***Official 2010 Rays Thread***

[AFBlue]

It's still only April, but the Rays are currently tied with the Yankees for the best record in the Majors (9-3) and can jump ahead by completing a series sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway today (Rays up 8-0 in the sixth).

So, this is the official Rays 2010 thread. Feel free to post updates or thoughts on the team as a whole and/or the individual players. Early season heroes include:

Matt Garza - 3-0 w/ a 0.75 ERA
Evan Longoria - .318 w/ 3HRs and 12RBI
Carlos Pena - .280 w/ 4HRs and 12RBI
BJ Upton - .340 OBP w/ 4HRs and 11RBI
Carl Crawford - .290 w/ 6SBs and 9RBI
David Price - 2-0 w/ a 2.45 ERA

And those are just the standouts. The rest of the rotation is solid, the fielding is superb and the other bats are slowly coming to life. Their only perceived weakness at this point has to be the bullpen. If they can improve in that area, whether internally (Benoit and ickson in AAA, McGee and Torres in AA) or externally via trade, they'll be a force the rest of this season.

Thoughts?

[AFBlue]

It's official, Rays topped the Sox 8-2 behind 7 strong innings from Niemann (only gave up 2-run shot in 7th) to sweep the series and sit atop the standings across the MLB. The bats came to life early as they chased new acquistion John Lackey out of the game after 3 1/3 innings of 9-hit, 8-run ball (all earned).

[AFBlue]

I'll give my thoughts on one guy who may be the difference for them this year. The Rays brought in Pat "the Bat" Burrell as a free agent (2yr, $16M) during last off-season to be their everyday DH and provide some run support against left-handers. Burrell, at 32, had played his entire MLB career with the Phillies, but they decided to let him go because of his declining defensive skill among other things.

PtB responded by batting .220 and hitting 14hrs, the lowest HR total of his career and first year below 20HRs since his rookie season. Yeesh...not the kind of production the Rays expected when they made him their second-highest paid offensive player.

This is the last year of Burrell's contract, and the last year of two other significant offensive players (Crawford and Pena) as well. If there was a time for Burrell to step up and be a part of a championship-contending team...now is it.

Early on the results have been mixed, but there are signs that he's improved. With his big day today (3-4 w/ a double) and good series overall (GW 2-run HR on Friday) it looks like Pat's bat may just be showing up.

He's one of the key players to watch as the season unfolds.

[FlavoredIcecream]

Way to start this thread after a 10-3 start and a sweep in Fenway.

[AFBlue]

Yeah, I actually started one in 2009 but it never got comments because there weren't any fans. I think there are now a couple fans on-board and either way the team will get some followers if they continue to play like this.

[AFBlue]

John Kruk has an article led "Rays should forget tomorrow, win today" on ESPN.com. It touches on the early season success and the scenarios that may play out as we get closer to the trade deadline.

The Rays have three players in the last year of their contracts (Crawford, Pena, Burrell) and three players that are steadily increasing their arbitration values with solid seasons (Bartlett, Upton, Garza).

The article touches on the tough decision looming for the FO on all of the players, whether to retain them for the rest of the season with the likely possibility they'll leave this off-season without compensation...or whether to trade them for prospects to keep the prospect pool full of talent.

For a small-market team with limited funds, this is a constant struggle. But I agree with Kruk that this team has a legitimate shot at winning it all and should try to hold together (or even look for opportunities to improve) as long as they're within realistic distance of making the playoffs.

My guess at this point is that the Rays hold onto Crawford, Pena and Burrell until they leave via free agency. I think they'll toy with the idea of trading Garza and Upton in the off-season for the mountain of prospects they could bring in return, but ultimately they'll look to sign both to long-term deals.

If I had to pick one player to be traded this off-season it would be Bartlett, already making $4M this year and set up for a big raise next year. The Rays are getting a good look at one of their top infield prospects, Reid Brignac, who made the team as a reserve and is getting plenty of ABs at 2B. He came up through the system as a SS and is likley to see time there this season as well. He is solid defensively, bats lefty and has shown improved discipline at the plate.

My only concern for the future at this point is if Pena leaves in FA...a guy who can slug 40HRs (even with all the strikeouts) and play gold glove defense is not easy to replace. I would love to see him back in a Rays uni, but he's already making $10M and I'm just not sure the Rays would be able to afford him once he hits the open market. It will be interesting to see how the Rays address that need.

[AFBlue]

The Rays just finished a long road trip by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox...and other than the first game where they were shut out, they were really impressive. They jumped on Buehrle, who no-hit them last year, and Peavy to the tune of 13 runs and chased them both out of the game before the 5th inning. The game they were shut out was the only loss of the 10-game road trip.

Overall, the Rays are still a half game up on the Yankees for the division and hold the overall major-league lead in win pct.

They begin their first series of the year against the Toronto Blue Jays, with their most dominant pitcher of the young season, Matt Garza, taking the mound.

[AFBlue]

It's the all-AFBlue thread!

Pretty big news for the Rays today...Ben Zobrist, former utility fielder turned all-star, has signed a 5yr deal (3yr guaranteed w/ 2 option years) worth roughly $30M. Last year Zobrist was the team MVP as he batted .297 w/ a .405 OBP and 27HRs. He also played at every position on the field except catcher but has recently been slotted at either 2B or RF depending on matchups.

I don't think anyone expects Zobrist to repeat his monstrous 2009 season, but he does project to worth much more than the $30M they'll likely be paying him over the next 5yrs. This is a VERY solid move for the Rays' long-term.

Here's the official story...

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[AFBlue]

More info about the Rays, only this time it's about prospects in the system...the top pitcher and position player not already in the majors.

Here's a blip and a link (http://insider.espn.go.com/sports/fa...son&id=5125815), but it's an Insider article so you may not have access. Below is the Rays-centric portion of the article, beginning with top pitching prospect, RHP Jeremy ickson...

If he didn't pitch for the Tampa Bay Rays, Jeremy ickson would likely be in the big leagues already. However, the depth of their starting rotation has the right-hander -- who just turned 23 -- making mincemeat of Triple-A hitters for the moment, waiting for an opportunity.

ickson is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.38 ERA and struck out 62 batters over 56 2/3 innings in 11 Double-A starts, and then posted a 2.51 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings in nine Triple-A outings. He held batters to a .178 average on the season, and although part of that can be attributed to simple good luck, it reflects how dominance he has versus minor league hitters.

Well, this season he has picked up right where he left off, with three great starts at Triple-A to begin the year, allowing just one run in each of them with a 21 strikeouts to three walks in 19 innings.

The 6-foot-1 righty's fastball sits in the low 90s but has touched 94 mph on occasion, and it is even more effective because of his excellent command. The heater has some movement in on left-handed batters, and ickson has an ability to spot it on both sides of the dish. He also features two "plus" secondary offerings, a changeup and a curve. His circle change has improved enough over the past two years that it's now the better of the two pitches; it has very good sink and fade, and he has learned to maintain his arm speed while throwing it. His high-70s curveball has good shape and a downward three-quarters bite, and he commands it enough to throw it for strikes or use it as a chase pitch if needed. It just needs a touch more consistency.

In short, ickson has all the weapons he'll need, with the command and control of them to project him as a No. 2 starter. He's not afraid to attack hitters and has been praised for his mound presence and what Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey calls his "bulldog mentality."

The knocks on ickson come down to durability and endurance, and not because of the stigma often wrongly attached to short right-handed starters. Though his delivery is relatively easy from a high three-quarters slot, his arm is a bit late, which puts additional stress on his arm, especially his shoulder. He had some shoulder issues before being drafted, came down with a sore arm at the end of the 2006 season, and missed more than a month last year because of a sprained shoulder. I'm not going to knock him significantly for it, as there are many pitchers with similar mechanical issues who have proved to be fairly durable, but it's definitely worth mentioning. It's also worth noting that even though we are quibbling about his arm action, he has progressed to the point where he repeats his delivery very well, which leads to good command.

Over the past three seasons, ickson's innings counts have been 111, 152 and 114, so in some respects, ickson still must prove he's capable of consistently taking the ball every fifth day over the course of 180-plus innings.

Although the Rays don't have a need right now, Rays vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman already said during spring training that ickson could help the club this season, and he's likely the first option if a spot opens up because of injury. Regardless, ickson's reputation as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball is well deserved.

The writer then goes on to talk about the Top 10 prospects in the minors, mentioning the Rays' top hitting prospect, CF Desmond Jennings. Here's the blip on him...

Desmond Jennings, OF, Rays: Jennings has just returned to action at Triple-A after a spring wrist injury, and he stole three bases in his first three games. He's going to be up with the Rays and playing right field at some point this season (with Ben Zobrist moving to second, likely permanently). It's just a question of when.

The future looks bright for the Rays and these two are big reasons why.

[AFBlue]

Rays closed out series versus the Blue Jays and came away victorious in 2 of the 3 contests. That nets yet another series won. The young lefty David Price pitched the first complete-game shutout of his career.

Record as of 26 Apr is 14-5...first in AL East and ML overall.

[AFBlue]

Two more games = two more wins.

The Rays are now an ML-best 16-5 with an ML-best 131 runs scored and are 5th in ERA. They've gotten production from the usual cast of stars (Crawford, Longoria, Pena, Upton) and even a couple kids from the farm....C John Jaso and IF Reid Brignac.

Jaso, a 26yr old catcher that bats left-handed, is hitting .450 w/ 6 walks to 1 strikeout, 9 RBIs and a home run. Given the pitiful production from the catcher position against RHP last year, Jaso's early season showing is a HUGE positive. He doesn't have the greatest defensive skills, but the patience and pop are for real. Jaso should be starting the majority of games against RHP from here on out.

Here's what I said about Brignac in the AL East thread...

Reid Brignac (SS/2B) - 24yr old Rays prospect, he's an excellent defensive infielder that has shown some pop from the left side.

*He should provide insurance against severe regression or injury from Jason Bartlett (SS). He's also likely the long-term answer for if/when Bartlett leaves.

Well Bartlett hasn't regressed much, but Brignac has played his way into the everyday lineup at 2B against RHP with solid defense and some pop on offense(2HRs, 2 2Bs, 7RBIs).

If the Rays continue to get production from positions where it wasn't otherwise expected, the winning should continue.

[bostonguy]

TBH, I just can't see the Rays winning that division over the Yanks. I hope I am wrong but I just don't see it. As the season goes on, the Yanks get better.

[AFBlue]

TBH, I just can't see the Rays winning that division over the Yanks. I hope I am wrong but I just don't see it. As the season goes on, the Yanks get better.

There were skeptics '08 that said they couldn't go wire-to-wire atop the division and win it, but they proved the skeptics wrong. I do agree that the Yankees have some notoriously slow starters (Texiera, Sabathia, etc.) likely to improve as the season goes on, but I'd match the Rays' starting pitching staff and everyday lineup against the Yankees and call it pretty damn close to equal.

The fortunate thing for Rays fans though, is that they're not in direct compe ion with the Yankees to make the playoffs. If they win 95 games, they should get in as a pretty dangerous wild card.

Still, I think they've got the talent and depth to go wire-to-wire and win the AL East outright.

[AFBlue]

Rays split their latest 4-game series with the Royals...won the first one going away (11-1), lost the next two close low-scoring ball games and then finished the series with a 1-0 win.

The last win was an impressive one. Despite being 4-hit by Zack Greinke, the Rays starter Wade Davis and bullpen one-upped the Royals with a 3-hit effort and Evan Longoria delivered the only run on a solo-shot.

Longoria now has a 9-game hit streak with multi-hit games in 7 of those contests. And while the rest of the offense has slowed a bit, the Rays have still gotten decent pitching to keep them in games.

This is the first split/lost series to any team not named the Yankees, but I still like what I'm seeing from the team. Can't win 'em all!

[AFBlue]

It's been a LONG time since the last post, but here's a synopsis of where the Rays stand...62-38, riding a 5-game win streak and taking 3 of the first 4 in their current sries with the Tigers. In fact, there's only one other team in the majors with more success through this point in the season. But unfortunately for the Rays, that team happens to be in their division.

Going forward, the consensus is that the Rays have one of the easier schedules in the majors and they're looking to add another impact bat by the deadline (Werth, Dunn, Willingham, Scott). They also have two possible call-ups in stud RHP Jeremy ickson and CF Desmond Jennings that appear ready for the majors at this point.

It should be an interesting next few weeks for them as they solidify their roster and lineups for the stretch run.

[badfish22]

lol san antonio rays

[bostonguy]

lol rays
lol owner wanting to trim 20 million of payroll
lol back to sucking
lol cliff lee

[crc21209]

lol rays
lol owner wanting to trim 20 million of payroll
lol back to sucking
lol cliff lee

[EricB]

If I were a Ray's fan and after the last couple years and the owner wants to TRIM payroll?

I'd want to burn down his goddamn mansion...

[Ditty]

lol san antonio rays

[Greg Oden]

If I were a Ray's fan

you mean you aren't?