Archive for March 24th, 2008

Mar 24

[EVAN LONGORIA] Dirtbag-O-Meter: Evan Longoria Will Begin Season In Minors

Dirtbag-O-Meter, Evan Longoria Cork Gaines 11 Comments »

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.


[Queue the dramatic musical score]

No surprise here…Evan Longoria was cut today and will begin the 2008 season at AAA Durham.

Following today’s game, the Rays reassigned top prospect 3B Evan Longoria to minor-league camp. He will begin the season at Triple-A Durham….Longoria said he wasn’t necessarily surprised by the decision and ‘’had a feeling’’ it might be coming.

Nobody should be surprised by the move at this point. We admit, we thought this would bother us more, but it really doesn’t. The loss of Scott Kazmir at this point hurts a lot more. Longoria could have eased that pain a bit, but let’s face it. As long as the Rays rotation includes Edwin Jackson and Jason Hammel, the Rays are in trouble.

So we can officially retire the Dirtbag-O-Meter. We will continue to watch The Dirtbag’s progress closely at Durham, but we still feel fairly confident that we will not see Longoria in the majors until May 26 (Memorial Day).

Longoria sent down [Rays Report]

Mar 24

[RAYSHEADS] The RAYSHEAD ARMY Is Now On Facebook

RAYSHEADS Cork Gaines 2 Comments »


We have setup a Facebook Group just for RAYSHEADS.

We realize that there is a method for discussions on this website and other places but we also realize that there is a shelf-life for those discussions and most of the time they are limited to whatever happens to be on our fuzzy minds. With the RAYSHEAD Facebook group discussions can include so much more, including:

  1. The Tampa Bay Rays (duh)
  2. Upload your own photos
  3. Set up RAYSHEADS Pants Parties
  4. Trash talk the Yankees without fear of being shot
  5. Discuss how much you love RaysIndex.com and The Professor
  6. Trash talk the Red Sox without fear of being puked on
  7. Argue about which section at The Trop has the hottest RAYSHEADS
  8. Discuss how annoying Devil Ray Guevara is
  9. Or ANYTHING else that comes into your RAYSHEAD

So come on over and join the RAYSHEAD ARMY at Facebook. And remember…Anybody can join Facebook these days. It is no longer just for kiddies.

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Mar 24

[2008 ROSTER] 2008 25-Man Roster And Starting Lineup Projections Redux

25-man Roster Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

The 2008 25-man roster prediction is based only on players currently within the organization and will be updated when trades are consummated and free agents are signed.

Usually we update this projection every Friday but with only one week remaining before rosters must be finalized, and with a number of announcements made this past weekend, it makes no sense to wait. So without further ado, let’s take a look at what the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays opening day roster will look like.

[Ed. note: We have also updated the 40-man roster and Payroll projection in the sidebar. The Payroll now projects to be $43.7 million]

Notes on the projection can be found after the roster…

A FEW NOTES ON THE 25-MAN ROSTER…

  • Lineup: We are just awaiting the official decision that Evan Longoria is headed back to Durham.
  • Bench: All four spots are still unofficially official. If we assume that Willy Aybar is the third baseman and Ben Zobrist is on the DL and Andrew Friedman does not make a trade…Elliot Johnson take Zobrist’s spot, Eric Hinske is the 4th outfielder, Joel Guzman is a…whatever he is, and Shawn Riggans is the backup catcher.
  • Rotation: Not-So-Fab Five is set until Scott Kazmir returns…End of April?
  • Bullpen: JP Howell is in…Last spot is Scott Dohmann or Grant Balfour. Both are out of options. Balfour has had the better spring. Dohmann was better in ’07. Joe Maddon repeatedly says ’07 carries more weight than spring stats. That gives edge to Dohmann.
Mar 24

[RI CONFIDENCE GRAPH] The Tampa Bay Rays Confidence Survey

Confidence graph Cork Gaines No Comments »

Last week’s Rays Confidence Graph results.

Below you will see two polls that ask about your confidence in the Tampa Bay Rays. Please take a moment to answer each question. We will present these same polls every Monday. The results will be presented in graphical form on Wednesday, and will be displayed permanently in the sidebar. The goal of the Confidence Graph is to get a feeling of how Rays fans feel about the team and the franchise and track how that level of confidence changes through time. Thanks!

Raysiverse events of the past week that could impact confidence levels…


Mar 24

[EVAN LONGORIA] Demoting Longoria Will Cost Rays Money In Long Run

Evan Longoria, Stuart Sternberg Cork Gaines 11 Comments »

The Rays will make a decision today or tomorrow about the fate of Evan Longoria and where he will begin the 2008 baseball season. All signs indicate that the Rays will send The Dirtbag back to the minors for a little more seasoning.

Many have argued that the smart business decision is to keep Longoria in Durham for the first two months of the season. If Longoria begins the 2008 season with the Rays he will be eligible for arbitration following the 2010 season. On the other hand, if the Rays wait until the end of May to promote baseball’s 2nd ranked prospect, they can delay his arbitration-eligibility until after the 2011 campaign. Waiting to begin his major league career can also delay his first year of free agency eligibility until after the 2014 season.

If the Rays do not secure Longoria with a long-term deal a demotion could mean a difference of $4-8 million in his 2010 salary and an extra year of service. And even if the Rays do agree to a long-term deal with Longoria, his arbitration-eligibility will be a deciding factor in how the contract is structured and could mean the difference in $1-2 million for each year of the deal.

But there is another financial factor to consider with this decision. Public Perception and the growth of the RAYSHEAD ARMY. The casual baseball fan views the Tampa Bay Rays as a laughingstock. The casual baseball fan sees a $28 million payroll in 2007 and they see a team that does not care about winning. Most importantly, the casual baseball fan sees very few reasons to root for the Rays and dozens of reasons to root against them.

The Rays new management has taken a lot of strides in the last 2+ years to change the perceptions of the casual baseball fan. We have begun to see the fruits of those labors this spring with an unprecedented amount of national media attention. National writers speak of the Rays as a team that is ready to step forward…a team that is ready to break out. Some National writers have even mentioned the Rays as a potential playoff contender.

Stuart Sternberg and Co. are trying to convert this unprecedented positive attention into new fans. Sternberg and Co. are trying to spread their gospel to casual baseball fans throughout the state of Florida and prove that the Rays are indeed serious about winning and that the Rays are worthy of their fandome. The RAYSHEAD ARMY is small, but it is growing. It has momentum.

However, if the Rays send Longoria to the minors, the public perception is going to be that it is just the “Rays being the Rays”. This move will prove the perceptions of the casual fan even if it is incorrect. The casual fan will not see a 22-year old prospect that needs a little more seasoning. They will look and see that the Rays do care more about saving a few dollars than they do about winning.

If the Rays demote Evan Longoria and the team gets off to a slow start…a very real possibility with Scott Kazmir on the DL…then all of the momentum that the Rays have built this off-season and this spring will be lost. Losing that momentum could eventually cost the franchise thousands of fans and millions of dollars. Casual baseball fans that want a team to root for, will once again turn their back on the Tampa Bay Rays as if the Devil never left.

Mar 24

[EVAN LONGORIA] Dirtbag-O-Meter: Evidence Suggests Decision Already Made To Send Longoria To Minors

Dirtbag-O-Meter, Evan Longoria, Willy Aybar Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

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: Evan Longoria pinch hit in the 8th, striking out to end the inning in his only plate appearance.

Quotes: None reported.

Summary: Bad News RAYSHEADS…The decision appears to have been made. We are just waiting for the official announcement…We were told that a decision would be made on The Dirtbag by the end of last week. If the Rays were going to keep Longoria on the roster, we would have heard that news already. So what does “no announcement” mean? We assume that the Rays need to keep Longoria around until Willy Aybar is ready to go everyday. Aybar did not play Yesterday as he continues to work through a sore hamstring. In other words, Longoria is in all likelihood headed to the minors as early as today…unless of course they change their mind.

Mar 24

[THE HANGOVER] If Zobrist Is On DL, Bench Appears Set

Andrew Friedman, Ben Zobrist, Chris Mason, Chuck Tiffany, David Price, Delmon Young, Elliot Johnson, Eric Hinske, Grant Balfour, JP Howell, Joe Maddon, Joel Guzman, Scott Dohmann, Shawn Riggans Cork Gaines 3 Comments »

Tampa Bay Rays (7 days until Opening Day)

We have a busy, busy day planned here at RI, so be sure to check back early and often…

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 10, Reds 9.

The Good: The two players that the Rays will rely on to be power sources in 2008, Jonny Gomes and Carlos Pena, each hit their third home run of the spring…Elliot Johnson continues to secure his spot as the opening day utility player, assuming Ben Zobrist is on the DL, with 2 more hits while playing center. He is now 19-41 (.463) on the spring with a 1.145 OPS…Aki Iwamura started 2 double plays with his new partner-in-crime, Jason Bartlett…Al Reyes struck out all three batters he faced.

The Bad: Matt Garza needed over 90 pitches to get through 5.1 innings walking 2 and hitting 2 more batters…Troy Percival gave up 7 runs in 1 inning of work on 6 hits and a walk.

The Telling: Andy Cannizaro who figures to be the only person that could beat out Elliot Johnson for utility player, saw time at both second and third.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

  • It is never a good day when we read the sentence “David Price left a Minor League start Thursday after feeling some discomfort in his left elbow.” Andrew Friedman says that it is not serious. We hope World B. Friedman will forgive us if we hold our breath until Price makes another appearance on a mound. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  • Tom Singer names the Rays as one of two team in the AL that are “worth watching for early signs of a miracle”. [MLB]

In already setting a club record for Grapefruit League wins, Tampa Bay also has lost only twice in 13 games against other AL clubs, is 6-1-1 vs. the AL East and is 5-1 against Detroit and Philadelphia…Yet it’s almost as if the Rays are being humored. That could be a mistake, even if the weight of the AL East does have to curb their optimism.

  • Bill Chastain notes that several roster decisions are still up in the air and the team met again last night to discuss some of those decisions. According to Chastain Ben Zobrist is likely to start the season on the DL, but will be available as early as April 5…Our best guess is that Elliot Johnson will now join Eric Hinske, Joel Guzman and Shawn Riggans on the bench. Not bad for a guy that had the 5th worst OPS in AAA last year. We are rooting hard for Johnson. [Tampa Bay Rays]
  • Joe Smith also looks at the remaining roster questions…On a side note, does anybody else remember a couple of weeks ago when Joe Maddon was talking about how nice it was that most of the roster was already in place. [St. Pete Times]
  • Joe Maddon all but confirms that JP Howell will be on the Rays opening day roster as a long reliever by saying that the last bullpen spot will go to either Scott Dohmann, who was better last year and Grant Balfour, who has had the better spring. Both players are out of options. One will make the team. The other must be traded or will need to clear waivers in order to be optioned to the minors. [Tampa Tribune]

“That is a tough one,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Both have really good arms, both are very competitive. They’re making it tough. This is going to be quite a discussion in regard to that spot, because I have a lot of respect for both of these young men – they’re both great workers, they’re great teammates. It’s tough.”

  • It sucks to be a hitter during an intrasquad game when the opposing pitcher is working on pitching inside. Yesterday, Chris Mason hit two batters in one game at minor league camp…Chuck Tiffany who missed all of 2007 also participated. [Riverwalk Talk]
  • Delmon Young has a new commercial promoting the 2008 Twins in which he seeks the advice of Twinkies legends. They tell him to “See the ball, hit the ball”. Might just be us, but isn’t Young’s problem that he swings at too many pitches? [Chinese Evil Dead]
  • New and Old Rays gear is being spotted with alarming regularity as far north as Tallahassee. [FSView]