[2007 TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS] Rays Index 2007 Year In Review

A look back at the year that was 2007 here at Rays Index…

January

• Elijah Dukes was arrested for marijuana possession. How cute. We had no idea at the time but it was like seeing a baby take his first steps. Of course, only if the after the baby learned to walk, he also learned how to threaten to kill his wife and other babies.

February

• Many were excited (not us) at the prospect of having Edwin Jackson in the rotation and Josh Hamilton had his first workout with the Cincinnati Reds.
• Jeff Niemann and Bruce Sutter…separated at birth. Foreshadowing for a future role as the Rays closer?
• Ben Zobrist answers to “Benny Boo Boo” and his wife is an attractive Christian Rock singer.
• The St. Pete Times gets in bed with the Rays violating the newspapers code of ethics and making it difficult for the Tampa Tribune to obey theirs.
• Akinori Iwamura predicts 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases in his first season (he finished with 7 and 12).

March

• In a sign of things to come, the Rays commit a team record six errors during a Spring Training game.
• We found video footage of Shawn Camp and Ruddy Lugo “reading” the “Cat in the Hat” to area school children. And we are using the term “reading” very loosely.
• Rays team president Matt Silverman purchases a blogger on Ebay for $535.
• We actually thought Seth McClung could be the closer in 2007. Kinda makes us giggle and throw up a little.
• The Axis of Evil is set with Edwin Jackson winning the final spot in the rotation joining Casey Fossum and Jae Seo as one of the worst starting trios in baseball history promising to scare children for the next 3-4 months.
• The Rays name their final 25-man roster. Only five members of the everyday lineup and three members of the rotation will be the same at the end of the season.

April

• We call on baseball fans to jump on the Devil Rays bandwagon.
• We address the Devil Rays universe with our first annual “State of the Franchise”.
• Three games into the season and the Rays are in first place. It is the first time we have witnessed this without turning our monitor upside-down.

May

• The Rays were “Dishin’ Out Delmons“ and Chasing “The Charlie Hough Line”.
• We wondered aloud if James Shields was the new Devil Rays Ace.
• Wade Davis pitched a no-hitter.
• Brian Stokes was in a giving mood whenever he pitched the 9th inning.
• Juan Salas was busted for being an idiot.
• Two months into the season and the Rays Axis of Evil made up three of the eight worst pitchers in baseball.
• Elijah Dukes reaffirms his role as the Devil Rays’ mischievous little badger.
• The St. Pete Times pulls issues of paper with Elijah Dukes on the cover from the Trop.

June

• On June 1st, the Rays were tied with the Yankees…for last place.
• We held a mock draft and got the entire first round correct!
• Papa Joe Maddon wouldn’t even notice if a cow was rotting in his back yard.
• The Devil Rays drafted Scott Kazmir’s replacement.
• We grew so frustrated by Shawn Camp, we started wanting to hurt stuffed baby animals.
• We forgot we don’t want to be respected and actually interviewed Chad Orvella.

July

• We thought the Rays had hit their low at the beginning of July. That was before they went 7-20 in that month.
• Seemed like a good time to introduce our “All-Time Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 10 Years Of Sucktitude“.

August

• In a subtle but clear message to Elijah Dukes, the Rays gave his #35 to a journeyman reliever.
• We actually thought for a little while that Rocco Baldelli would return to the lineup in 2007. We can be so naive sometimes.
• The Rays finally cut ties with Casey Fossum.
• We found out Joe Maddon doesn’t know the Rays’ prospects very well.
• We remapped the United States of Baseball.
• We began our countdown of Scott Kazmir’s march towards 300 wins.
• James Houser was suspended for 50 games.
• We again thought Rocco Baldelli was returning to the diamond.
• Many are abuzz as Curt Schilling announced he would be willing to pitch for the Rays in 2008. We were skeptical from the beginning.
• Heath Rollins set an organizational record for wins.

September

• Three of the Rays top four minor league affiliates make the playoffs.
• We weren’t even aware that The Sporting News still existed. Then they interviewed us.
• The Rays picked up Joe Maddon’s two-year option.
• The Columbus Catfish win the South Atlantic League Championship.
• The Montgomery Biscuits win Southern League Championship for second straight year. Durham Bulls come up short.
• We began a campaign urging the Rays to include striped stirrups with the new uniforms.
• The new Rays uniforms are leaked onto the internet.
• Marc Lancaster thought 2+2=3,465.
• The Devil Rays clinch the worst record in baseball, winning “The 2nd Annual David Price Sweepstakes”, and becoming the first team in history to have the top pick in consecutive drafts.

October

• The Rays decide not to renew the contract of the winningest manager in franchise history.
• Curt Schilling releases list of 10 teams he is willing to play for. To Marc Lancaster’s amazement, the Devil Rays are not among them.

November

• The Devil Rays hold a two-day extravaganza to celebrate their 2007 World Championship new uniforms.
• The Rays front office draws attention away from new uniforms (which most fans dislike) with a shiny nugget (new stadium on the waterfront).
• Carlos Pena finished 9th in AL MVP voting.
• Marc Topkin shits on an internet trade rumor (one that had a source) as being not true, without citing any sources.
• The Rays trade Delmon Young to the Twins for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett.
• The Rays sign a real major league relief pitcher. Of course a year ago he was retired, but that’s ok.

December

• The Rays finally trade Elijah Dukes.
• We find what may be the Rays alternate cap in 2009 and speculate on what the uniform may look like.
• Senator Mitchell did not realize there was a major league franchise in Tampa Bay.
• Continuing the unusual trend of acquiring major league talent, the Rays signed Cliff Floyd.
• Raymond raises suspicions of using fur-enhancing drugs, may appear in Jose Canseco’s next book.

[2008 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 6 (Six months with at least 14 wins)

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and why. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the sixth day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, SIX months with at least 14 wins…

The Rays have the talent and the potential to be a playoff-caliber team. But if they are going to make a run at the playoffs that need to play better and they need to do it on a more consistent basis. In 2008 the Rays will have months with 27*, 29, 26, 25, 28 and 26 games. For our wish to come true, the best record the Rays would have to post in any one month would be 14-11 (July). Three games over .500 should be a number the Rays can achieve.

Here is a breakdown of the 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays record by month.

April	11	14
May	11	15
June	11	17
July	7	20
August	15	14
September	11	16

The Rays were bad in 2007, of course we already knew that. In fact they were consistently bad, with five losing months and only a single winning month.

Now let’s imagine a scenario in which the Rays won just three more games in April, May, June and September (Let’s pretend July did not happen). That is just three more wins each month. That is three wins over the course of four and half weeks. One extra win every eight or nine games. One game in which the bullpen doesn’t blow a 3-run lead in the 8th and 9th innings. One more game in which the team gets home the tying run from second base with one out in the 8th. One more game in which the starting pitcher does not surrender four runs in the first inning. Just three more wins in each of those months.

If the Rays can win 14 games in each month, that would result in 84 wins over the course of a full season. 84-78 in 2007 would have been good enough for third in the AL East, 12 games behind the Red Sox, and 4th in the wild card race, 10 games behind the Yankees. Granted, 84 wins will not be enough to make the playoffs in 2008. The real key is to avoid a month like July. Good teams don’t have 7-20 months. Good teams have a bunch of 14-12s and one month at 20-7. If the Rays can play well enough and consistently enough to win at least 14 games each month, one hot streak could push the Rays up to the 88-90 win mark and right in the middle of the playoff hunt.

We are not convinced yet that the Rays are ready to be a playoff team, but 84 wins is not out of the realm of possibilities, and an 84-win team will be playing meaningful games in September. That is all a fan can ever ask for from their team…meaningful games in September.

*The Rays have 1 game scheduled in March

On the sixth day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is SIX months with at least 14 wins, and…
FIVE players with at least 25 home runs [Day 5]
FOUR winning records against AL East foes [Day 4]
THREE AL All-Stars [Day 3]
TWO new pitchers in the rotation by the all-star break [Day 2]
ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup [Day 1]

[2008 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 5 (Five players with 25 home runs)

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and why. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the fifth day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, FIVE players with at least 25 home runs…

To listen to some bandwagoneers, you would think the Tampa Bay Rays are on the verge of being the next ’27 Yankees. To be certain, there is a potential all-star in at least six spots in the lineup. But for all the talent and the offensive potential, only one player hit 25 home runs for the Rays in 2007…Carlos Pena who finished the season with 46 after being sent to the minors following spring training and playing the first few weeks as a part-time player.

Overall the Rays finished 3rd in the AL with 187 home runs, trailing only the Yankees and the White Sox, despite only two players with more than 20 home runs. However, if the Rays expect to compete in the AL East in 2008 and finally escape the cellar and make a run at the playoffs, they will need more consistent production from the middle of the lineup.

With only a single player north of the 25 home run mark in 2007, is it too much to ask that five members of the 2008 squad reach the milestone? It will not be easy, as only two players appear to be guarantees for the mark. While Pena may not be able to repeat his 2007 numbers, he should be a lock to surpass 25 home runs. BJ Upton should also be a lock to surpass the 25 home run mark if he can remain healthy.

The rest of the lineup is filled with question marks and potential. First and foremost is Carl Crawford. Already considered among the most talented players in baseball, Crawford will need to add more home runs to his resume if he is to take the next step towards superstar status and perennial all-star. In 2006, CC hit 18 home runs and appeared poised to break out in 2007. But sore wrists sapped Crawford of his power and limited him to 143 games and 11 home runs. He matched that home run total in one 30-game stretch in 2006, and at 6’2″ 220, he certainly has the strength to hit 25 home runs.

The rest of the lineup is filled with players that are capable of hitting 25 long balls. Rocco Baldelli has the pop in his bat if he can stay on the field. Regular duty at DH in 2008 may ensure 120 games for Rocco and 25+ home runs. Jonny Gomes has twice exceeded 20 home runs without ever having received 400 at bats in a season. Cliff Floyd has surpassed 25 home runs on three occasions, but he will be 35 in 2008 and has only played more than 115 games once in the past five seasons. If all three players can stay relatively healthy in 2008, one or more should reach the 25 home run mark.

Of course, the biggest question mark is Evan Longoria. Peter Gammons noted that several scouts that saw the Dirtbag play in the Arizona Fall League said he would hit at least 30 home runs if given a full season at the big league level in 2008. At this point, there is no guarantee that Longoria will open the season with the Rays, but if he did, he would certainly be a threat to reach 25 long balls.

Carlos Pena snuck up on the entire league in 2007, including the Devil Rays Brass. He won’t have the same luxury in 2008. Unless other members of the lineup step up and provide the Rays with legitimate power threats, the Rays opponents will not hesitate to pitch around Pena and the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays will have more trouble scoring runs than would one would think upon first glance.

On the fifth day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is FIVE players with at least 25 home runs, and..
FOUR winning records against AL East foes [Day 4]
THREE AL All-Stars [Day 3]
TWO new pitchers in the rotation by the all-star break [Day 2]
ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup [Day 1]

[2008 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 4 (Four Winning Records Against AL East Foes)

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and why. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the fourth day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, FOUR winning records against AL East foes…

Here at RI, we have been very forgiving of the Rays and their new management over the course of the past two seasons. First team in the history with the first pick in consecutive drafts? No problem! A “major league” pitching staff that included Jae Seo, Casey Fossum and Shawn Bleepin’ Camp? What the hell! But it has now been two years, and overall shittiness aside, improvements have been made and the honeymoon is now officially over. It’s true.

We are about to enter season three of the Stuart Sternberg/Andrew Friedman/Joe Maddon-era, and it is time to take the kid gloves off. It is time to start winning games…a lot of games. A team such as the Rays can have only two goals to start a season: 1) Stockpiling of young talent, teaching the game, and auditioning players for jobs at the major league level; 2) WIN. There are no other options and there is no in between. The Rays have successfully implemented the first goal, treating each of the last two seasons as an extended spring training. In season three, the Rays are now ready to win. And we do not mean 75 wins. The Rays goal for 2008 should be nothing short of the playoffs…Seriously. But in order to make the playoffs, the Rays need to do something they have never been able to do…Consistently beat the other four teams in the AL East.

Since Major League Baseball switched to an unbalanced schedule in 2001, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have posted exactly three winning records against an AL East rivals over the course of an entire season. In 2003, the Rays went 11-8 against both the Orioles and the Blue Jays, and in 2005 Tampa Bay finished 11-8 against the Yankees. In those seven seasons the Rays have never posted a winning record against the Red Sox. In this day and age, baseball teams play nearly half of their games within the division (at least 72 of 162). The Rays will never be a winning franchise until they are able to consistently win games against their own divisional foes.

Many have trumpeted the cause of realignment, stating the Rays will never be able to compete in the AL East against the Big Four and their budgets. While we have long dreamed of more natural rivalries with the Marlins and the Braves as well as double-switches and sacrifice bunts, we have never championed the cause on this website, because it seemed a little too much like taking your ball to another court because the other kids were a little better.

There is no excuse for not having a winning record versus the O’s and Jays, as they just do not have the talent of the Rays. On the other hand, beating the Red Sox or the Yankees on a consistent basis would be a difficult task for any team, but not impossible. For the first time in franchise history, the Rays have the starting pitching to compete in the AL East with the 1-2-3 combination of Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza, and more experienced and formidable bullpen to back them up. Anytime the Rays enter a series with two or three of those starting pitchers scheduled to throw, the Rays should win the series. And in the games not started by the Big 3, the Rays may finally have an offense with the potential to outscore another team.

If you are faced with an angry pit bull, you can either poop your pants or you punch him straight in the nose. It is time for the Rays to take the diapers off and start punching their rivals in the nose. That means winning records…not just against the O’s and Jays, which should be a no-brainer…but also against the Red Sox and Yankees.

On the fourth day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is FOUR winning records against AL East foes, and..
THREE AL All-Stars [Day 3]
TWO new pitchers in the rotation by the all-star break [Day 2]
ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup [Day 1]

[2008 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 3 (Three AL All-Stars)

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and why. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the third day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, THREE American League all-stars…

In 1999, the Devil Rays sent two representatives (Jose Canseco and Roberto Hernandez) to the fall classic in Boston. In each of the franchise’s other nine seasons, the Rays have been represented by a single player, several of whom were far from deserving (Lance Carter in 2003 comes to mind).

The lack of Devil Rays all-stars is due mostly to the void of deserving players, but is also in part due to the anonymity and the stigma of playing for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, arguably the worst team in baseball over the last 10 years. While Carl Crawford was named to the team in 2004, he was snubbed on at least one occasion, the most notable being 2006, when CC was hitting .319-13-46 with 32 steals entering the all-star break.

Anonymity is no longer an excuse for the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. With all the changes the team has made, including their uniforms and name, the Rays are now on the map and people are starting to notice. Several players are now known commodities in baseball, including Scott Kazmir, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena, with players such as James Shields and BJ Upton not far behind. It should not surprise anybody if any of those five players post all-star worthy numbers. In addition, players like Akinoria Iwamura, Evan Longoria, Matt Garza and Troy Percival could get strong consideration with big first halves.

The most interesting of this latter group is Iwamura. The Japanese import is entering his second season since coming to the States, after a rookie campaign in which he hit .285-7-34. Another Japanese hitter, Hideki Matsui, took a giant step forward in his second full season. After a rookie season that saw him hit .287-16-106, his numbers jumped to .298-31-108 in season two. While he has never approached his Japanese totals, Matsui’s numbers have been much closer since his first season in pinstripes. Nobody expects Iwamura to belt 40 home runs as he did in Japan, however, if he can improve his numbers to something in the range of .300-20-80, he will get strong consideration for all-star status among a weak field of second basemen.

As fans we have been hearing and reading about all the talent being stockpiled by the Tampa Bay Rays. Outside of Kazmir and Crawford, that talent has been sporadic and inconsistent and has yet to manifest into a move up in the standings. There are no more excuses in 2008. It is time to show the rest of major league baseball that there is substance to the hype. If these talented youngsters along with their veteran support staff perform as expected, the Rays will start to win more games. If the Rays start to win more ballgames people will notice. When people start paying attention, the Rays players will get the recognition they deserve. The first place that recognition will be realized is when the AL All-Star squad is announced in July and it includes at least three members of the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time in franchise history.

On the third day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is THREE American League all-stars, and..
TWO new pitchers in the rotation by the all-star break [Day 2]
ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup [Day 1]

[2008 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 2 (Two Starting Pitchers)

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and why. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the second day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, TWO new pitchers in the starting rotation by the all-star break…

Winning in baseball is about three things…Pitching, Pitching and Pitching. Much has been made about the Tampa Bay Rays starting pitchers now that Matt Garza has been added to the mix that already included Scott Kazmir and James Shields. The addition of Garza represents a significant upgrade as Jason Hammel is likely to be relegated to long relief and spot-starter duty. With the move, the Rays now have arguably the best young trio of starters in baseball that could very quickly develop into one of the best groups of 1-2-3 starters in all of baseball.

Kid K, James the Greater and the Garza Complex are undeniably good, but if the Rays want to be a playoff-caliber baseball club, they need five starting pitchers that have the ability to be dominant and can win on a consistent basis. The other two spots in the Rays rotation are likely to be filled by Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine. Unless both pitchers step up their performances in 2008 the Rays will need new pitchers in those spots, sooner rather than later. A playoff-caliber team cannot afford to be the underdog in 40% of their games, as the Rays certainly would be with Jackson and Sonnanstine squaring-off with most of the starting pitchers in the AL.

Nobody is arguing the talent of Edwin Jackson. Once of the top pitching prospects in baseball, Jackson showed glimpses of his potential in the second half of 2007. After a first half in which he was 1-9 with a 7.23 ERA, his second half improved to 4-6 with a 4.48 ERA, including a 4-hit shutout. Still, Nuke’s second half only included one other start in which he pitched into the 7th inning, as well six starts in which he walked at least four batters.

The most telling start of Jackson’s season may have been his June 13th assignment against the Padres at the Trop. Jackson entered the game with an 0-7 record and a 7.40 ERA. The Rays had just recalled Jason Hammel from Durham. The implication was that Jackson needed to improve his performance immediately or be replaced. In his very next start, Jackson allowed five runs and was pulled before he could record two outs. Jackson is still young, and it is risky to judge a player on one game, but in addition to a poor major league record, Nuke melted when a little pressure was applied. At this point we would not trust Jackson to start a meaningful game in September or October.

While Jackson is a classic case of a pitcher that has played well below his talent level, Andy Sonnanstine is a pitcher that must find ways to pitch above his. Without a plus-fastball The Duke depends on making hitters swing-and-miss by changing speeds and arm angles and having pinpoint control. Sonnastine can win when he is on top of his game, but is very hittable when he is not. That method worked well against inferior competition in the minors to the tune of a 40-18 record and a 2.58 ERA in 3+ minor league seasons. Against major league opponents, his record fell to 6-10 and his ERA ballooned to 5.85. While the Rays atrocious defense was partly responsible for Sonny’s stat line, he is still not blessed with an arm that can help him get by when he is not on top of his game. If the Rays are in a pennant race in September, they cannot afford to send a pitcher to the mound that can’t get by on guts if the need arises.

We are not ready to give up on either Jackson or Sonnanstine. We feel both have earned an opportunity to start the 2008 season in the rotation. However, the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are no longer about development. It is time to start winning ballgames. If the Rays want to be a playoff-caliber baseball club, they need five starting pitchers that can win on a consistent basis. So far, neither Jackson or Sonnanstine have shown that they can be one of those pitchers. With pitchers such as David Price, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Jacob McGee, the Rays have several options that have the potential to be a dominant and consistent winner and one or more of those options may be ready by July. If Jackson and Sonnanstine do not have at least six wins and a sub-5.00 ERA at the all-star break, it will be time to find somebody else that can help the Rays win now.

On the second day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is TWO new pitchers in the rotation by the all-star break, and…
ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup [Day 1]

[2008 TAMPA BAY RAYS] The 12 Days Of Raysmas: Day 1 (Evan Longoria)

If you have been hanging around these parts for a while, you know that the model for this site is to tell you what the Rays have done, what they are doing and what they will do, and why. Unlike most team blogs, we do not very often tell you what the Tampa Bay Rays should do. However, for the next 12 days we will step away from the standard, and we present to you 12 “presents” the Tampa Bay Rays should give to their fans.

On the first day of Raysmas, the Tampa Bay Rays gave to us, ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup…

The main purpose for keeping any player in the minor leagues is for that player to learn how to compete at the major league level. For a hitter, that means, learning how to hit major league pitching. Evan Longoria has been ready to hit major league pitching since the Dirtbag was drafted out of Long Beach State in 2006. Longoria is already a great hitter, with great instincts and great natural ability. There is nothing left to learn and in fact, starting him at Durham in 2008 may actually hinder his development.

The only step left in Longoria’s maturation into a major league hitter will be the adjustment that all hitters must make to facing major league pitchers. If Longoria begins 2008 in the minors, he will spend the first few week adjusting to AAA pitching. If he was still learning how to be a major league hitter, that would be an important step. However, with Longoria’s ability, adjusting to AAA pitching will not teach him very much and it will only delay the more important step…adjusting to major league pitching. With any hitters, teams risk a step-back in progress if they are rushed to the majors. With only 31 games at the AAA level, Longoria’s adjustment to the big league may take a little longer, but he is too good a hitter for it not to happen.

The Rays also have the added benefit of a lineup that is loaded with offensive talent. There is no need for Longoria to put up big numbers as the team can hide him in the bottom third of the lineup. Akinoria Iwamura, BJ Upton and Carl Crawford are locked in at the top of the order with Carlos Pena, Cliff Floyd and the two-headed monster of Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes filling out the next three spots [Ed. note: Joe Maddon could decide to bat Pena 3rd, Upton 4th and Floyd 5th to break up the lefties]. That means, Longoria is most likely hitting in the 7th spot of the lineup, and there will be no pressure to be a run producer early in his career.

With that in mind, the Rays need to make an announcement prior to Spring Training that Evan Longoria will be the opening day starter at third base and that the job will be his all season long no matter what the numbers say. Longoria projects as a .300-35-120 hitter in the big leagues. That compares favorably with one hall-of-fame third baseman. In his first full season, George Brett hit .282-2-47 (133 games). The Royals knew Brett was their third baseman of the future and gave him the job without looking back. And despite a Sean Burroughs-like performance his first full season, the Royals did not waiver.

With no obvious detriment to Longoria, the only reason to keep him in the minors to begin the season is if the Rays have a better option to man the hot corner. In short…they don’t. If opening day was tomorrow and Longoria was not on the roster, the starting third baseman would most likely be Joel Guzman, and we don’t see Guzman outperforming Longoria, even if the Dirtbag struggles out of the gate. The team could also try and find a third baseman through free agency or via trade. Neither of these moves is likely as the Rays will not want to surrender a prospect or any significant amount of money for a player that will only be a starter for half a season. Signing a player such as Greg Norton is a possibility as he would be cheap, can start at third base and then fill the role of super-utility player once Longoria arrives. This is a move you make only if the Rays truly think Longoria needs more seasoning, because even during his adjustment phase, Longoria would outperform Norton with one arm tied behind his back.

Will Evan Longoria be the next George Brett? Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain. He has nothing left to learn that the minor leagues can teach him. Evan Longoria is ready to be a major league third baseman. He may struggle at first, but eventually he will hit. It is what he was born to do. There may be a period of adjustment, but as he has shown over and over again as he has progressed through the minors, the period of adjustment will be short and sweet.

On the first day of Raysmas, all Rays fans want is ONE Evan Longoria in the opening day lineup.

[RAYMOND] Raymond’s Makeover Raises Questions Of MPEDs

2007 marked Raymond the Sea Dog’s 10th season as a major league mascot for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In the twilight of his career, his skills were clearly in decline. With the image found above, it now appears that Raymond has discovered the fountain of youth, much like other greats such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who were able to resurrect their Hall-of-Fame careers.

Take a look at these “before” and “after” photo

Besides the obvious (new jersey and new coat of hair coloring) notice the new facial hair that looks a lot less Wilfred Brimley. In addition, Raymond also apparently had some special form of laser-eye surgery as he looks a lot more Mickey Mouse and a lot less like he is on Crystal Meth.

But the biggest change is Raymond’s new sexy figure. It is hard to tell, but it appears to us that Raymond has a lost some weight. We now fully expect to see Raymond out at Clearwater Beach in a Speedo, which of course would be weird, since he doesn’t normally wear pants.

Is it possible that a mascot’s figure and appearance can change this drastically in one off-season? Will Raymond claim that these changes occurred naturally? Will Raymond’s name appear in the yet-to-be unveiled “San Diego Chicken Report”, on the use of “Mascot Performance Enhancing Drugs” such as “Sea Dog Growth Hormone”.

We don’t necessarily have a problem with plastic surgery and gastric-bypass surgeries. If there is something that can be done to make children happier, we are all for it. But there should at least be full-disclosure. Remember when Star Jones lost 750 pounds and claimed she did it naturally? No matter how much work you do, your kids are still going to be ugly and any future spouses deserve to know.

We can only hope that Raymond gets his own episode on The Swan.

[THE HANGOVER] BJ Upton Doesn’t Dance

With the holiday season upon us, Rays Index will be taking a semi-vacation. Mrs. Professor and I will be crisscrossing the country and there will not be any “Hangovers” until after the New Year, mainly because we fully expect to have a Hangover on a daily basis. However, we will be back here to report/comment on any news that requires our attention (They finally got internet in the Midwest, just this year…dial-up). We will be back full-time in January ready to bring another 12 months of Hangovers, “Devil Rays Columnists Suck” posts, roster and payroll projections, poop jokes and other poorly edited tomfoolery.

In the meantime we will leave you with this a-mazing video which we were directed to by one of our commenters. While we admire Major League Baseball’s attempt to attract fans under the age of 45, we don’t know if we should be excited or embarrassed by BJ Upton’s appearance in a video that reminds us a little too much of the gym I used to go to in Chelsea. (think Queer Eye for the Baseball Guys).

[Ed. note: The YouTube clip is down, but you can find the video HERE]

[CLIFF FLOYD] Rays And Cliff Floyd Agree On One-Year Deal

[Ed. note (4:29pm): Eduardo Encina is reporting that the contract has not been finalized]

Yahoo! Sports (are we the only ones that loathe the exclamation point?) is reporting that the Rays have signed Cliff Floyd to a 1-year contract with a team option in 2009. Floyd will make a base salary of $2.75 million with the opportunity to earn an additional $2 million in incentives.

We already wrote at length about what adding Floyd to the lineup would mean in terms of run production. As for the 25-man roster, Floyd fills multiple needs. He is the left-handed bat and part-time right fielder and DH the team was seeking. In addition, he will be able to spell Carlos Pena at first base whenever the latter needs a day off.

On the offensive side of the ball, there is now one less opening for the 2008. The team is still in the market for a veteran back-up catcher to fill one of the bench spots (could the Rays bring back Josh Paul in 2008?). Assuming that Ben Zobrist is the back up middle infielder, that leaves one bench spot that is wide-open. At this point, we give the edge to Joel Guzman because of his glove-work and defensive flexibility.

The signing of Floyd also raises the projected payroll to over $40 million. This is a jump up from what most thought would be the opening day payroll based on comments from the team that the payroll would raise approximately 20%. A $41 million payroll would be a raise of greater than 40% over the 2007 opening day payroll ($28 million).

OF Cliff Floyd agrees to $3 million, 1-year deal with Rays [Yahoo! Sports]
Rays: Floyd not on the dotted line…yet [tampabay.com]