Archive for the 'Spring Training' Category

Feb 10

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Jennings’ Appreciation, Scoring At The Trop And

Desmond Jennings, Spring Training, Toby Hall 9 Comments »

Bill Chastain has an excellent write-up on Desmond Jennings and his appreciation for African-Americans that came before him in Major League Baseball.

“You can’t really explain what the people before me did coming up,” Jennings said. “The opportunity that they’ve given us because of what they’ve done, you can’t really explain it, you can only imagine what they went through.”

Later on, Joe Maddon was asked if Jennings will be the next Carl Crawford: “No, he’ll be the first Desmond Jennings.” Of course, with Johnny Damon in the mix for 2011, we might not get to see Jennings full capabilities until 2012.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

Oct 17

The Cold Dome of the Soul

Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Spring Training, Tampa Bay Rays, The Trop, Things that don't end well, Things that should have never happened 7 Comments »

Ever since B.J. Upton meekly popped up for the final out of the final game of the Rays’ 2010 season, nearly every scribe, blogger, writer, and analyst following the team has penned his or her ode to the past seven months of Bay Area baseball. Some have written of disappointment, some of joy, and others of promise. Yet they all convey the overall emotion of a fan’s love of both their team and the game of baseball.

After every baseball season, whether good or bad, whether I rooted for a winner or team that lost hope after the second week of April, I am reminded of “Green Fields of the Mind”, a brilliant essay written by former Major League Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. Although it is over 1,300 words, the first 91 are among the most poignant ever written about baseball.

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.”

Giamatti’s essay discusses his passion for following the 1977 Boston Red Sox, a team that won 97 games yet finished 2.5 games behind the eventual World Series Champion New York Yankees. Giamatti goes into depth discussing their eventual elimination and how a simple fly ball to center drained the life and feeling from all of the New England faithful.

(Note: if baseball had the wildcard in 1977, Giamatti would have never written his piece. Boston would have made the playoffs thanks to winning the season series over a Baltimore Orioles team that also finished with 97 wins and 64 losses. In a 2010 world, the Sox would have clinched the wild card on the day prior to the one Giamatti wrote about and played the Kansas City Royals as the Yankees would have coincidentally played the Texas Rangers.)

Of course, it is not only those in New England whose passion comes to an abrupt halt. In every region of America, wherever fans follow their favorite team, wherever fathers and sons play catch, or wherever people pack stadiums or bars or living rooms, there is a feeling of emptiness every October.

Even in Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

For us here in the Tampa Bay area, it begins at FanFest, when we re-awaken to baseball and explore the new facets of the upcoming season – whether it be a new player, new member of the announce team, or a new feature of the ballpark. There is a joy not unlike a family reunion, when you greet the friends and “family” you parted ways with the October before. You are together again for another season.

(From 1999 to 2007 that exchange was not unlike the reunion of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi.

Fan 1: Together again, huh?
Fan 2: Wouldn’t miss it.
Fan 1: How we doin’?
Fan 2: Same as always.
Fan 1: That bad, huh?

Then of course came the “new hope” of 2008.)

Following Fan Fest, we have the added advantage of seeing our team up close and personal during Spring Training. We are not as beholden as the rest of the baseball nation in relying on beat writers and bloggers to tell us who is winning a positional battle or who is going to make the team. We can make the short jaunt to Port Charlotte and see it with our own eyes.

Then comes the magical moment of Opening Day – a day that should be a national holiday – where every fan has hope and everyone is in first place, if even for 24 hours.

The real thrill, and one we are barely getting used to, is when our team remains in first, or at least in a battle for first from April to October. It is a fun ride. One of scoreboard watching and magic numbers*, wild cards and aces. One I will miss. One I shared with friends, family, and the entire Rays community, both online and at the ballpark. Sure we’ve fought, we’ve argued, and we’ve blown a few gaskets, but that’s what a family does. And now that our summertime reunion is over, as Giamatti said, we are left to face the fall alone.

(Isn’t it fitting that for most teams, “magic” numbers make hope disappear? Almost as if David Copperfield or David Blaine waves a wand and makes teams vanish from relevance.)

As for me, I’d like to thank Cork for my midseason call-up and now that the season is over I hope we can talk about extending my contract. Keeping it team friendly, of course.

Feb 09

Rays Having Second-Thoughts On Sale Of Naming Rights To Spring Training Home

Charlotte County, Mosaic Field, Spring Training, The Mosaic Company No Comments »

Yesterday we wondered if the Rays would have second-thoughts about selling the naming rights to their spring training field. This, after local environmentalists expressed their disgust with the team’s partnership with The Mosaic Company, a local mining company.

Twenty-four hours later, the Rays have already started backing away from the deal.

Charlotte county was supposed to decide this morning if they would allow the field to be renamed “Mosaic Field.” The Rays asked that the item be removed from the agenda.

Many Charlotte County residents reacted to the Mosaic offer the same way the Indianapolis Colts would regard an offer to rename their stadium “Whodat Field.” Charlotte County Commissioner Adam Cummings called it “an outrageous slap in the face”…So at the last minute, the Rays asked commissioners to pull the item from the agenda…That didn’t quell the controversy, though, and it doesn’t mean the proposal is dead. In effect, the Rays called a time out…Commissioners said they had received more than 100 e-mails objecting to the deal, and a dozen people showed up in person to vent about the Rays’ agreement with the county’s longtime opponent.

The agreement would have meant $75K a year for Charlotte County for the next 15 years.

Once we heard of the complaints from the locals, we were surprised the Rays ever let the partnership get this far. Stuart Sternberg and Co. are a very image-conscious organization, and we have seen them avoid many other situations that were far less controversial than strip-mining and destruction of local wetlands.

Mar 18

Apparently The Rays Exorcised The Devil And St. Patrick

New Uniforms, Spring Training 7 Comments »

phpN0jhl4For many teams it is tradition on St. Patrick’s Day to switch either their cap or their cap and jersey from their traditional colors to green. Two years ago, when the then Devil Rays still wore green, the team became the first team in the history of spring training to wear less green on St. Patrick’s Day (see image at right).

Last year, when the Rays exorcised the Devil and eschewed the green for blue, the team was mysteriously idle on St. Patrick’s Day and were spared from having to either where something akin to a throwback cap/jersey or be seen as insulting a baseball tradition and the greatest of holidays.

So what did the Rays decide to do this year? They once again had an off-day on St. Patrick’s Day. Two years in a row? A coincidence? Or did the Rays forsake St. Patrick when they ditched the green?

Feb 19

11 Spring Training Question Marks

Bullpen still sucks, Spring Training No Comments »

The Rays return in 2007 with basically the same lineup that finished the 2006 campaign. That is not necessarily a good thing for a team that lost 101 games, scored the fewest runs and gave up the fourth most runs in the major leagues. What it does offer is a sense of stability and an opportunity for the young players to grow and show that another year of experience and maturity will help them take a step forward. Still, with most of the regular lineup set, there a number of questions concerning the Rays entering Spring Training.

  1. Who will be the regular first baseman? First base is the one position that remains without an obvious starter. There are several candidates to fill the very small shoes of the departed Travis Lee who had the worst OPS (.676) of any major league first baseman with at least 300 plate appearances in 2006. The obvious choice is Ty Wigginton who had a breakout season in ’06 with 24 home runs and numerous clutch hits, despite missing 40 games. However, Joe Maddon loves players with positional flexibility and Wiggy is the most flexible on the roster which means he will see plenty of playing time at other positions. Even if he is the regular first baseman, others will also receive playing time there, including Jorge Cantu, Jonny Gomes and Elijah Dukes, none of whom have ever played the position regularly in the past. Still, if Cantu or Dukes step up in Spring Training and show that they can handle the position, they could become the “starter” and Wiggy would be back to his role as super-utility man.
  2. Will the Rays buck Major League tradition and keep top prospects on 25-man roster without a regular position? Both B.J. Upton and Elijah Dukes enter Spring Training without a regular position. Upton finished ’06 as the starting third baseman but his glove work was no better than his stint at shortstop. Newly acquired Akinori Iwamura, will likely start the season at third base leaving Upton without a home. Every indication so far is that Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman will keep Upton on the roster getting him regular at bats at a number of different positions including third base, shortstop, second base and center field. The hope is that Upton will be able to concentrate on his offense while allowing his defense to develop naturally. Dukes is the bigger question mark. It appears that the team would like Dukes to be the fourth outfielder. His ability to play center field and considering the health history of Rocco Baldelli, there may be plenty of at bats there, but he would also see playing time at first base and DH. Friedman has stated that Dukes has little left to prove at the minor league level, which may be true, but the team may also quietly believe that Dukes may be better suited for the more structured atmosphere of a major league clubhouse as well as the close watchful eye of Maddon and the coaches.
  3. Who will fill out the starting rotation? The only other regular position that is up for grabs is the fifth spot in the rotation and possibly the fourth. Scott Kazmir is healthy and will resume his spot at the top. His shoulder stiffness in the second half of 2006 may have been a blessing in disguise. Without the injury, Kid K was on pace for 200+ innings which often leads to a fall-off the following season for a young pitcher. The other locks for the rotation appear to be Jae Seo and James Shields. If Casey Fossum is healthy he will be in the rotation and all signs are that he will be. That leaves one spot with a number of candidates, including J.P. Howell, Jason Hammel, Chris Seddon, Jae Kuk Ryu and Edwin Jackson. Our money is on Howell. He seemed to rediscover his fastball late in 2006 and has the biggest upside of the group. The hot candidate at this point is Jackson. Jackson is out of options and will be on the roster. Once a top starting pitcher prospect, Jackson struggled mightily in ’06. However, he is still young (23) and he pitched well in winter ball indicating that his days as a starter may not be over. Still, his biggest problem in ’06 was his control and despite strong overall numbers this winter, he still issued too many walks.
  4. What can be expected from Jorge Cantu and Jonny Gomes? Both Jorge Cantu and Jonny Gomes played most of 2006 at less than 100% and the drop-off from their 2005 numbers was dramatic. Cantu enters ’07 healthy and as the starting second baseman but may see time at first base and DH. Gomes will be the regular DH, but unless he can prove he can handle occasional starts at first base, he is likely to lose at bats to other players at DH. Look for both players to rebound in ’07, with Cantu the most likely to approach his ’05 totals. Gomes struggles in ’06 appeared to be due just as much to holes in his swing as to his injured shoulder. Cantu should receive 500+ at bats, but Gomes will more likely only see ~300, especially if Elijah Dukes is on the major league roster. We would be happy if Cantu hits .280-25-90, but don’t expect much more than .240-18-60 from Gomes.
  5. Will the Rays trade for more bullpen help? Of all the areas that the Rays could have used an upgrade, the most glaring weakness on the team is the bullpen. Last week the Rays picked up Jae Kuk Ryu for nothing more than a couple of low level prospects. While Ryu will contend for the 5th spot in the rotation, he is more likely destined for the bullpen. The team also signed Scott Dohmann. These moves are the equivalent of spitting on a forest fire. There is some talent in the bullpen, but unless everybody steps up the team will struggle once again late in games. Of course, they could get a big boost if the starting pitchers, who worked the fewest number of innings for any team in baseball, can work deeper into games in ’07. Still, Seth McClung allows too many base runners to be an effective closer and unless the team acquires more help, the Rays will continue to blow games late and will be unable to make a big jump forward in 2007.
  6. Is Dioner Navarro ready to step up offensively? Dioner Navarro is the most likely Ray to have an offensive breakout in 2007. We don’t mean to suggest that Navarro is ready to put up Pudge Rodriguez numbers but what about Paul LoDuca numbers with a little more power? Navarro is only 23 and already has parts of two seasons under his belt. In addition he has an excellent contact rate and strikeout to walk ratio for his career (72:51). Those type of numbers from a young player are often good indicators of future success.
    His 2006 numbers projected over an entire season were only .254-12-56. For the first time in his career he enters the season as the clear cut #1 catcher. With his experience and without the pressure, look for Navarro to boost his numbers into the .290-20-80 range.
  7. How will Akinori Iwamura’s game translate to the Major Leagues? The only major off-season acquisition came to the Rays via the Japanese posting system. Akinori Iwamura’s signing actually raised more questions than it answered. What position will he play? Where will B. J. Upton find playing time? There appears to be little doubt that Muu-Rah is a major league talent. All indications are that he will be a gold glove caliber third baseman, but his bat may not produce enough runs for the hot corner. He showed signs of power in Japan, but is more likely to be a gap hitter in the U.S. which means second base may be his future home. While we have a general idea what the rest of the lineup is capable of, Muu-Rah is the biggest offensive question mark entering Spring Training.
  8. Will 2007 be Rocco Baldelli’s breakout season? 2007 will mark the first healthy Spring Training for Rocco Baldelli since 2004. It seems like he has been a member of the Rays for a decade so it is difficult to remember that he is still only 25 years old. After struggling to find his stroke after missing the first two months of ’06, Rocco hit .323 with 11 home runs in August and September. And while he will never be the base stealing threat many had hoped, he did still 7 bases in the final two months. If Baldelli can stay healthy (a big IF), this could very well be the season that he jumps up and establishes himself as one of the best outfielders in baseball. .300-25-110 with 20 stolen bases is not an absurd expectation.
  9. How good can Carl Crawford be? Carl Crawford has four full seasons on his resume and in each of those seasons he has improved his batting average, home runs and RBI with at least 46 stolen bases. The only aspect that may be lacking from his game is power. He did hit 18 home runs in 2006, but many don’t ever expect a player with C.C.’s speed to be a power hitter. And while he is one of the fastest men in baseball, most people that don’t follow the Rays closely don’t realize how big Carl is. At 6’2″ and 220 pounds he has the size to hit for power. And despite playing most of ’06 with a sore wrist, in one stretch he did hit 11 home runs in 30 games. Crawford will likely be the Rays’ #3 hitter in ’07 which means more opportunities to drive in runs and fewer opportunities to steal bases. Crawford’s numbers in ’07 are more likely to look like .315-25-110 with closer to 40 stolen bases. Despite being snubbed last year, he is not likely to be overlooked for the mid-summer classic this season.
  10. How good can Delmon Young be? We worried about Young’s transition to the major league level because he is a free-swinger and rarely draws walks. In the minors he had a 284 to 97 strikeout to walk ratio and those numbers were worse with the Rays (24:1). Still, for such a free-swinger, we saw an amazingly patient hitter. Pitchers regularly pitched him away and time after time he rocketed line drives to right field. Still, that translated to only three home runs in 126 at bats despite hitting .316. He also only had 14 home runs in 570 AAA at bats. For all the talk of this can’t-miss prospect and his impressive debut in ’06, many have noted the lack of home runs at the AAA and major league levels. Rest assured, the power will develop. Those that saw Delmon regularly at Durham noted that as a line drive hitter, he would have hit many more home runs if the Durham ballpark did not have such a high wall in left field. We have never seen such a patient and intelligent hitter at such a young age. Look for Young to start the ’07 season much like ’06, taking what pitchers give him. The home runs will come as he becomes more comfortable.
  11. When will Jeff Niemann make his major league debut? The Rays are desperate for a #2 starter to compliment Scott Kazmir and once again it looks like Jeff Niemann may be that pitcher. After missing the fist half of 2006 following minor shoulder surgery, Niemann returned and dominated at the AA-level. Nobody doubts that Niemann has major league caliber stuff but at this point the team wants to make sure he has rediscovered his mechanics, especially the touch on his breaking balls. If Niemann dominates in Spring Training, it will be tempting to give him the 5th spot in the rotation, but the team will be patient and send him to Durham for 10-12 starts with a mid-season promotion in mind. Look for Niemann to be throwing from the Tropicana mound by July.
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