» Ben Zobrist

Tampa Bay Rays in uncharted territory

Thomas Gemkow — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:28:30 +0000

The Tampa Bay Rays have done something this season that they have never done in their franchise history–start the season 6-3 thru the first nine games.

Dave Scheiber of FoxSportsFlorida.com takes a look at this unprecedented feat…

The Rays find themselves in uncharted territory today: the first time in their 13 seasons that they’ve won five of the opening eight games. But the stunning manner in which the team got there Tuesday night – and the message sent in the process – is arguably a whole lot more important than a first-ever 5-3 record

Anybody watching Baltimore lefty Brian Matusz shackle Tampa Bay batters through seven innings – allowing only a bunt single by Ben Zobrist and check-swing infield hit by Carlos Pena – could have understandably concluded that it just wasn’t the Rays’ night on a chilly, raw evening at Camden Yards.

To read the rest of Scheiber’s story, click here.

Digital Diamond Prediction : Rays 5, Orioles 4 to end series

Thomas Gemkow — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:28:55 +0000

In our ongoing series to see just how accurate the Living Rosters feature is on MLB 2k10, we have simulated what the Rays and Orioles game should look like.

According to the simulation from MLB 2k10, the Rays will close out the series with the Orioles with yet another win, beating Balitmore 5-4.

So far, the computer has been inaccurate, selecting the Orioles to win the first game, with results of the second game unknown due to a server issue.

In this Digital Diamond game, Rays starter Jeff Niemann goes 6 innings, giving up 4 runs and striking out just three, before giving way to Randy Choate, who pitches the final three innings in a dominating fashion, giving up no runs while surrendering just one base hit, a performance that is enough to gain him the win.

Both Carl Crawford and Ben Zobrist tally three hits, while slugging first baseman Carlos Pena drills a home run in the first inning, driving in three runs of his four RBI’s for the day.

The Rays also look as if they turn up the heat on the base paths, with Crawford swiping two bases, and Zobrist, Jason Bartlett and Sean Rodriguez all getting in on the base stealing fun with one a piece.

Side Note:Game 2 of the 2010 season was unable to be simulated, due to a server issue with the 2kSports online gaming network.

Daily Mashup:Rays crush the ball, Pena moving down & Joyce’s boo boo

Thomas Gemkow — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:36:11 +0000

We are just14 days away from the start of the Rays World Series run in 2010. Here is what’s hot in the Rays news today…

Tampa Bay Rays set home run record

Super star third baseman Evan Longoria and newly acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach both crushed two home runs, and the Rays also got with dingers from Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist and Hank Blalock in an 11-9 split squad victory over AL East rival Boston Red Sox on Monday.

The seven home runs in one game were a record for the Tampa Bay Rays–spring training, regular and post seasons combined.

The offensive outburst is good news for the Rays, assuming they can continue drilling the ball like this once the regular season starts. In an incredibly competitive AL East, the Rays will need all the offense they can get.

You can read more about the game coverage (by the way, James Shields was strong in the start too) by clicking here.

Maddon adjusting the lineup?

Hard to imagine that skipper Joe Maddon would consider touching a lineup that has proven to be effective the last few years, but rumor has it, the wily Maddon may move slugger Carlos Pena down to fifth in the lineup, setting the stage for Ben Zobrist to bat third, and Evan Longoria to bat from the cleanup spot.

This move makes sense to me because Longoria will hit for average way better than Pena. Maddon looks at it like this:

“Zobrist hitting third gets protected by these guys, whereas otherwise if he’s not there there’s really no reason to pitch to him as you might because you don’t want him on base for Longo and Peña,” Maddon said. “Coming off the year that Zobrist had last year, he’s going to get a lot more attention paid to him, so there’s a bunch of little things I’m thinking about there.”

Of course, this will largely be predicated by whether or not Zobrist can emulate his strong break out performance last year that garnered him his first All Star Game appearance.

To read more, click here.

Matt Joyce may start the season on the DL

Matt Joyce may be starting the season on the DL with a nagging elbow injury. The young right fielder has a shot to win the starting spot in right field straight out, after watching most of last season from Durham. Joyce had the chance to win this spot since the Rays traded Gabe Gross to the Oakland Athletics, and while Gabe Kapler isn’t a spring chicken anymore.

TampaBayRaysFan.com will keep you up to date on any news regarding this story.

Daily Mashup:SRod goes deep, Friedman No. 1, Jennings HBP & more

Thomas Gemkow — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:13:23 +0000

Welcome to the 3rd day in this wonderful March! As fans of the Tampa Bay Rays, I am sure that you are as excited as I am to see the Rays play much better today than yesterdays loss to the Baltimore Orioles–but try and remember, it is just Spring Training–a.k.a. time to get the bugs out before the regular season…

Rodriguez is a monster!

Two games, two home runs—if power numbers were the only thing weighing in on the battle for the 25th spot on the Tampa Bay Rays roster–Sean Rodriguez would be the early favorite. Dude has been sick so far this spring, with some very impressive power numbers–hurting his cause however, was a bobbled routine ground ball in today’s game against the Orioles. Better believe that is something Joe Maddon and company are looking at. You can’t be the next multi positional sensation like Ben Zobrist if you can’t field the easy ones at your natural position.

Sports Illustrated rates Andrew Friedman…

…and the rating was number 1! Rays young GM Andrew Friedman was ranked THE number one GM by Sports Illustrated.

Ahead of Brian Cashman. Ahead of Theo Epstein.

Like I said on Twitter when talking to Cork Gaines of RaysIndex.com–that is DAMN good for a guy that doesn’t have a money tree growing in his outfield. Cashman and Epstein could not even “buy” their way to the top GM spot.

Congrats to Andrew Friedman, well done sir–to be the number one GM, when you have a budget to work with, is a very impressive deed.

And also, thanks to RaysIndex.com for helping promote TampaBayRaysFan.com

Jennings gets drilled, but appears to be fine

Super Prospect Desmond Jennings was hit by a pitch on the elbow during yesterday’s game with the Orioles–but have no fear–looks like he will be fine.

Jennings is not expected to make the 25 man roster to start the season, but should start at the Triple A Level, playing for the Durham Bulls.

Hellickson to debut Friday

Jeremy Hellickson–one of the top prospects in all of baseball–will make his professional debut this Friday as the Tampa Bay Rays face off against the New York Yankees. The baby faced 23 year old is coming with a lot of hype, and is expected to be one of the first pitchers the Rays call up to the big leagues should they suffer an injury in the bullpen or starting rotation this year.

Tampa Bay Rays announce promotion schedule…

Thomas Gemkow — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:06:11 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG – A new collectible T-shirt series on Fridays and the return of the Rays Summer Concert Series highlight the Rays 2010 promotion schedule.

The schedule includes 42 dates focused primarily on Friday, Saturday and Sunday games at Tropicana Field.

At Friday games, themed this season as Friday Fests, the first 10,000 fans will receive a collectible T-shirt presented by the St. Petersburg Times. Friday Fests will also include postgame fireworks, drink and food specials, special prize giveaways, postgame parties and much more.

“Friday Fest will kick off the weekend with the same excitement and added value as our Saturday and Sunday games, which have been our best-attended dates,” said Rays President Matt Silverman. “We’ll continue to energize Saturdays with our greatest concert series to date, and Sundays will remain oriented toward families with more affordable pricing options and creative giveaway items for kids.”

Rays Saturday Nights, presented by Bright House Sports Network, will once again feature the Summer Concert Series presented by Hess Express with 10 exciting postgame concerts.

The concert lineup will be released later this month. Since the concert series debuted in 2008, the Rays have gone 16-2 and averaged more than 30,000 fans on those dates.

All 13 Sunday games will feature giveaways for the first 10,000 kids 14 and younger including a bobblehead series of Evan Longoria, David Price, Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza.

The Sunday giveaway schedule for kids also includes:

• April 25 vs. Blue Jays: Zorilla Gorilla Webkinz, a collectible stuffed animal bearing Rays Manager Joe Maddon’s nickname for Ben Zobrist, courtesy of Sun Sports.

• May 2 vs. Royals: Flying Carl Crawford action figure equipped with a parachute, courtesy of RE/MAX.

• May 30 vs. White Sox: Carlos Peña action figure toothbrush holder, the first produced by a major league team, courtesy of Chevrolet.

• Aug. 1 vs. Yankees: Growth chart featuring the tallest Ray, 6-foot, 9-inch Jeff Niemann, courtesy of Grow Financial.

The season-opening series with the Baltimore Orioles includes two popular giveaways. On Wednesday, April 7 the first 10,000 fans will receive a pair of Joe Maddon glasses, a promotion the Rays first introduced in 2006, Maddon’s first season as manager. The glasses are courtesy of Match Up Promotions.

On Thursday, April 8, the first 10,000 fans will receive a Rays Super Cowbell, an oversized version of the Rays signature noisemaker equipped with a special hand grip, courtesy of Chick-fil-A.

Rays season tickets and group tickets are currently on sale. Single-game tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 26 exclusively through rays baseball.com and through all other outlets, including the Gate 1 Tropicana Field Box Office on Saturday, Feb. 27.

For more information, contact the Rays at 888-FAN-RAYS or visit raysbaseball.com.

RaysBaseball.com:Zobrist out to prove 2009 was no fluke

Thomas Gemkow — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:06:21 +0000

Bill Chastain outlines Ben Zobrist’s intent to be just as good in 2010. You can read the article in it’s original location here.

Infielder, Rays confident he’ll build on breakout season

By Bill Chastain / MLB.com

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Believe it or not, Ben Zobrist picked up a new position during the offseason.Amid all the speculation about the Rays’ “super utility man” finally settling into one position this season, he threw everyone a curveball when he talked about finding a new position.

Pan to Nashville’s Community Bible Church, where Zobrist and his wife, Julianna, have been members for the past three years. After a men’s breakfast that saw him speak to kids and their fathers about sports, baseball and keeping everything in perspective, came the main event.

“We had a Wiffle Ball game after that,” Zobrist said. “I pitched. I was the all-time pitcher.”

For the record, Zobrist won’t be asked to give Tampa Bay any mound work this coming season, nor will he put on the tools of ignorance — catching is the one position where Zobrist draws the line. Other than those two spots, Zobrist doesn’t care where he plays, even though it appears he’s earmarked for second base.

Playing one position, now that’s a novel concept, and one he’ll embrace — if that’s what the Rays want.

“I’m ready [if needed to play just one position],” Zobrist said. “It’s not something I feel like I’m tied down to. I don’t need that in any way. What I need as a player is just to get at-bats.”

Zobrist said he has “at least four gloves” in his locker this spring.

“I had to get a first baseman’s glove last year,” Zobrist said. “They surprised me when I had to play some first base when Carlos [Pena] went down, so I brought that one, too.”

Zobrist is a huge success story for the Rays. He’s gone from a bust in 2007 to the team MVP (as voted by the writers who cover the team) in ’09 after hitting .297 with 27 home runs and 91 RBIs.

That 2007 season saw Zobrist begin the season as the team’s shortstop only to get sent down after a slow start. Zobrist cut a somber figure in Baltimore’s visiting clubhouse after receiving the news that he would be heading to Triple-A Durham.

Baltimore “was the beginning of the bottom,” Zobrist said. “That whole year was kind of the bottom for me and culminated in getting injured at the end of the year — straining an oblique, which is an odd injury for me. That whole year was tumultuous and a test and a trial.

“It’s something that made me stronger, because I did have to fight through it. It made me believe and have faith that all things that happen to me are, just because it may be negative circumstances doesn’t mean it’s going to be negative overall, unless I allow it to be.”

Zobrist has worked hard to salvage his career, turning from a Punch-and-Judy contact hitter to a legitimate power threat, but he’s not about to take all the credit for resurrecting his career.

“I think the truth is that there are a lot of guys who work hard,” Zobrist said. “Not everybody gets the opportunities that I’ve been given. I’ve been fortunate to get more than one or two opportunities to fail at this level — some guys don’t get that.”

Zobrist seemed genuinely embarrassed when asked about having his first offseason as a star. He did smile when asked about how nice this spring is to arrive at camp and know that he doesn’t have to win a job to stay in the Major Leagues.

“That’s nice,” Zobrist said. “It doesn’t really change what I do. [I] just spend a lot of time working hard and try not to count my chickens before they hatch. It’s a new season. Last year, as great as it was personally, it’s over.

“Regardless, that’s not the name of the game anyway. We’ve got to win, we’re coming here to make the playoffs and win a championship, and that’s our goal. So I’m trying not to think too much about what I’m doing personally as much as just being ready to do what I have to do to help the team win.”

Skeptics wonder if Zobrist has experienced his best season, while others, such as Rays manager Joe Maddon and teammate Evan Longoria, are believers.

“I just think he is so well prepared; it starts with preparation,” Maddon said. “And he’s got a strong belief in himself. I honestly believe he won’t become overly confident or cocky about this thing. I think he’s going to pretty much approach it like he has in the past.

“Last year, obviously, was wonderful. But it began the year before. So I really believe there will be a strong carryover into this season.”

Longoria told reporters that Zobrist became the “heartbeat” of last year’s team.

“We kind of looked to Zo to do something spectacular every night, and he continued to do it,” Longoria said. “He never disappointed. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does this year. If nothing else, bring that charisma and spirit he has to the field every day.

“He’s always upbeat. He’s got a great attitude. He loves being at the baseball field. He’s a guy that you can go to and talk to about anything. He’s just a fun guy to be around.”

Zobrist doesn’t seem too caught up in what skeptics think about him, even if they believe he’s a one-year wonder.

“They’re welcome to say that,” Zobrist said. “This year, I have to prove that I can do it again. For those people that doubt or say it’s a career year and he’ll never do it again, they have every right to have that opinion. But from where I’m coming from, I believe and know that I can do that on a regular basis. I’m just praying that I stay healthy. I think if I stay healthy, I can do that.”

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Daily Mashup:Pitchers & catchers report, a Haiku & more

Thomas Gemkow — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:19:32 +0000

Of course no news is bigger than the fact that baseball season has officially begun today, with pitchers and catchers reporting across the league. Take a look at some of the running headlines below…

Topkin reports all accounted for

Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times tweeted earlier that all the pitchers and catchers are in camp, and appear to be accounted for. This is always a good thing. You should follow Topkin on Twitter, he is, in my estimation, one of the best baseball writers covering a team in the AL…always has great, up to the minute insight.

What better way to kick off 2010 than with a Haiku

That’s right, there is a Haiku out there on the web about the Rays. The Gals over at Babes Love Baseball have put it together…pretty catchy if I do say say…while the page is not dedicated to JUST the Rays, it offers a great perspective on baseball as a whole…

Maddon considering tweaking lineup

Manager Joe Maddon will have some options with his lineup this year…and we all know how much he loves his options. Maddon has publicly said he have given though to putting Ben Zobrist batting third, Evan Longoria batting cleanup with Carlos Pena batting 5th. Of course a lot of this will be largely dictated by whether or not Zobrist can replicate his performance from last season. I for one, think that it could work, but would anticipate seeing Pena’s numbers drop significantly with Longoria having the first shot to drive in the speedy Carl Crawford, Jason Bartlett and B.J. Upton (should he bat that high in the order this season)

Soriano sent inside…

Marc Topkin tweeted that newly acquired closer, and hopefully bull pen solidifier Rafael Soriano left workouts early with what the team called a “respiratory illness” which we all know is fancy doctor talk for a cold.

That is all for today gang…be on the look out for pictures from the first day in camp, I should have them up on the site this weekend sometime. Thanks for reading, and as always, be sure to check out our official sponsor.

Why Talbot Is The New Hammel

DRaysBay.com — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:18:12 +0000

A majority of focus from the Aubrey Huff trade has been centered on Ben Zobrist for the past year and a half, and rightfully so. His hard swinging, OBP machine, super-utility man routine took baseball by storm in 2009; even going as far as getting him more than the token MVP vote (8th place!). If Zobrist comes anywhere close to duplicating his 2009 numbers in the team-controlled seasons left on his contract then that will go down as one of the bigger trade coups in recent memory. Getting lost in all of the Zobrist hoopla is the other player involved in that trade, Mitch Talbot.

When the deal took place it was Talbot, not the light hitting shortstop Zobrist, who was the more prized ‘get’. Here are Talbot’s FIPs for each season in the Rays‘ minor league system:

2006(AA): 2.81

2007(AAA): 4.00

2008(AAA): 3.03

2009(AAA): 3.55

The numbers are pretty good, but in an organization that was/is as pitching rich as the Rays there was never room for him. He wasn’t polished enough to earn a shot with the 2007 rotation, 2008 saw the additions of Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine to fill two vacancies, while David Price, Jeff Niemann, and Wade Davis filled the voids in 2009. The 2010 rotation looks to be the Rays strongest yet. In another organization with less pitching depth Talbot would surely have been given a substantial shot in the Major Leagues by now.

With Spring Training approaching faster and faster the annual rosterbation games that we all play begin to creep up. What free agents are signed? Who gets traded? Who makes it? Who doesn’t? In the case of Mitch Talbot, unfortunately the answer appears to be the latter. Talbot is out of options, and will need to make the 25 man roster to avoid being put on waivers, where he would be plucked off rather quickly. He’s not making the rotation, so we can skip that and move to the bullpen. Since it appears the Rays will go with a four man bench that leaves them with a seven man bullpen. Let’s take a look at the candidates:

Howell
Wheeler
Cormier
Balfour
Sonny
Chavez
Thayer
Talbot
LOOGY

The first four are virtual locks. Cormier is arb1 eligible, so theoretically they could non-tender him, but he’s not likely to get a big raise in arb anyway (h/t Tommy). There are some reverse split guys in that grouping, but Joe Maddon enjoys his LOOGYs, making R.J. Swindle or Brian Shouse (should he accept arbitration) prime candidates for that role. After that you have five pitchers for two spots, and with Sonnanstine, Chavez, and Thayer having options remaining it makes Talbot look that much less attractive. That’s without bringing into the equation the high likelihood of the Rays signing one or more free agent relievers, which they’re wont to do.

If you add all of that up, barring some major injury, the forecast for Talbot being in a Rays’ uniform next season looks grim at best. The team was in a similar situation last off-season with Jason Hammel, and ended up trading him to Colorado where he turned in a pretty decent season. I would imagine Talbot will have the same fate. Where Talbot and Hammel differ is their MLB experience. At the time Hammel was dealt he had served over a year at the Major League level; Talbot has about ten innings. Even though they’ll have no leverage, the front office will not let an asset walk away for nothing. They don’t have that luxury. They’ll move him for a low to mid-level prospect who will provide more organizational depth. Then Talbot will merely be an answer to a trivia question, the “other guy” in the Aubrey Huff trade, a feint memory to most Rays fans. I always liked Talbot and believe he still has a future in the league somewhere; that somewhere just doesn’t appear to be here.

Rays "not even thinking" of trading Crawford, other tidbits

Thomas Gemkow — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:28:32 +0000

A few more items from what turned out to be a busy day in Rays land:

* Executive VP Andrew Friedman said there’s no thought right now about trading All-Star LF Carl Crawford and the that the mutual goal remains a long-term deal.

“I’m not even thinking down that road right now as both sides have stated the goal is for him to be here long term,” Friedman said. “All I’ll say about it is that I’m sure he’ll be aggressive as he can in his approach, as will we, and hopefully there is an overlap. But he’s got to do what’s in his best interest and one of the difficult things for us is figuring out how much we can allocate to one player, what percentage of our overall payroll we can allocate to one player and still be able to field a competitive team around him.”

Crawford will make $10-million this season in the last year of his contract.

* 1B Carlos Pena is recovering well from the broken fingers that ended his 2009 season and should be ready at the start of spring training. C Dioner Navarro is also on schedule following early October surgery on his left elbow; OF Fernando Perez may be a little behind after late October surgery on his left shoulder but should be ready for opening day.

* There remain a number of options at 2B and RF and both positions likely will be filled with internal candidates – Ben Zobrist could split time at both spots; Sean Rodriguez and Reid Brignac are other possibilities at second; Gabe Kapler and Matt Joyce in right.

* Improving the bullpen remains the top off-season priority, but it is still unlikely the Rays will acquire an established closer.

More on the AL MVP Vote

DockOfTheRays.com — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:29:24 +0000

Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times was kind enough to post his ballot on The Heater blog. I have to say I am extremely disappointed that the team’s own beat writer only ranked Zobrist 8th on the ballot – especially that he was ranked behind someone like Michael Young. If Young’s ranking was a hat tip to his willingness to move to third base to make room for Elvis Andrus, I can live with that but is the MVP balloting really the place to acknowledge it? After all, Young was not exactly amicable to the move when first presented with it. Fangraphs evaluates the batting and fielding value of players and while Young and Zobrist do not play the same positions, the numbers still make it quite clear who the better player is. The terms in the table are explained here.

Player	Batting	Fielding	RAR	WAR
Zobrist	40	26	86	8.6
Young	25	-8	39	3.9

Even if you knock Zobrist a bit for not playing a single position full time, he still dominates Young across the board in all categories and played 6 positions in the field for the Rays this year. Last year’s vote of Jason Bartlett as the team MVP over Evan Longoria was defensible but someone has to explain to me in what universe Michael Young was a more valuable player than Ben Zobrist in 2009. While that is not as bad as the guy picking Miguel Cabrera as the best player in the league, it is disappointing that Zobrist get slighted by the guy that sees him play most. If Jason Bartlett’s 2008 season was good enough for a 5th place vote from Topkin, certainly Zobrist’s amazing 2009 season deserved better than an 8th place vote.