Looking forward to your Blog Jeff. Lets hope the rain holds.

Question: Given how Hill developed last year and given the excellent spring-means-nothing-training he had, how long do you think it will be until he could be moved up the batting line up? The focus offensively is always likely to be on Wells, Rios and the big fella. However to me its Hill and Overbay who can be our under the radar guys who could make the difference. One doesn't usually expect too much offense from the 2B guy - but is it too much to hope Hill could produce numbers similar to that of Chase Utley and Brandon Phillps
What are the hot dogs like at Yankee stadium?
Cheers, Matt

Matt: The hotdogs are great: big, greasy suckers with thick skins that crack when you bite into them, sending grease all over the place. I agree with you about Hill, and I know from talking to John Gibbons that the manager thinks he'd make a good No. 2 hitter. That's where I eventually see him; I think he's a smart enough hitter to handle the role. It allows him to strike a nice balance between power and average.

Hey Jeff,
In your latest article, you posted a quotation from Godfrey, referencing the Jay's recent decision to put more money in the draft: "It's safe to say the long-range goal is to put more money in that." Do you think the Jays will begin to go over slot for some premium talent in the near future? How will their international budget grow in the next few years?
Cheers,
Brent

Brent, I'm not certain that they'll go over slot unless it's a Canadian-born player. I know that most of their baseball operations people are skeptical that they will be allowed to shift philosophy. The team has apparently put more money into their international (read: Latin American) scouting this year, but if they really want to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox they're going to have to match them in the amateur market. Time to let the boys go over slot, Paul.