Ricky Romero

It was a fantastic start to the season for the Toronto Blue Jays, and it could have been even better. The Jays started off their season with a three game series against the Minnesota Twins. The Twins won the American League Central last year and had the third most wins in the AL after the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. 

The Twins are known for both their strong pitching and their consistent defensive play, but the Jays put both of those to the test with an offensive barrage in the first two games.

For the fourth time in five years, the Blue Jays played over .500 baseball.  They finished 85-77 in 2010 after a promising start.

They also flat-out pounded the ball.  Led by Jose Bautista's MLB leading 54 home runs, Toronto led the majors in dingers with 257.

The Jays traded Vernon Wells and his hefty contract to the Angels.  They then turned around and gave Bautista a five year, $65 million deal.

The Blue Jays have undergone great change the last few years and the franchise has taken on a new, fresher look for the 2011 season.

Gone are players like Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, and, from a season ago, Roy “Doc” Halladay. In their place are a younger, cheaper players who are hopefully the long-term solution for the Jays going forward.

I don't usually get angry about player's ADP, but allow me to get something off my chest: Ricky Romero is going way too late in drafts.

One of the more important aspects of drafting in fantasy sports is finding a solid “sleeper.” As most of you know, a sleeper is a player who is ranked low in the draft, but turns in gold numbers during the season.

With the fantasy baseball season rapidly approaching, and mock-draft lobbies filling up in anticipation, let’s take a look at potential pitching sleepers for this year.

Madison Bumgarner

While it's still cold out, and the ground is covered in snow wherever you are, a sure sign of better weather ahead is the start of Spring Training.  Pitchers and catchers for each team are set to report to camp on Monday, and the storylines will emerge soon after.

Jim Clancy, Doyle Alexander, Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Pat Hentgen, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay. 

Whether by accomplishment or leadership attributes, when one thinks of the all-time Toronto Blue Jays starters, they usually top anyone’s list. 

At first glance, it would appear as if the Toronto Blue Jays have had a quiet offseason.

There were no big contracts, no major deals, no guys named Greinke or Ramirez. 

In fact, they seemed to lose more players than they acquired: Scott Downs, Brian Tallet, Kevin Gregg, All-Star catcher John Buck and first baseman Lyle Overbay have all signed elsewhere. 

Oh, and they traded Shaun Marcum, their Opening Day starter, for prospect Brett Lawrie.

Alex Anthopoulos finally made it official by announcing the Blue Jays have hired John Farrell, the former pitching coach of the Boston Red Sox, to be the twelfth manager in Blue Jays history. Farrell was considered one of the best minds available. In fact, Terry Francona stated it was not a question of whether he became a bench boss, or even how long (he knew it would be this year), it was a question of where.

After a successful debut in 2009 with the Blue Jays, starting pitcher Ricky Romero improved in almost every conceivable way in 2010. With two full seasons under his belt at the big league level and still just twenty-five years old, Romero has established himself as one of the game's best young starters.