Aug 31
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Player To Be Named Later in the Scott Kazmir deal will either be catcher Bobby Wilson or infielder Sean Rodriguez. Rosenthal adds that Wilson is the more likely player.
Two Angels prospects with major-league experience — Class AAA catcher Bobby Wilson and infielder Sean Rodriguez — are candidates to be the player to be named in the Scott Kazmir trade, major-league sources say…Of the two, Wilson, 26, is more likely to be moved, sources say. He also would fill a greater need for the Rays.
Rosenthal also adds that the Rays are likely to decline Aki Iwamura’s 2010 option. It is unclear if that is based on insider information or just his speculation.
Wilson was a 48th round pick in 2002. he has appeared in 9 big league games with the Angels over the past two seasons. He is hitting .271/.319/.399 in 96 triple-A games this season. Rodriguez has played 71 games with the Angels over the past two seasons hitting .201/.276/.333. in 102 triple-A games this season, Rodriguez is hitting .301/.402/.622 with 29 home runs. He has primarily played second base but has experience third base, shortstop and the outfield.
Aug 31
Up until first pitch, use the comments section to predict who you think will be the Sunburst Player of the Game. (be sure to use a valid email address while leaving the comment). The commenter that correctly predicts who we will name the Sunburst Player of the Game the most times prior to the all-star game, will win two tickets to a second-half game. Runners-up get their choice of a t-shirt. [Click HERE for rules]
Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.
Aug 31
The Rays tried to bury the news of the Scott Kazmir trade by waiting until 10:00 on Friday night before making the deal official.Now it is Monday, Kazmir is still traded, many fans are still angry and a lot of people have had something to say about the deal. Let’s take a look at what has been written within the interwebs.
A special Scott Kazmir Trade Webtopia…
- We presented our breakdown of the Scott Kazmir trade on Saturday. We will add one comment now: Try to separate any attachment you have to Scott Kazmir. If Kazmir had posted his 2008 and 2009 numbers with the Angels, would you be excited about the deal if the Rays were giving up 3 good prospects for Kazmir? We wouldn’t be, but maybe you would be. [Rays Index]
- Nobody had Scott Kazmir in the 2009 Trade Pool. [2009 Trade Pool]
- Both the Rays and Red Sox shuffled their rotations for the series opener on Tuesday. The Red Sox will go with Jon Lester. The Rays will go with Andy Sonnanstine. Seems fair.
- Scott Kazmir will make his debut with the Angels on Wednesday.
- Joe Smith examines the legacy that Scott Kazmir leaves behind. [St. Pete Times]
- Halos Heaven believes the Player to be Named Later is Jordan Walden…While it is certainly possible, their reasoning is flawed. They believe that the reason the PTBNL has not been named is because that player is on the DL. Actually it is much more likely that the PTBNL is on the Angels’ 40-man roster and not likely to clear waivers. [Halos Heaven]
- Marc Topkin writes that the timing of the Scott Kazmir deal “couldn’t have been better,” noting that after the season, more teams may have been interested, but they would have been less motivated. [St. Pete Times]
- Marc Lancaster does not comment on the timing of the deal, but does say the Rays had to cut payroll and Scott Kazmir was the best option. [Tampa Tribune]
- Keith Law of ESPN says the Rays got a very good prospect in Matt Sweeney and the entire package is a “tremendous return” for Scott Kazmir. [ESPN]
- Tom Verducci of SI.com says Scott Kazmir is a risk the Angels could afford and that trading Kazmir was just a matter of “when.” [SI.com]
- Buster Olney of ESPN says that it was “the smart play to move him now,” noting that the Rays just couldn’t afford to keep Scott Kazmir. He also notes that Kazmir’s numbers are very similar to Nolan Ryan’s at the same age. [ESPN]
- Rob Neyer of ESPN.com says it is not fair to call the deal a straight salary dump, but that the deal was “largely about the money.” [ESPN]
- The Rays Party offers a thorough and even-handed analysis of the trade, and offers a couple of names that could be the PTBNL. [The Rays Party]
- The Rays Party also offers an expanded list of prospects they would like to be the PTBNL. [The Rays Party]
- Rays Revolutionary was more than a little upset about the deal. [Rays Revolutionary]
- Later, Rays Revolutionary said the Rays are “the same team they always were,” and that they are more worried about the budget than winning. [Rays Revolutionary]
- Rays all Day says it is too early to pick a winner and loser in this deal, but the timing of the trade “seems curious.” [Rays All Day]
- Rays all Day has also collected some quotes from several Rays and Angels about the trade. [Rays All Day]
- Evan Brunnell of The Hardball Times says Scott Kazmir is still very capable of being an Ace. [The Hardball Times]
- Dock of the Rays says the deal does not hurt the Rays playoff chances as much as many people believe. [Dock of the Rays]
- Rays the Stakes says the deal looks like a smart move. [Rays the Stakes]
- Martin Fennelly calls Scott Kazmir, “the Ace who never was.” [Tampa Tribune]
http://raysrev.blogspot.com/2009/08/bye-bye-scotty-bye-bye-season.html
Aug 31
The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: Jeff Niemann. The Giraffe was the hard-luck non-winner going toe-to-toe with one of the best in baseball in Justin Verlander. Niemann allowed just 5 hits in 7+ innings and did not walk a batter…Evan Longoria. Dirtbag has struggled a bit recently, and Joe Maddon rewarded him by dropping him to 6th in the lineup. Longo responded with a 2-run home run…Aki’s Back. He played for the second straight day which is a great sign for his rehabbed knee and he responded with his first home run since last season.
THE BAD: The Overthinker. As great a manager as Joe Maddon is, he is still prone to overthinking and trying too hard to reinvent the game. On Sunday the Rays were leading 3-1. Grant Balfour relieved Jeff Niemann after a leadoff double. He got two easy outs including a 4-pitch strikeout with blazing 96-mph fastballs. Then Joe Maddon does the unthinkable. He orders Balfour to pitch around Curtis Granderson to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. On the list of managerial options at that point in the game, that was about #14, right ahead of “let Don Zimmer pitch to Granderson,” and right behind “punch Grant Balfour in the face.” If JoeMa doesn’t have confidence in Balfour at that point, then he should have gone to a lefty to face Granderson. And if the Tigers pinch-hit, so what. Then maybe you pinch around. Otherwise, go at him. Worst case scenario is a tie-game and the Rays are still in the game…Wet Track. The Tigers and White Sox always seem to be the most active when it comes to making the infield very difficult for the Rays to run on. Yesterday, the Tigers staff had the infield soaked and yet Joe Maddon still tried to run. The Rays were 1-3 in stolen bases.
THE TELLING: Time of Death. That’s it. Call it. Time of Death for the Rays season was 3:35pm on August 30th. The tragic number is down to 28. The Rays are now 5.5 back in the Wild Card with 33 to go and they are not chasing just one team. Maybe the Rays could count on one team going in the tank, but not two. If the Red Sox finish 16-16, the Rays would have to go 22-11 just to tie. About the only slim chance the Rays have is to go 5-1 or 6-0 in remaining game with Sox. Not likely. Ben Zobrist played right field and batted third…CoolStandings.com now gives the Rays an 8.9% shot at making the playoffs. Baseball Prospectus says it is 12.3%, but their PECOTA version says 4.8%.
SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jeff Niemann.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- We have a special edition of the Webtopia coming later this morning.
- With the Rays falling off the pace, they are now planning a larger September roster expansion. [St. Pete Times]
- Starting September 1st, the Rays will have a stuffed gorilla available at the Trop with a Rays jersey that says “Zorilla” across the back with the number 18. [Rays Revolutionary]
- John Romano writes something that many fans have been thinking for a long time. That the Rays really miss some of the veterans that were on the roster last year. [St. Pete Times]
Aug 31
Durham 4, Gwinnett 0. Jeremy Hellickson made another loud statement and once again showed that he is now one of the top prospects in baseball. in 8 innings, he allowed 1 hit, a 6th inning single. He struck out 12 and walked just 2. In 8 triple-A starts, Hellboy is 5-1 with a 2.86 ERA and just 28 hits allowed in 50.1 innings. He has 61 strikeouts and just 15 walks. Hellickson is making a strong case for a shot at the Rays 2010 rotation…Fernando Perez was 2-3 with a double and a walk and hit 7th steal…Matt Joyce went 1-2 with a double, 2 walks and an RBI…Reid Brignac was ejected after being called out on strikes in the 6th.
Carolina @ Montgomery. (ppd. rain)
Sarasota 6, Charlotte 2. Brian Flores gave up 5 runs in 5 innings…Mike McCormick was 1-4 and Drew Anderson walked twice.
Asheville 3, Bowling Green 2 (16). Chris Andujar allowed only 1 run in 5.1 innings with 6 strikeouts…Tim Beckham was 1-6 with a walk and Jake Jefferies went 1-7.
Hudson Valley 8, Oneonta 1.
Princeton 7, Greeneville 3.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
- Rayner Oliveros and Heath Rollins have been promoted to Durham.
- A first-hand account of Jeremy Hellickson’s dominating performance. [Watching Durham Bulls Baseball]
- Here is a more detailed account of Jeremy Hellickson’s performance. [Triangle Offense]
- The Rays and the Durham Bulls have extended their player development contract through the 2014 season and the two teams will play an exhibition on either April 2nd or 3rd in 2010. Rays Prospects has more of the details. [Rays Prospects]
- Here is a recap of the Bulls 14-inning win from Saturday night. The Bulls ran out of pitchers, in large part because the Rays have left the Bulls’ pitching staff short-handed. [Triangle Offense]
- Jose Lobaton bruised his wrist and is day-to-day. [Biscuit Crumbs]
