[THE HANGOVER] Josh Paul Is Still Favorite To Be Backup Catcher

Tampa Bay Rays (42 days until Opening Day)

Joe Maddon stated that Shawn Riggans is the favorite to be the backup catcher on opening day. Papa Joe then commented on what his criteria is for a backup catcher.

“The backup guy should be pretty effective defensively,” Maddon said. “It’s not an easy position. The guys that do it well make it look easy, but it’s not easy. Part of their job really is to help the starting catcher. … It’s like a good backup quarterback in football.”

This only surprises us because Maddon actually commented on the situation, but it does not surprise us that he named Riggans even though we project Josh Paul to win the job. Keep in mind that Riggans is the only candidate that is actually on the 40-man roster at this point. Paul and Mike DiFelice are in essence getting “tryouts”. They are on minor league deals and have done nothing yet to earn a major league contract. If the team had absolute confidence in one or the other, they would not be on minor league deals.

The team has made it clear that they prefer a veteran backup catcher to help further the development of starter Dioner Navarro. Just don’t expect Papa Joe to admit that publicly because he would have to say that he prefers a player that is not on the team over a player that is on the team.

At the end of the day, we still feel Josh Paul will be the Rays backup catcher and it is Riggans that needs to “win” the job. Paul has the edge in experience, better defensive abilities and a strong familiarity with the pitching staff and Navarro. Riggans would have to outperform Paul defensively in Spring Training to make the roster and we are not convinced he can.

Notes: Iwamura ready for second base [Tampa Bay Rays]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Marc Topkin takes a look at the Rays trio of young talented starting pitchers. Jim Hickey feels that 26 teams in the league would prefer to have Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza as their top 3 pitchers. [St. Pete Times]

As Rays officials went back over the last several decades, they came up with only a few teams that had three starters who were so young with the chance to be so good. There were the A’s of the early 2000s with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. The Marlins of the same era with Josh Beckett, Brad Penny and Dontrelle Willis. The Braves of the early 1990s with Steve Avery, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. And not too many others…”It’s certainly a rare commodity,” senior vice president Gerry Hunsicker said, “to have three young pitchers with the talent level that we’re going to run out there.”

• A quick video interview with David Price as well as a look at him throwing off a mound. (Link will open a video player) [Tampa Bays 10]
• Rays of Light begins a series in which they will spotlight certain Rays. First up is Akinori Iwamura. [Rays of Light]
• Beyond the Boxscore makes an argument for Fred McGriff to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. We think the Crime dog was a very good and very consistent player, but he was what Mike Francessa would call a “compiler”. His numbers look good because he played for a long time, not because he was a great player. We witnessed most of McGriff’s career and never once did we watch McGriff and think “There goes one of the greatest baseball player’s ever”. Sorry. Great guy, very good player, but when the voting comes, we would be surprised if he cracks 25%. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• We were in Austin this weekend. Apparently so was Matt Silverman. He was running in the Austin half-marathon. We were sitting in the front yard drinking Mimosas watching the half-marathoners and marathoners run by. [Rays Report]
• Baseball Prospectus projects the Rays to finish 82-80. The biggest change will be in the pitching. They project that the Rays will increase their scoring from 782 to 788 runs in 2008 and will decrease their runs allowed from 944 to 776. [Baseball Prospectus]
• Sean Deveney of The Sporting News feels the Rays and the Nationals have a special kinship because they have both sucked recently. The similarities are a stretch and include small fanbase (usually goes hand-in-hand with sucking), long odds to win the 2008 World Series (again, sucking), good young third basemen (1 spot out of 25 is similar), and both teams want to improve their image (as do most sucky teams). [The Sporting News]

[THE HANGOVER] All Evan Longoria Needs Is A Chance, And Now He’s Got It

Tampa Bay Rays (1 day until pitchers and catchers report)

It is what he wanted.

It is what we wanted.

It is not necessarily what the front office wanted.

But now it looks like Evan Longoria will get the opportunity to prove in Spring Training that he belongs in the majors.

And a chance is all the Dirtbag needs. It won’t take much to convince Joe Maddon. And we have a feeling that if Papa Joe can be convinced, it won’t take much to convince Andrew Friedman.

Longoria will not have to hit .400 in Spring Training and he will not have to hit 10 home runs. In fact, we have a feeling that as long as he does not fall flat on his face, he will be named the Rays opening day starter at third base. As much as Papa Joe likes to crunch numbers on his computer, he still loves himself a good ole fashioned baseball player. Evan Longoria is a baseball player. And Maddon will envision that rubbing off on the other players

Maddon is destined to fall in love with the 22 year old. He will see enough in his swing and his glove to know that he is not going to be over-matched at the major league level.

Longoria may struggle at first. But he is too good a hitter to fail. And Papa Joe will see that.

Longoria will get chance to earn spot [Rays Report]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• ESPN.com takes a closer look at the “revitalized” Carl Crawford. C.C. speaks about having more energy after learning that he was allergic to dairy and wheat products and the subsequent change in his diet. He has also upped his workout regimen and has dropped his body fat from 12% to 8% since December. He also doesn’t hold back in his portrayal of just how miserable 2007 was for the Rays. [ESPN]

“It’s just going to be about playing baseball again, that’s what I’m really excited about this season,” Crawford said at his offseason home. “With all the B.S. that was going on last year, I think we lost focus on the task at hand.” Crawford refers to the ongoing soap opera that featured Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young. Both of the enormously talented players couldn’t stay out of trouble; Dukes with his off-field issues, and Young with his me-first attitude that resulted in him at first walking out on manager Joe Maddon on the second-to-last day of the 2007 regular season. Crawford calls last season a year “he never wants to remember,” and the distractions, at times, were almost unbearable…”That move, for Garza, spoke volumes,” Crawford said. “For the first time I felt like this organization was serious about winning. That’s the reason why I think everybody is excited because everybody sees that.”

• Joe Maddon confirmed something that we had expected, that is five of the seven bullpen spots are already spoken for, all but guaranteeing that Gary Glover will be on the opening day roster. That leaves one spot that will go to a “loser” in the battle for the starting rotation and the final spot will be between Juan Salas, Scott Dohmann and Grant Balfour. [The Heater]
• Shawn Riggans enters Spring Training healthy and understands this may be his last shot at winning a job with the Rays now that John Jaso has been added to the 40-man roster. Marc Topkin refers to Riggans as the “apparent leading candidate for the backup catcher’s job.” This might be a stretch after the recent additions of one veteran catcher in Mike DiFelice and the return of Josh Paul who is familiar with the Rays pitching staff. It is our feeling that if the season started today Paul’s experience and familiarity with the pitching staff will be a better partner to the young Dioner Navarro. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Topkin reviews all the changes the Rays have made this off-season. [St. Pete Times]
• The Columbus Catfish have been sold and plan to relocate to Bolling Green, Kentucky for the 2009 season. [Ledger-Enquirer]
• Baseball Analysts continues their breakdown of the best baseball players by age. In the age 23 group, BJ Upton comes in at #6, while both Evan Longoria and David Price come in at #5 and #12 respectively. [Baseball Analysts]
• The Ledger ranks the DHs. The Rays’ three-headed monster of Rocco Baldelli, Cliff Floyd and Jonny Gomes is ranked 7th. [The Ledger]
• My Baseball Bias previews the Rays’ Spring Training. [My Baseball Bias]
• Devil Rays Locker gives the Rays front office a B+ for this off-season’s moves. [Devil Rays Locker]

[THE HANGOVER] One More Time…Scott Kazmir Is Not Going Anywhere…For Now

Tampa Bay Rays (38 days until pitchers and catchers report)
Will everybody please shut the hell up about Scott Kazmir? This has been going on all off-season and it is approaching ludicrous levels. The original source for all the stories and speculation was a New York Post article written by the idiot Joel Sherman. Here is the original line…

An executive familiar with Tampa’s thinking said if the offers for Santana grow to a substantial level, then the Rays would test to see what they could get for Scott Kazmir.

“An executive familiar with Tampa’s thinking…” His source was not even a Rays’ executive. Hell it may not have even been a baseball executive. He might have talked to the executive at his morning coffee shop.

Now we have been inundated with dozens of stories and blog posts speculating that the Rays will trade Kazmir because he has not signed a long-term contract and does not seem to have any interest in doing so.

SO WHAT?!?!

He is still three years from free agency. Three friggin’ years! 2008 marks Kid K’s first year of arbitration eligibility. Our best guess has Kazmir and the Rays agreeing to a one-year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million. If Scott Kazmir was a free agent pitcher today and he approached the Rays and said he would sign with Tampa Bay for one year at $4 million, the Rays would throw a party. Kazmir is going to pitch for the Rays in 2008. He is going to pitch for the Rays in 2009 and there is at least a 50/50 chance he pitches for the Rays in 2010.

If and when the Rays decide to move Kid K, it will not happen until after the 2009 season at the earliest. Why do it before then? There really is no incentive.

And so what if there is a chance the Rays trade Kazmir after the 2009 season? We have absolutely ZERO idea what the Rays’ rotation will look like entering the 2010 season. What if David Price, Wade Davis and Jake McGee are all fullfilling their promised careers and two have already joined James the Greater, Matt Garza and Kid K in the rotation? If the Rays have five young and talented starting pitchers at the major league level, and Kazmir is entering the final year before free agency the Rays better trade Kazmir. They would be stupid not to.

That’s right. We said it. And we will repeat it now for the cheap seats. If the Rays rotation entering 2010 is some combination of Kazmir, Shields, Price, Davis, Garza and McGee and all look to be above-average starting pitchers and the Rays have failed to lock Kazmir into a long-term deal…THE RAYS BETTER TRADE KAZMIR. And they will. Make no doubt about it. It is the smart move.

And if Kazmir continues to develop at his current pace, the Rays would be fools not to trade him. While he is not Johan Santana, look at the packages that are being offered for his services. Even if a proposed trade was slightly less than one of the Santana packages, it would still be a sweet bounty that would include 3-4 top prospects/young major leaguers. Add that group to Shields/Price/McGee/Davis/Garza/Upton/Longoria and the Rays will continue to have a very strong core of young players.

Kid K is the type of player that we covet. We may not get his peak years but we will get at least 5 seasons of top-level pitching and then he is moved for a number of pieces that will replenish the cupboards. Kid K is the type of player that keeps a team like the Rays competitive over the long-term.

As Rays fans we cannot be afraid to lose a player like Scott Kazmir. As a small-market franchise, the Rays cannot be afraid to trade a player like Scott Kazmir.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays have signed former Devil Rays catcher Mike DiFelice to a minor league contract. He will be invited to spring training with an opportunity to make the squad as the backup catcher. With the other option being Shawn Riggans, we give Difelice the edge, unless another catcher is signed. [TampaBay.com]
• Each week until the opening of Spring Training, Bill Chastain will preview a different position for the Tampa Bay Rays. The first week is catcher and a close look at Dioner Navarro. According to Joe Maddon, the team is not concerned with Navi’s bat, but are more worried about his development defensively. His throwing is above-average, but the team needs improvements in other aspects of his game. [DevilRays.com]

“He really came on offensively,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “But the quantum leap we want to see is defensively calling a game…”He does a pretty good job of blocking pitches. We like to see him receive balls on the corner better than he has in the past. Taking charge of the staff, communication wise, we have a ways to go. … It’s vital to the development of [Scott] Kazmir, [James] Shields, [Matt] Garza, [Edwin] Jackson, etc…We do lack experience (at catcher). No question. We have to accelerate the learning curve behind the plate. We talk a lot about it and we’re trying to address it.”

• Joe Maddon has placed on emphasis on making sure that Dioner Navarro arrives to Spring Training in shape and ready to take on a leadership role with the Rays. [TampaBay.com]

Maddon said he was in contact with Navarro this week, and he has been working out at the Naimoli complex trying to get into better shape for spring training. Last spring Navarro struggled as Maddon called the starting job open….”I really got a sense of urgency from him,” Maddon said. “I would be very surprised if he didn’t come into camp in much better shape and ready to play. I know he’s not going to forget what happened last spring, also because I’m not going to let him.

• Dayn Perry, of Fox Sports, who we have been very critical of in the past, has a feature story predicting a bright future for the Rays. [FoxSports.com]
• With Baseball America set to unveil their list of the Rays’ top 10 prospects and best tools list, Future Considerations makes their predictions for which Rays farm hands will be named in the “Best Tools” categories. We don’t see much to argue with, although we are not sure we would name Evan Longoria “Best Power Hitter and “Best Average Hitter”. Rhyne Hughes or John Jaso for “Best Average Hitter”? [Future Considerations]
• RotoAuthority lists the top 25 catchers. Not a single Dioner Navarro among the bunch. [RotoAuthority]
• Did Carl Crawford ruin the career of Matt Clement? [The Dugout]
• Michael Kalt, the Rays Vice President of Development, has been named by the St. Pete Times as one of “10 People to watch in 2008”. He is the man behind the plan to bring a new stadium to the St. Pete waterfront. [TampaBay.com]

After helping parlay other people’s needs and money into new homes for the Yankees and Mets in New York, Kalt cobbled a plan that would raise most of the cash to build a new $450-million stadium in downtown St. Petersburg by selling publicly owned Tropicana Field as site for a $600-million-plus mixed-use project.

• The Rays signed Andy Cannizaro and outfielder John Rodriguez to minor-league contracts. Both players will be invited to Spring Training with a shot at making the 25-man roster. Neither will. Rodriguez would have to beat out Jonny Gomes for the fourth outfielder spot. And even if Gomes is traded, there is still Justin Ruggiano. Cannizaro has a slightly better shot as the only real competition for utility infielder at this point appears to be Ben Zobrist, but as a switch-hitter, Benny Boo Boo has a strong advantage as the only available left-handed bat off the bench at this point. [TampaBay.com]
• Beyond the Boxscore interviewed Paul DePodesta. Why are we including this in the “Webtopia”? Because DePodesta confirms something we have been screaming at the top of our lungs ever since we read Moneyball…That is, a “Moneyball” player has NOTHING to do with a good OBP. It has everything to do with finding a player that is undervalued. Nothing more. Nothing less. At the time Moneyball was written, players with a strong OBP were undervalued. Nowadays, strong OBPs are on everybody’s radar so they are no longer undervalued. [Beyond the Boxscore]
• Reid Brignac has a rooting interest in tonight’s BCS Championship game between Ohio State and LSU. Probably don’t have to tell you which team The Cajun God of Baseball will be cheering for. [Stacy Long’s Riverwalk Talk]
• The Rays will discuss their stadium proposal with members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association at 7 pm on Thursday at the Sunshine Center. [TampaBay.com]
• On Wednesday, The Rays will hold a meeting open to the public to discuss the new stadium. The meeting will be held at Tropicana Field at 6pm. City officials are requesting RSVPs but will not turn anybody away. [TampaBay.com]