Final grades for the batters:
Zaun D-...Boy he had a crappy second half of the season. It is not like he was tearing the cover off the ball in the first half, but in the second half he hit .221/.310/.325, with one home run. Yeah it was a big home run, a walk-off grand slam in extras. It is kind of sad that his last season with the Jays was easily his worst. His OPS+ was 87. At 37 with a season like this, I'd have my doubts he'll have much career left.
Barajas C-...Have you ever seen a batter that was so hot and cold in one season. By month he had slugging averages of .324,.630,.441,.269,.488 and .189. Cito's magic didn't work on him, he hit .267/.317/.461 before the break and .228/.267/.348 after. Of course, Cito liked him in the middle of the order. Rod's OPS+ 85, slightly worst than Zaun's. It looks like we are going him as a full time catcher next year. IF he could stay consistent and if Cito would move him from the middle of the lineup then that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Cito does tend to fall in love with certain players and once he slots them into a role it takes a lot to change his mind.
Overbay C...Ended the season in a slump. Before the break he was slugging .399 and after .455 so we can hope that his power was returning. His on base went the opposite way .371 before the break and .340 after. I'm thinking we can expect a better season next year but will it be enough better to for him to be valuable as a first basemen? He did lead the team in the Jay of the Day count.
Scutaro C... too many words have been spent on Scoot already, JP's MVP. There was an article the other day that I can't find at the moment, where someone said it was a ‘career year' for Scoot. I sure hope not, 16 points above his career on base average and 21 points under his career slugging average. Hit about the same in the second half of the season as the first half. OPS+ of 86 matches his career average. If he bats in the first or second slot all next season we'll know Cito really can't be taught. Shortstop glove can almost carry his bat.
Eckstein C...Gone....Cito didn't like him for unknown reasons. Had him bunt every opportunity the rare time he did play. Defense wasn't as bad as it was made out to be, is just he looked funny having to work to make the throw to first, hit a little better than Scoot's and had he played more I'm sure his bat would have improved some.
McDonald D...his Range Factor was way down this year compared to the last couple of seasons and he made too many errors. His bat was a little worse than it has been too hitting .210/.255/.269 this year compared to .251/.279/.333 last year. Last year I thought he was close to hitting well enough to have him play everyday, now I don't think he is close anymore. He did hit better in the second half with more playing time .221/.262/.298 compared to .182/.237/.200 in the first half. It will be interesting how things shake out for the middle infielders next season, with Hill back and Scoot, Mac, Inglett and Bautista, there maybe be one too many bodies to carry with a 25 man roster.
Rolen C...Great defense. He hit great the last month of the season, which gives us some hope going into next season. His numbers in the first half and second half of the season were almost identical. My biggest concern is that there is little to no chance that he'll make it thru a season without spending significant time on the DL. Scoot has the glove for third but his bat is nothing like what we need from 3B. If Rolen can get his average up into the .280 range next year and play enough to get around 20 home runs , with his glove we should be happy. But that's a huge if.
Rios B....He hit better in the second half, slugging .542 after the break. His on base was exactly the same before and after the break .337. Seemed to stop stealing bases the last couple of months with only 5 steals total in August and September. Only 15 home runs on the season, he has to get to the 25 to 30 range next year to be the player we all think he can be. It would be nice too if he could cut back on the number of brain cramps next season. Could be the most important player on the team next year: if he hits like he has the last couple of months and if he hits decent with RISP we should be in much better shape.
Wells B+... Considering the injuries he has been through this year he had a really good season. It would be great to see him play 150 games healthy again. Playing in only 108 games he was second on the team in RBI to Rios, finishing only 1 behind him. Still plays a good CF.
Stairs D-.. Had a terrible year and is gone. But you gotta hope he gets some at bats in the playoffs with the Phillies.
Inglett B...Boy he was a surprise this year. Raise your hand it you figured him for a .297 average in 109 games this year. Played really good defense and did a nice job leading off for us. OPS+ of 102 which is pretty decent for a middle infielder. Just 4 errors all year and showed good range. I'd rather the Jays move Hill to short and play Inglett at 2B over having Scoot play SS all season.
Adam Lind B-...his home run stroke disappeared, his last home run was August 28th and he only drove in 3 runs in September, with a .319 slugging average for the month. That's not good enough for a left fielder. He was the second coming for a while but on the list of things that have to improve for the Jays next year is production from LF and DH. It would be nice if Lind could be part of that but he has to hit the ball out often. And it would be nice if he would take a few more walks. He had a grand total of 3 in September.
Wilkerson F...Was terrible and hopefully gone; let's never speak of him again.
Mench didn't get enough at bats to grade but hopefully he'll be leaving with Wilk. Snider gets an incomplete too, but he looked good in his short time up with the team. He is going to strike out a bunch but he looks like the real deal. Everyone else gets an incomplete