TAMPA BAY
DEVIL RAYS
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I hate the Devil Rays. Nothing personal, but Canseco, Castilla, Vaughn,
Guzman... on their own they are decent players, but all together they
are very depressing. To make it worse, the Devil Rays have invited John
Burkett and Pat Borders and Dave Hollins to their spring
training camp. Jim Morris is still hanging around. Is this any way to
run a baseball team? Do the Devil Rays have any good young players
in their farm system? Well, Miguel Cairo is fun to watch, but I don't think he's going to win an MVP Award. I expect the Devil Rays to finish last, again. |
| WILSON ALVAREZ (30, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 CHW-SF 13 11 33 33 2 1 0 212 180 91 179 348 1998 TAM 6 14 25 25 0 0 0 142 130 68 107 473 1999 TAM 9 9 28 28 1 0 0 160 159 79 128 422 |
| Alvarez pitched well in his second year in Tampa Bay. He is now entering his fourth decade in life, and I don't see him getting any better than he is now. His chance to become a star has come and gone; he can probably last several more years, though, as a number three pitcher in the rotation. There are a lot of teams who can use him. |
| MIGUEL CAIRO (2B, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TAM 150 515 138 26 5 5 49 46 24 44 268 307 367 19 8 1999 TAM 120 465 137 15 5 3 61 36 24 46 295 335 368 22 7 |
| A good expansion player, a guy who can run and throw, and who isn't an automatic out at the plate. I doubt he will ever be an All-Star, but Cairo should be a quality player for the Devil Rays for several years, and could even fill a hole for a good team. |
| JOSE CANSECO (DH, 36, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 OAK 108 388 91 19 0 23 56 74 51 122 235 325 461 8 2 1998 TOR 151 583 138 26 0 46 98 107 65 159 237 313 518 29 17 1999 TAM 113 430 120 18 1 34 75 95 58 135 279 369 563 3 0 |
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Was the hottest home run hitter in the league before he was
sidelined by a back injury in the second half of the season. The
key facts about Canseco are that he is still a formidable power
hitter, and that you can't ever count on him for an extended
period of time. His future was in question last year, but he has always
found a way to come back, and probably will again. Career-wise, I think Canseco safely ranks in the Jim Rice-Dale Murphy-Bobby Bonds class, guys who could have gone into the Hall Of Fame if they had been just a little better. To be a candidate for the Hall, he will have to hit 500 home runs (he has 431), but it is hard to imagine him lasting long enough to achieve that milestone. (NOTE: Despite the reputation of Tropicana Field as a hitter's haven, Canseco hit much better on the road in 1999) |
| VINNY CASTILLA (3B, 33, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 159 612 186 25 2 40 94 113 44 108 304 356 547 2 4 1998 COL 162 645 206 28 4 46 108 144 40 89 319 362 589 5 9 1999 COL 158 615 169 24 1 33 83 102 53 75 275 331 478 2 3 |
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He didn't post his usual big numbers at Coors Field, giving him relatively
weak numbers overall. I know it seems unfair to criticize a guy who hits 33 homers
with 102 RBI... but the truth is, half the third basemen in baseball could
produce more runs given the same opportunity in the same park. He has to play
better, and probably will. ADDENDUM: Castilla has been dealt to Tampa Bay. That does not sound to me like a prosperous career move; he will have to show that he can hit at sea level. My guess is that he hits 25-30 homers, but with a .250 batting average. |
| STEVE COX (1B/LF, 25, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 131 467 128 34 1 15 84 93 88 90 274 385 448 1 3 1998 AAA 119 430 109 23 2 13 64 67 56 100 253 339 407 3 4 1999 AAA 134 534 182 49 4 25 107 127 67 74 341 415 588 3 3 |
| Cox is a young player with Tampa Bay, wasn't much of a prospect until he started to pound the ball at Durham last season. He's a big guy who should be a decent hitter, with a chance to be a star. The Devil Rays desperately need good young players, but have clogged their lineup with old guys. Cox probably will start the season either in the minors or on the bench, won't get many at bats until Canseco gets hurt. |
| MIKE DIFELICE (CA, 31, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 STL 93 260 62 10 1 4 16 30 19 61 238 297 331 1 1 1998 TAM 84 248 57 12 3 3 17 23 15 56 230 274 339 0 0 1999 TAM 51 179 55 11 0 6 21 27 8 23 307 346 469 0 0 |
| Had a good year in a limited role, after two almost identical seasons. My guess is that he should not receive any more playing time, that he will hit .230 again next year. Adequate backup catcher. |
| MIKE DUVALL (25, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 4 6 45 0 0 0 18 68 63 20 49 184 1998 AAA 5 3 32 9 1 0 0 73 74 32 55 322 |
| Duvall got a chance in the Devil Rays' bullpen, and was very ordinary. As far as I can tell, he is a very ordinary pitcher with limited potential, but he is left-handed and will probably stick around for years. |
| JOHN FLAHERTY (CA, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 SD 129 439 120 21 1 9 38 46 33 62 273 323 387 4 4 1998 TAM 91 304 63 11 0 3 21 24 22 46 207 261 273 0 5 1999 TAM 117 446 124 19 0 14 53 71 19 64 278 310 415 0 2 |
| Rescued his career with a solid season, and should get a lot of playing time next year. Appears to be prone to both hot streaks and extended slumps, and he isn't much of a hitter even in a good year, but he will play if he can hit over .270. |
| TONY GRAFFANINO (IF, 28, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 ATL 104 186 48 9 1 8 33 20 26 46 258 344 446 6 4 1998 ATL 105 289 61 14 1 5 32 22 24 68 211 275 318 1 4 1999 TAM 39 130 41 9 4 2 20 19 9 22 315 364 492 3 2 |
| He almost killed his career with an awful 1998, and last year was exiled to Tampa Bay. He played very well in a limited role; I think Graffanino is a good hitter, and he should continue to succeed now that his career is back on track. Will be a quality backup infielder for a few years. |
| JOSE GUILLEN (RF, 24, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 143 498 133 20 5 14 58 70 17 88 267 300 412 1 2 1998 PIT 153 573 153 38 2 14 60 84 21 100 267 298 414 3 5 1999 PIT-TAM 87 288 73 16 0 3 42 31 20 57 253 315 340 1 0 |
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He lost his power stroke, which earned him a ticket out of Pittsburgh.
If he doesn't start hitting home runs again he is in trouble, because his contributions
at the plate are very limited. His average is weak, he rarely walks, and he
doesn't steal bases, so three homers doesn't cut it. On the other hand, he is very young, and is still developing. His K/BB ratio was greatly improved. It is not unheard of for a young player to have a mysterious power shortage early in his career. Guillen's throwing arm may also be the best in baseball. He is a valuable young player, and he should play well in Tampa. |
| MARK GUTHRIE (35, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 LA 1 4 62 0 0 0 1 69 71 30 42 532 1998 LA 2 1 53 0 0 0 0 54 56 24 45 350 1999 BOS-CHC 1 3 57 0 0 0 2 58 57 24 45 537 |
| Guthrie is a veteran lefty in the bullpen, and is usually reliable. He had almost the exact same season that he did in 1998, except that his ERA was up. Ten home runs given up were the reason for that. His other numbers were solid, and the home runs were probably just a fluke; expect him to appear in about 50 games next year, with good results. |
| JUAN GUZMAN (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 TOR 3 6 13 13 0 0 0 60 48 31 52 495 1998 TOR-BAL 10 16 33 33 2 0 0 211 193 98 168 435 1999 BAL-CIN 11 12 33 33 2 1 0 200 194 86 155 374 |
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Guzman began the year pitching well for Baltimore, but got stuck with a
losing record by a bad team. He was then traded to Cincinnati, and pitched
extremely well for the Reds. He is, I imagine, assured of having a regular
job next year; he has been healthy for two straight years, and is still a
decent pitcher. The Reds were the first good team Guzman had pitched for
since Toronto in 1993; he's still capable of being a big winner. ADDENDUM: Guzman has signed with Tampa Bay. Some folks seem to think that the Devil Rays are making big improvements; personally, I just find them depressing. Expect Guzman to have a losing season. |
| ROBERTO HERNANDEZ (35, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 CHW-SF 10 3 74 0 0 0 31 81 67 38 82 245 1998 TAM 2 6 67 0 0 0 26 71 55 41 55 404 1999 TAM 2 3 72 0 0 0 43 73 68 33 69 307 |
| Hernandez had one of his best years last season, and has been very good for most of the decade. He now has 234 career saves... I doubt he will save 40 games again, but he should have a solid season. |
| CORY LIDLE (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYM 7 2 54 2 0 0 2 82 86 20 54 353 1999 TAM 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 5 8 2 4 720 |
| Lidle pitched very well for the Yankees in 1997, but has lost two straight years to injury. He is a good pitcher if he can get his strength back in his arm, and should be ready for a comeback. If his injury problems continue, I wouldn't expect him to ever come back. |
| ALBIE LOPEZ (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 CLE 3 7 37 6 0 0 0 77 101 40 63 693 1998 TAM 7 4 54 0 0 0 1 79 73 32 62 260 1999 TAM 3 2 51 0 0 0 1 64 66 24 37 464 |
| Lopez was a major disappointment in Cleveland, but has pitched fairly well the past two seasons with Tampa Bay. Last year was a struggle for him, and I'm concerned about the drop in strikeouts; there may be something wrong with his arm. |
| QUINTON MCCRACKEN (CF, 30, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 147 325 95 11 1 3 69 36 42 62 292 374 360 28 11 1998 TAM 155 614 179 38 7 7 77 59 41 107 292 335 410 19 10 1999 TAM 40 148 37 6 1 1 20 18 14 23 250 317 324 6 5 |
| The quint-essential expansion player, McCracken was hurt last year, and missed most of the season. If he is healthy, he will get a job somewhere, and play about as well as he did in 1998. He is a middle-of-the-road outfielder, nothing more nor less. |
| FRED MCGRIFF (1B, 36, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 ATL 152 564 156 25 1 22 77 97 68 112 277 356 441 5 0 1998 TAM 151 564 160 33 0 19 73 81 79 118 284 371 443 7 2 1999 TAM 144 529 164 30 1 32 75 104 86 107 310 405 552 1 0 |
| McGriff had his best year since 1994, reversing four years of steady decline. I have yet to hear any plausible reasons why he struggled for so long, or why he was so good last year, so it is hard to say what he will do in the future. My gut feeling is that 1999 was a one-year blip, and that he will continue to decline again next year. On the other hand, he has always been compared to Willie McCovey, and McCovey aged very well. |
| JIM MECIR (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 NYY 0 4 25 0 0 0 0 34 36 10 25 588 1998 TAM 7 2 68 0 0 0 0 84 68 33 77 311 1999 TAM 0 1 17 0 0 0 0 21 15 14 15 261 |
| Mecir had an excellent year in 1998, and started last season off well before he fell and fractured his elbow. You have to be worried about him, but if there is no ligament damage then he should be solid. |
| JIM MORRIS (36, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 AAA 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 23 21 19 16 548 |
| Jim Morris debuted in pro ball with Paintsville in 1983; last year he threw for the first time in ten seasons. He was a nice story, but obviously he has no potential. |
| CHAD OGEA (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 CLE 8 9 21 21 1 0 0 126 139 47 80 499 1998 CLE 5 4 10 9 0 0 0 69 74 25 43 561 1999 PHI 6 12 36 28 0 0 0 168 192 61 77 563 |
| Ogea was a decent starter earlier in the decade for Cleveland; last season he set career highs in both starts and innings pitched, but had a rough season, coughing up 36 home runs. His ERA's and K/BB ratios have been in steady decline for five years now; he has no future in the starting rotation, but could fill in in long relief. |
| BRIAN REKAR (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TAM 2 8 16 15 1 0 0 86 95 21 55 498 1999 TAM 6 6 27 12 0 0 0 95 121 41 55 580 |
| A very depressing pitcher, Rekar has now thrown 334 innings in the majors, is 15-24 lifetime with a 5.93 ERA. More of same next year. |
| RYAN RUPE (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 7 1 13 13 0 0 0 70 41 11 80 207 |
| Rupe is a big right-hander who fast-tracked to the majors last year. He had a pretty good rookie season; I like everything about him, except that he may have been rushed last year, and may be susceptible to injury. If he his healthy he should have a decent year, and his long-term prospects are very good. |
| TONY SAUNDERS (26, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 FLO 4 6 22 21 0 0 0 111 99 64 102 461 1998 TAM 6 15 31 31 2 0 0 192 191 111 172 412 1999 TAM 3 3 9 9 0 0 0 42 53 29 30 643 |
| If he could throw strikes, I might be impressed. Until Saunders does improve his control, I can't think of any reason to expect him to pitch well. What's worse, last year he broke his arm while throwing a pitch. He will come back, but probably will never be a good pitcher. |
| BOBBY SMITH (3B, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 100 357 88 10 2 12 47 47 44 109 246 340 387 6 5 1999 AAA 57 225 75 15 3 14 52 47 27 61 333 409 613 13 4 |
| Smith followed a fine rookie season with a disastrous sophomore slump, and was sent back to the minors. He played extremely well with Durham, a sign that he wants to return and get his career back on track. The Devil Rays have acquired a bunch of old guys, but Smith should get playing time when one of them gets hurt. He should be decent, but likely won't hit above .280. |
| JEFF SPARKS (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 AAA 8 3 52 0 0 0 0 73 53 37 100 370 |
| Sparks spent the 1998 season in the Northern League, after deciding that his career was going nowhere. He returned to the minors last year, and pitched well; his major league debut was also interesting, including 17 strikeouts and 12 walks in 10 innings. He has consistently overpowered hitters at every level of ball, and will have a good season if his control doesn't completely desert him. |
| KEVIN STOCKER (SS, 30, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PHI 149 504 134 23 5 4 51 40 51 91 266 335 355 11 6 1998 TAM 112 336 70 11 3 6 37 25 27 80 208 282 313 5 3 1999 TAM 79 254 76 11 2 1 39 27 24 41 299 369 370 9 7 |
| The Devil Rays acquired Stocker from the Phillies, in exchange for Bobby Abreu. This is a deal that may be remembered as one of the worst ever. Nevertheless, Stocker saved his career with a solid season. I don't think he's a good regular, but Stocker can be a valuable role player if he hits as well as he should. |
| STEVE TRACHSEL (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 CHC 8 12 34 34 0 0 0 201 225 69 160 451 1998 CHC 15 8 33 33 1 0 0 208 204 84 149 446 1999 CHC 8 18 34 34 4 0 0 206 226 64 149 556 |
| Trachsel had a disastrous season, though to be honest I don't think he was much worse than in 1998, when he won 15 games. His K/BB was actually the best of his career. He will pitch for Tampa Bay this year, and should have a much better season, especially if the team is better. |
| BUBBA TRAMMELL (LF, 28, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 DET 44 123 28 5 0 4 14 13 15 35 228 307 366 3 1 1998 TAM 59 199 57 18 1 12 28 35 16 45 286 338 568 0 2 1999 TAM 82 283 82 19 0 14 49 39 43 37 290 384 505 0 2 |
| Holy smokes. Not only did Trammell raise his average and hit for power, but he walked more often than he struck out! He also did not benefit from a platoon advantage; most of his at bats were against right-handers. Trammell now has 605 career at bats, a full season's worth; he is a lifetime .276 hitter with 30 homers, 42 doubles. Obviously, he has earned a chance to play more often. |
| GREG VAUGHN (LF, 35, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 SD 120 361 78 10 0 18 60 57 56 110 216 322 393 7 4 1998 SD 158 573 156 28 4 50 112 119 79 121 272 363 597 11 4 1999 CIN 153 550 135 20 2 45 104 118 85 137 245 347 535 15 2 |
|
Quick! Name all of the players to be traded after hitting 50
home runs in a season. Well, so far the answer is just Vaughn,
though the number could rise over the next few years. Vaughn had a
miserable start for Cincinnati, and his average never recovered.
But he retained his power stroke, and had another big home run
year. The Reds had a big season, too. Late in the year, Vaughn stated that he considers leadership to be one of his strengths. Leadership is always a vague term, and some leaders tend to lead their teams in the wrong direction; however, looking at Cincinnati's improvement and San Diego's decline, it would be difficult at this moment to dispute Vaughn's claim. |
| DAN WHEELER (22, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 A 6 7 15 15 0 0 0 84 75 17 81 300 1998 A 12 14 29 29 3 1 0 181 206 29 136 443 1999 AA-AAA 10 5 23 23 2 1 0 140 159 33 111 423 |
| The Devil Rays gave him some starts with the big club, for no apparent reason. Wheeler is very young, and has outstanding control, but has struggled to consistently get hitters out in the minors. He's at least a year away from being ready to face major league batters. |
| RICK WHITE (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TAM 2 6 35 3 0 0 0 68 66 23 39 380 1999 TAM 5 3 63 1 0 0 0 108 132 38 81 408 |
| White is a good long reliever, has had two straight solid seasons with the Devil Rays. He eats up innings, makes the occasional start, and hads decent control. More of the same in 2000. |
| GERALD WILLIAMS (OF, 34, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 MIL 155 566 143 32 2 10 73 41 19 90 253 282 369 23 9 1998 ATL 129 266 81 19 2 10 46 44 17 48 305 352 504 11 5 1999 ATL 143 422 116 24 1 17 76 68 33 67 275 335 457 19 11 |
| Williams was almost a regular last season, and did a surprisingly good job. He is better suited coming off the bench, and will likely fill that role with his new team in Tampa Bay. A solid player. |
| RANDY WINN (CF, 26, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 96 384 112 15 6 8 66 36 42 92 292 371 424 35 20 |
| Winn is exceptionally fast, but has yet to learn how to steal bases, and likely never will. This is a shame, because if he could utilize his speed, he could probably be a decent regular. Will stick around a few years as a spare outfielder. |
| ESTEBAN YAN (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TAM 5 4 64 0 0 0 1 88 78 41 77 386 1999 TAM 3 4 50 1 0 0 0 61 77 32 46 590 |
| Yan had a good year in 1998, wasn't so good last year. He is still young, but his control is not very good; I suspect he will never be a consistent pitcher, but will probably struggle along for a few years in middle relief. |