Top 15 Pitchers: #3 Jeremy Hellickson

Jeremy Hellickson
6'1" 185 lbs. DOB: 4/8/87
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
2008: Vero Beach/Montgomery
Acquired: 2005 Draft, 4th Round, 118th Overall

There is perhaps no pitcher with a bigger discrepancy between his stats and his national prospect "respect" as Jeremy Hellickson. After completely dominating the Florida State League as a 21-year old, Hellickson experienced some growing pains after a mid-season promotion to Montgomery. Still, Hellickson's 2008 was statistically better than anybody else on this list.

His numbers from Vero Beach were outstanding: 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA, but the real gem was his absurd 83-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 76.2 innings. Suffice it to say, it's tough to be better than that. If you want to nitpick, you could point out his flyball tendencies and the fact that seven HRs allowed in 76.2 innings isn't exactly ideal.

But if 7 homeruns isn't ideal, then 15 homeruns in about the same number of innings is more or less a disaster. That was the case in Montgomery, where he threw 75.1 innings to the tune of a 3.94 ERA. His strikeout rate stayed almost the same(9.7 in VB to 9.4 in Montgomery), and at 1.8 walks per 9 innings, his control was still a plus. At the two levels combined, Hellickson struck out 162 and walked 20 in 152 innings.

And for his trouble... he didn't make the top 100 prospect list on either BaseballAmerica or BaseballProspectus. Here's the reason why: He's a short righty(that 6'1" is probably generous) with little or no projection remaining. He doesn't have a true plus pitch, and, as mentioned, the home run thing was kind of a problem.

And okay, that makes sense. But I'll be frank: A guy with an 8-to-1 strikeout to walk rate and two above-average pitches(his fastball and curveball) and a third average pitch(his changeup) sounds like a pretty fine prospect to me. At the very least, it's tough to believe that there are 100 better prospects out there.

That's not to say Hellickson doesn't need to improve. Obviously he has to find a way to limit the long balls. While he has exceptional control, limiting the free passes, he still needs to work on his command. In other words, he's throwing it in the strike zone with great consistency, but they're not necessary all quality strikes. This explains, in part, the difference between his high-A and AA experiences: the more advanced the hitter, the more likely he is to punish a pitch that hasn't been commanded well. He'll likely always be a flyball guy, but if Hellickson can work the lower half of the strike zone more effectively, the home run total will go down.

For 2009, Hellickson will be back in Montgomery for another crack at the Southern League. If he's not serving up as many home runs and he finds some better luck(his 2008 BABIP with the Biscuits was .358) then he's looking at a promotion to Durham around mid-season. He'll be added to the 40-man roster next off-season and should see action in some capacity for the Rays in 2010.

Rays Spring Training Notes

Tonight’s exhibition with Team Puerto Rico is one of two night games this spring at Charlotte Sports Park (also March 25th vs. Pittsburgh). Tonight’s game result and statistics do not count toward official spring training standings and statistics.

Stat notes:
- The Rays scored just one run their first two spring games while batting just .145 (9-62).
- Since the first two games the club has hit at a .315 clip (56-178) while scoring 40 runs (8 runs/game).
- The Rays 41 runs scored are more than any AL team in the Grapefruit League.
- The Rays 23 doubles are most in the majors this spring.
- Rays pitchers have issued just 14 walks in 7 games, only the Angels (10), White Sox (11) and Padres have allowed fewer.

Montgomery Biscuits Announce New Radio Voice

From the release: The Montgomery Biscuits are pleased to announce the addition of Jon Laaser to the Biscuits organization as the "Voice of the Biscuits." Laaser will serve as the team’s lead radio announcer and provide the radio play-by-play call of all 140 Biscuits regular season games in 2009 on News Radio 1440.

A native of Minneapolis, MN, Laaser joins the Biscuits after serving two seasons with Greensons Baseball LP. Most recently, Laaser was the Director of Broadcasting & Communications for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Advanced-A Affiliate of the Atlanta Braves in Myrtle Beach, SC. In 2007, Laaser was a broadcaster for the Altoona Curve (Double-A – Pittsburgh Pirates) in Altoona, PA.

"In the interest of continuing to provide our great fans with top-notch broadcasts of our games, we conducted an exhaustive search for the Biscuits new voice," said Biscuits’ President & General Manager Greg Rauch. "We received interest from countless talented candidates and are extremely excited that we found a perfect fit with Jon."

In addition to his on-air duties, Laaser will also write and design the 2009 Biscuits Media Guide, provide daily media materials and games stories, coordinate media operations and contribute team-related content to BiscuitsBaseball.com.

Prior to his time with Greensons Baseball, Laaser spent 2006 as the lead broadcaster for the Yakima Bears (Short-A – Arizona Diamondbacks) of the Northwest League. In 2005, he was part of the broadcast team for the St. Paul Saints (Independent – Northern). He began his baseball broadcasting career as the lead announcer for the St. Cloud River Bats (Summer Collegiate – Northwoods) in 2003 and 2004.

"I am thrilled to join the Biscuits and become part of the Montgomery community," Laaser said. "I have always admired the Biscuits organization and the work that Jim (Tocco) has done to establish an outstanding connection between the Biscuits and their great fans. The opportunity to continue the fine broadcasting tradition in Montgomery is one I am greatly looking forward to."

James Shields Named Opening Day Starter

Bill Chastain has this from manager Joe Maddon:

Rays manager Joe Maddon surprised reporters with his announcement Wednesday afternoon at the Charlotte Sports Complex. Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine will follow Shields in the rotation.

"First of all, Shields has earned a right to start an Opening Day, obviously, but we like the idea of Kaz pitching between Shields and Garza," Maddon explained. "You look at any one of those three guys. We're at the point now we have three guys we feel who can open up for us at any time. But, obviously, choosing one, based on the body of work Shields has done, we chose to go with him first. But we're just trying to balance this out, which makes most sense for us and we chose to do it this way."

Top 15 Pitchers: #4 Jeff Niemann

Jeff Niemann
6'9" 280 lbs. DOB: 2/28/83
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
2008: Durham/Tampa Bay
Acquired: 2004 Draft, 1st Round, 4th Overall

Back in 2004, Niemann was considered the most MLB-ready player in the entire draft. Part of Rice's fabled Big Three along with Phil Humber and Wade Townsend, Niemann had more or less dominated the college ranks and most everyone figured it wouldn't be long until he was doing it in the majors.

Well, it didn't quite work out that way. Injuries really hampered him, as he made just 8 starts in 2005 and 14 in 2006. In Durham for 2007, he stayed relatively healthy, only missing a start here and there, but it was apparent injuries had robbed him of his front-line stuff. He allowed more than a hit an inning and struck out 8.5 hitters per 9, which is decent, but not what people expected from Niemann a few years ago. Like Mitch Talbot, Niemann repeated Durham in 2008 to better results: his WHIP fell from 1.45 to 1.14, and again, he stayed healthy.

Niemann was also pressed into service in Tampa Bay in April with both Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza hurting. He made one good start(6.1 IP 1 ER) and one not-so-good(3.1 IP 5 ER) before returning to Durham. He was back in Tampa Bay as a September call-up and appeared in three games in relief with limited effectiveness.

Now 26 years old, the huge right-hander is out of options and in the running for the Rays #5 starter spot this spring. When he's on, Niemann can still be dominant with a fastball that now resides in the 92-95 MPH range and a hard curveball. He also makes use of an improving splitter, and has the added advantage of throwing on a downward plane. He struggles at times to get ahead in the count and occasionally leaves too many pitches up in the zone.

A lot in Niemann's scouting report would peg him as a potentially dominant reliever, but there's two noteworthy hang-ups there. Most importantly, Niemann takes a long time to get loosened, which is no big deal when he starts, but if the Rays need to scramble him up in the bullpen and come in quickly, he won't be as effective. Secondly, Niemann's not very good at holding runners on, something teams could take advantage of late in games.

For what it's worth, there's been little(if anything) written about the warm-up woes this spring, and both Joe Maddon and Niemann himself have talked about the bullpen as a realistic possibility, and neither seemed too worried. With two solid spring outings under his belt, Niemann is among the front-runners for the #5 spot in the rotation(at this point it's likely either him or Hammel). Even if he does win it, he's probably only keeping the seat warm for David Price a little bit later on this year, so a move to the bullpen is probably going to happen anyway, unless he draws interest from another team as a trade piece.

Niemann will be in the majors in some capacity in 2009, it's just a matter of where. For my money, he's the best option for the #5 job to start the year, and then if everyone is healthy and performing well when Price is ready in May or June, then a move to the bullpen would work. Alternatively, if the coaches are worried about him warming up and see him in the bullpen later this year anyway, then it might make sense to have him start in the bullpen to work on overcoming his warm-up problems and get used to coming on in relief.

Spring Training Box Score

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - Houston 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 2 Tampa Bay 0 0 10 1 0 0 0 1 x 12 9 0

Houston AB R H BI Tampa Bay AB R H BI M Bourn cf 2 1 1 0 J Bartlett ss 3 2 3 1 R Abercrombie cf 2 0 2 1 R Olmedo ss-2b 2 0 0 0 E Maysonet ss 4 0 1 1 C Crawford lf 3 1 0 0 D Erstad rf 3 0 0 0 E Johnson 2b-rf 1 0 0 0 B Bogusevic rf 1 0 0 0 B Zobrist 1b 3 1 1 2 J Michaels lf 3 0 1 0 C Richard 1b 1 1 0 0 M Kata lf 1 0 0 0 P Burrell dh 2 1 0 1 D Newhan dh 3 0 1 0 M Spring ph-dh 1 0 1 1 B Esposito ph-dh 1 0 0 0 G Kapler rf 3 1 0 1 C Johnson 3b 4 0 1 0 C Nowak 3b 1 0 0 0 J Smith 2b 3 1 0 0 D Navarro c 2 2 1 1 M Saccomanno 1b 2 0 0 0 F Perez lf 1 0 0 0 J Gall 1b 1 0 1 0 A Kennedy 3b 2 1 0 1 J Towles c 1 0 0 0 T Beckham ss 1 0 0 0 H Quintero c 2 0 0 0 R Sadler cf 4 1 2 3 B Backe p 0 0 0 0 R Brignac 2b 3 1 1 1 S Gervacio p 0 0 0 0 J Jaso c 1 0 0 0 P Trinidad p 0 0 0 0 J Niemann p 0 0 0 0 J Fulchino p 0 0 0 0 B Shouse p 0 0 0 0 B Norris p 0 0 0 0 R Choate p 0 0 0 0 D Graves p 0 0 0 0 D Day p 0 0 0 0 J Childers p 0 0 0 0 D Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 33 2 8 2 TOTALS 34 12 9 12 E--R Abercrombie, B Backe. DP--HOUSTON 1. LOB--HOUSTON 9, TAMPA BAY 5. 2B--R Abercrombie, E Maysonet, R Sadler 2, J Bartlett, M Spring, D Navarro, B Zobrist. HR--R Brignac 1 (1) (off B Backe). SB--M Bourn 2 (4). Houston IP H R ER BB SO HR B Backe (L,0-1) 2 3 4 4 3 3 1 S Gervacio 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 P Trinidad 2-3 3 3 3 1 2 0 J Fulchino 2 1-3 2 1 1 0 2 0 B Norris 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 D Graves 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Tampa Bay J Niemann (W,2-0) 3 2 1 1 1 5 0 B Shouse 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 R Choate 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 D Day 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 J Childers 1 2-3 3 0 0 1 2 0 D Rodriguez 1 1-3 1 1 1 2 0 0 Time: 2:47. Attendance: 5,524.

Top 15 Pitchers: #5 Mitch Talbot

Mitch Talbot
6'2" 175 lbs. DOB: 10/17/83
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
2008: Durham/Tampa Bay
Acquired: Trade with Houston for Aubrey Huff
Originally drafted: 2002 Draft, 2nd Round, 70th Overall

In 2006, the Rays traded Aubrey Huff to the Houston Astros for Ben Zobrist and Mitch Talbot. Talbot was an alright prospect with Houston, but he mowed down Southern League hitters for 10 regular-season starts, and then threw two complete game shutouts in the playoffs to help Montgomery win a title. He was bumped up for Durham for 2007, where he struggled, posting a 4.54 ERA.

He was sent back there in 2008 as a 24-year old, where he fared much better. In both seasons at Durham, he went 13-9 and pitched 161 innings. But from 2007 to 2008, Talbot's BB/9 fell from 3.3 to 2.0, his K/9 rose from 6.9 to 7.9, and his WHIP fell from 1.42 to 1.24. He also saw some time with the big-league club, but he struggled mightily, allowing 12 runs in just 9.1 innings. Still, 2008 was a successful season, and he will almost definitely get another crack at things in the majors at some point in 2009.

One of Talbot's flaws is that he's susceptible for games or even innings where he just doesn't "have it." I can't find a game log to officially back this up, but I remember Talbot putting more crooked numbers on the scoreboard than anyone else. It would vary wildly from start to start: He'd throw 7 shutout innings, then allow 6 runs in the first inning his next start. Then he'd have three straight quality outings only to follow it with 8 runs allowed his next time out. This showed up in his spring training start against the Phillies, when he gave up a 5-spot in the 1st inning and then threw up two scoreless frames after it.

Talbot has a pretty wide array of pitches, but his best two are his sinking fastball and his changeup, which was named best in the Rays' minor leagues by BaseballAmerica. His struggles have come when he's lost command of the fastball, either leaving it up in the zone to be hit or missing the zone altogether. He can also sometimes lose his composure and fight himself on the mound, which could exacerbate some of those big innings he's prone to.

In an organization as saturated with starting pitching as the Rays, Talbot's future here is probably in the bullpen. He'll start 2009 back in Durham, but if he can show good command of his sinker and change-up, and maintain the curveball or slider as a third pitch, he should be among the first in line for a call-up to the bullpen. My perfect-world scenario for Talbot is an 8th-inning set-up type. Of course, that depends on him proving he can get major-league hitters out, something he's yet to really show(small sample size alert and all).

Jim Hickey And Joe Maddon On Wade Davis

Alden Gonzalez has this on Wade Davis from pitching coach Jim Hickey and manager Joe Maddon after today's game:

"The thing about Wade is that he's confident, extremely aggressive, and he's well-armed for the job," Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey said. "It's not somebody who's confident and aggressive going out there with below-average stuff. This guy has very quality stuff across the board, and he added a slider to his repertoire last year -- that was a big factor for him, and it's going to be [this year]. He's got four legitimate pitches and pretty much everything you look for."

Davis said his slider is "not quite as sharp right now as it will be in the future." On Monday, he mostly threw fastballs again while mixing up a couple of curveballs. "It was a little different this time," Davis said, "but I kept the ball on the ground, we made some good plays and I threw strikes again."
...
"I love the tempo that he demonstrates," Maddon said. "He gets the ball, and he throws it. And he's throwing it in good spots, too. He's keeping it down, primarily with his fastball. Great location, great poise, and another really fine outing for him -- it really was. Right now, he's wanting to make a point that 'I'm here,' and the way he's doing it is very interesting."

Spring Training Probable Pitchers

Tuesday, March 3rd vs. Houston Astros, Charlotte Sports Park (no TV/radio) – 1:05 p.m.:

Astros – RH Brandon Backe, others scheduled to pitch include RH Bud Morris, RH Sergio Perez, RH Jeff Fulchino

Rays – RH Jeff Niemann, others scheduled to pitch include LH Brian Shouse, RH Jason Childers, RH Dewon Day, RH Neal Frontz, and RH Derek Rodriguez

Wednesday, March 4th vs. Puerto Rican National Team, Charlotte Sports Park (no TV/radio) – 7:05 p.m.:

Rays – RH Mitch Talbot, others scheduled to pitch include LH Randy Choate, RH Lance Cormier, RH Winston Abreu, and RH Chad Orvella

March 2nd Rays Spring Training Box Score

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - Tampa Bay 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 8 13 2 St. Louis 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 1 5 9 2

Tampa Bay AB R H BI St. Louis AB R H BI A Kennedy 2b 3 1 2 1 S Schumaker 2b 3 1 1 1 F Perez ph-cf 0 0 0 1 N Stavinoha lf 2 0 2 2 J Ruggiano cf 4 0 1 1 J Thurston lf-2b 3 0 0 0 C Nowak 1b 1 0 0 0 J Hoffpauir ph-2b 1 0 0 0 E Longoria 3b 2 1 2 1 A Pujols 1b 4 0 0 0 R Brignac ph-ss 2 0 0 0 B Anderson c 1 0 0 0 B Zobrist ss 3 0 0 0 R Ankiel cf 3 0 2 0 E Johnson 2b 2 1 1 0 C Rasmus cf 1 0 0 0 G Gross rf 2 0 1 1 J Mather 3b 3 0 0 0 R Sadler rf 2 1 0 0 B Ryan 3b 0 0 0 0 M Ensberg dh 4 0 0 0 B Wallace ph-3b 1 0 0 0 T Beckham ph-dh 1 0 0 1 J Jay rf 4 0 1 0 C Richard 1b 3 2 2 0 B Barton dh 3 2 1 0 C Hernandez c 2 0 0 0 J LaRue c 3 1 1 1 S Riggans c 3 1 1 0 A Craig 1b 1 1 1 0 R Olmedo 3b 2 0 2 1 T Greene ss 4 0 0 0 J Weber lf 4 1 1 0 A Wainwright p 0 0 0 0 W Davis p 0 0 0 0 J Kinney p 0 0 0 0 J DePaula p 0 0 0 0 B Hawksworth p 0 0 0 0 J Cromer p 0 0 0 0 T Miller p 0 0 0 0 J Houser p 0 0 0 0 F Samuel p 0 0 0 0 C Medlock p 0 0 0 0 J Motte p 0 0 0 0 D Thayer p 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 40 8 13 7 TOTALS 37 5 9 4 E--T Greene 2, B Zobrist, A Kennedy. DP--TAMPA BAY 1, ST LOUIS 1. LOB--TAMPA BAY 10, ST LOUIS 7. 2B--S Schumaker, R Ankiel, J LaRue, E Longoria, G Gross, J Ruggiano, E Johnson. 3B--B Barton. SB--J Mather 1 (1), B Barton 1 (1), G Gross 1 (1), R Olmedo 1 (2). S--J Weber. SF--F Perez. Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO HR W Davis (W,1-0) 3 2-3 1 0 0 0 1 0 J DePaula 1 1-3 3 3 3 0 0 0 J Cromer 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 J Houser 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 C Medlock 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 D Thayer 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 St. Louis A Wainwright (L,0-1) 2 5 3 2 1 1 0 J Kinney 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 B Hawksworth 3 5 3 3 0 3 0 T Miller 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 F Samuel 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 J Motte 1 2 2 0 0 2 0 WP--F Samuel, J DePaula. Time: 2:55. Attendance: 4,272.

Curt Schilling Clarifies Interest In Rays

At his blog, Curt Schilling explains:

I have said to no one, including myself, that I am definitely coming back, because it’s not true. However if I did, the Cubs, and Tampa, were they to need a starting pitcher for the 2nd half of the season and into October, would be 2 situations I’d be very interested in.

Little ‘misquotes’ lead to news that really isn’t news. First off a team has to want you to make anything of this sort work. I love Joe Maddon, always have, and I’d play for Lou Pinella in a heart beat.

So I’ll be clear here. If I do feel I can be better than I was in 2007, and I do decide to come back, AND either of those teams is in the market for a starting pitcher (because lets face it, both teams have what could be outstanding rotations) I would DEFINITELY be interested in both. The Cubs present as much of a cool challenge for me as the Red Sox did in 04, and Tampa has a roster of guys I’d love to play with.

Top 15 Pitchers: #6 Nick Barnese

Nick Barnese
6'2" 170 lbs. DOB: 1/11/89
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
2008: Hudson Valley
Acquired: 2007 Draft, 3rd Round, 95th Overall

Maybe he doesn't excite people quite the same way that Matt Moore does, but Nick Barnese put up numbers just about as good as Moore's one level higher, dominating the New York-Penn League in 2008. His numbers weren't as cartoonish as Moore's were, but as a 19-year old Barnese went 5-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 66 innings over 13 starts. He struck out 84 walked 24, and generated a lot of ground balls(55%).

Barnese, the Rays 2007 3rd rounder, showed what he could do in his first pro season with Princeton, striking out 37, walking 4, and getting a ton of ground balls(65%). The difference between 2007 and 2008 is that he really opened up his repertoire this year. In his debut, he relied very heavily on his fastball, which is easily his best pitch. He throws it in the low-90s, but it's really notable for its movement and the command he has over it. He consistently works down in the zone, which allows him to generate ground balls and keep the ball in the yard(in over 100 innings his first two seasons, he's allowed just two home runs).

In 2008, he worked in his curveball and changeup more, though they lag far behind his fastball. His breaking ball is a three-quarters curveball with good late movement, but at this point it isn't really a put-away pitch. With work, he could develop it into a plus offering, or at least an above-average one. He also worked on his change-up, but it has a ways to go.

Barnese maybe doesn't have an ace ceiling(though we can talk about that if he starts running the fastball into the upper-90s with the same movement), his athleticism and loose arm action leave room for projection. His secondary pitches have a lot of developing to do to catch up with his fastball, and it'll be important for him not to fall into the trap of over-relying on his heater. He'll head to full-season Bowling Green this year and should continue to be promoted at about one level a year.

Rays Predicted To Finish 2nd In AL East

Paul Catalano at DugoutCentral predicts the Rays to finish behind the Yankees and ahead of the Red Sox:

2. Tampa Rays - Kazmir, Shields, Garza, Sonnanstine, Price, and Wade Davis. Whew…There’s no doubt, the Rays can toss the ball. The MLB’s third-rated team ERA should get even better on the mound what with David Price getting a full year under his belt and Wade Davis biding his time until the eventual call-up. The problem last year – if being the runner-up in the World could be constituted as having a problem – was a dearth of power. Enter Pat Burrell. One problem may be the pen – one of last year’s strengths – where closer Troy Percival will close at the age of 39. However, the Rays have a bunch of young arms, including Grant Balfour and J.P. Howell who can chip in and close out games. All in all, not bad. Enough for second place in the AL East anyway.

Many problems with his analysis (do I have to explain?), but I hope he's right about the results and the Rays finish in front of the Red Sox and (presumably) make the playoffs.

Rays Spring Training Probable Pitchers

Monday, March 2nd at St. Louis Cardinals, Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter (no TV/radio) – 1:05 p.m.:

Rays – RH Wade Davis, others scheduled to pitch include RH Julio DePaula, LH James Houser, LH Jason Cromer, RH Calvin Medlock, and RH Dale Thayer

Cardinals – RH Adam Wainwright, others scheduled to pitch include RH Blake Hawksworth, RH Shaun Garceau, and RH Francisco Samuel

Tuesday, March 3rd vs. Houston Astros, Charlotte Sports Park (no TV/radio) – 1:05 p.m.:

Astros – RH Brandon Backe, others scheduled to pitch include RH Bud Morris, RH Sergio Perez, RH Jeff Fulchino

Rays – RH Jeff Niemann, others scheduled to pitch include LH Brian Shouse, RH Jason Childers, RH Dewon Day, RH Neal Frontz, and RH Derek Rodriguez

Wednesday, March 4th vs. Puerto Rican National Team, Charlotte Sports Park (no TV/radio) – 7:05 p.m.:

Rays – RH Mitch Talbot, others scheduled to pitch include LH Randy Choate, RH Lance Cormier, RH Winston Abreu, and RH Chad Orvella

Spring Training Box Score

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - Toronto 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 6 11 0 Tampa Bay 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 10 2

Toronto AB R H BI Tampa Bay AB R H BI W Lydon cf 3 0 1 0 J Bartlett ss 3 1 1 0 S Shoffit pr-cf 2 0 1 2 R Brignac 2b 2 0 0 0 R Adams 2b 3 0 0 0 C Crawford lf 3 2 2 1 S Campbell 2b 2 0 1 0 E Johnson 3b 1 0 0 0 A Lind dh 2 0 0 0 E Longoria 3b 2 0 2 1 B Dopirak ph-dh 1 1 1 1 J Weber lf 1 0 0 0 S Rolen 3b 2 0 1 0 P Burrell rf 0 0 0 1 B Emaus pr-3b 3 1 1 1 G Gross pr-rf 0 0 0 0 J Lane lf 3 0 1 0 B Zobrist 2b 3 0 0 0 A Calderone pr-lf 1 0 0 0 T Beckham ss 1 0 0 0 B Jeroloman c 3 0 1 0 D Navarro c 4 0 1 0 J Arencibia pr-c 0 1 0 1 C Albernaz c 0 0 0 0 A Loewen rf 3 1 0 0 G Kapler dh 3 0 0 0 D Cooper 1b 3 0 1 0 S Riggans ph-dh 1 0 0 0 R Ruiz 1b 1 1 1 0 M Ensberg 1b 3 0 2 0 J McDonald ss 2 0 0 0 C Nowak 1b 1 0 0 0 A Sanchez pr-ss 1 1 1 1 F Perez cf 2 0 0 0 J Litsch p 0 0 0 0 J Ruggiano cf 2 0 2 0 K Takahashi p 0 0 0 0 J Hammel p 0 0 0 0 B Wolfe p 0 0 0 0 C Hernandez p 0 0 0 0 B Bullington p 0 0 0 0 W Abreu p 0 0 0 0 R Santos p 0 0 0 0 C Orvella p 0 0 0 0 D Hayhurst p 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 35 6 11 6 TOTALS 32 3 10 3 E--E Johnson, C Orvella. DP--TORONTO 2, TAMPA BAY 4. LOB--TORONTO 7, TAMPA BAY 8. 2B--E Longoria 2, J Bartlett, D Navarro, S Campbell, B Dopirak, B Emaus. 3B--C Crawford 2. SB--E Johnson 1 (2). SF--P Burrell, B Dopirak, J Arencibia. Toronto IP H R ER BB SO HR J Litsch 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 K Takahashi 1 2-3 4 2 2 1 0 0 B Wolfe 1 1-3 2 1 1 1 0 0 B Bullington (W,1-0) 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 R Santos 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 D Hayhurst (S,1) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Tampa Bay J Hammel 4 3 0 0 1 3 0 C Hernandez 2 1-3 2 2 0 1 0 0 W Abreu (L,0-1) 1 2-3 3 2 1 1 2 0 C Orvella 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 WP--C Hernandez. PB--D Navarro. Time: 2:47. Attendance: 6,074.

Joe Maddon And Carlos Pena On Rays Fans

Bill Chastain has these quotes from Manager Joe Maddon and Carlos Pena on Rays fans this season:

"After what we did last year, the folks are really showing up," Maddon said. "Furthermore, I like the idea that they're wearing our stuff. They know our guys. They're giving them a cheer every time they step up to do something or even when they walk out of the dugout prior to the game. They're acknowledging what they did last year. We feel the same way about the fans, too. It's great to have them on board, and we just want to keep them there for years to come."

Carlos Pena noticed the heavy dose of Rays fans at the spring home opener Wednesday. "It was awesome walking out, and people responded very well," Pena said. "That is so cool. We cherish that. We appreciate that. We feel fortunate to have the fan base that we have today and know that it has grown. There are a lot of Rays fans that were there when we were losing, and they stuck it out. And now they're enjoying a team that is a winning team."
...
"We've sold a lot more season tickets," Maddon said. "And I really think the folks are going to show up based on what we did last year. Now by continuing to play well this year, I think it's going to be pretty full all the time. So I'm anticipating really big crowds all year."

Rays Hot Stove Radio Show On 620-AM WDAE

The Rays Hot Stove radio show, "Countdown to Opening Day," goes live from Joe Cracker Sportsgrille and Tiki (1020 El Jobean in Charlotte County) every Monday in March at 7 p.m. on 620-AM WDAE 'The Sports Animal'. This Monday’s show features Rays pitcher James Shields. The one-hour program will include weekly live interviews with Rays players, coaches and staff. Rays broadcasters Andy Freed and Dave Wills will host the program. The show will also be available via podcast on raysbaseball.com.

MLB Network At Charlotte On March 3rd

As part of the 30 Clubs in 30 Days Broadcast Tour, the new Major League Baseball Network will make a stop at Charlotte Sports Park on Tuesday, March 3rd when the Rays host the Houston Astros. Among the activities, fans will have the opportunity to see themselves interviewed by Harold Reynolds and the MLB Tonight team when they visit the traveling virtual studio.

The complete broadcast and tour schedules are here.

Rays Spring Training Innings Played

Through Saturday's game, here are the Rays 2009 Spring Training innings played by position (not counting pitchers):

Aybar (8-1B, 7-DH, 3-2B)
Bartlett (7-SS)
Beckham (5-SS)
Brignac (7-SS, 7-2B)
Burrell (10-DH)
Crawford (5-LF)
Ensberg (10-3B, 7-DH)
Gross (8-RF)
Hernandez (7-C)
Jaso (8-C)
Johnson (8-2B, 3-3B, 4-CF)
Kapler (5-DH, 5-CF, 5-RF)
Kennedy (14-2B)
Longioria (8-3B)
Navarro (7-C)
Nowak (6-3B, 6-1B)
Olmedo (15-SS, 4-3B)
Perez (10-CF, 5-LF, 5-DH)
Richard (21-1B)
Riggans (13-C)
Ruggiano (11-RF, 1-LF, 9-CF)
Sadler (7-CF, 13-LF)
Weber (18-RF)
Zobrist (3-2B, 5-SS, 4-LF)

2009 Top Prospect Summary

Overall Top 30:
1. David Price
2. Wade Davis
3. Tim Beckham
4. Jeremy Hellickson
5. Jeff Niemann
6. Reid Brignac
7. Mitch Talbot
8. Desmond Jennings
9. Nick Barnese
10. Matt Moore
11. Heath Rollins
12. Jake McGee
13. Fernando Perez
14. Alex Cobb
15. John Jaso
16. James Houser
17. Kyle Lobstein
18. Joseph Cruz
19. Albert Suarez
20. Kyeong Kang
21. Reid Fronk
22. Ryan Reid
23. Jason McEachern
24. Jake Jefferies
25. Shane Dyer
26. Alex Colome
27. Justin Ruggiano
28. Matt Gorgen
29. Ty Morrison
30. Ryan Royster

Top 15 Batters:
1. Tim Beckham
2. Reid Brignac
3. Desmond Jennings
4. Fernando Perez
5. John Jaso
6. Kyeong Kang
7. Reid Fronk
8. Jake Jefferies
9. Justin Ruggiano
10. Ty Morrison
11. Ryan Royster
12. Elliot Johnson
13. Michael Sheridan
14. Brian Bryles
15. Elias Otero
Honorable Mentions

Top 15 Pitchers:
1. David Price
2. Wade Davis
3. Jeremy Hellickson
4. Jeff Niemann
5. Mitch Talbot
6. Nick Barnese
7. Matt Moore
8. Heath Rollins
9. Jake McGee Stats
10. Alex Cobb
11. James Houser
12. Kyle Lobstein
13. Joseph Cruz
14. Albert Suarez
15. Ryan Reid
Honorable Mentions

To view all posts tagged "2009Top15" click here.