Official Tampa Bay Rays Thread

#52
#52
I don't know how the Rays are doing it. They are fun to watch though. Love the addition of Sogard.

In the words of Al Davis, Just win baby!
 
#56
#56
The Trop was rocking yesterday! Hope they catch Verlander on an off day...if he even has those.
 
#63
#63
volmanbill said:
I'm surprised they left Verlander in as long as they did tonight.
Click to expand...
We were too but I thought it was a great showing to take him down. Next game won't be so easy

Wife was conflicted last night since she lived next to Verlander during college but we live in FL and go to church with Yarborough's parents and my baseball obsessed soon has met him a few times. Plus Verlander is still active around here because of previous spring training with Detroit. Both are ODU grads though which made it even harder
 
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#65
#65
Well shee-yatt! Not the ending we wanted. Great season, though. Fun team to watch. Here's to 2020!
 
#72
#72
We get a couple flex packs and goto all the games they offer Veterans tix. It's Linda nice because wife works across street so we get free parking. So we get date night for price of refillable coke, popcorn and share the bbq nacho.
 
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#74
#74
#24 Pick Nick Bitsko Reclassed to 2020 from 2021. Two Years high School and of course junior year cut short.
Rays draft 17-year-old pitcher Nick Bitsko with first pick
Meet the 2020 MLB draft's man of mystery: A 17-year-old pitcher with enormous upside
24. Tampa Bay Rays: Nick Bitsko, RHP, Central Bucks East HS (Pennsylvania)
Who is Bitsko? One of the biggest wild cards in draft history, Bitsko reclassified from the 2021 draft class, where he was one of the top-ranked prep arms, to this year's draft. But since his high school season hadn't started and teams who saw him last summer watched him with 2021 in mind, he's hard to evaluate. What he has, however, are some eye-popping videos and advanced metrics, including a fastball that has hit 98.5 mph with Justin Verlander-like spin efficiency.
Why the Rays took him here: This pick likely spoils Baltimore's possible plan to get Bitsko with the 30th pick, but it fits perfectly with Tampa's long-time draft strategy of going with talent and upside -- even with a risky selection like Blitsko. All that data -- including curveball metrics comparable to Chris Paddack's and slider metrics comparable to Luis Castillo's -- make Bitsko one of the biggest upside arms in the draft. Yes, he is a long way from Chris Paddack or Luis Castillo, let alone a future Hall of Famer, but it will be fascinating to see how Tampa's player development system works with him. -- Schoenfield
 
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#75
#75
Alika Williams SS ASU # 37
Alika Williams #37 Pick
37. Tampa Bay Rays: Alika Williams, SS, Arizona State
Who is Williams? Williams is an above-average defensive shortstop with fluid movement, good range and hands. At the plate, he's had excellent contact skills during his ASU career, with more walks than strikeouts, but rarely lifts the ball and has just five home runs and 21 doubles in 463 at-bats in his college. There's athleticism here and upside similar to Kevin Newman, the first-rounder from Arizona in 2015 who hit .308 for the Pirates in 2019.
Why the Rays took him here: The Rays' system is absolutely loaded with middle infield prospects and now they have another one. Burke calls Williams the best defender in the draft and the Rays will see if they can tap into his athleticism and contact ability to produce more power as a pro.
 
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