The Starters v. the Field

by BombinRays on Feb 27, 2008 9:39 PM EST

We all know who the starters are gonna be, don't we? We may or may not, there is 3 key positions(not including pitcher) that have a ? right now.

Lets start with 3rd base, as of now, the Rays depth chart says that Evan Longoria is gonna be the starter on Opening day, well...he may not get it, it all depends on if management thinks he is. Personally, I don't think hes ready, sure he blew away Montgomery, but when he reached Durham, his numbers dipped. He batted .269 with 5 HR and 19RBI in 104AB's. He does need a lottle more time in Durham, we don;t need to rush him, we have Aybar and Guzman to play 3rd until he is ready. If he doesnt get the job and start at AAA, Aybar should get the 3rd base job.

Right Field is unquestionably a huge hole right now. Now the depth chart says Rocco is no.1, Jonny Gomes is no.2, Cliff Floyd is no.3, and Ruggy is the no.4 guy. But Gomes can't fill the hole that we left when we traded away Young, if rocco doesnt get hurt and has a good 1st half, he will be traded to another team. Which leaves us with more questions. Can Gomes be effective anymore? How long is Cliff Floyd gonna stay? Can Justin Ruggiano play RF succesfully?

Back-up catcher, sure its not a starting role, but it is important none-the-less. The Rays depth chart has Shawn Riggans as the no.2, im not gonna kill thr guy just yet, hes had injurie problems during the past 2 years, and has only had 39 career AB's. In effort we have signed Josh Paul, Mike DeFelice, Hecotr Gimenez, to minor-league deals, we also invited Matt Sprung to trainig camp as well. There is also rumors that we may also sign Mike Piazza as a C/DH. DeFelice I think has the best chance of getting the no.2 role if Riggans doesnt seem good enough. Paul has never been anything special, Gimenez is bascially a rookie, and Spring, I dont even know why he is up instead of John Jaso.

This post was written by a member of the DRaysBay community and does not necessarily express the views or opinions of DRaysBay staff.

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Re: The Starters v. the Field

I don't think it is a given that Rocco would be traded if he stays healthy. The Rays have 3 years of options on him after 2008, and although he becomes more expensive then, if he is healthy and performing well, he is a terrific bargain, much cheaper than he would be on the open market.

The Rays also have an option on Floyd for 2009 at a very reasonable cost, so as long as he too is healthy and productive, he will stay. It is not his choice.

As for Spring, he is not "up instead of John Jaso". Jaso will probably be the starting catcher in Durham trying to develop his defense while maintaining his offense. He is not considered ready for the majors yet and has never played above AA. Spring is in camp purely to help catch the surplus of pitchers. Every team has to have 6 or 7 catchers in spring training for what is essentially grunt work, not because they are legitimate candidates to make the team. Once the season starts, they are either released or stashed in the minors as backups in case of injury, as with Casanova last year.

by bobr on Feb 28, 2008 7:15 AM EST reply actions