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BTW, they beat the Yankees last night and have a four-run lead going into the 7th in the second game of the series....
Update: 6 - 3 W over Yankees
I figure if the Rangers, Astros, Yankees, Tigers, Mariners and D-Backs are en led....
The Rays have a powerful young lineup, an ace (maybe two), and solid bullpen.
If the back-end of the rotation pans out and stud 3B prospect Evan Longoria joins the team sooner rather than later....they'll be at .500 and may be contending for a playoff spot.
Who knows, stranger things have happened. They certainly have the talent.
BTW, they beat the Yankees last night and have a four-run lead going into the 7th in the second game of the series....
Update: 6 - 3 W over Yankees
Last edited by AFBlue; 04-05-2008 at 03:16 PM. Reason: Update
yawn. i still call 'em the devil rays.
- Mars
Call 'em whatever you want....
They just might be legit.
yeah no...
Rays 2nd in the AL East and three games over .500...
Evan Longoria is a stud at 3B and they just got back their ace, Scott Kazmir.
I called the Rays being 2nd in the Division, beating out the Yankees and being a .500 or better club in the predictions thread. Hopefully they keep this up and make me look smart!
they will fade
Kaz (in second game back) and the bullpen combine to pitch a three-hit shutout of the Angels. Oh, and they got Cliff Floyd back today....who was hitting .333 with 2 jacks in 4 games at the beginning of the season.
What's the logic behind that?
The top of their rotation is above average with Shields, Kaz, and Garza....and they've got Sonnanstine, Jackson, Hammel, and Niemann (AAA) as potential players to fill out the back-end.
They've got a good closer in Percival, not to mention Wheeler and Reyes (last year's closer) as solid setup guys.
Crawford and Upton are potential all-stars.
Aki and Navarro are underrated.
Longoria is odds-on favorite for ROY.
Hinske has been an unexpected surprise.
The only real question is RF....but with the pitching surplus I mentioned previously (add Price, McGee, and Davis to that list), the Rays could be active traders at the deadline to shore it up.
Again....just curious to see how you came to your conclusion.
LMAO is this seriously a DEVIL RAYS THREAD!??? (I refuse to stop calling them the DEVIL rays)
He doesn't have any. He'll site that they are the Rays and that no amount of name-changing will improve their situation. For him, they have to fade. And not just fade, but completely fall apart, but in the predictions thread, he railed on those of us who thought the Rays could actually do something.
I thought so, but I figured if I presented every which way to prove him wrong he'd have nothing to say.
I'm by no means claiming that the Rays are going to win the World Series or even make the playoffs....but they can't be considered the laughing stock of the AL anymore.
That has everything to do with their players and play....it has nothing to do with what they're called (BRHornet45 can call them whatever he wants).
Rays are first place in the AL East and have won 11 straight home games...
Oh, and they just locked up their 24yr old ace (Scott Kazmir) for the next three seasons beyond this one with an option for the fourth.
it's only May guys...the Rays will fade just like the Brewers last year. Edwin Jackson won't keep it up, Sonnestine won't keep it up so they will have to rely on Kazmir and Shields to win the division for them. It will be Yanks/Red Sox again like always. I get why people are on the Rays bandwagon, but it's still May, they have a bunch of young guys and career stiffs so they will fade with time. Someone will get hurt, or they will hit a bad couple of games and the bomb will be dropped on the Rays bandwagon. The fans will head for the hills and the players will melt to the pressure.
I was too busy watching the Indians' pitching staff shut people out, sorry I didn't read the thread
And your right, just because they changed their name to The Rays and took out 'Devil' doesn't mean they arn't a organization built around losing.
But for the record, I would love to eat crow and have the Rays in the playoffs because a) I'm sure the atmosphere in their convention center will be crazy and b) the Indians will be that much closer to a World Series. Also, it will be funny to see all the residents from Tampa jump off the Yankees bandwagon and on to the Rays bandwagon come August...it will be so pathetic
Last edited by Thunder Dan; 05-15-2008 at 08:51 AM.
I just don't see how you can say with any confidence that the Yankees will pull out of their rut. Not only are they injured, but they are old and/or inexperienced and, to make matters worse, poorly coached thus far. The Rays look far superior to anything the Yankees have been resembling.
I never said the Rays would win the Division. I said theid they'd be the fifth-best record. I did say that they'd be the second-best team in the AL East, however, and battle for 85 wins.
Actually, I just double checked... I said they'd finish ahead of Baltimore and Toronto and around the same as New York. I said 80-to-85 wins...
Because the Yanks have a ton of injuries they are fighting through right now, plus they started off worse last year and that didn't keep them out of the playoffs.
Last year they had a manager who'd been there before. Girardi has like 3/4ths a season under his belt coming in. I'm just not sure where you can see New York having anywhere near the potential that the Rays have. The Yankees are a tragic mix of old players, inexperienced players and injured players being managed by a new staff.
It wasn't the Yankees, but instead the Rays that were leading the league in trips to the DL for a while. And the guys they were missing (Kazmir, Reyes, Floyd, Navarro, etc.) weren't end-of-the-bench role players.
Yankee talent is overrated.
What hasn't even been said yet is that the Rays offense, which should be feared, is actually off to a pretty slow start. It has been their pitching keeping them in most of the games.
Finally...I'll give you that Jackson and Sonnanstine may hit a wall or go through some inconsistent times....but at least Kaz and Shields (and probably Garza) give them a more solid top of the rotation than most of the league. So imagine if those other two DON'T hit a wall.
It all adds up to a pretty solid season, which is why I don't see your pessimism.
I got a hit off Sonnanstine in high school...so if I can hit him..anyone can!
Sounds like you should be rooting for him then....if he turns out to be a stud, it'd be your claim to fame.
Oh, and FWIW I think Sonny is destined for a long relief role. He's been pretty solid for the Rays but his stuff doesn't rival that of Price, McGee, or Davis.
Update: Sonny with the win over the Cards...8IP, 8H, 1ER, 4Ks
Last edited by AFBlue; 05-16-2008 at 09:52 PM. Reason: Update
I'm actually friends with him, he is my high school buddy's roommate in college. We all went to the same college, Kent StateSounds like you should be rooting for him then....if he turns out to be a stud, it'd be your claim to fame.
Oh, and FWIW I think Sonny is destined for a long relief role. He's been pretty solid for the Rays but his stuff doesn't rival that of Price, McGee, or Davis.
Update: Sonny with the win over the Cards...8IP, 8H, 1ER, 4Ks
Just thought I'd update...
Rays are the winners of 4 straight, atop the AL East, and have the best winning percentage in MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.
Look, you can say that it's only May and that they'll fade...but nobody can say these are the same "Devil" Rays that were the laughing stock of the league for a decade.
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