The Toronto Blue Jays finished the 2011 season with a 81-81 record, which had them in fourth place in the A.L. East 16 games behind the Yankees. If the Blue Jays were in any other division in baseball, they might still be playing. But, they aren’t, but .500 is not as bad as it seems. The Blue Jays are a team on the rise. Here is a look at the things that stood out to me about the Blue Jays in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 30-year old righty swinging RF/3B Jose Bautista turned in another outstanding year for the Blue Jays in 2011, proving that 2010 wasn’t a fluke. Bautista played in 149 games for the Blue Jays in 2011 and he was 155 for 513 (.302 avg, 1.056 OPS) with 105 runs scored, 43 homers, 103 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He also walked 132 times as teams weren’t challenging him as much as they did in 2010. The huge spike in batting average and on base percentage more than made up for the drop in homers for Bautista.

BEST PITCHER: 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Ricky Romero is stepping into the elite class in the American League. He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Blue Jays in 2011 and he was 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Romero only gave up 180 hits while whiffing 178 batters in 225 innings last year as he was a workhorse for the Jays. He is only going to get better, especially if he can cut down on his walks (80).

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 30-year old righty reliever Casey Janssen was awesome for the Jays and they weren’t expecting that out of him. He pitched in 55 games (0 starts) for the Jays in 2011 and he was 6-0 with 2 saves, a 2.26 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Janssen only gave up 47 hits and 14 walks in 55 2/3 innings this year while whiffing 53….which is impressive.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: This one is very easy. 23-year old righty starting pitcher Kyle Drabek was the key to the Roy Halladay deal with the Phillies. With that in mind, it looks like the Blue Jays got jobbed on that deal. Drabek pitched in 18 games (14 starts) for the Blue Jays this year and he was 4-5 with a 6.06 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. He gave up 88 hits in 78 2/3 innings and he also walked 55 batters for the Jays….and those are pathetic numbers. The Jays then sent Drabek to the minors to work on his control with the idea of letting him earn his way back. That didn’t happen. Drabek pitched in 15 games (all starts) in AAA-ball and he was 5-4 with a 7.44 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. He gave up 111 hits in only 75 innings in the minors while whiffing 45 batters and walking 41.