In early September following the resolution of the labor situation, Toronto extended the contracts of manager Carlos Tosca and all of his coaches through the end of the 2004 season. When the Blue Jays promoted Tosca from third base coach to manager, I felt that he was one of the most qualified managers hired this season. His broad experience with minor league managing promised that he'd have the strong background in dealing with young players necessary in his new position. Tosca had also spent time as a coach in the majors, which hopefully provided him with an understanding of the uniqueness of that environment. His performance to date indicates that he deserves the position. I think extending the contracts by two years was a wise decision, as that gives those involved some sense of security and authority while allowing the team a less expensive out than a longer term if they reveal some tragic flaw.

When bench coach Cookie Rojas and pitching coach Mark Connor left shortly after the managerial change this June, the Blue Jays promoted bullpen coach Gil Patterson to pitching coach and brought up their roving minor league pitching coordinator Bruce Walton to serve as bullpen coach. However, Toronto chose not to hire a replacement bench coach, and Tosca said he'd instead rely on advice from all of his coaches. With everyone on the staff now signed to extensions and the system in place for a half season, the Blue Jays seem very likely to continue without the use of a specific bench coach. I'm quite interested to see if any other organizations adopt a similar strategy, or if the tactic is widely criticized and then eventually scrapped. A major shift in policy could have interesting effects, since the bench coach is frequently viewed as an apprentice of the manager.

Although they're already a young team, the Blue Jays used September roster expansion to add a number of prospects to their roster. C-R Kevin Cash, OF-S Jose Cruz, Jr., LHP Jason Kershner, SS-S Felipe Lopez, OF-R Jayson Werth, and LHP Scott Wiggins have all joined or rejoined Toronto this month.

Toronto signed Kevin Cash as a nondrafted free agent out of Florida State University in 1999. After a full season with A+ Dunedin in the Florida State League in 2001, Cash split this season between AA Tennessee in the Southern League and AAA Syracuse in the International League. Before his promotion to AAA, Cash hit .277 with a .381 OBP and .469 SLG on 59 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, and 8 HR with a 36:44 BB:K and 5/7 SB% in 213 AB at AA. Triple-A didn't go as smoothly for the 24-year-old catcher as he only managed a .220 BA, .299 OBP, and .424 SLG on 52 H, 18 2B, and 10 HR with a 25:75 BB:K and 0/1 SB% in 236 AB. He's in the majors now more to gain some experience catching major league games than to work on his offense. Cash will receive more time this month than your typical third catcher, but he's still only a part timer. He needs to return to AAA for at least the first half of next season. Hopefully, his decrease in plate discipline after the promotion was a result of distractions from the defensive adjustments, and his strike zone judgment will re-emerge in his second exposure to the league. Cash possesses excellent offensive potential for a catcher with good power and even a hint of speed. I expect the Blue Jays will bring him to the majors permanently by September 2003.

Jose Cruz, Jr. twisted his ankle in early August, sending him to the disabled list by mid-month. Tests later in the month determined that he'd suffered a torn ligament in the ankle, which kept him on the DL until yesterday. Although he's rejoined the team, Cruz likely will play only part time, particularly when the team is on turf.

We discussed Kershner in early September with the Padres' transactions, as San Diego lost him on waivers to the Blue Jays. While he should probably return to AAA for a half season if Toronto wants him to start, he's prepared to relieve in the majors now and could greatly contribute to a team sorely in need of pitching.

In mid-July, the Blue Jays attempted to correct the mistake they made in breaking camp with Felipe Lopez in the majors. Toronto sent him down to AAA Syracuse where he hit .318 with a .419 OBP and .457 SLG on 55 H, 11 2B, 2 3B, and 3 HR with a 29:37 BB:K and 13/13 SB% in 173 AB. Lopez needed to work on his plate discipline prior to playing regularly in the majors. While the 22-year-old's performance in AAA indicates progress, he still needs to improve and I'm not certain he'll respond well to additional time in the minors. Lopez also might as well start at shortstop this month, however the Jays are currently starting Chris Woodward, hopefully to increase his off-season trade value. Consequently, Lopez is only receiving about one start a week.

Toronto moved catching prospect Jayson Werth to the outfield this season, so Kevin Cash is now the starting catcher of the future with Josh Phelps at DH/1B, though the Blue Jays shouldn't have to worry about running out of capable catchers in extra inning games. Baltimore drafted Werth out of high school with the 22nd overall pick of the first round of the 1997 draft. The Orioles then traded Werth to Toronto in 2000 for LHP John Bale, who they then dealt to the Mets this spring for Gary Matthews, Jr. Werth is a quality offensive prospect with solid plate discipline complimented by promising power and speed skills. However, he only hit .257 with a .354 OBP and .445 SLG on 114 H, 25 2B, 2 3B, and 18 HR with a 67:125 BB:K and 24/31 SB% in 443 AB at AAA. The 23-year-old might have been somewhat distracted by the position change, which he handled with only five errors. I suspect he'll spend the first half of 2003 back at Syracuse unless the Jays move an outfielder this off-season.

We discussed Wiggins when Toronto acquired him from the Yankees for Raul Mondesi. He performed fairly well in his brief exposure to AAA this season and could easily break camp as a left-handed reliever with the Blue Jays next season.

Chris Carpenter is out for the next nine to twelve months following surgery to repair a small tear in his labrum. Meanwhile Luke Prokopec has a slap lesion in his labrum that will also require surgery that will sideline him for the next nine to twelve months. The injuries to both pitchers have contributed to the disarray in the Blue Jays' rotation this season. Toronto really needs to shop for additional starting pitching in the off-season if the team is to improve its record. They have a couple good pitching prospects at AA, but Vinny Chulk and Diegomar Markwell both need a season at AAA before they're ready for the majors.