Archive for December 30th, 2008

Dec 30

[2009 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 6 (Six Months With At Least 15 Wins)

12 Days of Raysmas Cork Gaines No Comments »

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and try to project what they will do based on what we have learned. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the sixth day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, SIX months with at least 15 wins…

The Rays 2008 record by month:

April: 14-12
May: 19-10
June: 16-10
July: 13-12
August: 21-7
September: 13-14

The good news is that the Rays were fairly consistent over the first five months. Wait. We take that back. The good news is that those numbers add up to 97-65. But on their way to the AL East crown, the Rays posted a winning record in each month prior to their September swoon in which they had to fight off the Red Sox.

Despite the rough stretches in July and September, the Rays were carried by two hot streaks in May and August. Most teams would be happy with one month of 19 wins. The Rays had two.

Now let’s imagine a scenario in which the Rays could have won just one more game in April and two more games in both July and September. That is five wins over the course of three months, or about one extra win every three weeks. One game in which Dan Wheeler holds a lead. One game in which Gabe Gross comes through in the 4th inning with a runner on second.

15 wins each month guarantees the Rays 90 wins in a season. 15 wins means the Rays only need one 20-win month to reach 95 wins. In every season since 2002, 95 wins has been good enough for at least the Wild Card spot.

If the Rays are going to contend again in 2009 in the toughest division in baseball, they need to play at a consistent level over six months and hope for at least one hot stretch.

On the sixth day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is SIX months with at least 15 wins and…
FIVE-year extension for Matt Garza [Day 5]
FOUR pitchers with 15 wins [Day 4]
THREE Gold Glove awards [Day 3]
TWO months in triple-A for David Price [Day 2]
ONE impact bat with a bow on top [Day 1]

Dec 30

[THE HANGOVER] Happy Birthday To Grant Balfour And Sandy Koufax; AJ Pierzynski, No So Much

AJ Pierzynski, Andrew Friedman, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson, Sandy Koufax Cork Gaines No Comments »

Happy Birthday to Grant Balfour, who is 31 years old today. We are not sure what that is in Australian years since toilets flush backwards down under*. He shares a birthday with arguably the greatest pitcher to ever live, Sandy Koufax, 73, who went 27-9 with a 190 ERA+ in his last season, a year in which he pitched with an arthritic arm.

Unfortunately The Mad Australian also shares a birthday with one of the biggest scumbags in baseball history, AJ Pierzynski, who has now made 32 trips around the sun despite being a jackass. And still the only player that made us go “Zapruder” here at RI.

*actually not true

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Andrew Friedman says talks with free agents have picked up in the past week but that nothing is close to being finalized. [The Heater]

Executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Monday that talks with several free agents have gotten “more pointed” in the past week, but nothing is “imminent” as they continue to assess their options from a field that includes Jason Giambi, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Milton Bradley ( rumored to be headed to the Cubs), Adam Dunn and Garret Anderson, and could include Ken Griffey and Moises Alou.

“I still think we’re in good position to end up with an impact bat,” Friedman said. “We’ll continue to monitor the market and figure out the optimal time to make a deal from our standpoint and the player’s. ”

  • In the same piece, Marc Topkin answers the call and let’s us know that the Joe Nelson signing is indeed still waiting for completion of his physical, which should happen today. [The Heater]
  • The Rays are looking at seven sites, all in Pinellas County, for a new ballpark. It will still be several months before anything is decided. [St. Pete Times]
  • Drays Bay takes a look at how Andrew Friedman’s acquisitions paid off in 2006. [Drays Bay]