As the 2019 Blue Jays get set to open their season, ShiDavidi writes an essay on how this year will be used to lay a solid foundation for the future.
Thinking of that wretched 2012 season reminds me of a conversation I had with a baseball executive back in 2004, when another young, seemingly-on-the-cusp Blue Jays group turned in a train-wreck season. "If you rely too much on kids," he said, "they’ll break your heart."
Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Jansen headline a farm system that was third in Baseball America’s pre-season rankings, followed in the club’s top-10 by lefty Eric Pardinho, shortstop Jordan Groshans, righty Nate Pearson, shortstop Kevin Smith, righty Sean Reid-Foley, second baseman Cavan Biggio and shortstop Miguel Hiraldo.
Things turned out far better for the top-10 in 1999, when the fourth-ranked system featured Roy Halladay, Billy Koch, Felipe Lopez, Kevin Witt, Vernon Wells, Clayton Andrews, Tom Davey, Joe Lawrence, Pete Tucci and Tom Evans. Still, even with a Hall of Famer, two other all-stars and a dependable closer, it wasn’t enough to get the Blue Jays back in the post-season.
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