“I don’t think it’s anything serious – it just hit him in a bad spot where it’s going to swell up quickly, which it did. He just couldn’t get a good feel or grip or close his fist.” - Joe Maddon on B.J. Upton (TBO.com)
“As of right now I’m planning on using him tomorrow night unless I find out otherwise.” - Joe Maddon on Akinori Iwamura (TBO.com)
Both B.J. and Aki left yesterday’s tie with the Indians with injuries, but neither one is expected to be too serious. At the rate things are going, though, the regular season can’t come soon enough. It’s getting tiresome seeing these guys dropping like flies every day. But, if Joe’s not worried, I’m not worried.
It does raise the question though: is Spring Training too long? Obviously it’s much more important to the pitchers who are trying to build up their endurance for the regular season - but would it be better if the Spring season was shortened and the pitchers simply did their work in simulated and intrasquad games? Think about it - they play somewhere in the vicinity of 30 games apiece that don’t count towards anything. Why not cut that number in half and make it two weeks long? I’m sure the owners wouldn’t like it - they can charge near full-price for these tickets and are putting plenty of butts into the seats - but I just don’t think it makes a lot of sense to keep going with the current system.
Alright, enough of my babble. On to the recap:
The Good: Dioner Navarro continues to mash, adding 2 more hits - including a home run - and a walk in 3 trips to the plate yesterday. He now sits with a line of .393/.452/.679 on the Spring. Think he’s ready for the season to begin? Not only that, but everything I’ve heard is that he’s looking solid behind the plate, too. Could we be looking at a breakout year for the chunky one?
In a case of “it might be too little, too late,” Jon Weber had a nice 3-for-5 ballgame including a home run of his own. Though I don’t think that Maddon has made his final decision yet, I suspect that Eric Hinske will become the Rays 4th outfielder, with Elliot Johnson and Carl Crawford filling in at center field when necessary. Someone on another website made the case that Weber’s minor league numbers - when taken in context of his stadium - weren’t actually all that impressive. Couple that with how his Spring really hasn’t been anything special, and you’ve got yourself a guy who looks perfect for the Durham shuttle. I’m not saying he can’t play with this team at some point during the year; it just won’t be in early April.
The Bad: Jason Hammel cannot find anything that even resembles consistency. After a great outing against the Braves last weekend, Hammel allowed 3 runs in 4 1/3 while throwing a ton of pitches in the process. I know he’s out of options, but doesn’t it reach a point where you have to let people who’ve outpitched him - namely Jeff Niemann and J.P. Howell - get a chance to play? I’ve never made it a secret that I don’t like Hammel very much or that I - for reasons inexplicable even to myself - am really high on Howell, but I don’t want this to sound like there’s any kind of personal bias here. Hammel simply hasn’t been very good, and it’s not like he lit the world on fire in his time on the big club last year. I understand the concern - cutting loose a pitcher like Hammel (or Jackson or anyone), reduces the positional depth of the team. But, if Hammel’s not any good anyways is that the kind of depth you need? Is anyone REALLY convinced that Hammel is any better than Niemann, Howell, Jackson, Talbot, et al? If you are, please let me know (and explain why), because I’ve never understood why this guy seems to get so much love.
Oh, and Jonny Gomes went 0-for-5 to drop his Spring average to .200.
The Eh: Jeff Niemann pitched a solid, but unspectacular, 4 innings in relief. He allowed just 1 run, but also allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out just one. I found this quote from Marc Lancaster about Niemann to be kind of interesting:
Maddon, by the way, was very pleased with Niemann’s work and said he remains an option for the rotation. I just don’t see that myself, barring a trade to free up a spot, but the big man does have a 1.50 spring ERA.
Marc Lancaster’s got much more open access to the team than I’ve got, so he probably sees a lot more than I see. If he says he thinks that Niemann won’t be in the rotation, I’d be kind of curious as to why not, especially with - presumably - one or two starts early in the season that need to be filled by someone while Kid K is getting healthy. Does he know something that he’s not sharing? Or is he just another bonehead commentator who figures that guys with no big league experience are clearly worse than guys with big league experience? I’m not saying he’s wrong - maybe he’s heard something from Maddon that indicates he doesn’t think Niemann will be around - but I just don’t see how you can deny him a spot in the rotation. He has outpitched the rest of his competition, and the organization has said that it is going to begin to value results a whole lot more. I think it sends the wrong message if Niemann isn’t at least used while Kaz is out early on.
The Insane Fan Quote of the Day: And it comes courtesy of Cathy Smith, also from that same piece by Lancaster:
I think the Administration should get there act together. The coaching staff needs to get there act together to.
How stupid do they think the fans are.
There are many LOYAL fans of Scott Kazmir and that is who they want to see play!!
Why dont you just be honest about what is really going on with his arm.
The fans are not stupid and now with him not being the starter of the new season something else has to be going on. Just be honest and tell the public the truth for a change.
I know that this has to be frustrating for Scott Kazmir.Scott Kazmir your fans love you and are loyal to you. We all wish you the best and we cant wait to see you on the mound.
If you really love Scott Kazmir, you’ll let his elbow rest so that you can make sure that he’s around in September. Just sayin’. I haven’t gotten the feeling that the Rays are being dishonest about his elbow - just incredibly cautious. What about you guys?
The Cheap Plug: I don’t think there’s anything better than having XM Radio in my car so that I can listen to baseball pretty much whenever I want. Every single game is on the air during the season - so when the stupid over-the-air station isn’t coming in properly, I can still listen to the Rays on the drive home. Plus, even when the Rays aren’t on, I can still get my baseball fix! If you don’t have it, I highly recommend checking it out for yourself. It’s not just for the car, either. You can get a unit for your house so you can listen to games while you’re doing those chores your wife put on your “Honeydo” list for the weekend.
