One year ago on Rays Index we wondered why the St. Pete Times felt the need to live-blog a public hearing held by the St. Pete City Council on the building of a new waterfront stadium for the Rays. We went ahead and summarized the meeting before the fact.
St. Pete Times To Live-Blog Public Hearing [Rays Index]
Even with Wade Davis thinking about making his major league debut in 2009 and Jake McGee just trying to get back from Tommy John surgery, the formerly inseparable duo are found together once again…In a column by Joe Smith of the St. Pete Times. And it is good news for both.
First, Smith tells us that Davis, who is already one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, has added a slider to his arsenal and significantly improved his changeup.
RHP Wade Davis is one of several pitchers scheduled to throw live batting practice today (with more live batting practice Sunday). Fans might notice a few changes in his repertoire. Davis said he added a slider during a stint at Triple A last season and has made significant strides on his changeup…”I’m definitely a little different in a lot of ways,” he said. “Last year, fastball-curveball was my only thing. Now I’ve got a little more to work with.”
Then, Smith reveals that McGee will return to the mound on Monday for the first time since his surgery.
LHP Jake McGee, one of the Rays’ top pitching prospects, plans to throw off the mound Monday for the first time since Tommy John surgery in July. Though he’ll throw just 20 pitches, all fastballs, it will be a big step…”I was kind of crushed because I knew I would have had a chance to be in Triple A and maybe up (in the majors) in September,” he said. “Now I never know what would have happened.”…McGee said his early goal is to be back in July and eventually join Class A Charlotte.
Run, Jake! Run!
Tampa Bay Rays sign Jason Isringhausen [St. Pete Times]
Lots of chatter in the interwebs about one David Taylor Price, the favored son despite being the youngest. For it was David who appeared late and slew JD Drew, Mark Kotsay, Jason Varitek and Jed Lowrie, leading the Rays over the Philistines Red Sox.
What has been the most surprising about many of the preseason write-ups on the Rays by national journalists is the assumption that Price will spend the entire season in the Rays’ rotation. In fact, the Rays have made it very clear that Price is just one of four pitchers competing for the final spot, with Price’s chances hinging more on his development while the others are competing with each other.
Rob Neyer of ESPN.com makes the case that starting Price in Durham is bad idea, and that his changeup shouldn’t be a determining factor. Instead Neyer suggests that the Rays bullpen might be the best spot to start the season.(…)
Read the rest of All Hail King David (353 words)
SI.com wrote a story on Carl Crawford and his outlook for 2009. Crawford says he is healthy and feels “fast again.” Also interesting is the assertion that CC’s hamstring issues were not due entirely to the Trop’s FieldTurf, although it dis play a factor.
Especially with the 27-year-old Crawford healthy again after missing seven weeks with a finger injury last summer and playing the entire 2008 season with a hamstring problem caused by a 2006 ankle injury that’s finally healed.
The article mentions something we have heard before, that CC adjusted his off-season workouts to compensate for the affects of the FieldTurf.
With all of the success enjoyed by the Rays in 2008, Crawford was a bit of a forgotten figure. While we have doubts about whether he will still be with the Rays in 2010, a healthy Crawford could go a long ways to once again being once of the most exciting players in baseball in 2009.
(that picture has absolutely nothing to do with Crawford, we just find it somewhat amusing. That’s all. Don’t judge.)
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
