Category Archives: tampa bay rays

2015 MLB Team Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays come into the 2015 season with a new general manager, manager and a load of new faces in the clubhouse. Tampa Bay is going through one of the many issues a small market team goes through. They can’t afford to keep their homegrown talent and must turnover their roster to remain competitive.

After recent success near the top of the AL East, it looks like they could be headed for some lean years. The farm system they relied on for so many years is no longer stocked with can’t-miss prospects. How soon can the new general manager turn things around?

Can the Rays young starting rotation keep the team afloat during the transition?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Tampa Bay Rays.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

All offseason we talk about the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, but the Tampa Bay Rays always end up in the discussion at the end of the season. They build through the draft and develop their own, so they stay quiet while the Sox and Yanks throw around big money.

The Rays were second in the AL East, just behind the World Series champs. Matt Moore had a career year with 17 wins and they called up their gem prospect, Wil Myers. With all the young arms in the rotation, it’s hard to predict a win total this season. They could all have double-digit wins and lead the team to a 100-win season or a few could implode. I think it’s fair to say the Rays will land somewhere in the middle

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Tampa Bay Rays.

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Why Wil Myers Will Be Better Than Yasiel Puig

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Yasiel Puig caught the world by storm when he was called up to the Majors. He had game-winning hits, threw guys out with his arm and hit for power and average. His rookie cards are going for $50+ and his autographs are fetching a couple hundred dollars on eBay.

On the other side of the coin, Tampa Bay Rays rookie Wil Myers was called up soon after Puig with less fanfare, even though Myers was most well-known prospect in the minor leagues. He started off a bit slow, but is turning into a better player than Puig.

Puig has plateaued a bit and Myers is currently on a hot streak, yet SportsCenter gives more attention to Puig. I understand he’s in a bigger market than Myers, but that will soon change.

Wil Myers is better than Yasiel Puig and will be for the rest of his career…and here’s why. Continue reading →

Top MLB Prospects Who Will Appear in 2013

Major League Baseball teams have put more focus on the draft over the last decade and it’s paying off. The minors are filled with the most talent its seen in the last two decades.

With the early success of Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, Angels outfielder Mike Trout and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, fans are expecting their teams to push their top prospects to the Majors as soon as possible.

You have already noticed a few teams caving in to the pressure and have their top prospects starting the season on the roster. Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller and Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks will start the season, but you could argue that they are filling a glaring need.

Here is a list of MLB prospects you will see called-up in the 2013 season. Continue reading →

Are the Marlins Shopping Giancarlo Stanton?

The MLB trade rumor mill is in full force. Every beat writer conjures up a scenario in which every player could be traded. I think the current trade market is filled with every player in the MLB not named Bryce Harper or Andrew McCutchen.

Giancarlo Stanton found his name on the trading block thanks to ESPN’s Buster Olney (ESPN Insider needed).

The Miami Marlins opened up a beautiful new stadium this season, but currently find themselves at 43-36. They are nine games out in the NL East and six games out of the a Wild Card spot. Things aren’t dire, but they would need to leapfrog many teams to make the playoffs.

Who else is on the trading block on the Marlins? Could another Florida team also be sellers at the trading deadline?

Olney goes on to say that Omar Infante and Josh Johnson could also find themselves on the trading block if the Marlins stumble after the All-Star break.

Stanton is currently on the disabled list with an injured knee. He will be out about a month, so trading him by July 31st could be difficult or nearly impossible. He would be their best trade piece if they decide to completely rebuild, but I believe that Stanton is their franchise player to build around. He is hitting .284 with 19 homers and 50 RBI…on pace for a monster season.

The Marlins had plenty of prospects come through Miami and fizzle out. Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham, and Mike Jacobs didn’t do a whole lot for the franchise. They currently have Gabby Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, and Logan Morrison not living up to their hype. Stanton destroyed the minors and he keeps improving. He’s not a guy you want to give up on.

Johnson has about $20 million left on his contract through the rest of this season and the 2013 season. It is a fair price for a #1 starter, if he can stay healthy. They would get a nice haul for him, especially if he’s traded to a contender with a stocked farm system. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, or Detroit Tigers would be ideal trade partners, since they have an abundance of top-tier prospects to trade.

Second base is a very shallow position in MLB. Major offensive production from the position is rare these days. Infante is the current prototypical second baseman. He bats around .275 with low double-digit power and steals. He would be a nice stopgap for a team who has no current answer at second. He’s an excellent defensive player with a .989 and .981 fielding percentage the last two seasons.

I contacted Tom Green, the associate reporter for MLB.com who covers the Miami Marlins, about Miami’s trade rumors. He calms Marlins fans down by saying he “doesn’t see them selling Giancarlo or J.J.”

Heath Bell, Carlos Zambrano, and even newly-acquired Carlos Lee could also find themselves bring shopped at the deadline. Bell is having a disastrous season so far and with Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez) coming back from suspension, could find himself booted permanently from the closer role.

At the end of Olney’s blog post, he also mentions that if the Tampa Bay Rays keep sliding, they could also start to reload their team.

It’s hard to pinpoint the players who have a lot of trade value, but Kyle Farnsworth, Jeff Keppinger, and Luke Scott seem like players who are expendable. They wouldn’t get a huge haul, but with the need for bullpen help, Farnsworth would get the most in return.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

MLB 2012: Grading Early May Transactions

The first month of the season is in the books and teams are starting to find out what kind of team they have. General Managers start to clean house and cut some the dead weight on their rosters. They start to bring up their top prospects, since they stalled to keep them from becoming Super 2 eligible. When they bring up a player from the Minors, they have to make a roster move, which usually means that either a veteran is put on waivers or a younger player can be sent down.

Veterans are starting to be smart when they sign a minor-league contract in the off-season. They have started to put an opt-out clause that if they are not on the Major League roster by May1st, they can opt-out of their deal. Not all of the players have this clause, but it’s becoming more common.

Which deal deserves an A+ grade? Is bringing up 21-year old Jordan Lyles too early? We grade this past week’s MLB transactions.
Houston Astros called up RHP Jordan Lyles
In 2011, then 20-year old Lyles started 15 games for the Astros. They tried to keep his innings down and finished the season in the bullpen. Houston is in rebuilding mode and he’s the best pitching prospect in their farm system. He has been working on his curveball in the off-season and he will test in against MLB hitters. I like this move because the Astros have nothing to lose. They aren’t playing for a pennant, they are trying to build a team and Lyles needs experience. – Grade: A

Tampa Bay Rays signed OF/DH Hideki Matsui to a minor-league contract
Matsui played in Oakland last season and mostly played DH. He started out poorly, but he had an above average second-half of the season. I don’t see him playing the outfield in Tampa Bay, so he is an insurance policy for Luke Scott. Matsui would come in handy if Zobrist or Joyce had injury issues. I like this signing because the risk is low and he could be a piece that you need during the playoff push. – Grade: B+

Oakland Athletics signed 3B Brandon Inge to a one-year contract
Since 2009, Inge hasn’t had a very good year at the plate. He benefits a team as a utility player and that’s about it. He moved all around the field for Detroit, he even played catcher.When the Tigers moved Miguel Cabrera to third-base, Inge had to know that his time was up. Eric Sogard is batting .140, which is lower than Inge, so he will actually be an offensive improvement at that position. – Grade: C+

San Diego Padres called up RHP Jeff Suppan
The Padres needed a starting pitcher to pitch in place of Cory Luebke. They didn’t expect much from this move because he might only start a few games. In his first start, he gave them five solid innings and probably earned him a second or third start to see what’s left in Suppan’s arm. – Grade: C

Cleveland Indians called up OF/DH Johnny Damon
Damon was one of those veterans with the May 1st opt-out clause. Cleveland has a surplus of outfield talent with Shin-Soo Choo, Shelly Duncan, Michael Brantley, and a few on their minor-league team, the Columbus Clippers. Damon had an excellent 2011 season with Tampa Bay and he could be very useful. If Cleveland sees themselves out of the AL Central race at the trading deadline, he could be a trade chip. In the meantime, I liked this move in the off-season and I still like it. – Grade: A-

Cincinnati Reds signed RHP Michael Wuertz
Wuertz had a few good seasons, but shoulder and finger issues derailed his pitching career. He had an astronomical ERA in 2011(6.68 in 39 appearances). This move is another low risk/high reward, but his upside isn’t very high. – Grade: D+

Boston Red Sox called up RHP Aaron Cook
Cook had already said that he was ready to opt-out, but Boston waited until the last second and called him up. Josh Beckett has a lat injury and they needed a starting pitcher. I’m not sure how long he’ll hold on to a roster spot. It all depends on how his first start goes and if he shows them that he has something left in his arm. – Grade: C

Los Angeles Dodgers signed OF Bobby Abreu to a one-year contract
Abreu has always been a slow starter. He has a sub-par batting average in April and May. The Dodgers picked him up at a discount and will use him to rest Matt Kemp, Andre Either, or Juan Rivera/Tony Gwynn platoon. On days that he’s not in the field, I expect that Don Mattingly will use him at a pinch-hitter. I love this move and it’s all reward for the Dodgers. – Grade: A

Texas Rangers traded Cleveland Indians for OF Ryan Spilborghs in exchange for cash
I don’t get this trade, other than the GMs were bored. Texas has an excess of outfielders and/or guys that could occupy left field (Mitch Moreland). The Rangers must be collecting assets in hopes of trading for either bullpen depth or a fifth starter at the trading deadline. – Grade: D-

There was a potpourri of deals made this week. A few of them could make a big difference, but it’s too early in the season to know. Cleveland’s GM will have a busy year. Their Triple-A team in Columbus has won the Triple-A Championship the past two years and it is fulled with trade chips. Stay tuned and play ball!

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Angels Acquire Scott Kazmir

As if the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim didn’t already look great this season, but they just got better. They just acquired Scott Kazmir from the Tampa Bay Rays for two Double-A minor-league players. Was this a Rays salary dump? The Angels needed pitching help and if he can pitch like he did at the beginning of last season, they should be the favorite to win it all this year.

The Angels are sending Alexander Torres and Matthew Sweeney to the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire Kazmir. Torres is a 21-year old pitcher with a big arm and Sweeney will probably end up being a 1B or DH eventually, they are both in Double-A. It is a small price to pay for Kazmir, who has struggled this season with an ERA around six. But he has a 51-41 career record with a 3.85 ERA with strikeout power. Kazmir does have is injury-prone and doesn’t last long into games, due to him being a strikeout pitcher. If the Angels pitching coaches can turn Kazmir into a finesse pitcher who can use his strikeout power on occassion, he’ll be able to last longer into games.

People forget that Kazmir is still only 25 years old. His name has been in baseball’s lexicon since he was a young prospect with the New York Mets. He was traded in one of the worst trades this decade, when the Mets sent him to the Rays for Victor Zambrano. He can still learn how to keep himself healthy and be a possible #1 or #2 starter for the Angels. John Lackey is a free agent after this season and they could let him go, since they will be paying Kazmir about $10 million over the next two years, plus an option for a third.

I like the deal for the Angels, they have money to spend and the Rays do not, so this deal had to happen. Yes, the Rays could have held onto Kazmir and traded him for more in return, but they needed to dump Kazmir’s salary and wasn’t guaranteed a similar deal would have been offered this off-season, since the economy has yet to rebound. I think the Angels are now the team to beat in the American League.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Fantasy God – Evan Longoria

Evan Longoria was deemed the savior of the Tampa Bay Rays, much like Jay Bruce is being coined in Cincinnati. Longoria was supposed to be the starting 3rd basemen at the start of the season, but the team wanted to give him a month in the minors to ease him into the league. They saw Longoria as more of a Ryan Bruan-type talent that needed a month in the minors to sharpen up before making his major league debut. This was a smart idea, since the Kansas City Royals had a similar scenario last season with their prospect, Alex Gordon. He ended up struggling his first two months in the Majors, but ended up turning it on towards the end of the season.

Evan Longora was finally brought up the majors in mid-April with much fanfare. He started out hot, but cooled down in May. He has been a monster in June, he has hit over half of his 15 homers so far this month. He has been extraordinarily hot over the past week. He has hit 4 homers, driven in 12 runs and batting .448. Some would suspect that his hot streak is due to inter-league play, but I think it should carry on throughout the rest of the season.

Tampa Bay is off to its best start in franchise history (48-32) and are in contention for both the AL East crown or the Wild-Card spot this season. Longoria, Carl Crawford, Scott Kazmir, and B.J. Upton arer the thank for their surprisingly great start. If Carlos Pena ever gets back his power stroke and they somehow get Rocco Baldelli back healthy, this team will not only be playoff-worthy this season, but the nucleus is young and should be great for years.

If you have Longoria on any of your fantasy teams, hold on to him. If you are in a keeper league, I would keep him for years to come. I look for Longoria to hit around 33 homers and have around 108 RBI. He is currently hittin .254, but look for a spike in his average once he figures out better pitching. Longoria should end up with a .286 average, give or take a few points.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.