Archive for April 4th, 2008

Apr 04

[THE DUKE] Andy Sonnanstine Is El Duque’s Brother From Another Mother

Andy Sonnanstine Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

One of the best indicator’s for future success in both young hitters and young pitchers is the ratio of strikeouts to walks. If a young hitter can maintain a ratio of 1:1 or better it is usually a good indicator that they make regular contact and understand the strike zone very well. That combination can lead to a successful major league career. For pitching prospects the higher the ratio, the better chance that they will become a successful major leaguer, with anything above 3:1 considered good.

The Rays’ Andy Sonnanstine posted one of the better ratios in the minor leagues in recent memory. In almost 500 minor league innings, The Duke posted 463 strikeouts and 75 walks. That
6.2:1 ratio put Sonnanstine on the prospect radar even though he was not considered a prototypical right hander with a fastball that usually sits in the upper 80s.

Not surprisingly, Sonny’s K-to-walk ratio dipped in his rookie season but was still strong at 3.73:1 (97Ks, 26 BB). However, that ratio did translate well to his final record of 6-10 or his 5.85 ERA. Many feel Sonnanstine was a victim of the poor defense behind in 2007. But exactly how unlucky he was is difficult to calculate.

Baseball Crank put together a list of every pitcher that has ever posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio 3:1 or greater in his rookie season and Sonnanstine has the second worst ERA ever.

They then looked at the 10 highest ERAs from that group that were under the age 28 in their rookie year and looked at those player’s ERA in the next 3 seasons. Seven of the 10 pitchers posted and ERA under 4.00 in at least one of the next three years.

Some think that The Duke is a good candidate to have a breakout season. Some have even gone as far to predict that Sonny will be this year’s James Shields. Even if Sonnanstine can post 12 wins and a 4.50 ERA out of the 4th spot in the rotation, the Rays will be in a very good postition at the end of the year.

Baseball: Where the Sonnanstine [Baseball Crank]

Apr 04

DOWN ON THE FARM Opening Day 2: Minor Leaguers On Patrol

Billy Gardner, David Newmann, DBAP, Evan Longoria, Jake McGee, Wade Davis, Will Kline Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

Toledo 3, Durham 2. Jeff Niemann had a strong 2008 debut, throwing 71 pitches (40 strikes) in 5 innings. He allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5…Evan Longoria went 0-3. He struck out to end the first, grounded out, flied out and was hit-by-pitch…Reid Brignac was 1-4 with a strikeout…Justin Ruggiano was 0-4 with 3 Ks.

Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 1. Jake McGee overcame a rough spring training with the big boys and picked up right where he left off in 2007. In 6 innings, he struck out 7 and walked none with only 3 hits and 1 run. he retired 10 of the first 11 batters faced with 6 Ks. A pair of singles and a stolen base led to the only run McGee would allow…Eduardo Morlan, the other pitcher in the Delmon young-Matt Garza trade, made his debut in the Rays organization. He came on in the 8th with 1 out. After giving up a double to the first batter he face, he retired 5 of the last 6 batters he face, with 3 strike outs…The Biscuits managed only 6 singles with no player with more than one hit.

Vero Beach 8, St. Lucie 3. Heath Rollins, who set the Rays organizational record last year with 17 wins, posted a no-decision in his 2008 debut. He gave up 2 runs in 5 innings on 6 hits. He struck out 6 and walked none…John Matulia and Cesar Suarez each had 3 hits and Matt Fields hit his first home run of the season…Ryan Royster was 2-5 with 2 RBI.

Savannah 2, Columbus 0. Alex Cobb, the Rays 4th round pick in ’06, was strong in his ’08 debut, but it wasn’t enough as the Catfish were shutout on 1-hit. Cobb struck out 5 and walked none, in 5.2 innings. He gave up 2 runs (1 earned)…Greg Sexton broke up the no-hitter in the 7th with a single.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Will Kline and David Newmann will both miss all of 2008 after injuries to the 2007 draft picks. Kline was the Rays 2nd round selection while Newmann was tabbed in the 4th. [Riverwalk Talk]
  • Evan Longoria is looking forward to getting off to a good start in Durham. [Herald-Sun]


“I was kind of the big issue at camp, but I tried to stay away from the media stuff as much as I could,” Longoria said. “I’m glad to be back here. I like the people, and I like this place. Now I just have to go out and do my job every day…I’m no different from anyone else. Everybody in this league could play in the big leagues. It’s just a matter of how hard you work and how well you can refine your skills.”

  • Jake McGee still has a lot of work to do before he is ready for the major leagues, but manager Billy Gardner saw the first steps last night. [Montgomery Advertiser]

“He did a good job for six innings,” Gardner said. “At times, he was overpowering. I thought he did a good job after the first time through the lineup mixing it better. We wanted to try and stress upon him to throw his breaking ball and his changeup. I thought his breaking ball was good. He threw it for strikes. He did his job and that’s all he can do. We would have liked to have provided him with more runs. But he’s going to make a lot of quality starts for us.”

  • Wade Davis and Jake McGee have been inseparable since starting their pro careers and 2008 is more of the same as both will be members of the Montgomery rotation and roommates…at least until the first one is promoted to Durham. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  • Durham Bulls Athletic Park was named the fourth best minor league stadium. [Durham Bulls]
  • Minor League baseball is thriving in Montgomery after it was considered dead less than a decade ago. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Apr 04

[THE HANGOVER] The Duke To Make ’08 Debut Tonight

Al Reyes, Andy Sonnanstine, Edwin Jackson, Eric Hinske, Grant Balfour, James Shields, Jason Hammel, Joe Maddon, Nathan Haynes, Scott Kazmir, Willy Aybar Cork Gaines 3 Comments »


THE GOOD: The Rays did not lose their first series of the year.

THE BAD: Successful teams win series, and the Rays blew their chance to win their first series of the year.

THE TELLING: Fitting that the Rays are .500 after their first series.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

  • After last night’s rain out, Joe Maddon will not skip Andy Sonnanstine as The Duke will go tonight in Yankee Stadium. Edwin Jackson will throw tomorrow afternoon and Jason Hammel will be pushed back to Monday with James Shields going Sunday on his normal 4 days rest.[The Heater]
  • No make-up date has been scheduled…Scott Kazmir is scheduled to throw 65 pitches in a bullpen session on Saturday….Also, in a bit of a surprise move, Grant Balfour accepted his assignment to the minors over becoming a free agent. Certainly the $150K minor league provision in his contract beats the minor league deal he would have received from another club. [Rays Report]
  • The Sports Scribbler celebrates the Rays’ Grapefruit League Championship…which by the way is more championships than the Yankees have won in the past 7 years…and feels that it is a sign of things to come for the Rays. [The Sports Scribbler]
  • Al Reyes says he was rushing his delivery and that caused his pitches to end up out over the plate…Also, Joe Maddon had planned to start Eric Hinske at third base on Thursday night in place of Willy Aybar who may not be 100% after recent struggles with a hamstring problem. [St. Pete Times]
  • The Associated Press preview of the Rays-Yankees series. [Fox Sports]
  • Rays of Light breaks down the Rays-Yankees series position-by-position. [Rays of Light]
  • The Rays players and coaches feel like the bad blood with the Yankees is behind them and don’t expect any further incidents. [St. Pete Times]
  • To say Nathan Haynes has a history of injuries would be an understatement. Marc Lancaster reviews exactly what Haynes has endured to get to the majors. [Tampa Tribune]