It's that time of the year again for us all to make a few predictions about the stats some Rays will post.
Before I get to my projected lineup numbers, here are three sleepers in my eyes.
Jorge Cantu : Looked like the next big thing at second base, before he pulled a `Pancho Villa' last year and disappeared due to injuries and perhaps fatigue from an early start (remember Cantu was the `Villa' in more ways than one for Mexico, he was a hero in the WBC, and then just rode off into the sunset on his donkey avoiding the U.S. forces...err....yeah.)
Jae Seo : Perhaps the unluckiest pitcher in Rays history, he went 1-8 yet never really seemed to pitch 'that bad'. If the bats crank for him this season I could easily see a 9-12 win season.
Chad Orvella : Jim Hickey will help Orvella more than Butcher 'butchered' him....I think.
Okay now my predictions for the lineup (note while I'm only doing HR / BA / OBP (or SB) feel free to inclue anything and everything if you want)
CF Baldelli : 23 homeruns .285 / .320 12 SBs
LF Crawford : 18 homeruns .310 / .350 51 SBs
RF Young : 22 homeruns .270 / .290 10 SBs
3B Iwamura : 14 homeruns .265 / .360
SS Zobrist : 5 homeruns .255 / .350
2B Cantu : 25 homeruns .270 / .300
1B Wigginton : 22 homeruns .275 / .320
C Navarro : 6 homeruns .250 / .340
DH Gomes : 36 homeruns .255 / .360
INF Upton : 9 homeruns .260 / .330
INF Harris : 2 homeruns .220 / .260
C Paul : 4 homeruns .240 / .280
OF Norton : 5 homeruns .250 / .300
OF Dukes : 7 homeruns .300 / .350 (less than 300 ABs)
I'm interested in seeing what the rest of you have in mind for either the hitters or the pitchers.