Official 2009 Tampa Bay Rays Thread

I'm saying...I think by August the Rays already proved a point, but yet, alot of clowns on this site would refuse to give them any type of chance @ all, instead...They would say things like, "The Rays lack the experience"

And once again, not that it bothers me (I like underdogs) but Yankee fans and Boston fans seem to think it was a "Fluke season" and that just makes no sense in my eyes

 

I never claimed 105 wins, it was 103...Get it right.

And... I just feel that the Rays are the class of the AL East as of right now and we should be one of the best teams around for the next 10+ years because the young talented players we have are mostly all locked up long term, plus our farm system is the best around because we had 10+ seasons of losing baseball.

When you have a roation with Kazmir, Price, Shields, Garza and Sonnanstine with Shields being the oldest @ 26 years of age, I think it's safe to say that the Rays are in a great position

 

Aybar is not a starter, he's simply a player who can play just about any infield position but with our #1 prospect in Tim Becham (SS) progressing in the minors, the loss if Aybar wont hurt this team

Bradford is not a long term plan for this Rays bullpen, he's a pitcher who throws ground balls but nothing special in terms of talent... He joined around the AS Break last year and did a good job but with players like Niemann and Wade Davis working their way up, Bradford will be a goner.

Crawford is the face of the Rays and he LOVES it here...He's not going anywhere and he's already made it known that he wants to retire a Ray

Hammell is a solid bullpen pitcher but nothing special, we should keep him with the team though and he wont be looking for any type of big contracts from the Rays

Howell is the pitcher we gotta keep for the bullpen and pay the kid because he has talent! Losing Howell would be horrid for this Rays team

Iwimura is a great leadoff hitter and an even better defensive 2nd basemen but the fact of the matter is this... He's getting up there in age

And Upton will be getting PAID before this season is over...

The only two players that might leave are Aki and Howell and as far as Hammell and Bradford go...They can and will be replaced with younger talent

 

After the season the Rays had last year...What Rays fan wouldnt? :metal:

We went from worst to 1st and made the World Series, thats crazy. It was honestly the magical summer of baseball for Tampa Bay fans and I'm not sure we will ever witness another season as exciting as last year...All of those walk off HR's were priceless and this team really sent a buzz through the whole state of FLorida and even though the Phillies took it to us, Im glad that I got to be a part of a season like that, I'll never forget it.

Im really confident in this Rays team of 2009, I think we are a much better team because of our offseason plus last years experience should mean alot to these young kids, but Im not sure that it can ever be as exciting as last year because we came out of NO WHERE

 

Longoria just got called up to team USA which is going to be great experience for this kid, he's the Rays next best thing as far as superstar status goes...This kid can really do it all and out of players like Crawford, and Upton...I think Longoria is going to be the best of em all

Best young Rays player I've seen in some time...Kazmir is right up there and I think David Price can be our future ACE, but still...Longoria playing for team USA is huge for his experience

 

I really think that an event like this can only help a young talent when talking about the future of a player like Longo and many other young prospects around baseball today.

The grind of the regular season, the playoff pressure, the world series spotlight....All of that will either make or break a player and as of right now, Last year, it made Longoria what he is today...An up and coming player that can be the face of the franchise @ 3rd base for years to come.

He also made the allstar team last year as a rookie...Not that the AS game means much of anything, but it's always a good thing when you have a younger player like Longoria hanging around proven veterans who know how to play the game the "Right way" and now he's with team USA and I just believe that it's a step in the right direction for this kid as far as experience and focus goes

 

Kazmir, Shields, Garza and Price are all really good pitchers and in my eyes...Kazmir is great and the Mets would die to have this kid back in a second and David Price is looking like he's going to be great...One of the best young pitchers I've seen since Kerry Wood who never made it because of injuries but to make a long story short, EACH AND EVERY one of those guys are good and will be good for a long time as long as they dont catch the injury bug.

To have a rotation where every pitcher is under the age of 26-27...Thats exciting and it's alot better than having pitchers who are about 40 years old and on their way out of the game...These kids are good and thats the thing... Thats what makes this teams future so bright. Starting pitching is everything and the Rays have it here in 09.

P.S...Kazmir, Shields and Garza are far from rookies, these guys been in the majors for a while now and believe me you...THere has been PLENTY of tape on these kids over the past years, nothing is going to be different this year.

And as far as our rotation taking a "Step back"??? Thats actually pretty funny in my eyes because Kazmir had an off year last year and David Price wasnt even in the rotation until the playoffs, so honestly...Look for this rotation to be MUCH improved over last years rotation because these young talents now have the much needed playoff experience thats needed to lead a franchise.

I'm not saying that Kazmir, Price, Garza and Shields will be a Smoltz, Glavine, Maddox and Avery type of rotation but these young guns have the talent and potential to give those guys of the Braves a run for their money as far as production goes.

 

You made a good point though, this is nothing like the world series and Longoria JUST got called up to team USA but to make a long story short, I just think its a good stepping stone for a young player to be around players who are talented and have alot more experience. Like...To be the best, you gotta beat the best...Or, you play how you practice...Im just excited knowing that our #1 draft pick of 2 years ago has the chance to play alongside and practice with players who have been doing this for years now @ the big league level

Not the World Series, but its still something