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]

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.

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]

He’s Baaaaaaaaaaack.

OK, he is 15 months later than we expected, but we still can’t help but get excited to have Rocco Baldelli back a week earlier than expected. The best news from last night’s drubbing at the hands of the Angels? After the game, Joey Gathright was sent down to Durham to make room for the return of Rocco. Originally the club had planned to have Baldelli in AAA for three weeks, feeling it would take some time to get his stroke back. Well, the powers that be decided 12 games was sufficient. And it is hard to argue against. In those 12 games, Rocco was 19-47 (.407) with 5 doubles and 4 RBI. Barring any unforeseen travel problems, look for Rocco to make his first start tonight since 2004. No word yet if he will DH or play RF.

Baldelli up, Gathright down [mlb.com]

Frustrating

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Disney Land 12, D-Rays 2. Look, it’s not in our nature to be mysterious. But we can’t talk about it and we can’t talk about why.

The Future: Last Night On The Farm

Rochester 9, Durham 7. Edwin Jackson got shelled again and Rocco Baldelli took the night off. There is something terribly wrong with Jackson. He gets pounded everytime out. Last night he gave up 10 hits, 3 walks and 8 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings. Yes, only 3 runs were earned but he still gave up 13 hits and walks in only 5 innings. This just in…That’s not good. Another big night for Elijah Dukes and Kevin Witt. Dukes went 2-5 with a double and his 8th homerun. He drove in 2. Of course, that was overshadowed by Witt, who went 4-4 with a double and 2 home runs. He now leads the International League with 16, and is making a strong case for the Rays to trade Travis Lee to a contender that would like a late inning defensive substitution at first base. Witt drove in 4 and is now hitting .312. B. J. Upton went 0-4.

Chattanooga 3, Montgomery 1. The Biscuits could have used a bit more time in the oven as they managed only three hits. One of those hits was the 6th home run for RF Jeremy Owens.

Visalia 3, Rancho Cucamonga 0. Shaun Cumberland hit his 13th home run. That puts him 2nd in the California League. Janathan Barratt making just his 6th start of the season pitched a 2-hit shutout. He walked only one and struck out 9.

SW Michigan 9, South Bend 4. Strong outing by Jacob McGee (5-5) who went 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks and 1 unearned run. He struck out 5. RF Garrett Groce went 3-5 hitting his 2nd and 3rd home runs of the season. DH David Cardona added his first home.

The Hangover: Last Night In The AL East

New York 2, Boston 1. David Pauley was making only his 2nd big league start and held his own in Yankee Stadium. He worked into the 7th having allowed only a solo home run to Bernie Williams in the 5th. He left with the bases loaded in the 7th with 2 outs and Rudy Seanez came in and promptly walked Jason Giambi to force in the tying run. David Ortiz hit his 17th home run. The Spankees now have a 1.5 game lead and lower their magic number to 105.

Toronto 6, Baltimore 4. One day after getting shut out, the Jays finally got their offense delivered from Toronto, and remained 3 games behind the Evil Empire. The O’s are now 9 back as you can start to see the wheels come loose.