The GBT – 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: John Jaso And The Leadoff Spot. Sure you want speed at the top of the order, but it is more important to have a guy that can get on base, and JJ Dynomite can get on base. Yesterday he came to the plate 6 times. He walked, singled, doubled and hit a big 2-run home run. All told, he drove in 5 runs and he even stole a base. So that thing about speed is moot also…Bottom of the Order. And why did a leadoff hitter have 5 RBI? Because the Rays 7-8-9 hitters (Rodriguez, Brignac, Upton) went a combined 6-14 with a walk and scored 6 runs…Grant Balfour. He will never be 2008 Mad Australian, but 2010 Mad Australian is looking pretty good. Yesterday, he came in when the Rays lead was only 1 and recorded 2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts and no walks. On the season he now has 25 Ks and just 4 walks. He is 1 of only 3 relief pitchers in the AL with at least 20 Ks and no more than 5 walks.

THE BAD: Matt Garza. He picked up the win with a little help from his friends. And it wasn’t like Garza was terrible. Only 1 run came via a home run. 67 of his 108 pitches were strikes. He even did a good job of throwing first-pitch strikes (16 of 24) something that he struggles with at times. So what was the problem? Normally, Garza will throw the 4-seem fastball well over 50% of the time (59.1%), but yesterday it was just 7 of 108 pitches (6.5%) according to PitchF/x. Instead, Garza was throwing his 2-seem fastball (60.2%), a pitch he usually only uses 11.0% of the time. So was this part of a specific game plan for attacking the Rangers or did Garza just not have confidence in his 4-seemer yesterday? Typically, a 2-seem fastball has more movement than a 4-seemer. But Garza’s 4-seemer already has a lot of natural movement. Did the weather play a factor? In the hot dry air of Texas it is possible that Garza’s 4-seemer did not have the typical movement and he felt the need to use his 2-seemer more. The problem is, the 2-seemer is a slower pitch and by using it more, Garza was effectively a weaker pitcher. We wish we had an accurate PitchF/x from Matt Garza’s start in Texas 2 years ago in which he scuffled with Dioner Navarro. That was another hot afternoon game and we wonder if use of the 4-seem fastball led to the argument.

THE TELLING: John Jaso was the first catcher to ever bat leadoff for the Rays/Devil Rays. He was also the first catcher in baseball the AL to bat leadoff this year…Joe Maddon has now used a different lineup in 9 straight games and 41 of 57 games this year…Sunday’s game took 4:06.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 37-20, 2 games ahead of the Yankees and 4.5 games ahead of the Red Sox and Blue Jays in the Wild Card. After 57 games in 2008, the Rays were 35-22.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Two of the Rays recent signings from Cuba, Leslie Anderson and Sergio Espinosa have been promoted to double-A. [Rays Prospects]
• The Rays plan to give Wade Davis plenty of opportunities to work on his “mechanical issues.” [St. Pete Times]
• Joe Maddon will not bench Carlos Pena noting that his defense is “hard to walk away from.”
• Minor League Ball has their latest first round mock draft. [Minor League Ball] And here is their supplemental round mock draft. [Minor League Ball]
• Evan Longoria is the fifth best position player in all baseball over the last 3 years. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• In a 3-part series, Rays Prospects looks at the Rays draft history. [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]
• Sully Baseball wonders if Stephen Strasburg might end up like former Devil Rays prospect Matt White. [Sully Baseball]
• Dave Scheiber talked to Todd Kalas about his relationship with the fans. [FS Florida]
• Joe Maddon recalls meeting John Wooden. [Rays Report]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Aneury Rodriguez allowed 3 runs in 4.2 innings on 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 4. He now has a 3.80 ERA in 45.0 triple-A innings…Kevin Witt Dan Johnson hit his 16th home run, which is the second-most in triple-A. He is hitting .328…Matt Joyce was 2-3 with a walk and is now 9-37 (.243) in 10 triple-A games…Desmond Jennings was 0-4 with an RBI…Elliot Johnson stole his 19th base which is 2nd in the IL.
• MONTGOMERY: David Newmann gave up 2 runs in 6 innings on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4. He now has a 3.15 ERA in 11 starts…Matt Gorgen struck out 1 in a perfect 9th for his 12th save…Chris Nowak was 2-3 with his 5th home run.
• CHARLOTTE: Joe Cruz allowed 4 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings. He struck out 3…Tim Beckham went 2-4 with a walk and scored 3 runs. He also stole his 10th base…Henry Wrigley hit his 12th home run and was a single short of the cycle. He drove in 5.
• BOWLING GREEN: Wilking Rodriguez gave up 4 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings with 6 Ks and no walks…Brett Nommensen hit his 2nd and 3rd home runs of the year and drove in 3…Ty Morrison stole his 20th base.

The GBT – 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: Carlos Pena. Yes he has been in a funk (a realllly bad funk) but he has always been streaky and the defense will always be there. First there was the catch to end the 7th with the tying run on second. And there was the 8th inning double to end a 1-42 skid…BJ Upton. Bossman has got to be tired after flying back to Florida for the birth of his son and then returning to LA the next day. And yet he can still make a long run and sliding grab with 1 out in the 9th of a 1-run game look so easy (if not pretty).

THE BAD: Swingin’ And Missin’. 14 strikeouts by Rays hitters. 12 from the right arm of Jared Weaver in 7 innings.

THE TELLING: In the 8th inning of a 1-run game with a runner in scoring position, Joe Maddon had Willy Aybar pinch hit for Pat Burrell against a right-handed batter. Ouch. One has to wonder why Burrell is even on the roster if he isn’t even trusted in that situation…The last time the Rays won a series in Anaheim, Wilson Alvarez was the starting pitcher and Jose Canseco and Dave Martinez hit home runs (May, 1999)…For all the heartaches of this road trip, the Rays still went 6-3. And their 1.5 game lead at the start of the trip, is still 1.5 games. Not bad for a west coast swing. Not bad at all.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 24-10, 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees and 5 games ahead of the Blue Jays and Tigers in the Wild Card. After 34 games in 2008, the Rays were 18-16.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• For those of you that submitted questions for The Sporting News interview with Matt Garza, we have been told that Rays Index readers “will be well represented.” You make us proud.
• We shouldn’t be surprised but it is still a bit of a letdown to hear Joe Maddon essentially say John Jaso will be sent packing when Kelly Shoppach returns. [St. Pete Times]
• John Romano calls for the Rays to finally rid themselves of Pat Burrell and replace him with Hank Blalock. [St. Pete Times]
• Tim Brown takes a closer look at the Rays rotation. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Nicole Johnson (Elliot’s wife): “Something you may not know about baseball families is that they *try* to get pregnant during spring training.” [The Life of the Baseball Wife]
• Shane Dyer and Henry Wrigley were named the Rays minor leaguers of the month. [Tampa Tribune]
• Andrew Friedman spoke with WRAL in Durham. Nothing earth-shattering here, but if you have 10 minutes to kill… (audio) [WRAL]
• Yesterday was apparently “Delmon Young Day.” Whatever that means. [Twins Target]
• DRays Bay looks at why we might not have to worry about Carlos Pena. [DRays Bay]
• John Jaso spoke to Roger Mooney about the first month and taking responsibility for Monday’s loss (video). [Tampa Tribune]
• Brian Shouse hasn’t retired, but he is now working as a coach for a high school in Illinois. [Peoria Journal-Star]
• You can count the nose hairs in this interview of Reid Brignac…Pan out, PAN OUT! (video) [Tampa Tribune]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Richard de los Santos made his 3rd start and worked into the 6th inning, allowing 2 runs. He struck out 5…Ryan Shealy and Angel Chavez homered for the Bulls…Desmond Jennings was 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and is hitting .270…Hank Blalock went 1-4.
• MONTGOMERY: Alex Cobb allowed 2 unearned runs in 4 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1…Nevin Ashley was 3-4 to raise his average to .294…Greg Sexton hit his 1st home run and John Matulia added his 3rd.
• CHARLOTTE: Nick Barnese struck out 9 and walked just 1 in 5.2 innings, but dropped to 3-2 after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits…Leslie Anderson hit his first home run as a pro…Tim Beckham went 1-4 and Matt Sweeney was 0-4.
• BOWLING GREEN: Ryan Wiegand hit his first home run.

The GBT – 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: Offense Coming? The runs came, but they came late. John Jaso’s 2-out single in the 8th scored the Rays first run in 22 innings. Three more scored in the 9th capped by Evan Longoria’s 2-run double that tied the game and marked only his second hit and first RBI since getting that craptastic haircut…Jaso’s Defense. Jaso’s prospect status was always on hold due to his defense. And the biggest weakness in his defense was always his throwing. Well, his defense has made huge strides. His throwing motion is still a little awkward, but last night he threw out both would-be basestealers.

THE BAD: Jaso’s Defense. He’s still got a ways to go. Rule number one in blocking pitches is to get down. Don’t come up with the ball. That’s what the chest protector is for. With a runner on second in the 11th and 1 out, Jaso came up on Grant Balfour’s pitch in the dirt and the ball scooted under Jaso’s glove. That put the runner on third who would then score the winning run on a sac fly…Gonzo’s Big Mistakes. Joe Maddon will probably tell you it was just two mistakes, but those mistakes were the worst kind, 2 home runs. The second came off the bat of the 8th hitter in the lineup, Mike Napoli. After being hit in his previous at bat, Napoli proved that revenge is a pitch best served over the fence…Carlos Pena. Pena has always been streaky, but this is getting out of hand. Pena was 0-3 and is now 1 for his last 40 with 18 strikeouts.

THE TELLING: Ben Zobrist’s 2-out single in the first was the Rays first baserunner in 12 innings…BJ Upton was not in the lineup as he was home for the birth of his son. It is unclear when he will return. Sean Rodriguez started in center.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 22-10, a half-game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East and 3.5 games ahead of the Blue Jays in the Wild Card. After 32 games in 2008, the Rays were 17-15.

COMMENT O’ THE DAY: “I was actually wondering whether hiring Kevin Kennedy wasn’t a secret plot to drive us all to the ballpark more often.” – Beth

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays announced two more sumer concert acts. Barenaked Ladies will perform June 26 and Bret Michaels will be on September 25, bumping Dierks Bentley to June 12.
• More tidbits from the perfect game. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays dropped to third in this weeks installment of the simulation-based power rankings at What If Sports. [What If Sports]
• Another look at who the Rays might take in the first round next month. [Rays Prospects]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Heath Phillips was touched for 6 runs (4 earned) in 5.2 innings…Dan Johnson hit his 10th home run…Hank Blalock and Desmond Jennings were each 1-4.
• MONTGOMERY: Jeremy Hall gave up 1 run on 4 hits and no walks in 6 innings. He struck out 6 and walked none…Matt Fields hit his 6th home run.
• CHARLOTTE: Leslie Anderson made his pro debut going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts…He batted third and played first base…Chris Andujar allowed 1 run in 5.1 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 4…Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base. He also committed his 6th error…Matt Sweeney went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.
• BOWLING GREEN: Alex Colome held Lake County to 1 run in 6 innings. He struck out 6 and walked 1.

The GBT – 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: The Story. After Dallas Braden retired all 27 Rays that he faced, the story wasn’t about the Rays. The story was about how Braden had somehow been vindicated and made Alex Rodriguez look even more like an idiot. Nobody likes being no-hit. But everybody likes it when A-Rod looks like an idiot.

THE BAD: The Same Story. Seven of the nine batters in the Rays lineup yesterday have now been on the losing end of a perfect game twice. That is two more than 99.9%* of the players in the history of Major League Baseball.

THE TELLING: Thanks to the Red Sox win over the Yankees last night, the Rays are still THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL. And the Rays are still on pace to win 117 games. Of course, they are also on pace to be no-hit 6 times this year…Joe Maddon has now been on the losing end of 4 no-hitters, 3 of which were perfect games…JP Howell will throw batting practice for the first time on Friday.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 22-9, a half game ahead of the Yankees in the East and 4 games ahead of the Blue Jays in the Wild Card. After 31 games in 2008, the Rays were 16-15.

• Don’t forget, if you want to ask Matt Garza (or his chin super-pubes) a question, here is your chance. Questions need to be in by tonight. [Rays Index]
• If you missed it yesterday, here is a look at how hitters respond after being on the losing end of a perfect game. [Rays Index]
• Also, if you were off the grid this weekend, here is Evan Longoria’s craptastic hairdo. [Rays Index]
• Willy Aybar will now be the starting DH versus lefties and will share duties with Pat Burrell versus righties. We will have more on this later. [St. Pete Times]
• Cuban defector Leslie Anderson will join high-A Charlotte today and could be a September call-up for the Rays. [The Heater]
• Marc Topkin spoke with Scott Kazmir about facing the Rays for the first time on Tuesday. [St. Pete Times]
• We all know Rocco Baldelli occasionally takes batting practice with the Rays. But when the Rays are on the road, he is working with Rays minor leaguers. Last week he was in Bowling Green and the Bowling Green Daily News spoke with Rocco. [BG Daily News]
• Peter Gammons calls the Rays rotation “the best rotation in the game” and “one of the best stories of the first five weeks.” [MLB]
• Randy Choate has rebounded well from a rough start to the season. [DRays Bay]
• A very, very in-depth look at Jeremy Hellickson’s loss. [Triangle Offense]
• Where are they now? 2009 first-round pick LeVon Washington. [USA Today]
• Joe Maddon is not concerned about Carlos Pena’s batting average. [St. Pete Times]
• When the Pirates acquired Aki Iwamura, they weren’t worried about his surgically repaired knee. Maybe they should have been. [MLB]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Jeremy Hellickson picked up his first loss, getting touched for 5 runs in 5 innings on 8 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 3…Desmond Jennings made his first start in 2 weeks and went 1-5…Hank Blalock hit his 4th home run and added a double in 4 at bats…Fernando Perez tripled in 2 at bats.
• MONTGOMERY: (no game scheduled)
• CHARLOTTE: (no game scheduled)
• BOWLING GREEN: Kyle Lobstein dropped to 1-2 after giving up 5 runs in 5 innings on 9 hits and a walk. He struck out 5…Ty Morrison was 4-5 with a triple and 2 RBI…Tyler Bortnick was 3-5 with 2 doubles.

The GBT – 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: Offense? The Rays are only 7th in the AL in hitting (.259), 5th in OBP (.342) and 6th in slugging (.431), but they lead the AL in runs scored (113). Why the disparity? The Rays are hitting when it matters most. in 216 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, the Rays are hitting .318 (1st in the AL), have a .413 OBP (1st in the AL) and have a league-best OPS of .964, which is 150 points higher than the next best team (Boston)…Starting Pitching. The Rays starting pitchers have the second best ERA in the AL (2.81) and they lead the AL with 6.4 innings per start.

THE BAD: Relief Pitching. One reason the Rays starters work so deep into games is to hide a weak bullpen. So far this season, the Rays relievers are 9th in the AL with a 4.13 ERA even though they have the 3rd best batting average against (.227)…Basestealing. The mathematical cutoff for success stealing is 75%. Less than that and the team might be losing runs (although it can be argued that the affect of stolen bases goes beyond the success rate). The Rays are tied with the White Sox for the AL lead with 21 stolen bases, but they have also been thrown a league leading 10 times leading to the 4th worst success rate in the AL (68%).

THE TELLING: The Rays now begin a stretch of 7 straight series (20 games) against non-AL East opponents.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Andrew Friedman made an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show.” The only telling statement is when Friedman refers to a sold out Trop as “like a 10th man,” which may or may not have been a Freudian slap to the face of Pat Burrell. Here is the link to the audio if you are so inclined. [Audio]
• Steve Slowinski attempts to quantify the difference between John Jaso and Dioner Navarro and whether the Rays should stick with Jaso once Kelly Shoppach returns. [DRays Bay]
• Aneury Rodriguez was named the IL pitcher of the week, one week after Jeremy Hellickson won the same award. [Rays Prospects]
• Joe Henderson takes a matter-of-fact look at the Rays attendance woes. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano writes about the path Leslie Anderson took from Cuba to the Rays and how he is adjusting with his new club. [St. Pete Times]
• Rays Prospects informs us that Wade Townsend has signed with an independent team. [Twitter]
• An Astros short-season team will be giving away Ben Zobrist bobbleheads. There will only be 1,200 of them so you can expect them to not be cheap on eBay. [Rays Rev]
• Virgil Vasquez actually has two broken wrists, suffered in a car accident. [St. Pete Times]
• Angela Jacobs has some quotes from John Jaso on his early success with the Rays. [10Connects.com]
• Rays now sit atop ESPN.com’s power rankings. [ESPN]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Heath Rollins made his first start in place of the injured Virgil Vasquez. He allowed 4 runs in 4 innings…Fernando Perez was 1-5 with 3 strikeouts…Dan Johnson hit his league leading 8th home run…Hank Blalock started at third base and collected 2 more hits. He is now hitting .396 with a .455 OBP. Of his 19 hits, only 2 are for extra-bases.
• MONTGOMERY: Darin Downs pitched 5.2 shutout innings but was pulled after being hit in the leg by a comebacker…Nevin Ashley was 0-4.
• CHARLOTTE: Nick Barnese gave up 3 runs in 6 innings on 3 hits and a walk. He struck out 5…Isaias Velasquez went 4-5 with 3 stolen bases. He is now second in the FSL with 8 steals…Tim Beckham went 0-3 with 2 walks. He is just 4-39 (.103) to start the year…Matt Sweeney was 2-4.
• BOWLING GREEN: (no game scheduled)

The GBT – 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: Better Late Than Never. The Rays had only scored more than 4 runs twice this season, but scored 5 in the 8th and 8 runs in the final 3 innings. In one 8 batter span in the 8th, the Rays had 6 singles and a double. The big blow was Evan Longoria’s 2-run single to tie the game…Carlos Pena. El Gato’s 3-run shot in the 10th proved to be the game-winner. Earlier in the game, Pena flashed his gold glove when he left his feet and made a catch 3-rows deep down the right field line.

THE BAD: Randy Choate. After blowing the lead by giving up a 2-run HR (this time to a lefty) we half-expected Andrew Friedman to visit the mound to not only remove him from the game, but also from the roster…Over-Protection. One day after going 4-4, Carl Crawford did not start. Yes it was a lefty, but Crawford is an everyday player and it is only week 2. At this rate, Crawford will miss 20 games this year just due to managerial decisions…Rafael Soriano. It was a meaningless solo home run with a 3-run lead, but we are still waiting for Soriano’s first 1-2-3 outing. We are not worried. We are just waiting for him to hit his stride.

THE TELLING: Last night’s game featured two starting pitchers that were both drafted #4 in their respective drafts. We have to imagine that it is rare for top-5 picks to face each other…Brilliant move on the part of the Orioles to have a t-shirt giveaway the second week of April. Game time temp was 43°. Not to mention, the t-shirts were to be given to the first 10,000 fans, 15-and-over. 13,731 was the paid attendance, but there is no way 10,000 people were there last night.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Kelly Shoppach was placed on the DL with a sprained knee suffered during Saturday’s game. John Jaso has been recalled from Durham.
• Leslie Anderson, the Cuban defector (not the pitcher, the other one) signed by the Rays last month must have finally gotten his Visa issues resolved. The Rays made his signing official yesterday and announced Anderson will report to extended spring training. Anderson can play first base and all three outfield positions.
• Marc Topkin says Leslie Anderson will eventually be assigned to Charlotte or Montgomery and could be a September call-up. [St. Pete Times]
• Here is some video of James Shields playing golf. The clip is a preview for “Inside the Rays” which will air this Sunday on Sun Sports at 4:30. [Fox Sports Florida]
• Surprised we haven’t heard more about the possibility of Carl Crawford ending up in Houston next season. [Crawfish Boxes]
• How about some “Longoriaisms.” [Sports Casualties]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Check out “The Rundown” from Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
• DURHAM: Jeremy Hellickson allowed just 1 run in 6.1 innings, striking out 7 and walking 1. He allowed 4 hits, but only 1 in the first 6 innings. At one point he retired 14 straight…Dale Thayer picked up his 3rd save despite 2 hits and a walk in 1.1 innings…Fernando Perez was 1-4 with a double and an RBI…Matt Joyce went 0-4 with a strikeout…Dan Johnson was 2-4 with a home run…Hank Blalock did not play again.
• MONTGOMERY: No game scheduled
• CHARLOTTE: Chris Andujar allowed 2 runs in 4 innings. He walked 3 and did not strike out a batter…Matt Sweeney was 1-4 with a double.
• BOWLING GREEN: Alex Colome allowed only 1 baserunner in 6 innings, a 2-out double in the 4th. He struck out 6…Tyler Bortnick had his second straight 3-hit game, going 3-4.

Just the links today as I attempt to recover from Mancation.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• JP Howell will miss the first month of the regular season with weakness in his left shoulder. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin looks at what JP Howell’s injury means for the bullpen. [St. Pete Times]
• The injury to JP Howell could mean that the Rays will keep both Andy Sonnanstine and Wade Davis on the opening day roster. [St. Pete Times]
• Dioner Navarro was carted off the field Saturday after a collision at home. X-Rays were negative with the only damage a bruised nerve. He is not expected to miss any of the regular season. [Tampa Tribune]
• Recent signee Leslie Anderson, from Cuba, is currently in Mexico and trying to resolve issues that will allow him into the US to attend spring training. [St. Pete Times]
• Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes about BJ Upton‘s breakout potential and how he could be the difference-maker for the Rays this season. [New York Times]
• Evan Longoria’s star continues to rise. He recently filmed a commercial for “New Era” that will be aired during games on opening day. [Fanhouse]
• Wade Davis says he had a “little bit of a dead arm,” during yesterday’s terrible performance. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
• Roger Mooney has 5 questions for Matt Joyce. [Tampa Tribune]
• Joe Smith writes about former #1 overall pick Matt Bush who is attempting to restart his career with the Rays. He hasn’t had a drink in 9 months and currently resides in a Clearwater treatment center. [St. Pete Times]
• Rays Prospects asked Rays bloggers who they thought was the most overrated prospect in the system. [Rays Prospects]
• Rays Prospects asked Rays bloggers who they thought would have a breakout season from the lower levels. [Rays Prospects]
• Joe Maddon says Justin Ruggiano is a big league outfielder, and he is trying to prove that this spring. [MLB]
• Bill Madden of the Daily News previews the Rays. [NY Daily News]
• Per a press release, Cal Ripken Jr will attend the home opener for the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

The GBT – 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

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: The Duke. After a first start the was too reminiscent of 2009, Andy Sonnanstine was impressive yesterday with 4 shutout innings allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 3…Reid Brignac. Brignac had 2 more hits and 3 more RBI and now leads the majors with 13 RBI and is 10-20 to start the spring…Pat Burrell. Must have been a nice day in Bradenton. Bikinis in the crowd is the only explanation for his sudden power surge (he hit a home run).

THE BAD: Wade Davis. Big Dub settled down in the second, but not after allowing 5 straight baserunners with 2 outs in the first inning. All 5 would score…Minor Bullpen. Against the Pirates, 4 relievers that won’t be on the opening day roster combined to allow 8 runs in 7 innings on 12 hits and 5 walks…Carlos Pena. Another 0-fer. This one was 0-3 and he is now 0-12 this spring.

THE TELLING: Sean Rodriguez started at SS against the Pirates, with Reid Brignac at 2B…The Rays improved to 9-1 with their split-squad wins yesterday. Only the Indians (5-0) have fewer losses.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Marc Topkin has a report that says Leslie Anderson’s contract is a major league deal, placing him on the 40-man roster. [The Heater]
• The Rays made their first roster moves of the spring sending Tim Beckham, Jake McGee and Nevin Ashley back to minor league camp.
• Matt Joyce was scratched from yesterday’s start because of an elbow strain. He is only expected to be out a couple of days. Same for Dioner Navarro who came out of yesterday’s game after being struck by a pickoff throw. [The Heater]
• Rafael Soriano threw batting practice for the first time. [Tampa Tribune]
• There has been a lot discussion recently about “Floating Realignment” which is surprising because: A) There is zero indication that MLB is seriously considering this plan and B) There are a dozen major problems that have already been brought up in a thousand different stories. In short, there is zero chance this will ever even see the light of day. But if you are interested in reading one take, here is Rob Neyer’s. [ESPN]
• Roger Mooney has 5 questions for JP Howell. [Tampa Tribune]
• Joe Maddon does not consider it hypocritical to call for a ban on maple bats while his own players are using them…To clarify, we just think JoeMa’s words would carry more weight if he publicly called on his own players to set an example. But Maddon has always been a player’s manager, so he won’t do that. [St. Pete Times]
• A math professor at NJIT predicts the Rays will win 93 games and finish second in the AL East and first in the Wild Card. [Fox Sports]
• Steve Slowinski presents a simple way to evaluate defensive value. If you are not interested in the details, just take a look at where both Dioner Navarro and Kelly Shoppach fall on the list. If you are short on time, you might want to start at the bottom of the list. [Drays Bay]
• Dennis Maffezzoli spoke with BJ Upton and Joe Maddon about Upton’s disappointing 2009 season (“last season humbled me”) and his ability moving forward. [Lakeland Ledger]
• Big League Stew discusses something we have been harping for a while. Is Evan Longoria the most valuable asset in baseball? [Big League Stew]

Jorge Ebro reports that the Rays have signed 1B/OF Leslie Anderson to a 4-year, $3.75 million deal. Anderson, 27, a Cuban defector, tried out for 9 teams in February. Two of the scouts left the tryout “unimpressed” which likely kept the Rays in the bidding.

From Cuban Ball Players:

Leslie Anderson has been the best hitter for Camagüey. The versatile Anderson was used as a center fielder and then was moved to first base once Loidel Chapellí retired. Anderson has played RF for the national team. Anderson has gap power. He is not your typical slugger like Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols. Anderson could hit between 15-20 home runs at the Major League level if given the chance. He is a gold glove type first baseman, but I believe his value is in CF a position that requires less power than first base and in his overall versatility.

And here is a first-hand account of his workout in February:

“Leslie showed a below average arm while throwing from centerfield and first base. He ran badly from home to first base. During batting practice he hit several line drives, but showed no power. Defensively, he’ll need to play either first base or left field and hit with a very high average and lots of home runs, and right now I don’t project that he could.”

Hmmm? So the Rays first sign Hank Blalock and then give a Cuban first baseman $4 million? Anybody still think the Rays will re-sign Carlos Pena?

And yes, our first reaction to news that the Rays had signed “Leslie Anderson” was: He’s from Cuba?