The Rays released a number of minor leaguers. The most notable name on the list is Glenn Gibson. He was the player the Rays acquired from the Nationals for Elijah Dukes. That may seem bad, but we have long said that as long as Gibson didn’t somehow maim Evan Longoria as a member of the Rays organization, it was a good trade for the Rays.

Mission accomplished.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays announced their ticket prices for 2010. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays sister franchise in the UFL is set to play at the Trop tonight. [MLB]
• MLB Trade Rumors, where we moonlight from time to time, has been working through their list of the top trades of the past 10 years. Of course, Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano makes the list. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Well, Don Zimmer’s grandson said that Zim and Pedro Martinez had kissed and made up. Sure doesn’t seem like it now. [St. Pete Times]

Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser has the rosters for all four of the upper-level minor league affiliates (links below). We have updated the Cork-Board (organizational depth chart) in the sidebar accordingly.

• Durham Bulls
• Montgomery Biscuits
• Charlotte Stone Crabs
• Bowling Green Hot Rods
  

A few notes on the minor league rosters…

• The Cork-Board only reflects the rosters at this point. The starting pitcher rotations are accurate, but the lineups will be updated once the season begins.
• The remaining players will remain in extended spring training. Most of these players will be assigned to one of the short-season teams in June. A few of the players are rehabbing injuries and will be assigned to one of the upper-level teams when they are ready.
• A few of the bigger names that have yet to be assigned to a minor league affiliate include James Houser, who is on the 40-man roster, Nick Barnese, who is part of the next big wave of talented pitchers, Wade Townsend, who is out for the year, Albert Suarez (see Barnese), Glenn Gibson, who was the player the Rays received for Elijah Dukes, DJ Jones, a toolsy draftee that some are high on, and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds.
• Tim Beckham is once again united with his brother at low-A Bowling Green.

Durham 2, Louisville 0. Ben Hendrickson pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 4 and hit a batter…Scott Dohmann pitched the 9th for his 14th save…All of the offense came in the first inning on back-to-back home runs by Justin Ruggiano and Dan Johnson…John Jaso finished 1-3 and Reid Brignac was 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts.

Montgomery (off-day)

Vero Beach (off-day)

Greenville 5, Columbus 3. Greenville scored 3 in the top of the 9th off of Austin Hinkle for the win…Brian Flores started and allowed 2 runs in 6 innings…Chase Fontaine went 2-4 and hit his 2nd home run…Greg Sexton was 2-4 with a double and an RBI.

Hudson Valley 9, Aberdeen 2. Even though he was demoted to Hudson Valley, Glenn Gibson will apparently still work out of the bullpen, as he did yesterday pitching only two-thirds of an inning, striking out 1 and allowing 1 hit.

Pulaski 4, Princeton 2. Tim Beckham did not play.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Despite his recent improvements, the Rays will not accelerate the return of Rocco Baldelli and will keep with their original plan, which is just to see how it goes. [Tampa Tribune]
• The New York Sun calls David Price, one of two top prospects in baseball that should be called up soon. [New York Sun]
• Rays Digest takes a look at the recent struggles of Vero Beach. [Rays Digest]

Durham 6, Lehigh Valley 5 (gm 1;9). This was the completion of the game from the day before. Mitch Talbot who had pitched 1 inning on Wednesday, did not pitch yesterday. Nick DeBarr pitched the next 3 innings for the win, allowing only a solo home run, and striking out 2…Juan Salas also pitched 2 innings, giving up only 1 hit and striking out 3…Elliot Johnson finished 5-5 (all singles)…Reid Brignac was 1-6 with 2 strikeouts…Fernando Perez was 2-6 with 2 RBI and his 33rd stolen base…Justin Ruggiano was 2-5 with a double, an RBI and his 20th steal.

Lehigh Valley 2, Durham 0 (gm 2). Jeff Niemann dropped to 7-4, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings. He struck out 5 and walked none…Justin Ruggiano and Dan Johnson were each 1-3 with a double.

Montgomery 5, Tennessee 4. Jeremy Hellickson picked up his first double-A win despite giving up a grand slam in his 5.2 innings of work. In all he gave up 8 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 6…Neal Frontz picked up his first double-A save, although he made it interesting, walking the first batter of the inning and then giving up a single, one out later. He got the final two batters for the save…Ryan Reid walked 2 and gave up a hit in 1.1 innings. He struck out 2…Gabby Martinez drove in 2…Rocco Baldelli was 1-3 with an RBI as the DH.

Daytona 3, Vero Beach 1. Wilton Noel gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings and dropped to 1-4…Vero Beach had only 3 hits.

Columbus (off-day)

Williamsport 4, Hudson Valley 3 (gm 1).

Williamsport 2, Hudson Valley 0 (gm 2).

Kingsport 4, Princeton 3 (11). Tim Beckham went 2-5 with a double and an RBI. He struck out twice.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Rocco Baldelli is scheduled to play 5 innings in the outfield tomorrow. [St. Pete Times]
• Glenn Gibson, who was received by the Rays from the Nationals for Elijah Dukes, has been demoted to Hudson Valley. [MiLB]

Durham 10, Pawtucket 6.

Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 0.

Vero Beach 6, Brevard Co. 2.

Greenville 6, Columbus 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Desmond Jennings, who had yet to play this season, has been participating in extended spring games and could be activated today or tomorrow. [Biscuits Batter]
• No surprise here. King David Price makes the weekly installment of Baseball America’s “Prospect Hot Sheet”. Unfortunately, Glenn Gibson makes the “Who’s Not” list. [Baseball America]

After making his much-anticipated debut on May 22, Price came out for his second start and beat a three-time Cy Young Award winner. Martinez praised Price’s performance and ability after watching him fan nine guys and allow just two hits. On the season, he is now 2-0, 0.00 in 11 innings with 13 strikeouts, one walk and five hits. At this rate, Price won’t be in the Florida State League for long.

• Might the Rays actually draft a ‘nole? Oh god, please no. [ESPN]
• Baseball America says Tim Beckham is the bestest in the land! Or Pedro Alvarez who comes in at #2. Buster Posey is only #4 on their list. Listen to them. They are smart. [Baseball America]

Scranton WB 9, Durham 1. Mitch Talbot had a night he would prefer to forget. He lasted only 2 innings and gave up 8 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. All 8 runs, 8 hits and 2 walks came in the second inning…The Bulls only managed 4 hits. Reid Brignac doubled in the first and Joel Guzman would later bring him home with a single.

Montgomery 10, Tennessee 3. Jake McGee only allowed 1 hit in 5 innings but was touched for 2 runs after walking 3. He struck out 5. One run came home in the first without allowing a hit. After the first two batters of the game reached, McGee retired the next 14 batters before walking a batter in the 5th. That runner would later score on a single…Erold Andrus had 2 hits including his 5th double and 3 RBI…

Vero Beach 10, Daytona 6. Heath Rollins had his first rough outing of the year, getting touched for 5 runs in 4 innings, on 8 hits and a walk. He did strike out 7…JT Hall drove in 4 on 3-5 hitting, while Garrett Groce was 2-4 with 2 RBI and a stolen base.

Columbus 7, Savannah 4. Alex Cobb picked up his 2nd win of the season with 1 run allowed in 5 innings. He struck out 3 but struggled with his control, walking 4…Greg Sexton had 3 hits including a double, while Omar Luna was 4-4 with 3 RBI…Henry Wrigley added 2 hits including a double and 2 RBI.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Jonathon Barratt of Montgomery retired. Normally that would not be newsworthy, but what caught our attention was the headline, “Biscuits reliever voluntarily retires”. If a player can be classified as “voluntarily retired” than it goes without saying that there must be an “involuntarily retired” classification. Now it is not surprising to us that some players in the minors “involuntarily” retire, but we are surprised that teams would actually twist the knife with a label. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• The Ledger-Enquirer talks to Glenn Gibson, whom the Rays received in the Elijah Dukes trade. So far Gibson is struggling in his first full-season action, just proving once again why it is silly to place a player on a “Top Prospects” list before they have accomplished something in at least High-A. [Ledger-Enquirer]
• The Durham Bulls will once again be wearing pink jerseys for Breast Cancer Awareness. All of the jerseys will be auctioned off on MiLB.com. Bidding has already begun. [MiLB]

Tampa Bay Rays (28 days until Opening Day)

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays 9, Indians 7.

The Good: Scott Dohmann retired all 4 batters he faced, including the final out of the 6th inning with the bases loaded…Another errorless game for the Rays who have 21 in the spring. Only 6 teams have committed fewer…

The Bad: Rays pitchers had their streak of 21 innings without a walk end in the 3rd and then proceeded to walk 7 on the day including one with the bases loaded by Grant Balfour and hit a batter by Andy Sonnanstine….

The Telling: Elliot Johnson got the start at third base over Joel Guzman as Willy Aybar continues to nurse a sore hamstring. Either Johnson or Guzman will get the opening day assignment if Aybar is not ready to go.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Obligatory Public Service Announcement: We will be hosting the 2nd Annual Opening Day Tampa Bay Rays Live Blog here at RI. So feel free to stop by and join in on the shenanigans as participation is certainly welcome.
• Want a good indication that Scott Dohmann will be named to the roster over Grant Balfour? Try this quote from Balfour: “It’s tough to go out there and pitch every time knowing that you’re either on the team or off the team…It’s tough, having that pressure on you, I must admit.” Excuse me? You know what else is pressure? Coming in to the game with a 1-run lead and runners on 2nd and 3rd. Funny…We thought pressure was something a relief pitcher needs to be able to handle. The whole point of this battle for the final spot in the bullpen is to send you guys out there every time knowing a job is on the line and seeing how you handle it. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays are tied with the Cubs and White Sox for most hit batters in spring training with 17. James Shields has 4 all by himself, which is the second most in the spring. As per a discussion in the comments section a few days ago, on the surface it appears like Joe Maddon and Jim Hickey are emphasizing the importance of pitching inside with the benefit outweighing the occasional hit batter. Now we see that this is also being implemented at the minor league level as Durham pitching coach Xavier Hernandez is preaching the same method to the minor leaguers, in particular Chris Mason who was the AA pitcher of the year last year. Mason has hit 5 batters in camp this spring. [Montgomery Advertiser]

“I’ve always emphasized it,” Hernandez said. “Being at the Triple-A level and going to the major leagues at the end of last year, I realized that it’s not only important, it’s imperative.”

• Acording to Outs Per Swing Evan Longoria already has more AAA experience than all of the following third basemen combined: Albert Pujols, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Miguel Cabrera and Kevin Kouzmanoff. He also has the same experience as David Wright and is only 3 games short of Ryan Braun. [Outs Per Swing]
• Rays of Light picked up a nice not-very-surprising tidbit about Elijah Dukes. Apparently he went MIA from the Nats for “non-baseball matters”…We’ve said it before, we will say it again. We don’t care if Glenn Gibson never throws another pitch, the Rays made a great trade to get rid of that ticking time bomb. [Rays of Light]
• The Sports Illustrated Baseball Preview issue is out and here is a link to the Rays preview. [ESPN]
• David Pinto goes to PECOTA to show that the Rays have the best rotation in the AL East, and that takes into consideration that starting pitchers will miss time and uses Jason Hammel in place of Edwin Jackson. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Here is another projection for the Rays pitching staff. [Baseball Musings]
• RJ Anderson answers 5 questions about the Tampa Bay Rays at The Hardball Times. [The Hardball Times]

Tampa Bay Rays (39 days until Opening Day)

A while back we were critical of Joe Maddon for the following quote…

I think [81 wins is] a reasonable goal…But of course I don’t want us just to stop there.

Some thought we were too hard on Papa Joe. Our point was simple…While 81 wins may be a “realistic” goal, it is not a reasonable goal. If winning games is the goal, as it is this year, then the playoffs are the only reasonable goal. If a manager sets a goal of .500 and only ‘wants’ more, the team will never attain more.

Yesterday Carlos Pena was asked about the recent comments by Scott Kazmir in which Kaz stated that the playoffs were something “that’s possible”. Pena’s comments are exactly what we want to hear from the team’s manager.

“Obviously, in our minds we are a playoff team,” Pena said. “And first we have to believe that. So that has to almost be ingrained in you and not a second thought. We just know we should be playing in October.

“We also know there’s a process. Every game needs to be played to the best of our ability. We need to optimize every single opportunity that comes our way to win ballgames. We know that there’s a process involved. But we do have a vision about becoming a winning team. And we see that in the very near future. We don’t really think that’s very far-fetched.”

It takes more than ‘wanting’ to achieve greatness. It starts with ‘believing’. The Rays are beginning to believe and that is the first step. If a manager/coach can convince his players they can be great, there is a better chance of achieving greatness. Let’s hope that Papa Joe’s words behind the scenes exuded more confidence than his words to the press.

Maybe we are nitpicking the choice of words put forth by Maddon, but for a leader…Every. Word. Counts.

Joe Maddon Considers Mediocrity A ‘Reasonable Goal’ [Rays Index]
Playoffs?! Did he say playoffs? [St. Pete Times]
Notes: Baldelli healthy, ready to go [Tampa Bay Rays]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Rocco Baldelli says he is healthy, but he can’t go all out in workouts the way he would normally. [Bradenton Herald]

“I don’t worry about it. My body might respond a little different if I went out there and killed myself…Normally I go out there in spring training and every drill that I do I do all the reps I’m supposed to and then some, and I do them as hard as I can until when I leave the field…That’s my normal routine, that’s the way I’ve done it for the last eight years…I don’t take reps off. I do everything, and I do it as hard as I can. And maybe that’s not something that my body may agree with, so if I don’t have to I’m not going to. It’s tough, when you play one way, I’ve pretty much always tried to play hard my whole career in every aspect of the game, so it’s an adjustment to not do that every single time you take the field, but it’s something I’m going to do this year, I’m going to take it easy some times.”

• Jonny Gomes reported to camp with plans for being an everyday player. Sorry Jonny. You are one of our faves, but if Rocco Baldelli is healthy, you are sitting against righties most nights. That means 50-60 starts. [Tampa Tribune]
• Di you realize that only two players from last year’s opening day lineup will be in the same position on opening day 2008? Carl Crawford and Dioner Navarro. [The Ledger]
• Rays of Light spotlights Cliff Floyd…who we affectionately refer to as “Dr. Huxtable”, because he is old and wise and jolly and loves pudding pops*. [Rays of Light]
• Don Zimmer will be wearing #60 this year to commemorate his 60 years in professional baseball. We remember an interview with Zims once when he thought it was weird when he received his first Social Security check because it was the first check he had ever received outside of baseball. [TampaBays10]
• Tonight the St. Pete city council will hold the first public meeting on the proposed waterfront stadium for the Rays. [Tampa Tribune]
• Evan Longoria stays away from newspapers and blogs. However, his mother is an avid reader of everything that is ‘Evan Longoria’ on the ‘net. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Riverwalk Talk has a couple of quotes from Joe Maddon on Evan Longoria and why they do not want to rush the Dirtbag, and a couple of quotes from Longoria. [Riverwalk Talk]
• And yes! We have our first sighting of a blog that has attempted humor by dedicating an entire post to the Evan Longoria-Eva Longoria name-likeness. The joke? Eva should have married Evan instead of Tony Parker. Hey Jim Baumbach! We have a joke for you. Peter Pan called. He wants his costume back… It’s not even March. Jim Baumbach of Newsday is now officially on our shit-list. [Newsday]
• Elijah Dukes said something. Honestly, we don’t give a shit anymore. We barely cared when he was here. Dukes is a loser. He failed the Rays, his teammates, his coaches and the fans. Instead of playing baseball and helping the Rays win games, he turned his own life into a circus. Not only was he an idiot for getting himself suspended and thus not able to help the team, but he made life for his teammates and coaches more difficult. He is dead to us. If Glenn Gibson never pitches one inning for the Rays we will still be glad the Rays got rid of Dukes. [Rays Report]

*we might have made that up

Tampa Bay Rays (2 days until pitchers and catchers report)
The Tampa Tribune lists “Five Rays To Watch” in Spring Training. The list includes several obvious names, including Akinori Iwamura, Rocco Baldelli, Edwin Jackson, Dioner Navarro and Trever Miller.

We are not sure Trever Miller needs to be on this list. His role is set and he will be fine. However we would add three more players to the list of players to watch: Jeff Niemann, John Jaso and David Price.

Niemann’s bandwagon is starting to gain some steam. He is 25 and it may be now or never for the big right hander. Now comes word that he is in much better shape this Spring. If the front office was being honest, it is our belief that they would prefer Niemann to step-up and take the last spot in the rotation from Edwin Jackson.

Jaso, on the other hand, has zero chance of making the roster, but 2008 could be a referendum on Navarro’s future with the Rays. He needs to at least maintain the pace, offensively, that he set in the second half of 2007 and he needs to make great strides defensively. Jaso will spend all of 2008 in AAA, but you can be sure the team is going to be watching him closely to see if Navarro’s potential replacement is in-house.This year’s Spring Training could go a long ways to convincing the coaching staff and front office that Jaso deserves at least a platoon position in 2009.

Price made news when he stated that he wants to be in the majors by the beginning of July. Even prior to this statement many outlets speculated that Price could be ready for the majors by the second half of 2008. This seams awfully quick for an organization as patient as the Rays. It seems more likely that Price will spend 2007 at AA, with a possible late-season promotion to AAA. He would then begin the 2009 season at AAA with a June call-up being the most likely scenario. The only way we can see Price in the majors this season is if he is posting Tim Lincecum-type numbers (62.2 ip, 26h, 23bb, 104k, 1.01era) in the minors.

The Rays front office has been typically mum on the subject but they may tip their hand in Spring Training. If the Rays believe there is even a possibility of promoting Price to the bigs in 2008, he will see action in Spring Training games. If they plan on keeping him in the minors the entire season, he will be given a cursory 2 weeks with the parent club and then shipped over to minor league camp for the remainder of Spring Training without ever appearing in a Spring game. This was how Evan Longoria was handled last year.

Five Players To Watch [Tampa Tribune]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• If you haven’t had a chance to vote in our “Rays Confidence Graph” survey. Please do so now. We will update the results tomorrow. [Rays Index]
• Marc Lancaster asks five questions that the Rays will need to answer in Spring Training. [Tampa Tribune]
• During our “12 Days of Raysmas”, we wished for a no-hitter from Scott Kazmir. Well, The Bill James Handbook lists Kid K as the most likely pitcher in baseball today to throw a no-no, with a 24% chance. And you guys thought we were being too optimistic in the Raysmas posts. Tisk, tisk. [Joe Posnanski]
• Rays Anatomy debates Matt Garza vs. Jon Lester. This is a rare case where we actually know more about the other team’s player than we do about our own. [Rays Anatomy]
• Project Prospect lists Reid Brignac as the top shortstop prospect. [Project Prospect]

The year 2006, however, was much kinder to Brignac, as the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder tabbed a stellar .321/.376/.539 line between High-A and Double-A. While the 2006 campaign may have put him on the map, you shouldn’t be navigating away from Brignac because of his 2007 showing. The St. Amant, La. native’s line drive rate from ’06 stayed true to form in ’07, while his BABIP tanked from .395 to .288. Though he was in the hitter-friendly California League in ’06, there’s still reason to believe that Brignac was a bit unlucky last season. He still holds the skills and power potential to become an above-average shortstop at the Major League level

• Kevin Gengler is up to #14 Glenn Gibson and #13 John Jaso in his prospect countdown. [DRays Bay]
• Baseball Analysts list the top 24 year olds in baseball. Scott Kazmir is ranked #5. [Baseball Analysts]
• As we get closer to the baseball season, the new Rays blogs are starting to roll out fast and furious. The latest is Outs Per Swing, which is a play on what OPS stand for. This brings up a question that DRG and I were debating recently and he may write-up at some point from a more mathematical point-of-view. 383 times in the history of baseball, a player has posted an OPS greater than 1.000. In essence that means a player is earning more than 1 base per plate appearance. So, if a player has an OPS greater than 1.000 shouldn’t the opposition intentionally walk him every time up? That would be an OPS of exactly 1.000. [Outs Per Swing]
• A 2008 Tampa Bay Rays preview. Looks like we the Rays are going to be the chic pick to do well in 2008. [Jim & Bob's Palatial Baseball Blog]

We have to commend Andrew Friedman for sticking to his guns and demanding one of the Nationals’ top pitching prospects for Elijah Dukes. Most of the Nationals’ bloggers seem to think that Glenn Gibson was too much to give up for Dukes, however, we have to admit, it is hard to get too excited. From what we have read, he sounds like a left-handed Andy Sonnanstine, that is still 3-4 years away from being ready for the majors.

What the Washington Nationals bloggers are saying about the trade between the Nationals and the Tampa Bay Rays, in which the Nationals received Elijah Dukes for Glenn Gibson….

Capitol Punishment has a nice in-depth look at Glenn Gibson, the pitcher the Rays received in the Elijah Dukes trade, and examines the trade. [Capitol Punishment]

In a pure talent sense, it’s a solid swap. I’m not especially high on Gibson’s long-term potential, thinking that he’s putting up stats with excellent command of mediocre stuff…But the stathead side of my is superseded by the fanboy side. Any player whose Wikipedia profile needs a separate off-field issues section is one you’ve gotta be careful of. And it’s a player I’m going to take no joy in rooting for.

Nationals Farm Authority thinks the Nats gave up too much for Dukes. [Nationals Farm Authority]

Not what I was expecting. I did not envision them surrendering one of the Vermonsters for Dukes…Gibson is a extremely polished lefty (for someone coming out of high school) and has a major league pedigree (his father pitched in the major leagues). I like Gibson for what he is a soft-tossing lefthander in the mold of Jamie Moyer (I use that as the best case scenario)…It’s a lot to surrender in a deal for a guy with the baggage Dukes has, but from a talent for talent point of view, the Nationals are the winners.

Nats320 credits the acquisition of talent, but they are worried about what Dukes may do. [Nats320]

Is he worth the time and effort? Is this the type of player you wish to represent The Nation’s Capital? Is winning worth far more than questionable character traits? Does being selfish, and self-absorbed, make you a desirable player–no matter what your background, and history has proven?…When Sohna and I attend any game involving Our Washington Nationals, we always hope for a win and the best for Our Players. Never do we expect that any one player may harm another–or that one player, is in fact, dangerous. Elijah Dukes has us worried–because–as his background shows–no matter what the Spin Doctors Say–he is A HAZARD.

We’ve Got Heart is not going to be welcoming Dukes to the Nation’s Capitol. [We've Got Heart]

As Nats fans we are now asked to show our loyalty by welcoming this troubled kid with open arms…not a chance.

The title says it all. [Just A Nats Fan]

“An Offseason Fear Come True”

Nats Triple Play also likes the deal less knowing that Washington gave up Gibson. [Nats Triple Play]

Ouch, that’s a little too much to pay