Tampa Bay Rays (20 days until pitchers and catchers report)
As you may have noticed, we are in the process of playing with the layout and design of this website. Most of the changes will be subtle, so don't expect any grand redevelopment. Most of the changes will be to the sidebar. For the most part, the site should remain operational during the tune-up but certain features may be hit-or-miss for the next day or two as we try to decide what we like best.

Best,
The Professor
Rays Index

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• This list has not been released yet, and it comes as no surprise, but the Tampa Bay Rays are ranked as the #1 organization by Baseball America. After all, what other organization can boast Brett Grandstrand? [Nationals Farm Authority]
• Baseball America takes a look at the hardest throwing pitchers in the minors, including Jake McGee. [Baseball America]
  
• Rays Anatomy offers two points of view on Akinori Iwamura and what we can expect from him in 2008. You can read my full comments at the end of the post, but in short, this is a classic example of people depending too much on statistics to evaluate a player. [Rays Anatomy]
• Pinellas County has green-lighted a project to be built similar to the redevelopment proposed for Tropicana Field on a tract of land less than ten miles north of Tropicana Field. The Pinellas County Commissioner is not sure that the county can support the building of both projects. [TBO]
• Carlos Pena returned from the Dominican Republic and passed his physical, which was the only thing holding up his new 3-year $24.125 million contract. [TampaBay.com]
  

Jacksonville 4, Montgomery 0. Derek Feldkamp dropped to 1-5 despite allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings. One fo the hits was a solo home run. The Biscuits managed only 4 hits, 2 by Fernando Perez. Jason Pridie had a triple, his 24th extra base hit of the season.

Vero Beach 2, St. Lucie 1 (gm. 1, 8 inn). Jeff Kamrath, making only his 5th start of the season, struck out 13 in 6.2 innings. He gave up 4 hits and walked 3 and allowed 1 run. Patrick Cottrell had a walk-off infield single in the bottom of the 8th.

Vero Beach 4, St. Lucie 2 (gm 2). Jino Gonzalez made his first start of the season and gave up just 1 run in 4 innings.

Columbus 5, Rome 4. Ryan Royster hit his 10th home run, a 2-run shot in the first and had a double to lead off the top of the 9th. Pinch-runner Desmond Jennings would come around to score on sac fly by Joey Callender. Josh Butler gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 6.1 innings. In the first 6 innings, Butler was cruising, having only allowed 2 hits and 1 walk and 1 unearned run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Princeton Rays will begin their season next Thursday. Not quite Cal Ripken, but the Rays have had a promotion or give-away, for every home game since 1991. This year's games will include 5 bobblehead night for the "Legends of Princeton Baseball" series. Be sure to mark your calendars for Seth McClung bobblehead night.
  
• Former Biscuit Chris Seddon was claimed off of waivers by the Marlins after being designated for assignment.
• Columbus turned a triple play in the 8th inning. With runners on first and third, a ground ball was hit to second baseman Brett Grandstrand. Grandstrand stepped on second for the force, and threw home to get the runner trying to score. The original batter then tried to advance to second on the throw and was tagged out for your standard 4-2-4 triple play.