Archive for June 28th, 2008

Jun 28

[THEO EPSTEIN] Theo Epstein Knows Little About Why Rays Are Winning

Daisuke Matsuzaka, David Price, Delmon Young, Jason Bartlett, Josh Hamilton, Matt Garza, Theo Epstein, Tim Beckham Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein appeared on Cal Ripken’s XM Radio show, Ripken Baseball. Epstein was asked about the sudden surge of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Obviously they’ve been picking at the top part of the draft for the better part of a decade now and they haven’t missed with those picks. When you draft number one overall, you have to get a franchise-type player and they have. They’ve got plenty of them and they’ve done a great job drafting lower down as well and developing their players…”

There is only one small problem with that assessment:

Number of “number one overall” players on the Rays’ roster: 0

Prior to David Price, last season and Tim Beckham this season, the Rays have only drafted #1 two times, one of which was Josh Hamilton in 1999, whom the Rays lost in the Rule 5 draft.

Certainly one can say that the other top pick (Delmon Young in 2003) helped shape this roster as Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett were acquired in an off-season trade for Young. But that is still only one “number one overall” player that has led to the Rays success this season and Andrew Friedman and Co. deserve a little more credit for that trade than just “they have sucked for 10 years.”

Also, the Rays are far from the only team that has consistently drafted near the top of the draft for the last 10 years (Pirates, Royals, etc.) and yet the Rays are the only team that consistently drafts and develops top-rate players.

And while the Red Sox may not draft near the top, they have become experts in the art form of hording compensation picks for lost free agents. In the last four drafts alone, the Red Sox have selected 13 players before the second round.

Let’s reword Epstein’s statement to reflect why the Red Sox have been so successful…

“Obviously they’ve been picking tons of players in the first round of the draft for the better part of a decade now and they haven’t missed with those picks. When you draft 13 first round players in four years, a team is bound to hit the bullseye a couple of times even if their eyes are shut. They’ve got plenty of them and they’ve done a great job hording compensation picks as well as copying the organizational philosophy of the Evil Empire by throwing $100 million at a pitcher that might win 16 games…”

Theo Epstein on the Rays [MLB ON XM]

Jun 28

[KID K] Video: Scott Kazmir At The Trop In High School

Scott Kazmir Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

We are not sure if this video has made the rounds before. Certainly it is the first time we have seen it. But it is interesting to see Scott Kazmir pitching at the Trop while still in high school. It is also a little funny to see Kid K introduce himself as a pitcher and outfielder.

Maybe it wasn’t Jim Duquette’s fault afterall. Maybe it was fate.

Jun 28

[THE HANGOVER] Rays Are Riding Red Hot Bats Of Longoria And Crawford

Aki Iwamura, Carl Crawford, Coco Crisp, Evan Longoria Cork Gaines 7 Comments »



THE GOOD: Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford are red hot. Last night they combined for 7-10 with a double, 2 home runs and 4 RBI. For CC, it was his 6th multi-hit game in his last 8 and 3rd home run in the last 3 games. For Dirtbag, he is 10 for his last 16 with 4 doubles and 3 home runs in his last 3 games. He has raised his average 24 points in 3 days to .272…The Pirates TV play-by-play guy on Eric Hinske’s 3-run home run in the 3rd. It was hit so hard, that the announcer called “second 3-run homer hit by a tampa player today” right off the bat and long before the ball landed.

THE BAD: Scott Kazmir lasted only 5 innings, needing 103 pitches. His fastball had no consistency. He was everywhere from 87-93 on the gun…Carl Crawford really is a horrible left-fielder. On Freddy Sanchez’ home run in the 4th, CC zig-zagged all over the place, looked at the wall a half-dozen times and still was afraid to reach for the ball that bounced off the top of the wall. Keep in mind that the wall is only about 7 feet tall. It could have easily been caught. And when he did jump (too late), the pocket of his glove was facing the fans in the stands. the ball would have hit the back of his glove. Good Times…Not to be outdone, BJ Upton misplayed a line drive right at him with 2 outs in the 6th. Instead of getting JP Howell out of the inning, Upton broke in on a ball hit over his head turning an out into an RBI double and getting the Pirates back within 3….PNC Park is apparently now playing the Saturday Night Live Cowbell Skit every night…

THE TELLING: Carlos Pena was back in the lineup for the first time, batting 6th. He was 0-3 with a walk and a sac fly…With Aki Iwamura set to start his suspension, Willy Aybar will get his first start at second base since 2006…The Rays maintain their 4 game lead over the A’s in the wild card race.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

  • Don’t forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven’t voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
  • Akinori Iwamura’s suspension was not reduced and Coco Crisp’s suspension was reduced from 7 games to 5…Huh wha?!? Crisp was the one that bowled over Aki. Crisp was the one that charged the mound. And he had his suspension reduced? By two games? Unfortunately Crisp will miss the upcoming Rays-Red Sox series at the Trop. We would love to see that idiot get another ball in the backside. [The Heater]
  • Rays the Stakes has a very unique perspective on the Pirates series. [Rays the Stakes]
  • Apparently one of the Bugs and Cranks writers hates the Rays Blogosphere. We are confused by the reasoning. [Bugs and Cranks]
Jun 28

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Hellboy’s Double-A Debut Was A Forgettable One

Delmon Young, Fernando Perez Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

Durham 7, Norfolk 3 (gm 1). Jeff Niemann picked up his 5th win in 7 decisions. He allowed 3 runs in 6 innings on only 1 hit, but he did walk 5 and struck out 4…Fernando Perez was 3-4 and scored 2 runs…Justin Ruggiano finished 2-4 with 2 RBI…Reid Brignac and Joel Guzman each went 0-4.

Norfolk 3, Durham 2 (gm2). Mike Prochaska worked 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 9 hits…Joel Guzman and Reid Brignac were each 0-3 and in the double-header went a combined 0-14…Fernando Perez had a hit in 4 at bats.

Mobile 12, Montgomery 8. To say that Jeremy Hellickson did not have a good double-A debut would be kind. In 4.2 innings, he gave up 8 hits. 5 of those were home runs as he allowed 8 runs in all. He did not walk a batter, but only struck out 1…Rhyne Hughes had 2 doubles in 5 at bats…Chris Nowak and Erold Andrus were each 2-4. Nowak drove in 2…Gaby Martinez was 2-5 with 2 RBI.

Vero Beach 3, Sarasota 1 (13). Ryan Morse held Sarasota to 1 run in 6.2 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2…Matt Fields’ 13th home run, a solo shot in the 7th tied the game…Desmond Jennings scored on a wild pick-off attempt for the go-ahead run in the 13th…Ryan Royster would later add an RBI single…Rocco Baldelli DH’d and batted second going hitless in 6 at bats. He earned the golden sombrero with 4 strike outs.

Columbus 12, Charleston 3. Jason Ragan gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in 5 innings…Stephen Vogt was 3-4 and drove in 3…Quinn Stewart had 3 hits in 5 at bats.

Staten Island 4, Hudson Valley 3. Tyree Hayes allowed 3 runs in 6 innings on 9 hits and no walks. He struck out 3…This year’s 3rd round pick, Jacob Jefferies, a catcher, was 4-4 with a double and an RBI. He is hitting .345 in his first 2 weeks as a pro.

Princeton 5, Burlington 3. In one of the stranger stat lines you will ever see, Matt Moore the Rays 8th round pick last season gave up 3 runs without allowing a hit in 5 innings. He struck out the side in the first and retired the first 8 batters he faced. However in the 4th inning, 2 errors, a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch led to 3 unearned runs.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Bus League Baseball runs down the recent debuts of top picks in the amateur draft including a home run by Delmon Young…what a tease. [Bus Leagues Baseball]
  • This profile of Fernando Perez originally included the word “smartly” in the title. We have written before on how much it annoys us that every piece on Perez has to revolve around the fact he went to Columbia University, almost as if Perez is somehow overcame a handicap. [MiLB]