The 2020 (and beyond) Tampa Bay Rays

[Art Deco]

January 5. The Hall of Fame voting is in and one Rays legend and another former Ray make the cut:



Hardaway was the greatest player I've managed in this or any other save and not captured in the blurb above are a few more stats: Hardaway earned 116.6 WAR, good for 15th all-time in MLB, just ahead of luminaries such as Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig and Frank Robinson, and amazingly he didn't make his MLB debut until he was 26. At his peak in the 2030s he had a six-season stretch in which his WAR ranged from a low of 9.8 to a high of 12.0. In that run he had 200 hits and 100 walks in each of those seasons except for one in which he only had 98 walks. Unsurprisingly his .4268 career OBP is 10th all-time, and he also has five rings to show for his career. The only other thing I can say it that I'm surprised he wasn't unanimous as he sailed in with 98.9% of the vote.

Also enshrined in Cooperstown is the great CF Kevin Crater, another no-doubt choice at 95.9% of the voting. Crater had 648 career homers and 66 career WAR. Crater spent his age-38 season with the Rays in 2047 and it was a career renaissance for him, earning 5.9 WAR at 299/354/626 with 37 HR and 106 RBI. Not coincidentally it ended with one of the two rings he won.

The rest of the voting:



Another Rays legend Kikuo Kawase, the Mariano Rivera of his generation, inched closer in his 5th go-round while time is running out for Bo Bichette. Say goodbye to former Rays ace Andy Aparicio who drops off the ballot.

January 20: Signed international amateur free agent 3B Jesus Maldonado.

The first of our IAFA signings, the 16-year old Venezuelan has 75 potential contact and 70 potential HR power, although he may end up across the diamond at 1B based on his fielding potential. Maybe we'll hear from him a few years, maybe we won't.

January 25: Signed international amateur free agent SP Vinny Ibarra.

The 16-year-old Dominican has 65/50/55 potential as a starter.

January 31: Lefty middle reliever Warren Dalton, in our bullpen the last couple of seasons, signed a 1/920K deal with Colorado and for some reason the fans were pissed. Never knew he was any kind of favorite.

February 2: Veteran 1B Joel Avalos is still out there as a free agent, I'm half-tempted to sign him to put him with Jesus Avalos and Ezequiel Avalos. I won't though. Our good friend Luis Barela, who will be 41 next month, is still unsigned as well.

March 23: Our first significant injury of the spring - OF Jose Lozada will miss 4-5 weeks with a sore shoulder. This could create an opening for top prospect Henry Dominguez but he's a lefty hitter and Lozada was a righty bat we were counting on. Stay tuned.

[Art Deco]

Aside from the Lozada injury mentioned in the previous post, we came through March without any setbacks. Out-of-option considerations came into play in shaping the final OD roster, and we had to waive some past contributors such as 1B Manny Mendoza, 2B/OF Cameron Holly and IF Juan de Oca since they were out of options. Also because Dave Gonzalez, our fine-hitting but shaky defensive catcher, was out of them he made the club as a backup in place of the reliable Cesar Scroggins, who had one left. Also making the club is 3B of the future Paul Mayes as he too was out of options as Texas, whom we acquired him from last season, signed him to an MLB contract immediately after drafting him.

So this is how it shakes out:

C-D.Morales, D.Gonzalez
1B-N. de la Rosa
2B-Machado
SS-Chinchilla
3B-K.Lee
IF-Tsujimura, Mayes, A.Brown
LF-Bland
CF-J.Avalos
RF-E.Avalos
OF-B.Whittaker
DH-Yang

The plan is to platoon de la Rosa an Tsujimura at 1B, Bland and Whittaker in the OF and Yang and Mayes at DH.

SP-Rose, E.Whitaker, Swords, Mastropietro, M.Lopez
LR-Weststrom, T.Johnson
MR-Baez, Resnick, D.Sanchez, Boria
SU-Flores, Guardado
CL-Berumen

The rotation is a bit iffy for my liking but not much different than last year's with Swords taking Brad Villarreal's place.

The preseason predictions:



Looks reasonable to me as we're likely set for another year of dueling the Yankees.

[Art Deco]

Forgot to include the team photo in the previous post, so here goes:



The opening day box:



Not a great opener for our boys as our ace Dave Rose just didn't have it today, giving up 5 runs on 11 hits while the offense didn't put up much of a fight. So 162-0 is off the table.

Game 2: But 161-1 remains on the table as the Rays bounced back from a dreary Opening Day to destroy the Dukes 8-1. Jesus Avalos led the way, clubbing a 2-run homer and a 3-run homer to give him a 5-RBI day and his brother from another mother Ezequiel Avalos went yard with a solo shot in the 3rd. Rookie Elijah Whitaker picked up where he left off in last year's postseason by going 7 8 1 1 1 5 for the win and justified the choice to have him start the season's second game.

Game 3: Tampa Bay took the rubber game of the series, getting a gem from Steve Swords in his Rays debut as they beat Austin 4-1. Swords, our most notable free agent signing, looked like a bargain as he went 7 3 0 0 2 6. The game was 4-0 into the bottom of the 9th when Adan Guardado made a mess, requiring Mario Berumen to get the final out for his 1st 2056 save. Jesus Avalos was the man on offense again hitting his 3rd homer in two days, a 2-run shot in the 3rd to get the Rays on the board and provide all the runs they'd need. Backup "catcher" Dave Gonzalez got a start at DH and was 2-4 with an RBI.

Team record: 2-1. Next up: A home-opening series with Toronto as we play 3.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays jumped out a 5-1 lead in their 2056 home opener and held on to beat Toronto 5-4. Nesty de la Rosa had a pair of RBI doubles to lead the offense, and the pitching was a mix-and-match affair as the oft-injured Randy Mastropietro had to leave his first start of the year in the 2nd, giving way to Tim Johnson (1-0) who went 4.2 3 3 3 4 5 in long relief for the win. Mario Berumen secured his 2nd save despite allowing a run in the 9th.

Game 2: We only had to wait until the second home game of the season to get one of Tampa Bay's famous Patented Publix Park comebacks as they scored 6 times in the 8th to pull out a 10-8 slugfest over the Blue Jays. Takayuki Tsujimara showed last postseason that he has a knack for coming through in the clutch and today his pinch-double in that 8th inning cleared the bases and gave the Rays the lead for good. Dantel Chinchilla drove in a pair and Sung-min Yang went deep for the first time this season. The less said about the pitching the better as Melvin Lopez was knocked around 4 8 5 5 1 2 and Chris Resnick (1-0) allowed 2 runs in the 9th after pitching the 8th for the win so Danny Sanchez had to come on and get the final out for his first save.

Game 3: It's Jesus Avalos' world and we're all just living in it as the superstar CF belted three homers and drove in 6 as part of a 4-4 day to lead the Rays to an 11-3 rout of the Jays. The 3 jacks give him an MLB-leading 6 on the young season and his namesake Ezequiel along with Sung-min Yang each hit their 2nd longball. Dave Rose (1-1) struggled a bit early but settled in for an easy win at 7 8 2 2 1 9.

Team record: 5-1. Up next: The Rays' hot start to the year will be tested after an off-day with 3 games in Baltimore against the 5-2 Orioles who have their own red-hot star in Kevin Hill who's knocked in 15 in those 7 games while hitting .433.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays trailed this one 2-0 after 8 but tied it up in the 9th and scored 3 times in the 10th to take a 5-2 win over Baltimore and make it six straight wins after dropping the season opener. Elijah Whitaker was outstanding again at 6 4 0 0 2 6 but he had no support and when Dave Flores gave up a couple of runs in the 8th they looked doomed. But Mr. Clutch came through again as Takayuki Tsuijumura drilled a mammoth 2-run homer in the 9th (#1) to CF to tie it. And in the 10th Nesty de la Rosa delivered an RBI single and David Morales added a 2-run double to win it. Mario Berumen (1-0) pitched the 9th and Chris Resnick closed it in the 10th for his 1st save.

Game 2: It was another low-scoring affair and this time it was a no-scoring affair for Tampa Bay as they dropped a 1-0 squeaker to the Orioles. Steve Swords started but had to leave after an inning with a sprained ankle but he should make his next start. Tim Johnson (0-1) took over and pitched quite well at 5 6 1 1 1 4 but the run he allowed was the only one of the game so he took the tough loss as the bats were held to a mere 3 hits.

Game 3: The Rays came up short 4-3 in the rubber game to Baltimore. Jesus Avalos was a one-man offense, driving in all 3 runs including a pair in the 7th to put them up 3-2 but Danny Sanchez (0-1) gave those two runs right back to take the loss. Randy Mastropietro pitched decently at 5.1 5 2 2 1 2 and managed to make it through a start without getting hurt.

Team record: 6-3. By losing the series they dropped 1/2 game behind Baltimore into 2nd place. Next up: Three games in Chicago against the White Sox who are off to a hot start at 8-2.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays squandered leads of 4-0 and 5-2 and fell 8-5 to the White Sox in the opener in Chicago. Jesus Avalos continued his torrid start to the season with a 2-run homer (#7) and Ezequiel Avalos added a 2-run double but Melvin Lopez was his typical terrible self at 4.1 4 3 3 4 3 and the bullpen was just as lousy with Chris Resnick (1-1) taking the loss after walking 3 men in 1 1/3 innings while Chicago scored 3 times in the 8th to win it.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bounced back to even up the series with an 8-4 win over Chicago. Ezequiel Avalos swung the big bat, going 3-4 with a grand slam (#3) while Dave Gonzalez hit his first MLB round-tripper and Jesus Avalos went deep yet again (#8) with a man on. Dave Rose (2-1) was excellent at 6 4 1 1 3 4 and Julio Baez went the final three and got the save (#1) despite allowing 3 late runs in an 8-1 game.

Game 3: The Rays dropped the rubber game 7-2 to the White Sox. It was yet another game in which a Tampa Bay starter had to leave early as today Elijah Whitaker only made it through an inning before departing with a mild shoulder strain that isn't serious. Once again Tim Johnson (1-2) had to come on in long relief and he turned in his typical mixed-bag performance at 4.1 2 4 3 4 7 in taking the loss. Nesty de la Rosa hit his first homer of the season, a consolation solo shot in the 8th.

Team record: 7-5. The nice 6-1 start has given way to a 1-4 stretch and they're 1/2 game out of first in the AL East. Next up: Home for 3 against the team they trail, Baltimore.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: I've jokingly written about Patented Publix Park Comebacks often but this one might have taken the cake. I typically manage my games until the end but when the Orioles went up 8-0 in the top of the 4th I'd seen enough, letting the AI take over the rest of the game and surprise, surprise the Rays came back to win 14-8. The comeback started immediately as they put 7 on the board in the bottom of the 4th highlighted by a Kang-cheol Lee 3-run shot (#1). Paul Mayes then hit the second of his two RBI doubles to put them up 9-8 in the 5th before they tacked on 5 more in the 8th. Lee had 4 RBI on the day and Ezequiel Avalos was 3-4 with 2 RBI to raise his average to .411. Steve Swords suffered the brutal start at 3.2 6 7 6 2 7, Victor Boria (1-0) earned the win and Dave Flores picked up his first Rays save after coming on in the 8th and staying through the 9th.

Game 2: Another poor start and another attempt to come back but this one fell short as the Orioles beat the Rays 7-4. Randy Mastropietro (0-1) was roughed up at 3.2 6 6 6 2 5 for the loss and Kang-cheol Lee tried his best to bring them back, hitting a pair of homers (#2 & 3) and driving in 3 but it wasn't enough.

Game 3: The Rays tried something different in the finale and were the team that raced off to a big early lead, up 8-0 after 3 and going on to beat Baltimore 9-3. It helped that they had Dave Rose (3-1) on the mound who was in fine form at 7 5 2 2 1 12. Dantel Chinchilla broke out of a season-long slump by going with 3-4 with a 3-run homer (#1) in the 3rd, and Jesus Avalos drove in 4 including a bases-clearing double to give him a whopping 26 RBI in only 15 games this season. Rookie Paul Mayes went 4-5 with a double as between him and Lee they got insane production from 3B this series.

Team record: 9-6, 1/2 game behind the Orioles. Next up: We hit the road starting with 4 at Yankee Stadium.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays parlayed a 6-run 2nd inning into a 9-4 win over New York at Yankee Stadium to kick off their 4-game series. Takayuki Tsuijmura continues to shine this season and his 2-run double in the big 2nd was part of a 3-hit, 3-RBI day for him while Brian Whittaker was 2-5 with a 2-run single in the 2nd as well. Ezequiel Avalos had the only homer (#4) a solo shot in the 1st. Elijah Whitaker (2-0) was far from his best at 5 10 4 4 1 3 for the win but most of damage came in a 3-run Yankee first after which he settled down.

Game 2: Tampa Bay lost a tough one when Dave Flores (0-1) surrendered a solo homer to former Ray Jose Castillo which gave the Yanks a 4-3 win. This came after the Rays erased a 3-1 deficit in the 7th on solo homers from Jose Machado and Joel Bland, the first of the year for both. Melvin Lopez turned in what was a decent start for him at 5 8 3 3 1 8.

April 19: Claimed P Danny Palma on waivers from Cincinnati, designed P Phil Weststrom for assignment.

Palma is rated 65/50/55 and is an improvement over Weststrom, whom we claimed via Rule 5 the winter before last from the Yankees and has never done well for us with his 50 stuff at the mercy of our poor defense.

Game 3: Steve Swords had to leave his second start in the last three early (this time a finger blister) but the bullpen led by Tim Johnson pieced together a combined shutout as the Rays beat the Yankees 4-0. Johnson (2-2) has been pressed into long relief four times already this year and he came through today going 4.2 5 0 0 3 5 with three relievers following him as the staff scattered 9 hits in total. Nesty de la Rosa led the way on offense, driving in 3 of the 4 runs as part of a 3-hit day.

Game 4: The Rays routed New York in the finale to take the series, winning 11-1 while putting up a 6-run 2nd inning for the second time in four days. Dantel Chinchilla had a massive day, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI, Dave Gonzalez was 4-4 with a walk and a ribbie and Nesty de la Rosa came through again with a solo homer (#2) and an RBI double. Randy Mastropietro (1-1) rolled with his best start of the season, going an efficient 7 6 1 1 0 5. Danny Palma made his Rays debut with a 1-2-3 8th.

Team record: 12-7. Despite the fine series the Rays lost ground to the Orioles, who swept their 4-game series and are now 1 1/2 games up on Tampa Bay. Next up: 3 games in Seattle.

[Art Deco]

Game 1: The Rays lost a tough one in the opener at Seattle, giving up the tying run in the 8th and the winning run in the 9th as they fell 5-4 to the Mariners. New setup guy Dave Flores faltered for the second straight outing, giving up a homer in the 8th, and then the usually-reliable Mario Berumen loaded the bases with two walks and a hit in the 9th and with two out gave up a game-losing single. Before that Jesus Avalos kept doing his thing, driving in 3 with a 2-run homer (#9) and an RBI single to give him 31 ribbies in only 20 games. And Dave Rose's decent 7 6 3 3 1 10 start went for naught as well.

Game 2: Tampa Bay bats took a holiday as they didn't even manage a hit until the 7th and only had 3 in total in a 3-0 loss to the Mariners. Elijah Whitaker (2-1) took a tough-luck loss after going 5.1 7 1 1 2 3.

Game 3: The Rays ended up winless in Seattle as the Mariners completed the sweep with a 4-2 victory in the finale. Ezequiel Avalos' 2-run homer (#5) in the 6th brought them brief hope, tying the game at 2, but Victor Boria (1-1) gave up 2 runs in relief immediately thereafter. Melvin Lopez turned in a passable start at 5 5 2 2 3 5 but another day of diminished offense doomed them to defeat.

Team record: 12-10. Things really couldn't have gone any worse as Baltimore swept its series and is now 4 1/2 up on Tampa Bay in the AL East. Next up: A return home for 3 against the Angels, the team Baltimore swept but still maintains a 17-6 record.

[Art Deco]

April 24: Claimed P Erik Witten on waivers from St. Louis, optioned P Danny Palma to AAA Durham. Assigned P Phil Weststrom to AAA Durham.

Continuing my habit of claiming pitchers we used to have when they go on waivers as Witten returns after pitching for us last season. Recent waiver claim Palma was the only one in the pen with an option so he went to Durham where he'll be the first callup. Weststrom cleared waivers so he's now a Bull too.

Game 1: Speaking of former Rays pitchers we picked up on waivers, Tim Johnson has been a valuable member of the staff this year, filling in on 3 occasions when we've had a starter leave early with injury and with Steve Swords still nursing a blister Johnson got an actual start today and was brilliant in a 5-2 Tampa Bay win over the Angels. Johnson (3-2) went 6 4 0 0 0 7 against a 17-6 LA squad to lower his ERA to 2.55 and got decent offensive support led by Nesty de la Rosa who was 2-5 with a solo homer (#3) as five different Rays plated a run apiece.

Game 2: Tampa Bay came back to take the lead in the 6th, lost in the top of the 8th and then got it back in the bottom of the inning to edge the Angels 5-4 at Publix Park. Dantel Chinchilla's RBI single was the difference while Dave Gonzalez had the big hit in a 3-run 6th, a 2-run single. Randy Mastropietro started and went 5 6 3 3 2 0, Adan Guardado (1-0) picked up the win despite allowing the game-tying hit, and Mario Berumen struck out a pair and only needed 7 pitches to get through the 9th for save #3.

Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of a good Angels team that started the year 17-3 but is now 17-9 after also being swept by Baltimore thanks to a 5-2 triumph in the finale. Steve Swords (2-0) came back from his blister problem to go 5 4 2 2 1 7 for the win and the bullpen was excellent culminating in Dave Flores' 2nd save. Dave Gonzalez continues to be a revelation at the plate as the backup C has taken over the DH duties against RHP and was 3-4 today with a homer (#2) and 2 RBI to up his numbers to 487/524/692 in 39 AB. Jesus Avalos was also 2-4 with an RBI double to add to his MLB-leading total of 33 RBI.

Team record: 15-10. Did the sweep gain us any ground on Baltimore? Nope. The Orioles have now reeled off 10 straight wins and are 20-6, 4 1/2 ahead in the division. Next up: An off-day before Boston visits for 3 games.