Archive for August 16th, 2008

Aug 16

[DAN JOHNSON] Defensive Changes In Durham May Be Setting Up Future Move With Rays’ Roster

Andrew Friedman, Dan Johnson, Evan Longoria, Joe Maddon, Joel Guzman, Willy Aybar Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

An interesting situation is developing in Durham, that is worth keeping an eye on…

Dan Johnson has started the last two games for the Durham Bulls at third base. Johnson, who leads the International League in OBP (.422) and OPS (.969), has only played first base and DH since being drafted in 2001 by the A’s. Joel Guzman, the Bulls regular third baseman started both games at shortstop, a position he played exclusively his first three years as a pro in the Dodgers organization.

There is no official word as to why the move was made. Was the move done to make Johnson a third baseman, to return Guzman to shortstop or both? Reid Brignac is on the DL, and Guzman could be filling that vacancy. But the Bulls also have Ronnie Merrill, recently promoted from Montgomery and Elliot Johnson as two players better suited to play SS.

Johnson has shown signs he can be a decent major league hitter, with a career .344 OBP in 318 games, but many feel he does not hit well enough to be an everyday first baseman or DH, and he does not have enough positional flexibility to be a bench player in the majors.

With Evan Longoria on the DL and Willy Aybar filling in for the next few weeks at third base, adding the hot corner to Johnson’s resume could make him more attractive to Joe Maddon as a bench option and spot-starter.

Also, a successful return to SS for Guzman, could give Maddon a better defensive backup at that position in the majors. Guzman has always shown strong defensive abilities, even at SS, despite being 6’6″. He is hitting .248-19-68 (.277 OBP) in 111 games. Guzman has immense power, but has never developed command of the strikezone. This season he has 100 strikeouts and only 19 walks.

Complicating matters is the roster status of both players. Johnson is not on the 40-man roster. If Andrew Friedman does decide to promote Johnson, somebody would have to be removed from the roster. Of course, Friedman may also be attempting to increase the trade value of Johnson who would not have to clear waivers. As for Guzman, he will be out of minor league options in 2009. Therefore, he will either have to be on the Rays 25-man roster, traded or Designated for Assignment, effectively making him a free agent.

With only a couple of weeks remaining in the Bulls’ schedule, this will be an interesting development to follow as the Rays could be setting up a future move with the major league roster.

Aug 16

[THE HANGOVER] Garza Saves Overworked Bullpen With 2-Hit Shutout

Andrew Friedman, Barry Bonds, BJ Upton, Grant Balfour, Joe Maddon, Juan Salas, Kyle Lobstein, Matt Garza, Troy Percival Cork Gaines No Comments »



THE GOOD: The “Good” starts and ends with Matt Garza who pitched a 2-hitter for his second shutout of the season. One night after Joe Maddon was forced to use all 7 of his relief pitchers in an extra-inning contest, it was imperative Garza work deep into the night and he did not disappoint. Garza did not allow a hit until 2 outs in the 6th, when a blooper fell between Justin Ruggiano and Aki Iwamura…We should also point out that every starter had at least 1 hit, and the Rays “weak” offense produced 4 home runs, including number 24 for the red-hot Carlos Pena, who has now homered in 3-straight games and for the 9th time in his last 20 games.

THE BAD: BJ Upton. How angry was Joe Maddon that Upton failed to run hard twice last night? Papa Joe employed the harshest punishment a manager can do to a player. He embarassed him in the middle of the game. Having already decided to remove Upton from the game in the middle of the 6th inning, Maddon let Upton take the field in the bottom-half of the inning. Before Matt Garza was able to throw a pitch, Papa Joe sent Justin Ruggiano out to the field to replace Upton, foricing Upton to make the baseball-equivalent of the “Walk of Shame” back to the dugout.

THE TELLING: Jason Bartlett was back at SS last night for the first time in 12 days…Matt Garza and James Shields each have 2 shutouts which is tied for the major league lead. The Rays’ 4 complete game shutouts is tied with the Dodgers, Milwaukee and Cleveland for the most in baseball. The pitching staff now has 7 complete games and this was the 11th time the team has shutout an opponent. That is second only to the 12 shutouts by the Red Sox and the Indians…The Rays magic number for the playoffs is now 36 over the White Sox/Twins. And the Yankees lost. Again. They should be ashamed of themselves. It is not even September and they are very close to being an afterthought even for the Wild Card.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

  • Thank you Marc Lancaster…Finally a local media member stood up and emphatically said Barry Bonds is not going to play for the Rays. Of course it took a telling report from Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports in which Bonds agent says he sent Andrew Friedman a text message asking if the Rays would be interested in Bonds and the message went unanswered. [Rays Report]
  • BJ Upton will also be benched on Saturday. Joe Maddon would not talk to Upton on Friday after the game for fear of saying something he would regret…That is a side of Papa Joe we haven’t seen before. [The Heater]
  • Troy Percival went on the DL with an injury to the cartilage in his knee. Juan Salas was recalled from Durham. Percival will miss 2-4 weeks. [The Heater]
  • Joe Maddon said Grant Balfour will not be the de facto closer, instead choosing to go closer-by-comittee. [St. Pete Times]
  • Andrew Friedman says Juan Salas has been prepped in Durham to give the Rays more than 1 inning at times. [MLB]
  • The Rays finally signed their 2nd round pick, LHP Kyle Lobstein avoiding the possibility of losing him to the University of Arizona basketball team. Lobstein received a $1.5 million signing bonus. Of the players signed as of yesterday morning, that is the highest bonus given to any player outside of the first round, including supplemental picks between the first and second rounds. The Rays will will wait until next season for Lobstein to make his pro debut…The Rays signed 26 of their top 28 picks. [Rays Report]
  • Joe Maddon, a former catcher, spoke with Peter Gammons about what makes a good catcher. [ESPN]

“A well above-average catcher for me would be Mauer,” says Rays manager Joe Maddon, a former catcher and noted catching mentor. “An average catcher would have to have the mental acumen to take charge of your staff and display a caring that can be felt by all the pitchers. Next, he has to have the receiving ability and stamina to play at least five games a week. Throwing, I would like to have at least average arm strength with a quick release and accuracy. He has to block balls well and is fearless on plays at the plate. He should be the best worker on the team, and hitting, I would settle for .250 hitter with around 10 home runs or better.” “We are,” says Maddon, “describing the player who wears ‘the tools of intelligence.’”

  • One Red Sox blog feels the Rays are upsetting the natural order of things in the AL East and they are not happy about it. [RedSoxSoul]
Aug 16

[DOWN ON THE FARM] Dan Johnson Leads The IL In OBP And OPS

Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, James Houser, Pedro Alvarez, Tim Beckham Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

Durham 6, Indianapolis 5. Nathan Haynes singled home the tying run in the top of the 9th and then scored the go-ahead run on a sac fly by Jon Weber…Jeff Niemann struck out 6 and walked 6 in 4.2 innings, allowing 2 hits and 5 runs. He also hit a batter. The big blow was a bases loaded double in the second inning after Niemann had walked the bases loaded. Niemann has now walked 16 batters in his last 20.2 innings pitched…Chris Richard was 2-5 with a double and a home run. He drove in 3…John Jaso added his 3rd home run since being promoted from Montgomery…Fernando Perez stole his 39th base. He is 4th in the IL in steals…Dan Johnson was 2-5 and leads the IL with a .969 OPS and .422 OBP.

Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 3. James Houser made his first start in a month and was limited to 1.1 innings, walking 3 and giving up 1 hit and a run…Ryan Reid pitched 2 perfect innings of relief with 2 Ks…JT Hall hit a solo home run.

Jupiter 7, Vero Beach 5. Brandon Mann struck out 8 in 5 innings, but allowed 6 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He gave up 3 home runs…Hector Gimenez hit a 2-run home run for the D-Rays.

Columbus 3, Hagerstown 2 (13). Jesse Darcy struck out 5 and walked none in 6 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned). He is 12th in the SAL in ERA (3.12)…Henry Wrigley was 4-5 with 2 doubles and a walk, while Maiko Loyola finished 1-5 with a double, walk and his 41st stolen base. He is now 4th in the SAL in steals.

Hudson Valley 7, Oneonta 2.

Bristol 6, Princeton 1 (gm 1). Tim Beckham went 0-3 with a strikeout.

Bristol 15, Princeton 2 (gm 2). Tim Beckham went 0-3 with a walk.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • James Houser who missed the last month with minor knee surgery has been activated. [Biscuits' Batter]
  • The Pirates were able to sign Pedro Alvarez to a minor league deal afterall, with a $6 million signing bonus, just short of Tim Beckham’s deal for $6.15 million. [USA Today]
  • Buster Posey, another player the Rays apparently considered with the top pick signed for $6.2 million. His deal was also a minor league deal…We could be wrong but the only draftee that we know of that received a major league deal was LHP Brian Matusz with the Orioles #4 pick. [San Francisco Chronicle]