Yesterday, Jayson Stark wrote that a source was saying the Rays would “never” take Delmon Young back.

Not so fast. Today Stark is saying the talks are very much alive and might involve a third team.

Stuff can change fast at the winter meetings. Contrary to what I reported Monday morning on this very blog, there were indications Monday night that Tampa Bay was still talking to the Twins about a deal that would bring outfielder Delmon Young back to the Rays.

Tampa Bay likely would deal away either Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson. But the trade could also involve a third team, because the Twins aren’t looking to add starting pitching.

Stark speculates that the Rockies could get involved considering their interest in acquiring starting pitching and the Twins interest in Garrett Atkins.

The Rays just traded Young away (along with Jason Pridie and Brendan Harris) last season for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett (and Eddie Morlan). If we are reading this right, and we would like to think we are, this latest move would essentially make the original trade Sonnanstine or Jackson for Garza and Bartlett. Seems fair.

That sound you hear? That is Twins fans throwing up.

Jayson Stark: Rays Will Only Trade Bartlett In ‘Major Deal’ [Rays Index]
Rays might re-acquire Young [ESPN]

Rule #1 in a fight is to never punch “down” a weight class, it is a no-win situation…so we promise to keep civil, but we also feel the need to stick up for all sensible baseball fans. Because apparently if you think Jason Bartlett is a better defensive shortstop than Brendan Harris then you are “nuts” and need to “rethink what you think you know about baseball“…

Anyone who has watched [Jason Bartlett] play since the start of the season and thinks he has “great range” is a crazy person still buying the crap we were sold in the off-season. I judge baseball by watching the game, not stats. I know good and bad players. I’ve been around the game my entire life and this guy is an average major league shortstop at best. Anyone who wants to argue this with me I’ll gladly sit down and break down video with you and show you you’re nuts…there is a serious problem here if they defend Bartlett over Harris. This flat tells me these are “strictly stats guys” and aren’t watching the games. The only game I have yet to see is the Thursday day game Jackson pitched because I do have a job and that wasn’t televised. There is no comparison at this point. I don’t care what Bartlett did in Minnesota, I’m judging him here. I don’t watch the Twins, I watch the Rays. If anyone wants to tell me that Bartlett is better here now than Harris was last year I advise you to rethink what you think you know about baseball.

We never said Bartlett was a gold-glove shortstop, even though we do watch a lot of Twins games (we blame that on our old roommate). Rather it is baseball people that say Bartlett is gold-glove caliber. And his problem has never been range or his glove. His problem is throwing the baseball, as was the cause for most of his errors last year and all three errors this year (one was a throw to second base).

But the argument here is apparently not how good Bartlett is, which is arguable, but rather whether or not Bartlett is better than Brendan Harris. Honestly we can’t even believe we are spending more than 30 seconds on this topic.

Brendan Harris plays defense like he is wearing cement shoes. As “stat guys” we could point you to the Probabilistic Model of Range (via Baseball Musings), which shows that Bartlett makes many more outs than predicted while Harris makes fewer outs than predicted (look at the first chart for each player “groundballs” and note that the dotted blue line is usually positive for Bartlett, while Harris’ dotted line is more often negative. Think of the X-axis as the infield moving from the left field line to the right field line. Harris’ chart is for shortstop only). For the record Harris had no range at second base either (again note that the dotted line is usually negative).

Sadly MLB won’t let us “break down the video” but we will give you this recap from a game last August, long before we ever dreamed of Jason Bartlett in a Rays uniform…

We have talked a lot recently about the horrible Rays defense. In the 10th inning we saw a perfect example of how bad the defense can be without committing an error. With a runner on first base and 1 out, Trot Nixon is facing Al Reyes with the score tied 2-2. Reyes is not a hard thrower, so a lefty is more likely to pull the ball through the hole on the right side, so Brendan Harris was cheating a little in that direction. Nixon hit a routine ground ball to Harris’ right. Harris basically took one step and then fell down in what we can only assume was an attempt to dive for the ball. It should have been a tailor-made double play. Rather, it was now first and third with 1 out. Harris not only showed perhaps the worst range ever for a second baseman, but he also showed a lack of natural baseball instincts. While he needs to cheat a little towards the hole with Reyes on the mound, he should have noticed that Dioner Navarro had set up about six inches off the plate, away, from the batter. Even at 87 mph, there is no way Nixon is pulling that ball. Harris should have been leaning up the middle before the pitch was even thrown.

We really wish we had video of that play. In hindsight, it was one of the funniest things we ever saw. He literally just fell down. You can tell the difference, because a player that dives while moving will actually slide a little on the turf, no matter how slow he is going. Harris did not.

Harris can hit the ball, and if you think he hits enough to overcome his defensive liabilities than that is an argument, but there is a reason that Harris is now playing second base for the Twins. Bartlett may be a gold glove shortstop or he may be “average”. Either way, Brendan Harris makes him look like Omar Vizquel.

What we think about baseball…and what baseball scouts think about baseball…and what most sensible baseball fans think about baseball…is just fine, thanks.

Now if you will excuse us, we have some work to get done before Sweet Home Alabama comes on tonight. Us “stats guys” don’t need to watch the games.

Rays lose a tough one [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
More Defensive Charts [Baseball Musings]
The Hangover: Joel Guzman Does Not Homer Or Strikeout. We Are Confused [Rays Index]

THE GOOD: Not a god damned thing..OK…Evan Longoria’s first major league home run to tie up the game was a nice moment…And Joe Maddon actually sounding pieved in the post-game press conference was a refreshing change…Outside of that? Not a damn thing.

THE BAD: We don’t want to talk about it…wait..ok, We want to talk about it…Andy Sonnanstine. This is Andy Sonnanstine. If you want the good you are going to have to put up with the bad. We all love the underdog. The righty that tops out at 88 on a good day. The guy that overcomes all the scouts and naysayers. But when you can’t overpower major league hitters, there are going to be nights when you are VERY hittable. Sonny throws strikes. Yes. But his fastball is a batting practice fastball. If it doesn’t have movement or if he misses over the plate, it is sayanora, adios, arivaderce, ciao, auf wiedersehen, good fuckin’ night…Al Reyes? Just go back to the last part and substitute “Al Reyes” for “Andy Sonnanstine”…One stat on Sonnanstine: He faced 20 batters and threw only 17 balls. He walked 1 batter. That means to the other 19 batters he threw only 13 balls. Fine we fucking get it. You can throw strikes. But guess what? It is kinda hard to get a batter to swing at a bad pitch if you don’t occasionally throw one out of the strike zone.

THE TELLING: Until Cliff Floyd and Dioner Navarro come back, the Rays are going to struggle against right handers. As it is, the bottom of the order against righties now is Shawn Riggans, Nathan Haynes and Jason Bartlett. There is not a legit major league hitter in that group and is darn near a cruise-control inning, whenever the opposing pitcher gets the bottom of the order…At least on nights like this, we have an excuse to drink.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Don’t forget, tonight will be the “Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo Of The Week” over the RAYSHEADS Facebook group. Crowd participation is encouraged, but not required. [RAYSHEADS]
• Doeth our eyes deceive us? One writer has a Power Poll with your Tampa Bay Rays coming in at…drum roll please…#10. It’s true. We are even willing to forgive the Eva Longoria joke. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Scott Kazmir pitched 2 innings in an extended spring training game. He will make the first of three scheduled rehab starts on Friday and is still on schedule to be back for the Rays on May 3 at Fenway Park…In addition, Dioner Navarro had the stitches from his hand removed and played catch. He could be back as early as Sunday. [Rays Report]
• The Rays have the top pick in the draft (again) in June, and DRays Bay will take a closer look at four players from which the Rays are likely to make their selection, starting with Pedro Alvarez. [DRays Bay]
• We thought we had put this whole “Rays need to sign Barry Bonds” crap? First they say that Jason Bartlett is a worse fielder than Brendan Harris now they are on to Bonds. Nevermind that he will want $10+ million. Nevermind the cancer-in-the-clubhouse thing and maybe a bad influence on all the young players. But how about the Rays already have 3 DH-types in the lineup and gave Cliff Floyd several million to be the most-days DH. Suppose the Rays should just throw that $3 million out the window? Tampa Bay Sports Blog is just trying to bait us. And it is almost working. But not yet. Now if they come back tomorrow and say Carlos Pena is overrated than we got a problem. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
• Pitchers have begun to take batting practice in anticipation for interleague play. [MLB]
• “The Sports Comedian” at FoxSports? Not so much. He makes a lame attempt to make fun of the Rays in relation to the entire “Red Sox jersey buried in the new Yankee stadium” mess. Let’s hope for his sake, he is actually funny sometimes. [Fox Sports]
• Andrew Friedman does not make the cut in the poll to determine the “Worst GM”. [Bucs Dugout]

THE GOOD: Jeff Niemann. After barely surviving a first inning in which he loaded the bases with only one out, he got out of it without allowing a run. He followed that up by facing only 2 over the minimum until he gave up a lead off home run in the 6th. Even the home run was a good sign. The Rays had just put a 6-spot on the board in the bottom of the 5th. A lot of pitchers would still try to be too fancy at that point. That is when a pitcher will start walking batters which leads to big innings. Not Niemann. He started going right after the batters in the 6th. Letting them put the ball in play. Funny, but that is one time when a home run does not bother us…How much bat speed and strength does BJ Upton have? He hit his 3-run HR without even getting his arms extended. The ball was up and in on him and he still hit a no-doubter…Great slide by Mike DiFelice to score the Rays’ third run on a single by Carl Crawford. DiFelice slid towards the infield-side of the plate to avoid the tag…Trever Miller came on with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate in the 7th and got Rays killer, Aubrey Huff to strike out. Miller, Al Reyes and Troy Percival retired the final 7 batters of the game. So this is what a major league bullpen looks like.

THE BAD: JP Howell could not get an out (3 batters) and Dan Wheeler relieved him and ended up walking in a run…The Rays have been not-so-good on the basepaths early in the season. With the bases loaded and 1 out in the 5th, Carl Crawford roped a single scoring 2. For some reason Akinori Iwamura does not advance to third on the throw home. Ironic that his brain fart occurred on the same play that had Mike DiFelice making a great base running play. And it did not hurt the Rays as Aki would later score on BJ Upton’s home run, but still a surprising lack of aggressiveness on the base paths…Jason Bartlett made his second error of the season, only the second error all year for the Rays’ infielders.

THE TELLING: Like any tall pitcher, you will always know when Jeff Niemann is on when he is hitting spots LOW in the strike zone. All pitchers struggle keeping the ball down. But when your 6’9″ it is that much harder…JP Howell is now starting to be used as a short-inning guy. Might Jason Hammel move to the pen (once everybody is healthy) and become the long reliever, with Scott Dohmann being sent packing?…The Yankees had a night game in Boston that did not end until after midnight. They were lucky if they were in their hotel in Tampa by 7am.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The “Rays Index Live BLOG-A-BALOO of the week” will be tomorrow night and it will be held at the RAYSHEAD Facebook Group. So be sure to stop by and take part in the shenanigans as Edwin Jackson mows down the Yankees…or takes a dump on the mound reminding us that he is still Edwin Jackson. [RAYSHEAD Facebook Group]
• Her Rays is excited about yesterday’s win. She uses an exclamation point seven times. [Her Rays]
• Joe Maddon was very impressed with Jeff Niemann’s major league debut. Then again, Papa Joe thought the Titanic had a solid debut, so forgive us if we just go on our own observations. Yep. Niemann was impressive. [MLB]

“Jeff was very impressive today,” manager Joe Maddon said. “Being able to throw a strike with a breaking ball when you’re down in the count in the American League is huge…He had a good look about him,” Maddon said. “He was very confident going into the game.”

• Next up for the Rays is a 2-game set versus the Yankees at the Trop. [MLB]
• Tampa Bay Sports Blog is not impressed with what they have seen from the Rays so far even going so far as to say that the defense “is not improved, it’s possibly worse” and “swapping Brendan Harris for Jason Bartlett was a huge mistake.”…Yikes. Yes…Jason Bartlett has two errors. He had almost 30 in 2007. He is going to throw a ball away every once and a while. But what does not show up in box scores and doesn’t translate very well to TV is that Bartlett will field many, many, MANY more balls than Brendan Harris can. We saw on numerous occasions last year, ground balls that should have been routine, scoot into the outfield. We remember seeing Harris dive for balls after taking only one step. His range is AWFUL. And Akinori Iwamura has been nothing short of amazing at second base. He is turning double plays like he has played the position his entire life. And outside of catcher, second base is the hardest position to learn because half the time you have your back to the runners. It is much more than catch-and-throw. The defense is better. The Rays are 4th in the AL with a .728 Defensive Efficiency Rating after being last in 2007. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
• Oh, and look what we have here. Brittany Ghiroli praising the Rays infield defense. That’s why we love Ms. Ghiroli. She’s always got our backs. [MLB]

With the offense looking sluggish, particularly during a four-game losing skid last week, the dazzling infield play has helped steer the Rays toward greener pastures.

This trade was not Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza.

This trade was not a 3-for-3 deal.

Make no mistake this was a 3-for-1 deal and one could make a very strong argument that this was a 5-for-1 deal (we will get back to that in a moment).

Both Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie were expendable, leaving Young as the only piece of significance given up by the Rays. Harris proved in the first half of 2007 that he could hit a baseball. Unfortunately, Harris proved all season that he is not a major league shortstop, often playing the position as if he had his feet stuck in cement. Pridie is a talented young outfielder, but there was clearly no future for him in a Rays uniform, with the team’s depth of outfield talent at all levels.

On the other hand the Rays pick up one of the top young pitchers in baseball (Garza), who is still two seasons from arbitration, a starting shortstop for 2008 and maybe beyond (Jason Bartlett), and one of the top closer prospects in baseball (Eduardo Morlan). Originally the deal was to include Juan Rincon, but concerns over his elbow lead the Rays to insist on the inclusion
of Morlan. Rincon would have added depth to the Rays 2008 bullpen, but Morlan could end up being a more valuable acquisition.

In addition to the three pieces from the Twins, the Rays also indirectly acquired a AAA all-star outfielder and long reliever/spot starter to give the bullpen added depth.

Justin Ruggiano: Moving Delmon Young opens up a spot in right field. With both Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes on the roster, Ruggiano would most likely have started the season in Durham. With Young gone, the star for Team USA in the World Cup is now the leading candidate to be the fourth outfielder and the team will likely employ a rotation with Rocco, Gomes and Ruggiano sharing time in right field and DH.

Jason Hammel: Hammel was originally slotted as the fifth starter and with the acquisition of Garza, he is the odd man out. Hammel, who is out of options will now most likely be moved to the bullpen where he worked last season before entering the rotation. Hammel is an immediate upgrade over another pitcher currently in the organization that could have filled the role of long reliever/spot starter.

Most reactions to the trade, whether they be Twins, Rays or Neutral fans, suggest that Young-for-Garza is either a push or a slight edge for the Twins, citing Young’s enormous upside. Those same reactions also unanimously agree that the other four players included in the deal, make the Rays the winners of the deal. Now add Ruggiano and Hammel to the deal and consider that Pridie and Harris were expendable and the 5-for-1 deal in which the Rays receive five important pieces for a 5-tool player that has never shown three of those tools (power, speed, glove) at any level and the Rays are a significantly better team this week than they were last week.

When the tree stops shaking, let’s now take a look at what the 25-man roster could look like on opening day 2008. (notes on this projection can be found below)

• INFIELD: We still feel that Akinori Iwamura will be at second base, no matter what the team decides to do with Evan Longoria. If the Dirtbag is not ready, they will most likely use a stopgap such as Joel Guzman, who has proved to be more than adequate with the glove. Aki just does not have the arm to be a major league third baseman and there is no sense moving him mid-season.
• OUTFIELD: Without Delmon Young, there is now a big question mark in right field. Without any further trades (Jonny Gomes?) the Rays will most likely go with a 3-man platoon in right with Gomes, Ruggiano and Rocco with one of the odd-men out playing DH every night. With Rocco’s legs and Gomes questionable glove, Ruggiano could be the most-days right fielder. The biggest problem with this scenario is that all three swing from the right side. If Gomes is moved, look for a left-handed bat to come back to the Ray in the deal.
• BENCH: Several question marks here. Will the team sign a veteran free agent catcher? Will they find a left-handed bat to come off the bench/is the switch-hitting Zobrist sufficient? Does that give Zobrist an edge over Josh Wilson to be the utility infielder?
• ROTATION: The Rays just went from “Kaz, Shields and pray for a power outage” to looking like they have a very formidable rotation. Before the trade, there were questions if the Rays even had a pitcher ready to fill the fifth spot. Now Jackson and Sonnanstine slide down to #4 and #5 and both look a lot better in those spots. The odd-man out on the surface is Jason Hammel, but Jeff Niemann could have been hurt the worst. Niemann could have competed in spring training with Hammel. He will have a much more difficult time trying to push aside Sonnanstine and is now more likely to begin season at AAA.
• BULLPEN: One of the worst in the history of baseball in 2007, the bullpen is suddenly looking like it could be a strength. Percival is the closer. He had a strong 2007 after coming out of retirement, but he will be 38 on opening day. The new 8th inning guy is Al Reyes and he will be 37 with a history that includes two Tommy John surgeries. If those two can stay healthy and effective, the rest of the bullpen slots very nicely, especially with the addition of Hammel. Five of the spots look to be spoken for, which leaves two open for competition in Spring Training. Birkins gets an edge being left handed. In 2006 and 2007, the Rays were not trying to compete so it was easier for Joe Maddon to leave spring training without a lefty in the pen. We can’t see him doing that in 2008. Dohmann was strong in the second half of 2007 and is out of options, but so are Gary Glover and Grant Balfour.

ESPN.com is reporting that the deal to send Delmon Young to the Twins has been finalized. The Tampa Bay Rays will send Young, along with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and minor league pitcher Eduardo Morlan. The deal does not include relief pitcher Juan Rincon, as had previously been mentioned.

The big piece in the deal is Garza, which gives the Rays a legitimate #3 starter in the rotation. The acquisition pushes Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine down to the #4 and #5 slots. Adding a starter to the rotation should strengthen the bullpen as Jason Hammel will now most likely be the Rays long reliever and spot starter. Jeff Niemann, the Rays top pick in 2005, will now have to compete with Sonnanstine for the final spot in the rotation and is more likely to begin the season at AAA Durham.

The acquisition of Jason Bartlett gives the Rays an above average defensive shortstop and a strong upgrade defensively. Bartlett, made 26 errors in 2007, but has consistently been above the league average in range factor.

Both Harris and Pridie wee expendable pieces for the Rays. Harris would most likely have been the team’s utility infielder, a position that Ben Zobrist or Josh Wilson can fill adequately. Pridie, who was recently added to the 40-man roster, spent the 2006 Spring Training with the Twins after being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Pridie posted strong numbers this past season at AA Montgomery and AAA Durham, but stood no chance of being added to the 25-man roster.

Moving Young, leaves an opening in right field for the Rays, and opens a roster spot and playing time for Justin Ruggiano. Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon are most likely hoping that some combination of Rocco Baldelli, Jonny Gomes and Ruggiano can fill the roles of right fielder and DH, with all three likely to see significant playing time.

Morlan was a third round pick by the Twins in 2004. He was being groomed as a future closer and split time this past season between A and AA, posting 18 saves and 99 strike outs in 69.2 innings with only 20 walks.

We will have more on this trade tomorrow.

Rays, Twins finish 6-player deal including Young, Garza [ESPN]

Team USA 7, Panama 0.
Evan Longoria capped the scoring for Team USA with a 2-run home run in the 7th inning. It was the first home run of the tournament for Team USA. Longoria finished 2-3 with those 2 ribbies.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Most of the free agent shortstops are already off the board, so it looks like the Rays will attempt to address the void in the middle infield through a trade. [TBO]
• Why do the Rays need a shortstop? According to “The Probabilistic Model of Range” for shortstops in 2007, the Rays had the third worst shortstop defense in baseball. Individually, Brendan Harris and Josh Wilson ranked as the 3rd and 4th worst defensive shortstops in 2007 (out of 39). [Baseball Musings]
• Any shortstop the Rays acquire may only be a one-year stopgap as Reid Brignac will most likely begin the season at AAA Durham. Despite what appeared to be poor offensive numbers on the surface (compared to 2006), The Hardball Times recognizes Brignac as one of the most improved hitters in the minor leagues in 2007. [The Hardball Times]

Brignac experienced a breakout season at the hitter-friendly California League last year, and his plate approach continued to improve as he posted career-best walk rates and strikeout rates in the Southern League this year. His traditional statistics were underwhelming in 2007 as he only hit .260 in a full season with the Montgomery Biscuits. The components of that performance are highly encouraging, however.

• The Twins may not be interested in Rocco Baldelli. According to the Star-Tribune they have targeted BJ Upton and Delmon Young and are willing to part with Matt Garza. If the Twins stand firm, don’t look for a deal to be made. [Star-Tribune]
• The Cubs have targeted Carl Crawford. [Daily-Herald]
• Project Prospect ranks the top 5 players in the Rays farm system. [Project Prospect]

The Devil Rays farm system has become the envy of baseball. They had four players who ranked in the Top 15 of our Top 25 prospect list last week. They have a top Rookie of the Year candidate in the big leagues right now, in Delmon Young. And they are currently in line to be awarded the No. 1 overall Draft pick for the second year in a row. Tampa Bay really only has one path that it can take in order to compete with the big spenders in its division. And it’s taking it.

• Sean McAdam of ESPN.com takes a look at the Rays off-season, and the holes they look to fill. [ESPN]

Angels 2, Devil Rays 1.
Come back in a little bit for a big announcement.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Justin Ruggiano made his major league debut last night. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated Wes Bankston for assignment. [tampabay.com]
• Brendan Harris was unavailable again yesterday after pulling a muscle in batting practice on Tuesday. [TBO]
• As far as late-season rookie hazing goes, Aki Iwamura got off easy (Dice-K was made to dress like a Teletubby). On the other hand, Aki’s interpretor looks like he is in pain. [tampabay.com]
• There is a Devil Ray that holds a major league record. Scott Aldred from 1998 currently holds the record and the record is about to go down and its going down hard. [Baseball Prospectus]
• David Chalk is not happy that the Rays are dropping the “Devil”. He feels the team name has not been marketed properly, offering his own “suggestion”. [Bugs & Cranks]
• I organized my first “Rotisserie Baseball League” in 1988 (I had Kirk Gibson on my team). And SimonOnSports reminds us why we stopped playing fantasy baseball 2 years ago. Too many people now believe that Fantasy Baseball is more important than the real thing. You see, Simon apparently got “kicked in the groin” when the Devil Rays decided to shut James Shields down for the season and Simon is pissed off that Joe Maddon did not personally inform Simon of the decision in time for him to make a roster move. Apparently the Rays are idiots for caring more about the longterm health of their young Ace rather than Simon’s fantasy baseball team. [SimonOnSports]
• The folks at Roto Authority, on the other hand, understand that when a young pitcher bests his previous career high in pitches thrown, they are at a very high risk of suffering an injury or a dead arm in the following season. [Roto Authority]

With Jamie Shields shut down for the season (smart move) let’s take a look at his breakout 2007 season…Boiling all of these peripherals in a big stat cauldron gives us a 3.62 ERA to go with that 1.22 WHIP (in 2008). With the right win total that could garner some Cy votes…Speaking of which, with that many innings I think he could pick up 15 or 16 wins in 2008. He’s quietly becoming the AL’s Aaron Harang, even pitching in the East. His changeup is top ten in the game and he’s got two other above average pitches as well.

• John Sickels takes a close look at two of the top left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, Jake McGee and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. [Minor League Ball]

Angels 2, Devil Rays 1.
This is what drives us absolutely nuts about the local coverage of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. We stayed up late last night and caught every pitch of the Rays 89th loss of the season. We went to bed frustrated with the offense, but content that Jason Hammel had pitch well and has shown improvement in his last four starts.

Then we wake up this morning to THIS headline in the St. Pete Times…

“Banged-up Rays waste Hammel’s latest gem”

Now..instead of feeling good about Hammel’s performance we now feel compelled to explain to Marc Topkin and the editors of the Times why Hammel’s performance was far from being a “gem”. Instead of feeling good about his start, we now have to point out the faults.

• It took Jason Hammel 98 pitches to get through 6 innings. Therefore, for the 12th time in 12 starts, Hammel was unable to pitch into the 7th inning.
• 6 innings and 2 runs is not a “gem”. That is an ERA of 3.00. Good. Not great. 9 innings and 2 runs might be a gem, but even then we would need to see 8-10 strikeouts and only 1-2 walks.
• Hammel allowed 7 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. That is a WHIP of 1.50! That is NOT a gem.
• He struck out 3 batters. a strikeout to walk ratio of 3:2 is NOT a gem. A ratio of 8:1 might be a gem…if he also pitched 8 innings and gave up only 1 run.
• In 3 of his 6 innings, Hammel allowed the leadoff batter to reach base. Two of those runners scored. That is definitely NOT a gem.
• Chone Figgins scored the first run on a wild pitch. That is right. A wild pitch with a runner on third base. Apparently that is “gem”-worthy.
• Hammel had exactly ONE 1-2-3 inning. Hammel allowed base runners in 5 of the 6 innings. That is NOT a gem.
• Did we mention…SIX INNINGS IS NOT A FRIGGIN’ GEM.
• Eight innings. M-INIMUM are needed before we even think about calling a game a gem, and really we would prefer 9. And is it too much to ask that a few of those innings be 1-2-3?
• If a starting pitcher for the Yankees or the Red Sox gave up 2 runs in 6 innings and LOST, would ANYBODY call it a gem? NOT A CHANCE IN HELL. They would wonder why he labored and couldn’t get the ball directly to the set-up man in the 8th inning.
• His “Latest gem”? IS ANYBODY AT THE TIMES AWAKE OVER THERE?!? Hammel is yet to pitch into the 7th inning. In his last start, he allowed 5 hits and only 1 run in 6 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out 6, against an overrated Seattle Mariners club. That was a very good start. But even that was NOT a gem.

Is this what we have been reduced to as fans of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays? Has the pitching been so bad that when somebody other than Scott Kazmir or James Shields allows 2 runs over 6 innings, we are supposed to be giddy?

We hope that Jason Hammel does not read the St. Pete Times. If he does, he might actually be content with his performance last night, and not see that there is still plenty of room for improvement. We understand that a lot of times, wins and losses are out of the control of the starting pitcher, but when it comes down to it, there is one stat that counts from last night’s start…L. As in Hammel lost. The Devil Rays lost.

If a team is going to only score 1 run, then the pitcher needs to find a way to keep the other team off the board. If he can’t? Let’s just say we are not about to start calling him Tom Seaver. Now there is a guy that threw some gems.

Banged-up Rays waste Hammel’s latest gem [tampabay.com]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• MLB Trade Rumors did an excellent job of breaking down exactly how ridiculous Scott Boras’ comments on Carlos Pena were. They challenge both the assertion that Pena is the best player to ever wear a Rays’ uniform and the boast that Pena is one of the top 5 players of 2007. They then go on to show that any claim that Pena is a $15 million player in his 4th full season is ludicrous. They even speculate that because Pena is not a free agent until after the 2009 season, the Rays best move may be to go to arbitration for the next two seasons and then trade Pena during the 2009 season. [MLB Trade Rumors]

Boras says the DRays basically got a $15MM season for the cost of $1.2MM and also takes some digs at the franchise. But it’s disingenuous to imply that a fourth-year player should be earning free agent prices. That ain’t the way it works. Albert Pujols earned $7MM in his fourth year, which seems like some kind of record. Jason Bay is earning $3.25MM in his fourth year. Matt Holliday is at $4.4MM. I could make a laundry list of young players who are huge bargains because of baseball’s pay scale. Hanley Ramirez is making $402,000 this year…Pena reaches free agency after the 2009 season, and Marc Topkin says the Rays have already begun discussions on a three or four-year deal. If the Rays are to buy out a year or two of free agency, those might cost $12-15MM each. More likely, the team just goes to arbitration with him twice and trades him in a summer of ’09 blockbuster (assuming he remains a 40 HR threat).

• The Devil Rays are 63-89 with 10 games remaining and are 2 games behind (1 in the win column) the Orioles in the AL East and for the worst record in baseball.
• The Devil Rays have decided to shut down James Shields for the remainder of the season. The move is simply an effort to limit the number of pitches thrown by the emerging ace. JP Howell will fill Shields’ spot in the rotation. [tampabay.com]
• Brendan Harris was injured during batting practice and was scratched from the lineup. [tampabay.com]
• Jim Alexander has a conversation with Joe Maddon about his return to Anaheim to face the franchise he was a part of for 31 years. [Many Opinions, No Waiting...]
• Joe Madden believes that Carl Crawford will be ready to go on Friday, but the team is still likely to call up an extra outfielder from Durham, with Jason Pridie being the most likely candidate. Pridie will need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter anyway or risk being lost in the Rule 5 Draft. [Devil Rays]
• Gerry Hunsicker will appear on the Baseball Digest Daily radio show this Sunday. [Baseball Digest Radio]
• Carlos Pena has 18 home runs in the past month, the most in the majors over that span. [USA Today]

Devil Rays 9, Mariners 2.
Just the links today as we are still in Austin with Mrs. Professor.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Devil Rays are now 63-87 with 12 games remaining. They trail the Orioles by 2 games in the AL East and the White Sox by 1.5 games for the worst record in baseball. Yesterday’s victory guarantees that the Devil Rays will not lose 100 games. This is the first season since 2000 that will not feature a 100-loss team. [Awful Announcing]
• The Devil Rays need to finish 7-5 to match the franchise record for wins, and 8-4 to break the record.
• A 10-2 finish and the Rays will avoid 90 losses.
• Andy Sonnanstine has now won 5 of his last 7 starts and should at least have the upper-hand for one of the spots in the rotation entering 2008. [USA Today]

“He’s close, he absolutely is close,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s really making a great impression for next season, we can say that.”

• Carlos Pena became the first member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to hit 40 home runs in a season and the 110th player in the history of major league baseball. [tampabay.com]
• Rocco Baldelli has rejoined the team as a cheerleader and nothing more. He and the team are still awaiting the results of some test to try and determine why Rocco has been so susceptible to leg problems. [TBO]
• We will see the regular lineup for the next 9 games, as all those games are against playoff contenders, Angels, Red Sox and Yankees. Joe Maddon may then switch things up for the Blue Jays series. [TBO]
• Well, except for maybe Carl Crawford, as he suffered a groin strain and is listed as day-to-day. [TBO]
• JP Howell and lefty relief pitcher Jeff Ridgway were promoted from Durham after the Bulls’ season was concluded on Sunday. [tampabay.com]
• The Devil Rays now have the largest improvement in team batting average from 2006 to 2007, jumping from .255 to .271. [Devil Rays]
• Delmon Young seemed a longshot earlier this season, but he is quietly posting Rookie-of-the-Year caliber numbers. [TBO]

Young entered Friday leading all big-league rookies in hits (171), doubles (34) and multi-hit games (51) while topping all AL rookies in RBIs (81) and total bases (241). Throw in a .293 batting average, 12 homers and 16 outfield assists

• HardBall thinks that Delmon Young is the Rookie of the Year. [Hard Ball]

Expect a lot of yelping if Delmon Young isn’t named the AL’s rookie of the year. He’s had the best wire-to-wire season among AL rookies but is easily overlooked.

• Statistically Speaking believes that both Carlos Pena and BJ Upton deserve votes in the MVP voting. MVP ballots include 10 names from each writer. [Statistically Speaking]
• We are happy that Marc Lancaster wrote a nice feel-good piece about Brendan Harris who has started 130 of the last 138 games, and how he is “making the most of his chances”. But if Harris starts more than 25 games in 2008 for the Devil Rays, that will not be a good sign. And to say that Harris can “field competently” is being nice. [TBO]
• Marc Lancaster believes there is too much entertainment at a typical Devil Rays game at the Trop, feeling the team is offering too many distractions. We understand the argument to an extent. While this may be a new phenomenon in major league baseball, this is not new to professional sports. Just attend any NBA basketball game and you think you accidentally walked into a circus. As for games at the Trop…I have never felt “overwhelmed” by the amount of distractions. I have always felt that there was a good amount for those that find baseball boring, and not enough to distract those of us who enjoy every single pitch. In the end the Devil Rays want every person that attends a game at the Trop to feel as though they had fun. Not just the diehard baseball fans. It is a fine-line they have to walk, but so far I feel as though they have done a decent job. [TBO]
• Here is a YouTube video tribute entitled “A Tribute to Scott Kazmir“. At first we thought “a tribute to a pitcher?” That sound boring. Every highlight will look exactly the same. Turns out the video is actually a Mets fan crying about Jim Duquette and Victor Zambrano. We laugh cuz it’s funny, we laugh because it’s true. [YouTube]