Rays of Light

All Hail King David!

Sure, it might have taken about 7 weeks longer than it should have, but David Price will take to the hill on Monday night in Cleveland trying to right the one thing that has – on a number of occassions – gone so wrong for the Rays this season: the spot in the starting rotation recently vacated by Scott Kazmir.

It’s not a stretch to think that Price will easily be able to eclipse the 73.46 ERA that Kid K was pitching to this season, or the 67 pitches/inning he was averaging.* Nor is it a stretch to think that Price will remain firmly entrenched in this spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future (i.e. years and years and years). The Rays are about to get better quick, fast, and in a hurry.

And it’s hard not to feel bad for Dale Thayer. Dude got called up to take the place of old dust-and-bones**, nailed down a 3-inning save about 26 minutes after arriving to the ballpark, and what does he get for his effort? A quick trip back to Podunk*** to ride the bus with the Jon Weber’s and Winston Abreu’s of the world.

(And that was about 2 1/2 lines more than anyone else is going to write about Dale Thayer, so be thankful.)

King David’s reign is about to begin. The plebians in Cleveland are going to be the first to bow down before his heighness.

* – Stats exaggerated.

** – Troy Percival

*** – Podunk isn’t a real place. This is actually Durham.

Tags: David Price
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Prepare for a backlash: David Price sent to Minors

The Rays did what many of us considered inevitable earlier today, optioning David Price to Triple-A Durham along with a handful of other players.

Joining Price were outfielder Justin Ruggiano, outfielder/infielder Elliot Johnson, catcher John Jaso and infielder Reid Brignac.

“We have obviously spent a lot of time talking about this,” said Andrew Friedman, Rays executive vice president of baseball operations. “When we came into camp, we came in with an open mind, knowing full well that there were certain developmental issues that we wanted him to focus on and also the workload. And just the increase and how we’re going to monitor that.

“We had a lot of conversations about ways to get creative. And went through it for the last two or three weeks at length and ultimately decided that — all things considered — that this was the right move for David and in turn the organization.”

Price, 23, looked upset, but remained composed while meeting with reporters after the announcement.

“It’s just, I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it a whole lot right now,” Price said. “Probably a couple of days, I’ll have some feelings about it, but right now it kind of stings a little bit.”

Price. Is. Pissed. No doubt about it. And you know what, he should be. He outclassed Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann for that 5th starter spot and has every right to feel that it should be his. I doubt that it’s any consolation that he’ll have the job in about 6 to 8 weeks. He was told he was in “competition” for the spot, and then outperformed the other players, and still gets sent down.

I’m sorry, but this is the problem you have with falsely labeling something a competition. The Rays had NO intention of letting Price start the season in the rotation. You’re crazy if you think that they did. But to dick him around like this and send him down when he was clearly the best player for the spot? You can bet he’ll remember this down the road.

All along I’ve said that I agree with the principle that if the Rays are going to try and limit his innings, that’s fine and they should send him to Durham. But they should never have implied that he was in competition for a spot that he had absolutely no chance of winning. Shame on the Rays. And too bad for us, having to sit through 6 weeks of Jason Hammel starting before the rightful owner of this spot comes back to town.

Tags: David Price
Posted in General | 7 Comments »

[PIT 4, TB 1] Jason Hammel to Rays: Take your 5th starter spot and stuff it!

I’m trying on a new style for the game recap threads. Tell me what you think!

March 23, 2009

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Tampa Bay	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		1	4	0
Pittsburgh	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	X		4	8	0

And here, my friends, is the line you should be concerned with:

Yes, that was Jason Hammel allowing 6 hits (and a bunch of extra base hits) and 5 (FIVE!) walks in just 4 innings of work. No, it wasn’t as bad as Jeff Niemann allowing the entire state of Rhode Island to score in his last outing, but it has to give at least a little bit of pause to the Rays’ brass that maybe – just maybe – they’re overthinking this 5th starter thing and should just give it to the most talented player (David Price) rather than trying to get too cute with players who are out of options or are clearly not peforming at similar levels.

Though I doubt they’ll listen to me and you’ll see Mr. Hammel stepping onto the hill for that opening weekend in Baltimore.

Look, I’m not saying Hammel’s awful – there are far worse pitchers out there and I can name plenty of teams that would take him over their current options for the back of hte rotation – but I am saying that the Rays do have better internal options, so simply worrying about losing him to waivers because he’s out of options isn’t going to fly anymore. He (and Niemann, for that matter) are being thoroughly outpitched by David Price, and though I’ve said all along that I believe Price will ultimately start the year in Durham, it’s hard to see any scenario in which the Rays are a better team as a result.

Other notes from today’s game: Adam Kennedy played both third base and shortstop, again trying to prove that he’s more valuable than just some guy who can play second base pretty well… Gabe Kapler went 0-for-3 on the day to drop his Spring batting average to a whopping .108… Matt Joyce was 0-for-3 in his first start for the big club as the designated hitter… Lance Cormier pitched 2 innings of 1-hit ball, but didn’t strike out a batter

Tags: David Price, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann
Posted in Game Recap | 6 Comments »

So now it’s down to three…

It’s not like anyone expected Carlos Hernandez or Mitch Talbot (or Wade Davis, for that matter), to really compete for the 5th starter spot in the rotation, but when the Rays optioned/sent all of those guys out of big league camp earlier this week, it left that race for the final spot in the hands of Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann, and David Price. Let’s take a quick look at where we stand here…

Jason Hammel – At this point, you know what you’re getting with Hammel. He’s never going to be a lights-out, shut-down guy, but if he puts it all together for a short stretch, he could at least be a better-than-average fifth starter. Consistency (and avoiding walks) are the two biggest problems he’s always had, and generally speaking, he’s done a good job of limiting both issues this Spring. Save for one bad start early on, he’s actually been pretty good out there, so at the very least, he’s not going to be optioned out at the end of the spring.

Jeff Niemann – We know less about him than we’d probably like, but we know that he’s a big dude that Joe Maddon thinks could be very effective out of the bullpen. That’s not to say he couldn’t also be a good starter, but he made some comments earlier in the spring that he didn’t care where he was on the roster so long as he was there. That indicates to me that someone has told him that he might make a pretty darn good relief pitcher and that he’s preparing himself for that opportunity. Not that I can complain about it, either. It wouldn’t hurt to have a big, intimidating reliever in the pen who can also spot start for you in an emergency. He’s also had a pretty good spring, so a spot on the roster seems secure at the very least.

David Price – The Next Big Thing is probably 2 months away from locking down a spot in the Rays’ rotation. All reports seem to be that the team 1) wants to limit his innings as much as possible and 2) have him work on his changeup a little bit more. Especially when it comes to limiting innings, Durham is the best place to do it. It’s a lot easier to take him out of Mid-May no-hitter against the Richmond Braves after 5 innings than it would be to do the same thing against the Red Sox when one game separates the two teams. Don’t worry, though. He’ll be throwing important innings before interleague play starts.

Tags: David Price, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann
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Reading between the lines

DRaysBay does a little reading between the lines and figures that David Price is almost certainly headed to Durham to start the season.

We all remember Price shouting with his arms in the air after the 27th out in Game seven, but the Rays obviously feel that he isn’t a “finished product” and would like him to work on things such as fastball command, the changeup and limiting innings. None of us are scouts or claim to be, so we’ll just have to take the professionals word on this. Maddon said the Rays reserve the right to change their plans so I won’t fully eliminate Price just yet, but the fifth starter battle is looking like a two man race between Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann.

Personally, I think this was the route the organization thought it would be headed all along. I truly believe the only way you can REALLY limit a guy’s innings are to keep him in the minor leagues.

Tags: David Price
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My take: Rays should announce pitcher roles sooner, not later

They say that competition breeds success. They say that it brings out the best in everyone involved, making them all better at their jobs. It separates the men from the boys.

Well, I’m here to tell you that I don’t care about any of that. The Rays should name their 5th starter, long-reliever, and #1 and #2 starters at Durham now rather than jerking the 4 pitchers vying for those spots around for a couple of weeks waiting on a decision that has likely already been made. Jeff Niemann, Jason Hammel, David Price, and Wade Davis could spend the next 4 weeks killing themselves and pulling out all the stops to prove that they are worthy for a spot in the rotation, or the Rays can take the guesswork out of it and allow the pitchers to focus on what needs to be done to get ready for the season. This is especially important for whichever pitcher is going to start the season in the Rays’ bullpen; working from the pen is a completely different beast, and whichever pitcher is thrust into that role is going to have very little time to switch his preparation frm one to the next.

Moreover, is there really any proof – any hard data – that indicates that a dragged-out position battle really makes any of the four any better? Is there really any proof that you can use 15 innings of work each over the course of Spring Training to judge which one is best suited for any of the roles? I don’t think so. I think all it does is put undue stress on each pitcher’s arm, as each one knows that he needs to do a little something extra to prove that he should be the guy starting a game the first weekend of the season. And that’s how arms get blown out and careers get altered forever.

Based on what we’ve seen – and Niemann’s own admission that he could see himself as a reliever – I’d say the best course of action would be to name Jason Hammel the #5 starter, moving David Price and Wade Davis to Durham to refine their pitches and more effectively limit their workloads. Both would, of course, be available at a moment’s notice should the Rays require their services, but – to me – this seems to be the best course of action.

What do you think? Would you want the Rays to make this decision already, or is it best left to a Spring-long position battle? Let me hear from you.

Tags: David Price, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis
Posted in General | 6 Comments »

Why I Won’t Do a Top Prospects List This Year

Last year, you might remember that I begrudgingly put together a Top 13 Rays prospects list if for no other reason than everyone else in the world was putting together one. This year, I outright refuse to do so. Why is that? For the exact same reason that I used as a disclaimer to last year’s list.

What do you have against doing the list, then?
Because most of us aren’t experts. Most of us haven’t seen any of these guys play, and if we have, it’s been in videos or in a very brief game or two. It’s best to leave these lists to the experts, especially since most of these lists are very much based on what experts tell us about these players anyway.

Go on.
Sometimes, we as bloggers take ourselves way too seriously. I prefer to just try to have fun with it and give you my own analysis of the news stories of the day. Occasionally, something like this comes about and it’s my turn to do one. I’m sorry if I sound pessimistic to you, but I just think some of us pretend to be “experts” when we really aren’t. At the end of the day, though, the best way to promote the site will be through this prospect list which will eventually get posted on another site in the future.

I’ll tell you what I do like, though. I like the Rays Top Prospect Meta-Analysis that The Professor over at Rays Index puts together. He combines the best of the best prospects list into an easy-to-read chart so you can see the general consensus about the Rays’ prospects.

David Price is the unanimous choice as the Rays’ top prospect. Heck, Jim Callis is saying that he should set a goal of the Hall of Fame for himself. And who are we to argue? The dude is a stud with a capital S. Though I think there’s a 50/50 chance he starts the year in Durham, there’s no doubt that he’ll be pitching meaningful innings down the stretch for the Rays. Anyone who wouldn’t rank him number one is crazy.

After that, Tim Beckham and Wade Davis are 2/3 in some form or another most everywhere else. Most interestingly to me, though, is how Jake McGee has dropped to 9th because of his recent injury problems. Remember back when you couldn’t talk about Davis without bringing up McGee? We took to calling them Jade McDavis, if I’m not mistaken.

Anyways, long story short: top prospect lists are awesome. They’re even more awesome when they are done by the experts. I’ll just sit here and talk about them instead.

Tags: David Price, Jake McGee, rays index, tim beckham, Wade Davis
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Ask BA: Hall of Fame a “reasonable goal” for David Price

So, not to put any pressure on him or anything, but in his latest Ask BA piece, Jim Callis says that David Price should plan on taking a trip to Cooperstown in a few decades. (Baseball America)

Price’s career still has to unfold, but reaching the Hall of Fame seems like a reasonable goal.

So, no pressure or anything, David. All you have to do is reach the Hall of Fame or your career is a disappointment.

Tags: David Price
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Weekend Roundup

Here’s what you might have missed over the weekend while you were busy watching Puppy Bowl V on Animal Planet…

The Rays agreed to a deal with left-handed specialist – known around the blogosphere as a LOOGY – Brian Shouse. (ESPN)

Brian Shouse, a veteran left-handed reliever, has agreed to a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to baseball sources. The deal is pending a physical exam, which he will take on Thursday.

Shouse, 40, pitched in 69 games for the Brewers last season, mostly as a specialist against left-handed hitters. Lefties hit just .180 against him with a .192 on-base percentage and a .482 OPS. Shouse has pitched in more than 422 games in the big leagues over nine seasons with 216 strikeouts and 111 walks in 322.2 innings.

Conflicting reports on whether its a one- or a two-year deal, so let’s split the difference and say that the Rays have signed Shouse to a 243-game contract. For those keeping track, the Rays now have more relievers in the their bullpen than Todd Kalas has product in his haircare cabinet.

There also needs to be a corresponding 40-man roster move at some point to make room for Shouse. Derek Rodriguez, Elliot Johnson, and Juan Salas seem to be the most likely suspects, unless there’s some kind of trade coming down the pike.

The Professor over at Rays Index made a very astute observation. (Rays Index)

And with Gabe Kapler, Gabe Gross and Grant Balfour already in place, The Trop is becoming the place where Brewers go to win.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee remains the place where… well… no one goes willingly.

Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays are in negotiations with both Dioner Navarro and Willy Aybar on multi-year contracts (St. Pete Times)

The Rays are exploring multiyear deals with C Dioner Navarro and INF Willy Aybar, which would allow them to avoid arbitration hearings.

If John Jaso is the first baseman of the future and not the catcher, this makes plenty of sense. Tons ‘o’ Fun is an above-average backstop in a league full of junk at the position. Aybar, on the other hand, is perhaps the best utility player in the game. He’d be starting on a lot of other teams. He will retain his spot as the Evan Longoria Insurance Policy™. People keep suggesting that he should learn to play right field a little bit on this team, but I think he’ll be just fine staying in the infield.

Big League Stew ran into Evan Longoria at some football game in Tampa over the weekend. I had no idea that was going on. (Yahoo!)

BLS: Why don’t you think more players are interested in the WBC?

EL: I think because the game of baseball on the worldwide scale isn’t as big a game as say soccer or rugby even for the European countries. I just think baseball is not as widely publicized worldwide, and [the WBC] just doesn’t get as pumped up, as say, the Super Bowl or whatever.

As long as the WBC is seen as nothing more as a way for players to refine their excuses as to why they can’t/shouldn’t play, it will never be taken seriously. Simple as that.

Bleacher Report calls David Price (and Matt Wieters) the future face of the American League. In other news, the sky is blue. (Bleacher Report)

Price is the future of the Rays pitching-wise. Tampa  Bay has plenty of talented young pitchers on the team, but Price is beneficial to the Rays success. The Vanderbilt alum is the most talented fifth starter in the league, hands down. Price’s mid 90’s fastball is intimidating and his work ethic and poise is undeniable. He has expectations for himself that are unmatched by any other. “Every time I step on the mound, I expect to throw a perfect game.” Price has the speed (95-97 MPH fastball), a great mix of breaking pitches and a very deceptive delivery. Rays scouting director Brad Matthews calls him the “best amateur pitcher I’ve ever seen.”

Eric Hinske who, despite all of the great things he did last season I will always remember flailing miserably at the final pitch of the ‘08 World Series, inked a deal with the Pirates on Friday. Weren’t they talking about him playing in Japan or something? Well, if he plays well, he should find himself a new home around the trade deadline. (MLB.com)

And on that note, I’m going to go try to figure out how I’m going to squeeze 24, Heroes, and House in tonight while still taking care of the baby and getting chores done around the house. You stay classy, Tampa Bay.

Tags: Brian Shouse, David Price, Derek Rodriguez, Dioner Navarro, Elliot Johnson, Eric Hinske, Evan Longoria, John Jaso, Juan Salas, Milwaukee Brewers, Weekend Roundup, Willy Aybar
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Price Check!

David Price isn’t going to be allowed to dominate hitters at Vero Beach any more this season, as he was promoted to Montgomery following last night’s game. (Source)

Though I don’t think there’s any way that it happens, this is certainly only going to fuel those “David Price will be in the bullpen by September!” rumors that have been floating around ever since he was drafted last year. Price was 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in six starts with Vero Beach.

Tags: David Price
Posted in Transactions | 5 Comments »