Blue Jays insider report

— -- General manager J.P. Ricciardi made it quite clear to the Blue Jays that he was intent on staying in Toronto to oversee the rebuilding of the franchise. The organization rewarded him this offseason with a contract extension. A disciple of the Billy Beane approach to forming a successful organization, Riccardi spent the 2002 season shedding payroll from the major league club. Now his task is to reload a farm system that has seen top talent like Vernon Wells, Josh Phelps and Orlando Hudson make an impact in Toronto over the past two seasons. The Blue Jays finished the 2000 season fifth among major league organizations with a .530 winning percentage (374-332). In a span of just two seasons, Toronto fell to 19th in the rankings. Record wise, the Tennessee Smokies had an average season in the Double-A Southern League (69-71), but the bulk of the success in the minors took place in the shortseason Class A New York-Penn League where Auburn finished 18 games over .500. The organization struggled as a whole in all facets of the game in 2002. Toronto's six minor league affiliates owned just a combined .263 batting average and a 4.18 ERA. Tennessee was last in the Southern Division with a 4.48 ERA and the Dunedin Blue Jays were second-to-last in the Class A Florida State League with a 4.25 mark. Two bright spots for the Smokies' pitching staff were right-hander Vinny Chulk and lefty Diego Markwell, who combined for 26 of the team's wins. Former first-round pick Alexis Rios (1999) had a breakout season in the Florida State League, hitting .305 with 22 doubles and 61 RBI. Right-hander Francisco Rosario was solid in his full professional season, but will miss the 2003 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in October. Ricciardi's Blue Jays finished the second half of the 2002 campaign 12 games over .500 after a dismal start. The biggest question is whether or not Toronto's younger players can help the parent club get over the hump in 2003. Organizational Record: 341-369 (.480). Rank: 19th Players who could contribute in 2003
Kevin Cash, C: The emergence of Cash behind the plate has allowed the Blue Jays to shift Josh Phelps to either first base or DH and move Jayson Werth to the outfield. Between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Syracuse in 2002, Cash gunned down 43 percent (39-of-90) of would-be basestealers. He was charged with just 13 passed balls -- as opposed to 18 the previous season -- and committed only seven errors. The 25-year-old struggled with the bat, hitting just .225 combined last season, 35 points below his career average. The right-handed-hitting Cash knocked in 70 runs between the two leagues and was leading the Southern League with 44 RBI at the time of his early June promotion. Cash's game-calling skills need some more work and are the final piece to his defensive puzzle. Entering just his fourth season as a full-time catcher, those skills will become better refined with more experience behind the plate. Dominic Rich, 2B: Rich gets on base and seldomly strikes out, exemplifying what Ricciardi is looking for in a ball player. The 23-year-old owns a career .397 on-base percentage, has hit .298 since being drafted in the second round back in 2000 and has drawn 160 walks with only 159 strikeouts. Rich opened the 2002 season in the Class A Florida State League and made the jump to Tennessee in the Double-A Southern League in mid-July. The Pennsylvania native led the organization with a combined .326 average. He also had 20 doubles, 86 runs scored and 64 RBI. Based on his performance in 2002, Rich could get a look in Toronto at second base, but only if Orlando Hudson falters. Jayson Werth, OF: Ever since acquiring the former first-round pick from Baltimore back in October of 2000, the Blue Jays have been hoping to resurrect Werth's potential. With a talent-depleted outfield in Toronto, Werth enters spring training vying for a starting job. In his first-ever season at the Triple-A level in 2002, Werth matched his career-high with 18 homers and drove in a career-best 82 runs. The 23-year-old came out of the gate hitting .275 with four homers and 22 RBI after his first 26 games. The 6-5 Werth has above-average power and owns a career .371 on-base percentage in the minor leagues. However, his swing has some holes in it and his ability to make adjustments will determine whether or not he hits 20 home runs a year or more. Pascual Coco, RHP: It has been a roller coaster three seasons for the 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic. At the conclusion of 2000, Coco was considered the top arm in the organization after posting a 12-7 record and a 3.76 ERA in over 167 innings at Double-A Tennessee. A year later, Coco had trouble making the jump to Triple-A as a starter and was told his best route to the big leagues was as a reliever. So Coco began the 2002 campaign working out of the bullpen and made his first seven appearances as a reliever, allowing seven earned runs in 10 1/3 innings. With the big club riddled by injuries to its pitching staff, the Blue Jays were forced to delve into their farm system early in 2002, a scenario that allowed Coco to return his more natural role as a starter. However, the struggles continued for Coco as he went 4-9 with a 4.98 ERA at the Triple-A level. Mainly a two-pitch pitcher (fastball-palmball), Coco is working on a breaking pitch that would help him become more of an effective starter. Vinny Chulk, RHP: Chulk became more prominent on the Blue Jays' radar screen last season when he led the Double-A Southern League with 13 wins and a 2.96 ERA, capturing the league's Most Outstanding Pitcher award. He went 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA during a 12-game stretch, May 10-July 19. Chulk uses three different arm angles. His fastball sits in the 91-94 mph range with tremendous sink when thrown from the three-quarters position. The 24-year-old Chulk has improved the command on his slider and his changeup and mixes all three of his pitches well. Even with 257 strikeouts in 309 career minor league innings, the Blue Jays do not foresee Chulk as a strikeout pitcher in the majors. Top lower level prospect
Dustin McGowan, RHP: Only 20-years-old, the 6-3 McGowan has the best fastball in the organization and has assumed the role as the organization's top pitching prospect. Armed with a heavy heater that rides anywhere between 92 and 97 mph, McGowan led the lower level Class A South Atlantic League with 163 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings for Charleston-WV in 2002. Over his three-year career, McGowan has become more consistent with the command of his fastball. A supplemental first-round pick for the loss of Graeme Lloyd back in 2000, McGowan has a power curve with an 11-7 break. He continues to work on his changeup and went 11-10 with a 4.19 ERA in 2002, his first full season of professional ball. McGowan did not dominate his competition last year and struggled with the consistency of his delivery throughout. Like all young pitchers, the Georgia native will improve with the more innings he pitches. He will get a heavy dose in the Florida State League in 2003.