Blue Jays position primer: Only a few questions to answer for 2016 roster

DUNEDIN, Fla. – The defending American League East champion Toronto Blue Jays are back in game action Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Grapefruit League opener.

With 11 of the 13 position players from Toronto’s ALCS roster returning and just a few more changes on the pitching side, there aren’t many questions for manager John Gibbons and his coaching staff to answer in spring training.

“When you watch these games, you want to identify areas we need to work on,” said Gibbons. “Spring training is always very relaxed, that’s what’s nice about it. Most of [the players] know they’re on the team but it’s an intense group, a very confident group.”

It’s the reality of being a veteran team that’s coming off a postseason appearance, and the positive is that it allows the organization to really focus on deciding who will be the team’s fifth starter, closer, and leadoff hitter on opening day.

Catcher:

Russell Martin enters his second season as the main man behind the plate for the Blue Jays. The first went about as well as he could have hoped, with a selection to the All-Star game and a postseason appearance. As he ages, though, it’ll be a priority to get him more rest. Martin played in 129 games in 2015 and was bothered by a leg injury toward the end of the season.

Josh Thole is still around as R.A. Dickey’s personal catcher and the favourite to claim the backup catcher role. A.J. Jimenez’s upside in intriguing, though, and former Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand Tony Sanchez was signed to a minor-league deal a few days before the start of camp to add to the team’s catching depth. 

First base: There’s going to be a bit of a time-share situation at first base between Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak. The only guarantee is that Colabello will start every time there’s a left-hander on the mound opposite Toronto. Smoak is the better fielder of the two, which is why he was often used as a defensive replacement late in games last season.

Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion may also see time at first, depending on if one of his teammates needs a DH maintenance day.

Second base: For the time being, the job belongs to Ryan Goins, who’s coming off a season where he played a career-high 128 games. Devon Travis isn’t expected to be back until at least May as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

Goins had already proven to be an excellent fielder, but it wasn’t until the second half of 2015 before he started to show he could contribute offensively, hitting .284 with a .376 OBP after Aug. 1. Gold Glove award winner Darwin Barney is in camp and projects to be the opening-day backup middle infielder.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki didn’t hit up to his All-Star standards over his first two months in Toronto (.239/.317/.380 in 41 games) but did significantly improve Toronto’s defence up the middle with his stellar glove work.

Now that’s he’s had an offseason to get acclimated, he’s looking to get back to being the middle-of-the-order threat he was in Colorado for close to a decade. However, Tulowitzki has missed an average of 64 games per season since 2012. In case he’s sidelined like that again, Goins can easily slide over from second base and provide more than adequate cover at shortstop.

Third base: After winning the AL MVP award in his debut season with the Blue Jays, what will Josh Donaldson do for an encore? The bar is set high after 2015's 41 home runs and 123 RBIs, not to mention his strong defensive play.

Donaldson’s been durable, too, playing in 158 games in each of the last three seasons. It’s a big reason why Toronto will likely go into the regular season without another natural third baseman on the roster. Matt Dominguez is slated to be the starting third baseman in Triple-A. Barney is the emergency backup.

Left field: Michael Saunders is going to be among the most active players in spring training as he seeks to prove he’s back to full health after missing nearly all of last year with a knee injury. The staff also wants to see if Saunders can be the team’s leadoff hitter. Dalton Pompey, who is a speed threat, will also be busy, as the club assesses how he fits into their early season plans.

Should Saunders win the job as expected and the organization decides Dalton Pompey needs to play every day in Triple-A, a litany of veterans like Ezequiel Carrera, Junior Lake and recent addition Domonic Brown are the options in camp to be the team’s fourth outfielder. 

Centre field: After opening 2015 in left field, Kevin Pillar shifted over to centre when Pompey was demoted to the minor leagues. Pillar never looked back, establishing himself as an every-day player in the majors, and he was a big part of Toronto’s success thanks to his many highlight-reel defensive plays. His goal for 2016 is to be a more consistent hitter, and he’s being considered for the leadoff spot.

If Pompey is around, he’ll be the primary choice to fill in when Pillar needs a day off. Saunders can handle centre field as well, though preferably not for an extended period of time.

Right field: For at least one more season Jose Bautista will patrol right field for the Blue Jays. Heading into the final year of his contract, Bautista has already made it clear he's not interested in giving Toronto a hometown discount.

But that's an issue for after the season is over. The 35-year-old outfielder been an All-Star for six straight seasons and remains one of baseball's preeminent power hitters, hitting 40 home runs in 2015.

Designated hitter: Encarnacion figures to get the bulk of his at-bats at DH. It’s the best bet to keep him on the field, as he dealt with finger, back, and hernia issues in 2015 but still posted his fourth straight season with an OPS over .900.

Bautista and Donaldson could also DH some in an effort to keep them fresh and productive at the plate.

Starting rotation:

Four of the five starting spots are all but sealed with Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada, R.A. Dickey and J.A. Happ sure to be in the rotation. That leaves the fifth starter to be determined and right-hander Aaron Sanchez will be given every opportunity to earn it. Jesse Chavez, acquired from Oakland in the offseason, and Drew Hutchison, last season’s opening-day starter, are the others vying for the No. 5 spot.

Aside from Stroman, who's all but certain to start opening day, how the rest of the rotation lines up is also up in the air. In the past, the organization has liked to have Dickey slotted in between two hard throwers.

Bullpen: The big question in the bullpen is whether Drew Storen or Roberto Osuna gets to be the closer. Storen has multiple years of closing experience from his time with Washington, while Osuna is only 21 and excelled in the role for the Blue Jays last season.

Brett Cecil is the go-to left-hander in crucial late-inning situations and Aaron Loup figures to be Toronto's second lefty reliever. If Sanchez isn’t the fifth starter, he’ll be another option for the back-end of the bullpen like he was for the second half of last season. That could mean that Gavin Floyd gets the call to be the long reliever. Otherwise, Chavez will get the nod.

Depending on where Sanchez lands, that leaves one or two spots to be filled. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte is going to get a look, especially from the left side. Former All-Star closer Rafael Soriano signed a minor-league deal earlier this week but at 36 years old is far from assured to make the team. Steve Delabar, David Aardsma, Bo Schultz and Ryan Tepera round out the group of bullpen contenders.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr