Jan 11
[Update] Marc Topkin reports that the deal is worth $500K and suggests that Johnson still has a minor league option that would allow the Rays to send Johnson to triple-A.
[1:33pm]The Rays have re-signed Dan Johnson to a one-year big league contract according to a team press release. Although he only played 10 games for the Rays in 2008, he hit the biggest home run in franchise history.
On September 9, 2008, the Rays began a series in Boston. The Rays had lost four in a row and their lead in the AL east was down to a half-game. Johnson began the day in triple-A before being called up for the Red Sox series. His first at bat with the Rays was a pinch-hit home run in the 9th inning to tie the game and possibly save the Rays season.
The immediate question is how this affects the Rays 2010 roster. If Johnson is in the big leagues and assuming the Rays use a platoon in right field, three of the Rays four bench spots will go to Dioner Navarro, Gabe Kapler and Willy Aybar. If Johnson is the fourth player on the bench, that leaves Aybar (or Ben Zobrist) as the backup shortstop. Aybar has only played two games at shortstop in the big leagues and none since 2008. It also means Sean Rodriguez will start the season in triple-A.
The other possibility is that Matt Joyce proves in spring training that he is ready to be an everyday big leaguer. If that happens, the Rays could cut ties with Kapler and keep both Johnson and Rodriguez on the bench with Zobrist and Rodriguez as the backup outfielders.
Johnson spent the 2009 season in Japan where he hit .215-24-57 for the Yokohama BayStars.
Jan 11
One of my “must-read” websites is Uniwatch, and some of my favorite features over the years have been the illos of Rob Ullman.
So as a recent gift for Mrs. Professor, I commissioned Rob to create an illustration of Mrs. Professor wearing a Rays jersey in the style of classic pin-up art. Here are the results.
The results were as great as I had hoped.If you would be interested in having Rob create an original piece for you, you can reach him at his website, Atom-Bomb Bikini.
Jan 11
On this date four years ago, the Devil Rays signed Shinji Mori to a two-year, $1.4 million contract plus $1 million for the negotiating rights. In his first spring training, Mori injured his shoulder. He was designated for assignment in January of 2007 to make room for Scott Dohmann. He was later re-signed to a minor league deal, but would never pitch for the Rays, as he was released later in 2007.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Willy Aybar had his winter season cut short by a sprained wrist. The injury is minor and the Rays will not even have it examined. [The Heater]
- 22 of the Rays top prospects will participate this week in a Winter Development Program at the Trop as a way to familiarize them with Joe Maddon, the coaching staff, life in the big leagues and “The Ray Way.” [Tampa Tribune]
- Dock of the Rays takes a closer look at the Rays success on the basepaths. [Dock of the Rays]
- A new restaurant is to be built over the left field wall at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. [Durham Bulls]
- JordiScrubbings compares the readership of a big market blog and a small market blog (this one). It’s about what you would expect. [JordiScrubbings.com]
