The Toronto Blue Jays have had a hard time matching starting pitching with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in recent years. The hope is that a couple of the younger pitchers step up and take over the #4 and #5 spots in the starting rotation this year. Here is a look at the Blue Jays’ rotation as of right now:

#1: Ricky Romero: 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Ricky Romero keeps getting better and the Jays hope that trend continues. He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Romero made his first All-Star Team in 2011. Romero has now pitched in 93 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Blue Jays and he is 42-29 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

#2: Brandon Morrow: 27-year old righty Brandon Morrow takes no-hitter stuff to the mound on almost every night, but he’s a tad wild and it gets him into trouble a lot of the time. Morrow pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 11-11 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has now pitched in 56 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 21-18 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Morrow has pitched in 187 games (71 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 29-30 with 16 saves, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. If Morrow can tame the flame, he could pass Romero by in the pecking order for the Blue Jays.

#3: Brett Cecil: 25-year old lefty Brett Cecil will likely hold down the #3 spot in the starting rotation for the Jays. He pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-11 with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Cecil was sent down to the minors for a while, but he returned to pitch pretty well. Cecil has now pitched in 66 games (65 starts) in his first three years with the Jays and he is 26-22 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

#4 and #5: Henderson Alvarez: 21-year old righty Henderson Alvarez looked pretty solid in his first taste of the majors in 2011. He pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 1-3 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He only walked 8 batters in 63 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year and that is pretty amazing. He also pitched in 17 games (16 starts) in A+AA-ball last year and he was 8-5 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. If Alvarez’ success wasn’t a mirage last year, he will likely lock up either the #4 or #5 spot in the rotation for the Blue Jays this spring.

Kyle Drabek: 24-year old righty Kyle Drabek was a mess last year for the Blue Jays. He pitched in 18 games (14 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. Drabek walked a stunningly awful 55 batters in only 78 2/3 innings last year for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays sent Drabek to the minors and he was even worse there. Drabek pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last year for the Jays and he was 5-4 with a 7.44 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. Drabek has now pitched in 21 games (17 starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 4-8 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP.

Jesse Litsch: 26-year old righty Jesse Litsch is going to have a good shot of getting back into the Blue Jays’ starting rotation this spring. He pitched in 28 games (8 starts) for the Jays last year and he was 6-3 with 1 save, a 4.44 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Litsch has now pitched in 88 games (67 starts) in his first five years with the Blue Jays and he is 27-27 with 1 save, a 4.16 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. If Litsch’s arm holds up, I think he will win a job in the rotation this spring.

Dustin McGowan: 29-year old righty Dustin McGowan is a wild card here. He missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons due to shoulder problems. McGowan pitched in 5 games (4 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 80 games (60 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 20-24 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. If McGowan is completely healthy, he is going to have good shot of winning a rotation spot this spring.

Nelson Figueroa: 37-year old righty Nelson Figueroa is the biggest longshot of this bunch. He pitched in 8 games (5 starts) for the Astros last year and he was 0-3 with a 8.69 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP. Figueroa has now pitched in 145 games (65 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 20-35 with 1 save, a 4.55 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: C+

48-year old John Farrell is following a legend in Toronto (Cito Gaston) as the manager. Farrell is a first time manager but a long time pitching coach (and a good one at that). Farrell will try to coach up the arms on the pitching staff because the Blue Jays already have a potent offense in place for 2011. Farrell also knows the American League East quite well as he came over from the division rival Boston Red Sox. I have a feeling that Farrell is going to do a good job for the Jays in 2011.

The Toronto Blue Jays have four pitchers with closer experience who will be working late in games for them in 2011, which will give them a nice advantage over quite a few teams. 31-year old righty Frank Francisco will likely be the closer when healthy. He will start the 2011 season on the D.L. due to a pectoral muscle injury. He pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 6-4 with 2 saves, a 3.76 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Francisco has now pitched in 277 games (0 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 17-15 with 32 saves, a 3.75 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has whiffed 315 batters in only 283 1/3 innings so far in the majors as his stuff is just plain nasty and he has the attitude to match it.

37-year old righty Octavio Dotel will likely be the top set-up man for the Blue Jays in 2011. Dotel pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Pirates, Rockies and Dodgers in which he is 3-4 with 22 saves, a 4.08 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has now pitched in 630 games (34 starts) in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 49-43 with 105 saves, a 3.75 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Dotel has only given up 669 hits in his first 834 1/3 innings pitched and he has 1,015 whiffs, which shows how nasty Dotel has been to this point in his career. He will make a fine set-up man and fill in closer for the Jays in 2011.

32-year old righty Jon Rauch pitched in 59 games (0 starts) for the Twins last year and he was 3-1 with 21 saves, a 3.12 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has now pitched in 415 games (11 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 34-27 with 47 saves, a 3.71 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Rauch can also step in as the closer if need be in 2011 for the Jays.

33-year old righty Jason Frasor accepted arbitration over the winter much to the Blue Jays’ surprise. Frasor pitched in 69 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 3-4 with 4 saves, a 3.68 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has now pitched in 411 games (0 starts) in his first 7 years with the Blue Jays and he is 22-27 with 36 saves, a 3.76 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Frasor has been a very solid pitcher for the Blue Jays but he might be trade bait before this season begins.

35-year old righty Shawn Camp had a career year for the Blue Jays in 2010. Camp pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 4-3 with 2 saves, a 2.99 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has now pitched in 169 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Blue Jays and he is 9-10 with 3 saves, a 3.43 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Camp looks like he’s found a home in Canada.

29-year old righty Casey Janssen also really came on last year for the Blue Jays. He pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 5-2 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Janssen has now pitched in 166 games (22 starts) in his first four years with the Blue Jays and he is 15-19 with 7 saves, a 4.12 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Janssen has good stuff and he’s much better in the bullpen than starting games.

27-year old righty Carlos Villanueva is a solid long man. He pitched in 50 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last year and he was 2-0 with 1 save, a 4.61 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Villanueva has now pitched in 230 games (27 starts) in his first 5 years in the majors and he is 20-24 with 6 saves, a 4.34 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Villanueva could be trade bait for the Blue Jays the next couple of weeks.

30-year old lefty Jesse Carlson is the best reliever the Blue Jays have that doesn’t throw with his right hand. Carlson pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 0-0 with 1 save, a 4.61 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has now pitched in 162 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Jays and he is 8-8 with 3 saves, a 3.63 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Carlson has good stuff and the Jays need him to rebound in 2011.

30-year old lefty Wil Ledezma is a longshot to make the Blue Jays’ opening day roster. He pitched in 27 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last year and he was 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Ledezma has now pitched in 187 games (40 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 15-25 with a 5.26 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Ledezma has always had good stuff but he has yet to learn how to pitch in the majors.

28-year old lefty Rommie Lewis pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He also pitched in 24 games (8 starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 1-5 with 5 saves, a 7.59 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. Lewis got pounded last season and I don’t see him getting another chance with the Blue Jays any time soon.

28-year old righty Josh Roenicke didn’t pitch too well last year for the Jays. He pitched in 16 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Roenicke has now pitched in 29 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 1-0 with a 6.38 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. He has whiffed 37 batters in his first 36 2/3 innings in the majors which shows that he has good stuff, but, he also has walked 25 batters which is way too many. Unless the Blue Jays suffer a big rash of injuries in the pen, I don’t see Roenicke pitching for them in 2011.

31-year old righty Brian Stokes has a good arm but he has never really learned how to pitch in the majors. Stokes pitched in 16 games (0 starts) for the Angels last year and he was 0-0 with a 8.10 ERA and a 2.52 WHIP. He has now pitched in 173 games (5 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 6-11 with 1 save, a 5.27 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. Stokes will have to pitch well in the minors if he wants to get to Toronto this year.

29-year old righty Chad Cordero was once one of the best relievers in all of baseball before a shoulder problem screwed him up. He pitched in 9 games (0 starts) for the Mariners last year and he was 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Cordero has now pitched in 314 games (0 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 20-15 with 128 saves, a 2.89 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. If Cordero proves to finally be healthy, he could help the Blue Jays out in 2011.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BLUE JAYS BULLPEN IN 2011: B+

The Blue Jays are going to likely have a solid rotation in both the majors and in AAA-ball this year due to the quality young starting pitching depth that they have on hand for 2011. It all starts with 26-year old lefty Ricky Romero. Romero turned into one of the nastiest lefty starters in all of baseball last season and he’s going to get better. Romero pitched in 32 games (32 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 14-9 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He has now pitched in 61 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 27-18 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Romero has outstanding stuff and this should be the season that he wins at least 17 games for the Jays as long as he can stay healthy.

26-year old righty Brandon Morrow has the best arm on the team. He consistently pumps fastballs to the plate in the high 90’s. He has the best stuff on the pitching staff without a doubt. Morrow started 26 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 10-7 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has now pitched in 157 games (41 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 18-19 with 1 save, a 4.19 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has 382 whiffs in his first 344 innings in his major league career which shows just how nasty he can be. His only issue is his control right now and if he straightens that out, the Jays are going to have a second ace in the rotation in 2011.

23-year old righty Kyle Drabek comes into this season as the Blue Jays’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America. Drabek came over a couple of winters ago in the Roy Halladay deal with the Phillies. Drabek started 3 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 0-3 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He also started 27 games in AA-ball last season and he was 14-9 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Drabek has a huge upside and good bloodlines as his dad is Doug Drabek who was a fine starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1980’s.

24-year old lefty Brett Cecil is also a pitcher on the rise for the Blue Jays. He pitched in 28 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 15-7 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He has now pitched in 46 games (45 starts) in 2 years with the Blue Jays and he is 22-11 with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Cecil’s stuff isn’t in Ricky Romero’s class but he still has a nice upside regardless.

26-year old righty Jesse Litsch struggled last season as he was still recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Litsch started 9 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 1-5 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He has now pitched in 60 games (59 starts) in his first four years with the Blue Jays and he is 21-24 with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Litsch has been a solid pitcher when healthy for the Blue Jays, so they think he might be ready to rock in 2011.

28-year old righty Dustin McGowan has missed the last two years due to injury. He last pitched for the Blue Jays way back in 2008. McGowan has pitched in 75 games (56 starts) in his first four years with the Blue Jays and he is 20-22 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. If he can return to pre-injury from, he would be one of the top five starters for the Jays in 2011.

25-year old lefty Marc Rzepczynski pitched in 14 games (12 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. He has now pitched in 25 games (23 starts) in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 6-8 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Rzepczynski is a craft lefty, as he’s short on stuff but long on pitching know how.

24-year old righty Zach Stewart is the Blue Jays #6 prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. He came to the Jays in the Scott Rolen trade two winters ago. Stewart started 26 games in AA-ball for the Blue Jays last season and he was 8-3 with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has now pitched in 84 games (40 starts) in his first three years in the minors and he is 13-8 with 7 saves, a 2.66 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Stewart is likely on the fast track to Toronto because he has a huge upside.

26-year old lefty Brad Mills comes into this season as the Blue Jays’ #30 prospect according to Baseball America. Mills pitched in 7 games (3 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 1-0 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. He has now pitched in 9 games (5 starts) in parts of two years with the Jays and he is 1-1 with a 7.80 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. He also started 20 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 8-6 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Mills is running out of time with the Blue Jays as a lot of younger pitchers have passed him up on the depth chart.

27-year old righty Robert Ray pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. He has now pitched in 7 games (4 starts) in parts of two years with the Blue Jays and he is 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Ray also pitched in 18 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last year and he was 6-6 with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. Ray needs to pick up the pace if he wants to have a future with the Blue Jays.

26-year old lefty Jo Jo Reyes pitched in 1 game (0 starts) for the Braves last season and he was 0-0 with a 24.30 ERA and a 3.90 WHIP. Reyes also pitched in 14 games (12 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 2-6 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has now pitched in 41 games (37 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 5-15 with a 6.40 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. Reyes will probably have a better shot of making the pen than the starting rotation.

31-year old righty Scott Richmond pitched in 9 games (8 starts) in A+AA+AAA-ball last season and he was 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP as he was rehabbing from surgery. He has pitched in 32 games (29 starts) in his first two years with the Jays and he is 9-14 with a 5.27 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Richmond is down kind of far on the depth chart right now, so he will have to work his way back up the hard way.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BLUE JAYS STARTING ROTATION IN 2011: B

23-year old lefty swinging Travis Snider will get his first real shot at playing full time in the majors. He played in 82 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 76 of 298 (.255 avg, .767 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 14 homers, 32 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Snider whiffed 79 times last season but he’s a free swinger with a lot of power, so he fits in perfectly with the rest of the Blue Jays’ starting lineup. Snider played in 29 games in RF for the Jays last season and he didn’t make any errors. Snider only had 1 assist while playing in RF last season where he showed pretty awful range.

30-year old righty swinging Jose Bautista is going to be the Jays’ starting 3B in 2011. But, he could shift to RF if the need arises for the Blue Jays. He played in 112 games in RF for the Blue Jays last season while making 3 errors and showing pretty awful range. Bautista did like showing off the rifle attached to his right shoulder as often as possible as he had 12 assists while playing in RF last year.

32-year old righty swinging Juan Rivera will likely be the starting LF for the Jays in 2011. Rivera could handle a shift to RF if the Jays need him to play there at any point in 2011. Rivera didn’t make any errors in 25 games in RF for the Angels last seasonm and he had 3 assists there while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BLUE JAYS RF IN 2011: B