Daily Archives: March 3, 2013
Tampa Bay Rays Player Roster In 2013 Part 2 – The Pitchers: State Of The Union
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The Rays led the Major Leagues last year in ERA (3.19) and were 3rd in team SO. They also converted 50 of 58 Saves. Even more impressive was that they were 45-31 with a 2.60 ERA after the ALL-Star Break. They traded veterans Wade Davis and James Shields away for top level prospects. Will they be able to duplicate their 2012 numbers with their young talented pitchers improving the club internally?
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Rays are a team built on their strong pitching and timely hits. The majority of their hurlers are homegrown. The unfortunate part about all of this is that the Rays have a Stadium problem. Tropicana Field just doesn’t bring in enough revenue in order to pay their pitchers once they become eligible to be Free Agents. Let’s face it, when you can’t bank on a pitcher being healthy for the duration of his contract, the management will be hard pressed to sign a pitcher to a long – term, 9 figure contract.
The Tampa fans had better enjoy seeing David Price for the next 3 years – because he is on a path to the kind of dollars that will see him leave town. The Rays have made their investment in their franchise player already in Evan Longoria. So here continues the continual revolving door. The good news is that the organization has stockpiled the kind of talented Minor League System that should be able to brunt the force of such a catastrophic loss forthcoming with the reigning AL CY Young winner.
Price might just be the premier Left Handed Pitcher in the MLB right now. After him in the Starting Rotation is Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb and Jeff Niemann. The team alsoadded Roberto Hernandez (Don’t call me Fausto,) for added insurance. There are 2 highly touted prospects with both Chris Archer and Mike Montgomery possibly seeing some time up with the big club. They also could see Jake Odorizzi challenge for a spot in the rotation.
David Price Highlights in 2012:
Tampa Bay Rays Player Roster In 2013 Part 1 – The Hitters: State Of The Union
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Ben Zobrist has quietly turned into one of the best all around players in the game. He has finished in the top 10 for WAR in 3 of the last 4 years – including 1st in 2011 and 2nd in 2009. At Age 31, Zobrist goes into a contract year in 2013. It may be his last season with TB.
By Jake Bullington (Rays Correspondent) Follow @JakeyJake01
Part 1: The hitters:
2012 saw the Tampa Bay Rays miss the playoffs for the first time since 2009. They would finish a very respectable 90-win season and finish third in the AL Wild card. The offseason saw much of what Rays fans are used to from this small market club. Impact players such as B.J. Upton (ATL), Jeff Keppinger (CHW), and Carlos Pena (HOU), would move on to greener pastures and sign elsewhere. That meant GM Andrew Friedman and his team would get to work. They would pick up options on SP James Shields, CL Fernando Rodney, and C Jose Molina. They would decline the option on DH Luke Scott and later sign him back.
The offseason would also see the reworking of a long-term deal to keep the Rays 3B Evan Longoria in a Rays uniform at least through the 2022 season. But with Free Agency looming for “Big Game” James the Rays would do what they do best and send Shields, Wade Davis, and a PTBNL (Elliot Johnson) to the Royals for a prospect package that included future rotation regulars Mike Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi and MLB.com 2nd best prospect OF Wil Myers. The Rays would shore up the middle of the infield by Signing and trading for the Blue Jays previous middle infield of Yunel Escobar (MIA) and Kelly Johnson (FA). To replace Carlos Pena, the Rays would sign Free Agent James Loney. The organization also brought back Joel Peralta on a deal that included a record three Club Options.
Desmond Jennings Highlights:
Tampa Bay Rays Payroll 2013 And Contracts Going Forward: Part 4 Of A 5 Part Rays Series
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Will Myers ascended onto the PCL scene last year and ripped out 24 HRs in just 99 Games at Omaha. The Rays will be counting on him for their offensive future. As a Controllable Player for years, he changes the Salary structure of the Team to Lower the committed dollars from what Shields and Davis would have made.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
New Changes to the old article in Purple:
I am of the belief that the Andrew Friedman and Stu Sternberg have been the ‘model franchise’ in the MLB over the last 5 years. Not only do they compete in the vaunted AL East versus the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but they have made the playoffs 3 times in that span, including a World Series Loss to the Philadelphia in the 2008 year. Had Evan Longoria not been hurt for the majority of the season, one could argue that the club was poised to make another playoff appearance. So how are they doing this? Their team payroll is roughly one-third of the Yankees and the 40 % of the Red Sox total Payroll. The Rays are smart enough to let their higher priced Free Agents walk, or even trading them before they are due significant pay raises.
They are also using the philosophy of the ‘John Hart‘ Indians of the Pre-Milennium Cleveland Indians. Once it was established that Evan Longoria could play at the MLB Level, they signed him to an 8 year contract. They did the same thing with Starting Pitching Matt Moore last year with a 5 year deal for the rookie based on one playoffs of decent pitching. It is a risk sometimes to do this, yet the rewards can save you Millions in future payroll if they player outperforms his contract.
Rays Highlights 2012 Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance Is advised:
MLB Player Profile: SD Padres – Huston Street
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Huston Street was the 2005 Rookie of the Year for the Oakland. He has really good control for a Closer – with a Strikeout to Walk ratio of 4-1 (9.2 SO per 9 IP vs 2.3 BB per 9 IP)His game is suited for the Petco Park. At only Age 29, he could conceivably pitch for the next decade and has an outside chance at about 400 Saves for his Career. He has played for the 3 West Coast teams (OAK, COL and SD.)
By Chance Moore (Padres Correspondent) Follow @chancemoore_EB
Street was traded by the Rockies to the San Diego Padres for Left Hander Nick Schmidt on December 7, 2011. As part of the deal the Padres paid the remaining money on his contract. Street missed a month with a right shoulder strain, but otherwise had an excellent first half with the Padres. He compiled a 1.13 ERA, was 13 for 13 in converting Save Opportunities, and did not allow a Home Run in his 1st 25 games, earning a selection to his first All-Star Game.
Street is an underrated Relief Pitcher in the MLB realms. The man burst onto the scene for Oakland in 2005 – netting the Rookie of the Year Award in the American League with a 5-1 Record and 23 Saves during his 78.1 IP. 8 Years into his career, he has 201 Saves – while yielding a 3.01 ERA. Here he is on the Active MLB Saves List in #8 position. Really he will be 7th early into the year because Brian Fuentes recently retired.
| Rank | Player (yrs, age) | Saves | Throws |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mariano Rivera (18, 42) | 608 | R |
| 2. | Jason Isringhausen (16, 39) | 300 | R |
| 3. | Joe Nathan (12, 37) | 298 | R |
| 4. | Francisco Rodriguez (11, 30) | 294 | R |
| 5. | Jose Valverde (10, 34) | 277 | R |
| 6. | Jonathan Papelbon (8, 31) | 257 | R |
| 7. | Brian Fuentes (12, 36) | 204 | L |
| 8. | Huston Street (8, 28) | 201 | R |
| 9. | J.J. Putz (10, 35) | 183 | R |
| 10. | Brian Wilson (7, 30) | 171 | R |
Huston Street Interview on his 1st Save for the San Diego Padres in 2012:
MLB Reports 
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