Olney: Rays now have better lineup then Red Sox and Yanks

by RayOfLight on Jan 5, 2009 6:37 PM EST Comment 45 comments

Pretty good interview with Olney here:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3811658

Olney projects the batting order as:

Iwamura, Upton, Crawford, Longo, Pena, Burrell, Joyce, Navarro, Bartlett

75 words is kinda, sorta a really dumb rule, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75

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Man I got goose bumps listening to that

Really awesome to hear a big voice in the baseball world flat out say on ESPN that he thinks the Rays have a better line up than Sox or Yanks.

Seriously though, a bounce back from Crawford, a healthy Upton, a full season of Longoria, along with Burrell and Joyce, and man, that really is a good line up.

by BossmanJunior333 on Jan 5, 2009 7:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Post a FanShot with the quote. Done.

Olney thinks Burrell will bat sixth? RJ, can you add that to your smart/dumb post under “dumb”?

Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.

by Sky Kalkman on Jan 5, 2009 7:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

You're all over today.

We should sign impact FAs more often, so we get the lime more often.

by rglass44 on Jan 5, 2009 7:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Who do you move to 6th, if you want Burrell any higher?

I think batting Pena 5th is much more questionable than batting Burrell 6th

Upton and Pena are our leading OBP guys, and you cant move Longoria any lower than 5th so whiere does Burrell slot in? I guess if you think Crawford gets bumped to the bottom half of the lineup, and that Upton would be moved higher than the 3/4 hole, then it is possible Burrell bats 5th

by Rays4242 on Jan 6, 2009 4:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Aki at one is dumb at this point.

by rglass44 on Jan 6, 2009 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly.

Crawford’s #1 if he’s back to old form. Aki’s 7/8/9.

Putting both Aki and Crawford at the top just pushes the best hitters too far down (both Burrell and Pena).

Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.

by Sky Kalkman on Jan 7, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cool audio slideshow on the Burrell signing

http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2008/audio_slideshows/burrell010509/

by RayOfLight on Jan 5, 2009 8:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Imagine we were the Yankees and signed Hudson for 2B

I don’t know, I am a big O-Dog fan and addicted to hearing about us adding great players.

Evan Longoria and David Price - the fight for my heart

by joeybw on Jan 5, 2009 10:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I WANT BROB NEXT OFFSEASON!

by rglass44 on Jan 5, 2009 10:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

where would we play him?

that is aki’s option year correct? how much is his option year for?

MLB-Rays,Marlins,Twins, and Reds
NFL-Vikings,Lions(i know Shut up),texans, and Bills
NBA-Timberwolves(also shut up),Cavilers(bye bye LeBron in '10)
NHL- Wild and Penguins
College-Gophers,Gators,Longhorns and Irish.
all of the above mentioned teams are in order by my favorites

by RaysOfHope on Jan 5, 2009 10:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pretty sure we pay him 4.5 if we pick up the option

Hudson and Roberts are something that will never happen, I still think Brignac will play 2B in AAA all of 2009 and we will use him at 2B if we let Aki go.

Evan Longoria and David Price - the fight for my heart

by joeybw on Jan 5, 2009 10:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I still love BROB. He, Markakis, Wieters, and Pacman make me wish one of my childhood teams were in a different division.

BROB>O-Dawg>Aki

by rglass44 on Jan 5, 2009 10:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

how much u think he would cost next offseason?

if he produces this year, the stats that everyone projects for him, how much do u think he will be when he hits the open market next offseason?

by RaysOfHope on Jan 5, 2009 11:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

a lot and the Cubs who keep going after him will make sure they get him

Evan Longoria and David Price - the fight for my heart

by joeybw on Jan 5, 2009 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

He’ll likely be out of our price range.

by rglass44 on Jan 5, 2009 11:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well maybe with Bradford and Percy coming off the books....

ok, let’s stop now, lets not start targeting a expensive FA, we need to spend all our funds on BJ

Evan Longoria and David Price - the fight for my heart

by joeybw on Jan 5, 2009 11:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bradford and Percy coming off...

Is just going to pay for arb raises.

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Jan 6, 2009 8:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

if he wants to be a loser than have fun being on the cubs

by RaysOfHope on Jan 6, 2009 1:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sizemore > Upton

Does that mean we go after Sizemore when he is a FA? Some moves just arent necessary, like adding Derek Lowe to our rotation just because he’s a marginal upgrade over Sonnanstine

Dont forget Longoria and Shields will see significant increases in salary the next couple years, and Crawford and Kazmirs salaries will keep rising also. Our payroll will balloon, and Roberts will make atleast 12 mil per year at around 5 years.

I say keep Aki as long as we can (and maybe extend him if he is affordable) or else let Bartlett or Brignac play 2B whenever/ifever beckham is ready at SS.

by Rays4242 on Jan 6, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bartlett, Brinac OR Aybar*

by Rays4242 on Jan 6, 2009 4:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't say they should sign him.

I was saying I would love to have him on the team. The difference between Upton and Sizemore is a hell of a lot less than Aki and BROB.

by rglass44 on Jan 6, 2009 4:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I would love to see us package something up and get Dan Uggla mid-season or next off-season.

it’s about time the Marlins trade him right

by Dbullsfan on Jan 6, 2009 5:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

but not to play 2B, right?

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Jan 6, 2009 8:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

DH right?

Woonsocket Rocket!

by raysbball on Jan 6, 2009 11:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

On Olney's lineup

are we really going to need to continue the left-right-left order with burrell since he hits both well?

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Jan 6, 2009 8:43 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think the L/R thing is more to protect left handed hitters (Pena, Joyce, etc) from lefty specialist

by BossmanJunior333 on Jan 6, 2009 5:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yup.

Trever Miller’s fine against lefties. But do you leave him in after Pena to pitch to Burrell or Longoria? Uh, no.

Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.

by Sky Kalkman on Jan 7, 2009 1:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That's a very strong line-up

I hate to be an asshole, but if everyone’s healthy I really don’t feel it’s stronger than the Red Sox or the Yankees. That’s a big if, still.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Jan 6, 2009 10:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

In terms of scoring runs? Probably not.

In terms of defense? I don’t think there’s any question it’s the strongest.

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 6, 2009 10:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually

I think all 3 line-ups are pretty much even on offense, it’s hard to point any being better right now.

Rays are better on defense than the Red Sox, but not all that much if Lowell is healthy and if Lugo is benched.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Jan 6, 2009 11:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know.

1B: Youkilis
2B: Pedroia
3B: Longoria
SS: Barlett
LF: Crawford
CF: Upton
RF: Joyce

Catcher, I would guess Navarro. You could probably make the case for Lowell > Longoria, but we’ll see.

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 6, 2009 11:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Longoria and Lowell is likely even if Lowell is healthy

I’ll make a case for Jed Lowrie, who could be a better fielder than Jason Bartlett if he keeps his 2008 production with the glove (at this point, I’m not sure if that’s likely or not because Jed wasn’t even expected to be able to handle SS). I’d give the edge to Tampa, but it’s damn close.

Somehow, fielding metrics underrate JD Drew. Drew is a very smooth fielder, and one of the best fielders to play the tough RF in Fenway.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Jan 6, 2009 11:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Even still, Joyce is probably a 0 < x > 5 defender.

Do you think that’s true of Drew?

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 7, 2009 12:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Drew could be a +2 or 3 defender

I don’t know why he doesn’t get more love for his glove, he’s actually very smooth. Still, I’d give the edge to Joyce, who seems to be an awesome fielder. But Drew ain’t that bad out there.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Jan 7, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Offense only?

Don’t bank on Bartlett outperforming Lowrie.

And do you really think Carl Crawford will be a better hitter than Jason Bay? Or that Joyce will outperform JD Drew?

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Jan 7, 2009 10:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

But what about the other side:

Pena might outperform Youks. Upton will way outperform their CF. Longo>Lowell. Navi>whoever their catcher is. DP>>Aki. Burrell=Papi? There are a lot of questions, though. I would be surprised if our offense has as much fire-power as their’s, but I wouldn’t be shocked. Our bench options are much better, and we have less liklihood of injury. Drew may play 50 games, Papi may suck, Lowell may suck or be hurt, etc. I see a lot less possibility of that from our guys.

by rglass44 on Jan 7, 2009 10:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Um, considering my first post said "In terms of scoring runs? Probably not."

Then a few comments later: “Even still, Joyce is probably a 0 < x > 5 defender.”

What do you think I’m talking about?

by R.J. Anderson on Jan 7, 2009 11:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I helped a friend do the position players for the Sox after he saw mine.

He came up w/ about 25 WAR. We were 31, so we do project to be better.

by rglass44 on Jan 6, 2009 10:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

wat do the yankees project?

by RaysOfHope on Jan 6, 2009 10:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haven't done it.

by rglass44 on Jan 6, 2009 10:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

when everyone is healthy in our lineup ours is better

upton is going to be healthy, cc is going to bounce back, longo is going to get better and so on

by RaysOfHope on Jan 6, 2009 10:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I do realize that this is a Rays blog, and I shouldn't talk about this

But CC is a weird player. I was never impressed with his bat, and always thought he would be mediocre in the future. He kept posting solid numbers, and I always thought ‘next year, next year’. I’m not saying this because he had a down season, but I’ve always had that impression he would break down at some point. Can’t really put my finger on what it is, I just don’t like his swing. He’s a good hitter, and I still can’t believe it.

I’m pretty sure I’m alone on this bandwagon here.

Mother---- him and John Wayne!

by MerryGoByeBye on Jan 6, 2009 11:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs