Tampa Bay Rays Preview
Win Total (5dimes)
Over 89.5 +115
Under 89.5 -135
The Rays stumbled a bit in '09 "only" winning 84 games and finishing in 3rd place in the AL East. The core of this team is pretty much the same, so the question is who are these Rays? The team that made the World Series 2 years ago, or the third place 84 win team from last year.
Whats to Like: Everywhere you look this team is Solid. They can pitch, defend, hit, run and they have good chemistry.
Carl Crawford is as good as they come in left field. He'll hit .300, steal 50+ bases and hit 15-20 homeruns. Has to be considered as a top 3 outfielder in baseball.
Evan Longoria made a name for himself in '08 and backed it up in '09 hitting 33 homeruns and driving in 113 runs.
Switch hitting second baseman Ben Zobrist came out of nowhere and hit .297 with 27 homeruns last year. Alongside him is SS Jason Bartlett (.320,14HR's) who you have to think will continue to produce and play a solid shortstop.
Young outfielder Shaun Rodriguez is turning heads in spring training and may compete with Matt Joyce and G.Kaper for time in right field.
They have a young rotation that is improving and has gotten good experience over the last couple years. James Shields will start opening day, this guy is a solid starter that will give you 200+ innings and have an ERA just under 4. Matt Garza is expected to surpass Shields as the Rays #1 guy this year. He seems to have more spunk than Shields but for the most part they are very similar.
David Price and Jeff Niemann will be the 3 and 4 starters. The 6'9" Niemann was fourth in the rookie of the year voting last year and led the Rays with 13 wins. Price has been highly touted out of college and is ready to start putting it all together. Although none of these guys are overwhelmingly great, they are all solid starters that should keep them in games and give them many chances to win games.
Much like their rotation, the bullpen is deep and should be productive. They brought in Rafael Soriano most likely to close. He's got scary good stuff and could very easily have a huge year on this team. Dan Wheeler is a pro's pro, he just gets the job done year in and year out. Lefties R.Choate and J.Howell should continue to get out lefties and set things up for Soriano.
Whats Not to Like: I do not like B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, and DH Pat Burrell. You read this and probably think "how could you not like these guys?"
B.J Upton is talked about like a superstar, but in reality he is a young Mike Cameron. He doesnt suck, but he isnt great either. He'll play defense, steal bases, and hit about .260. Id rather have his brother.
Carlos Pena has a career average under .250 and has never played over 150 games in a season. How can a first baseman not play over 150 games every year of his career. Sure he'll hit 40 homeruns, but probably hit .233. Id rather have a guy like Adam Laroche.
Pat Burrell? why is this guy still in the league? Atleast the Rays are smart enough to DH the guy (WTF were the Phillies thinking?) Best case scenerio if he plays 155 games this guy will hit .250 with 30 HR's.Did I mention fat fukking Tony Soprano could beat this guy in the 40. You could take Matt Stairs off the Padres bench and he'll hit .250 with 30 HR's as a DH in their bandbox of a stadium.
D.Navarro is at best an average major league catcher and right field is still a question mark in my eyes.
Recap: The Rays are a very good team, Patrick Ewing was a very good center. To be a champion you have to be great. There is nothing Great about this team. They will bash heads with the other good teams in their division and win about 87 games. (give or take a few) I pass on the future and dont see much value betting on this team throughout the year. '08 was a bit of a fluke. These guys are who they are.. A very good team, nothing more, nothing less.
Win Total (5dimes)
Over 89.5 +115
Under 89.5 -135
The Rays stumbled a bit in '09 "only" winning 84 games and finishing in 3rd place in the AL East. The core of this team is pretty much the same, so the question is who are these Rays? The team that made the World Series 2 years ago, or the third place 84 win team from last year.
Whats to Like: Everywhere you look this team is Solid. They can pitch, defend, hit, run and they have good chemistry.
Carl Crawford is as good as they come in left field. He'll hit .300, steal 50+ bases and hit 15-20 homeruns. Has to be considered as a top 3 outfielder in baseball.
Evan Longoria made a name for himself in '08 and backed it up in '09 hitting 33 homeruns and driving in 113 runs.
Switch hitting second baseman Ben Zobrist came out of nowhere and hit .297 with 27 homeruns last year. Alongside him is SS Jason Bartlett (.320,14HR's) who you have to think will continue to produce and play a solid shortstop.
Young outfielder Shaun Rodriguez is turning heads in spring training and may compete with Matt Joyce and G.Kaper for time in right field.
They have a young rotation that is improving and has gotten good experience over the last couple years. James Shields will start opening day, this guy is a solid starter that will give you 200+ innings and have an ERA just under 4. Matt Garza is expected to surpass Shields as the Rays #1 guy this year. He seems to have more spunk than Shields but for the most part they are very similar.
David Price and Jeff Niemann will be the 3 and 4 starters. The 6'9" Niemann was fourth in the rookie of the year voting last year and led the Rays with 13 wins. Price has been highly touted out of college and is ready to start putting it all together. Although none of these guys are overwhelmingly great, they are all solid starters that should keep them in games and give them many chances to win games.
Much like their rotation, the bullpen is deep and should be productive. They brought in Rafael Soriano most likely to close. He's got scary good stuff and could very easily have a huge year on this team. Dan Wheeler is a pro's pro, he just gets the job done year in and year out. Lefties R.Choate and J.Howell should continue to get out lefties and set things up for Soriano.
Whats Not to Like: I do not like B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, and DH Pat Burrell. You read this and probably think "how could you not like these guys?"
B.J Upton is talked about like a superstar, but in reality he is a young Mike Cameron. He doesnt suck, but he isnt great either. He'll play defense, steal bases, and hit about .260. Id rather have his brother.
Carlos Pena has a career average under .250 and has never played over 150 games in a season. How can a first baseman not play over 150 games every year of his career. Sure he'll hit 40 homeruns, but probably hit .233. Id rather have a guy like Adam Laroche.
Pat Burrell? why is this guy still in the league? Atleast the Rays are smart enough to DH the guy (WTF were the Phillies thinking?) Best case scenerio if he plays 155 games this guy will hit .250 with 30 HR's.Did I mention fat fukking Tony Soprano could beat this guy in the 40. You could take Matt Stairs off the Padres bench and he'll hit .250 with 30 HR's as a DH in their bandbox of a stadium.
D.Navarro is at best an average major league catcher and right field is still a question mark in my eyes.
Recap: The Rays are a very good team, Patrick Ewing was a very good center. To be a champion you have to be great. There is nothing Great about this team. They will bash heads with the other good teams in their division and win about 87 games. (give or take a few) I pass on the future and dont see much value betting on this team throughout the year. '08 was a bit of a fluke. These guys are who they are.. A very good team, nothing more, nothing less.