The Jays have 14 games left in their grapefruit league schedule. Then it is two games in Montreal before they head to New York. The games so far in spring are less meaningful than the next two weeks. Starting pitchers have been pitching two, three or four innings and a lot of innings have been thrown by minor leaguers. But over the upcoming two weeks the starters will be going five, six or seven innings and most reliever innings will be thrown by major leaguers or almost major leaguers.

Lets hope for a better March Break week than what the past week gave the home team.  Ugh.  No more injuries - lets bubble wrap the players.

Well, it's been a year. Lets see how way off we are so far...

Woohoo!  Games! Starting today.- Click here to see Gameday - live coverage of the game via MLB.com.  Jays vs Pirates to start off spring.  1:07 PM on RSN.  Pirates tomorrow at 1 as well, then the O's for 2 and Phillies for 2.  Makes one want to fly to Florida doesn't it.

A quick trip over the border this past weekend led to the acquisition of the Baseball America 2015 Prospect Handbook. There are over 900 prospect files inside, including 30 of your Toronto Blue Jays hopefuls, which can be found after the jump.


Catcher Max Pentecost — the 11th pick of the 2014 draft — is rated the Jays' 5th best prospect according to Baseball America. That places the Kennesaw State alumni second among position players in the farm system.

Pitchers and catchers reported today to the Jays camp.  March 3rd is game #1 of the spring - less than a week away.  woohoo!

The final arbitration case is done - Donaldson lost so the Jays pay him $4.3 instead of $5.75 mil which is a big relief to the bean counters I'm sure.  Estimated payroll for 2015 is now at $127.3 million, pending any other signings (via BR)

The Toronto Blue Jays had a chance to complete a four-game sweep and put another nail in the coffin of the Seattle Mariners playoff hopes on a late Thursday afternoon at The Dome. The game featured a couple of promising performances by a pair of newcomers who will be counted upon in 2015.


Lefty Daniel Norris was given his first major league start in front of the hometown faithful.

The draft order and budgets are now set with Shields signing out in San Diego.  It doesn't look good for the Jays and might explain why they are planning to blow the budget on international free agents.

The Box was there.

The Blue Jays swapped left-handed pitchers with Colorado on Wednesday, sending Tyler Ybarra to the Rockies organization in exchange for Jayson Aquino.


Newest Blue Jays acquisition Jayson Aquino pitched for the Tri-City Dust Devils at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver in 2013.

Quite days right now as spring approaches and groundhogs become popular for a day.  4 Jays made the MLB Top 100 Prospect list.  2 Ex-Jays did as well.

It's January, it's probably cold out, let's talk some baseball...

2015 will be my twelfth year of minor league coverage for Batters Box. 2004, when it all started, seems like a long time ago, and in many ways it was. I remember the trip that got it all started. In the summer of 2004 Robert Dudek and I headed to Buffalo to see the Syracuse Chiefs play. We interviewed several players on that trip, names from the past. We talked to Stubby Clapp, Russ Adams, Gabe Gross, and Jason Kerschner.

Athletics Acquire Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar, meanwhile the Rays Sign Juan Francisco.  Phew, one less team to worry about in the AL East...hopefully.