Archive for the 'Akinori Iwamura' Category

Feb 01

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Sunburst In The Turf, Manny’s New-Old Number And A Formal Intro

Akinori Iwamura, AstroTurf, Carl Crawford, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

Yesterday we spoke with a representative from FieldTurf that said the Sunburst logo, which could be seen in center field since the beginning of the 2008 season, would not be included with the installation of the new AstroTurf.

But when we spoke with the Rays, they clarified that the logo would be added at some point. They also stated that the sunburst would be a darker green this time and approximately 20% larger.

The only thing disappointing about this is we thought it would be a great opportunity to do something dramatic. It is AstroTurf after all. Why not make the sunburst bright yellow? Football teams use logos with the correct colors on their fields. Why couldn’t the Rays?

[UPDATE] Turns out Major League Baseball forbids the use of colored logos on the field. They require that any logos either be cut into the grass or, in the case of AstroTurf, look like they were cut into the grass. That is why the sunburst in center field was, and will be, dark green.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Rays will hold a news conference today at noon to officially announce the signings of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. We should also learn which two players have been removed from the 40-man roster.
  • Marc Topkin reports that Manny Ramirez will Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 15

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Spring Dates, Upton’s Future And Keeping The Pitchers

Akinori Iwamura, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, James Shields, Tim Beckham Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

Marc Topkin has the Rays 2011 Spring Training schedule. The Rays will play their first game at home on February 26 against the Pirates and will conclude Spring Training on March 30 against Toronto at The Trop. The schedule also includes a split-squad game at Al Lang Field against the Dutch national team.

Oh, and for those keep score at home, there are 93 days until pitchers and catchers report.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles need a first baseman, and Carlos Pena is one of the names on their list. [Baltimore Sun]
  • According to Buster Olney, other teams believe BJ Upton Read the rest of this entry »
Oct 18

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Burrell’s Career, Hellboy Vs Aroldis And An Aki Return

Akinori Iwamura, Aroldis Chapman, Jeremy Hellickson, Pat Burrell Cork Gaines 8 Comments »

Just the links this morning on George Hendrick’s 61st birthday.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • If you missed it yesterday, don’t miss Jordi’s latest piece for us. [The Cold Dome of the Soul]
  • Pat Burrell talks about why DHing doesn’t suit him...He better learn quick, because at age 33, his career is going to be over pretty quick if never DHs again. [Sacramento Bee]
  • Minor League Ball asked who is the better pitching prospect: Jeremy Hellickson or Aroldis Chapman?…If the Reds value Chapman’s arm, he will stay a reliever. That makes Hellboy better by default. [Minor League Ball]
  • Aki Iwamura wants to Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 07

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Sonny’s Return, Aki’s Future And Another Bad Night For Niemann

Akinori Iwamura, Jeff Niemann, Joe Maddon, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines 18 Comments »

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: Expanded Rosters. With the Rays trailing 12-2 in the 7th, the expanded roster gave Joe Maddon the opportunity to pull 6 starters and get them a little extra rest prior to the final two games of the series.

THE BAD: Jeff Niemann. For only the second time this season (ignoring his injury-shortened start), the Giraffe failed to work 5 innings, and both have come since his return from the DL. In his 3 starts since the DL-stint, he has given up 23 runs in 10 innings on 19 hits and 8 walks. When Niemann loses his mechanics, he loses them big time. One has to wonder if he needs to take a week or two off and just throw simulated games until he gets his groove back. Because this Niemann won’t be on the post-season roster.

THE TELLING: Andy Sonnanstine was added back to the roster after spending the past week on the Hudson Valley roster as part of the September roster expansion…The Rays magic number to clinch the Wild Card is 19 with 25 to play…If the Rays go just 12-13 in the final 25, the Red Sox would have to go 18-6 just to tie…David Price is 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA in 4 career starts against the Red Sox, but tonight will be his first career start in Fenway Park.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 83-54, 2.5 games behind the Yankees (2 in the lost column) and 6 games ahead of the White Sox in the Wild Card. After 137 games in 2008, the Rays were 84-53.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Rocco Baldelli homered in his first at bat back with the Rays on Sunday. Here is video of him talking about the blast. [The Heater]
  • The 6 pinch-hitters used by Joe Maddon in the 7th inning tied a big league record. [St. Pete Times]
  • The Pirates have designated Aki Iwamura for assignment…We expect this means he will be back in Japan next season. [Twitter]
  • Evan Longoria’s web gem on Saturday gave him

    Read the rest of this entry »

Jul 30

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss ARod’s 600th, King David’s 14th And Aki’s Trip To The Hospital

Akinori Iwamura, Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Gabe Kapler, Matt Joyce Cork Gaines 9 Comments »

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: Gold Glove First Baseman. 3 of the Rays 4 runs scored on hits by Carlos Pena that went off the glove of Miguel Cabrera. Not only did Pena drive in those 3 runs, but he would have prevented them if he were in the field. Even when struggling at the plate, Pena is still a valuable commodity…Brennan Boesch. For the third time in this series, Joe Maddon walked Miguel Cabrera with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs. And for the 3rd time, the Rays got Boesch out…Choate And Wheeler. Rafael Soriano and Joaquin Benoit were unavailable and Randy Choate and Dan Wheeler stepped up when Joe Maddon needed them most, getting the final 8 outs allowing just 1 baserunner…David Price. King David matched the franchise record with his 14th win. And he still has 12-14 starts left. We might be looking at the Rays first-ever 20-games winner.  We might also be looking at the Rays first Cy Young Award winner…Early To Bed. Well, we hope the Rays were in bed early. As for the Yankees, they likely didn’t arrive in Tampa until about 3am.

THE BAD: 599. The hype may not be as bad as it could be, but Alex Rodriguez is still stuck on 599 home runs. And as one commenter pointed out earlier, the three starters in the series for the Rays have a habit of giving up home runs as all 3 are in the 10 in the AL.

THE TELLING: All 3 games versus the Yankees are sold out. This is the first time in the history of the Rays that they have sold out 3 straight games…Gabe Kapler started in center field even though a right-hander was on the mound, thanks to a lack of any other options.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 63-38, 2 games behind the Yankees and 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox (6 in the loss column). After 101 games in 2008, the Rays were 59-42.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • David Price talks about tying the club record for wins. [The Heater]
  • It is still unclear if Ben Zobrist or BJ Upton will play tonight. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Aki Iwamura suffered a concussion and was hospitalized after a collision on the basepaths during a triple-A game. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
  • Rays Prospects makes the case for three minor leaguers that deserve a promotion. They won’t get any arguments from us. [Rays Prospects]
  • He might not have as much power, but looking at these numbers, we see Matt Joyce as an outfield version of Carlos Pena. And that means it is a good thing he ended up with the Rays at a young age, because he might have bounced around several organizations before somebody realized his potential. [DRays Bay]
  • Joe Maddon blames Read the rest of this entry »
Jun 17

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Aki’s Last Day In Pittsburgh, Cold Bats And Rodriguez’ Numbers

Akinori Iwamura, Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett, Sean Rodriguez Cork Gaines 4 Comments »

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: Good Starts. After a game like that, about all we can hang our hat on is that the Braves are a good squad and the Rays weren’t going to sweep. And while things are tightening up in the East, the Rays still have the best record in baseball.

THE BAD: 2-Out Scoring. The Braves first 3 runs all came with 2 outs in the 3rd. With the way the Rays were hitting, that inning was the end of the game…Gone Cold. The 8 starting hitters went a combined 3-26 with 1 double, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts.

THE TELLING: Dioner Navarro played for the first time since June 9, pinch-hitting and getting an RBI double…Jason Bartlett was back in the lineup after being activated from the DL. He was 0-2…Sean Rodriguez went hitless for the first time in 16 games.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 41-24, tied with the Yankees for first in the AL East and 3 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card. After 65 games in 2008, the Rays were 38-27.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Wade Davis talks about last night’s loss. He used the word “sucks” a lot (video). [The Heater]
  • The Pirates have designated Akinori Iwamura for assignment, meaning they have 10 days to trade him or they will have to release him. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • RotoProfessor takes a closer look at Sean Rodriguez’ numbers and projects what he could do over a full season. [Roto Professor]
  • The Rays announced the signings of a bunch of draftees from the 13th round and later. [MLB]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Check out Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
  • DURHAM: (no game scheduled)
  • MONTGOMERY: Alex Torres struck out 7 and walked 2 in 5 innings. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits…Nevin Ashley was 2-5 with a walk and 2 RBI.
  • CHARLOTTE: Nick Barnese allowed 1 run in 5 innings with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts…Tim Beckham was 0-5 with 2 strikeouts.
  • BOWLING GREEN: Aaron Dott took the loss after giving up 8 runs (7 earned) in just 3 innings…Chris Murrill was 103 with a walk and stole his 26th base.
Nov 06

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Another Market Inefficiency, The Rays Tuesday Win And Minor League Awards

Akinori Iwamura, Alexander Colome, Desmond Jennings Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

hangoverFrom the “Can’t make this up” pile, Marc Topkin drops this little nugget…

…the Rays decided to keep Uchibori, Iwamura’s interpreter the past two years, and gave him a job as a scout in his native Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Just another move proving that the Rays are trendsetters and super-sleuths at uncovering market inefficiencies. Because obviously interpreters make excellent talent evaluators. There go the Rays, reinventing the game of baseball, one interpreter at a time.

If only the Yankees had thought of that.

[Ed. Note: the gentleman in the above photo with Aki is not his most recent interpreter. That is Aki's first interpreter with the Rays.]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Noah Pransky of 10Connects explains that the Rays were one of the winners in the St. Pete Mayoral election held on Tuesday. [10Connects.com]
  • Marc Topkin looks at what the Yankees title means for the Rays or as Stuart Sternberg said, “Order has been restored to the baseball universe.” [St. Pete Times]
  • Desmond Jennings was named player of the year in the Southern League and Alexander Colome was named player of the year in the New York-Penn League. Colome was the only pitcher to receive the honor for his league. [MiLB]
  • The Rays restructured their minor league staff. Marc Topkin has the details. [The Heater]
  • The early odds on the Rays to win the World Series next season are 15-to-1. We are guessing that the odds on winning the East are not much better. [Dock of the Rays]
Nov 05

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss How A Salary Dump Will Apparently Change Baseball Forever…Or Not

Akinori Iwamura Cork Gaines 14 Comments »

Andrew Friedman has made some great moves in his tenure with the Rays, but somebody needs to explain to us what is so amazing about a trade that is essentially a salary dump. The following is a made-up quote, but essentially sums up about 20 different blog posts we have read in reference to the trade that sent Akinori Iwamura to the Pirates for Jesse Chavez…

WOW! The Rays somehow were able to get something for nothing. I think I just messed my tighty-whities!

Yes, the Rays would have likely declined Iwamura’s option had they not made the trade. But that was the Rays’ choice. Iwamura was not a free agent. We repeat. Aki was NOT a free agent. In essence, he still had a year left on his contract*. The only difference between Aki’s contract and Pat Burrell’s contract is that the Rays are stuck with Burrell while they could have chosen to get the rid of Aki’s contract for a nominal fee.

If the Rays yesterday somehow traded Troy Percival (a free agent) for a relief pitcher, that would be getting something for nothing. In this case, the Rays did have the option to keep the previously-mentioned “nothing.” Of course, by “nothing” we actually mean a decent second baseman with a reasonable one-year contract.

So why does this type of move not happen more often? Simple. The only time you see a team decline a player option is if the player is not worth that price any longer. The Rays are the only team in baseball cheap enough to not want a player that is worth more than he makes. And yes, Aki is worth more than $4.85 million.

Yes, this was a good move. The Rays essentially got a free relief pitcher, seeing as how he will make less (~$450K) than what the Rays would have paid to buy out Aki’s contract ($550K). And we have long said that the number one item on our wishlist for this off-season is one or two relief pitchers that throw harder than Lil’ Prof (Chavez can reach 97).

But let’s calm done about how the Rays have somehow “reinvented” the game of baseball, when all they really did was dump a $5 million salary for a middle reliever that is not much better than Joe Nelson.

*We have heard many people refer to this move as a “sign-and-trade.” Exactly where was the “sign” part? The Rays and Aki did not agree to an extension before the trade. The 2010 salary is part of Aki’s original contract. Sure it could have been voided, But Aki did not “sign” anything.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune says moving Akinori Iwamura hurts the Rays chemistry and in doing so takes a none-too-subtle shot at Pat Burrell: “If you think [being good in the clubhouse is] not a factor, then you weren’t around Pat Burrell much this summer.” [Tampa Tribune]
  • The Rays Party has everything you ever needed to know about Jesse Chavez. [The Rays Party]
  • Aki Iwamura is already saying he is open to the idea of signing a long-term deal with the Pirates. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
  • Baseball Daily Digest feels that one force pushing the Pirates to trade for Akinori Iwamura is their desire to appeal to Asian players. [Baseball Daily Digest]
  • The Hardball Times feels Akinori Iwamura is “clearly overpaid,” and is surprised the Rays were able to get a “fireballing reliever.” [The Hardball Times]
  • Beyond the Boxscore seems to think Aki is worth $12.4 million in production, or about $7.5 million more than he will be paid in 2010. [Beyond the Boxscore]
  • Sabernomics calls the deal “pretty even” and “mutually beneficial.” [Sabernomics]
  • Raise the Jolly Roger is not that thrilled about giving up a decent relief pitcher for a one-year rental. [Raise the Jolly Roger]
  • Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke? is warming up to the Akinori Iwamura trade and likes the prospect of now appealing more to international free agents. [Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke?]
Nov 03

Rays Trade Iwamura To Pirates

Akinori Iwamura Cork Gaines 25 Comments »

[Update] The deal is now official per a press release from the Rays.

[Update] We have just learned from Buster Olney that the Rays will receive relief pitcher Jesse Chavez from the Pirates. Chavez, 26 is a right-handed pitcher, that played his first full big league season in 2009. A 42nd round draft pick in 2002, Chavez posted a 4.01 ERA in 73 appearances (67.1 ip) this past season with 47 Ks and 22 walks.

[Update] Topkin says the Pirates are the team. Still no word on who would come back to the Rays.

[Update] Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes the Pirates are involved in trade talks with the Rays for Iwamura.

[Update] Roger Mooney of the Bradenton Herald says that the deal is expected to be completed tonight [Ed. note: The teams may agree to terms tonight, but trades cannot be finalized with MLB until after the World Series]. He also suggests that Iwamura could be headed to a National League team. It is not clear if the destination is based on Mooney’s insider information or speculation.

[2:34pm] You just knew the Rays would only pick up Akinori Iwamura’s option if they already the framework for a trade in place. With the deadline for the Rays to decide on Aki’s option either Thursday or Friday, Marc Topkin is reporting that the Rays are indeed close to a deal that would move the second baseman.

Just got back to New York and heard from an industry source who’s not with the Rays that they are on the verge of completing a trade of 2B Akinori Iwamura…What’s interesting is that the source indicated the deal wasn’t with the Cubs or the Dodgers as has been speculated on but to an unexpected team.

The Twins took a player off their 40-man roster today. Might that be the connection? With Delmon Young finally producing down the stretch, the Twins may be willing to deal with the Rays again.

Of course, the real question is: How much can the Rays get for a player that everybody knows they didn’t want? If the Rays can come away with a decent prospect and/or a relief pitcher that can contribute in 2010, this will be a great deal.

Rays working on Iwamura deal [The Heater]

Nov 02

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Aki’s Option, The Prettiest Pug And Joyce’s D

Akinori Iwamura, Carl Crawford, Chris Richard, Dave Martinez, Gabe Kapler, Matt Joyce Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

The Rays face an interesting dilemma the day after the World Series ends: What to do with Aki Iwamura’s $4.25 million option. While the amount is cheap for what Aki brings to the table, the Rays can find cheaper options in-house. And the Rays are a club where every million counts.

The Rays appear to have two options with Aki’s option (see what we did there!)

  1. Decline the option and move forward with some combination of Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac at second base.
  2. Pick up the option and try to trade Aki for a bullpen arm and/or prospects.

The downside to the second option is: a) Another team will know the Rays would be desperate to trade Aki, and if there isn’t a big market, they can hold out for next-to-nothing; b) What happens if the Rays cannot trade Aki? All of the sudden they are on the hook for $4.25 million with a player that might not have a position in 2010.

Of course, knowing the Rays, they will only pick up Aki’s option if they already have some assurance from another club that a trade is doable. The benefit to the other club is that the $4.25 million option is probably less than they would have to pay for Iwamura on the open market.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Chris Richard was removed from the 40-man roster. He has the option of choosing free agency over a demotion to Durham.
  • Carl Crawford won the Fielding Bible Award for being the top defensive left fielder. Of course, being named the best defensive left fielder is kinda like being named the best-looking Pug. There is a reason Gold Glove awards don’t differentiate among outfield positions. [The Heater]
  • Among several other items from Marc Topkin, we learn that Gabe Kapler “fits several needs” for the Rays even if he is just a 5th outfielder and Dave Martinez talked to the Indians about their managerial position. [St. Pete Times]
  • Dock of the Rays discusses Aki Iwamura’s option. [Dock of the Rays]
  • According to one metric, Matt Joyce was the 4th best defensive right fielder in the minors this past season. [The Hardball Times]
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