devil rays news

[shawn555]

Rays wait to expand roster on the cheap
By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
? St. Petersburg Times
published January 19, 2003


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With the signing last week of infielder Marlon Anderson, the Devil Rays probably are done making additions to the big-league roster this offseason.

With the players they wanted going elsewhere, they'll likely shelve their pursuit of a veteran outfielder, at least until teams start cutting players loose in spring training. And with the price of pitching erratic, they'll probably keep trolling for veterans willing to take minor-league (read: no-risk to the team) deals for a low base salary.

That's how they got Steve Parris, who might end up in the opening week rotation. Parris will get $400,000 if he makes the roster with a chance to make an additional $500,000 in incentives that kick in when he makes his 18th start.

The Rays talked about similar deals with Rolando Arrojo and St. Petersburg product Jeff D'Amico, but both took a little more money and headed to Pittsburgh. Mike DiFelice did the same when he went to Kansas City.

GM Chuck LaMar doesn't have much room to operate, trying to stay within Vince Naimoli's rapidly shrinking payroll, which likely will be less than $30-million, including the $4.25-million they get from the Mets. There is still an arbitration case to settle with Dan Reichert (he filed for $600,000; the Rays offered $450,000), and they want to save a little money for another pitcher. Plus, it's possible they'll release Greg Vaughn, eating his $9.25-million salary, and need another outfielder.

E-BUD: We know last season's All-Star Game was a fiasco. But exactly how is Bud Selig's latest brainstorm -- to have homefield advantage in the World Series determined by which league wins the midsummer classic -- a good idea?

By mid July less than half of the teams will have a chance to make the playoffs, making the issue irrelevant for many, if not most, of the All-Stars. Plus, the starters, who in theory are from the better teams, are usually long gone from the game after a few innings.

So is it really going to matter to an All-Star from a team such as the Brewers, or the Pirates, or the, uh, Devil Rays, who gets homefield advantage in the World Series? Not a bit.

TAKE THAT: The Yankees can play it straight all they want about the deal that sent Orlando Hernandez to the White Sox, but be assured their primary goal was to make sure Bartolo Colon didn't end up with Boston.

And when the Red Sox refused to include left-hander Casey Fossum in a deal with Montreal -- remember that name when reflecting on Boston's missed opportunity -- the Yankees were more than happy to give the White Sox what they needed to land Colon, including $2-million.

"If Boston actually was in on Colon and was close to trying to acquire him, then it's a fringe benefit," Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. Sure it was.

MISCELLANY: The $750,000 John Flaherty got in a minor-league deal with the Yankees was less than the Rays offered him to stay, but he wanted the chance to be with a contender and play in his native New York. ... Paul Wilson's two-year deal with the Reds will pay him $500,000 this season and $2.5-million in 2004. ... Yes, that was the Wilson Alvarez agreeing to a $750,000 minor-league deal with the Dodgers.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

 

[shawn555]

01/20/2003 7:48 pm ET
Rays sign Parque, Thompson
By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Rays signed pitcher Jim Parque and outfielder Ryan Thompson to minor league contracts on Monday and invited them to Spring Training.
Parque is a left-hander with a 30-33 Major League record in five seasons with the White Sox. Last season, he spent most of the year recovering from shoulder surgery. He was 1-4 with a 9.95 ERA in eight games at the end of the season.
In 2000, Parque was 13-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 187 innings for the White Sox, who won the AL Central. Parque is 27.


Thompson, 33, is a .243 lifetime hitter with 52 home runs and 176 RBIs in nine seasons with six teams. He started out with the Mets and had a career year with them in 1994, when he hit 18 home runs and drove in 59 runs. He also has played with the Indians, Astros, Yankees, Marlins and Brewers.
With Milwaukee last season, Thompson hit .248 with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs in 137 at-bats.
The Rays, who have several spots to fill on their roster this spring, already have signed 12 players to minor league contracts and invited them to Spring Training. They are expected to sign a few more before pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 13. But general manager Chuck LaMar said it was unlikely the team would sign any more free agents to Major League contracts

 

[shawn555]

01/20/2003 2:32 pm ET
Rays hope for stronger outfield
By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The strength of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization, and perhaps its hope for the immediate future, lies in the outfield.
Since they started participating in the First Year Player Draft in 1996, the Rays have used three of their top picks on outfielders. And their focus on athleticism has led to them picking many other promising outfielders. As a result, their top two prospects, and four of their top 10, as rated by Baseball America, are outfielders.
"We have an outstanding group of players in the outfield throughout our organization,'' general manager Chuck LaMar said. "Some of them are starting to come forward to the Major Leagues now and others are spread throughout the minor leagues, learning and improving as they play.''
Carl Crawford, the team's No. 2 pick in 1999, was the first to arrive. He made his Major League debut in Toronto on July 20 last season and immediately gave the team a burst of energy. He hit safely in 12 of his first 13 games, made diving catches a routine occurrence in left field and fascinated Rays fans with five triples in his first 83 at-bats.
Crawford, 21, started 63 of the team's final 67 games and hit safely in 43 of those. The left-hander led AL rookies and finished second on the team in triples with six, and was third on the Rays in stolen bases, with nine. He finished with a .259 batting average
Crawford knows that his base stealing technique needs to be refined and he should become more disciplined at the plate. Improvement in both areas became even more important when the team traded center fielder and leadoff man Randy Winn to the Mariners in the deal for new manager Lou Piniella.
"I've seen Crawford on tape and he's an exciting young player,'' Piniella said. "He came up last year and did a respectable job the last six weeks of the season. I expect him to hit out of the one or two hole.''
Piniella has discussed the idea of moving Crawford to right and Ben Grieve to left to take advantage of Crawford's speed. That could be decided in Spring Training.
The one thing the Rays are sure about in this year's outfield is that 2002 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Rocco Baldelli will be given every chance to take over for Winn in center.
Baldelli, 21, zipped through the Rays' system last season, from Single-A Bakersfield to Triple-A Durham, where he helped lead the Bulls to an International League championship. He hit .333 at Bakersfield, .371 at Double-A Orlando and .292 at Durham. The 6-4 right-hander combined for 19 home runs, 71 RBIs and 26 steals.
Baldelli was the team's No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft and is rated as its No. 1 prospect now. Rays owner Vince Naimoli likens Baldelli's defensive skills to those of Joe DiMaggio, whom Naimoli watched as a young fan.
Baldelli's arm is not strong but it is accurate. And like Crawford, Baldelli needs to work on plate discipline (23 walks in 2002).
Under different circumstances, the new skipper might have worked his two young outfielders in a bit slower but the Rays are not in a position to do that.
"If you have the luxury, you would prefer to start the young kids toward the back end of the lineup,'' Piniella said. "This allows them to get at bats, experience, and learn the league a little bit. It puts them where they can grow without being the focus. But, we're going to see what they can do. Once both kids get their feet wet, you'll see them hit in prominent spots in our lineup.''
The next outfield prospect to arrive should be Josh Hamilton. The 21-year-old North Carolina native was the No. 1 pick overall in 1999 and expected to be a multi-tool star. But multiple injuries have stopped him from playing a full season the last three years. He has had back and leg injuries and surgeries on his left elbow and shoulder. He also was involved in an auto accident during Spring Training two years ago that left him feeling achy all season.
Hamilton had 211 at-bats with Bakersfield last season and hit .303 with nine home runs, 44 RBIs and 10 steals. The 6-4 left-hander has been resting and recovering all offseason and is expected to be fine this spring.
"I think we'll see Josh Hamilton healthy and ready to go for the first time in two years,'' LaMar said. "I don't think he'll compete for a Major League job but he should be back on track overall.''
When Hamilton does join the Rays, he could play center and move Baldelli to right. Hamilton has a very strong arm and the speed to run down line drives in the gaps. Wherever he plays, Hamilton is projected to have 30-homer, 30-steal potential.
If Hamilton makes the Majors this season, that could make a DH out of Grieve. And the Rays still might add an outfielder before the end of Spring Training to catch fly balls with Crawford and Baldelli.
Grieve, the 1998 AL Rookie of the year, was off to a good start last season but suffered a wrist injury in late April and finished at .251 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs. He struck out 121 times in 482 at-bats, including 58 looking. Piniella and new hitting coach Lee Elia plan to work on his aggressiveness and eye at the plate. The 26-year-old left-hander is in the final season of a four-year contract.
The projected backups this season are lefty Jason Conti, righty Damian Rolls and lefty Jason Tyner. Tyner started last season as the left fielder but was sent to Durham after hitting .214 in his first 44 games. If Tyner wins a starting spot in Spring Training, he might lead off and play left with Crawford moving to right and batting second, and Grieve moving to DH.
The good news for the future continues as the Rays have at least four other outfield prospects worthy of note. Wes Bankston and Jason Pridie, both 19, were listed as the team's sixth and ninth top prospects, respectively, by Baseball America. Both played most of last season with the rookie league team at Princeton and then moved up to Single-A Hudson Valley at the end of the season.
Bankston, a 6-4 right-hander, hit a combined .301 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs. He led his rookie league in home runs and was voted the No. 2 prospect in the league. He is considered a prototype right fielder and has good knowledge of the strike zone.
Pridie, a 6-1 left-handed hitter, combined for eight home runs, 34 RBIs and 13 steals. Pridie has great speed and instincts and has been compared to Boston's Johnny Damon.
The Rays also have the powerful Gomes brothers, Jonny and Joey, working their way through the low minors. Jonny was the MVP of the Appalachian League in 2001 and Joey led the New York-Penn League with 15 home runs last season. Jonny hit 30 home runs for Bakersfield in 2002 and missed the home run title in the California League by one. They would have been the first brothers to win minor league home run titles in 73 years.
LaMar is very enthusiastic when talking about his young outfielders but knows that many things can happen on the way to the Majors.
"Who makes it and who doesn't will take care of itself,'' LaMar said. "But they are going to be fun to watch.''
Paul C. Smith is a reporter for MLB.com and can be reached at paul.smith@mlb.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

[chickenman]

I was looking for a Devil Ray fan.


I went to high school with Aubrey Huff. (Actually struck him out twice in one intrasquad scrimage ) What do you and other Tampa fans think of him and his chances to really be something?
Where do you see him playing this year. Will he make the team out of spring training? He had a solid second half last year, but will it be enough for Pinella?

Love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

 

[wondo]

chickenman-

did you play against derek lee, too? I couldn't remember when he graduated.

I would think he would have been an absolute awesome high school athlete.

edit: huff can hit. he's done it at every level, so i imagine they'll give him a good shot for a while to come.

wondo