Rays outright Bobby Wilson; #BaseballForever pledge of support redux

The Tampa Bay Rays parted ways with Bobby Wilson Tuesday afternoon. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays)
The Tampa Bay Rays parted with Bobby Wilson Tuesday afternoon. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays have parted ways with catcher Bobby Wilson, clearing roster space to add prospects before the Rule 5 Draft in December.

After playing 28 games for the Rays in 2016 (75 games overall) — while slashing .237 BA/.270 OBP/.355 SLG/.625 OPS with seven homer and 33 RBI, good for 64 wRC+ — Wilson cleared outright waivers and elected free agency with the hope of signing a Major League deal with another team ahead of Spring Training. He hoped to stay with his hometown ball club:

“I’m a little disappointed in the way it worked out,” he told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) adding that “the door’s not closed” for a potential return if something doesn’t work out elsewhere.

Being born and raised in the area and coming off the year I had I felt like it was the perfect fit for the Rays to show the community that a kid could grow up and play for his hometown team, but it wasn’t in the cards again this year, Wilson said.

With Tampa Bay he hit .230 with four homers and nine RBI.

Wilson’s departure leaves the Rays with 36 players on the 40-man roster, which also includes three catchers — Curt Casali, Luke Maile, and Justin O’Conner. They have until Friday to add any Rule 5 eligible players to the roster in order to be protected from the upcoming draft in December.

Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom noted the pressing nature of the move, while also complimenting Wilson for his leadership in the clubhouse and on the field:

This week is obviously a big week for setting the 40-man roster and with that looming that certainly accelerated the timetable on some things. We think the world of who Bobby us and the leadership he provides, and that was a tough decision. The catchers we did retain have roster flexibility that is more useful to us right now. That’s a position we will continue to look to improve as we go through the off-season.

Prior to the offseason, Rays President of Baseball Operations Matt Silverman viewed the team’s current catching dilemma as “a sore point.”

Because of it, it will be particularly interesting to see if the Rays front office target a frontline catcher like Derek Norris, who has been connected with the team by DRaysBay.

#BaseballForever needs your pledge of support for the Tampa Bay Rays (in addendum)

Yesterday I wrote that if you love baseball and want to see it played here in perpetuity, then show your love, enthusiasm, and support for the Rays by pledging your support to encourage the ball club to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg.

I also encouraged you to click a link on the previous post to pledge your support for the team. A debt of gratitude is due to those of you who already have submitted your pledge. For those who haven’t, we have made it easier for you to put in your commitment.

screen-shot-2016-11-15-at-10-17-53-pm
Look for the “Sign the Pledge” tab (pictured) in the right-hand column of X-Rays Spex.

On the right-hand side of the page you will see a yellow tab that reads “Sign the Pledge.” By clicking that tab, you will be redirected to the Baseball Forever/Tampa Bay Rays pledge of support. It will remain active as long as Baseball Forever’s pledge drive campaign stays open.

Again, our hope is to collect pledges of support from thousands of fans and businesses over the next 60-90 days. Those pledges will then be submitted to the Rays with the finalized stadium plan.

If you know of anyone who also may be interested, feel free to forward this blog post to them, or respond to X-Rays Spex directly at belowaverageraysfansite@gmail.com with a contact of who I can reach out to. You and I can make a difference, and it all starts here and now!

#BaseballForever needs your pledge of support for the Tampa Bay Rays

Log onto to the Baseball Forever homepage, scroll down to the "Sign the Pledge" tab, and, well...sign the pledge!
Log onto to the Baseball Forever homepage, scroll down to the “Sign the Pledge” tab, and, well…sign the pledge!

I know I’ve told this story before, in fact I’ve likely told it here on multiple occasions. However, it bears mentioning again. I grew up at a time in St. Petersburg, bereft of any Major League Baseball action. Sure, I was surrounded by Minor League teams, and I certainly took in my share of ballgames at Al Lang Stadium, but there was nothing like the Major League experience.

I distinctly remember coming home from elementary school, propping myself up on the family couch, and turning on WGN to watch my beloved Cubbies. There, however, was a disconnect. While the Cubs were my team, they really weren’t. I longed for a team of my own from my city.

Prior to expansion in 1995, St. Petersburg flirted with destiny on multiple occasions.

In 1989, just before the Cubs put together their landmark season with Don Zimmer at the helm, lobbyists in Illinois pushed for ballpark funding for the Chicago White Sox, who were slated to relocate to St. Petersburg. The decision meant that the then Suncoast Dome, which was built to attract a team — either through relocation or expansion — would stay vacant for almost a decade.

In 1991, the hopes of Bay Area baseball fans were again dashed when Major League Baseball awarded Miami with a franchise instead of St. Petersburg. During the expansion process, a little over 22,000 people made $50 refundable season ticket deposits. That total increased to a little over 32,000 for MLB’s 1993 expansion process (which includes those who made a commitment for the 1991 process).

Then in 1993, the Giants almost relocated to St. Petersburg when ballot measures for a new stadium in San Francisco failed in the ’80s and ’90s and proposed sites in San Jose and Santa Clara also fell apart. I’ll let Paul Francis Sullivan (the Hardball Times) finish the story:

Vince Naimoli led a group of Tampa Bay investors who wanted to put a major league team in the vacant Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field). The Giants move seemed all but certain for the 1993 season. A “Welcome Giants” rally was held in St. Petersburg and San Francisco fans were bringing “Don’t Go!” signs to the half empty Candlestick.

But when the National League owners didn’t approve the move, Lurie sold the team to Safeway CEO Peter Magowan, who vowed to keep the team in San Francisco. Magowan knew he needed to make a big move to appease the hurt San Francisco fans. So he opened up his checkbook and brought in free agent Barry Bonds and the 1993 Giants won 103 games.

Defeated again, it was back to the land of hope and dreams — of baseball diamonds and the longing to see my favorite players in person, not on TV — for me.

Finally, in 1995, new expansion franchises were awarded to Tampa Bay and Phoenix (the Arizona Diamondbacks). The new franchises began play in 1998. At long last, we were given a team to call our own! The rest, as they say, is history.

Back to the present. With a nod to the past, it again is time for us to pledge our support for Major League Baseball in St. Petersburg. The city, along with the Baseball Forever campaign, is developing a new ballpark proposal for the existing Tropicana Field site, and will soon be submitting this proposal to the Rays. The community’s support — both personal and business — for this is pivotal.

If you love baseball and want to see it played here in perpetuity, then show your love, enthusiasm, and support for the Rays by pledging your support to encourage the ball club to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg.

Please click the link (below) to pledge your support, fill in your (or your company’s name), check all of the categories that apply, fill in the bottom parts, and finally click the submit button.

Pledge you support for the Tampa Bay Rays here.

Our hope is to collect pledges of support from thousands of fans and businesses over the next 60-90 days. Those pledges will then be submitted to the Rays with the finalized stadium plan.

If you know of anyone who also may be interested, feel free to forward this blog post to them, or respond to X-Rays Spex directly at belowaverageraysfansite@gmail.com with a contact of who I can reach out to. You and I can make a difference, and it all starts here and now!

Trade rumors swirl around Chris Archer, who will pitch for team USA in the WBC

Tampa Bay Rays hurler Chris Archer seemed to be everywhere at the end of the week. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Tampa Bay Rays hurler Chris Archer was everywhere by week’s end. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed hurler Chris Archer was everywhere by week’s end.

Archer to pitch for team USA in the World Baseball Classic

On Friday, Archer announced (via his Instagram account) that he had been invited to represent team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The upcoming World Baseball Classic will take place during Spring Training.

“We’ve got to spend more money”

Following his announcement, Archer took to the airwaves on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio, and vocalized what many a frustrated Rays fan has felt for some time — “we’ve got to spend more money” in order to win. The irony, his words come at a time when trade rumors have started swirling around him, and other starters on the starting rotation (more on that below).

Archer later told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) he is confident he won’t be dealt, and wants to rouse the ownership and management to make some necessary improvements:

I have very, very good insight and feeling that I’m going to be a Ray for 2017. In order to have the most fun and for it to be most desirable for everybody, these are some of the things that we should do.

Archer suggested the ownership should spend wisely to fill their current needs (bullpen, catcher, leftfield/DH) with proven, established players on the free-agent market, as opposed to Matt Silverman’s initial plan to improve the team by way of trades:

I’m not saying we have to sign somebody for $30 mil; I’m saying let’s find the piece that fits and spend the money on it. We’re searching for these things, but a lot of them are right there in front of us. We have to be willing to stretch beyond what we’ve done here recently.

Archer rattled off two other things his bosses could/should do during the Hot-Stove period ahead of Spring Training.

One, they should stop talking about the “competitive disadvantage” they face, especially when they have advantages both in scouting and metrics based thinking.

I get it. We might not be capable of spending with the Yankees and Red Sox. But if we keep harping on it, then it permeates the minds of the players. And we don’t want the players to think that we’re at any competitive disadvantage.

Two, they should act as though they are committed to winning yearly, rather than gutting the team of key players at the trade deadline or the end of the season; comments that mirror those of the fanbase.

With all those moves, you’re unsure, like, are we trying to do this, are we rebuilding, are we in between? We’re looking at it just like the fans are. … Sometimes I think it’s in question.

It will be interesting to see how the front office responds to Archer’s comments.

The Hot-Stove is heating up

The Rays appear likely to trade at least one of its starting pitchers this off-season, reported Joel Sherman (New York Post) at the conclusion of the General Manager meetings.

Sherman tweeted that the likeliest candidates are Archer, Jake Odorizzi, or Drew Smyly, who is projected to make close to $7-million in arbitration this offseason.

Jon Morosi (FOX Sports) added that the Rays already have fielded calls on Archer from Atlanta, however, the Braves recently announced the signings of Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey. It remains unseen whether the Braves front office simply was kicking the tires on Tampa Bay’s de facto ace, or if something indeed is in the works.

Morosi also reported that Tampa Bay will listen to offers on Evan Longoria this winter, however, don’t expect any traction. While Longoria may never have higher trade value after coming off a revived season — in which he slashed .273 BA/.318 OBP/.521 SLG/.839 OPS/.350 wOBA/123 wRC+ with 41 doubles, 36 homers, and 98 RBI, over 160 games — indications are the team remains uninterested in dealing the face of the franchise, writes Topkin.

Kevin Kiermaier wins second consecutive Gold Glove

Kevin Kiermaier makes the catch on a long flyball by Baltimore Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold in the eighth inning of a game in July at Tropicana Field. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Kevin Kiermaier makes the catch on a long flyball by Baltimore Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold in the eighth inning of a game in July at Tropicana Field. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

For the second consecutive year, Kevin Kiermaier won the Rawlings Gold Glove in centerfield, beating out fellow finalists Kevin Pillar and Jackie Bradley, Jr.

Even though Kiermaier missed 48 games after breaking his hand on May 21, he became the top centerfielder in the American League in the eyes of the AL managers and coaches (75% of the vote), also leading centerfielders in WAR for a second consecutive year at 3.0, defensive runs saved (DRS) with +25, and collecting a 12.3 UZR spread over 872-1/3 innings (the other 25% was based on defensive metrics). His 175 putouts were second only to Seattle’s Leonys Martin, who made 192 in 142 games. After returning from the disabled list, Kiermaier tied Houston’s Jake Marisnick for the most outfield assists among AL centerfielders with seven.*

When I saw that I was the happiest man on this planet, Kiermaier told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times). The amount of time that I missed was the only thing holding me back. Other than that I felt by far I’m the best defensive centerfielder in baseball. It’s my award to win. That’s the way I feel. If it’s truly a defensive award, right now, barring something crazy happening I don’t feel anyone else should get this above me.

Per a team press release, Kiermaier is the first AL center fielder since the awards were first presented in 1957 to claim the Gold Glove in each of his first two full seasons in the majors. The only other AL outfielder to do that was Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001-02.

Fan voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award — given to the best defensive player in each league — is now underway and ends Wednesday at 9 p.m. You can show your support for The Outlaw by voting at Rawlings.com.

*Statistics courtesy of Marc Topkin.

Rays re-sign Dana Eveland and two others two Minor League deals; rumors surround team and Montreal

Dana Eveland pitching for the Rays in Spring Training 2016. (Photo Credit: TBO.com)
Dana Eveland pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays during Spring Training 2016. (Photo Credit: TBO.com)
According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) the Tampa Bay Rays re-signed LHP Dana Eveland to a minor-league deal with an inviation to Spring Training. The team also inked Minor League deals with right-handed pitchers Neil Wagner and Fernando Baez.

Eveland, 33, pitched in 33 games (23 innings pitched) for Tampa Bay in 2016, collecting an abysmal 9.00 ERA/5.89 FIP/.397 BABIP. However, the lefty excelled over 20 games (29 2/3 innings pitched) with the Rays Triple-A affiliate, posting an excellent 0.30 ERA and 0.74 WHIP

The right-handed Wagner spent last season with the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs and Triple-A Durham Bulls, as he continued to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. He too received an invitation to Spring Training.

Baez, who posted a 3-1 record, and a 3.21 ERA at Class-A Bowling Green last season was the third hurler to sign a Minor League deal with Tampa Bay.

In other news, it appears that rumors surrounding the Rays and the city of Montreal have again reared their ugly head. On Sunday, Pierre Trudel (a freelance journalist from Montreal) tweeted that Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg commissioned a viability study for a baseball stadium in Montreal’s Griffin Town neighborhood.

Seeking clarity on the series of tweets, the ever intrepid Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium blog) asked the Rays for a comment, and received a statement from team president Brian Auld reaffirming the franchise’s commitment to the region:

While there continues to be speculation surrounding the Rays future, we remain committed to keeping Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come.

However, the Rays — who actively are working with Pinellas and Hillsborough on a new stadium — neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, allowing the rumor mill to spin in the team’s favor as it continues to build leverage. 

The Rays’ non-denial is a not so subtle reminder to the elected officials in Pinellas and Hillsborough that the ball club might leave if subsidies for a publicly funded stadium aren’t available regionally. 

If anything, the ongoing rumors could force a further detachment between fans of the ball club and the ball club itself, on the heals of a marginal improvement in attendance.