Archive for the 'Delmon Young' Category

Mar 02

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Lots Of Home Runs, The First Base Job And Scrap-Heap Targets

Andy Sonnanstine, Delmon Young, Johnny Damon Cork Gaines 11 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: Long Balls. The baseballs were flying out of the Orioles renovated Spring Training home. Still, it was nice to see Manny Ramirez get his first with the Rays and for BJ Upton to make it back-to-back in the 6th inning. It was also nice to see Kelly Shoppach go deep. He is going to be on the opening day roster, so we have to hope he get the bat going.

THE BAD: Andy Sonnanstine. Well, that was ugly. Sonnanstine faced 12 batters. Five of them hit home runs, including 2 by Nick Markakis…Rob Delaney. After looking strong against the minor leaguers on Saturday, and after a 2-strikeout 1-2-3 3rd inning, Delaney got pounded for 4 runs on 5 straight hits in his second inning of work against the big boys…Matt Bush. After looking good in his first outing, Bush gave up a single, a double and walked 2 batters in one inning.

THE TELLING: Johnny Damon led off and no doubt will see time there during the regular season. But Joe Maddon made it clear that John Jaso will be the leadoff guy most days when he is in the lineup…Felipe Lopez got the start at second base and Elliot Johnson didn’t play…Casey Kotchman started at first base. It looks like the first base job is up for grabs at this point. Ben Zobrist will start at first today.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Over at Business Insider, I put together a chart that looks at the Delmon Young trade tree and how the Rays will continue to benefit from Young for years to come. [Business Insider]
  • Casey Kotchman talks about Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 08

Garza To The Cubs: What They Are Saying

Delmon Young, Matt Garza Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

In the last 24 hours, we have read so many pieces on the Matt Garza trade, that we now have a horrible goatee and have started calling our daughter Hak-Ju (she drops things a lot). Here is a sampling of what has been written…

  • This is a must-see. The Chicago Sun-Times ran a full-page cover story on the Garza trade and they used a picture of Joaquin Benoit. [The Heater]
  • Jim Callis says this deal moves the Rays up the organizational rankings from #3 to #2. The Royals are still tops. [Twitter]
  • So far, the Rays have turned Delmon Young into three years each of Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza, eight prospects and Sam Fuld. [TBO.com]
  • Peter Gammons says Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 29

Three Of American League’s Ten Best Drafted By Lamar

Carl Crawford, Chuck LaMar, Delmon Young, Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

One last note about the 2010 American League awards that is worth noting. Four of the top 10 finishers for AL MVP were drafted by the Rays. And three of those were drafted by Chuck Lamar.

1. Josh Hamilton — 1999, #1 overall
6. Evan Longoria — 2006, #3 overall
7. Carl Crawford — 1999, #52 overall (2nd round)
10. Delmon Young — 2003, #1 overall

Of course, only one of those guys will still be with the Rays in 2011, so let’s not get too excited.

Sep 07

Hellickson Named Baseball America’s Minor League Player Of The Year

Awards, Delmon Young, Jeremy Hellickson, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines 7 Comments »

Baseball America today announced that Jeremy Hellickson has been named their minor league player of the year. Hellickson was 12-3 with an International League-leading 2.45 ERA in 25 starts. He struck out 123 and walked 35 in 117.2 innings.

He joins Rocco Baldelli (2002) and Delmon Young (2005) as the third Rays prospect to win the award. Hellickson is the fifth pitcher to win the award in the last 20 years. The other four were Rick Ankiel (1999), Jon Rauch (2000), Josh Beckett (2001) and Jeff Francis (2004).

Jul 06

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss CC’s Golden Glove, Maddon’s Papi Reversal And The ’96 Yankees

Brian Shouse, Delmon Young, Evan Meek, Joaquin Benoit, Joe Maddon, Josh Hamilton, Rafael Soriano, Ty Wigginton Cork Gaines 16 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: John Jaso. Recently, any time the Rays would get the bases loaded with no outs, our initial reaction has been “oh crap.” But JJ Dyn-O-Mite came through in the 6th. After being down 0-2 in the count, he battled back to a full count and then delivered a game-tying 2-run single…Maddonology. Last week, Maddon wouldn’t intentionally walk David Ortiz with first base open and Big Papi made the Rays pay with a big home run. Last night, with first base open, Maddon did go with the free pass. After a walk, Grant Balfour and Randy Choate teamed to strikeout the next two batters to get out of the 1-out, bases loaded jam and keep the game tied…Bullpen. Matt Garza put the Rays in a hole, but the bullpen picked up the slack. Six relievers combined for 6 innings and gave up just 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks. The only baserunner in the final 2.2ip was a broken bat single in the 9th. And how awesome is the lights out combo of Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano? We thought last winter that the Rays biggest need was a flame-throwing relief pitcher and World B. Friedman gave us two. This may be hyperbole, but when the Rays are playing well, they remind us a lot of the 1996 Yankees with Benoit and Soriano in the roles of Mariano Rivera and John Wetteland…CC’s Golden Glove. We didn’t think Carl Crawford was a gold glover last year, especially under MLB’s rules of not distinguishing amongst the three outfield spots. But they might as well give Crawford the 2010 award right now. He had another spectacular diving catch that kept the Red Sox 4-run 3rd from being any worse than it already was.

THE BAD: Matt Garza. Let’s hope The Garza Complex got that out of his system. The Rays are not going to win many games when their starter allows 9 baserunners in the first 3 innings, especially against the Red Sox and Yankees…Suicidal Squeeze. After tying the game in the 6th, the Rays still had a runner on 3rd with no outs. Ben Zobrist’s squeeze attempt ended with the runner thrown out at home…Willy Aybar. He was 1-4, but left 6 runners on base, including 4 runners in scoring position.

THE TELLING: Sean Rodriguez has started 23 of the last 27 games…Several of the Rays with the high-cuffed pants are no longer wearing stirrups and instead appear to have opted for striped socks…Former Rays (or Rays prospects) in the all-star game include Ty Wigginton (Bal), Evan Meek (Pit) and Josh Hamilton (Tex). Delmon Young is in the running for the final spot on AL roster…

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 49-33, 2 games behind the Yankees in the East and one-half game ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card. After 82 games in 2008, the Rays were 50-32.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Read the rest of this entry »

Jul 02

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss A Fun Win, Former Rays And BJ On The Bench Again

Ben Zobrist, BJ Upton, Delmon Young, Elijah Dukes, Pat Burrell Cork Gaines 22 Comments »

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

Rays 5, Twins 4

THE GOOD: Late Rallies. There is nothing more fun than a late rally in baseball. And thanks to a game-tying double by Evan Longoria in the 9th that scored Carl Crawford all the way from first and a go-ahead single by Willy Aybar in the 10th, the Rays won their first-ever game in Target Field…Most of the Bullpen. Randy Choate might be in the midst of one of his epic meltdown phases. But the rest of the ‘pen was strong, throwing 3 perfect innings and keeping the Rays in the game.

THE BAD: Former Rays. What is it about former Rays that elevate their game to new heights against Tampa Bay? We have seen it in previous years from players like Aubrey Huff, whose career has been lengthened by a few years just based on his numbers versus the Rays. But this year has seen an all-new level. There was Edwin Jackson’s no-hitter. And last night it was Delmon Young suddenly thinking he is a power-hitter with a game-tying home run in the 7th. He also threw out a runner at home to end an inning and added an RBI single. Delmon had moments with the Rays, but we don’t ever remember complete games.

THE TELLING: The Rays have now won 2 in a row for the first time since June 8 and 9 versus the Blue Jays…BJ Upton did not start for the 3rd straight game again citing a sore leg muscle. Ben Zobrist once again ledofff and played center.

WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 46-32, 2 games behind the Yankees and a half-game behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card. After 78 games in 2008, the Rays were 47-31.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Carl Crawford compares this win to how the Rays were playing earlier in the year (VIDEO). [The Heater]
  • The Rays rank 6th (out of 144 professional franchises) in ESPN the Magazine’s “Ultimate Standings.” The rankings consider several factors including “Bang for the Buck” which has the Rays ranked second overall. Interestingly, the Rays rank only 106th in “Stadium Experience” and 58th in “Ownership” a category described as “honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.” [ESPN]
  • Here is a fun video of Pat Burrell playing “defense” (h/t Jason Collette). [MLB]
  • Elijah Dukes has signed with the Independent Atlantic League’s Newark Bears. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • Pop Life has a list of songs to describe BJ Upton. Our fave? Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.” [Pop Life]
  • A young lady pissed on the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park Wednesday night During the Rays game. Since then, the Rays have won two in a row. Coincidence? (thanks Rob). [Deadspin]

DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Check out Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
  • DURHAM: Carlos Hernandez didn’t give up a run, but was pulled after 4.2 innings with 99 pitches having allowed 5 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6…Fernando Perez went 2-4 with his 19th stolen base…Dioner Navarro hit his first home run since being demote…Angel Chavez (6) and Justin Ruggiano (7) also homered…Desmond Jennings did not start but was used as a late-inning defensive replacement.
  • MONTGOMERY: Jake McGee looked strong again, throwing 5 shutout innings, striking out 8 and walking 3. He gave up just 3 hits…In game 2, Alex Cobb pitched 5.1 scoreless innings with 5 Ks, giving up just 2 hits. He now has a 1.67 ERA in 10 starts…Matt Sweeney was 0-5 with 2 strikeouts in the double-header and is now hitting .203.
  • CHARLOTTE: Shane Dyer gave up 4 runs in 6.1 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 2…Tim Beckham went 1-4 with a strikeout.
  • BOWLING GREEN: Kyle Lobstein dropped to 5-4 after getting pounded for 6 runs in 5 innings on 7 hits and 4 walks…Chris Murrill went 2-5.
  • HUDSON VALLEY: Miguel Sierra made his 3rd start and gave up 2 runs in 5 innings. He struck out 3…Jacob Thompson, the Rays 2nd round pick this year, made his professional debut. He pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 2 and allowing just one hit.
  • PRINCETON: Jacob Partridge gave up 2 runs in 5.1 innings.
Mar 09

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Another Walk-Off Win, Hank’s New Deal And The Rays #1 Picks

Delmon Young, Grant Balfour, Hank Blalock, Kelly Shoppach, Stuart Sternberg, Troy Percival Cork Gaines 7 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: Clutch Hitting. Fernando Perez drove in the winning run with a single in the 10th. It was the Rays 3rd walk-off win and 4th win in their final at bat. Joe Maddon said he wanted better at bats late in games. Of course if any of the guys that are coming through in the clutch now are on the roster in April, the Rays are screwed…Matt Garza. Garza worked 3 strong innings, striking out 5 and walking none…Alex Torres. Torres made his second appearance a good one pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out 1 and walking 1…Speed. As in the Rays were just showin’ off yesterday when they started an outfield that included Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Desmond Jennings.

THE BAD: Pat Burrell. The Bat has a big hole in it so far. Another 0-2 and he is now 1-10 on the spring. So much for coming to spring training in better shape and more determined. It hasn’t translated to the field yet…

THE TELLING: Carlos Pena was given the day off with Chris Richard getting the start at first base…Rafael Soriano will make his first appearance next week.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • The Rays signed Hank Blalock to a minor league deal. He will make $925K plus he can earn $350K in bonuses based on the number of plate appearances he receives…No word on whether there is an opt-out clause for Blalock [Update: He can opt-out on April 1. See comments]. [The Heater]
  • There are 14 former #1 overall picks in camp this spring. Four of them are in Rays camp (2 others were drafted by the Rays and play for other teams now). Only two other teams (Twins and Royals) have more than one. [Jayson Stark Blog]
  • Hal Bodley looks at some recent comments by Stuart Sternberg on the Rays payroll as the biggest problem with competitive balance in baseball. That is, small-market teams can win, but it is difficult for them to sustain that success. [MLB]
  • Tampa Bay Rays Fan makes a case for Dioner Navarro being the starting catcher. [TBRF]
  • Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News interviewed Grant Balfour. [Daily News]
  • The Biz of Baseball names the Rays as having “The Best Series of Promos” in 2010 including the promo of the year, the Carlos Pena toothbrush holder (including picture). [The Biz of Baseball]
  • Around the Majors lists Carlos Pena as one of the first basemen most likely to be traded during the season. [Around the Majors]
  • Noah Pransky suggests that the only way the Rays could move to Hillsborough is if they moves to a new stadium on the Seminole Indian property near the Hard Rock Casino…Of course the biggest problem is one Pransky lists: “Major League Baseball would have to sign off on the deal.” And they won’t. MLB won’t let a team move to Las Vegas because it would be near casinos. There is even less chance they will let a team be closely associated with a casino. [Shadow of the Stadium]
  • Ben Zobrist talks about how this spring training differs from last year. [Bradenton Herald]
  • Joe Smith writes about the non-roster invitees in camp trying to find their way back to the majors. [St. Pete Times]
  • Tony Fabrizio has 5 questions for Kelly Shoppach. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Fire Brand of the American League wonders if the Rays pitching is overrated calling James Shields “a good start”, saying Matt Garza is a benefactor of great defense, Jeff Niemann “has plenty of questions about his skills,” Wade Davis “struggles to control his pitches and walks to [sic] many hitters,” and David Price “could be back to the pen or even the minors”…We know, that last one made us giggle also. [Fire Brand of the American League]
  • Kelsie Smith of the Twin Cities Pioneer-Press writes that Delmon Young might have finally grown up. *Golf Clap*[Pioneer-Press]
  • Troy Percival is back to coaching, and this time it might be for good. [LA Times]
Dec 09

[HOT STOVE] Tampa Bay Rays Rumor Updates

Delmon Young, Jason Giambi, Milton Bradley Cork Gaines No Comments »

Let’s use this post for minor updates on previous rumors we have heard from the winter meetings. Unless something new or substantial comes along, we will continue to update this post the rest of the day.

[Update: 8:18pm] On Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu
Despite earlier reports that Giambi will sign with the A’s, Marc Topkin is reporting that Giambi met with the Rays Monday night, and has a picture to prove it. Our guess is that Giambi still plans on signing with the A’s, but is keeping all doors open in case the A’s situation falls through. Topkin also reports that the Rays will meet with Bobby Abreu’s agent in the “next 24 hours.”

[Update: 5:03pm] On Rocco Baldelli…
MLB Trade Rumors has a piece that suggests the Red Sox are not sold on signing Baldelli, noting they are worried about needing a fourth outfielder to play long stretches should an injury arise…This certainly makes it more likely that Rocco could return to the Rays in 2009.

On Jason Giambi and Garret Anderson…
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus is reporting that Giambi is likely to sign with the A’s and that “an announcement could come at the [winter] meetings.”

We heard this morning that Giambi was low on the A’s list of priorities, even though he was telling friends that he would sign with the A’s.

In the same post, Perrotto also says the Rays “have at least some interest in signing” Anderson.

On Delmon Young…
Marc Lancaster spoke with a Rays official who shot down the Rays interest in Young.

Just spoke briefly with a Rays official who was mystified about ESPN’s report of a potential three-way deal among the Rays, Rockies and Twins that would bring Delmon Young back to Tampa Bay and send Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson to Colorado. The Rays haven’t had talks with either team along those lines, apparently.

Earlier today Jayson Stark reported that the Rays were indeed talking to the Twins about Young. Stark also speculated that the Rockies might make a good third team to get the deal done.

On Milton Bradley…
We updated “The Hangover” earlier, but in case you missed it, Nick Cafardo is reporting that Bradley is “in intense discussions with the Cubs.” We had previously heard that the Rays were the most likely destination for Bradley.

Dec 09

[HOT STOVE] Jayson Stark: Rays Still Interested In Bringing Delmon Young Back

Andy Sonnanstine, Brendan Harris, Delmon Young, Eddie Morlan, Edwin Jackson, Garrett Atkins, Jason Bartlett, Jason Pridie, Matt Garza Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

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]

Dec 08

[HOT STOVE] Jayson Stark: Rays Will Only Trade Bartlett In ‘Major Deal’

Delmon Young, Jason Bartlett, Jeremy Hermida Cork Gaines 4 Comments »

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com the Rays would only move Jayson Bartlett in a ‘major deal’.

The Rays are telling clubs that ask about their shortstop, Jason Bartlett, that they’re only willing to trade him in a “major deal.” Would Jeremy Hermida be “major” enough? Stay tuned.

Our guess is that Jeremy Hermida would not be major enough.

Stark also touches on the recent rumblings that the Rays talked to the Twins about the possibility of bringing Delmon Young back.

Yes, they kicked Delmon Young’s name around when the Twins approached them to express interest. But according to one source who talked to the Rays’ brass, they would “never” take Young back.

We were surprised when Young’s name was first mentioned, but it also does not surprise us that Andrew Friedman is exhausting all possibilities. The Rays need a right fielder and Young is still a potential 7-tool player. Unfortunately, the 6th and 7th tools are “Bat Tossing” and “Bitching”.

Phillies, Moyer haggling over money [ESPN]
Rays Talked To Twins About Bringing Back Delmon Young [Rays Index]

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