Durham: Off

Montgomery 5, Birmingham 4. Jake McGee improved to 2-1 after holding Birmingham to 3 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2. He did give up a solo home run in the 3rd…Erold Andrus and Sergio Pedroza had 2 hits apiece. Andrus added his 8th double and Pedroza drove in 2.

Palm Beach 3, Vero Beach 0. Matt Walker dropped to 0-3 after allowing 3 runs in 4.1 innings…The offense didn’t help matters, as the D-Rays managed only 2 hits, a Garret Groce single in the 4th and a Chase Fontaine triple in the 9th.

Charleston 5, Columbus 3. Brian Flores got his first start in place of Jeremy Hall. He worked 3 innings and gave up 1 run on 4 hits…Henry Wrigley hit his second home run of the season a solo shot…The Catfish managed only 3 other hits, all singles.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Scott Kazmir’s next rehab start will come on Monday for the Durham Bulls. [Our Sports Central]
• Rays of Light takes a look at Desmond Jennings. [Rays of Light]
• Calvin Medlock and Mike DiFelice both cleared waivers and will be assigned to Durham. [Rays Report]
• Justin Ruggiano will be joining them, as he was demoted to make room for Matt Garza at the major league level. [MLB]
• Rhyne Hughes will have a CAT scan today after missing his 10th straight game after receiving a concussion as a result of a collision with Matt Spring. [Montgomery Advertiser]

THE GOOD: The Rays did not lose their 12th game.

THE BAD: The Rays are still in last place in the AL East.

THE TELLING: The Rays will still be in last place tomorrow.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• A programming note: The Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo will be held tonight at the RAYSHEADS Facebook Group page. [RAYSHEADS Facebook Group]
• Another programming note: We are now running the “Down on the Farm” feature as the first post each day. Call it our calisthenics. So if you missed it, just scroll down a little farther.
• The Rays will be hosting the Jays for the next three days just outside of Orlando at Disney’s Champion Field. The Rays say that the Orlando area is beginning to embrace the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays are expected to activate Dioner Navarro in time for tonight’s game with Mike DiFelice being DFA’d to make room. [Rays Report]
• You might be a redneck Rays fan if… [Her Rays]
• Marc Lancaster caught up with Juan Salas who had his first bullpen session yesterday and is at least a week away from seeing live action. [Rays Report]
• Beyond the Boxscore notes that Andy Sonnanstine is not using his fastball nearly as often as he did last year, while he is throwing more cutters and curve balls. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• Elliot Johnson’s home town paper talks to the rookie about his first month in the big leagues. [Eastern Arizona Courier]
• Sabernomics takes a look at the Economics of the Evan Longoria extension. [Sabernomics]
• DRays Bay makes a case for Jason Hammel to keep his spot once Scott Kazmir returns from the DL. [DRays Bay]

THE GOOD: The Bullpen? Are we the only ones that think a huge bullpen implosion is just waiting to happen? Yesterday, four relievers combined for 4.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk and no runs, while striking out 5. The bullpen now has an ERA of 2.70, a number that is unfathomable for a Tampa Bay relief corps.

THE BAD: Edwin Jackson’s last two starts. Since pitching shutout ball for 8, 2-hit innings against the M’s, Nuke has allowed 11 runs on 11 hits and 7 walks in 9.1 innings. That line looks an awful lot like the ’07 Jackson…The offense. 9 strikeouts and ZERO walks. After Sunday’s shutout, their second of the year, the Rays have now been held to 2 runs or less in 6 games.

THE TELLING: Since the 4th game of the year the Rays are averaging only 4.2 runs per game. The offense is supposed to be catching up to the pitchers not losing ground…The Rays are now 2-5 in their last 7 and 5-10 in their last 15…The Rays have used 5 people in right field but so far they haven’t been too terrible. So far Rays right fielders have hit .281-4-9 with an .854 OPS. Delmon Young is hitting .236-0-6 with an .559 OPS…Jonny Gomes is hitting .304/.429/.565 versus right handed pitchers.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays finally added Dan Johnson to the 25-man roster with Jeff Niemann being optioned to Durham giving Justin Ruggiano a stay of demotion until Matt Garza is promoted on Friday to start that night. With the off-day, Andy Sonnanstine will move a spot and make the start on Thursday. Marc Topkin also suggested that Mike DiFelice will be DFA’d on Tuesday to make room for Dioner Navarro. [The Heater]
• Rays of Light questions the move of adding Dan Johnson, noting that he adds less flexibility to the roster, not more…We have to agree that the Rays won’t be printing any Dan Johnson jerseys as his tenure with the Rays is likely to be a short one. Look for Johnson to be DFA’d once people start returning from injuries. [Rays of Light]
• MLB Trade Rumors has a bunch of links and discussion on the Evan Longoria deal. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Fanhouse thinks the new deal for Evan Longoria is a bad deal for the Rays because of the risk that Longoria will be a bust. We don’t have a link, but if you go back and look at the top hitting prospects in Baseball America’s annual lists you will see that hitting prospects almost never bust. The worst they become is usually an average player. Pitching prospects on the other hand bust all the time. This is a great deal for the Rays. [Fanhouse]
• Portfolio.com wonders if the Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki deals signal an end to baseball’s mega-deals…That may be a little extreme considering the Mets just gave Johan Santana $137.5 million. [Portfolio.com]
• Rays Digest wonders if the Rays would be interested in Frank Thomas…Thomas is angry and he would very likely welcome another AL East suitor for a chance to play the Jays 18-19 times this season. And he is sufficiently motivated to resume his role as the “Big Hurt”. He would also certainly be cheap as the Jays are still paying his $8 million salary this year. Still, we have to wonder how Thomas fits with the Rays who already have Cliff Floyd and Jonny Gomes at DH. Thomas is less of a fielder than Barry Bonds. And is Thomas really that much better than Floyd? [Rays Digest]
• Beyond the Boxscore also takes a look at the Rays as one of several potential suitors for Frank Thomas. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• We love that the Yankees super-duo of Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes is struggling so far this year. As much time as we spend in New York, it was starting to reach ludicrous levels this off-season with Yankees fans and Red Sox fans fighting over which team had the best rotation in baseball. And time after time, Yankees fans would talk about Kennedy and Hughes as if they were locks to win 17-20 games this season. [Baseball Musings]
• Our new friends at Hugging Harold Reynolds are having a fundraiser to try and get enough money to “hire” the real Harold Reynolds to blog at their site. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• One blogger compares Stuart Sternberg to Barack Obama, both beacons of change. [The Year Is Coming]

Now, if Obama could be as successful turning our country around as Sternberg and Matthew Silverman (president/GM) has been turning the Devil Rays around, I wouldn’t be surprised if within three years, we all have global health care and Iraq has a settled, stable government.

THE GOOD: Jonny Gomes and Justin Ruggiano started against the lefty and went a combined 3-6 with a walk and an RBI…Last night during the Live Blog-A-Baloo we introduced a new nickname. McGlovin. For Gary Glover. He really is faking the whole major league pitcher thing (For those unfamiliar with the reference, google ‘McLovin’).

THE BAD: We don’t know what to call Edwin Jackson’s performance. If he had pitched like that in ’07 against the Yankees, we might have actually been impressed, but this was a little dissapointing for the ’08 Jackson. At least when he isn’t on top of his game against a good team he didn’t embarras himself or the team. He very easily could have given up 9 runs…However, the pitching staff as a whole which was walking less than 3 batters per 9 innings entering last night’s game, walked 9, including 5 from the bullpen in only 4 innings…Twice early in the game the Rays had a runner on third base with 1 out and failed to score…

THE TELLING: Getting swept, even if it is just a 2-game series. The Rays need to be winning series and right now they are letting opportunities slip away…Joe Maddon wanted to give Aki Iwamura the night off. He had Elliot Johnson start at second. That’s fine. But he replaced Aki with Jason Bartlett at the top of the order. Bartlett who entered the game with an OBP below .200. He did go 2-5 and drive in a run, but Bartlett at the top of the order is not something we want to see very often. We know Carl Crawford doesn’t like leading off and we know Maddon likes stability in the order, but would it kill CC to lead off 4-5 times a year when Aki is given a night off?…Mike DiFelice is hitting .429 and the staff has a better ERA with him behind the plate.With Dioner Navarro returning soon, might Shawn Riggans be on the way out to make room for the veteran catcher the team always said they wanted?

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Matt Garza had his first bullpen session since going on the DL. He said he threw pain-free after he was diagnosed by the team doctor’s and given a cortisone shot. Garza says he feels good enough to come off the DL the first day he is eligible, April 24. [MLB]
• Here is one issue that we have with Fantasy Baseball…You websites that run stories titled “Who Is Better: Evan Longoria Or Kevin Youkilis”. Would this ever be a question in real life? [Fake Teams]
• A preview of things to come? Andy Sonnanstine will be available for relief duty tonight rather throw his usual between-starts throwing. The Rays say it is because the bullpen has been overused recently…Mike DiFelice is not only hitting well, but the pitching staff has a better ERA with him behind the plate (3.25) as compared to Dioner Navarro (5.21) and Shawn Riggans (4.50)…Juan Salas is expected to return to the US today. [St. Pete Times]
• Dioner Navarro will play in extended spring training games today and tomorrow and then will catch Scott Kazmir’s rehab start at Vero Beach on Friday. [Tampa Tribune]
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News says that it is only one start but Jeff Niemann’s performance was a glimpse into the future of the Tampa Bay Rays. Niemann is the first of several top pitching prospects that will eventually make their way to the Rays. [Sporting News]

No one is confusing the Orioles with the 1927 Yankees. But Niemann is 25, making his debut. The fact that he — and catcher Mike DiFelice — had confidence in his entire repertoire says a lot about where this guy’s stuff is. He wasn’t just using the breaking ball when he was ahead. He was throwing it when he was behind or even in the count.

• Fanhouse says a Yankees-Rays rivalry is good for baseball. [Fanhouse]
• DRays Bay continues their profiles of the candidates for the top pick in the June draft. Up next is Aaron Chow. [DRays Bay]
• Outs Per Swing has moved shop over to the MVN Network, replacing the previous Rays blog. We had forgotten there was a Rays blog on MVN. [Outs Per Swing]
• Sports Indeed is clearly depressed over the loss of Rays Anatomy…Nahhh! We’re BS’n you. Sports Indeed threw a party. [Sports Indeed]
• Home Run Derby notes that Carlos Pena may be leading MLB in home runs but he is not hitting anything else. [Home Run Derby]
• Evan Longoria recounts his first major league home run. [MLB]
• Sticks of Fire noticed some peculiarities in the treatment of governor Charlie Crist and Mike Alstott on opening day. [Sticks of Fire]

DRG here again to get you through the weekend…

Yesterday: Tampa Bay Rays.

• The Good: Scoring 13 runs in Yankee stadium in the first regular season game since the incidents in spring training. Like Prof keeps saying. If you want respect, you gotta punch the bully right in the mouth…The Bullpen was solid, even with the game out of reach. Three relievers combined for 3 hitless innings with only one walk…Carlos ‘El Gato’ Pena hit his second home run in 3 games. Anybody still think he will only hit 30 this year?…Cliff ‘Dr. Huxtable’ Floyd with his second also. After the game he sat Elliot Johnson on his knee and taught him some lessons picking on his sisters too much…Shawn Riggans came on after Dioner Navarro had to leave the game with an injury and delivered the knockout blow. A huge 3-run double to right-center.
• The Bad: Scoring 13 runs in Yankee stadium in the first of a 4-game series. The Yankees were undoubtedly embarrassed by their performance. Let’s hope the Rays did not wake the sleeping giant…Carl Crawford grounded into a double-play. Still trying to figure that one out…
• The Telling: Eric Hinske made his first start at third base since July 22, 2006 over Elliot Johnson and of course poor Joel Guzman who of course is still in the minors 26 years after the Dodgers signed him as a 16-year old prospect…Jonny Gomes was originally penciled in to make his first start of the season in right field even with a right hander on the mound. Instead he served his 1-game suspension…Dioner Navarro was in the 6th spot of the lineup rather than his usual 8-hole. It appears as if Joe Maddon was ready to ride his hot bat before he was injured…With a 1:05 start today, it is unclear if Mike DiFelice will make it to the ballpark in time for the game. If he does he very well could get the start in a day game after a night game.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Jonny Gomes had his suspension reduced from 2 games to 1 and he served it last night. Melky Cabrera and Shelley Duncan also had their suspensions reduced by one game. Cabrera served his suspension last night and today. Duncan will serve his 2-game suspension starting Sunday. [The Heater]
  
• Dioner Navarro has been placed on the 15-day DL and Mike DiFelice has been recalled from Durham to take his place on the roster. Navarro slipped entering the dugout and cut two fingers on his hand. He needed 12 stitches. [MLB]
• Sounds like a little luster has come off Ian Kennedy already which if you ask me is awesome because I am sick and tired of hearing from Yankees fans how great their pitching staff is this year. [New York Post]
• Edwin Jackson makes a huge start today in his career. Joe Maddon is hoping that Jackson can focus on every pitch and try not to rush when things start to unravel. [MLB]
• DRays Bay found some rather disturbing photos of BJ Upton. [DRays Bay]
  
• Brian Griese will throw out the first pitch at a Rays home game on April 18. Good thing for Griese, Shawn Riggans will not be moving or else the pitch would certainly be about 5 yards behind him. [Tampa Bay's 10]

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (2 days until opening day)

DRG here again to get you through the weekend…

Yesterday: Reds 6, Tampa Bay Rays 3.

• The Good: Carl Crawford was 3-4 with 2 doubles…Carlos Pena hit a ball so hard off the top of the wall in right field that he was held to a single…Dioner Navarro continues to hit, adding 2 more hits and is at .366 in March…Matt Garza went 5 allowing only 2 unearned runs…Jason Bartlett and Aki Iwamura combined on yet another picture-perfect double play.
• The Bad: Miscommunication in center field with BJ Upton allowed a routine fly ball to drop, leading to 2 unearned runs, after Matt Garza cruised through the first four frames.
• The Telling: Joel Guzman had a great game in the field getting several tough plays and handling them well including throwing a runner out at home. With the addition of Nathan Haynes, Eric Hinske is probably out meaning the third baseman is either Guzman or Elliot Johnson if Willy Aybar is not ready on opening day…Oops. Just found out this morning that Guzman is out, Hinske is in.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• A total of 8 players were cut yesterday. Other than Grant Balfour, the biggest names were Mike DiFelice, Josh Paul and Andy Cannizaro meaning that Shawn Riggans will indeed be the backup catcher and Elliot Johnson will be the backup-whatever. [Tampa Bay Rays]
• Word just came down that the final roster spot will go to Eric Hinske with Joel Guzman being optioned. [The Heater]
  
• Scott Kazmir threw in the outfield yesterday and all reports were that he looked and felt good. [Tampa Tribune]
• Willy Aybar and Cliff Floyd are both on track to be ready for opening day while Rocco Baldelli was officially transferred to the 60-day disabled list opening a spot on the 40-man roster. [St. Pete Times]
• Baseball Prospectus looks at the leading candidates for the top pick in the June amateur draft, with hot shot high school shortstop Tim Beckham looking like the odds on favorite these days. Sweet Fancy Moses! I am drooling just reading the scouts takes. Better than Justin Upton? Sign me up. [Baseball Prospectus]

Beckham is without question the toolsiest player in the draft, and he’s lived up to expectations this year, if not exceeded them. A true shortstop with outstanding hitting skills, power potential, plus speed, and good fielding skills, most insiders agree that no position player comes close to his overall upside. “He looks like Justin Upton to me, only Upton had the throwing problem in high school and this kid doesn’t,” said one scouting director. “He’s also a lot stronger than I thought he was,” he continued. “I wasn’t sure of the power before, but I’m pretty convinced now.” Another scouting director agreed that he was one of the elite players in the draft. “He’s a guy who has proven it at every event and every showcase, he plays up the middle and he doesn’t have to move,” he said. “It’s hard to classify high school players as safe, but this one is about as safe as it gets.”

• The Wall Street Journal grades the managers in three categories and then ranks them. Joe Maddon comes in at #14. Interestingly, he is tied with his former boss Mike Scioscia. [Wall Street Journal]

Tampa Bay Rays (42 days until Opening Day)

Joe Maddon stated that Shawn Riggans is the favorite to be the backup catcher on opening day. Papa Joe then commented on what his criteria is for a backup catcher.

“The backup guy should be pretty effective defensively,” Maddon said. “It’s not an easy position. The guys that do it well make it look easy, but it’s not easy. Part of their job really is to help the starting catcher. … It’s like a good backup quarterback in football.”

This only surprises us because Maddon actually commented on the situation, but it does not surprise us that he named Riggans even though we project Josh Paul to win the job. Keep in mind that Riggans is the only candidate that is actually on the 40-man roster at this point. Paul and Mike DiFelice are in essence getting “tryouts”. They are on minor league deals and have done nothing yet to earn a major league contract. If the team had absolute confidence in one or the other, they would not be on minor league deals.

The team has made it clear that they prefer a veteran backup catcher to help further the development of starter Dioner Navarro. Just don’t expect Papa Joe to admit that publicly because he would have to say that he prefers a player that is not on the team over a player that is on the team.

At the end of the day, we still feel Josh Paul will be the Rays backup catcher and it is Riggans that needs to “win” the job. Paul has the edge in experience, better defensive abilities and a strong familiarity with the pitching staff and Navarro. Riggans would have to outperform Paul defensively in Spring Training to make the roster and we are not convinced he can.

Notes: Iwamura ready for second base [Tampa Bay Rays]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays trio of young talented starting pitchers. Jim Hickey feels that 26 teams in the league would prefer to have Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza as their top 3 pitchers. [St. Pete Times]

As Rays officials went back over the last several decades, they came up with only a few teams that had three starters who were so young with the chance to be so good. There were the A’s of the early 2000s with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. The Marlins of the same era with Josh Beckett, Brad Penny and Dontrelle Willis. The Braves of the early 1990s with Steve Avery, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. And not too many others…”It’s certainly a rare commodity,” senior vice president Gerry Hunsicker said, “to have three young pitchers with the talent level that we’re going to run out there.”

• A quick video interview with David Price as well as a look at him throwing off a mound. (Link will open a video player) [Tampa Bays 10]
• Rays of Light begins a series in which they will spotlight certain Rays. First up is Akinori Iwamura. [Rays of Light]
• Beyond the Boxscore makes an argument for Fred McGriff to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. We think the Crime dog was a very good and very consistent player, but he was what Mike Francessa would call a “compiler”. His numbers look good because he played for a long time, not because he was a great player. We witnessed most of McGriff’s career and never once did we watch McGriff and think “There goes one of the greatest baseball player’s ever”. Sorry. Great guy, very good player, but when the voting comes, we would be surprised if he cracks 25%. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• We were in Austin this weekend. Apparently so was Matt Silverman. He was running in the Austin half-marathon. We were sitting in the front yard drinking Mimosas watching the half-marathoners and marathoners run by. [Rays Report]
• Baseball Prospectus projects the Rays to finish 82-80. The biggest change will be in the pitching. They project that the Rays will increase their scoring from 782 to 788 runs in 2008 and will decrease their runs allowed from 944 to 776. [Baseball Prospectus]
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News feels the Rays and the Nationals have a special kinship because they have both sucked recently. The similarities are a stretch and include small fanbase (usually goes hand-in-hand with sucking), long odds to win the 2008 World Series (again, sucking), good young third basemen (1 spot out of 25 is similar), and both teams want to improve their image (as do most sucky teams). [The Sporting News]

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (43 days until opening day)
DRG here again to get you through the weekend…

Joe Maddon noted that he hopes that the Rays will become a better baserunning team in 2008 with the addition of Dave Martinez as bench coach. He also stated that the biggest factor in deciding the last two spots in the rotation will be the ability to throw strikes consistently.

Five pitchers are vying for the final two spots in the rotation. Four of those players pitched for the Rays in 2007. Let’s take a look at their ability to throw strikes.

Name	Pitches	Balls in Play	Strikes	Balls	Strike%
Andy Sonnanstine	2098	397	975	726	65.4%
Edwin Jackson	2967	460	1286	1221	58.8%
Jason Hammel	1588	230	703	655	58.8%
JP Howell	947	160	401	386	59.2%

Jeff Niemann did not appear in the majors last year and we do not have his minor league pitch stats handy. Still, if Maddon bases most of his evaluation on 2007 as he has repeatedly stated, we can assume that Sonnanstine’s job is safe as he is head and shoulders above the other (not surprising). And while we expected Howell to be better than Jackson and Hammel, we didn’t realize it would be as close. That suggests that he tries too hard to paint the corners. In the end the numbers don’t give us an indication that one player has an edge over the other two if the ability to throw strikes is the major criteria.

Rays Camp: Day 2 [Herald-Tribune]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Outs Per Swing is back with more pictures from Rays camp. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Akinori Iwamura is not worried about his transition to second base. “Wiggy can do it, so I can do it.” The kid’s got a point. [Rays Report]
  
• Joe Maddon says that the only thing that will change about his managing style in 2008 is that players will be held more accountable and he will not be as patient when players fail to perform. [St. Pete Times]

“We’re at the point now where we think we’ve moved this along a bit, so you’re not going to give somebody as much rope. You still want to develop, and you still want to see people. But they may not get the same opportunities to fail as much as we’ve given people to fail in the past.”

Mental mistakes might not be tolerated as much either, which will be a good thing.

• According to Andrew Friedman, the main reason the team may be skeptical to start Evan Longoria at the big league level in April is that he has been too good. The idea is that the team is not sure what his faults are yet and they don’t know how Dirtbag will react to adversity. [Herald-Tribune]

“It’s kind of a Catch-22,” Rays vice-president Andrew Friedman said. “You don’t want him to fail. But at the same time, if he had failed some, you would have the complete picture.”

If a player fails for a period of time, management can see what adjustments need to be made.

“Most guys we have we’ve got a good sense,” Friedman said. “When you watch guys experience some highs and lows, you have a better idea about the player. With Evan, he hasn’t failed yet.”

Longoria hasn’t had a slump.

“That’s a big part of fully understanding the player,” Friedman said.

• Chris Mason, last year’s AA pitcher of the year, is a non-roster invitee to Spring Training this year but he has shown up without having his hair colored. This could be a sign of trouble for the right-hander that went 15-4 with a 2.57 ERA last year under several different incarnations of hair color. On a side note, the Biscuits last year were 10-1 in games in which Mason had a no-decision. That makes for an impressive 25-5 in games he started. [Tampa Tribune]

“I thought, ‘Man, I’m coming into my first big-league spring training, I’m not going to come in looking like a clown,’” Mason said. “I’ll give it a couple weeks. I can’t just come in here as a rookie with blue hair – that’s just a big target for the guys to get on me…In the winter I kept it shaved down,” he said. “I have a girlfriend I met in Montgomery, and I’m trying to keep it in shape for her.”

• Joe Maddon spoke highly of Mike DiFelice after Saturday’s workout, but the comments sounded more like a player that is not going to make the roster, as the compliments were more of his personality and less of his play on the field. [Tampa Bay Rays]

“DiFelice does a nice job,” said the Rays manager. “He’s well spoken, well thought-out, and he has a professional sternness about him.”

• The Sporting News predicts the Rays will finish in third place in the AL East. Although for some reason they don’t expect Carl Crawford to be able to repeat his 2007 numbers. That is curious considering CC has shown steady improvement in almost every offensive statistic each of the past 5 years. [The Sporting News]
• Not every business owner is against the new Rays stadium. A group of residents and business owners have created a Political Action Group to support the proposal. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Jason Hammel, Al Reyes and Troy Percival met with Bradenton little leaguers yesterday. [Bradenton Herald]

Tampa Bay Rays (1 day until pitchers and catchers report)

It is what he wanted.

It is what we wanted.

It is not necessarily what the front office wanted.

But now it looks like Evan Longoria will get the opportunity to prove in Spring Training that he belongs in the majors.

And a chance is all the Dirtbag needs. It won’t take much to convince Joe Maddon. And we have a feeling that if Papa Joe can be convinced, it won’t take much to convince Andrew Friedman.

Longoria will not have to hit .400 in Spring Training and he will not have to hit 10 home runs. In fact, we have a feeling that as long as he does not fall flat on his face, he will be named the Rays opening day starter at third base. As much as Papa Joe likes to crunch numbers on his computer, he still loves himself a good ole fashioned baseball player. Evan Longoria is a baseball player. And Maddon will envision that rubbing off on the other players

Maddon is destined to fall in love with the 22 year old. He will see enough in his swing and his glove to know that he is not going to be over-matched at the major league level.

Longoria may struggle at first. But he is too good a hitter to fail. And Papa Joe will see that.

Longoria will get chance to earn spot [Rays Report]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• ESPN.com takes a closer look at the “revitalized” Carl Crawford. C.C. speaks about having more energy after learning that he was allergic to dairy and wheat products and the subsequent change in his diet. He has also upped his workout regimen and has dropped his body fat from 12% to 8% since December. He also doesn’t hold back in his portrayal of just how miserable 2007 was for the Rays. [ESPN]

“It’s just going to be about playing baseball again, that’s what I’m really excited about this season,” Crawford said at his offseason home. “With all the B.S. that was going on last year, I think we lost focus on the task at hand.” Crawford refers to the ongoing soap opera that featured Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young. Both of the enormously talented players couldn’t stay out of trouble; Dukes with his off-field issues, and Young with his me-first attitude that resulted in him at first walking out on manager Joe Maddon on the second-to-last day of the 2007 regular season. Crawford calls last season a year “he never wants to remember,” and the distractions, at times, were almost unbearable…”That move, for Garza, spoke volumes,” Crawford said. “For the first time I felt like this organization was serious about winning. That’s the reason why I think everybody is excited because everybody sees that.”

• Joe Maddon confirmed something that we had expected, that is five of the seven bullpen spots are already spoken for, all but guaranteeing that Gary Glover will be on the opening day roster. That leaves one spot that will go to a “loser” in the battle for the starting rotation and the final spot will be between Juan Salas, Scott Dohmann and Grant Balfour. [The Heater]
• Shawn Riggans enters Spring Training healthy and understands this may be his last shot at winning a job with the Rays now that John Jaso has been added to the 40-man roster. Marc Topkin refers to Riggans as the “apparent leading candidate for the backup catcher’s job.” This might be a stretch after the recent additions of one veteran catcher in Mike DiFelice and the return of Josh Paul who is familiar with the Rays pitching staff. It is our feeling that if the season started today Paul’s experience and familiarity with the pitching staff will be a better partner to the young Dioner Navarro. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin reviews all the changes the Rays have made this off-season. [St. Pete Times]
• The Columbus Catfish have been sold and plan to relocate to Bolling Green, Kentucky for the 2009 season. [Ledger-Enquirer]
• Baseball Analysts continues their breakdown of the best baseball players by age. In the age 23 group, BJ Upton comes in at #6, while both Evan Longoria and David Price come in at #5 and #12 respectively. [Baseball Analysts]
• The Ledger ranks the DHs. The Rays’ three-headed monster of Rocco Baldelli, Cliff Floyd and Jonny Gomes is ranked 7th. [The Ledger]
• My Baseball Bias previews the Rays’ Spring Training. [My Baseball Bias]
• Devil Rays Locker gives the Rays front office a B+ for this off-season’s moves. [Devil Rays Locker]

Tampa Bay Devil Dogs (12 days until pitchers and catchers report)

Please allow myself to introduce…myself. The name is DEVIL RAY GUEVARA. You can call me DRG for short. I will be manning the ship on most weekends from now on and if I behave myself, the Prof says I might be able to post during the week every now and then. So I guess I will be seeing you on the weekends.

I have been involved with RI behind the scenes for a while now. I like to think of myself as the Prof’s consigliare. The problem is, The Prof has all these rules that I am supposed to follow. The first post of the day must include a “webtopia”, minimize the vulgarity, player names in bold type, don’t pick apart every single post written by Marc Topkin and try not to include pictures of Joe Maddon in a thong. Blah, Blah, Blah. Horseshit. I am so sick of Maddon and his Pollyanna-speak, that the next time he praises a relief pitcher after he blows a 4-run lead in the 7th inning, that picture of him in a thong is going up.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Devil Dogs continue their quest to bring back every mediocre catcher in the franchise history. The latest to sign is Josh Paul whom the Rays inked to a minor league deal. Paul played 35 games for the Rays in 2007 posting an OPS+ of 29. Wait…*speaking to copy editor*…29? Is that correct? Isn’t 100 an average OPS+? I did not even know it was possible to have an OPS+ that low…Paul joins Mike DiFelice in the battle for the back up catchers position. No word yet on how negotiations are proceeding with John Flaherty…Is it just me, or is anybody else worried about what happens if Dioner Navarro is injured or slumps like he did in the first half of 2007? [TBO.com]
• The Rays also continued their fascination with pitchers that have not pitched since Tommy John surgery by signing left handed pitcher Brian Anderson. Anderson has not pitched since 2005. A starting pitcher most of his career, Anderson is expected to compete for a spot in the Rays bullpen. As scary as it sounds, if Anderson still has a left arm, he may have the best chance right now of being the Rays left-handed specialist out of the ‘pen. [TampaBay.com]
• Kevin Gengler rolls on with his profiles of the Rays top prospects. He is up to #16 Nick Barnese and #15 Will Kline. [DRays Bay]
• One believes that Akinori Iwamura is the key to the Rays 2008 infield. [365 Days of Dough, Rays and Me]
• The Mets and Johan Santana finally reached an agreement on a contract extension and our own Cork Gaines appears to have been the first to report it on the internet. [MLB Trade Rumors]