The tough part about doing a reports card for this team is that they are under .500 and a .500 team should average a C mark. But, of course, when you follow a team you like some of the players and it is hard to give them marks without some of that ‘like’ pushing their mark up. Let’s pick Stairs last year…you’d really want to give him an A, but he hit 21 home runs and drove in 64…if he gets an A what mark would you give ARod last year? An A+++++?  This season Stair’s clearly isn’t as good as last season. But you give him a B- people complain.

Zaun is a favorite of mine but he’s near the bottom of the list of catchers VORP but I like him and I’m sure he’ll improve as the season goes on.

Anyway….the pitchers……I’ll note that the league ERA is about 4.10……

Halladay B+…Doc  has been a little unDoc like the last few starts…Seemingly having a bad inning each game. Under .500 but that  a lot to do with lack of support. 4 Complete games in 9 starts has me remembering baseball from when I was young and pitchers expected to finish and the term a 7 inning pitcher was an insult.

Marcum A…He’s been amazing, one poor start out of 8. 7 quality starts. He has two no decisions…totaling 15 innings with one run allowed.  My only worry is that he’s thrown a lot of pitches, 100 or more in 7 of 8 starts, I hope this doesn’t come back to haunt him in as the season continues.

McGowan B-… He’s had a rough time of late. First 5 starts were good but since then he’s been ummmm inconsistent would be a nice way of saying it. Still 5 quality starts of 9 is pretty darn good.

Burnett C-…When your ERA is almost a run higher than league average…..well you aren’t having a great season. That said he has looked better lately and I’m hopeful he’ll end up with a good season.  A loss in a relief appearance was hardly fair considering he was between starts.

Litsch C+…He’s been quite good for a 5 starter.  4.85 ERA in April, but 3.52 in May so far. I think his final mark will turn be higher.

Tallet A…Truly has been terrific. Like our other lefties he’s not just a LOOGY but can pitch a couple of innings when needed. Sometimes it seems like he isn’t being given the ‘high leverage’ innings.  Yesterday he was used in a mop up role  Can’t see why he would be used like that when  Camp and Benitez are on the team.

Carlson A+…Cy’s been amazing, Watching him come in to a game, bases loaded no one out and get out without a run scoring was the best thing I’ve watched this season. He has pitched 3 innings in a game this season but lately Gibby’s been using him more like a LOOGY which is too bad. He’s better than that. All ready has pitched in 11 game. My worry is that some of the reason that he is doing so well is that he hides the ball well with his motion, I think it’s possible that the league will figure him out. He came out of nowhere this season, didn’t even get a mention in Baseball Prospectus. Has given up two home runs.

Downs A+…Another amazing  lefty in the pen. The nice thing about our lefties is they all can in get right handers out. Had one bad outing when he gave up 3 runs without getting an out. No runs in 8 appearances in May.

Frasor B…hasn’t been bad at all. Five of the six earned runs he has allowed this year came in two appearances  Gibby has no confidence in him, likes Camp better for reasons I can’t understand.

Accardo D-…Did get 3 saves in his first 3 appearances, but has been awful since. Disabled with crappy arm disease.  One would imagine it might be hard to come back from.an

Ryan A+…Gotta like a pitcher that comes back early from Tommy John surgery and doesn’t give up an earned run his first 12 appearances. Has made life interesting in some of his saves.  And a couple of times he seemed to get by on guts and luck instead of stuff.

Camp B-…Gave up all 5 of his earned runs in one appearance. Other than that he’s given up 2 hits in 8 innings.  Gibby seems to be using him more like a ROOGY lately and that might be a good plan. It does amaze me that someone that had a 7.10 ERA last season gets to pitch in the majors this season. I wouldn’t be giving him a lot of high leverage innings but….can’t says he’s been doing poorly.

The other pitchers; Purcey. Wolfe, League, and Benitez  each get an incomplete…haven’t pitched enough to grade. Will admit I can’t understand why Benitez is up with the team. I’d rather have League but  Gibby doesn’t like League so…..I’d only use Benitez in mop up moments.

Two other people deserve to be graded…..

Gibbons B-….Gibby is has not been a favorite of mine…..I thought he was terrible last season. Seemed to have a very poor idea of what to do with the pitchers, would leave starters out to throw way too many pitches in a game, even Burnett whose career has been a mess of injuries. I thought he should have been more careful with him and with Doc….leaving Doc into pitch over 120 pitches in games long after the Jays were out of the race.

But this season everything he does with the pitchers seems to turn to gold. Is still tough for any pitcher he loses confidence in  to gain it back. And he does ride the relievers he trusts hard (Cy has been in 11 games already in May). But you can’t argue with results.

Offensively….his lineup choices  have been, at times, interesting.  I hate the Barajas as DH, or for that matter Stewart batting in the top half of the line up. BUT…it’s not like he’s been given the 1927 Yankees to  work with. He was slow to figure how to use MacDonald as defensive replacement. Cost us a game or two. But figured that Eckstein wasn’t cutting it as leadoff man and moved him, when other managers might have hoped he would magically improve.

Ricardi F+…JP made all the right noises before the season started, saying this was the year they had to put it together that the Yankees and to a lesser extent the Red Sox were vulnerable. Then he puts grabs up as many players that were good years ago as he could find. Eck, Rolen, Stewart,Barajas haven’t been good since the early part of the decade. Rolen has worked out….the others, not so much. Expecting one player to buck a trend and

He gave up on Thomas quick and got rid of him without a plan of how to replace him.  Baseball must be the only industry where you can admit to a $10 million mistake and keep your job. He gave up on Lind in a hurry too.  I’m worried that Lind’s confidence will be shot. I thought he had a shot at a career before he was sent down….now I have doubts.

Then Wells get hurt and he picks up two more players that were good years ago. If the calendar turns back to 2004 we have a heck of an offense. Wells’ contract, at least at this moment, looks like a huge error. I always worry when a player is signed after a career year.

It does look like the Glaus/Rolen trade worked out well, but it is early yet. Hate to call a winner in a trade after 40 games.

It is early and perhaps Wilkerson or Mench will turn it on and make him look good. Maybe Stewart and Barajas will start hitting. Maybe Eck will come back from injury and start getting on base like a lead off man should.  Wells could come back and hit 30 homeruns and earn the money he’s being paid. If some of those things happen then his mark can improve as the season goes on.