Yesterday was hitters, today it's pitching and defense. Tomorrow? You'll have to wait and see (I predict it's our annual concession stand preview, but I've been wrong before.)

No matter what anyone else does, Seattle Mariner rookie Tom Wilhelmsen should run away with AL Comeback Player of the Year.

What? A rookie can't win that award! Yeah, that's probably true, but it shouldn't detract from your enjoyment of this classic story from former Torontonian Geoff Baker for the Seattle Times.

Do you really know baseball? Think you can out-Vegas Vegas? Throw your predictions down below and maybe you, too, could join the ranks of past winners Jdog and electric carrot. Try to get them in before Friday so you don't have any additional info, but I'm putting this up kinda late so I might still accept them after the deadline.

With the season kicking off in a few days, let's ask and answer a few questions about how the Jays offense will perform in 2011.

According to Gregor Chisolm, the Jays have announced Edwin Encarnacion as the opening day starter at third base. Jose Bautista is back to Right Field, and Juan Rivera will DH, at least to start the year.

Update: Also, almost immediately invalidating my headline, the Jays have acquired Jayson Nix from the Indians for cash considerations. Corey Patterson to the DL. Nix is terrible, but plays/has played 2nd, 3rd and corner outfield. 

Here's a potentially fun discussion point based on a Web factoid. According to today's update from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ...

Today's Date in Baseball History: March 28, 1976 - Media sources report a potential blockbuster between the Mets and Dodgers involving two future Hall of Famers. The deal would send Tom Seaver to LA in exchange for Don Sutton. Mets fans respond negatively and perhaps influence the deal. The trade is called off and Seaver will remain in New York until 1977 when he is sent to Cincinnati.

Oddly, I have no recollection of this rumor from the time -- then again, I was only nine! Sutton (155 wins at the time, 169 more yet to come) for Seaver (178 wins at the time, 132 more yet to come)? It would have made the earlier-in-the-decade "$100,000 Bobby Swap" (Bonds for Murcer) pale in comparison!

So, given that, what are the biggest trades -- that never happened -- that you remember hearing about?

For me, it's easy ...

A few big names have left, the payroll has been drastically reduced, but this is still a very, very strong club.

Please let me know your playing time forecasts for the Jays.

http://www.tangotiger.net/survey/

In his AL Central preview, Alex noted that the Minnesota Twins like to beat the stuffing out of the bad teams, especially the ones in their own division. I thought the whole subject deserved a closer look.

Loyal Bauxite Lyle McRae (lylemcr) just recently  celebrated his first anniversary here on Canada's  Place for Baseball Talk. And now, here's a new thread based on his most recent (and just 20th career!) post ...

Look at the Jays' current 40-man roster. Which players who will be on the roster on Opening Day, will no longer he a Blue Jay come Aug. 1?

Could be a trade, a release, a season-ending injury ... you tell us the circumstances, or let them remain a mystery if you prefer. So take a moment, and list your top five candidates on the 40 who will no longer be a Blue Jay by Aug. 1 ... ready? Go! (And thanks, @Lyle!)

My five are ..

Okay, gentle Bauxites, time for ANOTHER happyfuntime game of Predict the Jays '11!

This time, we're swinging for the fences with this two-part (or is it really 11-part?) question ...

1. How many home runs will the team hit in 2011?
2. Who will the Jays' top ten home run hitters be, and how many will each hit?

This is harder than you'd think. I have a top three combining for 100 and the next seven combining for 70 more. That's right, I see the Jays in 2011 hitting a monster numhber (comparatively) of homers ...

 

Forecasting playing time is fun, isn't it?

Reality check, kids....

So Matthew E got us started on predicting the playing time at third base for the 2011 Jays. Now let's take a step back (or, more accuratbely, forward and to the left) and see how Bauxites think the Jays' 162 pitcher starts this season will be divided up.

There are many options, including, but perhaps not limited to  ...

Edwin Encarnacion drills a two-run shot over the fence and Jonathan Diaz plates the winning two runs with a walk-off single in the ninth.

Phillies 6 - Blue Jays 3.  At least we can say that the Jays' bats showed the first signs of life for 2011.  Sloppy is as sloppy does.  We had more errors than hits through the 7th inning.