What are the expectations of Colby Rasmus this season?

[Santoki]

With the slew of activity over the last couple of weeks, the "blockbuster" trade of Colby Rasmus last season is in the distant past. He's now had about 1.5 years in Toronto and hasn't proved to be the player AA thought he could be. It's a situation similar to Yunel Escobar except that Yunel had at least one great season in Toronto. If this is Colby's defining season in Toronto and he puts up similar numbers to last season, is he put on the trading block immediately (all-star break) or do they wait until the offseason to see if they can package him similarly to Yunel? Is/will Gose provide enough as a replacement to move Rasmus if he falters again this season?

Just wanted to get an idea of the board's "leash" for Colby this season. If the Jays are within striking distance of the division or wildcard at the all-star break, and Colby is underperforming again, do the Jays package him for help in other areas or let him play out the full season? Obviously this will depend on a few factors, but wanted to see how the board felt about Colby going into the season.

[azorian]

I think the pressure will be off of Colby. Prior to the trade he was the risky player they were taking a chance on. He was one of our corner stones, although that hasn't changed he now has players ahead of him that will need to take much more responsibility. He should be able to play a lot looser and with less worry.

I'm also hoping we replace Murphy with a more contact base coach. I can see Colby as a doubles machine with power and the occasional sensational diving catch in the outfield.

I'm personally not a fan of Gose yet. I He has great speed but I'm still willing to take a chance on Colby before giving Gose a more permanent role. With the situation we're AA and Gibby won't need to make a decision unless Gose is tearing down the door.

I feel the same way about the JPA situation.

[JoeyBats]

I would be satisfied with 15 HR, 70 RBI and a .260 avg with decent defense.

[Ado05]

Really, I expect him to do what he did last year. But I want him to get his average up and be more consistent. Hopefully he'll have something like 25 HR, 80 RBI, .260 avg

[s e n s i]

i'm a huge colby fan but last season the guy couldn't lay off an off-speed pitch if the pitcher told him what was coming before throwing it. a clear by-product of dwayne murphy's grip-it-n-rip-it approach. however, he was pretty unlucky too. out of all qualified CF, he was dead last in BABIP sporting a .259 clip. if some those line-drives that he hit right at fielders started falling for hits and he could lay-off the junk that he was so eager to swing at and get his BB% up a little, swing at more pitches inside the zone than out of, then he'd get his OPS and wOBA to a respectable level which will be more than adequate in CF and in the bottom-third of the order. i'd be pretty surprised actually if he didn't improve, as i don't think it can get any worse than a .223/.289/.400 slash line for a talented player like him. less pressure overall, hopefully better guidance from his skipper, will help him out a little.

[mikero]

I expect a bounce back year for Rasmus.

Similar to Morrow last offseason, now might even be a good time to talk extension.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

i'm a huge colby fan but last season the guy couldn't lay off an off-speed pitch if the pitcher told him what was coming before throwing it. a clear by-product of dwayne murphy's grip-it-n-rip-it approach. however, he was pretty unlucky too. out of all qualified CF, he was dead last in BABIP sporting a .259 clip. if some those line-drives that he hit right at fielders started falling for hits and he could lay-off the junk that he was so eager to swing at and get his BB% up a little, swing at more pitches inside the zone than out of, then he'd get his OPS and wOBA to a respectable level which will be more than adequate in CF and in the bottom-third of the order. i'd be pretty surprised actually if he didn't improve, as i don't think it can get any worse than a .223/.289/.400 slash line for a talented player like him. less pressure overall, hopefully better guidance from his skipper, will help him out a little.

I agree, and I think having a guy like Gibbons who is a bit more into getting on base will be good for Colby. The home runs might be down a bit, but he will hopefully get his walk percentage up to the 10% mark. I would be happy with a .330 OBP, .400 SLG season.

[Mad-Eye Moody]

Rasmus had some interesting splits last season.

Pre all-star break (320 ABs): .259/.328/.494 (.822 OPS)
Post all-star break (245 ABs): .176/.238/.278 (.516 OPS)

He was also one of the unluckiest players in the first half of the season, yet still put up great numbers (especially after moving the the #2 hole). For a long time, he was also 3rd in well hit average behind McCutchen and Cano (I think). It seemed like every ball he hit hard, was right at the right fielder. After he came back from his injury he was clearly off and really dropped off. .822 OPS vs .516 is the difference between an all-star CF and a scrub CF.

So which Rasmus should we expect? Like others have mentioned, there is less pressure on Rasmus this season with the additions of Melky/Reyes and Edwin's emergence. I think if Rasmus is playing really bad (like .516 OPS bad), then AA might be inclined to bring up Gose, start Bonifacio/Davis there or pull off another trade. But I'm in the camp that thinks he'll bounce back and at least be an average CF. I am also a fan of Colby and would like to see him have a good season next year. There's no doubt he has more offensive talent than Gose, Davis or Bonifacio.

[Gibby]

Buck kept talking about how Rasmus moved closer to the plate. That seemed to work great for a month or so then he seemed to be getting pitched inside all the time.

I think the guy can go 25hr's, 260avg, and +fielding in CF

[Skin Blues]

I expect a bounce back year for Rasmus.

Similar to Morrow last offseason, now might even be a good time to talk extension.

Yeah it's not a bad time to extend him. I know most people aren't satisfied with him as the CF especially with Gose looming, but he won't be any cheaper than he is right now and will be a more valuable trade asset in a year or two if he has a team friendly contract versus an expiring contract. This is assuming he improves, which I have little doubt he will. He was so much better in StL as a 23/24 year old than he's been the past 1.5 seasons in Toronto so we know he has it in him. He's probably concerned he'll never be able to cash in if he continues this downward spiral for 2 more seasons.

[SCF99]

With the excitement of the latest moves made by the Jays i am sure that every one expects Rasmas to have numbers that are a bit exaggerated, I think as long as he keeps up with his high end defence and comes close to his power numbers of last year and he can bump up his average 20 to 30 points we will be in for a good ride.

[Lateral Quicks]

Rasmus had some interesting splits last season.

Pre all-star break (320 ABs): .259/.328/.494 (.822 OPS)
Post all-star break (245 ABs): .176/.238/.278 (.516 OPS)

He was also one of the unluckiest players in the first half of the season, yet still put up great numbers (especially after moving the the #2 hole). For a long time, he was also 3rd in well hit average behind McCutchen and Cano (I think). It seemed like every ball he hit hard, was right at the right fielder. After he came back from his injury he was clearly off and really dropped off. .822 OPS vs .516 is the difference between an all-star CF and a scrub CF.

Great post. He found success with the less pronounced leg kick in the first half, but as I recall the big kick returned in the second half. The talent is there; this is a guy who should put up a .750 OPS in his sleep, which would be fine for CF. Now we just need consistency.

[number15]

- Arencibia
- Rasmus
- Stroman

For

- R.A Dickey

[Redeemer]

- Arencibia
- Rasmus
- Stroman

For

- R.A Dickey

dont think dickey is worth 2 major league caliber players right now

id do JP and 2 prospects who ever they are

[TheMainEvent]

Meh, I'm not particularly big on Rasmus (I was when the Jays first traded for him... not anymore), so my expectations are quite pessimistic:

.240 average, 22 HRs, 77 RBIs, .290 OBP. I figure he'll be as inconsistent next season as he was this past season, except he also wont have as long of a power-streak like he did in June (?).

Hopefully I'm wrong and he's able to find some stability and growth. If not, I have no problem letting him go for whatever and giving Gose a try. If we have to have an inconsistent starter, at least have one that excels in one particular area.

As for your hypothetical situation of the Jays being in the playoff hunt and Rasmus struggling: I think it depends on how the rest of the batters are doing (who's injured, who's doing well, etc.). If the hitting as a whole can use a boost or something, maybe trade Rasmus. If the hitting is doing really well overall though, I don't see any problem with having one or two batters in your lineup that's struggling. Most teams (even playoff ones) don't have a productive hitter at every position.

[raps4589]

hes gonna get 20 hr 70 rbi, im hopin for at least .250 avg, but i doubt it...

[raps4589]

- Arencibia
- Rasmus
- Stroman

For

- R.A Dickey

dont think dickey is worth 2 major league caliber players right now

id do JP and 2 prospects who ever they are

dickey's best year was last year and it will stay like that,

[Raptor_Guy]

I expect 20-25 HRs and hopefully an OBP over .300

Which isn't great obviously but not bad for a bottom of the order guy, plus he plays exceptional defence in centre field.

[RyanW]

20 HR, 65 RBI, .255 AVG would be nice.

[Anatomize]

Bring up his OBP to his sophmore year numbers, cut down his strikeouts.