The Rays Tank: Only Eleven Days Left...
by Steve Slowinski on Feb 9, 2012 8:32 AM EST
in The Rays Tank
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PrintWe've reached the true dead period of the offseason. There's little to no action, as teams have already finished putting their rosters together and are merely mopping up some depth in the form of minor-league deals, and there isn't likely going to be any other large moves. Roy Oswalt will sign somewhere, teams will sign their final arbitration cases to contracts or extensions, and the season will creep toward us at a snail's pace. Yesss.
One of the biggest news stories yesterday was that the Yankees are hoping to trade A.J. Burnett in order to free up a bit of payroll space. If true, this throws yet another starting pitcher onto the market, and gives us yet another reason to not expect Niemann or David to go anywhere before the season. A cheap Burnett would be a good buy-low addition for a number of teams...and his departure would weaken the Yankees' rotation, so I'd be all for it.
But considering Roy Oswalt is still sitting out there on the market, I just don't see it happening.
- Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz both signed extensions with the Rangers over the past 12 hours. Neither deal buys out any years of free agency, but it provides both sides with some security.
- If you're looking to prepare for fantasy baseball season, FanGraphs+ (formerly known as The Second Opinion) is now available for purchase. It's only $5, but you get access to fantasy player profiles for over 1,100 players, access to ESPN Insider articles written by the FanGraphs staff, and access to a number of fantasy-related articles to help you prepare for this season.
- Oh, and also, if you're interested in playing fantasy baseball against Dave Cameron, he's joining his first fantasy league in ages this year in order to raise money for cancer research. It's a great cause with a great potential reward, so check it out.
- Keith Law ranked the Rays' farm system as the 2nd best in baseball. Considering that most other analysts had dropped the Rays down to around the #7-10 level, that's an exciting endorsement. And if you're into prospect lists, MLB.com released their own version of the Rays' top 20 prospects.
- As a follow up to his pieces on "Finding the Next Michael Pineda", Carson Cistulli created a table of starting pitcher xFIP by fastball velocity. The results are unsurprising -- yes, pitchers that throw harder are generally better -- but the size of the difference is rather dramatic.
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KLAW's top 100 comes out today.
This is an exciting time for prospect hounds as we get that today, BP’s Monday, and BA’s is coming.
I'm really starting to get scared with the Davis/Niemann/Moore situation.
Hopefully Davis or Niemann goes to the pen, or else it is the minor leagues for Moore.
Nah, don't worry. It's pretty simple for them to work out.
Maybe someone starts the season injured, and if not, Davis goes to the ’pen and likely Gomes/McGee/(someone with an option) goes down for the time being.
Davis might end up in the bullpen regardless, so it wouldn’t be that horrible.
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously.
Follow @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Feb 9, 2012 8:50 AM EST up reply actions
No other scenario makes that much sense.
I’m kinda excited to see what Davis looks like out of the ’pen for an extended period of time.
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously.
Follow @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Feb 9, 2012 8:57 AM EST up reply actions
MLB.com's top prospect list is awful. The reports are awful and the rankings are awful.
Just read this report on Markel:
The junior college reliever looked pretty comfortable in a starting role in the New York-Penn League in 2011, not allowing an earned run until his sixth start. He’ll have to keep working on his command to stay there, as well as improve his changeup, but he has a lot going for him, like an excellent heavy fastball that generates ground balls and a plus changeup. His slider might give him a third plus offering, but he didn’t throw it much. A full-season assignment should be a good test for the right-hander.
So let me get it straight. He has a plus changeup, but he needs to work on it and get it better to stay in the starting role?
You would
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
Yanks trading Burnett to buy Oswalt?
by playjoyce on Feb 9, 2012 9:10 AM EST via mobile reply actions
So I walk into the bar last night and one of my buddies that's a bouncer there is a huge Red Sox fan
First thing he tells me is that he won some ticket lottery that gives him rights to get opening day tix for face value (as well as any Yankees-Red Sox tix he wants). The Rays just happen to be playing at Fenway on opening day this year. He has no interest in going and knows that I’m a huge Rays fan he offered to get the tix and then sell them to me for face. So basically I’m looking at going to the first three Rays-Yankees games in Tampa. Working for a week outside Tampa, then flying up to Boston for the Fenway opener against the Rays. Going to 4 of the first 7 games, especially against our rivals, would be amazing to kick off the season.
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
This is me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K82nMSy-IWQ
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
I do have a fantastic set of tits, love America, and can barely speak English
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
by Sandy Kazmir on Feb 9, 2012 10:07 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah it would suck if we start out 1-8. No way to make the playoffs after that. Not possible
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
Klaw's list is out
6 Rays are listed in there, 2 in the top 12, and then 62, 84,87, and 88. The last 2 come from the latest draft
I like how he had Matt Moore 16th last year
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
the upside was HUGE if he gained command. he did.
my fave thing about the KLAW lists is he seems less afraid than others to make gambles. it’s probably a result of him making his own top 100 as opposed to BA where it is compiled, so different people’s “hunch” players kind of wash out.
This.
Plus KLAW actually gets his eyes on these guys. Not sure if all the other lists actually see them in person.
by Peter Piontek on Feb 9, 2012 9:58 AM EST up reply actions
There's no doubt that last year Matt Moore broke out in a big way
by benderbrodriguez on Feb 9, 2012 10:39 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
The above was more a pun than anything else though
by benderbrodriguez on Feb 9, 2012 11:20 PM EST up reply actions
I say let's link it as a FanShot.
Drop the Rays player names in the comments.
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously.
Follow @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Feb 9, 2012 9:52 AM EST up reply actions
I just didn't want to publicly disclose the info 5 min after its release given my business relationship with Law, Karabell, and Berry
I tried to be as vague as possible there and let people guess which one is slotted where. #84 is the biggest surprise to me.
by Jason Collette on Feb 9, 2012 9:53 AM EST up reply actions
Well, Topkin just did, so now whatever I guess.
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously.
Follow @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Feb 9, 2012 9:54 AM EST up reply actions
smh
That insider filter is how the money is made. I just find it disrespectful when you can’t even let a story cool 5 minutes before disclosing a part of it behind it. Why would a Rays fan want to think about subscribing now?
As others have said, Law alone is worth the money but if you’re doing fantasy baseball and aren’t subscribing to the insider thing, you’re missing out. Matthew, Nate, Karabell, Quintong, et al do great work.
by Jason Collette on Feb 9, 2012 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
ESPN is a heartless corporation, you're in the minority
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
by Sandy Kazmir on Feb 9, 2012 10:06 AM EST up reply actions
I don't know the corporate overlords
I know the minions, and they’re great people
by Jason Collette on Feb 9, 2012 10:07 AM EST up reply actions
Do they have a bonus in their contract for subscribers?
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
by Sandy Kazmir on Feb 9, 2012 10:14 AM EST up reply actions
I don't see how the quality of work and the corporate philosophy are on the same plane, but have at it
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
by Sandy Kazmir on Feb 9, 2012 10:21 AM EST up reply actions
From their corporate war chest that numbers in the billions
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
by Sandy Kazmir on Feb 9, 2012 10:44 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, agree. It's a tough line to walk.
Considering every team blog/reporter ends up listing out the players from their org, you could probably reconstruct the whole list for free (if you wanted to waste a heck of a lot of time).
I love Casey Fossum. Now try and take me seriously.
Follow @steveslow
by Steve Slowinski on Feb 9, 2012 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
Lots of people like Enny
I find it awesome that HJL is a notch above Wil Myers
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
by Sandy Kazmir on Feb 9, 2012 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
a snippet on Romero
if you want a low-minors lefty with the potential to go all Matt Moore in 2012, this is him.
by Jason Collette on Feb 9, 2012 10:07 AM EST up reply actions
I'd think the cliff notes would be okay.
I like how KLaw is so high on Lee
by Peter Piontek on Feb 9, 2012 9:52 AM EST up reply actions
Hey Randy, awesome to see your boy Yonder come in at 69 too bad we didn't trade Matt Moore and Evan Longoria for him like you suggested
Yonder Alonso is such a can’t miss wunderkind that the Rays should trade Matt Moore and Evan Longoria for him right now.
by rglass44 on Apr 20, 2010 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
I got away from the one thing that kept me on the straight and narrow, and that was my relationship with the Lord
i feel like ive been pretty consistent on my yonder evaluation.
ive always said i wanted him, but i dont think he has star potential.
to all the archer haders: suck it.
still top 75. i also think i said we’d have more than 2 guys make top 100 lists and listed the ones i thought could make ones (torres and bex listed as possibilities as well) and these guys all were on it. maybe we do underrate our own guys…
Stefan is so good...
went to the Magic game last night with your cuzzo and started slipping into Hader’s Colonel Nast from the Cee Lo Green show. 
Boom. Outta Here.
Follow @RyanGilliss
I think Archer is more overrated than underrated
But we’ll see in due time
by benderbrodriguez on Feb 9, 2012 10:40 PM EST up reply actions
I will say I'm more confident after seeing him on Milb TV.
His pitch sequencing and command are the two main issues, and both seems correctable to a degree.
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