI and Joey Gathright finished 1-for-2 with one RBI. … Travis Snider went 1-for-2 with a walk one day after striking out twice. … And, remember, we’re only two games in, so don’t read too much into any of this! There’s a lot of baseball to be played.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Throwback Thursday: Detroit manager Jim Leyland chats with Gaston

COMING UP: The Blue Jays take on the Phillies (no Doc, sorry) on Friday at Dunedin Stadium. Brandon Morrow starts for Toronto. Lance Broadway and David Purcey are also down to log two innings. Jesse Carlson, Casey Janssen and Jeremy Accardo will pitch one inning each. In a “B” game, Brad Mills will start against the Phils. Pitching prospects Zach Stewart, Chad Jenkins and Luis Perez are also scheduled to appear.

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB

TORONTO AT DETROIT
at 1:05 p.m. ET in Lakeland

BLUE JAYS (0-1)
1. Mike McCoy, 2B
2. Jeremy Reed, CF
3. Brian Dopirak, DH
4. Randy Ruiz, 1B
5. Chris Lubanski, RF
6. Jarrett Hoffpauir, 3B
7. Jose Molina, C
8. Travis Snider, LF
9. John McDonald, SS

Pitching: Marc Rzepczynski

TIGERS (1-0)
1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Magglio Ordonez, RF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Carlos Guillen, DH
6. Gerald Laird, C
7. Scott Sizemore, 2B
8. Adam Everett, SS
9. Audy Ciriaco, 3B

Pitching: Rick Porcello

~JB

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The plan wasn’t for Travis Snider to only face left-handed pitching during Wednesday’s Grapefruit League debut. That’s just the way it turned out. The first eight batters faced righty Jeremy Bonderman. Snider got lefty Nate Robertson.

It had manager Cito Gaston chuckling, recalling a similar situation years back with Shawn Green.

“I’ll never forget I had Green here one time, when he was a kid,” Gaston said, “and it seemed like every time I put him up there he was hitting against a left-hander. I thought for a while that kid probably is thinking I’m doing that intentionally.”

Making things worse, Snider finished his spring debut with two strikeouts. And the pair of punchouts included a few rough swings at pitches that tailed well outside of the strike zone and far from Snider’s swing.

Gaston said Snider needs to learn to avoid such temptation.

“The pitches he was swinging at were pitches he can’t hit,” Gaston said. “I don’t think a good hitter is going to hit those. Good hitters will probably take those — experienced hitters. I don’t believe any of them were a strike. They all were balls.

“That’s one thing that’s he’s got to work on — get a strike. If he takes those pitches, now he gets the chance to hit a fastball. Now you get a chance to hit a ball you can handle.”

Hitting lefties, along with improved plate discipline, are things that the Jays want to see from Snider this spring.

Last year, Snider hit .225 with a .275 slugging percentage and 20 strikeouts in 40 at-bats against lefties in the Majors. Now, most of Snider’s playing time was against righties, so his at-bats against left-handers was a bit sporadic. That was especially true early in the year, when he platooned with Jose Bautista in left field.

“We were just try to protect him a little bit,” Gaston said of putting Snider in a platoon last year. “Trying to build some confidence with him.”

Snider won’t receive similar treatment this year. If he is going to be on the Opening Day roster, Snider is going to play every day. But, Snider needs a strong spring to earn that right. Gaston said he would prefer to have Snider getting regular at-bats at Triple-A if it looks like he isn’t ready for an everyday role with the Jays.

“If he’s going to play every day, he’s going to have to hit some left-handers,” Gaston said. “I’m not sure we want to really platoon him. We haven’t really talked about it in-depth, but I’d almost think — at 22 years old — it’s almost better for him to go out and play [in the Minors] instead of platooning [in the Majors].”

SMALL BALL: With no outs in the first innings, Bautista and Aaron Hill successfully converted a double steal. It was an aggressive move (one that ultimately did not pay off) that provided a glimpse into the style of play Gaston hopes to be able to use during the upcoming season.

“We’re going to be aggressive in a smart way,” Gaston said. “If pitchers are going to give it to us, we’re going to take it. We’re going to do some things, some small things to try to win. We’re not going to run ourselves out of games. If we do that, then that’s just crazy.

“But, we’re going to be aggressive and we’re going to do some things that we haven’t done before, if I’ve got those kind of guys around to do it. You still have to have the right people around to do it.”

On Wednesday, Bautista led off and Hill hit second for the Blue Jays. That is unlikely to change this season and Gaston believes Bautista and Hill have the ability to do some creative things this year in order to help manufacture more runs.

“Jose knows how to get a good jump,” Gaston said. “He reads pitchers well and Aaron’s going to be aggressive. That’s two good combinations there.”

WALK THIS WAY: For all he did right last season — belting 36 homers, driving in 108 runs, starting in the All-Star Game, earning the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award and taking home a Silver Slugger — Hill has still faced some criticism for the .330 on-base percentage and 42 walks he drew in 2009. On Wednesday, Hill walked twice in his two plate appearances against Detroit. “On-base percentage, baby,” he said with a laugh.

BIRD FEED: In his spring debut, Ricky Romero logged two innings, ending with 29 pitches (17 strikes). He struck out one and gave up two hits, including a wind-aided (21 mph from left to right) solo homer in the second inning. … Lefty Dana Eveland, who is vying for a spot in the rotation or bullpen, allowed one run on two hits with two walks over two innings. … Bullpen candidate Josh Roenicke didn’t do himself any favors by giving up one run on two hits with three walks in 1 2/3 innings for the Jays. … Rule 5 pick, and bullpen candidate, Zech Zinicola pitched 1 1/3 solid innings, striking out one and giving up two hits. … Chris Lubanski, nicknamed “The Big Lubanski” by the Globe’s Rob MacLeod, belted a monster three-run homer for the Jays in the eighth inning. … Jarrett Hoffpauir made a fielding error after taking over for Hill at second base, one of three errors Toronto commited in the game. Raul Chavez and Brad Emaus were charged with the others. … The Jays’ first run of the year was scored by Vernon Wells and the first RBI came courtesy of a double from new catcher John Buck. Outfielder Jeremy Reed and shortstop Mike McCoy each had one RBI. 

COMING UP: Starting pitchers for the next four games, in order, will be Marc Rzepczynski, Brandon Morrow, Shaun Marcum and Brian Tallet. Brett Cecil and Kyle Drabek will pitch behind Rzep on Thursday. David Purcey will appear on Friday after Morrow. Robert Ray will log two innings after Marcum on Saturday. Brad Mills will start in a “B” game on Friday. All pitchers mentioned here are down to log two innings.

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB

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DETROIT AT TORONTO
at 1:05 p.m. ET in Dunedin

TIGERS (0-0)
1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Scott Sizemore, 2B
3. Ryan Raburn, RF
4. Miguel Cabrera, DH
5. Ryan Strieby, 1B
6. Wilkin Ramirez, LF
7. Brent Dlugach, 3B
8. Alex Avila, C
9. Ramon Santiago, SS

Pitching: Jeremy Bonderman

BLUE JAYS (0-0)
1. Jose Bautista, 3B
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, DH
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. John Buck, C
7. Jeremy Reed, RF
8. Alex Gonzalez, SS
9. Travis Snider, LF

Pitching: Ricky Romero

~JB

I thought it’d be fun to wear my marathon finisher’s medal today at work. Threw it around my neck in the work room for a little while, earning me a few eye rolls and groans.

Blue Jays PR man Jay Stenhouse joked that my medal was appropriately silver. You know… because I’m American… and the United States lost to Canada in the gold medal game in hockey… and, well, hardy har har.

It was all in good fun, though. That’s the type of day it was here in camp. Relaxed. It rained in the morning and it was moving day. That combination made for a brief workout before the players moved over to Dunedin Stadium.

The only real bit of news to come out of today was the fact that the Blue Jays posted the lineup for Wednesday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Tigers in Dunedin.

The first Jays lineup of 2010:

1. Jose Bautista, 3B
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, DH
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. John Buck, C
7. Jeremy Reed, RF
8. Alex Gonzalez, SS
9. Travis Snider, LF

Pitching: Ricky Romero, Dana Eveland, Josh Roenicke, and also listed for possible appearances are Willie Collazo, Merkin Valdez, Zech Zinicola, Zach Stewart and Daniel Farquhar

Players making the trip on Thursday to Lakeland to play Detroit include: Marc Rzepczynski, Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek, Zach Jackson, Chad Jenkins, Rommie Lewis, Luis Perez, Travis d’Arnaud, Matt Liuzza, J.P. Arencibia, Jose Molina, Kyle Phillips, David Cooper, Brian Dopirak, Brad Emaus, Mike McCoy, John McDonald, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Jesus Merchan, Randy Ruiz, Brett Wallace, Joey Gathright, Adam Loewen, Chris Lubanski, Travis Snider, Jeremy Reed, Jorge Padilla

WHERE’S EDWIN? Bautista has been working out at third base and is slotted into the lineup as the third baseman for Wednesday’s spring opener, but manager Cito Gaston said third baseman Edwin Encarnacion is fine. Encarnacion underwent surgery on his left wrist over the offseason and Gaston has said he did not plan on playing the third baseman until he was at 100 percent. Gaston said that Encarnacion will likely begin taking part in games on Friday.

———————————————————————————-

Q&A WITH JASON FRASOR

A couple of us scribes chatted with Blue Jays closer candidate Jason Frasor for 15 minutes this morning. We talked about the changeup that he says “changed his life” — pun likely intended — and competing for the closer’s role, among other topics. Check bluejays.com for a feature on the pitcher.

Here’s some items left on the cutting room floor:

On his changeup: “It’s a lot easier to pitch with three pitches than two. It quickly became my best offspeed pitch — no doubt about it. My slider’s not really a strikeout pitch. It’s just a third  pitch almost. But the changeup, especially going through the AL East for a sixth year, it’s nice to have that third pitch against those lineups. I got a lot of outs with it — a lot of outs with it. It was my go-to pitch, man. Whenever I needed an out, if I was ahead in the count, here it comes.”

On the bullpen: “One through seven, I think this is the best bullpen we’re going to have since I’ve been here. We don’t have a healthy B.J. [Ryan] closing it out, but I think one through seven this is as solid as it’s been. Lefties. Righties. Gregg. Accardo. Come on. I mean, who do you want to put in? Camp? Carlson? Downs?”

More on the bullpen: “We don’t have that every fifth day off with Doc, that guaranteed eight innings or nine-inning complete game. But that’s OK. That’s OK. We’ve got a couple long guys down there and that’s fine, too. That’s fine, too. We’re not going to get worn out, even if the starting guys are going five or six, because our bullpen guys are so deep.”

On closing last year: “I think the key to last year was I got off to a good start and I was confident. It was like, ‘Oh, OK. This changeup works. Then I just kind of rolled that all the way through and it didn’t really matter what role I was in. Granted, the ninth inning has a different feel — there’s no doubt about that. Anybody who says the ninth inning doesn’t have a different feel, they must be numb or something.”

Asked if he always threw so hard: “I came up as a starter. I got sliced open, elbow surgery. After surgery, it was really the first time I ever worked out. I never really worked out. I just kind of showed up and threw. I always had a good arm, but once I got moved to the bullpen… I got traded to the Dodgers and I wasn’t 6-foot-4. I wasn’t good enough to start for them. Everybody was [tall]. That’s when I gained my velocity, when I started to workout and I when I got moved to the bullpen. The velocity came.

“I was 89-92 guy as a starter and then I moved to the bullpen and all of a sudden it’s 95-96. You blow it out for one inning. And with the Dodgers I felt like I was in trouble. I felt like I was going to be released, because I was just kind of a throw in with that trade. So I was told, ‘Air it out, let it rip.’ With them, if you hit the radar gun and you make it pop, they’ll keep you around. So, let it rip. I did and I’ve been able to maintain that velocity.”

On how long he’s lasted with the Jays: “Honestly, yeah, I am surprised. I don’t know what else to say. I’m just surprised that I’ve lasted. I started out good. The middle years, where did I go? You’d think somewhere in there they [would have got rid of me]. Coming off mediocre years, you never know.”

———————————————————————————-

WHO KNEW?

Blue Jays All-Time Games Finished

1. Tom Henke 386
2. Duane Ward 266
3. Mike Timlin 175
4. Billy Koch 166
5. Jason Frasor 136

Blue Jays All-Time Games Pitched

1. Duane Ward 452
2. Tome Henke 446
3. Dave Stieb 439
4. Paul Quantrill 386
5. Jim Clancy 352
6. Jason Frasor 342

———————————————————————————-

THIS JUST IN: Gaston revealed today that Lind was given the nickname “Sleepy” last season by former Jays shortstop Marco Scutaro. For those who have been around the team, it makes complete sense. Lind often looks tired and seeing him with the hood of a sweatshirt pulled up over his head is a common sight. Gaston joked that Lind is Sleepy “until he walks up to that plate.”

CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL: Quote of the Day from the Blue Jays’ daily schedule sheet for Tuesday was, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it,” from Thomas Jefferson.

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB

Lots of live batting practice again at Blue Jays’ camp today. One pitcher to take the mound was right-hander Jason Frasor, who promptly did a number on the bat of young slugger Travis Snider.

Frasor broke Snider’s bat at the handle, but the strip of lumber remained together. Snider looked the ruined stick, shrugged and stepped back into the batter’s box. It wasn’t about to stop him from trying to belt a mammoth home run with a broken bat.

Or, not. He just wanted to stay in there to track pitches.

After coming out of the batting cage, Snider laughed when someone mentioned the broken bat.

“Hey, at this point, just making contact is a good thing, right?” he replied.

Shoot. The way Frasor pitched last year, and how he’s looked this spring, with the help of that changeup-splitter hybrid he discovered last year, making contact against the righty is definitely a good start. Frasor is now starting to really hone is location with that new pitch.

“He’s really starting to command it,” pitching coach Bruce Walton said. “Hitters are going to have to start swinging at it, because it’s going to be a strike.”

After the day’s workout, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston noted that Frasor, lefty Scott Downs and newly-signed Kevin Gregg are the only relievers who are assured jobs in the Opening Day bullpen. “The rest of it’s open,” said Gaston.

That has pretty much been the assumption to this point, but Gaston made it official. Gaston likes Josh Roenicke, Shawn Camp and Jesse Carlson, but said they need to earn their way onto the roster just like everybody else.

While discussing the bullpen, Gaston also noted that Carlson was pitching through an injury last season. The manager said the lefty had a right shoulder issue that bugged him during the year, adding that it might have played a role in Carlson’s struggles at times.

BIRD FEED: Starters for the first three Grapefruit League games will be lefty Ricky Romero, Marc Rzepczynski and Brandon Morrow, respectively. Dana Eveland and Roenicke will also appear in the opener on Wednesday, while Brett Cecil and Kyle Drabek are slated to follow Rzepczzynski on Thursday. Also on Friday, Brad Mills will start a “B” game against Philly. … For those who may have missed it, righty Dustin McGowan threw in a live BP session on Sunday. A few days earlier, Walton said McGowan was not scheduled to take part in that activity. The Jays checked with McGowan and decided to allow him to take that step.

HEADS UP! During a live batting practice session on Monday, Joey Gathright sent the first pitch he saw from Morrow slicing foul over the left field fence. The baseball headed at a frightening angle into the bullpen, where pitchers were throwing off the mounds. A few people yelled and a calm reply came from the bullpen, “Got it!” Taking a break between pitches, reliever Jeremy Accardo reached up and caught the line drive on a fly.

CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTAIL: The Quote of the Day from the daily schedule sheet on Monday read, “Life is like a train, you expect delays from time to time, but not a derailment.” — Willie Stargell. … Scott Richmond (native of North Vancouver) made a “gold” medal in honor of the USA vs. Canada gold medal game. It was tin foil, spray painted yellow (he found the paint in a maintenance shed), forged into a round medallion and hanging from a Baseball Canada lanyard. Before the end of the day, the medal had been destroyed by one of Richmond’s teammates. The pitcher also left the clubhouse wearing his Team Canada baseball hat and jersey.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
courtesy of Getty images

 

Richmond with his “gold” medal

MARATHON UPDATE: For anyone wondering, I set a new personal best on Sunday at the Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, my fourth career marathon. I finished the 26.2-mile race in 3:43:45, shaving more than 20 minutes off my previous best. In my age group (25-29), I ranked 30th out of 104. I was 280th out of 1,236 men and 346th out of 2,090 finishers overall. The course was awesome and the weather was perfect.

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB 

 

The Blue Jays headed for cover today on a very rainy and cold (relatively speaking, of course) day at the club’s complex in Florida. The soaked fields were vacated and the pitchers and hitters took to the indoor cages for the day’s live “batting practice” sessions.

I use the quotation marks because there’s no swinging when the pitchers are working off a mound in the netted tunnels. They can track the movement of various pitches, but taking a hack in there today would have been dangerous.

Pitchers scheduled to work off the mound included Shaun Marcum, Scott Downs, Jesse Carlson, Marc Rzepczynski, Brandon Morrow, Jason Frasor, Daniel Farquhar, Casey Janssen, Robert Ray, Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, Kyle Drabek, Brad Mills, Brian Tallet and Zach Jackson.

We caught up with Marcum in the clubhouse afterward and discussed his comeback from Tommy John surgery, the fact that he’s in the mix for the No. 1 starter’s job and what life is like sans Roy Halladay. Check bluejays.com later for more on Marcum and Romero’s bid for the Opening Day nod.

———————————————————————————-

Every Saturday from now until the end of camp, I plan on including my current predictions for the Opening Day roster. Two days into full-squad workouts, here is who I believe will be among the 25 players headed north:

PITCHERS — Starters: Ricky Romero, Shaun Marcum, Brandon Morrow, Brian Tallet, Marc Rzepczynski. Relievers: Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Shawn Camp, Jesse Carlson, Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo

POS. PLAYERS: John Buck, Jose Molina, Lyle Overbay, Aaron Hill, Alex Gonzalez, Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind, Travis Snider, Vernon Wells, Jose Bautista, John McDonald, Joey Gathright, Randy Ruiz.

———————————————————————————-

EXCHANGE OF THE DAY:

Gregg: “How’d it go?”

Downs: “It went.”

Gregg: “Strike ’em all out?”

Downs: “No. I gave up a homer to Lind.”

———————————————————————————-

TAKING A DAY: I will not be in camp covering the Blue Jays on Sunday. I am running the Tampa Marathon (my fourth career 26.2) in the morning and will be using the rest of the day to rest up. I’ll be back limping around camp on Monday. MLB.com reporter Anthony Dicomo will be filling in for me while I am gone.

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB

Back from the Dominican Republic, Blue Jays general manager was back in camp today with plenty other members of The Brass. Anthopoulos watched some batting practice and headed out to the fields to monitor the pitchers.

In between, AA took some time to chat with the media and he talked about visiting the Blue Jays’ new baseball academy in the D.R. and scouting some young players who will be eligible to be signed later this summer.

“Did you come back with any cigars?” one reporter asked. “Do you like Cubans?”

The group laughed and Anthopoulos knew the questions were less about whether he’d be firing one up with Jays president Paul Beeston and more about the other players he reportedly scouted while on the island. The Jays have been linked to Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz and might have interest in Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria.

“Without getting specific on players,” Anthopoulos replied, “we’re trying to be as aggressive as we can and really explore every player that’s out there — at least doing our homework and doing our due dilligence and making sure we’re scouting these players, evaluating them, getting to know them a little bit. And, obviously, finding what the price points are and if they line up with how we evaluate the player.

“That being said, are we going to see every international player? Probably not. But, that’s something that I just sat down with Marco [Paddy, director of Latin American operations] last week and we’re trying to devise a plan of, ‘How can we do our best to see as many of these players as we can?

“We’re trying to maybe be a little more aggressive and scout a little bit harder than we may have in the past.”

Highlights from the discussion with Anthopoulos:

• The Blue Jays have plenty of money to spend on international free agents, if it makes sense and if the value the club places on the player is in line with the asking price. The money set aside for such signings does not take away from the pool of funds available for the upcoming First-Year Player Draft.
• In terms of his drafting philosophy, Anthopoulos said he wants to target high impact, high ceiling players. Whether they are college or high school stars does not matter. He is not opposed to taking risks and he said he’d rather have two picks reach the Majors as high-impact players than five who reach the Majors as average players.
• Anthopoulos said that drafting approach means the Jays will continue to stick with the best-available player style. Toronto will not select players based on team needs. Anthopoulos is excited about the potential to “beef up” the farm system this year, when they have nine picks in the first three rounds.
• Right now, Anthopoulos does not see Brett Wallace making the Opening Day roster. The Jays want him to receive regular at-bats and also to have lots of playing time at first base. Wallace is making the move to first from third. Along the same lines, Kyle Drabek might have a great spring, but the Jays don’t want to rush his development.
• Anthopoulos does not see a scenario in which Brandon Morrow would wind up in the bullpen. That could change way down the road, but Morrow is a starter — whether with the Jays or in the Minors. That said, while nothing is guaranteed, Anthopoulos said he expects Morrow to make the rotation. He has a job to lose.
• The news about Dustin McGowan continues to be good, but Anthopoulos is sticking with a “cautiously optimistic” approach. He cited Casey Janssen, who had no restictions last spring, but ran into a setback once he began pitching in games. McGowan’s biggest hurdles will come once he begins appearing in Grapefruit League contests.
• Anthopoulos said Randy Ruiz will get a good look this spring and said that he and Brian Dopirak are essentially competing against one another for a spot on the Opening Day roster. That echoes what manager Cito Gaston said on Wednesday. Ruiz arrived in camp on Thursday looking significantly trimmer.

BIRD FEED: Beyond the arrival of Ruiz, Jose Bautista also showed up in camp on Thursday for the Blue Jays. Right now, Bautista looks like the favorite to win the right field job and to bat leadoff for the Jays. … The only notable no-show so far is shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Position players are not required to be in camp until Friday, when the first official full-squad workout is scheduled. … Gaston was not in camp with the Blue Jays on Thursday because his wife was admitted to a local hospital. She underwent an apendectomy. Gaston is expected to be back in camp on Friday.

QUOTABLE: “I think with him, it’s just too early to tell. We’re so early in the process. I mean, if we get to that point that we start talking about an innings cap, I think that’s great news for us. That’d be a great problem to have.” –Anthopoulos, asked if McGowan might face an innings limit this season

CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL: The daily workout sheet’s “Quote of the Day” for Thursday was, “A sense of humor is needed to be a successful manager (and a good bullpen). — Whitey Herzog”

PHOTO OF THE DAY:

Blue Jays pitching coach Bruce Walton, braving the Florida tundra

That’s it for today. I have to go pick up Mrs. MLBastian and MLBastian Jr. from the airport. Catch you from the yard tomorrow…

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB

He was in the batting cage taking swings and he was in the outfield shagging flies. He was joking around and smiling and looked a bit trimmer, even if he said he actually reduced his offseason workload. Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells arrived to camp.

One question entering camp was, “Who would replace Doc Halladay as the clear team leader?”

Over the past few years, Wells has been a clubhouse leader — there is no question about that. But, he even admitted on Wednesday that he felt like the team was only “partly” his because Halladay obviously filled the leadership role. Now, as Wells arrives in camp as the longest-tenured Jay, things are different.

Since we’ve been down here, it’s been clear that Aaron Hill has been ready and willing to step up as a leader for this young group. Manager Cito Gaston said Hill is willing to be vocal, if needed, and he’s even had the younger guys in full uniform before it’s required. That, and Hill’s comments to the media have already shown his feelings on this group.

“I hope these guys know what kind of opportunity they have,” Hill told me on Thursday. “If I’m seeing it, I just hope that they see it. I love seeing guys really get after it and fight for it. I hate seeing young guys, or anybody, that just expects to be given something. You should always work for whatever it is — not just baseball.

“I want to see the edge, the fire in these guys’ eyes, to get out there and just kick some butt.”

Asked whether he or Hill were going to be the team’s leader, Wells smiled.

“I’ve got him on that one,” Wells said. “It’s weird. It’s one of the first times that I’ve felt like this is my team.”

The reality is that there is plenty of room for both Wells and Hill to become veteran voices in the room for the Jays, and that is a great thing for the ballclub. With so many young players, Toronto needs some guys to fill the lead-by-example void created by Doc’s departure.

Wells did have more to say…

On general manager Alex Anthopoulos: “I think he’s been amazing. To come in and make the kind of changes he made in your first year as the GM is impressive. He’s got a direction that he wants to take this organization in and I think everybody is on board with it and everybody is looking forward to it. It’s an exciting time, even though there could be a step backwards at certain points.”

On whether the Jays are rebuilding: “I think ‘retooling’ is a better word. We’ve got guys that are close. We’ve got some young arms that got some experience last year and it’s a period of getting to where we need to be. Whether that’s now or next year, we’re building toward something. We’re building toward an organization that can be strong for years instead of a year or two.”

On working out less over the winter: “I gave my old body a chance to reover over the offseason. I did some working out, but I think now it’s just a matter of gearing up for April. I think over the last couple of offseasons I’ve been gearing up for February and kind of wearing down.”

On suggestions that his defense has declined: “I don’t know. Apparently there’s mathematics that can go along with catching a fly ball or something. I don’t know. I just say ask the pitchers that are on the mound and ask the guys that are hitting in the box and they’ll answer that question for you.”

On his wrist problems: “The real pain didn’t really come until about three weeks in the offseason. Once the cortisone shots and the anti-inflammatories were out of my system, it hurt to turn a wheel. So I said, ‘I should probably get this looked at again. They went in and looked at it and said, ‘Let’s get it cleaned out.’ I saw the before and after images and it was pretty neat. I got to see the inside of my wrist and it looks normal again.

“There was just fraying and it was inflamed. It was pretty ugly. I don’t know. I learned some different things about the wrist and tendons and everything else that goes along in there. I’m a little smarter because of it and it’s taken the slice out of my golf swing, so that’s good.”

On the team’s expectations for 2010: “We’ve got guys that can play. I think it’s been lost obviously with what the Yankees have been able to do, what the Red Sox have been able to do, what the Rays have been able to do in our division. We’re not going to put any limitations or expectations on what we’re going to do. We’re going to go out and play hard and at the end of the day just look at ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘You know what? We did what we could to help this team win today,’ and move forward.”

On late-season clubhouse issues: “I think a lot of things kind of got blown out of proportion with that. It’s a family. Youre around guys for almost 200 days including Spring Training and you’re going to have issues regardless of who it is. You deal with them in-house and unfortunately this got out, but I don’t think it was any bigger than anything else that goes on in any other clubhouses.”

On losing Roy Halladay: “It’ll be different. It’ll be different playing in center field and every fifth day not seeing No. 32 on the mound. But, to be honest with you, those were boring days for me. I didn’t do much in the outfield. I’d yell at him sometimes, but he wouldn’t hear me.”

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GUESS THAT BLUE JAY:

Which player is wearing these custom-made shoes?

ANSWER AT BOTTOM OF POST

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BIRD FEED: That picture right there is the precise moment when Gaston approached Adam Lind to discuss where the young designated hitter will hit in the batting order this season. Gaston has decided to keep Lind in the No. 3 spot. As the manager told reporters, he told Lind, “Why mess with it?” Gaston also talked to Hill about keeping the second baseman in the No. 2 hole for 2010. Gaston said, “Hill is a great kid. He said, ‘I’ll hit anywhere, even sixth if you want.” … Gaston said he will not play Wells or third baseman Edwin Encarnacion in a game until he is absolutely certain that are 100-percent recovered from the wrist surgeries they had over the winter. … Anthopoulos has been in the Dominican Republic this week scouting different players. The Jays watched Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz workout and the free agent is expected to make a decision about where to sign in the coming days. … Pitchers threw bullpen sessions on Wednesday and Gaston was impressed with what he saw from righty Dustin McGowan, who hasn’t pitched in a game since July 2008 due to health woes. If McGowan proves to be a legit contender for the rotation? “That’d be a great, great surprise for us,” Gaston said. … Gaston noted that Randy Ruiz (not in camp yet) and Brian Dopirak were definitely in the mix for a 1B/DH role with the Jays. If one made the team, they could be used as a DH on days when Lind played left field or at first base if Lyle Overbay needed a day off. Gaston said Ruiz and Dopirak’s chances of making the team would drastically improve if the Jays felt outfielder Travis Snider needed more time in the Minors to open the year. That would necessitate moving Lind back to LF regularly. … Gaston noted that Toronto will most likely open the year with 12 pitchers and 13 position players, which has become the common breakdown for MLB clubs these days.

GARFOOSE SIGHTING: Blue Jays reliever Dirk Hayhurst, who has been banished to the disabled list with a bum right shoulder, emerged from the training room and showed off his upcoming book to reporters today. “The Bullpen Gospels” hits book stores on March 30 and is definitely worth a read. I read it over the offseason and enjoyed it. I wouldn’t keep mentioning it if I thought it wasn’t good. I swear.

QUOTEABLE: “I think they’re capable of doing it. Expected to do it? No, I wouldn’t put that on them. I think they’re going to get pitched differently. They’re certainly going to get a lot of respect.” Gaston, asked if Hill and Lind are expected to repeat last year’s performances

CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL: The daily workout schedule sheet once again include a “Quote of the Day” for players to ponder as they headed out to the fields for practice. Today’s quote: “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.”

ANSWER: The shoes belong to none other than Adam Lind. He said they were made for him for the All-Star Game, which he had a chance to attend last year as a Final Vote candidate. Lind did not wind up winning the vote, but he received the cool kicks anyway.

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB

The only thing missing from the Blue Jays’ clubhouse here at The Mattick today was a few tumbleweeds drifting through. Today was Physicals Day. With the medicals being held off-site, that meant few players made the trek to camp.

The official reporting date was Saturday and the first official workout is Monday. As a result, Sunday turns into an unofficial day off for the players. When I did my first walk-through this morning, every chair in the clubhouse was pushed neatly up against its corresponding locker. Not one had been moved.

Cue the crickets.

A few players did show up, though. Some coaches wandered through and John McDonald strolled in with Jeremy Reed and the pair played some catch. Jose Molina, Raul Chavez and John Buck made appearances.

And, Kevin Gregg showed up for the first time.

Gregg would love nothing more than to head north with the Blue Jays as the primary closer. That said, nothing is guaranteed and he knows he is competing against Scott Downs and Jason Frasor for the job. Gregg also knows that having three pitchers who can fill that role is only a good thing for the Jays.

“Whatever role we all end up in, you’re making that bullpen pretty deep,” Gregg said. “Looking at the starters and seeing these guys are pretty young, with what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished, it allows us to shorten the game. We’re not going to have to push those guys and try to get them into the seventh and eighth inning.

“When you’ve got three guys that can close the door at the back end, it really helps out the starters and their situation, too. It let’s everybody grow.”

If it were my decision, I’d say throw Frasor in the closer’s role and let him run with it, especially with how he pitched last year. But, if Gregg has a decent spring, I think the job is his. He has 84 career saves. Downs and Frasor combined have 48. If it’s an even match, I think experience will prevail in this race.

Then again, if the Jays want to float Downs or Frasor at the Trade Deadline, having one of them open as the closer could increase their potential market value. So maybe Frasor wins the job after all.

Who’s your closer?

For complete Blue Jays coverage this spring, make sure you’re reading bluejays.com and following me on Twitter at @MLBastian. You can also find spring photos on TwitPic.com.

~JB