BlogsThe Rays Discover Walks
by R.J. Anderson
on Jan 9, 2009 1:00 AM EST
Pat Burrell's career OBP is .367.
In the Rays history, 180 different individual seasons have recorded 100 or more plate appearances. Only 23 have had an OBP greater than or equal to .367. That number declines 20 with 200 plate appearances, 16 with 300, 10 with 400, and 9 with 500 - B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena own a total of four of those nine. Fred McGriff owns three, Jose Canseco and Ben Grieve each own one.
The Rays never really became walk conscious until Friedman and company took over. Observe:
| Year | Rays BB | LL BB | LL-Rays |
| 1998 | 393 | 678 | 285 |
| 1999 | 544 | 770 | 226 |
| 2000 | 558 | 775 | 217 |
| 2001 | 456 | 678 | 222 |
| 2002 | 456 | 643 | 187 |
| 2003 | 420 | 684 | 264 |
| 2004 | 469 | 705 | 236 |
| 2005 | 412 | 653 | 241 |
| 2006 | 441 | 672 | 231 |
| 2007 | 545 | 689 | 144 |
| 2008 | 626 | 646 | 20 |
Or, in dandy graph form:
Pretty, no? I would also like to note the decline in walks since 2000,then a sudden spike in 2004. Some will note the Rays clibing over the 500 walks plateau twice early on, and that's great, but look at the differences listed in the table again. 558 walks in 2000 is like 429 walks in 2008.
I believe a few commenters brought up how the lineup has changed since Friedman arrived. Physically, the names and numbers have changed, but there's also some philosophical differences between what Chuck LaMar and company wanted in a hitter and what Andrew Friedman and company want in a hitter. That's not groundbreaking, but it's pretty clear part of Friedman's recipe calls for walks.
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A Few Words on Gabe Kapler
by R.J. Anderson
on Jan 8, 2009 10:09 PM EST
Don't Google image search "Gabe Kapler" if you want to maintain a sense of dignity.
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Baldelli On Leaving Rays
"It was definitely emotional to leave, but it was the right decision at this time.’’
20 comments Normandin on Rays Defense
by R.J. Anderson
on Jan 8, 2009 2:56 PM EST
Of interest is that Jason Bartlett—the player brought onboard last winter who was expected to be a defensive keystone—had a pedestrian defensive season, despite his reputation and previous years of data that indicated he would be better than he was. John Dewan's other defensive number, Plus/Minus, had Bartlett at -1 in 2008 after seasons of +13 and +18 in 2006-2007. That's a massive and sudden degradation, made even stranger since Bartlett was just as effective going to his right both years (+11); it was when going to his left (a drop from +4 to -11) that his defense became a problem for him in 2008. If Bartlett continues as merely average, the Rays will still be exceptional defensively, but if he can rebound, they'll be even better.
Yet again: positioning, injury, or something else?
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Sonnanstine vs. Radke At Age 25
by Tommy Rancel
on Jan 8, 2009 1:27 PM EST
Hat Tip to Brickhaus for bringing this comparison to my attention.
Much like our own Andy Sonnanstine, Brad Radke wasn't blessed with "stuff", but he made a good career out of being a smart pitcher. I took a quick look at the numbers for Sonnanstine's first full season and Radke at the same age. Here are the results
| Age 25 | Sonnanstine | Radke |
| FIP | 3.91 | 3.90 |
| ERA | 4.38 | 4.30 |
| K/9 | 5.77 | 6.15 |
| BB/9 | 1.81 | 1.72 |
| K/BB | 3.35 | 3.40 |
| HR/9 | 0.98 | 0.97 |
| H/9 | 9.90 | 10.08 |
| BAA | 0.280 | 0.283 |
| WHIP | 1.29 | 1.31 |
It is amazing to see how the two "finese righties" are alike. From age 24-31, Radke had an average FIP of 3.96. That's not super star level, but it's very good for a pitcher with pedestrian stuff. Hopefully, we can expect the same from Sonnanstine.
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Community Projections: Carlos Pena
by Tommy Rancel
on Jan 8, 2009 10:35 AM EST
BA/OBP/SLG
| Pena | BA | OBP | SLG |
| 2007 | 0.282 | 0.411 | 0.627 |
| 2008 | 0.247 | 0.377 | 0.494 |
| Marcels | 0.261 | 0.379 | 0.524 |
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Farewell Rocco
by R.J. Anderson
on Jan 7, 2009 9:30 PM EST
It appears we've seen the last of Rocco Baldelli in a Rays hat and uni. I think it goes without saying that I and every other Rays fan hopes Rocco does well wherever he lands, but man, this is about as surreal as it can get.
Things just didn't work out with Rocco and the Rays at no fault to either side. Rocco's body may have betrayed him over the years, but as we saw over the years his heart, spirit, and mind were still strong and well. Rocco went through more than most of us could endure, and did so without ever lashing out as if he were some innocent victim at the hands of fate.
When news about a potential mitochondrial disorder broke last off-season many people, including myself, assumed he would never play another game as a Ray. In the minors, his performance was not awe-inspiring, but upon reaching the majors, he proved his bat still had some power. His body was still limiting his game, but Rocco had accomplished more by simply making it back to the majors than any baseball performance could have done.
The comparisons to Josh Hamilton are going to be numerous. Those are complete and utterly ridiculous. The two cases are nothing alike, and to compare Baldelli's situation to Hamilton's is being reckless and disregarding Rocco's upstanding character. Rocco didn't choose his body just like he didn't choose to be compared to Joe DiMaggio, yet never did Rocco come across as someone full of self-pity, never did Rocco try and make himself the object of sympathy, and frankly that tells me a lot more about his character and personality than his baseball statistics.
At the same time, the Rays had to move on, and so did Rocco. The additions of Pat Burrell and Matt Joyce designated Rocco as "odd man out" and frankly, that is the smart baseball maneuver. Andrew Friedman is one of the best general managers in baseball, and part of that involves separating emotions and off the field matters from his on the field maneuvers -- with one exception, that being the Elijah Dukes deal. I suppose you could call that his Jeremy Giambi trade.
Rocco still wants to play, but as a contender with limited roster spots, the Rays simply could not bank on his health. Yes, it will sting if Rocco wins a ring with his new team before the Rays do. Hindsight will kick in if Rocco defeats his greatest enemy and becomes a full-time player again, but right here, right now, this is the best move for both sides.
Even still, Rays baseball won't seem right without Rocco, and that's a testament to Rocco the person and the player.
Good luck Rocco.
Ed note: this was written prior to the Red Sox being verified as his new destination.
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Sonnanstine Is Slicker Than Your Average
by Tommy Rancel
on Jan 7, 2009 5:23 PM EST
Most of the time a team, or more commonly, it’s fanbase overvalues their own players. We see this all the time when people try and make "fantasy" trades. For example, a Yankee fan would probably think Melky Cabrera for Carl Crawford is a fair trade, because well, Melky Cabrera is a NEW YORK YANKEE. As Rays fans, we are no different, but sometimes there is the rare occasion when a player is both undervalued by the rest of the league as well as his own fanbase.
Go ask some of your friends, both Rays fans as well as other teams fans, if they had one choice of the following names, who they would pick first for their team? Carlos Zambrano, Mark Buehrle, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Andy Sonnanstine. You’d probably see a lot of votes split amongst the first three, but pretty much none to Sonnanstine, after all Sonny is just a 4/5 starter at best….to the charts.
Here are the averages for all four over the last 2 seasons
| 2 yr average | K/BB | FIP | tRA |
| A | 3.54 | 4.09 | 4.54 |
| B | 1.78 | 4.41 | 4.67 |
| C | 2.63 | 4.10 | 4.56 |
| D | 2.08 | 4.13 | 4.80 |
Based on the numbers they Rank :A, slightly over C and D slightly over B. Now by name that would be: Sonnanstine, Buehrle, Matsuzaka, Zambrano.
When thinking about Sonnanstine's value, the majority of fans(R.J) severely underestimate him. He's better than Jon Garland and Oliver Perez, and both are looking at multi-year deals around $10 million a season. He's better than Gavin Floyd, who was recently rumored to be in a straight up swap for Brian Roberts.
This is not to say Sonny is a #1 starter or he will be down the line, but most people don't even think of Sonny as a #3 guy. They also don't think of him in terms of a 4yr/$40 million guy or a having a lot of trade value. However, if he puts up a season in 2009, similar to his 2008, then maybe they should.
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Best Individual Moments
by Erik Hahmann
on Jan 7, 2009 2:29 PM EST
What were the best individual moments of the 2008 season?
I've been tossing this around in my head for a couple of days now. The season was filled with so many great moments that it seems like you could name just about every player on the roster and say "Hey, remember when Player X did..."
So I thought I'd go down the list player by player. Today I'll start with position players, tomorrow the pitchers. I'm sticking with positive achievements here. I also limited it to guys with 23 or more games played, Dan Johnson being the obvious exception. Some were no brainers while others weren't so easy. This is just my list, feel free to add your own/bash my picks.
Iwamura: The two run homer he hit off of Buchholz on April 26th to put the Rays up one.
Upton: Game 5 of the World Series where he single handedly scored the tying run in the top of the 6th.
Crawford: Game 4 of the ALCS when he went 5-5 with two doubles and a triple and two steals.
Longoria: Tommy and I have debated this one. He says Longoria's grand slam off of Halladay, I say it's hitting a home run on the first post-season pitch he saw.
Pena: The walk off home run August 6th against Cleveland to cap off a six run 9th inning.
Floyd: The May 30th walk off home run against the White Sox. It also gave usthe best baseball picture of all time.
Gross: He also had a walk off homer against the White Sox, but his May 13th walk off single against the Yankees and Mo Rivera is what I most remember.
Navarro: I'd say his September 16th walk off single against Boston. The Rays had gotten swept in New York and had lost the opener to Boston the night before.
Jason Bartlett: The game tying home run in Game 6 of the ALCS. That came out of nowhere.
Baldelli: His first game back in Seattle.
Zobrist: The two run homer he hit off of Burnett to snap the team's seven game losing streak on July 18th.
Aybar: I'd say his gigantic home run in Game 7 of the ALCS which gave the Rays a two run cushion.
Perez: Tagging up and scoring the winning run in the marathon Game 2 of the ALCS.
Johnson: The Dan Johnson Game. Enough said.
Gomes: Pounding on Crisp in the Brawl in Boston.
Ruggiano: His leaping catch in the top of the 9th inning on August 27th to end the game against Toronto.
Riggans: Getting drilled in the sternum by a Fernando Rodney fastball in the 10th inning of the August 3rd game against Detroit. Eventually scores the winning run on a bases loaded walk.
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Community Projections: Pat Burrell
by Tommy Rancel
on Jan 7, 2009 8:14 AM EST
Time to start up the community projections again. Since we've been sidetracked for the past few by the Burrell signing, it's only fitting we pick it back up with him.
BA/OBP/SLG
| Burrell | BA | OBP | SLG |
| 2007 | 0.256 | 0.400 | 0.502 |
| 2008 | 0.250 | 0.367 | 0.507 |
| Marcels | 0.250 | 0.371 | 0.483 |
via mlb.mlb.com
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