Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2006 Team Preview

Marshall Adesman

You know, in writing about the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as they head into the 2006 season, I'm half tempted to recycle last year's column. Last year we discussed how the team was accumulating a nice supply of young position players but was definitely lacking on the mound. We also talked about how difficult it is to compete in the American League East, and that abomination known as Tropicana Field. All of these points can simply be recycled for the upcoming season, and we could let it go at that.

But there are some new points to consider, so since we've got the space, let's take a look at them, shall we?

The Rays made off-season news with off-the-field moves. After a year of watchful waiting, Stuart Sternberg replaced Vince Naimoli as managing partner and cleaned out the front office, firing General Manager Chuck LaMar and three of his top aides, and buying out the final year of manager Lou Piniella's contract. Andrew Friedman, all of 28 years old, became the new GM, though he did have the foresight to hire an experienced man - former Astros' GM Gerry Hunsicker - to serve as his chief lieutenant, and together they brought in Angels' bench coach Joe Maddon to run things on the field. They have lowered ticket prices and eliminated parking fees in an attempt to lure more people, a necessity for a franchise that finished dead last in major league attendance by a significant margin. And they even made one attempt to bolster the starting pitching in a move with both short and long-term goals - and ramifications.

But in the end, this is still the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, they still play in the American League East, and the prognosis for the season is still not very good.

The strengths of this franchise lie in the major league outfield and the minor league system. The D-Rays have five young outfielders who are all clamoring for at-bats: Rocco Baldelli, Aubrey Huff and former All-Star Carl Crawford, plus youngsters Joey Gathright and Jonny Gomes. Crawford batted .301, just missed 200 hits, led the league in triples again, and swiped 46 bases. Baldelli missed the entire year with knee and elbow surgeries and thus may be asked to spend some time in the minors getting back into major league condition. Huff is one of the team's top power threats but has never found a satisfactory home in the field, having been tried in both corner infield positions and in right field.  Where he plays could be determined by the further progress of Gomes and Gathright. Gomes finally proved he could hit major league pitching last year, cracking 21 home runs in just 101 games, while Gathright's speed - he is considered by many to be the fastest player in baseball - led to 20 stolen bases in just 76 big-league games. If new skipper Maddon is comfortable with making Gomes and Gathright part of his regular outfield, it is conceivable that Huff could be swapped this spring for some much-needed pitching. 

As the White Sox re-emphasized last year, a team needs to be strong up the middle, and the center of Tampa Bay's infield looks pretty good. Second baseman Jorge Cantu finally laid claim to the position last year by walloping 28 homers and driving home 117 runs, giving the D-Rays a good young power hitter in a non-traditional spot, while shortstop Julio Lugo batted .295 with 182 hits and 39 stolen bases. The corner slots are not quite as impressive: slick-fielding Travis Lee is the nominal starter at first base, though Huff could wind up there as well, while Sean Burroughs, a former Padre first round draft pick but a disappointment so far in the majors, was acquired in a December deal for pitcher Dewon Brazelton, another first-rounder who did not live up to expectations. Former Met and Pirate Ty Wigginton will provide solid backup at all infield positions except for shortstop, and could also push Burroughs at the hot corner. Toby Hall remains the incumbent behind the plate.

Then there is the wild card, infielder BJ Upton. The second pick in the 2002 draft, Upton has proved he can hit minor league pitching, but has yet to convince people that he can play shortstop in the majors. There has been talk of moving him to second, third or even to the outfield, but for now he remains at short, where he has solicited the assistance of no less an authority than Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. If the Wizard can help Upton with his footwork and throwing, he will undoubtedly force his way into the lineup.

Too bad he can't throw off a mound, because the pitching remains a mess, and this is where the D-Rays are going to have to improve if they ever have hopes of competing with the rest of the division. Twenty-two year-old lefty Scott Kazmir won ten games last year and struck out one batter per inning; scouts say he has electric stuff and could be a star if he can cut down on his walks (100 last season in 186 innings). Another southpaw, former NBA player Mark Hendrickson, led the team in wins once again (he had 11) but had an ERA of nearly 6. With Casey Fossum (8-12), Doug Waechter (5-12) and Seth McClung (7-11) serving as the other starting candidates, the new management team went out and traded for Edwin Jackson, once the Dodgers' top prospect, and Chuck Tiffany, a second round pick in 2003. Jackson has been bothered by injury and inconsistency over the past two seasons, but Tampa Bay sees the righthander as a 22-year-old with great potential, someone who defeated Randy Johnson in his 2003 major league debut. The price for Jackson and Tiffany was high, though, as Danys Baez, an All Star last year who saved 41 games for the club, and Lance Carter headed out west to bolster the Dodgers' relief corps. So in exchange for the potential of Jackson and Tiffany, the team sacrificed the solidity of its bullpen. Righty Dan Miceli, now with his tenth major league team, has 35 career saves but 21 of those came in 1995, and he has never had more than three in any other year.

This is a pitching staff that is going to have trouble against the Yankees and Red Sox, plus the vastly improved Blue Jays. Once again, fans in the Tampa Bay area are going to have to look to the future, which leads to the team's other strength. Their top prospect is one of the jewels in the minors, Delmon Young, younger brother of the Tigers' Dmitri.  Because of the team's current glut of quality outfielders, they can afford to send him back to Triple-A for at least part of the season. After Young, though, six of their remaining top ten prospects are pitchers, including former Rice star Jeff Niemann.  If even half of these kids develop into good major leaguers, the quality of the Devil Rays' pitching might finally catch up to the rest of the team, and they could finally escape the depths of the division.

It won't happen in 2006, however.