It’s Tuesday so it is time to update the Tampa Bay Rays Power Rankings. These rankings are a combination of overall importance to the team and a general “who’s hot and who’s not”, mixed with how we currently feel about and perceive each member of the team. It is by far, the least scientific thing we do on this site…
We call him The Dirtbag because of how he plays and because he played college ball at Long Beach State whose baseball team has the coolest mascot in sports…The Dirtbags.
The biggest question mark for the Tampa Bay Rays in Spring Training is whether or not Evan Longoria will be named the opening day third baseman. Manager Joe Maddon has repeatedly stated that the decision will be based less on his stats, and more on how the 22-year old handles himself on a day-to-day basis and how well The Dirtbag adjusts to everyday life as a major leaguer. From now until the Rays announce a decision on Longoria’s fate, we will track The Dirtbag’s progress through his numbers, our own observations and quotes from Maddon and Andrew Friedman…
Notes on the Dirtbag-O-Meter…
Yesterday at the plate: DNP. Longoria did not make the trip with the team.
Quotes: None reported.
Summary: Willy Aybar was 2-3 with 2 RBI, but committed the team’s first error in only 3 total chances. Longoria has been flawless defensively, errorless in 5 total chances in one fewer innings played…Still, this is not your normal spring position battle. The situation is more pass-fail for Longoria, and so far he is passing with flying colors. Aybar could conceivably ‘win’ the job with a hige spring which could give the team an excuse to end Longoria back to Durham, but so far that has not happened. Interestingly, Joel Guzman has yet to see any spring action at third base logging all his playing time at first base.
Tampa Bay Rays (27 days until Opening Day)
Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 10, Detroit 9.
The Rays are now 4-0 after starting the 2007 spring season 1-14. Willy Aybar started at third going 2-3 with 2 RBI, but committed his first error. That was the Rays’ first error in four games. Dioner Navarro made his first appearance behind the plate, going 1-3. Elliot Johnson walked once in 2 plate appearances and stole a base and has now been on base 4 times in 6 plate appearances. The Rays have been especially aggressive on the basepaths with 10 swipes in the first 4 games. Ben Zobrist was 0-1 with 2 walks. He leads the Rays with 4 hits and has been on base 6 times in 12 plate appearances. Jake McGee did not allow a run, but did walk three in 1 inning of work. Andy Sonnanstine pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. The Rays seem keenly aware that they will need a 5th outfielder at some point this season and are auditioning several for that role. The three players with the most playing time in the first four games have been minor league outfielders. John Rodriguez leads the team with 21 innings played so far, followed by Justin Ruggiano (19) and Fernando Perez (16).
DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…
“I went at it full-force,” Garza said. “I was like – nope, it’s not a spring training game, it’s a game. There was somebody else in the box. That’s definitely how I looked at it as a competitor. I was out there trying to win and I was disappointed in the way I pitched.”
The Rays like Garza’s stuff and they like his makeup…”He’s high-energy, he very much gets into it, he likes to be out there, he likes to compete,” Maddon said. “I get all that from him. Just watching him work, the ball has great low carry to it. It’s a really good finish to the fastball. That’s unusual, and you have to throw pretty hard to get that kind of finish to the ball.”
