#5 Sam Dobkowski

Sam Dobkowski spent the majority of his time manning second base for the Blue Jays last season, and definitely made a name for himself in doing so. The Dobkowski-Wanderlingh duo was stellar all year for the Jays, turning seven double plays. Dobkowski committed just four errors in twenty-six games, including tournaments and playoffs. Expect another solid year for the kid defensively, as he is one of the three returning pieces to that infield that was so strong a year ago. 

Onto the offensive side of things, Dobkowski saw his name in the starting lineup every game, ranging anywhere from the #3 hole to the #6 hole. Towards the end of the season and into the playoffs, he sat comfortably in the cleanup spot. Sam finished the season with a .308 batting average, good for fourth best on the team. What was even more impressive was his on base percentage, which finished third best on the team sitting at .438. The most positive stat for Dobkowski in 2015 was the number he had in his strikeout column... That number was FOUR. Four strikeouts in 65 plate appearances, good for second best on the team. The only person that had fewer strikeouts than him only had 18 plate appearances all season.

The biggest change you are going to see in 2016 with Dobkowski is his innings on the mound. There were two reasons his innings were so low last season... The first reason is the two aces the Blue Jays have on their roster, McArdle and Moser, and the second reason is because of the scheduling the team had. The team played their games on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, meaning that the two big guns at the top of the rotation were able to start all three games in the week. That will change this year when the schedule changes to Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. Even if McArdle and Moser remain on top of the Blue Jays pitching staff, a third wing will be needed for this team. That wing will need to be a starter, and Dobkowski looks to be the guy to fill that role. In his lone start last season, he pitched five innings of two hit ball, earning a victory for his squad in the process. 

Look for Dobkowski to begin preseason in May as the team's #3 starter in their starting rotation.