Archive for the 'Andy Sonnanstine' Category

Dec 27

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss World Series Odds, The Duke’s New Home, And Eyeing A Closer

Andy Sonnanstine Cork Gaines 11 Comments »
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Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)

According to Bodog.com, the Rays are tied as the 9th favorite to win it all in 2012 at 18/1 (tied with the Cardinals, Phillies are tops at 5/1).

That is not bad considering the Rays have yet to do anything this off-season. But you could also make a case that it is far too low.

Even with a weak lineup, the 2012 Rays are a 90-win team. And while in previous years, success was contingent on the rotation staying healthy (they always do), that is really no longer that important. You can make a case that the Rays have eight big league starting pitchers in their organization.

And if the Rays are a 90-win team now, what are they if they add a bat or if a couple of in-house guys catch fire and have a career-year?

We’re not saying these guys should be the favorites. But let’s just say that if we were laying money, there is a lot of value at 18/1.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Andy Sonnanstine has signed with the Chicago Cubs. [ESPN Chicago]
  • Ken Rosenthal says the Rays are one of several teams showing interest in trading for the A’s Andrew Bailey. The A’s closer is a two-time All-Star, and will be 28 in 2012. [@Ken_Rosenthal]
  • Based on a recent St. Pete Times poll, Tampa residents prefer the Rays in St. Pete. But is it because they really want the Rays in St. Pete? Or (more likely) is it because non-sports fans don’t want to pay for a new stadium? [Shadow of the Stadium]
  • Will Raheem Morris be back in 2012?  [Joe Bucs Fan]
  • Evan Longoria recently got the TMZ treatment (video below)

Dec 13

Rays Dump Sonnanstine, Add Middle Reliever From Marlins

Andy Sonnanstine, Burke Badenhop, Jake Jefferies, JP Howell Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

Last night, the Rays decided not to tender a contract to Andy Sonnanstine. This came just hours after the Rays added a middle reliever in a minor trade with the Marlins.

In explaining the decision to non-tender Sonny, Andrew Friedman made it clear that there is no longer room on the roster for a player that is rarely used (via Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com).

Friedman said there was no longer “an optimal fit” for Sonnanstine.

And just like that, the Sonnanstine era with the Tampa Bay Rays appears to have come to an end. We will always have a fond spot in our hearts for the guy we affectionately called “The Duke” (El Duque Hernandez’ twin brother from a caucasian mother).

The remainder of the Rays’ arbitration-eligible players were tendered contracts including JP Howell.

One reason it was easier to move Sonnanstine was the addition of Read the rest of this entry »

Dec 12

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss TV Deals, Tender Deals, And Maddon Serving

Andy Sonnanstine, JP Howell, Pudge Rodriguez Cork Gaines 22 Comments »
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Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)

Angels owner Arte Moreno used to be very vocal in his opposition to huge contracts. Then he gave Albert Pujols $254 million.

The difference? A new (very large) TV deal is on the horizon.

The Angels next TV deal could be worth $150 million per year.  For comparison, one of the biggest reasons the Rays consistently have a low payroll is their TV deal which pays them in the neighborhood of $20 million per year.

All of a sudden, $25 million a year for Pujols doesn’t seem that crazy.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Tonight is the deadline to tender contracts. For arbitration-eligible players (more than 3 years, but less than 6 years experience), if a contract is tendered they will have their 2012 salary determined by an arbitration hearing. If not tendered, they will become free agents. Marc Topkin speculates that JP Howell and Andy Sonnanstine are two that could be non-tendered. [TampaBay.com]
  • Would the Rays give Pudge Rodriguez a shot behind the plate? Jon Heyman thinks it is possible. [@Jon_Heyman]
  • Last Friday was Joe Maddon’s annual Thanksmas dinner. Here is a pic of Maddon stirring a big pot of pasta sauce. [Hardball Talk]
  • Todd Glaesmann, OF, the Rays third round pick in 2009 is playing winter ball in Australia and has been named to the ABL All-Star team (thanks Adam). [ABL]
  • The shine has come off of Raheem Morris. [Joe Bucs Fan]
Sep 20

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Closing The Gap, And The Oops Factor

Andy Sonnanstine, Carl Crawford, Desmond Jennings, James Shields Cork Gaines 10 Comments »
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Off-Day (click image for random Wikipedia page)

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

THE GOOD: Closer. The Red Sox and Orioles split their double-header yesterday, so the standings still say that the Rays are trailing by 2 games in the Wild Card race. But more importantly, the Rays now only trail by 1 game in the all-important loss column. Remember, a team can make up wins. They cannot make up losses.

THE BAD: The Oops Factor. What if the Rays come up a game or two short? Will we applaud their ability to just be competitive enough to make the Red Sox sweat? Or will we remember that Andy Sonnanstine made four starts for the Rays this season and the Rays were 0-4 in those starts? Or will we remember that big league-ready Desmond Jennings languished in the minor leagues for 1,000 at bats while the Rays continued to start Sam Fuld, even though there was nothing in Fuld’s past that suggested he could keep up his early pace for an entire season?

THE TELLING: The Rays are 20-11 in games started by James Shields this season…The Rays have yet to decide on a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Another one of Fenway’s quirks may have cost them the first game of yesterday’s double-header. Where is the outrage? [Big League Stew]
  • Wade Davis is excited to make today’s start in Replica Yankee Stadium. [TampaBay.com]
  • John Romano explores how the Rays have been able to close the gap on the Red Sox. [TampaBay.com]
  • Marc Topkin takes a look at how the Rays have approached this pennant race with a “light-hearted approach.” [TampaBay.com]
  • Carl Crawford is worried about the “haters” at the Trop? What about the Red Sox fans that already want him traded? (thanks Rg) [Boston.com]
  • Back in the preseason, one Boston newspaper declared this Red Sox team the “best team ever!” [@hawthe]
  • Mark Simon breaks down James Shields’ season. [ESPN]
Sep 14

The Chance of Opportunity

01. Players, Andy Sonnanstine, Dirk Hayhurst, Feed your mind, Garfoose!, It Gets Better, James Shields, Jordi Scrubbings, pitching is not crowded, Statistical projection, The Bullpen doesn't suck?, Things that make us giddy, Things that should have never happened Jordi Scrubbings 5 Comments »

Our correspondent Jordi Scrubbings is back with his latest installment…

As we venture deeper into the bowels of September, many Rays fans, announcers, bloggers, and baseball pundits have taken to talking “chances”. We are all looking at the remaining schedule, counting games, evaluating opponents and match-ups, and figuring out what the Rays have to do to make the postseason and prolong our baseball entertainment.

(Yes, we’re selfish. We want the team to win because we tie a piece of our happiness to the outcome of a baseball game. It’s cool. Don’t be embarrassed. That’s why we’re here.)

At its very foundation, baseball and chances go hand and hand. Baseball is a game of percentages and numbers, risks and rewards. We talk about runners taking chances on the basepaths and managers moving defenders around the field to minimizing the chance a batter will get a hit. Many of these chances are mathematical, much like playing dice. And this of course is the origin of statistical analysis, so-called SABRmetrics, and the guiding forces behind the Rays hovel of super secret number-crunching Keebler elves.

But baseball has another type of chance, a more personal “chance of opportunity”. Derived in many cases by mathematical chances, the chance of opportunity is what creates our narratives, our stories, our legends, and our heroes. Kirk Gibson, for example, would never have been a World Series hero if not for the opportunity to bat against Dennis Eckersley in October 1988. Lou Gehrig would never have been able to embark on his legendary career if not for the opportunity to replace then-regular Yankee first baseman Wally Pipp. Even Jackie Robinson’s historic 1947 season wouldn’t have happened if not for the opportunity given to him by Branch Rickey.

The 2011 Rays have been chock full of Read the rest of this entry »

Sep 06

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Greater The Great, And Sonny’s Pending Return To The Rotation

Andy Sonnanstine, Ben Zobrist, David Price, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson Cork Gaines 5 Comments »
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Rays 5, Rangers 1 (click image for boxscore)

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

THE GOOD: What Is Left To Say? James the Greater, being James the Greater. Yet another complete game, with 124 pitches, and 85 for strikes. And of course, it was the changeup. A whopping 41 changes, 28 for strikes, including 9 swinging. It was his 11th complete game, and the 14th for the Rays. Shields is the first pitcher since 1999 to have 11 complete games in a single season. And the reason Joe Maddon is OK with Shields going over 110 pitches for the 12th time this year and over 120 pitches for the 3rd time, is because Shields is cruising through these wins, without a need to go max effort and put extra stress on the arm. Where was this guy in last year’s playoffs?…Two Out Runs. The Rays are only hitting .223 with 2 outs this season, but yesterday, both Evan Longoria and BJ Upton homered with the bases empty and 2 outs. A team is only expected to score in those situations less than 10 percent of the time (think just the opposite of bases loaded with no outs), so both of those runs were like bonus runs.

THE BAD: The Big Snooze. With four weeks remaining, 7 teams have at least a 97 percent chance of making the playoffs, and the 8th (Rangers) is sitting at 86.3 percent. That means there is an 80.1 percent chance that all 8 playoff spots have already been decided. If the last month of the regular season fell in a forest, would it make a sound?

THE TELLING: Ben Zobrist returned to the lineup after missing two games with a minor neck injury…Evan Longoria has 4 errors in the past 7 games…If Jeremy Hellickson does get shut down after 3 or 4 more starts, that means Andy Sonnanstine will likely make 2-3 starts to wind up the season.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Who needs Jim Hickey when James Shields can teach David Price how to throw a changeup? [TampaBay.com]
  • Jeremy Hellickson is likely to be shutdown once he hits about 180 innings (he is at 164.1 innings pitched so far). That leaves him 2 or 3 more starts this season, and would put him in line for a full load of 200 inning mark next season. [TampaBay.com]
  • Anwar S. Richardson writes about the Rays
    Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 01

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss James’ Workload, Jaso’s Odd Split, And The Return Of Sonny

Andy Sonnanstine, Brandon Guyer, James Shields, John Jaso, Johnny Damon, Justin Ruggiano, Kyle Farnsworth, Mikie Mahtook Cork Gaines 14 Comments »
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Rays 4, Rangers 1 (click image for boxscore)

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

THE GOOD: James the Greater. James Shields worked into the 8th inning for the 6th straight start and for the 17th time this season. That ties Justin Verlander for tops in baseball. Nobody else has more than 14. He is also on pace to throw more than 240 innings this season. His previous high is 219.2 (2009). Only 4 pitchers in the AL have thrown 240+ innings in the last 7 years. You might have heard of them: CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Doc Halladay, Felix Hernandez. Those 4 will have 6 combined Cy Young Awards after this season…Hitting 8th. In one of the weirder splits we have ever seen, John Jaso is now hitting .282 with a .913 OPS and 4 home runs when he is batting 8th (88 plate appearances). When he is not hitting 8th (147 plate appearances), he is hitting .190 with a .523 OPS and no home runs. That’s weird.

THE BAD: Farnsville Is Burning. In his first appearance in 8 days, and his first appearance since suffering from “elbow tenderness” Farnsworth struggled giving up 3 hits and a run in the 9th inning. If the Rays are going to bring Farnsworth back next season, they may need to start thinking about shutting him down for the rest of this season.

THE TELLING: Brandon Guyer and Justin Ruggiano will be added to the roster today. Andy Sonnanstine will join them *head hits desk*…There will be a rally to support the Rays and (we’re still calling them) the Rowdies in downtown St. Pete on Friday.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Johnny Damon wants to return to the Rays next season. [TampaBay.com]
  • This chart makes you wonder why anybody would pick football or basketball over baseball. “The biggest contracts in North American sports history.” [Business Insider]
  • “I honestly had all the time in the world to throw [Johnny Damon] out, but I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everybody.” [Onion Sports Network]
  • Here is a tribute video Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 11

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Complete Game James, Upton’s Skillz, And Price’s Self-Snub

Andy Sonnanstine, BJ Upton, David Price, James Shields, Matt Moore Cork Gaines 19 Comments »
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Yankees 1, Rays 0 (click image for boxscore)

The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

THE GOOD: James Shields. It was only 8 innings, but it was Shields’ 7th complete game of the season. And if the Rays could muster any offense and play defense, it might have been his 4th shutout. And as usual it was the changeup. 31 fastballs. 29 changeups. 19 of those were strikes, including 6 that were swing-and-misses. The 1 unearned run lowers Shields ERA to 2.33.

THE BAD: BJ Upton. Upton’s problems are not that he is lazy. And they are not because he is a disappointing talent. And they are not because he is worried about cashing in during free agency. His problems are just that he has terrible baseball instincts. That’s it. We saw the talent when he threw out a runner at home in 3rd inning keeping the score locked at 0-0. But then the very next half-inning, Upton was picked off first base when he broke before CC Sabathia had even made a move. And then in the 7th, he tried to throw Robinson Cano out at first on a flyball, only he threw off the wrong foot and airmailed it putting Cano on third…Irony. James Shields has been masterful with the pick-off this season. And if he just lobs the ball to third base in the 7th he gets Cano. But the ball got by Sean Rodriguez and the game’s only run scored.

THE TELLING: The Rays are 8 games over .500, but they are now 6 games behind the Red Sox in the division and 5 games behind the Yankees in the Wild Card…David Price won’t play in Tuesday’s All-Star game. He pulled himself out of the game with case of the turf toe…Andy Sonnanstine will work as a starting pitcher at Durham.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Rays are said to be interested in trading for Padres closer Heath Bell. [Boston.com]
  • Lots of people were wowed by Matt Moore’s performance in the Futures Game. [Rays Prospects]
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes about the revival of Tim Beckham’s prospect status. [ESPN]
  • The Red Sox want to Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 09

Andy Sonnanstine Out, Brandon Guyer Recalled

Andy Sonnanstine, Brandon Guyer, Desmond Jennings Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

After today’s game, the Rays announced that Andy Sonnanstine was optioned to triple-A Durham. And to take his spot on the roster, the Rays recalled Brandon Guyer (via @SPTimesRays).

The Rays were already working with an extra reliever with Wade Davis on the DL. And Sonnanstine had made just three appearances in the last 32 games.

It is also interesting to note, that once again, when the Rays felt the need to add a bat, they added Guyer, and not Desmond Jennings. My bad. Completely spaced on Jennings. He has an injured finger and is day-to-day. No sense calling him up now.

Jun 28

Sonnanstine Returns From The Witness Relocation Program

Andy Sonnanstine Cork Gaines 7 Comments »

There are a lot of things about this Rays ballclub that make us shake our heads. But none more than the inexplicable waste of a roster spot that is Andy Sonnanstine.

Since June 3, a span of 24 days, Sonny has pitched a grand total of three innings including his appearance last night. And during that time, Sonnanstine has made $121,667 or about $2,967 per pitch.

For comparison, James Shields has been paid $1,264 per pitch this season.

At one point it made sense to keep

Read the rest of this entry »

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