A Look At The Future…Yesterday On The Farm

Scranton 8, Durham 1. Some people see the finish line and they freeze. Others see the finish line and the find another gear. In the Houston Astros’ organization Ben Zobrist was languishing at AA. Since his trade to the Devil Rays and the subsequent promotion to AAA, Zobrist has found another gear. B. J. ‘don’t call me Melvin’ Upton, has moved to third base and Julio Lugo is likely to be traded. Zobrist can smell the big leagues. Last night Zobrist went 2-3 with a walk. In 6 games at Durham he is 8-21 (.381) with a .500 OBP. A lot can change in two weeks. Two weeks ago the future shortstop for the Rays was either Upton, Lugo or Reid Brignac. All three give us agida for some reason (Upton and Brignac are terrible defensively…Lugo is a free agent the team cannot afford). Zobrist? He appears to be solid defensively. His style of hitting is nowhere to be seen on the Rays’ roster. He is an OBP machine when the team desperately needs one.

West Tennessee 5, Montgomery 1. Jeff Niemann’s record (0-4) is not very good. In fact it sucks. But for the most part he has pitched well in his return…that was until last night. Last night Niemann gave up 7 hits, 1 walk and 4 runs in 4 innings of work.

Vialia 7, Modesta 6. And the future third baseman for the Devil Rays? B. J. Upton? Try Evan Longoria. 24 professional games…10 home runs….383 batting average. That was after another 3-5 performance with a home run and 4 RBI.

We Tip Our Cap To The Greatness That Is Francisco Liriano

Minnesota 8, D-Rays 1. It was billed as the matchup of the two best young pitchers in the big leagues. The Twins’ Francisco Liriano versus the Rays’ Scott Kazmir. Both are 22…both have shown the ability to dominate at a young age…Both entered the game with 10 wins…Kid K was an All-Star…Liriano should have been…Both were acquired by their respective teams in what turned out to be lopsided trades (Liriano came to Minnesota with Joe Nathan for A. J. Pierzynski). We had heard much about Liriano, but right now we have to admit, he stands head and shoulders above Kazmir. Liriano has what Kazmir does not have yet…Consistency. And he is consistent because he is efficient. In 8.2 innings, Liriano threw 111 pitches. In 6 innings, Kazmir threw 93 pitches. On top of that, Liriano threw his hardest pitch of the night in the top of the 9th (97 mph). Seth Speaks did a very impressive pitch-by-pitch analysis of the two pitchers. All you have to do is ask yourself one question. If you were starting a team today and you had to choose between Liriano and Kazmir, which would you choose? You are lying to yourself if don’t say Liriano and right now it is not even close. This is no knock on Kid K. He is good. He will be great. But right now, he is not Liriano. It is not even close. Don’t get us wrong…we love Kazmir, but if the Twinkies offered Liriano for him straight up, we would drive to the Metrodome and pick up Liriano ourselves. Alas, that will never happen and that suits us just fine. We love having Kid K on our side. He will rebound and he will be great…By the way, the losing streak now sits at five in a row and eight of nine.

Devil Rays News And Notes

• Here is a nice write-up of the recent combined no-hitter thrown by Jason Hammel and Juan Salas. Hammel came a lot closer to finishing the deal himself than we realized. [Baseball America]
• Excellent question here…Has there been a worse hitter in baseball, especially at hitter’s position, than Travis Lee? Here are some numbers. In all baseball, there are 34 first basemen with at least 150 at bats. Lee is last in batting average (.202), 31st in home runs (5), last in RBI (14), and last in slugging (.305). But our favorite stat? Try 3-40. Travis Lee is 3-40 (.075) with runners in scoring position. Who cares how many errors he saves at first base if he costs the teams runs at the plate? [Yahoo! Sports]
• The Rays’ front office has clearly started a new trend by showing that they will pull a trigger on a deal. But the question is…would Andrew Friedman take a page from Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s and hold on to a free agent-to-be? In this case, Julio Lugo is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Lugo would probably command a contract that would not make sense for the Devil Rays, especially with young shortstops waiting in the wings (B. J. Upton?, Reid Brignac, Ben Zobrist). The obvious choice is to move Lugo to a contender for a prospect or two. But, Billy Beane often holds on to those players and takes the “sandwich” draft pick that teams are awarded for losing free agents to other teams. If Lugo walks at the end of the season, the Rays would be awarded an extra pick in between the first and second round. Apparently the Rays are considering this option. [DevilRays.com]
• Unbelievably, the Devil Rays game featuring two of the best young pitchers in baseball (Liriano and Kid K) will not be part of the MLB Extra Innings package. *banging head against our desk* [MLB Extra Innings]
• Here is an article that shows exactly how difficult it is to acquire a young catcher like Dioner Navarro. This trade may actually be bigger for the Rays than it appears on the surface. [Sporting News]
• Chuck Tiffany who came over with Edwin Jackson in the off-season trade that sent Danys Baez and Lance Carter to the Dodgers, has just had season-ending rotator cuff surgery. Tiffany was considered by some to be the better player in that trade with a higher upside than Jackson. [Baseball America]

UPDATE: The game tonight with the Minnesota Twins, featuring Liriano and Kid K, has been added to the MLB Extra Innings package. It looks to us like enough people called and complained. In the immortal words of Mel Allen, How about that! People were complaining about a Devil Rays’ game not being on TV.

A Look At The Future…Yesterday On The Farm

Durham 4, Scranton 0. Four pitchers combined to 4-hit Scranton, led by J. P. Howell (2-2) and finished off by Seth McClung. Howell had his best start since being acquired in a trade for Joey Gathright. The 2005 first round pick pitched 5 innings, giving up 4 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 7. In 5 starts, he now has a 2.36 ERA. McClung just keeps mowing down the opposing hitters. In the 9th inning, he faced four batters. He gave up 1 hit and struck out 3. Since being sent back to Durham to become a relief pitcher, McClung has pitched 11.2 innings, surrendering 9 hits, 1 walk and 20 strikeouts. Not bad. Ben Zobrist another recent acquisition, went 2-4 and is now 6-18 (.333) in his first 5 games with Durham.

Devil Rays Need To Throw Out The Stale Bread

Minnesota 6, D-Rays 3. Four in a row. Seven of the past eight games, dating back to the final game of the Red Sox series before the break. It’s ugly and it will only getting uglier. Unfortunately, with the team making as many trades as they have made, this team is on the verge of giving up on the season. With Julio Lugo set to be shipped elsewhere very soon, the second half is likely to become a tryout for the 2007 season. The team has made it clear that they do not want to rush their young prospects to the big leagues before they are ready, but it is time to see B. J. Upton, Juan Salas, Kevin Witt (not so young), Ben Zobrist, Jason Hammel, J. P. Howell and Seth McClung (as a closer) in Devil Rays uniforms. In September we are also need to see Delmon Young, and Elijah Dukes patrolling the outfield. The team cannot keep using castoffs in the lineup like Travis Lee, Greg Norton, Russell Branyan, Tomas Perez, and Damon Hollins. These players are not part of the future and they are not helping the Rays win games now. The pitching staff? Casey Fossum does not give the team a chance to win, so why keep sending him out there every five days. He is not part of the future of this team. We would rather lose with Hammel or Howell on the mound then struggle to watch another game pitched by Fossum. The Bullpen? It is what it is…A disaster. With three different closers lost to injuries this season, pitchers are in the bullpen that shouldn’t be there and there are pitchers who are in roles that don’t suit them (ie. Brian Meadows). Juan Salas has been as dominant as any player can be in the minor leagues and why he is not in the major leagues is beyond us. We understand that he is young in terms of being a pitcher, but he is not young. He is 28. If they had converted a 20 year old to pitcher that would be one thing. But one of the announcers during the Futures Game said it best. Sometimes when a player is 27, 28, 29, they just “get it”. It looks like Salas “gets it”. Will he struggle at times in the majors? Probably. But that is ok. He is 28, and his maturity level should allow him to survive any difficulties he will endure. Seth McClung has DOMINATED at Durham. 20 strikeouts in 11.2 innings and only 1 walk. He already knows the big leagues. Why isn’t he back already? The team does not have a closer right now. McClung looks like he has found his calling. Now is the time to give the shot.

There is an old saying in the NFL, that the most popular player on the team is the backup quarterback. It is the same in baseball. The most popular players in baseball are the top prospects in the minors. We here at RI are advocates of patience. Let them grow and develop. But this season is now lost and the players that are here are clearly giving up. There are players at AAA Durham that may be ready. There are players on the major league roster that are not part of the future. At this point, attendance will begin to fall and it will fall fast. Why should fans go watch a team that loses and loses with players like Fossum on the mound and Perez, Branyan and Hollins in the lineup? At this point, the fans need hope. There is no hope in half this roster. There is hope in the minors. We know that we will see some of these guys in September, but that is six weeks away. This team is in serious danger of a 5-25 stretch. We would rather watch a last place team with Upton, Young, Witt, McClung, Salas and Hammel than the stale bread the team keeps sending out to the field right now.

A Look At The Future: This Past Weekend On The Farm

Durham Bulls. The Wes Bankston experiment at third base ended this past week when Aubrey Huff was traded to the Astros and uber-prospect B. J. Upton was moved to third base. Bankston, who has struggled defensively was promoted to AAA Durham and moved back to first base. Bankston is taking well to his promotion and new old position. In his first four games, he is 6-13 (.462) with 4 RBI…Delmon Young has cooled off a bit, going 2-13 in the last 3 games. His average has fallen to .333…The B. J. Upton experiment at thirdbase is off to a strong start. In four games, Upton is yet to commit an error, marking one of his longest errorless streaks of the season…The Juan Salas streak has finally ended. On Friday night, Salas surrendered a 2-run home run, his first two earned runs of the season…On Saturday night, Salas made up for the snafu by combining with Jason Hammel on a no-hitter. Hammel went 8.1 innings and was taken out after throwing 125 pitches…Ben Zobrist is 4-14 in his first four games with the Bulls …Seth McClung is adjusting well to his new role as closer. He saved two games over the weekend and has struck out 17 in 10.2 innings while only walking 1. McClung should be back in Tampa sooner rather than later and take over for Brian Meadows as the team’s closer…Things are not so well for Doug Waechter. In 6 starts, he is 1-5 with 9.09 ERA. Um? That’s not good.

Other Notes. Josh Hamilton is starting to find his groove. He is 5-7 over the past 2 games. In 9 games Josh is 10-31 (.323) with 3 doubles, 1 triple and 4 RBI...Mitch Talbot was strong in his first start for the Montgomery Biscuits. He worked 6 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 5 to pick up the win…Jeff Niemann continues to stretch out his arm. In his most recent start he worked 6 innings, with 4 hits, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. In his first 5 starts of 2006, he has struck out 32 in 27 innings, with a 3.33 ERA…Evan Longoria continues to rack up hits for the Oaks. In 15 games he is hitting .339-5-13 with an 8 to 7 walk to strikeout ratio. He now has 9 home runs in 23 professional games. Would it be so terrible to give Longoria a week or two with the big club in September?

Devil Rays Blogtopia

While we await the return of the Devil Rays from the All-Star break, Let’s take a look at what is being said about the team and their players out in the Blogosphere.

• Astros fans liked the Aubrey Huff trade so much they have…written a song? We introduce you to H. R. Huff ‘n Stuff. [Smell the Glove]
• Was the Huff trade good for the Rays? One site thinks we should remember the date when the team finally starts winning. [DRays Bay]
• While another site believes the Rays were just thirsty. [zachls]
• The Mets are the one team that keeps popping up in the Julio Lugo sweepstakes. With Jose Reyes firmly entrenched at shortstop, that would leave Lugo to play secondbase. [Mike’s Mets]
• We are getting tired of bloggers out there commenting on potential trades and mentioning how the Rays are usually tough to trade with. They must have missed the memo about a new front office, and how the Rays have made more trades in the past 9 months, then they did in the previous four seasons. Guys…Lamar and Naimoli are not here any more! [Kenny’s Sports Spectacular]
• Of the perennial losers in all the major sports, where do the Rays rank in overall chance to end the ineptitude? [Mondesi’s House]
• Thanks to Kid K, we might soon have a new word in our vocabulary…Kazmired. [Hardball Heaven]
• Speaking of Kaz, apparently we can thank Al Leiter, John Franco and their musical arrogance for Scott Kazmir wearing a Devil Rays uniform. [Hot Foot]
• And Deana thinks Kid K looks like he is 12 years old. Now she knows why we call him Kid K. [Seattle Marinerds]
• It always annoys us when fans of the Red Sox and the Yankees think that every good player should play for their respective teams. This Red Sox fan thinks it is wrong for Kid K to playing for the Devil Rays. [Cursed to First]
• Now that Delmon Young has become a complete 6-tool prospect (hitting, hitting for power, speed, glove, arm strength, bat tossing) he has retained his position as the top prospect in all baseball. [D. A. Humber: Baseball Central]
• So the question now is…Is Delmon the next Alex Rodriguez, or the next Darryl Strawberry? [Roto Rob]
• Dusty Baker is clearly on the hot seat in Chicago…So let the Lou Piniella rumors start swirling. [Osos, Inc.]
• Then again, if one observer was actually in charge, the Devil Rays managerial position would be vacant again very soon. [African-American Sports Take]
• Another good idea for a Devil Rays name change? [Capitol Punishment]
• Or this one. [African-American Sports Take]
• What is more American than a D-Rays game and…Needle Arts? [Thriftgoddess]
• First Carl Crawford, now the Rockies want B. J. Upton. Good luck with that one. [Baseball With An Altitude]
• Speaking of C. C., if you were starting a team today, would he be one of the outfielders? [Kenny’s Sports Spectacular]
• And if you had to pick one player from everyone that has ever worn a Rays uniform to represent the team, would C. C. be the “Face of the Devil Rays”? Not yet, but give him a year or two. Right now? Wade Boggs? Fred McGriff? Rocco Baldelli? Scott Kazmir? [The Bottom Line]
• The single-A, Southwest Michigan Devil Rays have made the list of top-10 most outrageous promotions. [Kansas City Star]

D-Rays @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Disney Land

• The Rays open the second half of the season 39-50, 15 games behind the AL East leading Boston Red Devils and 1 game behind the Horioles.
• The Angels ended the first half, having won 8 of their last 9 games to pull within 2.5 games of Oakland and Texas in the AL West.
• We think that the cousin of Angels prospect Howie Kendrick is behind the Angels’ Blog, Chronicles of the Lads. For a team that is one of the hottest in baseball, their only post in the last few days is an epic rant about demoting Adam Kennedy in favor of Kendrick. Never mind that most playoff contenders look for veteran players in exchange for minor league prospects this time of year. Of course! Why wouldn’t a team want to demote a proven veteran and give a prospect his first big league experience in the heat of a pennant race?
• The writers over at Halos Heaven have predicted tonight’s score to be 6-1 with the Angels out-hitting the Rays 14-5. hmmmm? Not sure if they have ever predicted an Angels’ loss.
• The Angels pitchers have allowed 3 or fewer runs in 20 of last 33 games and lead the AL in ERA (4.05).
• L.A. leads the AL in errors and is second in wild pitches, leading to the most unearned runs allowed in the Majors.
• The Angels took 2 of 3 from Tampa June 5-7.
• In his last start John Lackey gave up a leadoff double and then retired the next 27 batters he faced.
• This series marks Joe Maddon’s first return to Anaheim since leaving the franchise after 12 seasons as a coach for the Angels.

Probable Pitchers
Friday, 10:05 et
Devil Rays Jae Seo, RHP (2-6, 5.22)
Los Angeles John Lackey, LHP (7-5, 2.88)

Saturday, 10:05 et
Devil Rays Scott Kazmir, LHP (10-6, 3.27)
Los Angeles Ervin Santana, RHP (10-3, 3.96)

Sunday, 3:35 et
Devil Rays James Shields, RHP (4-2, 4.89)
Los Angeles Bartolo Colon, RHP (1-4, 4.57)

Juan Salas

We aren’t sure why it took so long but people are starting to notice the amazing things that Juan Salas is doing in the minor leagues this season. If you are a regular visitor to RI, then you know that we are firmly entrenched on the Juan Salas bandwagon and are clamoring for a promotion to the Devil Rays. Salas was recently promoted to AAA Durham after pitching most of the first half for the Montgomery Biscuits. At Montgomery, he pitched 34.2 innings allowing a ridiculously low 13 hits. He also struck out 52 compared to 14 walks. The most impressive number? Zero. As in no earned runs (4 unearned) allowed. Since his promotion to Durham, he hasn’t slowed down. In 10 appearances he has pitched 12.2 innings allowing 6 hits, 4 walks while striking out 15. He has yet to allow any runs in AAA. This was followed up by a recent appearance as the lone Devil Rays representative in MLB’s Futures Game. In the game, Salas retired the lone batter he faced.

Originally signed as a third baseman at the age of 16 out of the Dominican Republic. In six seasons as a fielder, Salas batted an unimpressive .264, never hitting more than 7 home runs in any single season. On top of that, after the Sept. 11, 2001 crack down on immigration, it turned out Salas was three years older than the organization thought he was and all of the sudden Salas was no longer a 20 year old prospect with an upside. He was then a 23 year old minor leaguer who had probably reached his potential. Then in 2004 he pulled a “Delmon Young” at one point, by throwing a bat at an umpire after striking out, earning himself an indefinite suspension. During the suspension, the team decided to take a new route and converted Salas to a pitcher and sent him back to the rookie league Princeton Devil Rays. Two years later, Salas is one of the top relief pitcher prospects in all baseball.

At this point Salas has a major-league fastball and slider. His fastball tops out at 96 with natural movement like a cutter. His slider hits 86. Maybe the only thing holding back Salas at this point is the development of a split-finger pitch. Here is hoping that the front office will allow Juan to work on the pitch on the mound at the Trop.

His future is now. [Yahoo! Sports]
Converted Pitcher Takes Unlikely Route To Futures Game. [tbo.com]

Devil Rays News And Notes

• Aubrey Huff has paid immediate dividends for the Astros by hitting a 3-run home run in their 5-1 victory over the Marlins. Huff batted 5th and played third base. He went 2-4. [mlb.com]
• The Rays will not promote Kevin Witt to replace Aubrey Huff. Rather the team has activated Ruddy Lugo from the disabled list. Unfortunately that means we have to endure a few more weeks of Travis Lee before the team realizes that ANYBODY would be a better option, gold glove or not. [tbo.com]
• Mark Hendrickson is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in his first two starts with the Dodgers. [mlb.com]
• Toby Hall is 4-10 with 3 RBI having played in 4 games as a backup catcher for the Dodgers. Hall is unhappy with his new role and has asked to be traded. [espn.com]
• John Donovan has handed out his midseason report card for all MLB teams. The Devil Rays received an F. That seems a bit harsh. Considering all the injuries to the team early on, we think the team merited at least a D. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Jim Callis of Baseball America has listed the top-15 high school prospects ever. The Devil Rays have drafted three of them. [Baseball America]
• Attendance at the Trop has increased from 14,052 in 2005 to 17,613 through 42 home games. [espn.com]