Archive for January, 2015

  • [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    January 30, 2015 at 8:54 am 4 comments

    Last year we spent a lot of time talking about how the Rays prefer pitchers that throw their fastballs up in the strikezone and encourage their pitchers to do so. For example, Drew Smyly was asked to throw more high fastballs after being acquired from the Tigers and the result […]

     
  • [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    January 29, 2015 at 10:53 am 3 comments

    We have our second 2015 projection and this one is better than the last, with PECOTA projecting the Rays to win 86 games, tied for the Red Sox for the best team in the AL East. We previously looked at Fangraphs, which has the Rays projected to win 83 games. […]

     
  • New Commissioner Kinda, Sorta Says Baseball Can Work In Montreal

    New Commissioner Kinda, Sorta Says Baseball Can Work In Montreal

    January 28, 2015 at 1:29 pm 3 comments

    The ink on the new baseballs with Rob Manfred’s signature are still wet, but Major League Baseball’s new commissioner has wasted little time letting people know what his vision is for the sport. Manfred first raised some eyebrows among Rays fans when he said he was open to eliminating defensive […]

     
  • [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    January 28, 2015 at 10:19 am 2 comments

    24 Days until pitchers and catchers report! THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA… Broadcaster Dewayne Staats broke some ribs in a boating accident. [TampaBay.com] The Rays and the city of St. Pete are once again negotiating. [MyFoxTampaBay.com] Hillsborough County has hired a law firm with “extensive ties to Major League Baseball.” [TampaBay.com] […]

     
  • New Commissioner Is Open To Making Defensive Shifts Illegal

    New Commissioner Is Open To Making Defensive Shifts Illegal

    January 27, 2015 at 8:56 am 13 comments

    Two things helped the Tampa Bay Rays accelerate from the basement of baseball to the perennial playoff contender, good, young, cheap, and deep pitching, and good defense. On the defensive front, not only did the Rays concentrate on collecting players with good gloves, they also were smarter than most teams […]

     
  • [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    January 26, 2015 at 9:36 am 6 comments

    Below is a video on Rays’ catching prospect Justin O’Conner, taken with the 31st pick of the first round in 2010. O’Conner started to finally show promise with the bat in 2014. But more importantly, O’Conner is still considered a top-flight defensive prospect and has one of the best throwing […]

     
  • [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    January 22, 2015 at 10:27 am 3 comments

    Former Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jared Sandberg, the nephew of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, has been named the new manager of the Durham Bulls, the Rays’ triple-A affiliate. Sandberg replaces Charlie Montoyo who has been promoted to the big leagues and will serve on Kevin Cash’s staff with the […]

     
  • Tampa Bay Rays Payroll Projected To Be $190 Million Less Than The Los Angeles Dodgers

    Tampa Bay Rays Payroll Projected To Be $190 Million Less Than The Los Angeles Dodgers

    January 21, 2015 at 10:22 am 18 comments

    We knew the Tampa Bay Rays’ payroll was going to be pulled back a little bit this season and now we have a better idea of just how much. While there are still a few moves to be made, if the season started today, the Rays’ payroll would be approximately […]

     
  • Tampa Bay Rays Projected To Win 83 Games And Finish Third In The AL East

    Tampa Bay Rays Projected To Win 83 Games And Finish Third In The AL East

    January 20, 2015 at 3:51 pm 7 comments

    After the Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar trade, the Rays are now projected to finish the 2015 season with an 83-79 record according to Fangraphs.com. Based on the full projected standings, the Rays are the third-best team in the AL East. However, the Blue Jays, Rays, and Yankees have nearly […]

     
  • [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    [THE HANGOVER] What Rays Fans Need To Know Today

    January 20, 2015 at 9:36 am 2 comments

    In what is always one of the most overrated moments of the off-season, the Rays reached contract agreements with all eight of their arbitration-eligible players. These players, Alex Cobb, Logan Forsythe, John Jaso, Desmond Jennings, Kevin Jespen, Jake McGee, Rene Rivera, and Drew Smyly, were all going to play for […]