SB Nation - Shawn Riggans

The Last Man Sitting

Erik Hahmann — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:15:31 -0000

One of the more interesting story lines of this offseason, to me at anyway, will be the competition for the last remaining bench spot*.

*This is barring any major trades or signings before opening day

The Rays came into 2009 with a fairly strong bench consisting of Ben Zobrist, Gabe Kapler/Gross, Willy Aybar, and Shawn Riggans. Although he was already getting semi-regular at bats, Ben Zobrist was thrust into the starting lineup when Aki Iwamura went down with a knee injury in late May. That injury forced the Rays to call up players like Reid Brignac and Joe Dillon to warm the now vacant bench spot. Shawn Riggans suffered his usual injury set back which allowed Michel Hernandez a roster spot until the Zaunbie Nation came to Tampa Bay. The bench was obviously stretched out more than the Rays would have liked last season but it did an admirable job. The options for 2010 will offer a slightly different cast of characters.

Fernando Perez:

-Perez has long been one of my favorite Ray players, but that’s been more for his talents off the field than on it. A useful reserve outfielder for most teams, Perez may be forced out of a roster spot with the Rays thanks to a likely Matt Joyce/Ben Zobrist platoon in right field. Perez would be better served playing every day in Triple A and working on the next great American novel instead of wasting away at the end of the Rays bench.

Reid Brignac:

-The probable shortstop of the future, Brignac does have an option left and would no doubt be better off playing full time at Durham than riding the pine in St. Pete. Unless the Rays trade Jason Bartlett I don't see Brignac beginning the year on the Rays bench.

Gabe Kapler:

-Kapler is an interesting candidate. He doesn't yet have a contract for 2010, but the Rays would be in need of a right handed outfield bat coming off the bench. Kapler earned $1m last season and did job very well, putting up an OPS of .931 against left handed pitching. If Kapler is willing to accept another contract of $1m, or maybe a little less, I think the Rays have to seriously consider bringing him back.

Willy Aybar:

Aybar will undoubtably be a member of the Rays' bench in 2010 as the primary backup at 3B/1B. Even though Aybar rated uncharacteristically poor at every defensive position he played in 2009 he isn't a liability with the glove and his bat more than holds its own. The addition of Sean Rodriguez will drastically cut into the amount of games Aybar sees at second base next season. His salary of $1.35m is very reasonable for the production he provides.

Sean Rodriguez:

The main piece in the Scott Kazmir trade, Rodriguez will likely be the platoon partner of Ben Zobrist at second base and is able to backup Jason Bartlett at shortstop. He'll strike out enough to get the local fans to boo him, but his versatility and power bat should be enough to assure himself of a bench spot in 2010.

Matt Joyce:

I see Matt Joyce being a part of what I'm calling the Ben Zobrist Platoon menage a trois. Joyce starts in right field against right handed pitchers while Zobrist starts at 2B. Against southpaws Joyce would sit in favor of the switch hitting Zobrist, while Rodriguez would play second base. Joyce spent most of 2009 in AAA and played well enough to earn a promotion, not to mention the fact that Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler are not likely to return.

Catcher:

The plan for a starting catcher is still up in the air, so I'm even going to begin to speculate on who the backup will be, but obviously there will be one on the roster.

I'm not sure which direction the team will go, but I'm strongly in favor of the re-signing of Gabe Kapler. They could go with a four or five man bench next season depending on how they decide to structure the bullpen. If they choose a four man bench I think Rodriguez, Aybar, Kapler, and Catcher would be the best fit to begin the season. If they go five then I would lean toward Fernando Perez to fill the last spot, if only for his pinch running abilities. No matter who they choose or how they structure it, the Rays will once again have a cost effective and productive bench in 2010.

From All-Star to Non-Tender? Dioner Navarro's Future

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:00:59 -0000

by Reinhold Matay - AP

So many round objects.

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In a few weeks, the Rays will have to decide whether to tender an offer to Dioner Navarro or not. If they do and the two sides must head to arbitration yet again, Navarro is guaranteed to make 80% of his salary from 2009, or 1.68 million at minimum.

Presumably, the Rays will exercise Gregg Zaun's 2 million dollar option and continue to play him against right-handed pitching. Generally speaking, that's about 60-70% of the playing time. If Navarro were a consistently good player, this would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. His OPS since 2007 are as follows:

.641

.757

.600

From all-star season to the worst of his career. Navarro has picked up some irritating habits this year and there's little way of knowing whether his allergy to walks will cease anytime soon, but it still seems unlikely that he performs this poorly next year. To expound on that, he is set to be a 26-year-old next season and his ZiPS rest of season projection still has him with a wOBA over .290. That's not good, mind you, but definitely expect a better season next year.

The Rays have to answer whether they think he can regain what made him a successful player in the past. Some of it was luck, but also drawing walks and taking pitches that the baseball rulebook defines as "balls". Let's take a look at his runs above average the past three years (which is to say: RAR - Replacement on FanGraphs Value section):

2007 -8.3

2008 11

2009 -11.2

Despite not measuring his defense and playing catcher, Navarro has still been a well below average player in two of those three years. If you extend this back to 2006 the trend still lends favor to the idea that he's a below average baseball player. Of course, he has age, prospect history, and position on his side. The Rays have to weigh whether Navarro's upside is worth more than the saved money and potentially better performance in the short-run.

The list of free agent catchers is pretty horrendous although the Rays only need a righty who can hit lefties, which narrows their shopping list. That leaves you with names like Henry Blanco, Ramon Castro, and Bengie Molina. That's an uninspiring trio, however there are some non-tender candidates and minor league free agents at catcher who could make sense, and there's always trades.

All told, it's hard to see him leaving for nothing, which makes him being traded a much more likely possibility. Having to pay Navarro nearly two million dollars next season isn't an idea that inspires jubilation, but the alternatives on the free agent market are likely to cost the same.

I doubt the Rays non-tender him, but I could see the case for it.

Back Stopped: A Look at the Tampa Bay Rays Lack of Catching Depth

Tommy Rancel — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:00:11 -0000

Is Luke Bailey the Rays catcher of the future? via a.espncdn.com

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The Rays struggles at the catcher position have been well, if not over, documented on this site. With the news that Luke Bailey may be signed, sealed, and delivered by Monday signing deadline, the Rays could finally have a big time catching prospect in the organization. Although Bailey was drafted in the 4^th round of this year's draft, he was considered by many as the top prep catching prospect before his Tommy John surgery. Of course taking a high school catcher is a risk in itself, and one coming off a major injury is an even bigger risk, but most scouts predict that Bailey is worth the gamble. He can hit for average and power. He has a great arm and enough athleticism that some project he could play second or third base, however, he shows the skills needed to stick at catcher. On top of all that, the kid can run a little bit too.

We know what we have at the major leagues. Even if Dioner Navarro rebounds to have a decent season (not likely) he is still in his arbitration years. Gregg Zaun is our savior this year, but is what he is and that's an old catcher, who really should be a backup. I guess we can throw Michel Hernandez in the same group with Zaun except Hernandez should be the backup's backup. Shawn Riggans has played one game for the Rays this year and recently suffered yet another injury after returning to the Durham Bulls. I like Riggans, and I'm sure the seams from Fernando Rodney's fastball are still imprinted on his chest, but if he's still on the 40-man roster next year I'll be shocked.

This leaves us with the minor leaguers...

Player	Age	Level	AVG	OBP	SLG	wOBA	ISO
Jaso	25	AAA	0.248	0.342	0.350	0.320	0.101
Albernaz	26	AAA	0.188	0.264	0.256	0.245	0.068
Ashley	25	AA	0.212	0.331	0.314	0.311	0.102
		A+	0.236	0.311	0.340	0.306	0.104
Spring	24	AA	0.190	0.264	0.351	0.285	0.161
Lobaton	24	MLB	0.176	0.176	0.176	0.158	0.000
		AAA	0.241	0.292	0.353	0.29	0.113
		AA	0.423	0.484	0.769	0.532	0.346
Lopez	24	A+	0.174	0.236	0.243	0.222	0.070
Jefferies	21	A	0.282	0.349	0.389	0.345	0.107
McCormick	22	A+	0.224	0.297	0.448	0.336	0.224
		A	0.165	0.272	0.252	0.259	0.232

You'll notice I left of Hudson Valley and Princeton. Both are not full season squads and neither have any real prospects at the position. Besides, I think the names above show how desperate this organization is in the need for a catcher. Offensively, what has plagued the Rays major league team at the backstop position is an organization wide epidemic. Unfortunately, defensive metrics for the most part are unavailable in the minors so we're relying on reputation.

I thought John Jaso might challenge the backup spot this year, and possibly contend for a starting job in 2010, but his 2009 has been lack luster. The power saw from him last year has not been there this year and his defense is suspect to say the least. He has increased his walk total, but that's more of a moral victory than anything to be excited over. Behind him for most of the season has been Craig Albernaz, who is organization filler as is the case with a few other names on the list.

Nevin Ashley has the most at-bats in AA for a catcher, but again the production has been terrible. The 6^th round pick in 2006, has dropped off each season since his impressive 2006 campaign and at age at 25 he finds himself back in single-A. The reason he is there, other than his production, is the addition of Jose Labaton.

Labaton had a brief stint with the Padres big league club after a below average start in Triple-A. However, since joining the Rays, Labaton has been on fire. He has five extra base hits in eight games after hitting just nine in 39 games for the Padres Triple-A affiliate. Labaton is 24, and since he is on the 40 man roster, there is a chance we could see him in September. He reminds me a lot of Dioner Navarro which doesn't mean much for his future. Matt Spring is his backup in Montgomery and again...organization filler.

The catcher position for class A+ Charlotte has been a revolving door. As mentioned above, Nevin Ashley has gotten his fair share of playing time there as well as Christian Lopez. Lopez, 24, is more filler. Mike McCormick has played for the stone crabs, but is currently with class A Bowling Green. Even though he's just 22 he's looking like filler of the future.

The lone bright spot on the list is Jake Jefferies, the starter for the Hot Rods. At age 21, Jefferies is the best thing going behind the plate in the Rays system. He's more of a contact/gaps hitter than a home-run threat at this point with 14 doubles and eight home runs. His plate discipline has been impressive and he has more walks (34) than strikeouts (32). His defense is still a work in progress; however, his footwork is decent. His arm behind the plate remains a question mark. He's not a top prospect by any means, but he's the best we've got; that is until Luke Bailey officially signs.

Reflecting On Michel Hernandez

R.J. Anderson — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:24:11 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

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As an analyst, Michel Hernandez means little to me. He's no longer the best option to start, and his upside is ... well he has no upside. Going to Durham seems pointless for him since John Jaso and Shawn Riggans are there, and neither is going to sit on the bench for a journeyman. Still, when I woke up this morning and saw the news confirmed, I was a bit sad. Not because this hurts the Rays, but, well, I've grown to root for Hernandez.

Nothing has come easy for this guy. He signed as an amateur free agent from Cuba back in 1998. As a 19-year-old he struggled in short-season ball, but the Yankees decided to promote him anyways and in 1999 he played for the Tampa Yankees. He never hit well, but the Yankees kept advancing him. He reached Double-A in 2001 and Triple-A in 2002 despite a career OPS of .602 in High-A. More of the same in Double-A, hitting .243/.297/.333 but since he was such a great organizational soldier - someone who fills the minor league roster holes without whining or costing much - he kept getting promotions.

In 2003, at the age of 24, he had his best minor league season. Hitting .280/.367/.372 and getting a cup of coffee in the majors, even recording his first career hit in the bigs. After the year the Yankees waived him, the Red Sox claimed him, then months later waived him again leaving the Phillies to claim him. He repeated Triple-A again, this time hitting .254/.328/.371. Once again he switched organizations and this time with St. Louis hit only .274/.336/.337 before being released in early 2007. As a 28-year-old minor league free agent catcher with no ostensible skills, Hernandez joined an independent league team; the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League.

This is the point where Hernandez career takes a turn. After 25 games and a .342/.490/.539 line, the Rays came calling and signed him. I actually remember posting the news of his signing somewhere on this site. I was young and stupid at the time, and thought maybe he would help the Rays one day. After a relatively decent run in Durham that year he signed with the Pirates in 2008 and soldiered on.

Then, with the Rays heading towards the playoffs and adding a layer of depth to the catching depths, Hernandez was dealt back to Tampa Bay on August 31^st, 2008 for cash. Making his Rays debut two weeks later, Hernandez saw his role increase as Shawn Riggans got hurt.

Hernandez was on the AL East clinching team, the team that beat Chicago and Boston, and the team that lost to Philadelphia, and while he never appeared in a game, he still was there. This year he spent months in the majors thanks to - what else - another Riggans injury. Prior to this season Hernandez had 20 career plate appearances, he topped that number in four of the five months he was on board this season.

I don't know what his future holds. Maybe he latches on somewhere, maybe an injury has him back with the Rays. Who knows? I'm still going to miss Hernandez a little though. All these years, all the bus trips, false hopes, and nights where he contemplated moving on, they all lead up to the past year where he could play a role on a championship team. His dream was realized but ultimately shattered. Hernandez probably won't sulk or pout; he'll pack his bags and hope for another shot down the line.

Thus is the life of an organizational soldier.

Toxic sting of Rays' bats the first real challenge to the Rox rotation in weeks

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Steve Nesius - AP

Who's the most valuable hitter in Major League Baseball? Hint: he plays for the Rays, but his name is not Evan, Carlos or Carl.

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Rollin', rollin', rollin'. Though the Rays are golden. Keep those Rockies rollin'....

Are you scared of the Tampa Bay Rays?

You probably ought to be. Yeah, yeah I know. They got off to a tough start - just 9-14 in April in fact. But no team has underachieved like the reigning AL Champions, yet here they are, three games over .500 in easily the most difficult division in MLB. They have a five game winning streak - yes, three came against the Nationals, but they still deserve credit for actually winning the games.

They have been victims of an inordinate number of 1-run games, losing 13 of their 31 games alone by a single run. Moreover, that 8-13 barely squeaked past the Rockies' own abysmal one-run record this weekend when they took two one run games from the Nationals.

Any time a team has a poor one-run showing, it's interesting to see their run differential. And Tampa's is telling. They are 2nd in MLB, ahead of the mighty Red Sox Nation and trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by just 12 runs. This team is scary. As you'll soon see, their offense is astonishingly impressive while the arms that helped carry them to the ALCS have yet to pitch to their potential. Despite their record and the tough division, Baseball Prospectus gives them the best chance in the AL to make the playoffs outside of the Red Sox.

Also, check out DRaysBay, Tampa's SBNation site and home of RJ Anderson, who writes for Fangraphs as well. Here is their series preview. Go be nice to them.

Tampa Bay Rays (34-31, W5, t-3rd)

Tuesday-Thursday : 3-game series at Coors Field

The Bats: A+

This is where we can really evaluate the Rockies staff. We haven't allowed more than 4 runs in the eleven game streak, but of our last three opponents, there were really only five hitters to be afraid of - Ichiro, Russell Branyan, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Albert Pujols. Those were three pretty poor offenses as a whole. Tampa Bay is completely different.

You have Evan Longoria near the top of the AL in RBIs and the 2nd most valuable hitter in the majors via Fangraphs. Then there Carlos Pena, who leads the AL in HRs with 20. How about Jason Bartlett, who is coming off the DL today yet ranks as a top 20 most valuable hitter in MLB despite missing over three weeks? The dude has an wOBA of .460 and would lead MLB with his .373 average if he qualified - how's that for getting tossed in the Matt Garza/Delmon Young deal?

Then of course, there's this guy that leads MLB in Fangraphs value despite not even having enough qualifying at-bats. You need to know Ben Zobrist. He has played every position except 1B, C and P and is a legit 30/30 threat. That means the top two most valuable hitters in MLB play in Tampa, and Bartlett was #4 when he got injured.

Oh right, then there's Pat Burrell, playoff hero BJ Upton, who has not regained that magic - and Carl Crawford, who is by far and away MLB's best base-stealer. Are you surprised they rank #1 in runs scored and are second in wOBA? That's probably first with park adjustments. They are also #1 in speed and 4th in HR.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI
B.J. Upton - CF	.218	3	15
Carl Crawford - LF	.316	5	29
Evan Longoria - 3B	.305	14	58
Carlos Pena - 1B	.240	20	48
Ben Zobrist - RF	.309	13	38
Jason Bartlett- SS	.373	7	30
Willy Aybar - 2B	.274	5	20
Dioner Navarro - C	.205	4	19

That lineup is very much a guess. But in that lineup, there are three players that are ridiculously elite by wOBA standards (Bartlett, Zobrist and Longoria), two that are solid All-Stars talents (Crawford and Pena) and one comfortably above average (Aybar). Navarro and Upton fall in the below average category. I'll admit some of these players are playing over their heads, but I'm just reporting the facts. These guys have been very good this season.

Joe Maddon will need to get Pat Burrell (.241, 1 HR, 17 RBI) into games (maybe 1B against DLR tonight?) as well as the hot-hitting Gabe Kapler (.202, 3, 11). Gabe Gross (.272, 4, 22) has started in RF frequently and prospect Matt Joyce earned his callup a couple weeks ago ~~and is on the bench as well~~ and was sent down to bring Pat Burrell off the DL. Michel Hernandez is the backup catcher.

The Arms: C+

Joe Maddon has some very talented arms at his disposal, but they haven't been getting the desired results. You might be surprised to know that Jason Hammel, the Ray castoff, has not only been performing better the man who beat him out, tonight's starter Jeff Niemann, but he's been better than every Tampa starter if you go by tRA. In fact, the Rockies have five starters with better tRA's than Tampa's best starter James Shields. Only Cook fails to match Shields. By this method, the Rockies have the pitching advantage in each game of the series.

For a less sabermetric angle: they are ranked 16th in ERA (rotation 20th, bullpen 9th), 21st in runs allowed, 19th in FIP and 22nd in HR/9. They should get better, but right now, they are a below average staff. Prominent names in the bullpen are J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson, and Dan Wheeler.

The D: C+

The Rays have made 44 errors, tied for 6th most in MLB, which has led to 24 unearned runs; however, they are a very athletic team that can make a lot of plays, as evidenced by their 5th ranking in UZR/150.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 6:40 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jeff Niemann	5-4	4.12	1.45	42	27

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	2-6	5.08	1.41	72	32

Wednesday, June 17, 6:40 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - David Price	1-0	2.37	1.63	26	18

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Aaron Cook	5-3	4.26	1.39	39	27

Thursday, June 18, 1:10 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Matt Garza	4-4	3.63	1.19	73	34

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Ubaldo Jimenez	5-6	3.92	1.38	69	35

Gabe Kapler has a home run in each of his last three games. Carlos Pena (9-for-23, 3 HR) has started to heat up the last seven days after cooling off a bit in May while Ben Zobrist (9-for-23, 2 HR) and Gabe Gross (7-for-20, 1 HR) are hot as well.

Evan Longoria (4-for-23, 1 HR) is actually not hitting well for what seems like the first time in his career, and B.J. Upton has managed just six singles in his past 30 ABs.

Akinori Iwamura (knee) went on the 60-day DL last month, and Jason Isringhausen just lost his season and possibly career due to Tommy John surgery. Chad Bradford (elbow), Shawn Riggans (shoulder), Scott Kazmir (quad), Troy Percival (shoulder) and Brian Shouse (elbow) are all on the 15-day DL.

Poll

How much Rays can the Rockies handle in June?

None. We'll completely melt down, season's hopes flooded with losing a series sweep

20 votes

Some - The Rays will expose our staff, but we'll still get one game

30 votes

Most of it - We probably can't sweep them, but we're too hot to lose a series, especially against a team with only 2 road series wins

60 votes

All of it - Bring on the Pirates in a quest for 17!

20 votes

130 votes | Poll has closed

Thinking About Ramon Castro

R.J. Anderson — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:00:17 -0000

The Mets are going to have a decision to make as the week comes to a close. Brian Schneider is expected to finally return from the DL. A back strain landed him in the trainers' room in mid-April and the Mets have turned to Ramon Castro and Omir Santos in his absence. If you discount the two starts Castro made prior to Schneider's injury, then Castro has started only 18 out of the Mets 37 games since, and only 6 of the past 15. Both are right-handed hitters to contrast with the southpaw Schneider.

One of those two has to go when Schneider returns, and it just might be Castro. He makes 2.5 million through the end of this season and figures to fetch a bigger return than Santos. The Mets lineup is in complete disarray right now. Angel Pagan and Fernando Martinez are fielding the left side of the outfield until Carlos Beltran can return. Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado are also hurt. Ramon Martinez is playing shortstop. Francisco Rodriguez had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance after a severe case of backs spasms and so on. The Mets are experiencing a cluster of disappointment and could use some relief.

This is where the Rays can pop in and take someone like Castro off their hands. I don't know what it would take or if the Rays can afford to take on the ~2 million on the contract. I do know that Castro projects to finish with a wOBA around .330, or a league average hitter who happens to play catcher. Castro walks and hits for power. His batting average is never going to look pretty outside of small stretches, but he's a functioning hitter without too many flaws. The catch-22 involved is Castro's defense. Over the last three years his caught stealing rates have been 35%, 10%, and 22%. By comparison, Dioner Navarro's have been 29%, 30%, 38%.

Obviously this would be a move for the now, but one that should not harm us in the future. The question would be whether the Rays are willing and should to slice into Navarro's playing time in acquiring Castro. The plan is to compete this year and stay competitive in future years, Navarro's projected wOBA for the entire season is down to .298 and the defensive difference may or may not make up for that difference. If you think Navarro ends up with around another 300 plate appearances and you give those to Castro with his projected wOBA, the difference is about eight runs, or nearly an entire win.

Even if it's not Castro, someone like him could make sense for the Rays. Especially if the only long-term affects are the next few months of low-end salary.

Shawn Riggans Out At Least Another Month

Tommy Rancel — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:00:15 -0000

A shoulder injury will keep Riggans out for another month or more. (Photo By Dennis Adair)

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After meeting with Rays Medical director Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., The Rays announced that while Shawn Riggans's bum shoulder won't require surgery, he will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks and would need to start another rehab assignment before rejoinging the team. If everything goes well this time, Riggans would return in mid-June.

It's just another set back for the oft-injured 28 year-old back up catcher, who played in a career high 44 games last year before a staph infection cut his season short in September. He appeared in just one game for the Rays this season and has one hit, a solo home run. For now the Rays will go with Michel Hernandez behind Dioner Navarro, but if Riggans has another set back the Rays may start to inquire about other possible options, if they haven't already. Keep an eye on Greg Zaun and maybe Henry Blanco in the next few weeks.

Shawn Riggans Officially Placed on 15-Day DL; Michel Hernandez Recalled

Tommy Rancel — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:52:25 -0000

Backup Catcher Shawn Riggans (Photo By Dennis Adair)

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Nothing new, but now it's official. The Rays have placed backup catcher Shawn Riggans on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis. The move is retroactive to April 10th. To replace Riggans, the Rays recalled minor league veteran Michel Hernandez from Durham. With an open spot on the 40 man from the Jason Hammel trade, Hernandez was added without a corresponding move.

Hopefully the move is short term as Hernandez is pretty close to replacement level across the board. I would not want to see him be the backup catcher for a long stretch of the season. Hernandez, 30 spent part of last September with the Rays and served as the backup in the playoffs again replacing the injured Riggans. He did not appear in a post season game.

For Riggans, a personal favorite of mine, it's just another injury to add to the laundry list he's already accumulated over his career. We all know Riggans is a capable backup with some nice pop and shady defense. The problem is even in a limited role (once or twice a week) he has not shown the ability to stay healthy. We also know the guy has a baseball imprinted on his chest (we watched it happen), but the rest of his body seems fragile.

If this minor injury turns into something that lingers longer than just a normal DL stint, I hope the Rays would address the situation with someone other than Hernandez. They could do that internally with John Jaso or maybe looking at some better options available like Javier Valentin, if you're looking for offense or Paul Bako, if you're looking for defense. Personally, I just hope the injury is minor and Riggans can go back to playing twice a week and hitting home runs.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:33:23 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Corey Hart has three home runs. It's also possible his teammates are congratulating him for growing that beard.

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Some things to read while growing a lot of potatoes.

So, with another tough loss last night, the Brewers dropped to 2-5, and have lost their last three games by a combined five runs. I'm starting to feel a little more urgency and panic out there the last couple of days, but I think it's important to remember that the Brewers were in the game in four of their five losses, and may have been a break or two from being 4-3 or 5-2 at this point, a record we'd all be pretty happy with.

Certainly, Edinson Volquez realizes he wiggled off the hook last night. If the Brewers could have capitalized on one of four opportunities with runners in scoring position after the third inning, it would have been a different game. And if the Brewers can stay in games with Jeff Suppan posting a 12+ ERA and Ryan Braun and J.J. Hardy scuffling, then this team could really turn around in a hurry when adjustments are made.

Suppan remains a hot topic of conversation today:

Ken Macha plans to meet with Suppan today to discuss what can be done to get him back on track. (Noted in FanShot)
Meanwhile, it sounds like Bill Castro has already talked to Suppan about aiming his pitches.
PocketDoppler suspects Suppan may be diagnosed with a mystery ailment and placed on the DL in the coming weeks.
Quevedo at the Buffet discusses "pitching to contact."

Of course, in Suppan's last start pitching to contact wasn't the problem, it was pitching out of the zone. Suppan is partly responsible for the fact that 8.9% of bases loaded plate appearances in 2009 have led to a run-scoring walk, the highest percentage in 35 years.

Lost in the coverage of last night's game was a scary moment in the early-going: Rickie Weeks was hit in the face by an Edinson Volquez fastball, but remained in the game. I'd rather not publish the picture itself on the front page of the site, but if you're someone who likes to see such things, here it is.

You know your team is scuffling when the biggest source of excitement is the new outfield grass, but that's what The Official Site is touting in their preview for tonight's game.

If you thought the battle for roster spots was over, think again. A bullpen battle might heat up over the next few days, as Trevor Hoffman is expected to throw a bullpen session tomorrow, step one towards getting back into a Brewer uniform. Barring another injury, the Brewers will have to make a roster move to open up a spot for him. Jorge Julio seems like a likely candidate to be moved, but Mark DiFelice might get sent to the minors instead, as he has options remaining and organizational depth may get the edge over day-to-day performance.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to write about sports. OnMilwaukee.com's Dave Begel is having a tough time writing about sports in Milwaukee because there's not enough controversy. He's more than welcome to quit his job and start a fashion blog.

FanGraphs has their top ten prospects for each NL Central team. Nine of their top ten also appear in ours: the lone exceptions are Cutter Dykstra (sixth on their list) and Cole Gillespie (tenth on ours).

Would you have guessed that, of all hitters with 100 career home runs, Prince Fielder has hit the fifth highest percentage to center field? The only active player who goes deep to center more often is Ryan Howard.

Around the league:

Astros: Are 1-6 after five straight losses (worst start since 1984), and have been shut out in back to back games.
Braves: Tom Glavine is headed to Birmingham, Alabama to visit Dr. James Andrews for an examination of his sore shoulder.
Cubs: Milton Bradley will be out 3-5 days with a sore hamstring.
Dodgers: Designated Delwyn Young for assignment.
Rays: Placed catcher Shawn Riggans on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis.
Red Sox: Jed Lowrie has been placed on the DL with a wrist injury.
White Sox: Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko each hit their 300th career home runs last night, in back to back at bats. Also, Dewayne Wise has a separated shoulder and will be placed on the DL.

If you're headed to Wednesday's game, I hope you're good at identifying players: everyone will be wearing #42 to honor Jackie Robinson on the anniversary of his first major league game.

With that said, don't tell your significant other if you're spending Wednesday night with The Cougar, which is apparently the new nickname for Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium.

It feels like we've been doing this a lot lately: Baseball mourns two more losses today: former Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych and Phillies Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas. Both Bob Uecker and Brian Anderson commented on Kalas yesterday.

Drink up.

Shawn Riggans Does Prep Work

R.J. Anderson — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:48:17 -0000

When Navarro played, Riggans often spent some innings in the video room, notepad in hand. Other times, he'd hang out in the bullpen, ask questions, catch pitchers to stay fresh.

St. Petersburg Times

This raises a question that we don't really have an answer to: how many players are slaves to preparation work and information, and how many simply go out and play based fully on instincts? How many of the former have the ability to do the latter, and how many of the latter would benefit -- if any -- by doing more prep work? It would seem like a mixture would be best, but perhaps it's not the quantity of information some are looking at, but rather the quality.