Some games were closer than others, but all the boyz on the farm made us proud on Friday evening. Las Vegas was a winner and so was Lansing, both squeaking in runs in the late innings. The D-Jays behind some great pitching put the shut out hurt on cross town rival Clearwater while New Hampshire put their second win in the books for a good start to their defence of last year's Eastern League Championship.

It is a rare, perhaps unprecedented, occasion when the minor leaguers share opening day with the major league squad. Three of the Blue Jays four full-season affiliates  played official games tonight, while the Lansing Lugnuts participated in their annual Crosstown Showdown exhibition against the Michigan State Spartans. In was a good night all around on the farm for everyone except the 51's pitching staff.

Unusually this year the Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates start their seasons on the same day.  All four full season affiliates are in action but the game counts for just three of them.  The Lugnuts play their traditional pre-season game against the Michigan State Spartans, a game that is a bigger deal in Lansing than the home opener.  This game is the real home opener for the Luggies, in the minds of the Lansing residents.  I believe it's also the first $2 thirsty Thursday so the college students can fill up on cheap beer.

It's baseball time - for realsies. We kick off the 2012 baseball season with our first Advance Scout. What lies ahead? Mystery? Danger? Suspense? Romance? Baseball?

Mostly baseball.

On, to the Advance Scout!

BASEBAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

...was the general mood last night as Anders, Thomas, and I convened to talk opening day, AL East, and the back end of the rotation.

Subscribe here. Listen here.

On Monday we took a look at the offense; on Tuesday the defense. Today we bring it all together.

Also, this is your last chance to enter a record prediction and a playing time prediction.

Lastly/elsewhere, the Jays rank as the number nine franchise in baseball, per Fangraphs' annual offseason exercise. Our own Marc Hulet wrote the piece.

Yesterday we looked at the offense. Today we look at pitching and defense. Feel free to chime in in the comments.

(Note: these comments were mostly made in advance of today's Cecil-related news.)

Over the winter the Jays were looking for another starting pitcher to add to their rotation.  Now we know why.

Brett Cecil has been optioned to AA after his bad start yesterday.

Kyle Drabek will be the #5 starter.

Aaron Laffey has been sent down to Las Vegas.

Joel Carreno has been recalled from AA and will start game 3 for the Jays.

The San Francisco Giants have worked out a new contract for All-Star RHSP Matt Cain that will make him the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in baseball history.

Cain, who is set to earn about $15 million in the last year of his contract, will receive a five-year extension for a guaranteed $112.5 million, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

So today's Question of the Day: Forget baseball history, that's too big. What currently active right-handed starting pitchers deserve to be earning more money than Matt Cain?

I'll start the bidding at "Duh" ... Roy Halladay. Next?

ESPN has just released its initial MLB power rankings for 2012. No real surprises at the top -- Yankees, Rangers, Angels and Tigers are the top four. The highest-ranked NL team is the D-Backs at #7, with the Phillies, Cardinals, Giants and Marlins following directly behind, all just a noodge ahead of your #12 Blue Jays.  The Rays are #5 and the Red Sox are #6, so 12th in MLB translates here to fourth in the AL East. Bringing up the rear at #30 are your (dreadful?) Houston Astros. Let's go 'stros!

Who looks, to you, to be ranked too high or too low?

My take ...

We kick off our three-part Jays preview with a look at a couple of offense-related questions.

Feel free to chime in with your own opinions in the comments.

This one'll test your memory.

In case you missed it in today's Star...

 

The minor league season starts next week, around the same time as the Blue Jays start. The rosters were announced to the players this morning and Batters Box has received a copy.

Most assignments were well known: d'Arnaud, Gose, Sierra and Hechavarria to AAA. McGuire, Jenkins, Hutchison and Jimenez to AA. And Marisnick, Crouse and Knecht to Dunedin. But there are a few surprises.

Wow. At 49 he has made the Rockies rotation and will start the 2nd game of the season for them.