Myth Debunking: Tampa Bay Rays (August 2007)
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by Manny Stiles
Welcome to Myth Debunking. I am your host Manny Stiles and today we will be testing the myths surrounding the "Worst team in baseball", the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
This is the second installation of Myth Debunking with Manny Stiles (first episode here). While there have been many imitators, emulators and conjugators to attempt this stile; fear not, there is only one that is Manny.
It is August. It’s a time of year when the wheat gets separated from the utter crap in Major League Baseball. Where dreams are put into a comatose state for next year and when the veterans of yesteryear are about to be cast aside for "the next wave of the future". While some teams battle for the payoff of playoff, many teams are left to squander in the dusty toils of sucktitude. In reality is it a time of mirage, an era of media sleight of hand - there is some consensus prognostications being tossed around, mostly by people who think they know what they're talking about simply because they see/hear people on TV/radio/print and they believe those people know what they're talking about.
Ladies, gentlemen and others, I am here to tell you... NO ONE knows what they are talking about when it comes to the Devil Rays, and I'll show you why. How do I know what I am talking about? Well, I am more than "just" a Rays fan. If you don't know the story, before this season, I auctioned my services and fanship on ebay to the highest bidder. After a "whirlwind media tour" and several jokes about forcing me to write about the Devil Rays and the winning bidder ended up being Tampa Bay's very own team President Matt Silverman.
I have followed the team from Spring Training when I hardly knew who anyone was or what was going on. Throughout the season, I followed along via the web and through the power of sports bar televisions. I traveled to Tampa in April, spending time questioning everyone and everything, talking with players, coaches and management in the clubhouse and press box when visiting Tampa in April and also when the Rays visited my hometown Arizona Diamondbacks in June. So I have a different view than
What is myth? Myth is a traditionally arranged story used to explain an otherwise unexplainable phenomenon. The Tampa Bay Rays are indeed a phenomenon for a very simple reason - everything you heard or seen about them is shrouded in a cloud of mystical dis-wonderment shunned aside by the closed-eyed spewing of nonsense by people who sum up everything they know with a guess.
How much do you REALLY know about the Rays? Come along for the ride and find out!
(All stats referenced are through August 18, 2007 unless otherwise noted)
Myth #1 - The Devil Rays are the worst team in baseball
The Rays have the worst record in baseball, are 30 games UNDER .500 and are nearly 50 percentage points worse than the next worst record in baseball, currently owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Rays have the worst team ERA (5.76) in baseball including the worst bullpen ERA since the days of the St Louis Browns (that’s never a good team to be compared to) and the Team ERA’s almost a run worse than the next worse staff’s ERA (Cincinnati).
To put their current season in perspective, they are on pace for the franchise’s third worst record – and this is already the MLB franchise with the worst winning percentage history.
They have the worst attendance in baseball (home and away) and are an afterthought in Tampa after the Buccaneers, Lightning, and even the University of South Florida Bulls. There is little doubt that the Yankees still have more fans in the Tampa/St Pete region with their Spring Training and Minor League affiliates still based in Tampa and St Petersburg.
Worse yet, going into today’s series capper with the Indians, the Rays have been absolutely frigid with the lumber, going 8 consecutive games without a HR and have been held to one run or less in 5 of their last 6 games
Despite these overwhelming facts and mindbogglingly horrible numbers, I still don’t think that qualifies them as the worst team in baseball. A typical “Worst team in Baseball” rarely has so many shining players or reasons to hope. The team may have the worst luck in baseball, but they are certainly not devoid of talent or hope.
The team has suffered numerous injuries and has been in transitional flux all season. Only six position players currently on the Rays have qualified with 3.1 Plate Appearances per game – Carl Crawford, Delmon Young, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, Akinori Iwamura and Brendan Harris. All are hitting .285 or better except for Pena (.263). Ty Wigginton also qualified but was recently traded.
The Rays are loaded with young talent for the first time in their history. And the talent is starting to develop ON the field, not just in the minors. Let's take a closer look at the five position players who do qualify.
Carl Crawford became the team’s first two-time All-Star this season and has a chance (9 HR away) to become the first player EVER to raise his batting average and home run totals in each of his first 6 seasons (currently tied with Rogers Hornsby with 5 seasons in a row). He also leads ALL of MLB in daytime batting average (weird stat, but poignant nonetheless) at a .426 clip. Always upbeat and very candid, “C.C.” just weeks ago turned 26 years old and is the old head in the clubhouse and franchise face/leader by default on such a young team.
Delmon Young has played in every Rays game this season and is leading all MLB rookies in hits, multi-hit games and games played, while leading all AL rookies with 64 RBI and 198 total bases. He is 6th in the AL with a .360 AVG with RSIP. He hasn’t hit a HR in his last 202 Abs, but hasn’t gone without a hit in more than two consecutive starts in his entire career! Delmon still doesn’t take many pitches (MLB low 38.5%) and also swings at more first pitches than any MLBer (51.9%), but you can’t argue with his success. He also is third in baseball with 13 OF assists. Delmon has silenced the critics that had barraged him after the infamous bat throwing incident.
Despite spending some time on the DL, former #2 overall draft pick B.J. Upton has hit over .300 for the entire season and (**odd stats alert!!**) his .359 Road batting average leads all of MLB. He also leads ALL of MLB with a .454 average when making contact. He also has moved from 2B to CF.
Non-roster invitee Carlos Pena was a last minute roster addition at the end of Spring Training and despite barely playing the first month of the season is third in the AL in HR with 26. Pena has emerged as a clubhouse presence with his upbeat attitude and clearly is enjoying playing this season after having his career resurrected in Tampa after appearing in just 87 games in the majors in 2005 and 2006 with the Tigers and Red Sox spending most of last year in the Minors with the Yankees.
Former 5-time Japanese All-Star and 6-time Golden Glover, Akinori Iwamura has battled a nagging oblique injury to routinely spin web gems at third base. Despite missing nearly 40 games, he is second among all AL rookies in runs scored and batting .285 despite a recent slump. Aki is also the rare left handed batter that hits lefty pitchers (.322- 3HR) much better than righties (.266-0HR)
Aki has graciously endured a trying rookie season while under the scrutiny of his personal media entourage and adapting to a new culture, new league and the birth of his first child.
Brendan Harris spent the first 20 or so games riding the pine before breaking into the lineup and quietly became one of the more productive AL Shortstops. His gritty, hard nosed style of play has enabled Coach Maddon to utilize him at Second Base as well.
Myth #2 - The pitching staff is the worst in baseball
Well, this myth looks true on the surface. If you look at things like Team ERA, Wins and Losses and Batting Average against (.294!!!), it stacks up pretty clearly that this is a historically bad staff. BUT (here it comes) numbers only tell you what you want them to.
Look at the pitching staff today compared to Opening Day and you will notice something dramatic, Ace Scott Kazmir, Ace Jr. James Shields, starter Edwin Jackson, closer Al Reyes and set-up men Gary Glover and Brian Stokes are the only pitchers to stay on the roster the whole season and have accounted for 56% of the staff’s innings pitched. Their combined ERA is 4.88 almost a full point below the whole staff. Still pretty crappy, but if the Rays team ERA were 4.88 instead of the 5.77 it currently is, Pythagorean says the Rays would be closer to a .469 winning percentage than their current .377.
The rest of the Rays pitchers have a combined ERA of 6.89. This includes such hurlers (as in make you hurl) as Casey Fossum (released), Jae Seo (sent to minors), Shawn Camp (sent to minors), J.P. Howell (sent to minors), Jay “Boom Boom” Witasick (DL), Ruddy Lugo (traded) and Jae Kuk Ryu (minors).
Even worse than the staffs numbers has been their luck. On nights of dominant outings by their starters, the bullpen has blown the games, on nights when the bullpen held down the fort, the offense has gone cold. For instance, Edwin Jackson (currently 3-12 on the season) has had 11 quality starts but started the season 0-9 before getting his first victory due to the 2.22 runs per start in support. This included a game the Rays were winning that he left with two outs in the 5th inning due to hand cramping (thus not qualifying for the win). One of his wins was the Rays’ only shutout of the season. Scott Kazmir has had 16 quality starts, James Shields, 15 but both only have 9 wins to show for them. Shields had a club-record tying 12 strikeouts in a game against the Indians to see his effort go down the drain to an extra innings HR. In fact, the Rays have lost 36 of their games in comeback fashion, losing 9 games in the last at-bat.
The bright side is, the bullpen is MUCH better suited for handling MLB hitters today than at the season’s start. Trading Wiggy for Dan Wheeler (whose father-in-law is an announcer for the Rays and Pitching Coach Jim Hickey handled Wheeler in Houston last year) and exchanging minor leaguer/former closer Seth McClung for Grant Balfour (not the best surname for a pitcher) at the trade deadline were big steps in the right direction.
Myth #3 - The Devil Rays are cursed
Prove it. Maybe they are. I’m not sure what “the curse” is called (Curse of ‘’Major League’’?), but if the Buccaneers can win a Super Bowl, if the Lightning can win a Stanley Cup, jeez, even the Arena Football team is good! Why is there NO hope for the Rays?
An effort is being made to change the culture within the franchise and the “Devil” part of their name is being officially removed for next season as well some uniform and team color changes, not that it really means anything. The Rays have pretty much eliminated the “Devil” from visibility. It’s nowhere on their uniforms nor on the tickets. About the only place Devil pops up is when referenced by MLB [(http://www.devilrays.com their website is still “devilrays.com”)] or by uneducated regurgitating TV announcers.
Manager Joe Maddon was brought in to teach, add positivity and create a culture where things are done “The Rays way”. His mantra “No regurgitation – Tell me what you think, not what you’ve heard” is a giant step forward in my opinion. But re-educating the masses stuck in their numbskulled ways is never easy. Mention the name “Devil Rays” and it conjures images of the Orange-clad Buccaneers to most Tampa/St Pete residents. Or visions of the 80’s-90’s LA Clippers to the rest of us.
OK, maybe Rocco Baldelli is cursed…
Myth #4 - The are constantly rebuilding
OK, I have heard these very words from SEVERAL (not just a few) supposedly respected journalists on TV and the radio. These are words that just don't make sense. In order to RE-build, you have to have been built once before. The Rays have never really accomplished anything past 4th place in the last 10 years. What is there to RE-build? They are building. They tried to build before to no avail and now they finally have a plan in place to build around the cornerstones they have developed.
Myth #5 - Joe Maddon isn't a good manager
Joe Maddon is a deep thinking, formulaic teacher and positive attitude re-enforcer of young men. He was the LA Angels bench coach under Mike Scioscia before taking the helm in Tampa. He is well spoken, a stat cruncher with his dugout laptop and a connoisseur of fine wines and foods. He is a passionate bicycle rider and book reader and even became engaged during the season to his long-time girlfriend.
He gets a lot of grief for the way he uses his bullpen. He tends to run Gary Glover or Brian Stokes out to pitch the 7th inning, recently acquired Dan Wheeler in the 8th and hands over the 9th to closer Al Reyes. He is calculated and methodical and doesn’t tend to take chances or play the “hot hand” the way many coaches do, but there is a method behind his Maddon-ness. More than any coach I’ve ever encountered, he seems to have the greater picture in mind.
First off, it’s quite obvious he has a weak bullpen and he knows it. He think games ahead at a time instead of batters or innings. He knows if he blows his pen out today, chances are he’ll be screwed tomorrow and the next day. So he dispenses his arms with the season, not the day in mind.
A strength of Maddon is his thoughtful care and understanding of his players. He is careful to put them in position where they can gain confidence and avoid getting their confidence and egos crushed. He is keenly aware of not risking injury or overuse and genuinely cares about the players as men, not just “arms”.
Given what he has, I think he is an excellent coach for this team, a young team that needs a teacher’s voice with a fatherly friend’s understanding. With very little veteran presence on the roster he is the sole “man” to answer to. He is energetic enough to relate to younger players without wearing on them in an authoritative, fiery manner such as Lou Piniella, who isn’t as suited to teach or handle young player’s fragile egos.
That being said, he is a life-long Cardinals (NFL) fan…
Myth #6 - Tropicana Field is horrible
I’ve heard it more times than I can count. I heard it so many times I assumed it was true. “Tropicana Field is not suited for baseball”.
And then I visited the stadium for myself.
Sure it looks goofy with the slanted roof (I call it SlantDome) and the crazy catwalks protruding into the playing field.
Recent upgrades including $2 million dollars of upgrades to the concourse, a brand new playing surface, Ted Williams’ Hitters Hall of Fame on site, a petting tank with live rays swimming in it, FREE parking and the cheapest beer in the Bigs… WHAT is the problem?
They partitioned off a section of the upper deck to condense the sparse crowds, refurbished the bathrooms and added tons of interactive, fan friendly exhibits throughout the concourse. Sections of the upper deck are decorated as historical districts of Western Florida. The seats are better than decent, the views of the field are certainly good enough and let’s face it, for your buck, it’s STILL MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!
I’ve been to a lot of parks in my life, maybe Tropicana was a dump a few years ago, but today it’s a pretty damned good place to play ball.
I think the most glaring problem with Tropicana has nothing to do with the building itself, but more with where it’s located – all the way over in St Petersburg. Nothing terribly wrong with St Pete (if you’re retired) but the city of Tampa is clearly the hub of the entire area. Tampa residents have a 25+ mile journey across the heavily trafficked bridges that lead to St Pete. A hassle even most eager baseball fans would rather forgo. That is unless the Yankees are in town…
Myth #7 - Tampa/St Pete isn’t a Major League City
Based on population numbers from 2004, Tampa is the 55th most populated city in America and St Petersburg is 70th. Both are smaller towns that El Paso, Tuscon, Albuquerque, Omaha, Tulsa, Honolulu, Colorado Springs and Wichita – not exactly burgeoning metropolises. But take into account the area as a media market (including Clearwater and Bradenton) and suddenly you have the 21st biggest market in America – larger than Denver, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Kansas City or Charlotte.
Clearly the area can support a team… ‘’IF’’ it’s a winner. The Buccaneers RUN that town and the Lightning ride side kick. Jon Gruden could walk into any establishment and pee on the owner and no one would complain. As it stands today, Carl Crawford could walk into any establishment dressed in hundred dollar bills and still go unnoticed…
But the Rays ‘’are’’ trying to change that.
Myth #8 - The Rays can't compete in the AL EAST
Balderdash! If the Marlins can win the World Series, so can any team not named the Cubs. Just because the Rays have the lowest payroll in baseball (about what A-Rod makes per season) doesn’t mean they’re cheap. Sure, they were in the past, but it’s called fiscal responsibility and I can guarantee you that payroll will increase as they start to resign the young talent to long term deals and fill in needs.
One thing you can gauge an owner’s cheapness by is the team’s ability to sign draft picks and re-sign their own players. Number 1 overall draft pick David Price signed a 6 year deal a few days ago while linchpin Carl Crawford has a long term extension done. Scott Kazmir will get a fat extension soon and Upton surely won’t be far behind.
I’ve heard several people express concerns over the possibility of the Rays dumping players in the same manner they shipped out fan faves Aubrey Huff and Ty Wigginton. Huff and Wiggy were cogs on the Rays when they were no better than role players on contending teams. They’re not the kind of players you win with and the Rays got the better end of both trades.
They’re doing it organically. Staying the course, doing it the right way. The pieces that are here will be here for years to come, bonding, growing together and anchoring the AL East force of the future. And soon they’ll be in position to add that stud free agent or trade for that cagey veteran here or there that will put them over the top. But patience is essential, not a request.
The Yankees and Red Sox are getting old…FAST. The Orioles still have Peter Angelos (who hasn’t tired of tinkering with the baseball side of things) and the Blue Jays… well, they play in Canada. These Rays aren’t your older brother’s Rays, they’re about to make some noise!
Myth #9 - Changing the name and team colors won't help next year
It’s my understanding that “Devil” (despite #60 on this list) is a goner and they are keeping the green and blue just making the blue more prominent and using more black. I have no problem with it and what’s the worse it can do?
In a reality, the “Devil” part of Rays was stupid anyway. I’m all for quality rhyme schemes, but no one calls them “devil rays”. They’re way more commonly called Manta Rays or Giant Rays. And “devil ray” hardly puts fear into anyone. Even Stingrays, Sun Rays or X-Rays would have been better than Devil Rays… But Rays is just fine. Too bad most people are ignorant to what a ray is. It’s a fish related to sharks. Credit the braintrust to right the wrongs of the past.
And ANYTHING is better than the original colors… yeeech!
Myth #10 - The Ownership prevents them from succeeding
The Rays have by far, the lowest payroll in baseball. People assume that this is because the owner is cheap.
To all those people, I ask you – Can you name the Rays owner?
Waiting…
Waiting…
Yeah… Thought so. Stu Sternberg acquired majority ownership less than two years ago and pushed former owner Vince Namoli and team president Chuck Lamar and their handcuffing management style out the door (although Lamar still advises in some manner). Sternberg inserted his right hand man, Matt Silverman into the President’s role and brought wunderkind Andrew Friedman in to be the General Manager.
They set out to remove the stagnant attitudes and build from within. The Farm System was already stacked from years of very high draft picks and Sternberg decided to plot a course and stick to it.
The course was to develop the cornerstone talent they had, grow the team together, develop the youngsters together and when they have the next wave of talent come through (Reid Brignac, Evan Longoria, Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot, et al), THEN spend money on free agents and bullpen arms.
The philosophy is simple. Why spend $8 million on a middle of the road starter (cough, cough Gil Meche) who will get you what? 4-5 more victories over the guys you pay $300,000 when you knew you weren’t going to compete for the Division title this year anyway?
They are stacked with talent in the outfield
Myth #11 - Elijah Dukes is a THUG
What, you think I’d leave my Dawg out of this unending diatribe?
Well, you’re right! But only because 4,000 words is enough for this article without analysis of Dukes and his Giant Bag of Salaciousness. Besides, I have a “Taking on All Comers” specifically for Elijah coming soon.
If you don’t know what “Taking on All Comers” is about, check this out and fear me; fear me REAL good!
Myth #12 - Manny Stiles won't be a Rays fan next year
Screw you! This was more than just a charitable endeavor. It really was about finding a team of mine own. If you look at the history of this fiasco, you’ll see I was practically BEGGING to be a Rays fan. I got what I asked for and now I’m all in!
After hanging with these young bucks and getting to know some of them a little better, I was left VERY impressed. I was enamored with Carl Crawford’s charm, Delmon Young’s constant need to have a bat in his hands, by the clubhouse presence of James Shields and Dioner Navarro. I was absolutely thrilled to get to spend a little time with Don Zimmer and Special Assistant Fred McGriff (whom I first met long ago),
The team treated me with dignity and utmost class (two things I hardly deserve) and even gave me an unprecedented triple digit jersey without questioning my sanity. VP of Communications guru Rick Vaughn and Director of Communications Chris Costello and their staff were absolutely amazing in assisting me and went above and beyond anything I could have asked for.
Sure I said I was swearing off the Rays after the Steve Irwin tragedy last year, but I really DO love this team! They don’t have butt-ugly uniforms (even though I am categorically against sleeveless jerseys) and they have a VERY bright future ahead of them. There certainly have been teams this bad and worse that hosted parades within a few short years, and I see no reason why the Rays can’t win a World Series* in the next few years – it just takes patience and a few breaks to go THEIR way for once!
…* - I have not suffered brain damage, nor am I currently under the influence of intoxicants (for once), just spelloids and adrenaline from gambling on animal fights.
Summary: Tell me what you know, not what you heard!
Manny Stiles a..k.a. ManRays – certified 100% regurgitation free
Go Rays!!!
- Note- The Rays ended their homer-less streak won their game today as I was writing this piece against the Indians in extra innings 4-3 in the 11th on a single by Joel Guzman who was just called up from Durham. They are now 6-3 in extra inning affairs!
