Uncontested Numbers:

98- Jae Soe

97- Joe Beimel

80- Julio Santana

71- Damian Rolls

70- Joe Maddon(Manager)

68- Ruddy Lugo

63- Jim "The Rookie" Morris

62- Jeff Sparks

42- Jackie Robinson (Retired by the MLB)

12- Wade Boggs

6- John Flarherty

************************************************************************************************************

As voted by the Draysbay.com voters:

61- Travis Phelps (95% of the votes)

60- Jonny Gomes (61% of the votes)

59- Jorge Cantu (71% of the votes)

58- Wade Davis (54% of the votes)

57- Scott Kazmir (93% of the votes)

56- Tim Corcoran (50% of the votes)

55- Toby Hall (80% of the votes)

54- Geremi Gonzalez (53% of the votes)

53- Chad Bradford (83% of the votes)

52- Al Reyes (77% of the votes)

51- Trever Miller (60% of the votes)

50- Grant Balfour (64% of the votes)

49- Tanyon Sturtze (37% of the votes)

48- Joe Borowski (85% of the votes)

47- Victor Zambrano (94% of the votes)

46- Bobby Seay (57% of the votes)

45- Jim Mecir (67% of the votes)

44- Toby Hall (91% of the votes)

43- Esteban Yan (60% of the votes)

41- Paul Wilson (45% of the votes)

40- Troy Percival (52% of the votes)

39- J.P. Howell (66% of the votes)

38-Lance Carter (55% of the votes)

37-Seth McClung (65% of the votes)

36-Edwin Jackson (96% of the votes)

Today, we'll discuss the number "35"

 The Canidadates:

Dennis Springer(1998), Norm Charlton(1999),  Bryan Rekar(1998-2001), Chris Truby(2003), Randall Simon(2004), BJ Upton(2004),  Delmon Young(2006), Dan Wheeler(1999-2001,2007-2009), Elijah Dukes(2007)

Dennis Springer would play 29 games where he would win 3 games and lose 11 and had an ERA of 5.45 and pitched 1 complete game.

Norm Charlton wore the number "35" for the beginning of the 1999 season where he played 42 games for the Devil Rays.

Bryan Rekar wore the number "35" for his last year as a Devil Rays in 2001. Rekar would play 25 games where had an ERA of 5.89 and had 87 strikeouts over 140.2 innings pitched.

Chris Truby  played 13 games for the Devil Rays where he had a batting average of .279 with 12 hits, 3 doubles, and 3 RBIs.

Randall Simon batted .118 over his 17 at-bats and had 2 hits while with the Devil Rays in 2004.

BJ Upton wore "35" for the first few games in 2004 where he played 45 games with 41 hits, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs over 159 at-bats.

Delmon Young wore "35" during his debut in 2006 where he played in 30 games having a .317 batting average with 40 hits, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, and 10 RBIs over 126 at-bats.

Elijah Dukes played 52 games where he had a .190 batting average with 25 hits, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 10 home runs, 21 RBIs over 184 at-bats.

Dan Wheeler wore the number "35" for his second stint as a Devil Ray where he has played in 164 games, winning 9 games and saving 15 games.

So, Draysbay, I turn to you. Who was the greatest (Devil) Rays player while wearing the number "35?"

Uncontested Numbers:

98- Jae Soe

97- Joe Beimel

80- Julio Santana

71- Damian Rolls

70- Joe Maddon(Manager)

68- Ruddy Lugo

63- Jim "The Rookie" Morris

62- Jeff Sparks

42- Jackie Robinson (Retired by the MLB)

12- Wade Boggs

6- John Flarherty

************************************************************************************************************

As voted by the Draysbay.com voters:

61- Travis Phelps (95% of the votes)

60- Jonny Gomes (61% of the votes)

59- Jorge Cantu (71% of the votes)

58- Wade Davis (54% of the votes)

57- Scott Kazmir (93% of the votes)

56- Tim Corcoran (50% of the votes)

55- Toby Hall (80% of the votes)

54- Geremi Gonzalez (53% of the votes)

53- Chad Bradford (83% of the votes)

52- Al Reyes (77% of the votes)

51- Trever Miller (60% of the votes)

50- Grant Balfour (64% of the votes)

49- Tanyon Sturtze (37% of the votes)

48- Joe Borowski (85% of the votes)

47- Victor Zambrano (94% of the votes)

46- Bobby Seay (57% of the votes)

45- Jim Mecir (67% of the votes)

44- Toby Hall (91% of the votes)

43- Esteban Yan (60% of the votes)

41- Paul Wilson (45% of the votes)

40- Troy Percival (52% of the votes)

39- J.P. Howell (66% of the votes)

38-Lance Carter (55% of the votes)

37-(Still Pending)

Today, we'll discuss the number "36"

The Candidates:

 Terrell Wade(1998), Tony Fiore(2000-2001), Luis de los Santos(2002), Jeff Liefer(2003), Jorge Sosa(2004), Tim Laker(1998,2005), Edwin Jackson(2006-2008), Russ Springer(2009)

Terrell Wade played in 2 games where he had an ERA of 5.06 over 10.2 innings, while striking out 8.

Tony Fiore played in 14 games where he had an ERA of 7.85 over 18.1 innings.

Luis De Los Santos pitched in 3 games where he had an ERA of 11.57 over 14.0 innings of work.

Jeff Liefer played 9 games where he had a batting average of .120 with 1HR and 3 RBIs.

Jorge Sosa wore "36" in 2004 when he had an ERA of 5.53 record while earning 6 wins over 4 loses.

Tim Laker wore "36" for 1 game in 2005, where he received 1 at-bat and had a .000 batting average for the year.

Edwin Jackson had 19 wins over 26 loses while sporting an ERA of 5.08 over 380.2 innings pitched, with 1 complete game-shut-out, all while striking out 263 batters.

Russ Springer played in 26 games where he had an ERA of 4.11 over 15.1 innings pitched, with 1 save, in 2009.

So, Draysbay, I turn to you. Who was the greatest player while wearing the number "36?"

Dear Chase I feel like I can call you chase because you and me are so alike. I'd like to meet you one day, it would be great to have a catch. I know I can't throw as fast as you but I think you'd be impressed with my speed. I love your hair, you run fast. Did you have a good relationship with your father? Me neither. These are all things we can talk about and more. I know you have no been getting my letters because I know you would write back if you did. I hope you write back this time, and we can become good friends. I am sure our relationship would be a real homerun!

Continue reading this post »

Uncontested Numbers:

98- Jae Soe

97- Joe Beimel

80- Julio Santana

71- Damian Rolls

70- Joe Maddon(Manager)

68- Ruddy Lugo

63- Jim "The Rookie" Morris

62- Jeff Sparks

42- Jackie Robinson (Retired by the MLB)

12- Wade Boggs

6- John Flarherty

************************************************************************************************************

As voted by the Draysbay.com voters:

61- Travis Phelps (95% of the votes)

60- Jonny Gomes (61% of the votes)

59- Jorge Cantu (71% of the votes)

58- Wade Davis (54% of the votes)

57- Scott Kazmir (93% of the votes)

56- Tim Corcoran (50% of the votes)

55- Toby Hall (80% of the votes)

54- Geremi Gonzalez (53% of the votes)

53- Chad Bradford (83% of the votes)

52- Al Reyes (77% of the votes)

51- Trever Miller (60% of the votes)

50- Grant Balfour (64% of the votes)

49- Tanyon Sturtze (37% of the votes)

48- Joe Borowski (85% of the votes)

47- Victor Zambrano (94% of the votes)

46- Bobby Seay (57% of the votes)

45- Jim Mecir (67% of the votes)

44- Toby Hall (91% of the votes)

43- Esteban Yan (60% of the votes)

41- Paul Wilson (45% of the votes)

40- Troy Percival (52% of the votes)

39- J.P. Howell (66% of the votes)

38-(Still Pending)

Today, we'll discuss the number "37"

The Candidates: 

Scott Aldred(1998-1999), Norm Charlton(1999), Billy Taylor(2000), Rusty Meacham(2001), Brandon Backe(2002-2003),  Seth McClung(2003,2005-2007), Randy Choate(2009), Nathan Haynes(2008)

Scott Aldred earned an ERA of 4.37 with 40 strikeouts over 52.2 innings of work.

Norm Charlton would appear in 42 games, earning a ERA of 4.44 over 50.2 innings of work.

Billy Taylor played in 17 games and had an ERA of 8.56 in 1999.

Rusty Meacham played in 24 games pitching in 35.1 innings of service, while boasting an ERA of 5.60.

Bradon Backe played in 37 games pitching 57.2 innings, earning an ERA of 5.77.

Seth McClung was originally drafted by the Devil Rays in the 5th round of the 1999 amateur draft. He would make his major league debut in 2003 and work128 innings, earning 17 wins and 2 saves over that time period. McClung would be traded in 2007 for Grant Balfour.

Nathan Haynes played 20 games, boasting a batting average of .227 while knocking in 3 RBIs, and stealing 4 bases.

Randy Choate would have 5 saves and 3.47 ERA over 61 games played.

So, Draysbay, I turn to you. What was the great player for the (Devil) Rays while wearing the number "37?"

This is part 5 of the 6 part series on the best 30 starts for the Rays in our most recent season.  So far we have seen 11 - 30 and there have been some real humdingers in there.  As a review, here are positions for each starter:

James Shields - 24, 23, 20, 19, 12

Matt Garza - 29, 28

Jeff Neimann - 25, 22, 21,16

Scott Kazmir - 14

David Price - 30, 26, 15, 13, 11

Wade Davis - 27, 18

Andy Sonnanstine - 17

If we assign points, such that 1st would be worth 30 and 30th worth 1, we can sum up for these guys to get an idea of who is beating whom.  It would look something like this:

Continue reading this post »

Uncontested Numbers:

98- Jae Soe

97- Joe Beimel

80- Julio Santana

71- Damian Rolls

70- Joe Maddon(Manager)

68- Ruddy Lugo

63- Jim "The Rookie" Morris

62- Jeff Sparks

42- Jackie Robinson (Retired by the MLB)

12- Wade Boggs

6- John Flarherty

************************************************************************************************************

As voted by the Draysbay.com voters:

61- Travis Phelps (95% of the votes)

60- Jonny Gomes (61% of the votes)

59- Jorge Cantu (71% of the votes)

58- Wade Davis (54% of the votes)

57- Scott Kazmir (93% of the votes)

56- Tim Corcoran (50% of the votes)

55- Toby Hall (80% of the votes)

54- Geremi Gonzalez (53% of the votes)

53- Chad Bradford (83% of the votes)

52- Al Reyes (77% of the votes)

51- Trever Miller (60% of the votes)

50- Grant Balfour (64% of the votes)

49- Tanyon Sturtze (37% of the votes)

48- Joe Borowski (85% of the votes)

47- Victor Zambrano (94% of the votes)

46- Bobby Seay (57% of the votes)

45- Jim Mecir (67% of the votes)

44- Toby Hall (91% of the votes)

43- Esteban Yan (60% of the votes)

41- Paul Wilson (45% of the votes)

40- Troy Percival (52% of the votes)

39- (Still Pending)

Today, we'll discuss the number "38"

The Candidates:

Doug Creek(2000-2002), Lance Carter(2002-2005), Travis Harper(2000-2006), Andy Sonnanstine(2007-2009), Fernando Perez(2008-2009)

Doug Creek accumilated an ERA of 4.87 over 140 games played and had 1 save while with the Devil Rays.

Lance Carter had 29 saves for the Devil Rays and an All-Star appearance in 2003, all while having an ERA of 3.92 over 236.2 innings pitched.

Travis Harper had a 4.92 ERA over 411.2 innings pitched during his 7 seasons with the Devil Rays.

Andy Sonnanstine wore then number "38" for only one season where he had a 5.85 ERA and sported a record of 6 wins and 10 loses.

Fernando Perez played 41 games, showing a batting average of .238 while hitting 3 homeruns, and knocking in 10 RBIs.

So, Draysbay, I turn to you. Who was the greatest (Devil) Ray player while wearing the number "38?"

[Doug] Williams has been impressed with Freeman's development, and said that he sees a gunslinger of a quarterback when he watches Freeman in practice. Morris said that is what the Buccaneers need. 

"That is today's quarterback, you talk about all the great quarterbacks and they are gunslingers," Morris said. "They all go through their trials and tribulations. I guess Brett [Favre] is the guy you want to talk about now being the ultimate gunslinger. He leads the league in interceptions, but I don't think he ever remembers that stat. He just thinks of how many touchdowns he threw, and how many wins he has, and how many Super Bowls. That's got to be a quarterback's mentality in this league."

.....eff.

Continue reading this post »

Uncontested Numbers:

98- Jae Soe

97- Joe Beimel

80- Julio Santana

71- Damian Rolls

70- Joe Maddon(Manager)

68- Ruddy Lugo

63- Jim "The Rookie" Morris

62- Jeff Sparks

42- Jackie Robinson (Retired by the MLB)

12- Wade Boggs

6- John Flarherty

************************************************************************************************************

As voted by the Draysbay.com voters:

61- Travis Phelps (95% of the votes)

60- Jonny Gomes (61% of the votes)

59- Jorge Cantu (71% of the votes)

58- Wade Davis (54% of the votes)

57- Scott Kazmir (93% of the votes)

56- Tim Corcoran (50% of the votes)

55- Toby Hall (80% of the votes)

54- Geremi Gonzalez (53% of the votes)

53- Chad Bradford (83% of the votes)

52- Al Reyes (77% of the votes)

51- Trever Miller (60% of the votes)

50- Grant Balfour (64% of the votes)

49- Tanyon Sturtze (37% of the votes)

48- Joe Borowski (85% of the votes)

47- Victor Zambrano (94% of the votes)

46- Bobby Seay (57% of the votes)

45- Jim Mecir (67% of the votes)

44- Toby Hall (91% of the votes)

43- Esteban Yan (60% of the votes)

41- Paul Wilson (45% of the votes)

40- Troy Percival (52% of the votes)

Today, we'll discuss the number "39"

The Candidates:

Roberto Hernandez(1998-2000), Lee Gardner(2002,2005), Pete LaForest(2003,2005), Steve Parris(2003), Jason Childers(2006), JP Howell(2006-2009)

Roberto Hernandez pitched 207 games (3rd most in Rays history) with 3.43 (best in Rays history), recorded 104 (most in Devil Rays history) saves while with the D-Rays, and was an All-Star in 1999.

Lee Gardner would record a 4.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 20.2 innings pitched.

Pete LaForest .170 over 44 games and did smack 1 homerun between his stints with the D-Rays.

Steve Parris had a 6.18 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 43.2 innings pitched.

Jason Childers had a 4.17 ERA and 5 strikeouts over 7.2 innings of work.

JP Howell has recorded 20 saves, a 3.97 ERA, and 253 strikeouts over 249.1 innings of work.

So, Draysbay, I turn to you. Who was the greatest (Devil) Rays player while wearing the number "39?"

There are times when some things deserve a second go-around.  For the Rays bullpen, there is someone who deserves that chance--Danys Baez.  The 32 year old reliever posted solid numbers for Baltimore this past season and was very effective against right-handed hitters, holding them to around a .200 average.  With all the big name relievers out there, Baez is the type to get overlooked.  But he is a workhorse, has a ton of experience pitching in the AL East and would be more than willing to return to Tampa Bay once again with his home still in Miami. 

Based on financial cost and proven ability, Baez and Calero represent the best arms to target.  Both have shown they can handle the AL, one is one year removed from surgery and the other has settled into a solid middle reliever on a bad team.  Neither one of these guys will make the big bucks, but both of these guys can stablize our bullpen.

It still would be nice to add 1 more 'sure' thing (as if that even exists in the relief world) like a Rafael Betancourt, Billy Wagner, Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano, but the Rays may not be able to afford that.  But if they add Baez and Calero (and maybe resign Choate) that will still stabilize a bullpen in need of some tweaking. 

Howell, Wheeler, Balfour, Baez, Calero, Choate, Cormier -- I could live with that...could you?

I have all of the 2009 pitch f/x data in a nice and organized MySQL database and I'm in the process of acquiring 2007-2008 data,. This allows me to get access to all the data for every single player which makes it easy to get league averages for certain data points. I have a few ideas up my sleeve already but I thought it might be useful to get a collective forum going here with different thoughts and ideas on how we can use the pitch f/x data to better analyze any of the Rays pitchers and hitters. Pitch counts, league averages, hit direction, baserunners, and umpires are possible points of analysis using my database.

(My pitch f/x profile of Jesse Chavez as a little teaser)