Topsy-turvy is a sound way to describe the last 12 months of Michael Young's career. After hitting .284/.330/.444 in 2010, the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre and acquired Mike Napoli, thereby squeezing Young's role. Young then complained and-depending on whom you believe-asked for a trade; a wish that the Rangers came close to fulfilling with the Rockies. In the end, no trade occurred and Young made amends by hitting .338/.380/.474 while playing in 159 games across four defensive positions.

Why is any of this relevant? Because an improvement in performance sometimes means an alteration in player's underlying aspects. One of my thoughts heading into the Rangers-Rays series last October was to treat Young like Derek Jeter and shift him to hit a certain way. The batted ball data backed up the idea then, as I wrote:

So, how do you combat that? Shade the right fielder towards the right foul line, move B.J. Upton into right-center, and ask Carl Crawford to cover whatever is left between left and left center field.

Replace Crawford's name with Desmond Jennings and the same gist is in place, or at least should be if Young's batted ball profile has remained static. Here is a look at his flyball and groundball numbers since 2008, courtesy of FanGraphs:

As you can see, Young tends to hit groundballs to left and center fields while putting the ball in the air to right field. The monkey wrench in shifting Jennings too far towards center field and giving Young an automatic double, perhaps more, if he hits a ball into no man's land in left field. Some of that potential is minimized by the speed of Jennings and range of Longoria, but all the great defense in the world sometimes cannot expunge good hitting.

Another aspect to consider is the game theory involved. It is unquantifiable, but if Young notices the defensive alignment shifting on him, he could become more likely to look for a pitch on the inside corner to pull. At the same time, he could become more likely to look away, suspecting that the Rays would never risk burning themselves with shoddy pitch selection. The danger present is that Young guesses right, but how is that any different than any other at-bat?

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I’m back for one night only, filling in as a favor to Steve, who is off being a good person. And no, I don't know why my avatar is a Red Sox logo, but it wouldn't change back earlier, so whatever.

You can’t predict what will happen within a single game, series, or week of baseball games. Last night, the Rays walked once and failed to score, despite being given 48 outs. Tonight, the Rays were on the board before registering an out, and walked six times before the Yankees starter, the volatile A.J. Burnett, was removed after 5 1/3 innings pitched. The unpredictably extends to Alex Cobb too, who had walked more than three batters only twice in his previous 47 appearances, yet walked four tonight.

Most of the action came in the final frame, but for the purposes of chronological order, I’ll start with Cobb. He lacked his best fastball control tonight and it showed in the walk total. Still, Cobb managed six innings and two runs against one of the best lineups in the league. He walked more than he struck out and that’s generally a poor idea, but when you generate more than 70 percent groundballs in front of the league’s best defense, sometimes you can escape with minimal harm.

Cobb’s performance is bit of a letdown after Jeff Niemann’s masterpiece, but it’s hard to have too many gripes. For that reason, I’ll stop here about him.

--

Speaking of that defense, the Rays entered the day with a Park-Adjusted Defensive Efficiency of 3.91—meaning this: the Rays defense turns 3.91 percent more of the balls in play into outs than the league-average defense would given the same park. The second-best team in the league is Seattle … at 1.79. This defense doesn’t just catch liners, it also catches flyballs and scoops grounders—and does so better than any team in baseball, more than twice over.

--

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Everyone agrees that Dobber is Senor Chang, but Toppah and I couldn't decide which of us is Jeff and which is Troy. Settle this for us.

Steve should be back by his next start, so this'll do it for me. Thanks for enduring the week and enjoy whatever the rest of the season brings.

Erik wrote this post about a month ago that I've been meaning to write a reply to and never got the chance to. All this stadium talk has given me the jumping off point to try and wrap my thoughts together and present them coherently. So here goes nothing.

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I don't really know who Clark Brooks is, but he says here he's done defending B.J. Upton. I'm not. It's easier to defend people when their performance is measured in every imaginable way and it's not about page hits or links. Joe Henderson wrote this:

He still battles with the strike zone; he struck out looking in one at-bat in this game. We've seen that before, too. Thirty-five percent of his strikeouts are of the caught-looking variety. The big-league average is 26 percent. He swings at the first pitch 41 percent of the time. The average is 28.

One problem here: Henderson's using statistics from both Upton's 2010 and his career. He's mix-matching and skewing the perspective on Upton by making things appear worse than Upton's 2010 actually is. That's dishonest or an honest mistake, but it's incorrect either way. The stats are mentioned are provided here and clear as day state that Upton is swinging at 41% of first pitches this season, which is above his career average. The stats also say he's being caught-looking 26% of the time ... or league average.

Further, Henderson conveniently ignored that Upton is walking 11.5% of the time. That Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford similarly swing at a ton of first pitches (Pena is at 40% this year, Crawford is at 37%).  That Upton swings out of the strike zone 25.3% of the time (league average is over 28%). That Upton swings 48.8% of the time (league average is 45.2%). That Upton sees 67.2% first pitch strikes (average is 58.5%) and maybe, just maybe, that's why he's more aggressive than he's ever been before in his career on first pitches. That Upton has one of the highest ISO on the Rays. That Upton has a .328 wOBA, which is above the league average mark of .325. That Upton has a .285 BABIP, which is well below his career .334 mark. And why is that? Because here's how Upton's BABIP splits match up:

You don't have to study sabermetrics to realize Upton's groundball and line drive BABIP are well below what he posted even last year, his worst offensive season. Maybe he's hitting the ball weaker, or maybe he's not. There's no way we can tell without hitfx or some assumptions that simply shouldn't be made without facts to back it up. Just like we shouldn't go around saying Jason Bartlett isn't hitting the ball as hard or that he's not fielding as well because, well, because.

This isn't just about Sunday's event - which I'm not defending. This is about being honest with analysis. His UZR is in the negative this year, yeah, and? It's less than a half season of fielding data. You shouldn't feel comfortable just using one season of offensive or defensive data to make true talent analysis from, and you certainly shouldn't run to the bank with half a season's worth of defensive data.

No matter what you think of Upton's effort level, he's been an above average hitter and baserunner this season with historically strong defense. In three of his four major league seasons since becoming a permanent major leaguer in 2007 he's posted above average offensive numbers. If he's lazy, then he's lazy, but he's been a good baseball player.

And yeah, I'm sure some will reply that I'm just an Upton fan and you're damn right I'm an Upton fan. I'm so much of an Upton fan that I'm ready for him to be traded just so I can attend games or watch them on television without having to hear about how my favorite player is a lazy bastard because he didn't catch a ball that landed ten feet ahead of him or because he took a ball he thought was a strike.

But I'm not asking for anyone to like him. I'm just saying be objective.

Oh, and be honest.

This from Richard Justice (via LSB):

Now I'm hearing that if Nolan Ryan-yes, our Nolan Ryan-has his way, Gerry Hunsicker will be working for the Rangers sometime very soon. Unless bankruptcy court slows them down, or Drayton vetoes a deal, Roy Oswalt may be pitching for the Rangers down the stretch.

I don't know in what capacity or the validity of Justice's report is, but if it happens, congrats to Hunsicker. He was one of the best general managers in the game during his Houston tenure, and his experience and wisdom was invaluable in the early days of this regime. Nonetheless, the Rays can and will survive. Andrew Friedman is still here, and he'll still have smart minds in the Baseball Operations department and in assistant GM Dan Feinstein, amongst others.

This was written before FreeZo's take on Aybar a week and a half ago. Don't mean to cover the same tread, but at the same time it does tackle one aspect otherwise untapped.

Maybe Willy Aybar's 2008 set the bar too high.

The Rays acquired Aybar the previous winter for Jeff Ridgeway - a minor leaguer pitcher with the upside of becoming a left-handed relief specialist - along with the (now) forgotten Chase Fontaine. That deal looks poor now but keep in mind the Atlanta Braves' front office is generally amongst the game's best. Their mission was simply to get something useful for virtually nothing. Although you would never know it now, Aybar was a bit of a risk. He missed the entire 2007 campaign while undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse. Hell, he would be arrested after the Rays acquired him for reportedly striking his wife; charges stemming from that arrest would never be pressed.

This was a peculiar maneuver for a franchise that had executed a similar swapping - that being Elijah Dukes for Glenn Gibson - no more than six weeks earlier; if not teetering on the line of being a disaster. Nevertheless, Aybar managed to work through his substance abuse issues and would head to spring training in competition for a roster spot. As it would eventually play out, Aybar's main competition would be Joel Guzman and not Evan Longoria, as the Rays appeared to circumvent the service time rules. Aybar would win out and take third base as his own on opening day.

Through the first seven games of the season, Aybar would record seven hits, two walks, and a home run, good for a line of .292/.370/.500. Then he would get hurt. Evan Longoria would be promoted and extended, and when Aybar next made an appearance for the Rays, it would come in the waning days of May. As luck would have it, just as Aybar returned, Carlos Pena exited with an injury of his own. Aybar would man first base for most of June; he would hit .256/.363/.385 with a pair of homers and more bases on balls than strikeouts.

Once Pena returned, Aybar was again restricted to the bench. He would occasionally be designated to hit, or sub in as a pinch hitter, but most of his days were confined to chatting up the other bench players - those whom he shared a lingual link to - and waiting for his chance to swing the bat ... maybe. Evan Longoria would suffer a wrist injury in August and once more Aybar would step into the hole while producing solidly. He would hit five homers and post an OPS just two points shy of .900 through 30 games, helping the Rays hold onto their first place positioning while Longoria recovered.

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If nothing else, say this about Rafael Soriano: he's the only one involved in the weird trade triangle this off-season that has stayed in the major leagues all season. Akinori Iwamura is in Triple-A after one of the ugliest stretches of baseball in the league's recent memory and Jesse Chavez would be too, if not for an injury to Chris Resop. Whether a player has been optioned down or not is often not the best measure of performance; after all, other issues can lead to a demotion, but in this case it fits. Soriano has been the best player of the three by far.

Through his first 100 batters faced in Rays' garb he sent 25 to the dugout out from strikes and five to first with free passes. A five-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio is pretty nifty, as is Soriano's 9.5% whiff rate and 2.43 FIP. He's been good. Very good. The only blemish on his record isn't so much a blemish but just reality; he's just not going to continue giving up homers on 3% of his fly balls.

When the Rays inked Soriano, some bad rap existed. He enjoyed the nightlife in Seattle quite a bit. John Smoltz said during the off-season that a one-year deal is for the best, since it will keep him motivated. Another familiar with Soriano said he was a pain in the neck during exhibition season, but would bring it when it mattered. And you know what? Soriano was a bit of a pain in the neck during spring; he suffered a neck strain and missed time. He was insistent that he only needed a few outings before he'd be ready to go. And you know what else? Soriano was right just like the source; he only needed those few outings and he really has been a delight during the season.

He's a very quirky individual; one that enjoys cuisine. His results from the mound make him analogous to a black mamba; but in reality he's closer to a sloth. He moves slowly; whether between pitches, on his way from the dugout to the bullpen late in games, or preparing to warm-up once he reaches his destination. Perhaps Soriano is simply deliberate and precise with his movements; as to not waste energy on unneeded movement. Soriano's face gives no indication that he differentiates between opponents, games, or situations. Frankly, he may not even know what team he's on or what day it is based on his expressionless stare.

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St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster appeared on Mark Benarzyk's radio show this afternoon and said something incredible when talking about the Rays. To paraphrase Foster: Vince Naimoli endeared himself to the fan base more than Stuart Sternberg because he attended more than a select number of games. Of course that's a dig at Sternberg, who lives in New York and attends a few home games per season and it's a dig without merit or logic.  

Let's get this out of the way. Sternberg has contacted me (and others) involved with DRaysBay in the past. Occasionally to say thanks for the effort, other times to say something more specific. He's partook in numerous Q&As on the site and yeah, he's even commented here under his own username. I'm sure someone will accuse me of being biased because of those interactions, but just looking at the facts has to - has to - draw one to the conclusion that Sternberg has done more to endear himself to the fan base than Naimoli ever did.

Let's go through the laundry list of things Sternberg has done:

- Free parking

- Park renovations

- Greeting fans at the gate on opening day 2006

- Changing the team identity; cosmetically and otherwise

It goes beyond that, though. How many owners would take time out of their day to read FanPosts? And how many would take money out of their pocket and donate towards a random user's walk-for-charity? Because Sternberg did just that months ago with PriceMultiCyYoungs. I've never interacted with Naimoli, but Patrick L. Kennedy did once. At the stadium presser (what else would it have been?) in November 2007.

Sternberg was with Naimoli and recognized Kennedy when he approached the pair. Kennedy dropped his notepad and Naimoli was quick to scoop it up for him with a warm smile. He didn't break Kennedy's pencil in half or chuck the paper in the garbage, meaning he showed considerable restraint if you've ever talked with Kennedy. And yes, he's probably a nice person once you get to know him, but let's be honest here: few owners have endeared themselves less than Naimoli.

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Edwin Jackson v. Jeff Niemann.

• Here's something for perspective. Wade Davis is 24 years old and has 111 innings of major league experience under his belt. Roughly three-fourths of that experience has come this season alongside a 5.09 xFIP. In 2008, Edwin Jackson was 24 years old and had more than 300 major league innings. He posted a 5.03 xFIP for the season. No matter what those with selective memory wish to claim, he didn't get better as the season went along either:

April: 4.70 xFIP

May: 4.74

June: 5.52

July: 5.50

August: 5.44

September/October: 4.29

• The Rays won the division even with Jackson making a start every five days. Don't take that as a sign that Davis should remain in the rotation. Frankly, Davis is one odd bird. He's near the top of the league in foul balls and infield fly percentages; which would suggest that batters have issues when it comes to squaring him up, and yet he's not getting a ton of whiffs and he's giving up more than the league average amount of home runs.
• Coming into his last start, Davis had a 15:1 June strikeout-to-walk ratio.  He walked five Padres in 22 plate appearances, something that had a ridiculously small probability of happening. He's never walked five in a MLB start before and the last time he walked at least four came in April. Three of his previous four starts had included Davis throwing at least 65% strikes. And yet, on this night? A paltry 56%; his second worst figure on the season.
• I'm not suggesting he's better than Jeremy Hellickson, but I think the rush to dethrone Davis of a rotation spot after his last start might be a bit of an overreaction to what, by all appearances, is a highly improbable outcome. If you wanted the swap made before last start, no biggie, if not, hold off on the pitchforks for a little bit longer.

Far be it from me to question this front office on knowing who to put where and when, but ... it's time. Between a rehab stint and his plain ol' time at Durham, Matt Joyce has racked up 150 plate appearances and a line of .316/.460/.556. That's not a misprint, he has a .460 on-base percentage in 150 plate appearances. His Durham (110 of those PA) OBP is .436. That's not a reasonable expectation for Joyce heading forward at any level. What is a reasonable expectation is that Joyce outperforms either Hank Blalock or Dioner Navarro.

Look, Joyce has had injury issues. It's unfortunate, really, and it's even worse that all that time he spent on the disabled list this year worked towards his service time. Still, he's 25 years old and under control through at least the next few seasons. I can understand not burning Desmond Jennings' clock or Jeremy Hellickson's. I cannot understand the holdup with Joyce. It's probably his arm, and yet, this is where his absence begins to make no sense.

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Hypothesis: Reid Brignac's high O-Swing% will eventually catch up to him and hurt his offensive production.

Reality: Not really, his approach is just painful at times to watch.

Here's what I mean. I took each batter with at least 300 plate appearances in the 2009 season and ran regression analysis on their walk and strikeout rates as well as their wOBA against their O-Swing%, which simply measures the percentage of pitches outside of the strike zone a batter offers at. What the results suggest is that while it has a definite relationship with walking, it doesn't impact wOBA or strikeouts quite as much as you would think.

wOBA and O-Swing%

BB% and O-Swing%

SO% and O-Swing%

Think of it in terms of Carl Crawford. Once a player reaches the majors with a certain plate approach, he's unlikely to alter it too drastically. In some cases, that's a good thing. In others, it'll result in some head-scratching when a player follows multiple curves down and out of the zone. If a player can get to the majors with a hacktastic skill set, then odds are, he can make it work; assuming he's good at making contact or hitting for power and not just some roster filler.

For some additional perspective on Brignac, consider this. His O-Swing% divided by the League Average O-Swing% yields a return of 1.37; or he's swinging at about 37% more pitches out of the zone than average. As a 20-year-old, Crawford swung at 88% more than league average. As a 25-year-old (Brignac's age) he swung at 21% more. He went after more than 30% of league average in each of his first five seasons before settling the 20-25% range. He struggled mightily in those first two seasons - as 20-21-year-olds in the majors are wont to do -- but after which was an above average hitter annually.

That's not to say Brignac is Crawford Junior. And it's certainly not to say that Brignac will sustain a high BABIP, but I'm not sure the O-Swing factor is as big of an issue as it would appear.

The pen pitched four and a third innings last night without allowing a baserunner. They've been good. Real good. This image says just about everything you can say about them:

Here's five other tidbits:

• Soriano has a 16:1 Shutdown to Meltdown ratio.
• Cormier is the only reliever with a 1:1 SD:MD ratio.
• Benoit is the only reliever without a meltdown (well, and James Shields).
• Cormier is also the only reliever with a negative WPA.
  
• Benoit has a 17% whiff rate. Stephen Strasburg has a 17.2% whiff rate.
  

6/22 7:10 PM Mat Latos v. Wade Davis (Sun Sports/WDAE 620)

6/23 7:10 PM Kevin Correia v. James Shields (Sun Sports/WDAE 620)

6/24: 12:10 PM Wade LeBlanc v. Matt Garza (Sun Sports/WDAE 620)

(Note: All numbers are 2010 only, except the v. LH/RH xFIP)

Mat Latos

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Believe it or not the sabermetric dogma does not state that the beings who play baseball are robots. The players are all human. They are as human as you or me. All unique in their own right; some are strange, some are disturbing, some are truly endearing and lovable. When James Shields entered Saturday night's game (which Tommy will discuss in more depth minutes from now), Jonah Keri asked me whether I thought Joe Maddon had approached Shields or vice versa. Without hesitation I replied that it was likely Shields who initiated the idea of entering the game. Sure enough, that was the case (with Andy Sonnanstine too).

I have never met James Shields. I probably never will. I'd like to think I know his personality as a baseball player from observing him from afar the past five seasons. He's fiery at times. Confident always. His heart holds no resentment for lacking an assortment of spear-like fastballs, but rather arrogance because Shields packs a phalanx of quality offerings headed by a cannonball change-up. In his mind, batters can go down to no better pitcher. Shields puts himself out there every time out. He puts himself out there when he gives advice to teammates; whether instructing Chad Orvella and on his uprightness in delivery or Troy Percival and attempting to teach the old dog Shields' weapon of mass deception.

He seems like a good teammate. He is a good pitcher. He is a great asset on his contract. There are few players on the Rays who should be more loved and respected than him. There are few players on the Rays who I'd rather keep a career Ray. Maybe only one, but yes, he's a baseball player. And yes, ultimately he should be judged as a baseball player by his performance on the field. And yes, he is a person, and yes, ultimately he should be judged as a person by his performance off the field.

And you know, we don't have complete scouting reports or data breakdowns on what I'm about to produce. My only source was the 2010 Rays media guide. Everyone sees how well Evan Longoria can hit or how fast Carl Crawford can run. But you know, we don't get to see the community and charity contributions these guys make and rarely do we hear about them.

They are people. Here's the proof.

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Full presser:

ST. PETERSBURG, FL-Following a meeting with St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, Tampa Bay Rays principal
owner Stuart Sternberg said the team wants to explore all potential new ballpark options within Tampa Bay,
including those outside St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.

"The future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay depends on finding the optimal site for a new ballpark,"
said Sternberg. "It is my conviction that if baseball is to survive and flourish in Tampa Bay for the long-term,
we must rise above municipal boundaries and work together with a common interest."

Added Sternberg, "We will consider any potential ballpark site in Tampa Bay, but only as part of a process that
considers every ballpark site in Tampa Bay."

Sternberg said he believes baseball can succeed in Tampa Bay and that he is committed to doing all he can to keep the team in the region.

"When I assumed control of the Rays almost five years ago, it was commonly assumed that winning would
change everything at Tropicana Field. Everyone believed that with a winning team on the field, fans would fill
the stands. That has not been the case."

Sternberg continued, "Our ability to compete and, quite frankly, to survive rests on our ability to attract people
and businesses to our ballpark. Our customers are our fans. And like any other business, we need to be in a
location that is convenient for our fans to reach us."

In discussing the Rays future, Sternberg confirmed that he wants the team to remain in Tampa Bay but for that
to happen a regional discussion needs to begin soon.

"Baseball in the Tampa Bay area does not belong to Stu Sternberg, just as it doesn't belong to St. Petersburg
or Tampa, Pinellas or Hillsborough. It is a regional asset. It belongs to our fans throughout the region. For
this asset to be preserved, a comprehensive process to explore a new ballpark must begin. That process
needs to consider all possible locations throughout Tampa Bay - meaning Tampa and Hillsborough as well."

Sternberg said being able to explore all possible stadium options to keep the team in Tampa Bay was "the right thing for our fans and for all the residents of Tampa Bay."

Until that discussion began in earnest, he continued, the team cannot and will not make a decision on a future ballpark in Tampa Bay and the air of uncertainty over the future of Major League Baseball in the area will
continue to linger.

"The Rays are a valued member of our regional community, and that's exactly how we want things to remain,"
Sternberg said. "We appreciate all the support we have received from our loyal base of fans and supporters in
both turning around this franchise and in trying to figure out how to keep it here in Tampa Bay."

Sternberg concluded, "The Rays organization stands ready to engage. We have an opportunity to secure the
future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay. I look forward to working with you."

 

Note that the quote contained in the headline of this post is pulled directly from the press conference itself, but is not included in the press release.

Since the hot April, the Rays are 25-20. That's a .556 winning percentage, or 90 over a full season. That's exactly what the expectation was entering this year. Boston is playing at a 108 win pace since the end of April, which is just unsustainable. They're good and anyone who wrote them off after a sub-.500 April was foolish, but they aren't that good. New York has played at a 97 win pace.

We knew it would be close. We knew it would likely be a dogfight between Boston and the Rays to make the playoffs. It's been a very nice run and the reality of winning the division isn't beyond this team. There are some changes that need to be made, but not as reactions to the recent 10-15 stretch. The quote that really covers the bases on this rough patch comes from the pilot of the Phillies, Charlie Manuel. You see, the Phillies had been already shutout seven times this season when asked if he thought that was a possibility entering the year. His response: "In this game there's a whole lot of crap possible."

That's it. Manuel is right. Lots of things can and do happen. Carl Sagan once called human beings significance junkies. He's right too. Living in the moment with baseball means trying to read into every slump or streak as a larger sign; doing that will drive you insane. Over a seven game stretch in late April/early May the Rays pitching staff combined for 65 innings, 10 earned runs, 52 strikeouts, and 21 walks (as well as one home run). Over the last seven games the Rays pitching staff has combined for 61 innings, 34 earned runs, 63 strikeouts, and 25 walks (with nine home runs).

You know what? The difference in those two spans is almost entirely luck driven. Whether it be ball in play luck (the first week saw 37 hits, the second saw 68), scheduling luck (playing Kansas City, Seattle, and Oakland is preferable to playing Florida and Atlanta), or just plain ol' home run luck. What I've pointed out are the extremes on either margin. And in this game, those extreme performances are usually heavily influenced by luck.

So, should you worry about going 10-15 over the last 25? No. Don't panic. Don't write the playoffs off. After all, you didn't secure playoff tickets when the Rays started 18-7, did you? Because that 72% win rate was just as unsustainable as this 40% win rate.  Baseball Prospectus simulates the season daily and projects that it takes 95 wins on average to win the wild card. Playing .556 ball gets us to 93.

We're right where we expected to be thanks to a streak hotter than a solar flare and a slump colder than an eclipse. The only problem is the psychology associated with the order.

Josh Johnson v. David Price

[Ed: So obviously this was written before the game, but um, go Sonny, go.]

Steve Slowinski is on his honeymoon for the week, meaning I had to choose between filling in for him or buying him a wedding gift. If he asks, the toaster must've gotten lost in the mail. And if he's reading this ... dude, what's wrong with you?

Andy Sonnanstine's timing is impeccable. Forrest Gump would be jealous of how many random accomplishments he's been awarded with through being in the right place at the right time.

His major league debut coincided with one of the worst bullpen explosion in team history (six runs in two innings). His next start saw him strike out 10 batters, including seven in a row. Then there was the time Mark Buehrle and he dueled to a game that lasted just over two hours (shortest in Tropicana Field history) with Sonnanstine pitching a complete game shutout. He made the first Rays' start in new Yankee Stadium history. He gained the decision in the deciding game of the Rays' first playoff series.  Before that, Sonnanstine faced the Red Sox twice in September and struck out 12 (walking none) while allowing no earned runs in 13 innings. And remember the lineup card snafu that left Sonnanstine batting in place of the day's designated hitter?

He's an odd man who does an odd job in an odd manner. He loves Everybody Loves Raymond and pizza alike. He plays ping pong - and he's quite good at it - and uses Wii Yoga to stay in shape during the off-season. He wears glasses and sometimes spends his afternoons staring at hotel lobby vases for such a length that even his manager notices it. In a sport where margin of error is already small, Sonnanstine's skill set is detrimental to his ability to make it anywhere, but especially in the American League East; the upmost division where Cooperstown plaque creators get their children's college funds from.

He doubled as a student and a janitor at Wadsworth High School, located in Ohio. In college, at Kent State, his dorm was located eerily close to the infamous statue known for all the wrong reasons. It was at Kent State that Sonnanstine really showed how baseball was in his blood. Not because he swallowed part of a baseball as a child or experiences an unimaginable disease where his veins are constructed of stitching, but because baseballs really do hang on his family tree.

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Inspired by the Navarro subthread. Few things:

1. The options used this year are included. So, Leslie Anderson will have two option seasons remaining entering the 2011 season. On this note, I've assumed a demotion for Matt Joyce upon his return to the active roster. If he is not demoted, he will have an option remaining for next season as well.

2. Notable players who are no longer on the 40-man roster but if they were added could not be outrighted again without being able to option for free agency: Virgil Vasquez, Elliot Johnson, and Dan Johnson.

3. I didn't even attempt to figure out free agency years for those either yet to reach the majors or with sparse playing time. It's one thing to assume Wade Davis is here to stay, it's an entirely different bag of beans trying to figure out whether Dale Thayer gets a steady job anytime soon.

4. Given that Anderson has fewer than five years of professional experience, he has four options total, with three remaining.

5. Blalock is one of those cases where he has options remaining and can be sent down, but only if he consents since he has more than five years of service time in the majors. Otherwise, he can elect to become a free agent.

This should be about as accurate as possible, although oversights and errors are an unavoidable part of unofficial service time projections.

Tommy asked me to serve as Lenny Harris and pinch hit the recap for him. I said yes, and boy, am I glad I did.

David Price went seven innings, striking out seven, walking two, and allowing a solo home run to Miguel Tejada. That's almost identical to his seven and two-thirds innings, seven strikeout, and three walk performance against the New York Yankees last Friday night, albeit that outing was a little more impressive considering the degree of competition. That's no knock on the Orioles, they just didn't field their best possible lineup today as Matt Wieters sat out.

Two strong starts won't change how the planets orbit. Watching Brian Matusz twice this season could lead to some jealousy. Matusz, of course, shares a lot in common with Price. Both were high draft picks from universities who throw lefty and had successful introductions to the majors. Well, Matusz has taken the Rays to school, and Price returned the favor by putting the Orioles in confinement.  

Expect a lot to be made of Joe Maddon allowing Price to stretch beyond the 105 pitch limit again. Maddon has shown the willingness to allow his pitchers to hit that mark when they are pitching well. Some are going to accuse Maddon of overworking the horses - look for that paranoia as soon as Price and/or Garza suffer back-to-back horrid starts, it's coming baby - but no team is more qualified than the Rays to analyze pitcher health.

Maddon isn't sinking his own ships here. He's not Hernan Cortes, there's clearly communication between the front office and the manager on a consistent basis. Since the new regime took over, they've lost exactly three pitching prospect seasons to a significant arm injury. And one was Wade Townsend. They use biomechanics and they have Josh Kalk around too. Price was just too high grade today. He used the curve to enhance his 94s and he aced test two.

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Over the last year and a half I've witnessed friends like Sky Kalkman, Peter Bendix, and Graham Goldbeck write farewell posts at BTB. I didn't take notes, but I wish I had.

This is my 2,322^nd post at DRaysBay and ostensibly last. True, I said when I walked away, I would rather it come at the end of the season than the beginning, but the heart is ultimately fickle. Given circumstances that reach beyond the community, I simply can no longer dedicate myself to this site with the required levels of creativity and ambition.

I'd rather focus on the sweet than the sour, so I'd like to thank Tommy, Erik, and the rest of the staff. Jake Larsen for bringing me on board, Patrick L. Kennedy for pushing me to improve, David Bloom for creating the place, about a zillion different writers and analysts for inspiring and educating me, the SBN tech team, the Rays for being unflinchingly kind and open, and anyone who's ever traded their time for my ramblings.

I'm excited about this season:  For the Rays, for myself, and for this site. Tommy is the hardest working guy on this network and his vision is the reason this place has blown up. He has three of the most creative datahounds around and two fantastic writers in Erik and Steve. He also has a hilarious, intelligent, and at times too daring for their own good community full of users whose usernames are etched into my brain. Oh, and Bob R. I always wanted to come off 10% as knowledgeable and thoughtful as Bob. I doubt if I'll ever reach that level though.

Bendix finished his farewell with this Branch Rickey quote. I'd like to steal that from him:

"Never surrender opportunity for security."