On Friday and yesterday the Jays offense, pitching and defense went under the readers microscopes. Now it is time to draw a line in the sand. How many games will the Jays win in 2006?

2005 was going to be a big year for the Syracuse Chiefs. Coming into 2005 the Jays brought in several free-agents who looked like they would help the Chiefs challenge for a division title, Chad Mottola, Bryant Nelson, Jason Alfaro and Matt Whiteside were signed to complement Jays prospects like Aaron Hill, Gabe Gross, John-Ford Griffin, Guillermo Quiroz, John Hattig, Brandon League, and Francisco Rosario. However the best laid plans of mice, men and Dick Scott came to naught as the Chiefs never really got hot in 2005 and finished eleven games back of Buffalo. The Chiefs 2006 lineup will feature many returnees and more prospects, especially pitchers, and once again the Chiefs expect to contend in 2006.

It all starts tomorrow, and Blue Jays fans are filled with an optimism not seen around these parts since... oh, about two years ago.

On Friday the Jays offense was subject to the detailed analysis of the Bauxites. Today it is the turn of the pitching and defense. Tomorrow we will feature our predictions for the Jays in 2006.

Well, 2005 wasn't as good as 2004 for our friends in Manchester. Despite moving to a new ballpark which I'm sure is much nicer than old Gill Stadium, the team did not make the playoffs as they did in 2003 (going to the finals) and in 2004 (winning the whole thing). A 68-74 finish put an end to the playoff streak.

Let's meet the key players on the 2006 team, with the assistance of Fisher Cats radio broadcaster Mike Murphy:

Over the past few months, we've been working behind the scenes to improve the Batter's Box experience for everyone. Through a software upgrade and some intensive further development, Batter's Box v3.5 makes it both easier to make comments, and easier to see the important parts of the discussion attached to a story.

The Dunedin Blue Jays are Toronto’s affiliate in the High-A Florida State League. They kick off their 2006 season on Thursday the same way they closed out the 2005 regular season; with a game against the Clearwater Threshers.

Test your prognostication skills in the 2006 Batter's Box Predictions Contest!

2003 Winner: Lucas (me)
2004 Winner: Simon
2005 Loser: Me again, because I forgot to tabulate last year’s results. I intend to have them by Tuesday when Toronto’s season begins.

On to The Contest!

It's that time of year again. The big-leaguers are ready to play for keeps, and the young prospects are itching to strut their stuff. The Batters Box minor league reporters are ready too. We welcome Pistol and Thomas Ayers to our team. We begin our coverage with previews of the 2006 seasons for each of the full-season affiliates-Lansing, Dunedin, New Hampshire and Syracuse.

This is Lansing's 2nd season as a Jay affiliate in the low A Midwest League. 2005 had its share of highlights for Lugnut fans, with the stellar pitching of Casey Janssen and the hot hitting of Chip Cannon perhaps tops among them. What can we look for in 2006? The official Lansing roster was released yesterday. Let's take a closer look.

Yesterday the Seattle Mariners claimed Guillermo Quiroz off waivers. Quiroz will be on the Mariners major league roster as a backup.

Over the last four weeks you have read previews for 29 major league teams. This is number 30, a three volume effort. Today the roster will discuss the offense. On Monday we will dissect the pitching and defense, and on Tuesday, opening day, we will share our season predictions. On to the offense.

Here's a look at the 2006 Blue Jays. Enjoy.

The Toronto Star's JABS site (Just Another Blog on Sports) is featuring a multi-part baseball bloggers' roundtable. Da Box contributed three panelists to the brain trust: Aaron, Magpie, and Pistol.

The link to the roundtable can be found here.

Opening Day is not that far away, people!

Reminder - the BBFL drafts are tonight at 9 pm EST.

Be there or be square left with a bad team.

Basically unchanged
But will that suffice in this
Improved division?

Ah, why not have one more preview saturated with senryus, those wacky haiku-style reflections that avoid the "haiku" label when they do not specifically pay homage to nature. Reader submissions, as always, are encouraged.

The Angels, in one sense, are an organization firing on all cylinders. They play winning baseball in a fan-friendly park for a supportive owner in front of teeming crowds, and their stellar minor league system keeps cranking out power arms and promising bats alike. That said, the nature of season previews is such that "big picture" hopes and fears are cast aside momentarily in order to tightly focus on the task at hand, which is to win the 2006 World Series. Do the LAA o'A have the chops to get it done?

On to the preview!