X-Rays Spex

A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

Kevin Kiermaier wins his third Gold Glove; Rays free-agent predictions

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Kevin Kiermaier won his third Gold Glove in six seasons on Sunday.

The superlatives for the Tampa Bay Rays, and individual members of the organization, continued on Sunday when centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier earned his third Gold Glove in six seasons ⁠— edging out Mike Trout and Jackie Bradley, Jr.

The award is given to players with stellar individual fielding performances at each position in the National and American Leagues.

Kiermaier was not eligible for the award the previous two seasons due to injuries that limited his playing time to just 118 combined games. Yet The Outlaw was back to his old tricks for most of 2019, dazzling fans with improbable catches and leaps at the wall, while also gunning players out at the plate.

Kiermaier dominated the competition, leading all American League centerfielders with +13 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 17 Outs Above Average, an MLB StatCast calculation that takes into consideration catch probability.

He also ranked first in StatCast’s quick jump measure, which calculates the amount of ground covered (in feet) in the correct direction in the first three seconds. He led all outfielders with a “jump” that was 3.8 feet better than average; he was the only player better than 2.5 feet above average.

Kiermaier previously won the AL Gold Glove in centerfield in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. In 2015, he also won the Platinum Glove Award as the best defender in the AL. The 2019 Wilson Defensive Awards will be announced on Wednesday.

Noteworthiness

— On Monday, MLB Trade Rumors presented its 14th annual Top 50 Free Agents list. Tim Dierkes (MLB Trade Rumors) predicted that the Rays would ink deals with a pair of now-former Yankees, Edwin Encarnacion, and Dellin Betances.

The predictions follow:

38.  Edwin Encarnacion – Rays.  One year, $8MM.  Encarnacion, 37 in January, just finished his eighth consecutive season with at least 32 home runs. From 2012 to present, no one matched EE’s 297 bombs or 850 RBIs. Though the slugger’s defensive limitations might ultimately limit him to the Hall of Very Good, Encarnacion proved he can still mash with a 129 wRC+ this year. That’s better than fellow free agents Nicholas Castellanos, Jose Abreu, Mike Moustakas, Avisail Garcia, and Marcell Ozuna. The key to fitting Encarnacion into the middle of a team’s lineup is finding a spot for him defensively, as he’s topped out at about 500 innings at first base in recent years and should mostly serve as a designated hitter. The Rays, Blue Jays, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, and Yankees could theoretically find a place for Encarnacion’s bat, though several of those teams have already done so in the past.

43.  Dellin Betances – Rays.  One year, $7MM.  Betances, 32 in March, authored a dominant five-year stretch for the Yankees in which he posted a 2.22 ERA and struck out 40.3 percent of the hitters he faced in 373 1/3 innings from 2014-18. Both figures are second in MLB during that time. Betances was also near the top with a 97.4 mile per hour average fastball during that period. However, a shoulder injury appeared during Spring Training 2019 and surprisingly delayed Betances’ season debut until September 15th. He struck out the only two batters he faced that day, but suffered a partial tear of his left Achilles tendon in the appearance. Betances was around 95 miles per hour in that outing, so he’s yet to return to his typical 98-99 mph range. He’d do well to hold a showcase for teams next spring once his Achilles heals and take a one-year deal to rebuild value. He’s a high-risk, high-reward addition to a contender’s bullpen.

Bloom to be hired by the Red Sox, Cash and Neander earn hardware, Kiermaier nominated for a Gold Glove

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Rays VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is “likely” to be hired by the Red Sox.

In a few days, once the World Series comes to pass, the Tampa Bay Rays interesting offseason plans will begin to take shape ⁠— we’ll have more on that starting next week. Unfortunately for a front office tasked with adding to the young core of players which won 96 games in 2019, the Rays will likely be without VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who will be coronated as Boston’s head of baseball operations.

Bloom interviewed for the Red Sox GM opening, according to Chad Jennings and Ken Rosenthal (both of The Athletic). Jennings noted the process “seems to be coming to an end,” while Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) added, “Bloom is “likely” to be hired by the Red Sox.”

Bloom, 36, had been in the mix for several high-profile executive jobs in recent years, most notably he was the runner-up to Brodie Van Wagenen in the Mets search for a new GM last season. The Twins and Phillies were also said to have considered Bloom for a GM role in recent years.

Bloom is a front office veteran with 15+ seasons of experience in the Rays front office. After starting his career as an intern in 2005, Bloom was promoted to the role of VP of baseball operations in 2014, with a “senior” title being attached to that role in 2016 when the club also promoted Erik Neander to GM.

Bloom doesn’t just have intimate knowledge of the Rays front office, he’s added his own ingredients to their secret sauce over the years. He now will bring some of those cutting edge concepts to Boston, one of the Tampa Bay’s fiercest opponents.

Even so, the Rays should be able to absorb his departure.

Based on the talent on the roster, as well as the clubhouse culture that’s been cultivated, there’s more than enough evidence that Tampa Bay will still be a threat in the American League for the foreseeable future. The problem is whether that will be enough with a Boston franchise that’s about to get a serious boost in Bloom.

Kevin Cash and Erik Neander are the recipients of a pair of awards

Speaking of the front office, Kevin Cash was honored as one of Sporting News’ award recipients, naming the Rays skipper American League Manager of the Year. Meanwhile, Erik Neander was named MLB Executive of the Year by the same publication. Cash and Neander were tasked with a roster chock-full of trade acquisitions and overlooked players, and ultimately led Tampa Bay to a 96-win season and an American League Division Series berth. Cash also deserves credit for guiding through an injury-plagued campaign — just two Rays appeared in over 140 games.

The Sporting News Manager of the Year award is not to be confused with the BBWAA awards which receive more coverage and recognition.

Kevin Kiermaier is a finalist for Gold Glove award

On Thursday, centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier was named a finalist for the AL Gold Glove award for American League centerfielders. He will compete against Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mike Trout.

Kiermiaer previously won the Gold Glove twice, in 2015 and 2016.

Having a shot at winning another Gold Glove is one of the best feelings for me from a personal standpoint. I always say I feel like I can control a game from centerfield as well as anyone in the game. Being a nominee gives me a shot at winning and I hope I’m fortunate enough to win a third Gold Glove.

— Kevin Kiermaier

Kiermaier appeared in 125 games this season (117 starts), and made just four errors in 260 chances, while also collecting six assists.

The SABR defensive index (SDI) has Kiermaier ranked highest of the three candidates at 6.3, with Trout at 4.4 and Bradley at -6.2. He also ranks first in defensive runs saved (DRS) with an AL most 13; Trout and Bradley were both -1.

Tampa Bay did not have any other finalists. While deserving, shortstop Willy Adames was overshadowed by Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons. Adames was the top-ranked shortstop per the SDI at 9.9, with Semien following at 7.8, and Lindor at 2.9. Simmons was not ranked.

Tampa Bay Rays enter the offseason with a ton of optimism for the future

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Rays skipper Kevin Cash has a lot to look forward to going into the offseason.

A day after the Tampa Bay Rays 2019 campaign came to an end, Vice President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, General Manager Erik Neander, and Manager Kevin Cash met with the media for their annual post-season press conference at Tropicana Field. As the players cleaned out their lockers in ahead the off-season, Bloom, Neander, and Cash note of their optimism going into the 2020 season.

There is an expectation for the young core of players to get even better after gaining another year of experience, including another postseason berth. Moving forward, the likely focus for the Rays brain trust will be more on the now than on the future, as they tinker with the roster to make a really good team even better.

We’re more equipped to compete with what we have right now. As thick as we are right now, I think we’re satisfied with the talent we have.

But I think it’s kind of in our DNA and our mode of preparation that we have an offseason with months to play with and think about things, and we can’t help ourselves but to think about how to make the team better. That’s our job, and we’ll do that. We’ll be open to things. But we do like our starting position here going into the winter.

— Erik Neander

With a team that has gone from 68 to 96 wins over a four-year period, not to mention an organization that has one deepest farm systems in the game, Tampa Bay is positioned well for a successful run.

With that in mind, Juan Toribio (MLB.com) listed his four key takeaways from the press conference, which you can read below:

Rays ready to build on postseason appearance

After their first postseason berth since 2013, the Rays enter the offseason as one of the early favorites to contend for the AL pennant in ’20. While they have difficult decisions to make this winter, the front office will operate with the sense that next year’s team is set to contend for more than just a postseason berth.

I think it’s much more that we’re putting ourselves in the territory where we’re expecting to be one of the most competitive and one of the most talented teams moving forward in the American League. And with that, the balancing of your near-term versus your long-term, it shifts a little bit to the present. And, really, that’s the goal.

— Erik Neander

Payroll operations

It’s no secret that the Rays don’t have the same payroll flexibility as some of the other clubs in the Majors, but they’re going to continue to be resourceful with what they have. Neander said that the Rays have “an idea” of what the payroll will be next season, which will help them in the free-agent market, but it isn’t necessarily a set number.

It’s kind of more of a range, but not something that we’ve gotten into too deeply. I think it’s important to survey the landscape and what our needs are and what’s available, what’s the inventory and then work backwards from there.

— Erik Neander

Medical update on Honeywell

Brent Honeywell entered the season as the team’s top pitching prospect, but setbacks from Tommy John surgery ended his season in June. Honeywell has now missed two full seasons, but he’s currently on pace to begin throwing at the start of the year. Honeywell was the only member of the 40-man roster to not pitch for the Rays this season, but the club is optimistic that the right-hander will contribute at some point next season.

The plan all along was that he wasn’t going to throw until around the new year and that remains the case. This kid is as intense and strong of a competitor as anyone we’ve been around, and for him to not taste competitive baseball for a couple of years is tough. But he’s going to get through this and we’ll see how he does once he picks up a ball.

— Erik Neander

Staff changes?

With a throng of job openings around the Majors, there’s always a chance that the Rays could have some turnover on their coaching staff. Rocco Baldelli and Charlie Montoyo both took managerial jobs last winter — with the Twins and Blue Jays, respectively — and some clubs could inquire about bench coach Matt Quatraro this winter.

Cash said that there could be some interest around the league for some of his staff members and front office personnel, though he’s optimistic about keeping his staff intact.

I don’t anticipate any changes. We have a really good group and a great staff. I think they do a really good job of keeping a positive vibe while helping players get better. There’s probably a lot of discussions out there right now. I would imagine that we have some people on our staff and within our organization that are looked upon very highly. I can’t thank this staff enough for the work this season.

— Kevin Cash

The Rays now will prioritize their own needs, like a catcher (if Travis d’Arnaud leaves), a right-handed power hitter (should Avisail Garcia leave), and a key bullpen piece or two.

Still, there is the feeling that the future looks better than ever which is a good place to be as the team looks to build on the successes of the 2019 campaign.

We’re putting ourselves in the territory, where we expect to be one of the most competitive, one of the most talented teams going forward in the American League.

— Erik Neander

Even in defeat, our gratitude for the Rays continues on

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  • The Astros swarmed right-hander Tyler Glasnow in the first inning, tagging him for four runs and a difference that could not be made up for. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Houston Astros struck quickly on Thursday, ultimately showing why they are the best team in baseball. Houston got key hits from their first four batters, and five of six, while scoring four first-inning runs en route to a 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. To the victors go the spoils, as Houston won the American League Division Series three games to two to end Tampa Bay’s postseason run, and advance to meet the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Many will dissect and/or recap the fifth game of the 2019 ALDS, and in all honesty, I’m pretty worn out from the month-and-a-half long spread of heart attack inducing ballgames, down the stretch, by the cardiac kids. For tonight, it’s okay to feel sad because of the outcome, but let’s make sure to celebrate OUR team for their onfield accomplishments, of which there were many.

Suffice it to say, this wasn’t our year. Sure, there was a ton of opitimism following their 90-win 2018 campaign, but with such a young core of relatively inexperienced players, a World Series run ultimately wasn’t in the cards. However, the Adames’ and Choi’s of the world proved that the 2019 Rays were a formidable opponent, so much so they won 99 games overall (96 regular-season games) in the same division as the Yankees and the Red Sox.

The Rays entered Oakland for the AL Wildcard game as the underdogs and defeated the Athletics to earn the privilege of playing against in the ALDS against the best squad in the game. That squad, the 107-game winning Astros, were predicted to shut down Tampa Bay in three games, and yet the Rays went toe-to-toe with Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, and a pair of immensely talented hurlers — one of which Tampa Bay knocked out of Tuesday’s game before the final out of the fourth inning.

What an impressive run. They were a fun team to be around, fun team to watch for 6-1/2 months. Can’t deny the fact that we came up short. You get a taste of this, you want to keep going. Today we kind of got outpowered — outpowered on the mound and obviously at the plate. But really, really proud of the guys.

— Kevin Cash

This season we watched guys like Willy Adames and Ji-Man Choi blossom into all-around solid players.

Plays like this make watching this 6-3 duo fun.

Besides Avisaíl García, Travis d’Arnaud, and Eric Sogard — all of whom are set to enter free agency — Tampa Bay will have the majority of its roster back in 2020. More importantly, this young core is now better because of the postseason experience. They should be around for a while. While 2019 was great, 2020 promises to be even better.

Rays outfielder Austin Meadows spoke to that after the game:

Something Dave Wills (Rays Radio) mentioned over more than a few occasions, the window of opportunity for this special group should be open for much longer than with previous rosters.

His radio partner, Andy Freed, reiterated that idea in a tweet referencing Winston Churchill.

They may not have shocked the world, but they are now certainly worthy of respect.

While I’m thinking about it, I’ve got to say, it was wholly refreshing to hear someone in the national media, namely AJ Pierzynski, acknowledge the WE are a great fan base. We get plowed over by so many people (including folks from the local media) so often, that an acknowledgment by someone with a far larger platform than, say, Marc Topkin was reaffirming. That’s really saying something when the local beat writer is more angsty toward the fan base than one of the most unbeloved former players in the game.

The New What Next

So what’s next? We here at X-Rays Spex will be pulling for Houston to first defeat the Yankees, then win it all. Who knows? Maybe one of us will whip together a series preview as we’ve done in the past.

Then, after a little time away, we’ll start crunching the numbers to see where the Rays fared well this season, and where they can improve moving forward. I’m sure we can expect some non-news news to come out of the Rays camp regarding Stu Sternberg’s cockamamie (his words, not mine) proposal, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

At any rate, the blog will be updated regularly with applicable news among other things, so keep on reading!

Rays ALDS Game Three pregame notes

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  • The Rays grounds crew prepared the turf for game three, and hopefully game four, of the ALDS on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays will take the field in their first home playoff game in six years while also trying to keep their impressive season alive. The Rays have dropped the first two contests in the best-of-five American League Division Series to the Astros, 6-2 and 3-1, in Houston.

More than 30,000 fans are expected Monday, as the upper deck will be opened for this ballgame, and for Tuesday’s game, should Tampa Bay win this afternoon. For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay ended the regular season by winning 15 of 17 games at the Trop.

Rays skipper Kevin Cash said he doesn’t plan on changing the lineup significantly today, even though Zack Greinke — whom Astros skipper A.J. Hinch is fully confident in — will be on the mound. Houston is 8-2 in games Greinke has started, which includes a 9-8 loss to the Rays at the end of August.

The New What Next

Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05 ERA), the winning pitcher in the AL Wildcard game, will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Zack Greinke (8-1, 3.02 ERA with Houston, 18-5, 2.93 ERA overall).

Charlie Morton gave up one run (unearned) on five hits and three walks while striking out four across innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Wednesday. Morton threw 94 pitches (56 strikes, 60% strike rate). Morton battled the Athletics but made the important big pitch when necessary, consequently coaxing a pair of inning-ending double plays to shut down the powerful Oakland lineup. Morton is 4-6 with a 6.28 ERA in 11 career starts against his former team, and 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA in seven career postseason starts.

Morton spoke yesterday about facing his former teammates:

We got our backs to the wall a little bit here. So for me to get the opportunity to go out and try to get some quality innings, give our team a chance to win, yeah, I mean, these games are special when a lot’s on the line.

Probably some of the more memorable moments in baseball I’ll ever have are games I’ve pitched in the playoffs. This is a great opportunity for us, show what we’re made of, go out there against a big challenge here and see what we got.

— Charlie Morton

Zack Greinke gave up two hits and one walk while striking out nine through 8-1/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners on Wednesday. Greinke took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before he allowed two singles to end his night. Greinke was dominant, registering 20 swinging strikes without allowing a three-ball count until the fifth inning. Greinke finished the regular season with a 2.93 ERA and 187 strikeouts over 208-2/3 innings. The right-hander is 4-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 14 career starts against Tampa Bay, and 0-0 with a 7.94 ERA in one outing against this season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-7, HR, 3 RBI), Yandy Diaz (1-3)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Astros — an ALDS preview

Rays ALDS Game Three Starting Lineup

  1. Diaz 3B
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Pham DH
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Lowe 2B
  7. d’Arnaud C
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Oh, the memories. Let’s make some new memories today!

— Saturday night was fun even though the outcome was less so. Than you Tampa Bay Rays for putting together such a fun event!

— In the words of Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), of the 50 teams that lost the first two games of a best-of-five postseason series on the road, only seven came back to win the series, most recently the 2017 Yankees against Cleveland.