Who Will Stop the Rays?

Honestly before the month of June, I do not watch much baseball other than the Milwaukee Brewers and the reason why I haven't wrote about any of the other things in the league. But that doesn't mean I haven't kept my ear to the baseball world and today, we are going to talk about the Tampa Bay Rays who are at a stunning 29-11. 

Everybody taught the Rays were a 'flash in the pan' after they struggled last season after making it to the 2009 somewhat disappointing season and now Tampa is playing great baseball with an unreal record in the first two months.  Unbelievable start to the season and they destroyed the New York Yankees last night 10-6 (it was 9-2 at one point too). There are a couple crazy things to point out about the team first in offense.

Two of their bigger players on their team have gotten off to an awful start so far, Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton. Both guys are not hitting the ball so far .185 and .224 respectively and still they are 18 games above .500, unreal.  I cannot even fathom what the Rays could be when Pena and Upton start hitting regularly again.  Not to mention, has anyone suggested Upton to be traded to make room for Desmond Jennings? If you don't know, Jennings is a superstar prospect ready and waiting in Triple A.  I realize that Upton is younger and maybe more potential but Crawford has been as consistent as anyone else in baseball. Another thing that is crazy to point out is Ben Zobrist who was awesome last year for the Rays hasn't hit a homer yet this season so this obviously points to one thing.

Pitching.  I would wish I could look at the Brewers' pitching and see the pitching staff highest-rated E.R.A is at 3.35 ERA with uber-prospect Wade Davis who people feel can dominate in the coming years.  David Price right now is playing like a Cy Young at his young age with dominating E.R.A at 1.81 and six wins already this season.  Matt Garza and Jeff Niemann are both throwing smoke all over the place making the Rays look awfully tough for the rest of the year. Another thing the Rays have compared to last year is a closer. They couldn't shut down a game last year and bringing in Rafael Soriano this year he has really helped shut the door in late game situations. This team will win ugly with scores like 2-0, 2-1,  4-3 and you will not be entertained if you like a lot of scoring. 

Right now with the way they are pitching, nothing is impossible for the Rays. I learned a long time ago that if you can pitch, you can win games even if your offense is sub-par.  But if your offense starts to hit, then it becomes big time trouble for the rest of the league.

-Charlie.

AL East Preview

I am now beginning the previews of all the divisions and then an overall look at the Milwaukee Brewers pitchers/position players.  I will highlight their key acquisitions, a player I like, player I hate, and finally a prediction for the upcoming season.

1. New York Yankees- KEY ACQ: OF Curtis Granderson, DH Nick Johnson, SP Javier Vasquez  I LIKE: Granderson: Numbers were down last year, but now gets the benefits of playing at Yankee Stadium I HATE: A.J. Burnett: Ton of innings last year and the year before, are we all ready for the headline "Burnett Goes Down with an Elbow Injury."  PREDICTION: The Yanks will win the AL East by a small margin, but I think they will find themselves in the World Series for a second straight year. 

2. Boston Red Sox- KEY ACQ: SP John Lackey, OF Mike Cameron, 3B Adrian Beltre, SS Marco Scutero I LIKE: Victor Martinez:  He has been a consistent player for years, he will benefit being in-between Pedoria/Youk.  I HATE: Lackey:  Everything I am hearing about him doesn't sound good, risky arm, and poor stats in Fenway.  PREDICTION: The Sox will be the Wild Card and the second best team in American League. They will fall to the Yankees in a seven-game classic this coming October. 

3. Tampa Bay Rays- KEY ACQ: RP Rafael Soriano I LIKE: David Price- Now a main stay in the rotation, I think there is no stopping him from having a great season.  I HATE: Pat Burrell- Obvious choice, but seriously he doesn't belong in a lineup.  PREDICTION: They will push the Sox for that Wild Card and fall off just slightly. In my opinion, the three best teams in the American League reside in the AL East.  

4. Baltimore Orioles- KEY ACQ: 3B Miguel Tejada SP Kevin Millwood RP Mike Gonzalez  I LIKE: Matt Wieters- I think he will live up to the hype and have a great season, I bet he hits three or four by July  I HATE: Tejada- I like the fact he moved to third but let's face it, hasn't been the same since roids'.  PREDICTION: I think they could finish as high as third in another division and they have a ton of young talent who will grow.  This is a team I think will be tougher come August/September.  

5. Toronto Blue Jays- KEY ACQ: SP Brendan Morrow  I LIKE: Ricky Romero- Young guy who had a pretty strong rookie campaign, will get better.  I HATE: Vernon Wells- Might be in some trade rumors come July, but I think he will have a sub-par year.   PREDICTION: It will not be a pretty one for the Jays as A.H. (After Halladay) begins and they have somewhat of an offense, but I would expect a 10 to 15 win drop off at least.

-Charlie.

Pat Burrell Heads to the Runner Up

Today, the Tampa Bay Rays landed the big bat they have wanted and needed last year. They signed Pat Burrell to a two-year deal.

I like this move by the Rays because they didnt give him too many years and I think they have very realistic expectations for him in the next couple of years. They dont really need Burrell to hit for average just give them twenty-five homers or more and hit around .265 at best.

Another reason why Burrell becomes a bigger threat is because the Rays are already have enough outfields so they have announced he will be the designed hitter. Burrell whose defense was average at best now can focus on what he does best hitting the ball. Plus he is still playing in a homer friendly ball park without the weather conditions when he is at home.

The only concern I might have for Burrell is the pitching in the American League is much more difficult than the National League. Usually a change in leagues makes a player better although with hitters, I think it can be reverse effect. I wouldnt be surprised if Burrell gets off to a slow start in Tampa.

Can the Rays do the Improbable?

In a perfect world when I dont have homework, I would of love to have this post done on the Sunday when the Rays clinched but as you can see that didnt happen so I have it here with my World Series prediction.

The Rays were a team who I had told some people "Yeah they will win 75-80, there not as bad as the years past and they might overtake the Blue Jays for third" And I was really big on Evan Longoria, but I had no idea they would be this good and be in the World Series. It all starts with Joe Maddon who Doz called "Rick Vaughan 20 years later". Great comparison, anyways he has brought this relaxed sense of baseball with the whole focus being a "Team Effort". To me thats a remarkable thing to do with such a young ball team who could get selfish at times. The thing that makes this a better story that the Marlins of the past years is they have so much more young talent than the Marlins did. Florida at both times had some young talent but there were some great veteran leaders sprinkled in as well. The Rays have some in the bullpen and with Cliff Floyd, yet its nowhere near what the Marlins had. Even if the Rays dont win, they will be a threat to contend for years to come.

Now on to the prediction, I dont know I have picked against both of these teams and I honestly think the Rays will do this thing but they are going to be pushed like none other. The big key is how they handle Cole Hamels tonight but they have enough lefty-pitching to deal with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley as well. Also Philly always chokes in the World Championship for examples see Flyers, Eagles, and Phillies (Remember Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams). Tampa in 7.

-Charlie