tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14154953895931840542024-03-05T08:21:59.909-05:00Rays The StakesTampa Bay Rays baseball blog where we believe it's time to Rays the Stakes! Daily dish on Tampa Bay Rays baseball from your average fan- oh, and just a pinch of whining, complaining, and a generally bad attitude sprinkled on top for flavor.DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-52897927478172004542010-04-11T15:35:00.002-04:002010-04-11T15:36:13.664-04:00Patience, Grasshopper!Thank You for your patience as we prepare to make the long over-due switch to our permanent site.<br /><br />Go RaysDirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-34806612620745667252010-04-08T10:05:00.005-04:002010-04-08T10:42:27.842-04:00CHEESE & WHINE: Bad Calls? No Problem.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhMgY7xBb09V0pLlRVKA6CrZZzwwee3LLV87xxNndyXzT-oh3bE5EPsLHxKcL74MKyMJQt8lQh3qqNkDhEk6OolccbQRiEkXlgF54e7ZRCQKvDlMW1hrVEnXPSwmjZqhmSxkEoGJraT7u/s1600/garza.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 261px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457769127247446482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhMgY7xBb09V0pLlRVKA6CrZZzwwee3LLV87xxNndyXzT-oh3bE5EPsLHxKcL74MKyMJQt8lQh3qqNkDhEk6OolccbQRiEkXlgF54e7ZRCQKvDlMW1hrVEnXPSwmjZqhmSxkEoGJraT7u/s320/garza.jpg" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">RAYS: 4</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#ff6600;">O's: 3</span><br /></span></strong><br />CHEESE:<br /><ul><li>Matt Garza. G-Man overcame a rough start (25 pitch 1st), and worked through 8; giving-up only 1 earned run on only 4 hits, while walking 2 and striking-out 9. It did cost him 114 pitches which I think is a bit high, but hey, its early.</li><li>Evan Longoria. Dirt McGirt was 2 for 4 from the plate with a double, another solo homer, and 3 RBI. I'm not sure about this kid- I wonder if he'll make it at this level?</li><li>Reid Brignac. His swing looks miles better than it did last season, and he's peppering the ball around the park as a result. In his 2010 debut he went 2 for 3 from the plate and scored a run.</li></ul><p>WHINE:</p><ul><li>Bad calls. The Crawford strike-out/Brignac throw-out was a complete farce, and could've cost the Rays big. Then in the top of the ninth, in a save situation, Soriano was robbed of an obvious strike-out which resulted in a walk that later turned into a run.</li><li>Pat Burrell. Is it too soon to start ragging on Patrick? Kevin Kennedy "loves what he's seen so far", really? You love a 2 game line of 1 for 7 with 3 K's and about a half a dozen left on base? Come on dude, earn your pay for at least a few months.</li></ul><p>CRACKERS:</p><ul><li>I was all set to report a decent attendence number, but it turns out (according to MLB) that last night's attendence was only 15,220. I really foresaw a number more like 18 or 19K, but I guess 15K for a Wednesday against the O's is just the reality of Rays baseball- doesn't mean I have to like it.</li><li>After 3 games the Sox are 1.5 games back (let's not point out that they played the champs while we played the O's- let's just enjoy the stat).</li></ul><p>CAVIAR (Game Ball):</p><ul><li>Matt Garza. I'll take more of the same for the next 25-30 starts please. </li></ul>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-66756952722101464622010-04-07T13:20:00.002-04:002010-04-07T13:26:00.152-04:00Facebook, Twitter, and Rays The StakesWe're slowly warming-up to new technologies so please feel free to bring us with you everywhere you go in one of the following ways:<br /><br />Our RSS feed (on the sidebar)<br /><br />or<br /><br />Join us on our Facebook Fan page:<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rays-The-Stakes/112569268761724?created#!/pages/Rays-The-Stakes/112569268761724?v=wall">Facebook Rays The Stakes</a><br /><br />or<br /><br />Or follow us on our Twitter account:<br />@<a href="http://twitter.com/DirtbagFan">Dirtbagfan</a><br /><br />Go Rays!DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-64516561095328425122010-04-07T09:54:00.005-04:002010-04-07T10:11:55.965-04:00Walk-Off Winners<a href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/teamphotos/mlb/20100406/Orioles_Rays_Baseball.sff_163804_game.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 271px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 334px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/teamphotos/mlb/20100406/Orioles_Rays_Baseball.sff_163804_game.jpg" /></a>In a departure from our signature daily recap, "Cheese & Whine", today's post is just a compilation of various, random thoughts from the Rays' 2010 debut.<br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div>-Evan Longoria is a stud, but his K's are gonna sky-rocket this season as he starts to get a "homerun happy" mentality.<br /></div><div></div><div><br />-Soriano is a Troy Percival redux, and my cardiologist is licking his chops.</div><br /><div></div><div>-CC is ready for another big season and a subsequent big contract from NY- can they really have two CC's on one team?</div><br /><div></div><div>-Sean Rodriguez was pressing in an attempt to prove his offensive prowess.</div><br /><div></div><div>-How many games before we get Brian Anderson in the booth with Dewayne?</div><br /><div></div><div>-No errors by either team in the season opener, somewhat unusual.</div><br /><div></div><div>-The bullpen is in trouble in JP's absence.</div><div></div><div></div><div><br />-Jason Bartlett is going to prove to the world that 2009 was his rule not his exception.</div><br /><div></div><div>-The Rays are undefeated.</div><div></div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-6691225126616824902010-04-05T18:34:00.002-04:002010-04-06T09:53:20.290-04:00Tampa Bay Rays 2010 Opening Day Starting Lineup (Projected)<strong>UPDATE:</strong><br /><br />Actual lineup as posted in the Rays' clubhouse this morning (<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/rays/content/openers-rodriguez-and-navarro">The Heater</a>):<br /><br />1. Bartlett ss<br />2.Crawford lf<br />3. Zobrist rf<br />4. Longoria 3b<br />5. Pena 1b<br />6. Upton cf<br />7. Burrell dh<br />8. Rodriguez 2b<br />9. Navarro c<br /><br />Shields p<strong></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Projected Opening Day Lineup/Batting order</strong><br /><br />1) SS Jason Bartlett<br />2)LF Carl Crawford<br />3) RF Ben Zobrist<br />4) 1B Carlos Pena<br />5) 3B Evan Longoria<br />6) CF B.J. Upton<br />7) DH Pat Burrell<br />8) C Kelly Shoppach<br />9) 2B Reid Brignac<br /><br />SP) James Shields<br /><br />That'll do...DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-83384980616998863892010-04-05T14:24:00.003-04:002010-04-05T14:37:13.696-04:00For Tampa Bay Rays, One More Day<span style="font-size:180%;">T</span>he sun is shining, the smell of fresh-cut grass hangs heavily in the air, and Tampa Bay Rays' baseball finally kicks-off in just over twenty-four hours. <div><br /></div><a href="http://www.lanamcdonald.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/TropField.bmp"><img style="WIDTH: 450px; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.lanamcdonald.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/TropField.bmp" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div><br />The roster has been pared down to 25 (and 40), the clubhouse is set, and the Yankees are already falling behind. The smile on my face is nearly permanent) except when I remember that the Red Sox are already atop the division, a fact which I hope is short-lived). So without any further ado:<br /><br />"Let's get it on!"<br /><br /></div><br /><div><strong>Game 1</strong><br />Tuesday, April 6 @ 7:10<br />Kevin Millwood, RHP (0-0, -.--) -vs- James Shields, RHP (0-0, -.--) </div><br /><div></div><div> </div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-74156599302344149492010-03-01T21:49:00.003-05:002010-03-01T21:54:42.041-05:00Rays The Stakes: Preparing for a More Limited RoleAs we rapidly approach a new season (finally), I wanted to reach out and let everyone know that although things have gotten extremely hectic at the DirtbagFan household we still intend to cover our beloved Rays, albeit in a more limited role, but we'll be here none the less- I have too many opinions to keep quiet for too long. <br /><br />In the meantime keep up with all your Rays' needs at <a href="http://raysindex.com/">Rays Index</a>, and be certain to continue to support the <a href="http://baseballbloggersalliance.com/">BBA</a> for everything else.<br /><br />Check back often.<br /><br />Thanks for your support,<br /><br />DirtbagFanDirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-66219616660868557842010-02-06T11:01:00.002-05:002010-02-06T11:12:53.573-05:00ApologiesDear Readers,<br /><br />Over the last few months I've decided to go back to school for another degree, had my 4th "little dirtbag fan", and have been pressing forward with my forthcoming novel. As a result, Rays The stakes has been steadily losing ground as it slips down the priority list. I still intend to try to get it going again when the season starts, but probably not before.<br /><br />Thanks for your support!<br /><br />-DBFDirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-30082634808361638322009-11-17T13:57:00.003-05:002009-11-17T14:10:46.920-05:00Niemann Takes Fourth<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00070/c4s_niemann060409_70813c.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 450px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00070/c4s_niemann060409_70813c.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of voting for the <a href="http://baseballbloggersalliance.com/">BBA's</a> rookie of the year awards; if you'll remember I voted for Tampa's own Jeff Niemann, but in the end he finished 4th (behind Bailey, Porcello, and Andrus respectively), despite my poignant statistical evidence that Niemann's performance proved to be the most deserving of the award. </div><div>Check out my reasoning <a href="http://raysthestakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/al-rookie-of-year.html">here</a>.</div><br /><div></div><div>Well, it turns out that the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BWAA) agreed (for the most part) with the sentiments of the BBA, giving the award to Bailey, followed by Andrus, Porcello, and Niemann in a distant fourth. </div><br /><div>All four players had stellar seasons, but I still feel as if Andrus was a media darling who only received so many looks based on how often his name was bandied about by the mainstream media, but I digress.</div><br /><div></div><div>Congrats to Niemann and all of he finalists. </div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-8410551670767739312009-11-13T10:23:00.002-05:002009-11-13T10:34:47.345-05:00What About Bronze?<a href="http://blogs.tampabay.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/10/longoria.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 428px; HEIGHT: 582px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://blogs.tampabay.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/10/longoria.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Evan Longoria received his first Gold Glove Award earlier this week, and now has been honored with a Silver Slugger Award.</div><br /><div></div><div>What is a Silver Slugger Award? Its an award given to the best offensive player at each position from both leagues. What makes this award valid is the fact that its voted on by the managers and coaches (they may not vote for players on their own squad).</div><br /><div></div><div>Longoria finished the 2009 campaign with 113 RBI and 33 homeruns (shhh, don't tell anyone how many GIDP's he had (27)).</div><br /><div></div><div>Dirtbag is the youngest third baseman to receive the award, and the second Tampa Bay player (Carlos Pena).</div><br /><div></div><div>So what's next, the Bronze Belt Buckle Award?</div><br /><div></div><div>Congrats Mr D.!</div><div> </div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-74277073744103336922009-11-10T16:03:00.002-05:002009-11-10T16:11:41.168-05:00Dirtbag's Shiny Glove<a href="http://www.motleyhealth.com/images/Evan_Longoria.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 418px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.motleyhealth.com/images/Evan_Longoria.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;">A</span>ccording to AP reports Evan Longoria has officially won his first Gold Glove Award. I'll go way out on a limb and assume that it will not be his last. </div><br /><div></div><div>The interesting aspect of Longoria winning the award is that I feel that he was far from his best this season, so if that's all it takes to garner a Gold Glove then so-be-it, he better start erecting a wing in his home for those awards which are forthcoming.</div><br /><div></div><div>Longo was joined by Jeter, Teixeira, Ichiro, Hunter, Adam Jones, Palanco, Buehrle, and Mauer in receiving the award.</div><br /><div>Congrats Evan!</div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-57714287947450060782009-11-10T14:02:00.002-05:002009-11-10T14:12:33.355-05:00Rays Exercise CC's Option<a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/albert_chen/02/20/inside.baseball/p1_crawford.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/albert_chen/02/20/inside.baseball/p1_crawford.jpg" /></a> Not a huge surprise, but the Rays have exercised their option on CC and his $10M salary for the 2010 season.<br /><div></div><br /><div>CC has been the heart of the young organization; owning the franchise marks in hits, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">AB's</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">SB's</span>, runs, RBI, and triples, and of course games played.</div><br /><div>Much speculation has been made as to whether or not the Rays will still try <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">ot</span> move him during the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">offseason</span> or at some point during the first half of next season (depending greatly on whether or not the Rays are in contention in 2010).</div><div>Rays Index sums it up fairly well <a href="http://www.raysindex.com/2009/11/the-curious-case-of-carl-crawfords-elias-ranking-and-what-it-means-for-his-future-with-rays.html">here</a>. </div><br /><div></div><div>Other roster moves included declining the options of catcher Gregg <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zaun</span> and reliever Brian <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Shouse</span>, neither of which came as a surprise, although many (myself included) would like to see the Rays bring <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zaun</span> back with a lower salary. The organization also pick-up Ramon Ramirez off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds</div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-79431409014582855742009-11-04T09:57:00.006-05:002009-11-05T09:46:00.750-05:00Sayonara, Akinora Iwamura<div>It's official. The Rays have traded infielder Akinori Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed, relief pitcher, Jesse Chavez.<br /><div><br /><div>Chavez, 26, finished the 2009 season with an ERA of 4.01 while recording 47 K's and 22 BB's.</div><br /><div></div><img style="WIDTH: 195px; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://welcometotheshow.mlblogs.com/iwamura.jpg" /> <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2035314349_9d44a031cb.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 202px; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2035314349_9d44a031cb.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Chavez should have a legitimate chance at procuring a roster spot for the 2010 season. </div><div> </div><div>By making the trade before the official end of the season the Rays saved around 1/2 million dollars.</div><br /><div>I think in the long run that Ben Zobrist will end-up costing the Rays more, but in the short term this move seemed all but inevitable, especially considering that the Rays will have no choice but to continue to carry Burrell's inflated salary, as well as the $10M that Crawford is due.</div></div></div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-28694337647715876722009-10-31T09:47:00.003-04:002009-10-31T09:54:51.933-04:00Crawford Honored as Best Left Fielder<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/crawford_carl0629.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/crawford_carl0629.jpg" /></a>Carl Crawford has been voted as 2009's best left fielder according to The Fielding Bible Awards.<br /><div><br /><div>I wholeheartedly agree, and am pleased to see Crawford getting the love he deserves after a stellar season. In my humble opinion a Gold Glove is soon to follow.</div><br /><div> </div><div><strong>Official Press Release (courtesy of </strong><a href="http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/"><strong>The Heater</strong></a><strong>):</strong><br /><br />Tampa Bay Rays veteran Carl Crawford won the 2009 Fielding Bible Award for left field in an announcement made November 1, 2009, in The Bill James Handbook 2010. This is Crawford's third Fielding Bible Award.<br /><br />Crawford, who received an almost-perfect score, was chosen by a panel of ten experts, including Peter Gammons, Bill James, Joe Posnanski, and John Dewan, author of the new Fielding Bible—Volume II. In granting the award to Crawford, Dewan wrote: “This was no contest. No player has ever won with a perfect record (10 first-place votes from 10 panelists), but Carl came as close as possible with nine first place votes and one second. That's 99 points. (The best previously was 98 points by Adam Everett at shortstop in 2006.) If Crawford doesn't win his first Gold Glove this year, I'm going to throw up.”<br /><br />Officially announced annually on November 1 (before any other fielding awards), the Fielding Bible Awards try to name the single best fielder at each of the nine positions (including pitcher) in the major leagues. This distinction came into play this year as Jack Wilson, who split his time between Pittsburgh and Seattle, won the Fielding Bible Award at shortstop. "It is almost impossible for a player who is traded between leagues during the season to win a Gold Glove," Dewan pointed out. "I predict that Wilson will not win a Gold Glove this year, even though our 10 judges voted him the best-fielding shortstop in Major League Baseball."<br /><br />This year, National League players were chosen at three positions, American League players at five, and Wilson at shortstop. 2009 marks the fourth year of the award. First-baseman Albert Pujols of the Cardinals is the only player to have won a Fielding Bible Award four years in a row. Aaron Hill won over Dustin Pedroia and Chase Utley at second base only after a tie-breaker was invoked. The complete voting results and further information are available in The Bill James Handbook 2010, published by ACTA Sports (www.ACTAsports.com).<br /><br />The 2009 Fielding Bible Award winners are:<br /><br />First Base—Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (fourth-time winner)<br />Second Base—Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays (second-time winner)<br />Third Base—Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals (first-time winner)<br />Shortstop—Jack Wilson, Pittsburgh Pirates/Seattle Mariners (first-time winner)<br />Left Field—Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (third-time winner)<br />Center Field—Franklin Gutierrez, Seattle Mariners (second-time winner)<br />Right Field—Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (second-time winner)<br />Catcher—Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (third-time winner)<br />Pitcher—Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox (first-time winner) </div></div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-58925570632250604642009-10-30T19:51:00.000-04:002009-10-30T19:51:00.377-04:00Free Jason Bartlett Autograph<strong>**UPDATE (Oct 30)</strong><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br />Hey gang, get in while the gettin's good.<br />There's still time to win a Jason Bartlett Autographed card courtesy of Rays the Stakes and <a href="http://sportsmemorabilia.com/">Sports Memorabilia.</a><br />Enter now.<br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">----</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><br /><strong>**UPDATE (Sept 19)</strong><br />The entries keep rolling in, so get in while you still can- and tell your friends... its free.<br /><span style="font-size:180%;">----</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">R</span>ays the Stakes in conjunction with our good friends over at <a href="http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/">Sports Memorabilia </a>are proud to announce some good news:<br /><br />We are having a giveaway contest:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>Win this Jason Bartlett Autographed Card (with C.O.A.)</strong></div><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 327px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/files/cache/jason-bartlett-autographed-baseball-card-tampa-bay-devil-rays_1ddcca7b8363ccb92e5cb932c24f760f.jpg" /></p><br /><p><strong>THE CONTEST:</strong></p><br /><p>Send an email to <a href="mailto:raysthestakes@gmail.com">raysthestakes@gmail.com</a> telling us who you think will win this season's AL MVP award. </p><br /><p>Everyone who correctly guesses the MVP will be entered into a random drawing to see who wins the Jason Bartlett autographed card from Rays The Stakes and Sports Memorabllia. Be sure to include your full name in your response. </p><br /><p>Good Luck.</p><br /><p>*Click <a href="http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-products/jason-bartlett-autographed-baseball-card-tampa-bay-devil-rays.html">here</a> for more detailed info in regard to the card you could win.</p>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-72426139698599684942009-10-30T15:39:00.002-04:002009-10-30T15:47:14.959-04:00Quick ReminderJust a quick post to remind everyone that even though the posts have slowed down here at Rays The Stakes, you can still get all the baseball coverage you can handle by stopping over to the <strong>Baseball Bloggers Alliance</strong> website where you can find material on every major league team, from the Angels to the Yankees (man, I wish there were a team that started with a "Z")...<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://baseballbloggersalliance.com/home/"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 84px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://groups.google.com/group/baseball-bloggers-alliance/web/bba3.jpg?hl=en&display=thumb&width=200&height=200" /></a><br /><br />click image to check out the site.DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-41529255398385843942009-10-28T11:00:00.003-04:002009-10-28T11:06:21.673-04:00Rays keep KaplerI'm a late comer to this party because, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to think about the re-signing of Kapler. <br /><br />A day has passed and I'm still not in love with the move, but I guess there's a reason why they don't run all of their roster decisions past me (although sometimes I wish they would).<br /><br />Here's the gory details of the Rays/Kapler press release:<br /><br /><blockquote>The Tampa Bay Rays have re-signed right-handed-hitting outfielder Gabe Kapler to a one-year major league contract.<br /><br />Kapler, 34, appeared in 99 games at all three outfield positions for the Rays in 2009. He hit .239 (49-for-205) with eight home runs, 32 RBI, 15 doubles and five stolen bases. Against left-handed pitching, he hit .276 (40-for-145) with all eight home runs, 14 doubles, a .379 on-base pct., and more walks (26) than strikeouts (23). Over the last two seasons (2008-09), he hit .304 (69-for-227) against lefthanders with a .577 slugging pct., 11th best in the majors over that span.<br /><br />Kapler has played parts of 11 major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1998-99), Texas Rangers (2000-02), Colorado Rockies (2002-03), Boston Red Sox (2004-06), Milwaukee Brewers (2008) and Rays (2009). He initially signed with the Rays as a free agent on January 12, 2009. He retired briefly from playing in 2007 to manage the Class-A Greenville Drive in the Red Sox organization.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />The Hebrew Hammer will get an approximate $500K raise over the $1 million dollar salary he drew last season.<br /><br />Meh.DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-42231243984613176612009-10-27T11:09:00.004-04:002009-10-27T11:20:56.839-04:00BBA MVP Winners:The votes are in, and the BBA (Baseball Bloggers Alliance) AL and NL Most Valuable Players of the 2009 MLB season have been announced.<br /><br />You can check out how Rays The Stakes voted (with explanations) <a href="http://raysthestakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/al-mvp-and-winner-is.html">here.</a><br /><br />Tampa Bay got a little love for a change, having had 5 players receive at least one vote, with 2 players (Zobrist and Longoria) finishing inside the top 10 in total votes. In total, 29 American League players received MVP votes, but the AL MVP was a unanimous decision among BBA voters.<br /><br />Here is the official Press Release from the BBA:<br /><br /><strong>Mauer, Pujols Named MVP By Baseball Bloggers Alliance</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>Catcher Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins and first baseman Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals were overwhelmingly named Most Valuable Player of their respective leagues by the <a href="http://www.baseballbloggersalliance.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball Bloggers Alliance</a>, who completed their voting of major awards with this honor.<br />Mauer, who posted a 1.031 OPS and slugged 28 home runs while leading the Twins to the American League Central title, was a unanimous selection, gaining a first place nod on each of the seventeen blogs that cast an AL ballot. His 221 points dwarfed his nearest competition, both New York Yankees. First baseman Mark Teixeira received 115 points while shortstop Derek Jeter was third with 101.<br />Shelly from <a href="http://seamheads.com/blog/2009/10/09/tis-the-season-for-awards/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seamheads</a> wrote, "Mr. Mauer is a monster with the bat, smooth with the leather, and has proved over the last couple of years to be the rock his team leans on for guidance and leadership." Kevin at <a href="http://dmbworldseriesreplay.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/bba-american-league-mvp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DMB Historic World Series Replay</a> pondered, "Imagine the numbers he might put up if he wasn't a catcher!"<br /><br />Due to more ballots being cast, Pujols was able to put up a higher vote total than Mauer, even though his selection wasn't unanimous. The first baseman, who put up a 1.101 OPS while smoking 47 home runs, was named first on twenty of the 21 National League ballots submitted for 269 total points. Pitcher Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants was the only other National League player to receive a first place selection.<br />Runners-up to Pujols in the National League race were Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (164 points) and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder (145 points).<br />Jim from <a href="http://community.sportsbubbler.com/blogs/bernies_crew/archive/2009/10/26/nl-most-valuable-player.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bernie's Crew</a> asked the rhetorical question, "Do I really need to explain why Albert Pujols is your 2009 Most Valuable Player in the National League?" Jim from <a href="http://www.northsidenotch.com/2009/10/bba-ballot-nl-mvp.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">North Side Notch</a> agreed, saying, "This guy is super-human."<br /><br />The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):<br /><br /><strong>American League<br /></strong>Joe Mauer, Minnesota (18) 221<br />Mark Teixeira, New York 115<br />Derek Jeter, New York 101<br />Miguel Cabrera, Detroit 96<br />Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay 74<br />Kendry Morales, Los Angeles of Anaheim 64<br />Kevin Youkilis, Boston 44<br />Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay 36<br />Zack Greinke, Kansas City 35<br />Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle 29<br />Aaron Hill, Toronto 25<br />Alex Rodriguez, New York 23<br />Jason Bay, Boston 22<br />Chone Figgins, Los Angeles of Anaheim 20<br />Adam Lind, Toronto 11<br />Franklin Gutierrez, Seattle 10<br />CC Sabathia, New York 10<br />Dustin Pedroia, Boston 9<br />Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay 7<br />Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles of Anaheim 6<br />Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston 5<br />Robinson Cano, New York 4<br />Jason Kubel, Minnesota 4<br />Justin Morneau, Minnesota 4<br />Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay 3<br />Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota 3<br />Marlon Byrd, Texas 2<br />Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland 2<br />Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay 1<br /><br /><strong>National League</strong><br />Albert Pujols, St. Louis (20) 269<br />Hanley Ramirez, Florida 164<br />Prince Fielder, Milwaukee 145<br />Chase Utley, Philadelphia 110<br />Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado 76<br />Ryan Howard, Philadelphia 71<br />Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (1) 67<br />Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego 66<br />Ryan Zimmerman, Washington 50<br />Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco 42<br />Matt Kemp, Los Angeles 34<br />Ryan Braun, Milwaukee 32<br />Derrek Lee, Chicago 29<br />Andre Ethier, Los Angeles 22<br />Javier Vazquez, Atlanta 11<br />Mark Reynolds, Arizona 9<br />Matt Holliday, St. Louis 5<br />Adam Wainwright, St. Louis 5<br />Joey Votto, Cincinnati 4<br />Dan Haren, Arizona 3<br />Jayson Werth, Philadelphia 2<br />Chris Carpenter, St. Louis 1<br />Miguel Tejada, Houston 1DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-9650897400186393452009-10-24T11:01:00.005-04:002009-10-24T12:44:28.698-04:00AL MVP. And The Winner Is...<span style="font-size:180%;">M</span>y duties as a member of the <a href="http://baseballbloggersalliance.com/">BBA</a> include casting votes for all the major annual awards, and no award in all of sports is more major than the coveted title of MVP.<br /><br />The BBA voting is set-up essentially like the "real" voting:<br /><ul><li>Votes are made for the top 10 candidates in a weighted vote (ie. first place votes get 10 pts, second place 9 pts, and so on).</li><li>MVP is awarded for a plethora of reasons- not always based solely on statistical standings. Other factors to be considered include, overall value to team, versatility, and sportsmanship. </li></ul><p>Now, with a little help from my buddy Prof from over at <a href="http://raysindex.com/">Rays Index</a>, here are Rays The Stakes' votes for the 2009 AL MVP (in reverse order):</p><p><strong>10. Miguel Cabrera (1B, Detroit).</strong> Miggy put together another great season, posting 34 doubles and 34 homers to go with his 103 RBI, .324 BA, and .396 OBP</p><p><strong>9. Zack Greinke (P, Kansas City).</strong> I don't generally consider pitchers eligible but Greinke was more valuable to his team than any other player in the league (don't believe me? His WAR (wins above replacement ) was<a href="http://http//www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1943&position=P#value"> 9.4</a>)</p><p><strong>8. Jason Bartlett (SS, Tampa Bay).</strong> As someone who covers the Rays I got to witness JB's magic on a nearly daily basis, and let me assure you these numbers aren't fluky: Jason had 29 doubles to go with his 30 stolen bases and his .320 BA, .389 OBP, and .879 OPS. Bartlett also played great defense from the SS position (it helps to have Longoria eating up space to your right, I'm sure), earning himself a .962 fielding percentage.</p><p><strong>7. Kevin Youkilis (1B, Boston).</strong> Youk has shown versatility all season, playing on both corners of the infield as well as playing some outfield if necessary. Youkilis posted good numbers this season; 36 doubles, 27 HR, and 94 RBI. He also posted an OPS of .961.</p><p><strong>6. Alex Rodriguez (3B, New York).</strong> A-Rod missed a portion of the season, and to be quite honest nearly missed this list, but The Prof from <a href="http://raysindex.com/">Rays Index </a>convinced me that he belonged, reminding me that: "the Yankees were 13-15 before he made his debut on May 8th. They were a team in big trouble at that point. They went 90-44 after that, with A-Rod putting up very good numbers while playing on a hip that might still need surgery." Point well taken- A-Rod slides in at number 6.</p><p><strong>5. Chone Figgins (3B, Los Angeles).</strong> Figgins garnered a lot of attention this season (convenient considering it's a contract year) and earned a place on the list with impressive numbers: 30 doubles, 42 steals, .298 BA, and .395 OBP. Figgins also managed to finish with a .968 fielding percentage from the hot-corner. His WAR was solid at 5.9, as well.</p><p><strong>4. Derek Jeter (SS, New York).</strong> Jeter is the prototypical baseball player; a good clubhouse guy, plays the game the right way, is consistently one of the best players in the league, breaks decades old records every year, and does it all with a smile. What a shame that he plays for New York. Jeter finished the year with another impressive stat line: .334 BA, .406 OBP, .871 OPS, and even at the ripe old age of 35 he still managed to record 30 stolen bases (his most since 2006 (34)).</p><p>And the Big Three (drumroll please)...</p><p><strong>3. Ben Zobrist (Everywhere, Tampa Bay).</strong> Zobrist has single-handedly redefined the term utility player. Zorilla is th edefinition of versitile as he can be a legitimate starter at 5 different positions, and played at least one game at not 4 or 5 but 7 different positions this season (that's all of them folks (except catcher/pitcher of course). Zobrist tallied 28 doubles to go with his 27 HR's and his 91 RBI. Zorilla put together a decent batting line; .260 BA, .346 OBP, and an OPS of .948. His 8.5 WAR was the highest of any position player in the majors (even Pujols).</p><p><strong>2. Mark Teixeira (1B, New York).</strong> Tex finished the regular season with 43 doubles and tied for the league lead with 39 HR's (Carlos Pena), he also amassed a league-leading 122 RBI, all while maintaining a .292 BA, a .383 OBP, and an OPS of .948. Mark also led the league in total bases for the second time in his career (2005) with 344. Tex has been a major cog in the Yankees wheel and I'm nearly certain they wouldn't be on the cusp of World Series birth without him. And remember kids, I before E except in Teixeira.</p><p><strong>And the winner is:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Joe Mauer (C, Minnesota).</strong> Mauer has amazed everyone with his performances both beside and behind home plate this season. Mauer led the league in batting average almost from the start of the season and finished with a league-leading .365 BA to go along with his league-leading OBP (.444), league-leading SLG (.587), and his league-leading OPS(1.031)... well, you get the hint. Mauer was a near lock for the MVP by August 1st, and he didn't disappoint. Congratulations Joe on a season well played!</p><p>--------</p><p>*other players receiving consideration for the top 10 included: Gutierrez, Halladay, Crawford, Morneau, and Longoria. </p>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-17704049925284962862009-10-22T09:53:00.005-04:002009-10-22T10:18:44.249-04:00Crawford or PenaIn a strictly hypothetical situation who would you choose?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.media.tumblr.com/yPzX4laDnonapv5dLLRiapg1o1_400.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 171px; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.media.tumblr.com/yPzX4laDnonapv5dLLRiapg1o1_400.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.fightingchancefantasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/carlos-pena.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 193px; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.fightingchancefantasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/carlos-pena.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The Rays have stated on various occasions that they're operating over budget and can not afford to maintain their current payroll. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kazmir</span> trade was a step in the right direction (sorry Angels, I warned ya), but the Rays still need to find ways to save cheddar.<br /><br />While mulling over exactly how I thought I would save money if I were Andrew Friedman and the Rays' <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">braintrust</span> I stopped over at my second favorite Rays blog, <a href="http://raysindex.com/">Rays Index</a>, to see what Prof's been up to, when ironically enough, he had his projected roster and payroll projections for next season posted. That <em>really</em> got me thinking.<br /><br />Much has been made over <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">CC's</span> being due 10 million, and whether the Rays can afford to keep him at roughly 1/6<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> of their overall payroll, but the much less ballyhooed point is the fact that Pena is due 10.1 million, so some quick math; add the integers, carry the 1, check the remainder... and you'll find that CC and El <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gato</span> combine to eat-up about 1/3 of the team's overall payroll projections (you could add in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Burrell</span>, but I don't foresee any way to get rid of his payroll. Just for the record, he's eating up another 30% or so of the payroll at 9 million- which means roughly 63% of the team's payroll is headed to those 3... <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">hmmmm</span>, one of those 3 just isn't earning his paycheck, who could that be?).<br /><br />All of that to ask this hypothetical question; so you're sitting in your high-back, leather chair at your executive desk at the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trop</span> when the powers-that-be march in and tell you that you've got to part ways with either Crawford and his 10 million or Pena and his 10.1 million? <br />Crawford and his legacy or Pena and his <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">resiliency</span>? <br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">CC's</span> speed or Pena's power? <br /><br />Who do <em>you</em> send packing?DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-45741246510358493722009-10-21T12:30:00.004-04:002009-10-21T12:37:37.918-04:00New Hitting Coach<a href="http://blog.cleveland.com/tribe_impact/2009/02/medium_derek-shelton-2009.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://blog.cleveland.com/tribe_impact/2009/02/medium_derek-shelton-2009.jpg" /></a>Today the Rays announced in a press release that the organization's sixth hitting coach will be former Cleveland hitting coach Derek Shelton.<br /><div><div><br />Shelton becomes the youngest hitting coach in Rays' history at the tender age of 39, and is a former major league catcher (NYY).<br /><br />Here are a few quotes from the press release:<br /><br />"Derek has proven himself to be one of the better minds in baseball when it comes to hitting," Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said. "He brings a fresh voice that can help our talented core of hitters reach new heights. His attention to detail and ability to communicate will be great additions to our group."<br /><br />"I believe he is the kind of coach who can create a hitting program that will benefit the organization both at the minor league and major league levels," said Rays Manager Joe Maddon. "In our conversations, I found that we share the same philosophy on a number of different areas. He was very clear and concise on his intentions and in the end it was an easy decision." </div></div>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-43056826335047731562009-10-21T10:51:00.002-04:002009-10-21T10:59:22.624-04:00BBA CY Young WinnersThe BBA has released it's results of their voting for A.L. and N.L. Cy Young Award winners. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to get my votes in, but Greinke would've been my number one guy, with Halladay, and Verlander as second and third. Honorable mention would've gone to Feliz Hernandez.<br /><br />Here's the BBA's official Press Release:<br /><br />"The Baseball Bloggers Alliance (<a href="http://baseballbloggersalliance.com/">BBA</a>), a group of 89 bloggers from across Major League Baseball, announced today that <strong>Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke and San Francisco hurler Tim Lincecum</strong> had won the Cy Young balloting among its members.<br /><br />Greinke, who was unanimously selected across the nineteen blogs that voted for the American League winner, fashioned a dominating 2.16 ERA with 242 strikeouts while putting up 16 wins for a Royals squad that won only 65 games. Greinke's Cy Young case was built on non-traditional statistics, as he was only tied for seventh in the league in wins, but led in categories such as defense-independent ERA, component ERA, and WHIP along with the more traditional ERA.<br /><br />"He's a magician with the baseball and when he's focused and puts his mind to it, there are games when he's untouchable," wrote Noel of The Tribe Daily. Jeff of Royally Speaking was blunt, saying "Zack Greinke was the best pitcher in baseball all season long."<br /><br />In becoming the first player to garner a unanimous selection in BBA history, Greinke tabulated 90 total points. Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners came in a distant second with 37 points.<br />--<br /><br />The National League selection was a little more varied, though not at all more dramatic. Lincecum, who won the baseball writers' Cy Young in 2008, put up a league-leading 261 strikeouts in 225.1 innings and finished second to Chris Carpenter with a 2.48 ERA. As with Greinke, his case for the award was not fashioned on the traditional bedrock of wins either, as he only was credited with 15, four shy of the league leader.<br /><br />"He has the filthiest stuff in either league and has turned himself into a rock star in San Francisco," stated Matt from Feeling Dodger Blue, who overcame the innate Dodger/Giant rivalry to cast his vote for Lincecum. "It seemed a daunting task to improve on what Lincecum did last season, but he did it," said Bill from Crashburn Alley.<br /><br />Lincecum totaled seventeen first-place votes from the twenty ballots cast and finished with 88 points overall. Carpenter, the league leader in ERA and one of the pitchers ahead of Lincecum in the win category, finished second with three first place votes and 47 total points.<br /><br />The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):<br /><br /><strong>American League</strong><br />Zack Greinke, Kansas City (19) 95<br />Felix Hernandez, Seattle 37<br />Roy Halladay, Toronto 22<br />Justin Verlander, Detroit 14<br />CC Sabathia, New York 2<br /><br /><br /><strong>National League<br /></strong>Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (17) 88<br />Chris Carpenter, St. Louis (3) 47<br />Adam Wainwright, St. Louis 23<br />Javier Vazquez, Atlanta 21<br />Dan Haren, Arizona 1DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-51703401092192306392009-10-16T09:33:00.003-04:002009-10-16T09:43:58.839-04:00The Votes Are In...So the BBA votes for AL Rookie of the Year are in and I couldn't disagree more with the votes of my BBA brethren.<br /><br />I find it nearly impossible to bestow the award on a closer, much less a closer who only worked 26 games, but alas, that's why they vote instead of just asking me what they should do (although that might've helped during the presidential election too, but i digress).<br /><br />Furthermore, despite having the least impressive stats of the bunch, a certain Texas SS garnered enough votes for third place, while the most statistically efficient pitcher missed the cut.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and McCutchen won the NL vote... talk about a no-brainer.<br /><br />At any rate, here's the BBA Press Release (the link to my votes with explanations follow):<br /><br /><strong>Bailey, McCutchen Chosen As Rookie of the Year By Baseball Bloggers Alliance</strong><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.baseballbloggersalliance.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Baseball Bloggers Alliance</a> announced today that Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics and Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates were selected in a vote of the membership as American League and National League Rookies of the Year.<br />Bailey, who stepped into Oakland's closer role and recorded 26 saves with a sparkling 1.84 ERA, garnered seven of the nineteen first-place votes from the participating BBA blogs and a total of 48 points overall. Rick Porcello, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers in the tie-breaking playoff game versus the Minnesota Twins to culminate a strong season, finished second with four first-place selections and 36 total points.<br />"Even if Bailey hadn't been bestowed with the closer role, those numbers out of the pen put him amongst the elite late inning pitchers," stated the bloggers at <a href="http://taoofstieb.blogspot.com/2009/10/our-al-rookie-of-year-ballot.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Tao of Stieb</a>. "Too bad he plays for Oakland and has a generic name--he should be as famous as Joba [Chamberlain]," noted Lisa at <a href="http://subwaysquawkers.blogspot.com/2009/10/lisas-al-rookie-of-year-picks.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subway Squawkers</a>.<br />McCutchen started the year at AAA, but was called to the majors in June and made an immediate impact. His blend of power and speed were reflected in his twelve home runs and 22 steals in roughly a half season of work.<br />McCutchen received twelve of the twenty first place votes on his way to 65 points overall. Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson was the runner-up with 50 points, including five first place nods.<br />"The sky is the limit for McCutchen and I think the Bucs have something special with him," opined Jim at the Pirate blog <a href="http://www.northsidenotch.com/2009/10/bba-ballot-nl-rookie-of-year.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">North Side Notch</a>. Larry at <a href="http://www.wezen-ball.com/2009-articles/october/baseball-bloggers-alliance-awards-rookie-of-the-year.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wezen-Ball</a> concurred, saying "[H]e gave the Pittsburgh crowd something to root for all season, with strong defense and a great campaign as a leadoff hitter."<br /><br />The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):<br /><strong>American League</strong><br />Andrew Bailey, Oakland (9) 48<br />Rick Porcello, Detroit (4) 36<br />Elvis Andrus, Texas (3) 28<br /><br />honorable mentions:<br />Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay (2) 21<br />Matt Wieters, Baltimore (1) 13<br />Gordon Beckham, Chicago (1) 9<br />Brett Anderson, Oakland (1) 8<br />Noland Reimold, Baltimore 8<br /><br /><strong>National League</strong><br />Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh (12) 65<br />Tommy Hanson, Atlanta (5) 50<br />J.A. Happ, Philadelphia (1) 27<br /><br />honorable mentions:<br />Chris Coghlan, Florida (2) 20<br />Randy Wells, Chicago 10<br />Garrett Jones, Pittsburgh 6<br />Casey McGehee, Milwaukee 2<br />-----<br /><br />Check out <a href="http://raysthestakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/al-rookie-of-year.html">Rays The Stakes' take on AL R.O.Y.</a>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-71659142171724073832009-10-15T10:07:00.002-04:002009-10-15T10:09:22.617-04:00A.L. Rookie of the Year<span xmlns=""><p>It's time for us to fulfill our duty as a member of the BBA, and cast our ballot for American League Rookie of the Year.<br /></p><p>How it works:<br /></p><p>It's a weighted ballot, meaning that we'll rank our top three candidates with first place votes receiving 5 points, 3 for second, and 1 for third.<br /></p><p> The results will be released to the press later this week or early next week. <br /></p><p><br /> Now without any further ado:<br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Honorable Mentions:<br /></p></strong><p>Elvis Andrus (SS, Texas) </p><p>Andrew Bailey (RP, Oakland)<br /></p><p><strong>Finalists:<br /></strong></p><p>3. Nolan Reimold (LF, Baltimore)<br /></p><p>2. Rick Porcello (SP, Detroit)<br /></p><p>1. Jeff Niemann (SP, Tampa Bay) <br /></p><p><br /> Okay, before you give up on me and chalk this up to "homerism", hear me out.<br /></p><p>First, in the case of Andrus; of all the viable candidates listed above his stats were the most pedestrian. The sole reason he's getting so many looks for ROY is because he plays a premier position. He had a nice season, and may very well win the vote, but to me his numbers (which I'll compare to third place Nolan Riemold's below) don't show me enough.<br /></p><p><strong>3. Nolan Reimold</strong> (LF, Baltimore).<br />Reimold had the best statistical season of the rookie fielders, including Elvis Andrus. Reimold outperformed Andrus in every major offensive category: </p><p><br /><table style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" border="0"><colgroup><col style="WIDTH: 67px"><col style="WIDTH: 42px"><col style="WIDTH: 42px"><col style="WIDTH: 42px"><col style="WIDTH: 36px"><col style="WIDTH: 36px"><col style="WIDTH: 36px"><col style="WIDTH: 30px"></colgroup><tbody valign="top"><tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"> </td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid" colspan="2"><p><strong>AVG</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>OBP</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid" colspan="2"><p><strong>SLG</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>2B</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>RBI</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>HR</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>SB</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>Reimold</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid" colspan="2"><p>.279</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>.365</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid" colspan="2"><p>.466</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>18</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>45</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>15</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>8</p></td></tr><tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>Andrus</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid" colspan="2"><p>.267</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>.329</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid" colspan="2"><p>.373</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>17</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>40</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>6</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>33</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /> <strong>2. Rick Porcello</strong> (SP, Detroit).<br />Porcello had a stellar season for Detroit and looks as if he'll be a quality pitcher for some time. Why didn't he win? Well, keep reading and I'll show you.<br /></p><p><strong>1. Jeff Niemann</strong> (SP, Tampa Bay).<br />I almost went out of my way to not vote for Niemann just to make sure that I wasn't being a homer, but then I delved into the numbers and realized that anyone who looks at it from a statistical standpoint can't list any other rookie pitcher above Niemann. Here are Niemann's numbers against the other major ROY pitching candidate Rick Porcello:<br /></p><p><br /><table style="BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" border="0"><colgroup><col style="WIDTH: 71px"><col style="WIDTH: 46px"><col style="WIDTH: 48px"><col style="WIDTH: 48px"><col style="WIDTH: 42px"><col style="WIDTH: 36px"><col style="WIDTH: 72px"><col style="WIDTH: 50px"></colgroup><tbody valign="top"><tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"> </td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>W-L</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>ERA</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>IP</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>K</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>BB</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>OPP AVG</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>WHIP</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>Niemann</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>13-6</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>3.94</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>180.2</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>125</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>59</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>.266</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>1.35</p></td></tr><tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: black 0.5pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p><strong>Porcello</strong></p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>14-9</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>3.96</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>170.2</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>89</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>52</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>.267</p></td><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: black 0.5pt solid; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: black 0.5pt solid"><p>1.34</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />As you can see the numbers are very similar, with Niemann gaining the slightest edge in ERA, IP, K's, and opponents' average. He also had a better winning percentage ( 68% versus 61%).<br /></p><p>So call me a homer if you'd like, but the numbers don't lie. </p></span>DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415495389593184054.post-86702251767112911082009-10-14T09:22:00.002-04:002009-10-14T09:26:47.319-04:00TRACY, SCIOSCIA NAMED BBA MANAGERS OF THE YEAR<span style="font-size:180%;">T</span>he Baseball Bloggers Alliance named their inaugural Managers of the Year today, selecting Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies as the best managers in their respective leagues.<br /><br />Scioscia, who lead the Angels to the American League West division title and into the American League Championship Series despite the tragic loss of Nick Adenhart early in the season, garnered eight first-place votes and 58 total points from twenty ballots cast by bloggers from across baseball.<br />“Scioscia found a way to keep this team together at every single defining point of the season,” said Joe at <a href="http://motorcitybengals.com/2009/10/12/bba-awards-manager-of-the-year/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Motor City Bengals</a>. Ian at <a href="http://www.bluejayhunter.com/2009/10/and-award-goes-to.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Blue Jay Hunter</a> agreed, stating, “Scioscia is the cream of the crop when it comes to managers in the American League. ”<br /><br />Scioscia and the Angels fashioned a 97-65 record in 2009, winning the AL West by 10 games over the Texas Rangers. Ron Gardenhire, who led the Minnesota Twins to a comeback over the Detroit Tigers to take the AL Central crown, received 46 points and six first-place votes. The skipper of the Rangers, Ron Washington, placed third with 30 points and two-first place votes.<br />Tracy, in comparison, was not even a manager at the beginning of the season, taking over for Clint Hurdle when the Rockies struggled out of the gate. The change in leadership sparked an almost immediate turnaround in team fortunes, as they charged back to respectability and beyond, locking up the National League Wild Card and were not eliminated from the NL West divisional title until the last weekend of the season. The Rockies were bounced from the playoffs by the Philadelphia Phillies in four games.<br /><br />Tracy was the overwhelming selection of the nineteen bloggers who cast National League ballots. He received fifteen first-place votes and 84 points overall. St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa was a distant second, with 27 total points and one first-place selection.<br />“Jim Tracy not only had his players buy into his system, but he also helped them buy into themselves as a ballclub,” said Jim at <a href="http://community.sportsbubbler.com/blogs/bernies_crew/archive/2009/10/09/nl-manager-of-the-year.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bernie's Crew</a>. “I have no idea how he managed to create that spark, nor was I happy about it happening, but it’s hard to argue with the facts”, added Brian at <a href="http://raisethejollyroger.com/2009/10/bba-ballot-nl-manager-of-the-year/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Raise the Jolly Roger.</a><br /><br />The complete voting results are as follows (first-place votes in parenthesis):<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>American League</strong><br />Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles (8) 58<br />Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota (6) 46<br />Ron Washington, Texas (2) 30<br />Don Wakamatsu, Seattle (4) 29<br />Joe Girardi, New York 8<br />Terry Francona, Boston 4<br />Jim Leyland, Detroit 4<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>National League</strong><br />Jim Tracy, Colorado (15) 84<br />Tony LaRussa, St. Louis (1) 27<br />Bruce Bochy, San Francisco (1) 20<br />Freddi Gonzalez, Florida (1) 20<br />Joe Torre, Los Angeles 9<br />Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia (1) 7<br />Bud Black, San Diego 3<br />Bobby Cox, Atlanta 1<br /><br />The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in the fall of 2009 to encourage cooperation and collaboration between baseball bloggers of all major league teams as well as those that follow baseball more generally. As of this writing, the organization consists of 82 blogs spanning 28 of the 30 major league squads as well as general baseball writing.<br />The BBA is organized under a similar structure as the Baseball Writers of America, where blogs that follow the same team are combined into “chapters” and only two votes from the chapter on an award are counted. Those blogs that are not dedicated to a specific team are allowed to vote on either the American League or National League award, but not both.<br /><br />Ballots are posted on the respective blogs and tabulated on a 5-3-1 point scale for first, second and third.<br /><br />Here is the link to Rays The Stakes' vote post. <a href="http://raysthestakes.blogspot.com/2009/10/al-manager-of-year.html">AL MOY</a>.<br /><br />Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know.DirtbagFanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627654731665164713noreply@blogger.com1