The Prodigal Son Returns And Still Hasn’t Grown Up

Baseball’s top prospect, Delmon Young, returned to the field last night after serving a 50-game suspension for throwing a bat at an umpire. In a slight bit of irony, Young was actually able to return one game early as the Durham Bulls concluded a previously rain-suspended game on Monday afternoon. In that game Young appeared and singled in his only at bat (does that mean his suspension was only 49 games?). In the regularly scheduled game, Young was in his usual right field position and his usual #3 spot in the lineup. He went 1-4 with a strikeout. His single in the 3rd inning drove in a run that tied the game 1-1.

Young did meet with reporters before the game a sat down for a one-on-one interview with Bulls broadcaster Neil Solondz, that can be seen over at MILB.com. One problem with fans projecting minor league players and their future success is that 99% of what we know about them comes from box scores. This interview was one of the first times we had ever heard Young talk. We stood behind Young after the incident, but this interview changes our perception a bit.

One thing that comes across is just how young he still is. He just doesn’t have that composure that you see during interviews with major league players. In the second question from Solondz, Young was asked how difficult the suspension was for him. Young does not even answer. He just shakes his head and rolls his hand as if to indicate to move on to the next question. The next question asked if Young learned anything from the suspension. Young responds by saying “That’s the same question” and again rolls his hand to indicate to Solondz to move on to the next question.

During the interview you can see that he is nervous and very fidgety. He rarely makes eye contact with Solondz during the interview, constantly looking down or looking out to the field. Later on, Young was asked about his relationship with the manager and coaches and Young responds that he “keeps his distance” from the coaches. He also indicates that he has not spoken to the manager or coaches since the incident because he doesn’t need to “socialize on past events”. So far we are only about three minutes into the interview with seven minutes remaining, and we are already souring on Delmon Young very quickly.

Finally at the end of the interview, Solondz thanks Delmon for sitting down with him, and best we can tell Young does not respond at all, except to take off his mic and walk away. Solondz then can be seen looking towards his producers with a shrug of his shoulders and a very telling look on his face, that seems to display a bit of anger or annoyance.

According to reports, Young’s attitude was much the same when he met with reporters on the field. He snapped at several reporters for asking questions they shouldn’t ask and even for brushing his leg with a microphone chord. If there was any question before seeing this interview, there shouldn’t be any now for Andrew Friedman and the rest of the Devil Rays front office or the fans…Delmon Young is not ready for the big leagues. We had hoped all along to see Delmon this fall in Tampa with a shot at making the team next Spring. That plan now looks to be at least a year away.

Delmon Young interview [MILB.com]
After Ban, a Prospect Is Hoping to Move On [New York Times]

Elijah Dukes Has Been Suspended By Devil Rays…Again

If the Devil Rays needed a reason not to trade Carl Crawford, recent issues with some of their top prospects will definitely make them think twice before moving their best hitter to another organization. Not to be outdone by Delmon Young and B. J. Upton, Devil Rays outfield prospect Elijah Dukes has been suspended by the organization. Dukes, who is no stranger to suspensions has been dismissed from the team indefinitely. Devil Rays’ management have not commented yet on the reason for this suspension. Earlier this season, the team had announced that Dukes had left the team for “personal reasons”. It now appears that Dukes was actually suspended for a verbal confrontation with a coach. Last season in Montgomery, Dukes was suspended on two occasions by the Southern League due to on field confrontations with umpires. In 2004, he was suspended by the organization for a month due to a run in with a coach.

Dukes, appeared to be making significant strides this season, in an effort to have his name included among the Devil Rays’ top prospects. Considered by many as the best athlete in the organization, Dukes is a true 5-tool prospect who was putting up impressive numbers at Durham. Before he was suspended, Dukes was hitting .295 with 8 home runs and 41 RBI, with a .914 OPS. With this latest suspension, one will have to wonder how much longer the team will consider Dukes as part of this organization’s future. Suddenly, with the recent problems of Young and Dukes, the offensive struggles of Joey Gathright, and the defensive struggles of Upton, Wes Bankston and Reid Brignac, the team’s future is looking a bit cloudier.

Devil Rays suspend outfielder Dukes [Montgomery Advertiser]

That Felt Good

We must admit we were a bit surprised this weekend. When we saw that the Rays were heading to Philadelphia for the next round of interleague play, we actually dreaded the thought. We have such a strong distaste for anything Philadelphia, that the thought of having to watch three games against the Glue Sticks made us a bit nauseous. But then Friday came and James Shields was on the mound, and we knew Kid K was pitching on Saturday. Then we started to reminisce about the 2002 NFC Championship Game, and opening night of the 2002 season and the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, and we started to get downright giddy. The boys didn’t disappoint. On Friday Shields won a duel against the Dr. Phils’ top pitching prospect Cole Hammels as the Rays won 10-4. Julio Lugo provided a good chunk of the offense with his 6th and 7th home runs of the season. Carl Crawford and Damon Hollins each added 4 hits. The win was Shield’s third straight. He struck out 6 and walked 1 in 6 innings of work. On Saturday night, Scott Kazmir won his first start nearly a month as the Rays took the second game 7-2. Kid K still was not at the top of his game as his pitch count was high and he was only able to work 5 innings. At the top of his game in May, Kazmir was much more judicious with his pitches and was able to work deeper into ballgames. On Saturday, Kazmir struck out 9 in his 5 innings but he also walked 3 before being pulled in favor of the bullpen. At the plate, Rocco Baldelli, continues his strong return with his 1st home run of the season. Crawford and Jorge Cantu also added home runs. On Sunday…well, C. C. hit his 10th home run of the season and Seth McClung made sure we didn’t get too giddy with a sweep by losing his 10th game of the season.

B. J. Upton Arrested For Being An Idiot

Another of the Devil Rays top prospects has run in to trouble in the minors. B. J. “Don’t Call Me Melvin” Upton, was arrested last Friday for DWI in Durham, NC. With Delmon Young set to return from his 50 game suspension tonight, Upton removed that good feeling by committing his worst error of the season, and this comes from a guy that knows a thing or two about errors. Maybe Melvin would become a better fielder if he practiced with empty beer cans. Upton was not in the lineup Friday night, but returned on Saturday and went 1-4. Then on Sunday, he let everyone know that things were back to normal by committing 2 errors in the Bulls’ 6-4 victory over Charlotte.

There had been reports earlier this season that Upton had openly berated Young after his bat-tossing incident. Apparently Upton made it clear that Young let down his Bulls teammates and was hurting his chances of being promoted to the parent club anytime soon. Let us hope that somebody on the team will return the favor to B. J.

Upton arrested on DWI. [Durham Herald-Sun]

Devil Rays @ Philadelphia Glue Sticks Tidbits

• Sunday January 19, 2003. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Pheagles 10. Bucs are NFC champions. Bucs go on to win Super Bowl.
• May 22, 2004. Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Philadelphia Phlyers 1. Lightning are Eastern Conference champions. Lightning go on to win Stanley Cup.
• ‘Nuf said.

Carl Crawford, You Just Lost 3 of 4 to the Detroit Tigers…What Are You Going To Do?

Go to Disney Land? We must admit, our first reaction to hearing rumors of C. C. being traded was to send Andrew Friedman to his room wihout dessert. With so many talented outfielders in the organization, why trade the one that is arguably the best of the bunch? Well, once we let out a good cry, blew our nose and put the bottle of liquor down, we thought about it some more. Maybe, just maybe, Crawford is the most logical player to trade.

First, let’s look at it from the point of view of the teams looking to acquire C. C. Which teams are going to offer the best prospects? Teams that are in playoff contention. Those teams are not looking for a Delmon Young or an Elijah Dukes or a Joey Gathright. Those players are young and unproven at the Major League level. A team making a push for the playoffs needs a bat to fill a hole now, not to fill a hole next season. Rocco Baldelli? Too many question marks with Rocco still. Will he be able to hold up physically, playing everyday? Will he ever regain the speed he had before his injuries? Jonny Gomes? An injured shoulder means he is limited to DH duties.

Now let’s look at it from the Devil Rays’ point of view. If the team wants to win, it needs pitching, both starters and relievers. All the offense in the world will never make a team a playoff contender if the pitchers can’t get anybody out. So what are the team’s most valuable chips. There is an obvious surplus of outfielders. So which one? Delmon Young? His stock couldn’t be lower right now. Elijah Dukes? A troubled past with tons of potential, means he is more valuable to the Rays than to another organization. Rocco Baldelli? Maybe. He has a payroll friendly contract, but as we stated before, there are too many question marks. Besides, when healthy, and productive, he is probably the most popular Devil Ray. Another extremely popular D-Ray is Jonny Gomes, but the team knows his stock is diminished with his current injury, and there is little to show that he is a capable outfielder even when healthy. That leaves Crawford. He has a payroll friendly contract. He is a proven major leaguer, with plenty of speed and the potential to develop into a 30-30 player. Sounds like the ideal player. Great speed…potential power…could hit .330…still young…signed through 2010…Sounds perfect. So why would a team want to trade Carl Crawford? They wouldn’t. So that led us to believe that these rumors were just rumors.

But…then we dug a little deeper. There are rumors of Crawford to the Angels for Ervin Santana. There are also rumors of Crawford to the Rockies. Where are the rumors coming from? To figure that out, you need to know who benefits most from the rumors. The only logical place is that they are being leaked by the Devil Rays’ front office. Why? Because the same reasons a team wouldn’t trade a player like Carl Crawford is exactly the same reason a team would want a player like Carl Crawford. And if there is a market for Carl Crawford (there is) the way to get the best deal is to turn the situation into a bidding war. C. C. is the sort of player that teams will fight over and fight for.

Crawford is the one player that can command a steep price. In fact, Crawford is the one player that teams may potentially overpay for. Would we hate to see C. C. go? Of course. But we also know that pitching is the key and and there aren’t a whole lot of keys in the Devil Rays’ organization.

• Crawford could be the next Angel in the outfield. [Sporting News]

Devil Rays News And Notes

• Of all the Rays’ injuries this season (The Curse of LaMar-Naimoli), one that hasn’t been mentioned much is the shoulder injury suffered by Jonny Gomes. That will change this weekend when the D-Rays travel to Philadelphia to face the Glue Sticks. Without the DH, Gomes would have to play the outfield and that appears unlikely in his current state. According to manager Joe Maddon, he is unable to throw more than a few times without great pain. In the end, one of the team’s best hitters will only be available for pinch-hitting duty. What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? First and foremost, it means that we need to rethink our position on the DH. Life without the DH this season would be much less Jonny-terrific, and for the first time, we will swallow our pride and admit that maybe the DH is a good thing. (that was painful…and by painful, we mean like watching a Keanu Reeves movie) [tbo.com]
• On Monday, recently demoted Doug Waechter made his first start for the Durham Bulls. He was effective, if not overpowering. He picked up the win, working 6 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs. He struck out 1. [milb.com]
• Chad Orvella who was also demoted recently from the Rays bullpen down to Durham has pitched twice for the Bulls. Orvella has pitched 3 innings, surrendering 2 hits and 1 walk. He has struck out 5 and allowed 3 unearned runs. Let’s hope Orvella finds the confidence he needs to compete at the big league level.
• Juan Salas was recently promoted from AA Montgomery to AAA Durham. Quite frankly, we are wondering if Salas is not the best reliever in the entire organization right now. And we don’t just mean in the minors. At Montgomery, Salas appeared in 23 games. He pitched 34.2 innings, giving up only 13 hits and 14 walks. He struck out 52 and allowed only 4 unearned runs. That’s is not a typo. He did not yield a single earned run all season. So how did he fair in his debut for Durham? ‘Bout the same. On Thursday night, he went 1.1 innings, allowing no hits and one walk. He struck out 3. Salas who was originally, an infielder for the Devil Rays has only been pitching for the organization since late 2004. In his first full season as a pitcher in 2005, he posted strong numbers for Visalia and Montgomery. We are not sure if Salas is still working on something, but if he is, the team better stop. He can’t pitch any better and it might be time for Salas to be working the 8th innings at the Trop. Of course, with Tyler Walker on the DL, is there a worse option than Salas to be closing games? [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Surprise, surprise. Jeff Neimann’s scheduled start tomorrow in Montgomery has been pushed back to Monday or Tuesday. We knew that had to have been written in pencil. [Montgomery Adveriser]
• Speaking of Monday, we expect and hope to see Delmon Young back on the field for the Bulls when his 50-game suspension ends. That did seem a bit quick, but let’s hope it took an eternity for Young. [Our Sports Central]

Devil Rays News And Notes

• First round pick Evan Longoria will not start with the single-A Visalia Oaks as originally reported. Rather, he will play one or two weeks with the short season Hudson Valley Renegades, beginning June 20th. During that period, the Oaks have 5 days off for the California League All-Star game. After 8-10 games with Hudson Valley, he will then report to Visalia the first week of July and play third base, and will surely be subjected to numerous Eva Longoria pranks from his new teammates. [tbo.com]
• Another first round pick of the Devil Rays, Jeff Niemann, finally has a date to return to the mound. He is scheduled to start this Saturday, June 17th for the AA Montgomery Biscuits. We have to believe that if something was ever written in pencil this is it. Much like the extended absence of Rocco Baldelli, Niemann has been gone so long, we find it hard to recall if we should be excited about this. [TalkAlabama]
• We already knew that Rocco Baldelli was gone too long, but now we know he was gone too long. [TampaBays10]
• Apparently one oddsmaker in Vegas has cost his clients some money this season by picking the Devil Rays too often. Of course it is all Joe Maddon’s fault. [Sportsmemo]
• A decision on the future of Josh Hamilton should be made later this week, when extended spring training ends for the Devil Rays. At this point, Hamilton has not been fully reinstated and does not have permission from the Major League Baseball to return to the field and play in games. However, we have to think that playing in games is the next logical step and that the league intends on granting Josh at least some more leeway. The logical choice is to let Hamilton play for the short-season Hudson Valley Renegades without any possibility of been promoted this season. At the end of the season, if Hamilton is able to stay clean, look for the league to grant him full reinstatement and for Josh to begin next season with AA Montgomery. [tbo.com]
• Speaking of Hamilton, apparently he hasn’t forgotten how to hit during batting practice. [tbo.com]
• Jonny Gomes has a solution to the depth of outfielders in the Devil Rays’ organization. Just play four outfielders. “Imagine an outfield with C.C., Rocco, and him (Josh Hamilton) and me.” Of course, it also appears as though Gomes has already written off Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes because of their troubled pasts. [tbo.com]
• Apparently the Tampa Bay area was recently named the worst sports market in the country according to the Sporting News. Not sure how that can be when the season ticket waiting list for the Buccaneers could fill two more stadiums. There is also some spooky similarities in the early years of all three professional franchises from Tampa. [St. Pete Times]
• B. J. Upton continues to beg the team to move him to a new position. On Saturday, Upton committed 3 errors…in one inning. He now has 23 errors in 62 games and we think the might be genuinely afraid of the ball. It is hard for us to say exactly what we would like see happen. Obviously, we would like to see Upton play shortstop in the Trop, but that might not be feasible at this point. We always hear people mention that Derek Jeter committed 50+ errors one year in the minors. Of course, the difference for Jeter was that it was his first season of professional ball, not his fourth. Upton is well on his way to 50+ errors this season and there is no sign that he is improving at all. So what should the team do with Upton? Move him to the outfield? The outfield is already loaded with talented players and prospects. On the other hand, his little brother, Justin has made a nice transition to center field in his first season of professional ball and that could be an influence on B. J.. Move him to third base? Upton’s biggest problems have been his throws. Is there any reason to believe that the problem would be corrected with a move to third? We must admit, we don’t see a solution here, so we continue to hope that he keeps working and at some point he makes a breakthrough, and we hope it is soon. [Durham Bulls]

The Doctor’s Orders: Take Two From The Royals And Call Us In The Morning

D-Rays 8, Kansas City 2. It is difficult to get too excited about winning two of three from the worst team in baseball, but the Rays did what they had to do and maybe a trip to Kauffman stadium was exactly what this team needed. There is no way to be sure until the team completes there next couple of series against a very good Detroit Tigers team and a very good Philadelphia Phillies team. Both of those teams are playoff caliber and will be a good measuring stick for this Tampa team that finally has all of its pieces together and playing well.

On Sunday the Rays scored 8 runs for the 4th time in their last 10 games and are a modest 4-3 in their last 7. Tampa hit 6 home runs, tying the team record for a single game, including 2 home runs apiece from Jonny Gomes and Carl Crawford. Gomes now has 17 home runs. Crawford hit his 7th and 8th and now has 7 in the last 3 weeks, including 2, 2-home run games in that stretch. He is more than half way to his career high of 15. Crawford is one of the rare hitters that is intelligent enough to become a good hitter first and then let the power develop later (ie. Kirby Puckett). There is no reason Carl couldn’t hit 30 home runs each year, and he appears to be on the brink of becoming that player. Gomes, who only hit 3 home runs in May, now has 5 already in June. Aubrey Huff and Julio Lugo also hit home runs for the Devil Rays. Huff had three hits and is now within shouting distance of the Mendoza Line. Huff, could be the wild card in this lineup. A notoriously slow starter, he should begin his annual surge very soon. For his career, Huff is a .281 hitter before the All-Star break and a .312 hitter post All-Star game. Also, before the All-Star break he hits a home run every 25.7 at bats, compared to once every 17.7 at bats after. Huff has the incentive of playing for a new contract, as well as auditioning for playoff contenders. A free agent at the end of the season, he is very likely to be traded before the July 31st deadline, but could help jump start the offense in the meantime. Of course the return of Rocco Baldelli is already paying dividends. We must admit, we had forgotten how much fun it is to watch Rocco play the game, and he hasn’t disappointed so far. On Sunday he went 4-5 and is 7-16 since his return to the lineup.

Still, the key to this team’s future success will rest with the pitching staff. One pleasant surprise has been the emergence of James Shields, who won his second straight start on Sunday. He pitched 6 shutout innings for the second straight start, giving up 6 hits and walk, while striking out 5. The really encouraging part of his performances, has been his poise. On Sunday the leadoff hitter for the Royals reached base in 4 of the 6 innings that Shields pitched. In each case he was able to settle down and get out of the inning without allowing a run. It seems simple, but James does what many young pitchers appear to be afraid of doing in the majors…throw strikes. When he is on, he does not walk batters, and because of that, he should have a successful major league career.

Now the Rays (26-37) move on to Detroit, who own the best record in baseball and have a 1 game lead over the White Sox. Kid K, Scott Kazmir, will take the mound for the second straight start with the opportunity to give the Devil Rays a 3-game winning streak. Kazmir has been hittable recently as he is 0-2 in his last 3 starts, and has given up 16 runs in 13.2 innings.

The Draft Hangover

OK, we know, the first day was only the first 18 rounds of the 50-round draft, but for all intents and purposes for the average fan it was over after the first round and for us die-hard fans it was over after the 4th round. You see the 4th round was the last selection by the Devil Rays in which the player actually had a profile on MLB.com. If the “experts” don’t know anything about the players selected after the 4th round, it is hard to get too excited. And yes, we know that great players are often selected in later rounds in all sports. Players like Tom Brady of the New England Patriots who was selected in the 6th round and is now in the midst of a hall-of-fame career. But everytime one of those players makes it big, it is about 90% luck. Sure, the Patriots saw something they liked in Brady, but if they knew how good he was going to be, they wouldn’t have waited till the 6th round to take him. The way we see it, the first pick should be a potential all-star. The 2nd and 3rd round picks should make it to the big leagues. Everyone else? Hope one or two make it to the show and don a Devil Rays uniform, and call it a bonus.

More news on the Rays’ first round picks Evan Longoria...The Devil Rays had a contract worked out with Longoria about an hour after the draft, which leads us to believe that signability and value were key components to this pick. Andrew Friedman announced during the Rays’ game last night that Longoria will report to single-A Visalia as early as next week. He will play 3B with the Oaks and for the rest of the season. After the season, Longoria will participate in the Fall instructional league where he will play SS and 2B, as the team tries to determine what position is best for him.

As for the rest of the picks. The team did try to stockpile young pitchers as 11 of the 18 picks were pitchers with 6 from college and 5 from high schools. Here is a nice recap of all the first day draft picks of the Devil Rays.

A call to arms for the Rays [devilrays.com]