Fantasy Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays 2016 Fantasy Outlook

Toronto Blue Jays 2016 Fantasy Outlook:

The Blue Jays still have a potent lineup despite the loss of Ben Revere and the injury to Devon Travis. How will their pitching staff shape up since David Price left? Will it be enough to win the AL East again? Time will tell!

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That’s great, you say, but how will that affect my fantasy team? We have you covered. Whether you play in standard leagues, deep leagues, multi-position leagues, dynasty leagues, or anything in between, we will give you the rundown on the players who will be starting at each position. We will also give you a hint of where they should be drafted.

Just in case you missed any:
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays

Toronto Blue Jays 2016 Projected Starting Lineup:

C: Russell Martin (.240, 23HR, 77RBI)
1B: Chris Colabello (.321, 15HR, 54RBI in 101 games)
2B: Ryan Goins (.250, 5HR, 45RBI)
SS: Troy Tulowitzki (.280, 17HR, 70RBI in 128 games with COL/TOR)
3B: Josh Donaldson (.297, 41HR, 123RBI)
LF: Michael Saunders (.194, 0HR, 3RBI in 31 at bats/Dalton Pompey (.223, 2HR, 6RBI, 5SB in 94 at bats)
CF: Kevin Pillar (.278, 12HR, 56RBI, 25SB)
RF: Jose Bautista (.250, 40HR, 114RBI)
DH: Edwin Encarnacion (.277, 39HR, 111RBI)

Martin set a career high in home runs in his first year at the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre. His average dipped after setting a career high in 2014, but catchers that hit 20 home runs are hard to come by. Martin isn’t much of a health risk, and he can mash. He will be a top five fantasy catcher again this year.

Colabello was a pleasant surprise for the Jays last year. He also lets them use Encarnacion primarily at DH. I wouldn’t bet on Colabello hitting over .300 again this year, but 20 homers is not out of the question. He is a fringe standard league starter because of his potential to hit for a good average. He should be owned in all leagues of 12 or more teams.

Goins is on borrowed time. He is only worth a look in deep leagues to start the year, but he will be droppable by the beginning of May. That is likely when Devon Travis (.304, 8HR, 35RBI in 62 games) will be back. When Travis gets back, the job is his. Travis would be a good stash pick late in your standard league draft. He will help when healthy.

Tulowitzki only hit .239 after he was dealt to the Blue Jays last year. Moving him out of Colorado hurt his fantasy production. He will still score and drive in runs, and he has 20 homer potential in this park, but his days of hitting .300 are over. There is a lot of youth at the top of the SS rankings. Tulo is still a standard league option, but he is not among the elite. If you can snag him in the 9th or 10th round, he should provide good value.

Donaldson, the reigning AL MVP, has a chance to duplicate those numbers again. He is hitting in the middle of a loaded lineup, and is in his prime. He will go first in some drafts, and I have a hard time arguing against that. I will be shocked if he falls past the fourth slot in any non-points league.

The departure of Ben Revere leaves a bit of a hole in the Blue Jays lineup. The Jays thought enough of Saunders to bring him in last year, and Pompey was decent in limited action last year. The winner of this battle may bat leadoff for the Jays. If they do, they are worth a late pick in any league just for the large number of runs scored.

If Pillar wins the leadoff role, his value will go even higher. He was an underrated fantasy player for most of last season, and is a serious threat for a 15/30 season with a good average. That make him worthy of a shot in the tenth round or so of standard leagues. If he falls that far in my drafts, he is mine!

Bautista’s average wasn’t that great last year, but he still hit 40 home runs. Not many players did. Joey Bats is still worthy of a late first or early second round pick this year.

Edwin did better when he didn’t play the field. He can concentrate on his hitting once again, and will be taken about where Bautista is. Maybe a few slots later since there is more depth at first base.

Next: How Will The Rotation Shape Up?

Toronto Blue Jays 2016 projected pitching rotation:

Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 18K in four starts)
Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 131K)
R.A. Dickey (11-11, 3.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 126K)
J.A. Happ (11-8, 3.61 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 151K)
Jesse Chavez (7-15, 4.18 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 136K with Oakland)
Roberto Osuna (1-6, 2.58 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 75K in 69.2 IP, 20/23 saves)

Stroman was brilliant down the stretch, but he did struggle in the playoffs. Expect somewhere in between for the upcoming season. He likely won’t hit 200 strikeouts, but the win potential is high and he should have good peripheral numbers. He is a good middle of the fantasy rotation pitcher with the potential to be a low end number two.

Estrada had a breakout year in what is likely the best hitting division in baseball. His peripheral numbers actually show that he might have been better than the stats say he was. The only question that I have is whether he can do it again. He may get close. Estrada is a solid number two or three fantasy pitcher.

Dickey is probably best used as a spot starter in standard leagues. As with all knuckleballers, he is prone to bad outings. He doesn’t rack up a lot of strikeouts, and his ERA and WHIP are average.

Happ had his best year in the major leagues last year as well. He actually led the Blue Jays in strikeouts, and should put up similar numbers this year. His WHIP is a little high, but he is not a bad option to round out your standard league rotation.

Chavez struggled with Oakland last year, and I wouldn’t touch him in the A.L. East. No way. There is a chance that 25 year old Drew Hutchison (13-5, 5.57 ERA) could win the fifth starter’s job. He showed flashes of brilliance last year. If he can put things together, he can be a solid starter for the Jays. I wouldn’t use him as more than a spot starter in anything outside of deep leagues though.

Osuna helped stabilize the back of the bullpen last year, and should be able to do so once again. He is a good middle tier closer with the potential to jump into the top ten because of all of the opportunities he should get.

Next: What Prospects Are Worth Watching?

We will take a look at a few prospects that could crack the majors for the Blue Jays this year, and in what type of leagues you should be looking for them in. Let’s get started!

The Jays pillaged their farm system for last year’s run. It’s not like they are devoid of talent, but they do lack major league ready talent. There is likely no one in the Jays’ top 25 prospects that will be in the majors this year.

Andy Burns, INF: Burns will likely be called up if the Jays get hit with a rash of injuries. He is mostly a defensive player, but he did hit .293 at AAA Buffalo last year. He could help in deep leagues if he gets enough playing time.

Dwight Smith, OF: Does the name sound familiar? It should. Smith’s father spent eight years in the major leagues. Those of us older people will remember the hype surrounding the Cubs and the Jerome Walton/Dwight Smith debate of 1989. The younger Smith’s natural position is left field, which may be a sore spot for the Blue Jays if Saunders or Pompey can’t succeed in the majors. If Smith gets the chance, he could be a solid source of steals in deep leagues.

Next: Baltimore Orioles 2016 Fantasy Preview

Stay tuned for the rundown of every MLB team before Opening Day! We will also continue with DFS advice for basketball, and will have the NCAA tournament previews on the way as well!