Tampa Bay Rays news and links: Tebow plays baseball

So I know that there’s really only one story Rays fans are interested in, so let’s cut right to the chase.

It’s actually real.

• Roger Mooney is covering the instructional league workouts, and a couple days ago he wrote about D.J. Dozier, who Tebowed back in 1989.

Rays Links

• Steven Souza Jr. will have season ending hip surgery.
• When Danny Farquhar was a dominating reliever in Seattle, part of the reason he dominated was on the strength of a top-shelf changeup. That was no secret when the Rays acquired him. But that great changeup didn’t really show up, and when it did, Farquhar didn’t command it, so the Rays sent him back to Triple-A to work things out. And as Jason Collette writes, Farquhar did that, and it looks like it’s worked.
• Beyond the Box Score on Corey Dickerson.
• Mark Topkin wrote about who the most important players to the Rays success next year will be. I might quibble with the way Topkin presents numbers, but the point is fine. It would be nice if Kevin Kiermaier didn’t break his wrist next year.
• Three Rays pitchers sit near the top of the list for avoiding hard contact (h/t Neil Solondz).

• Chris Archer does his community work to light, airy, synthesized(?) string music.

Other Links

• What are you doing, Madison Bumgarner? You got the out, now walk back to your dugout with some class. Maybe somebody needs t teach you to “play the game the right way.”

• Good update on stat reliability.