THE HANGOVER Peter Gammons Predicts 30+ Home Runs For Evan Longoria In 2008

Team USA 5, Japan 1.
Evan Longoria had a 2-run double in the 8th that put the game out of reach. He finished 1-4. Justin Ruggiano also went 1-4.

Team USA 12, Spain 2.
Evan Longoria went 2-4 and hit his second home run of the World Cup, a 2-run shot. Justin Ruggiano went 1-3.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Hidden behind the password-wall of ESPN Insider is the latest Peter Gamons article. In the article he has high praise for Evan Longoria. [ESPN]

Three different baseball people insisted that Tampa Bay rookie third baseman Evan Longoria will hit more than 30 homers next year based on what they saw in the Arizona Fall League.

• Carlos Pena took home some more offseason hardware. This time it is the AL Silver Slugger award for being the top hitting first baseman in the AL. [Bottom 9]
• The Devil Rays have contacted free agent catcher Michael Barrett. This just in…The Rays would like to have a veteran catcher on the roster, which means they will be contacting all available veteran free agent catchers. [Fox Sports]
• The Brewers are trying to acquire Carl Crawford looking at the left fielder as the player that can put them over the top. Not surprisingly, the Rays are not interested in anything the Brew Crew is offering so they are trying to get a third team involved. [Mykenk’s Blog]
  
• Rays of Light has started a 9-part series entitled “Offseason Ideas”. They have #1 and #2 up, addressing whether or not to trade Rocco Baldelli, and signing Cesar Izturis to play shortstop in 2008. [Rays of Light]
• Delmon Young should have won a Gold Glove? One blogger thinks so. Young did not deserve a gold glove, even if they got rid of the ridiculous practice in which the outfield gold gloves are given to three outfielders regardless of outfield position, which often leads to three center fielders taking home the award. Young has one of the best arms in baseball, but his defense is below average at best. He plays too deep, takes bad angles and often looks uncomfortable. [Thunder Matt’s Saloon]
• If I ever go into politics, I am hiring David Chalk as my campaign manager. [Bugs & Cranks]
• And remember…if you are not happy about the Rays changing their name and would like to see sites such as RI or Bugs & Cranks continue using the moniker “Devil Rays”, go to THIS POST and leave a comment saying so.[Bugs & Cranks]

The Hangover: Justin Ruggiano Makes Major League Debut

Angels 2, Devil Rays 1.
Come back in a little bit for a big announcement.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Justin Ruggiano made his major league debut last night. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated Wes Bankston for assignment. [tampabay.com]
• Brendan Harris was unavailable again yesterday after pulling a muscle in batting practice on Tuesday. [TBO]
• As far as late-season rookie hazing goes, Aki Iwamura got off easy (Dice-K was made to dress like a Teletubby). On the other hand, Aki’s interpretor looks like he is in pain. [tampabay.com]
• There is a Devil Ray that holds a major league record. Scott Aldred from 1998 currently holds the record and the record is about to go down and its going down hard. [Baseball Prospectus]
• David Chalk is not happy that the Rays are dropping the “Devil”. He feels the team name has not been marketed properly, offering his own “suggestion”. [Bugs & Cranks]
• I organized my first “Rotisserie Baseball League” in 1988 (I had Kirk Gibson on my team). And SimonOnSports reminds us why we stopped playing fantasy baseball 2 years ago. Too many people now believe that Fantasy Baseball is more important than the real thing. You see, Simon apparently got “kicked in the groin” when the Devil Rays decided to shut James Shields down for the season and Simon is pissed off that Joe Maddon did not personally inform Simon of the decision in time for him to make a roster move. Apparently the Rays are idiots for caring more about the longterm health of their young Ace rather than Simon’s fantasy baseball team. [SimonOnSports]
• The folks at Roto Authority, on the other hand, understand that when a young pitcher bests his previous career high in pitches thrown, they are at a very high risk of suffering an injury or a dead arm in the following season. [Roto Authority]

With Jamie Shields shut down for the season (smart move) let’s take a look at his breakout 2007 season…Boiling all of these peripherals in a big stat cauldron gives us a 3.62 ERA to go with that 1.22 WHIP (in 2008). With the right win total that could garner some Cy votes…Speaking of which, with that many innings I think he could pick up 15 or 16 wins in 2008. He’s quietly becoming the AL’s Aaron Harang, even pitching in the East. His changeup is top ten in the game and he’s got two other above average pitches as well.

• John Sickels takes a close look at two of the top left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, Jake McGee and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. [Minor League Ball]