Archive for the 'Nolan Ryan' Category

Dec 05

[THE HANGOVER] Silent Gerry Appears To Be Staying Put

Andrew Friedman, Chad Bradford, Friedude and Silent Gerry, Gerry Hunsicker, Jon Daniels, Nolan Ryan, Peter Gammons, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines No Comments »

Back in September we heard rumblings that the Rangers might be interested in Gerry Hunsicker to be their new general manager. The feeling was that if the Rangers decided to make a change, team president Nolan Ryan, would look to Hunsicker, with whom he has worked in the past with the Astros. It appears that Ryan has opted to stick with the incumbent GM, Jon Daniels, as any move would have been made by now.

Hunsicker was also rumored to be on the short list for the GM position of the Mariners and the Phillies. The M’s hired Jack Zduriencik, while the Phillies went with Ruben Amaro Jr. as their new GM.

Hunsicker, who is “Teller” to Andrew Friedman’s “Penn” (or “Silent Bob” to Friedman’s “Jay” for the younger crowd), is the quiet partner, but by all accounts just as responsible for the product seen on the FieldTurf. It is with great relief knowing that the front office nucleus will remain intact for at least one more season.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times has a Q&A with Andrew Friedman that goes into a little more detail than the tidbits we discussed yesterday afternoon. [St. Pete Times]
  • Can we all calm down a little about the recent report from Peter Gammons that suggests teams have only recently discovered more telling defensive statistics. Will Carroll says teams have been looking at defensive stats and studies for years and that a lot of the work the teams do “simply blows away things you’d call the state of the art in sabermetrics.”…We are not sure why some think that most front offices are filled with old men that do nothing but read scouting reports from people in the field. If a blogger sitting in his mom’s basement can measure how many runs and wins a poor defensive player costs a team, we are pretty sure the people running a $500 million organization can figure it out also. So no, it is not such a “novel idea.” [Baseball Prospectus]
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets are not interested in trading for Chad Bradford, saying his $3.5 million salary is too much for them. Sherman also notes that “at least a half-dozen teams” have shown interest in Rocco Baldelli. We know of four, including the Rays, Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees. [New York Post]
  • The Rays have set in motion plans to open the first MLB operated baseball academy in Brazil. The goal appears to be to increase the popularity of baseball in Brazil and attract athletes that might normally opt for other sports such as soccer or volleyball. [MLB]
  • Rays Prospects has an update on winter league stats for current and former Rays farmhands (and Willy Aybar). [Rays Prospects]
Sep 01

[GERRY HUNSICKER] Rays Biggest Loss This Off-Season Could Be Gerry Hunsicker

Andrew Friedman, Gerry Hunsicker, Nolan Ryan Cork Gaines 4 Comments »

This is a week old, but we just found it while scouring for something else.

We have heard previously that new Rangers’ president Nolan Ryan may have his sights on Gerry Hunsicker to be the Rangers’ GM. But this is the first time we heard anything about Hunsicker’s intentions.

In one of his weekly videos, Ken Rosenthal reports that Ryan may fire the Rangers’ current GM, Jon Daniels following the season. If that happens, Hunsicker would be one of two choices to replace Daniels. Rosenthal adds that people close to Hunsicker say he “is itching to get back to a General Manager’s position.”

Hunsicker and Ryan know each from when both were involved with the Astros organization. Hunsicker was the Astros‘ GM for 10 seasons until 2004 and Ryan owned the Astros‘ triple-A affiliate.

While it is Andrew Friedman that receives most of credit associated with changes to the Rays’ roster, losing Hunsicker is something that cannot be taken lightly. There is a reason we always refer to “Friedman and Co.” 90% of the “Co.” is Hunsicker. Both bring a different perspective to the meetings and the personnel decisions. To say Friedman is a the “numbers guy” and Hunsicker is the “baseball guy” would be oversimplifying things, but it does give a sense of what each contributes, and the results indicate that the two compliment each other very well.

We showed recently that the Rays’ current success has been built through shrewd trades and free agent signings. Two people are more responsible than any others, Friedman and Hunsicker. The Rays may be on the verge of losing one of those minds, and the Rays will be weaker because of it.

Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count [Fox Sports]
Aki Rescues The Rays [Rays Index]
Debunking The Myth: Rays Are Good Because Of All The High Draft Picks [Rays Index]

Apr 27

THE SUNDAY MORNING REVOLUTION: Aki Rescues The Rays

Akinori Iwamura, Andy Cannizaro, Andy Sonnanstine, Elliot Johnson, Evan Longoria, Gary Glover, Gerry Hunsicker, Jason Bartlett, Nolan Ryan, Rocco Baldelli, Scott Dohmann, Terry Francona admin 4 Comments »




DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..
  • The Good: To quote a commenter from last night: Akinori Iwamura… you beautiful, beautiful small little Japanese man. Although I might worry a little for Aki’s safety today. He did a nice little bat flip and walked the first few steps down the line to admire the blast. Don’t get me wrong. I loved it. And in reality the Sawx are the last team in the world that could ever complain about something like that as long as Manny Ramirez wears the Scarlett Hose. But still. Aki might get a little buzz this afternoon if a pitcher gets an opportunity…Oh yeah and the bullpen, Again. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the bullpen. That’s right. 2 runs in the last 30 innings pitched from the Tampa Bay Rays relief corps.
  • The Bad: Jello Shots. Seriously? Who the hell thought Jello Shots was a good idea?
  • The Telling: This worked yesterday, so I will try going to the well one more time. The last time the Rays won 6 in a row was August 3, 2005. The winning pitchers during that streak were Scott Kazmir, Casey Fossum, Doug Waechter, Mark Hendrickson, Seth McClung and Travis Harper. No shit…Also if the Rays win today they will be 3 games over .500 after 25 games. It looks like that would be the latest in a season that the Rays have ever been 3 games over .500. In 2004 they were 40-38 but never got to 3-over. The latest they have ever been 3-over was way back in 1999 when the Rays were 11-8 after 19 games.
  • Today: Huge matchup of Aces as the Rays go for the sweep. It is Josh Beckett versus James Shields.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Only surprise here is that Andrew Friedman didn’t make this move sooner. Elliot Johnson has been sent to Durham and Andy Cannizaro has been called up to take his place. With Jason Bartlett’s shoulder problems, Joe Maddon undoubtedly would prefer to have a natural shortstop on the bench to back him up. [Rays Report]
  • There is speculation around the Rangers that new team President Nolan Ryan may ask Gerry Hunsicker to come on board as the new GM. [ESPN via Lone Star Ball]
  • Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays surplus of starting pitching and comes to the same conclusion that many including The Professor have been saying for a while, Andy Sonnanstine is likely the odd-man out and could be headed to the bullpen with Scott Dohmann being DFA’d. Even with the 3-hit shutout, Duke is just the better option in the bullpen. [St. Pete Times]
  • Red Sox skipper Terry Francona is impressed with what he sees in the Rays. [MLB]
  • What a difference a year makes for the Rays bullpen, where Gary Glover is the only reliever that was with the Rays at this time last year. [Tampa Tribune]
  • The Rays rank first in affordability in the major leagues. [MLB]
  • I am amazed at how many stories have been written that say giving Evan Longoria a long term deal so early is very risky. All these stories make the same argument: Prospects flame out all the time. They will then go on to list all the top prospects that never panned out. Only they only list pitchers. The only top hitting prospect that anybody ever mentions is Rocco Baldelli and he has what appears to be a rare genetic disorder. His had nothing to do with miscalculated scouting. Top hitting prospects *never* fail. They may not turn out to be all-stars, but they never fail. There is basically ZERO risk in the Longoria deal. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]
May 14

The Hangover: Carlos Pena Or Jonny Gomes? Decision Coming Soon

Akinori Iwamura, Andy Sonnanstine, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Casey Fossum, Edwin Jackson, Jae Seo, Nolan Ryan, Rainbow Warriors, Rocco Baldelli Cork Gaines No Comments »


Devil Rays 2, Blue Jays 1.
We are not going to get fooled in to thinking that Jae Seo is suddenly worthy of a spot in the rotation. This is what he does. He is just good enough, just often enough, that his teams keep believing that he is just about to turn the corner. We’re not drinking that kool-aid. If the team wants to say that Seo is only in the lineup because they are not prepared to bring up a prospect, we are fine with that…for now. But, one start on a day in which nobody was getting a hit, is not going to change our opinion.

The more pressing issue now is Carlos Pena. Pena is hitting .268 with 7 home runs and 20 RBI in only 82 at bats. If Pena had been a starter all season, his numbers project to 12 home runs and 32 RBI which would be 2nd and 4th respectively in the AL. Greg Norton is set to return from the DL some time this week, possibly as early as Tuesday and Akinori Iwamura might not be far behind, as he has progressed faster than expected. We would be shocked if Pena is sent down upon the return of Norton (Jorge Cantu is more likely), but when Muu-Rah comes back the team may not have a choice. Iwamura will return to his third base position and Ty Wigginton will shift back to first base. Joe Maddon will not be able to keep two backup first basemen on the bench, so either Norton, or more likely Pena will be sent down to Durham. Of course the team could also try and find a team willing to trade for either Norton or Pena, but that is not likely to happen this early in the season, unless a team loses a first baseman to a season-ending injury in the next week or two.

[UPDATE: We are feeling pretty silly right now. We did not consider that Greg Norton cannot be sent down to Durham without clearing waivers. We also completely forgot about Jonny Gomes (considering the amount of playing time he receives, can you blame us?). Now it seems fairly obvious that when Iwamura returns, that Gomes will be the one headed to Durham. We don't call this "The Hangover" for no reason.]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

In the Rays’ first 19 games of the season, including the April 23 victory against the Yankees that marked Iwamura’s final appearance before going on the disabled list, Tampa Bay averaged 5.37 runs per game, hit .271 as a team, compiled a .334 on-base percentage and struck out 2.37 times for every walk (147 to 62).

In the next 15 through the end of the Orioles series Thursday, the Rays’ scoring plummeted to 3.47 runs per game, their average to .240 and their OBP to .293 as they struck out 3.47 times per walk (125 to 36).

  • WooHoo! Let’s start the Carl Crawford trade rumors again. They are always fun for about 2 weeks of “What would it take?” speculation and then everybody finally realizing that nobody will be willing to pay market price for one of the best young players in baseball followed by the experts commenting on how difficult it is to to try and trade with the Devil Rays.
  • With Jae Seo and Casey Fossum in the rotation, preaching patience with the minor league pitchers is an exercise in patience.
  • Unless the Rays find better pitching, and find it soon, the 2007 season is going to look an awful lot like 2006…and 2005…and 2004…and…
  • There has been a lot of discussion about bringing up one or more of the Durham pitchers to the Rays and who might be the first to get the call. A lot of people have pointed to the numbers of Andy Sonnanstine, and think he deserves a shot. One thing to keep in mind is that of the five starting pitchers at Durham, Sonnanstine is the only one NOT on the 40-man roster. As long as there are other options, the Rays are not likely to call up Sonnanstine unless they have to, and there is a good chance we won’t see Sonnanstine in 2007.
  • BJ Upton started in center field on Saturday for the first time in his major league career, and his lack of experience may have cost the Rays the game.
  • Rocco Baldelli has 1 hit in his past 36 at bats.
  • But hey, maybe he would make a good pitchman. Then again? Maybe not.
  • It took a while, but Edwin Jackson is finally realizing that major league hitters can hit a major league fastball, and that it takes more than one good pitch to win at this level.
  • Nolan Ryan making a comeback at age 60? Don’t laugh, he would probably be the #3 starter in the Rays rotation.
  • oh dear lord…WHY?!?!?!