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…
16 Comments
Maddon moves up? I was sure another “Two Steps or Die” was right around the corner…..especially after the fiasco last night. This is at least the 3rd game in which his lack of managerial decisions has cost us the win.
it wasnt as much as Maddon moving up as it was a bunch of other people moving down. mostly due to injuries. I think we will see a new Maddon Death Watch post this weekend. but as I said. It is something that the team is basically .500 with all the injuries they have sustained.
I just have one huge beef with Maddon, and that is his lineup on most nights…
Gomes has actually been pretty hot, Ruggiano has a base hit in every start. This continuing to start Nathan Haynes irritates me. Worse is him hitting and overmatched Riggans 7th…
Don’t like those things at all
Yeah…don’t even get me started with the freakin’ lineup! Did Gomes get kill Maddon’s dog? Or get his daughter pregnant? Geez!
Normally I say give me a guy with the good OBP. And I know Gomes struggles against righties. But that might be because nobody has ever given him a fair shot.
Gomes is a threat. Haynes is not. And Ruggiano is not. Gomes might struggle against RHP but he is still in their head because they know one pitch can change the game. in today’s game of numbers, i think there is still something to be said for a guy that can change the game with one swing.
and i understand Haynes is the only decent option in RF, but Gomes is not terrible. slightly below average, but with Upton in center, you can afford to have a RF with limited range.
In my ever-so-humble opinion, as soon as Gomes stops looking to rip one out of the park with every swing he will get more starts; i know its an odd thought process, but the last thing we need is another player trying to crush every pitch and turning in 3 k’s a game while making errors in RF… we can look past the errors if the OBP goes up… i think
& not only is he the guy that can change the game with just one swing, but Gomes also has that rare sort of swagger (& that b12shot in the ass?) that Tampa Bay desperately needs. Yeah maybe it was that spring training yankee-clipper sprint, or those mutherfuckin’ moonshots, but I’ll glady take a couple strikeouts, & an error here or there for Jonny.
That Haynes ain’t worth the Charmin Extra-soft he wipes his butt with.
I think everyone is a little too high on Jonny “Garden” Gomes. Yes, he has the potential to scare the skin off the ball, but attitude and the threat of hitting homers doesn’t land you in a starting line-up by default– this isn’t high school, this is The Bigs.
that may be true but how much fear is Haynes .231 OBP projecting right now?
I’m certainly not implying that Haynes is the answer, but at least he has wheels. He can cover ground in RF, and steal bases (once he figures out how to get to first).
Basically its a trade-off: Gomes can hit and Haynes can field and run… We just need to smoosh ‘em together and create “Jonny Haynes” and life would most definately be good!
Why does everybody love Jonny Gomes so much? I would much rather see Ruggiano get his shot. Gomes has had his shots and has never improved. He is what he is.
right field? right field? right field? hmmm? i feel like there was somebody that is the perfect answer to right field? who was it?
Rocco? no. no. Elijah Dukes? nah. Delmon Young? close. but no. somebody else. who was it???
oh yeah…Josh Hamilton. yep. he is a pretty good right fielder.
Let’s face facts, Gomes is not the
answer long term. Maddon’s been a
bit tentative but all in all these
Rays are an interesting group.
http://fantasyplayersedge.blogspot.com
Haynes’s running ability is a point in favor of Gomes starting in RF. Since Haynes can’t get on base on his own merit, you have a better chance of using his speed if he gets to come in and run for someone else.
I wonder how much of his platoon split really projects forward. In 2005 he mashed RHPs and LHPs alike. As long as the alternatives are Haynes and Ruggiano, Gomes has to play.
btw, is Maddon ever going to break up the L-L-L top of the order?
to dirtbagfan: (with all due respect)….Haynes isn’t even close to fast enough to make up for his bat. No speed, no stick, no eye…..and he still gets regular playing time. It make no sense bro.
First off let me reiterate that i’m not a big Haynes fan. That being said, i am also not a big Gomes fan. Jonny-boy has had too many chances and still hasn’t proven anything… i’m almost to the point of agreeing with giving Ruggiano a shot.