The Rays just completed a three game sweep of the hated rival New York Yankees and also nearly sold out Tropicana Field for all three dates, drawing about 98K fans or about 97% capacity. This sounds wonderful and on the surface it is.

Stu Sternberg has for several years lobbied that he'd like to see the Rays draw 2.5 million fans into Tropicana Field. This is a pipedream for a venue that considers a sellout at 34K. If the Rays sold out all 81 scheduled games this season the most they'd draw would be under 2.8 million fans. That means that getting to Stu's goal of 2.5 million they would have to avrage 30K+ per game or 4K less than capacity.

This all brings me to the point of this article. Why didn't Stu petition MLB to open the upper deck which I believe can swell the capacity by about 10K. My theory is there are probably at least 25 dates on the schedule where a sell out of 44K is possible. Now it doesn't take a math major or a statistical genius to figure out that's about 240K fans that now have to be made up for in the other 56 dates. Those dates include weekday/night games versus Oakland, Seattle, Toronto, Kansas City. Get the picture?

All I'm saying is at 34K the Trop is too small to envision a season where more than 2 million fans will visit, and just maybe Stu could have helped his cause. I believe the Oakland A's are the only other team where this comes into play so I don't think MLB would have an issue with it.

Here's a question I'd like to throw out to all you Rays fans. Yesterday in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Rays already up by six runs and the score 8-2 they were faced with a first and third one out situation and Sean Rodriguez at the plate. The Rays usually in that scenario will lay down the safety squeeze bunt and add an easy run. Yesterday they decided against it, and I'm guessing based on the score. My question is should a team stop being creative in such circumstances, squeeze bunt, hit and run or steal a base.

As long as the opposing team is still trying to score runs, using their regulars, pinch hitting where applicable, should the team with the lead stop trying?

As spring training winds down and the twenty five man roster is starting to take shape, my attention is now to focus on the opening series versus the New York Yankees here at Tropicana Field. The opening day starters have been named, CC Sabathia for the Yankees against James Shield for our Rays. This prompts a very intersting question, one I'd guess is open for discussion. Does Joe Maddon play this game like it's mid July and use a RH line up that does not feature Carlos Pena or Matt Joyce or does he concede to opening day and give those players the nod. Pena who I don't believe will be platooned much is awful versus Sabathia, like in 39 PA he owns a slash line of .114/205/314 for a whopping .519 OPS.

If you believe he'll platoon, offer some ideas as to how he'll approach it. Below you'll find a poll as to whether or not you believe a platoon is in order

As the off season draws to a close and the date for pitchers and catchers reporting is in sight, i thought a fun inter-active thread would be to look at the 25 man Rays roster that comes north this spring.

The pitching staff is going to have a rotation of five (Price, Shields, Hellickson, Moore and Davis). I see Jeff Niemann as the one being traded. The bullpen will feature Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Peralta, Fernando Rodney, JP Howell, Jake McGee and probably Burke Badenhop. So it appears one possibly two bullpen spots are open.

As for our position players Carlos Pena, Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings, BJ Upton, Matt Joyce, Sam Fuld, Luke Scott, Jose Molina and Jeff Keppinger all have secure spots on the roster. That leaves two open spots, one of course being another catcher.

I thought this could be a good thread to throw out some ideas, yes i know it's been done before, as spring training approaches to see how DRB would handle the open spots and the probable trade.

Go ahead, let's rosterbate.

The other day i mentioned Jorge Posada as a player who could help the Rays in 2012. Tommy Rancel has also entertained those thoughts and now many reports have come out that the Rays are in fact interested in him along with the Orioles and Phillies. His father has confirmed the Rays interest, stating they see him as a part time DH/C/1B type.

Let's be clear Posada isn't going to be a full time or even a platoon at any of these positions. He becomes the 25th player on the roster, replacing Elliot Johnson in that role from last season.

Here's how it works. It appears Ben Zobrist will be the full time second baseman in '12, allowing the Rays to use Johnson's spot for more of an offensive one, rather than mostly the UTL infield role Elliot played. The Rays appear to be going with a catching tandem of Jose Molina and Jose Lobaton. Neither have made headlines with their bats. Now with Posada on board and we're trailing in the late innigs who'd you rather see hit for the catcher, or either of our short stops Posada or Elliot Johnson? Last season from May 7th till the end of the year Posada had a 268/348/415 756 OPS, not too shabby for a bench player. Even though his line v LHP was awful last season he's still a lifetime 852 OPS versus LHP.

Posada would not interfere in the Rays pursuit of a full time first baseman, or designated hitter, he'd be a complimentary role player on a team that should be looking for offense.

I have been a member of this DRB community for four seasons. I have never found a player to be more polarizing than Casey Kotchman. And i'm not sure why. Here are some thoughts.

From the day of his signing, many of our local analysts wrote about it in a very negative way. Their reason was the three year metric. Although i tried in vain to show them that in two of those years, '08 and '09 he was traded, once to a new league and once where his role became that of a defensive replacement, pinch hitter and both times his numbers suffered greatly.

As for the three year metric, there are exceptions. Along with Kotchman, look at Jeff Francoeur 280/329/464 with 17 HR for the Royals, Ryan Vogelson 10-5 2.63 ERA with the Giants. Jack Hannahan of the Indians is another and even Sean Burroughs is back playing for the D-Backs.

One of our local analysts went so far in an article when it appeared the Rays needed to make a roster move that Kotchman should be the one we DFA. The other candidates were Dan Johnson, Elliot Johnson and Felipe Lopez. Honest, i can't make this stuff up.That same Casey Kotchman on August 8 had a .340 BA and was 2nd in the AL. The other three? Do we really need to ask?

Another thing i find odd, Kotchman is among AL first base leaders in almost all the categories this community embraces, WAR, wRC+, wOBA, OBP. Beeaking news, he isn't a HR hitter and doesn't run the bases well.

To sum up why not embrace his quest for a batting title instead of diminish it? Can you imagine if Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce or Evan Longoria were in the same position as Kotchman, would the references made about them be the same made in the post game today?

Before i start let's make a few things very clear. This is not an endorsement of Casey Kotchman, whom has become a polarizing firgure in this community. Nor is it a slam on Evan Longoria, who i think is one of MLB's elite players. The intent here is to show how when it comes to Kotchman basic rules of evaluation need not apply.

Since i started posting here in the spring of 2008 and learned how to navigate B-Ref and some of the other sites, i have always been harshly criticized for 'selective dates', last 'x' amount of games and the like, and i can understand why that criticism has some merit.

Another fact i was told when i would trash on Gabe Gross for his lack of power from a corner OFer was i was thinking 'old school' and it wasn't necessary to get power from all the corners anymore.

Now let's get on with it. I have read repeatedly in the last few days, of Kotchman's 'last 40 PA' which by the way read 324/343/324, mostly how bad they were and how eventually he would fail. And of course the lack of power he brings as a first baseman, where you have to have power, never mind that Ben Zobrist who is primarily a second baseman is in the top ten in HR and third in doubles in the AL.

All the while this "Kotchman watch" has taken place, not a peep on Evan Longoria and his last ten games or forty PA, which read158/256/237. So again i ask you is this fair, and if so exactly why?  All i'm looking for is consistency here. Again not an endorsement for Kotchman or a slam on Longoria

And please don't shoot the messenger.

Why is this Rays team struggling night after night offensively? Why is it that nearly every SP we've faced pitches deep into the game, when many times their history suggests otherwise? I've taken a look at the base on balls that we no longer are getting and think that might be the culprit.

I understand the loss of Evan Longoria and the potential of what a Manny Ramirez could have done doesn't help.

During the first White Sox series Brian Anderson mentioned that this year AL pitchers were approaching Rays hitters in a different fashion. They're going roght after them, by throwing strike one. The theory being the Rays are pretty bad hitters. He's correct. Last year the Rays scored nearly 5 runs per game with the lowest team BA in years. It might have set a record

As we know in business nothing happens till a sale is made. So as in baseball, nothing happens without runners on base, no stolen bases, no hit and run, no oppurtunity to go first to third or second to home on base hits. You get the idea.

Last year the Rays led the AL with a BB rate of 10.7%. This year we're at 6.9% tied for eleventh and but .1% away from thirteenth. Take a look at some of these BB%:

Johnny Damon 2.9

Kelly Shoppach 3.1

Felipe Lopez 3.5

Reid Brignac 4.4

Dan Johnson  4.8

John Jaso 5.0

Sam Fuld 5.3

Damon is a career  10% having gone above that in six of the last seven years

Also, stop blaming BABIP. As of this writing our BABIP is 275, T8 in AL. The Indians are first at 311.

How can we stop pitchers from doing this? One way is to actually swing at those strikes and hit them with authority, ie LD, not weak GB, pop ups or better yet in the case of most Rays hitters, not at all.

The other day i was mulling over the Rays opening day roster for 2011, and was surprised to see that most likely there will only be eleven returnees from the 2010 opening day roster.

Unless a trade or injury occurs only Evan Longoria,Reid Brignac, Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, Kelly Shoppach, BJ Upton, Andy Sonnastine, James Shields, Jeff Niemann, David Price and Wade Davis are still here.

In most cases a team changing that many players and having won 97 games and the ALE the season before, this would signal a total rebuild. But this is not any team, it's the Rays run by the great Andrew Friedman. I truly believe barring injury this 2011 offense is better than last season's, and definitely better against tough LHP which shut us down in the ALDS.

If the bullpen comes together and performs league average, the Rays should be competing once again come September.

Let me introduce myself for those who may or may not know me. I am a former long time fan, now observer of the Cleveland Indians. I am not a fan of Mark Shapiro and feel that the loyalty shown him by the Dolans was unfounded and a cause of the team and fan's anguish. That being said i'd like to give my thoughts on the future of the Indians. Forgetting what has transpired, the Indians are doing exactly what they should be doing, evaluating all the talent they have both drafted and acquired through the many trades.and last couple drafts.

The offense will be improved with the return of Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana, if both can return to the form we've seen them play at. The defense continues to be below average especially the infield, where Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Donald and Jayson Nix are all below average. The rotation is still a work in progress, determining who might be eventual rotation reliables. Fausto Carmona has earned the top spot, but beyond that there really is not a MLB proven starter.

The bullpen seems solid with Chris Perez becoming the shut down CL needed for the 9th inning. Rafael Perez has regained his form of a few years ago, and the Indians have many power arms waiting their turn at Columbus. The Indians seem a team that can be competitive by 2012, except for what has transpired this off season. The White Sox and Tigers suddenly started acting like Boston and New York in the ALC. On paper at least they along with the Twins appear far ahead of the Indians and aren't afraid to add payroll. What this means for the Indians is uncertain, but it won't be as easy to dominate the ALC as it was in the 90s and in 2007.

Most Rays fans and DRB members got the message from owner Stu Sternberg the 2011 payroll would be cut by about 30%. We here at DRB didn't take the position of the national and local media by saying that would be the end of the Rays and other more mean spirited puns.

I decided to get my calculator out and see just what we're talking about. Last year the payroll sat at about $70-$73 million dollars. Now if i may use some old fashioned methods i find that 30% less is about $22 million give or take a million. That leaves for rounding purposes a figure of  $50 million dollar payroll for 2011. Here comes my dilemma.

The following 11 players Ben Zobrist, James Shields, BJ Upton, Matt Garza, Jeff Niemann, Davisd Price, Dan Johnson, Evan Longoria, JP Howell, Kelly Shoppach and Joel Peralta will earn $26.6 million. Yes i gave Upton and Garza their arby raises and all other raises according to Cot's.

Now as you and i can plainly see, this leaves about $24 million to spend. If the remaining 14 players come in at MLB minimum that equates to about $6 million dollars. So what i'm saying or asking it appears this payroll will fall way short of $50 million and obvious players have been overlooked to make sure of it. At this point, they're not spending anything on relievers, cause none of the higher priced ones are left, and as for middle of the order hitters that remains to be seen.

Go Rays

It seems as if the Boston Red Sox have traded for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres for a slew of prospects. What does this mean to us Rays fans? Let's think about it. The Rays are the defending ALE champions, and in fact have won the division two of the last three seasons, despite the signings of top free agents by the Red Sox and Yankees. We have seen the Red Sox sign/trade for the likes of , Mike Cameron, John Lackey, Adrian Beltre, JD Drew, Marco Scutaro, Billy Wagner and Victor Martinez. The Yankees have brought aboard Mark Texiera, AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia, Curtis Granderson, Lance Berkman, Nick Johnson, Javier Vasquez and Kerry Wood, while holding on to their own free agents.

Many here on DRB are dismayed by this Gonzalez news, where i look at it as off season business as usual for the Yankees and Red Sox. As many of you have seen, the off season me, is one of calm and optimism, the in game person becomes very reactionary. So i'll close with the words 'In Andrew, we trust'

As we proceed into 2011 the Rays will see a very different roster, but the same needs still remain that have plagued this team the past several seasons. I'm speaking about the need for a RH bat, preferably one with power. The answer may lie in BJ's little brother Justin

Justin Upton at 23 years old has a career 824 OPS along with a 112 OPS+. He has 60 HR in his short MLB career. He is currently signed to a 6/$50 million dollar deal, that really doesn't get expensive until 2014. And the bonus with him is adding him would certainly entice BJ to listen to a multi year deal. Justin is also a good base stealer and a plus glove in the OF

Now if you're with me so far, what does it take to get him? How about Desmond Jennings, Alex Cobb and Alex Torres, or some other combo of three fairly high prospects?

What do you have to say?

We are all aware Carl Crawford has most likely played his last game as a Tampa Bay Ray. It has been an exciting and mostly tremendous nine year run. To refresh you of some of his accomplishments, there are his nearly 1500 hits, over 400 stolen bases, 300+ batting average for five seasons, four all star game appearences including MVP of the 2009 game. This leads me to the title of my thread.

I fully support this franchise retiring the number 13 for the reasons above and a few others, which i think we need to consider

In today's baseball economy, and the Rays being what they are, a small to mid market revenue team, nine years of MLB srvice from an all star type player like Crawford is probably going to be the exception rather than the norm. We won't see the Jeter's or Mauer's under the present conditions this franchise works under.

So if we are ever going to start building a Rays history or ring of honor , Carl Crawford would be a great way to start

September 5 Lead BAL in 6th inning, bullpen implodes--we lose

September 8 Lead BOS 4-0--Garza and pen implode-we lose

September 10 Lead 8-1-Jays tie game--  we win on error

September 12  We lead 4-3 in 9th-Soriano blows save-we lose

September 14 Tie game in 10th-Wheeler gives up bomb--we lose

September 17 Tie game 9th inning Wheeler gives up bomb again-we lose

Anybody else not happy with this pattern?

As the season draws to a close in what all of us hopes will be the Rays playing in and winning the World Series, i decided to reflect on this past season on DRB paying close attention to the GDT and it's posts and posters

While many know that i am generally a glass half empty type when it comes to my favorite baseball team, 40 years of being an Indian fan might do that, i decided to look at the direct opposite of myself. I'm speaking of the posters who found positives in Matt Garza's last two outings. who have no problem with Carlos Pena's two 0-25+ skids this season and who scoff at Jeff Niemann's rather ugly starts since coming off the DL

My nominees for the 'homer of the year poster' go out to (drum roll please) MagicMark, Doug09 and Transplanted

While Transplanted does it in a more scientific approach he is every bit the homer the other two are who pretty much tell you they're dressed in pleated skirts and pom poms while watching the game

Please feel free to add to or debate any of the nominees

Let's have fun with this and Go Rays

Yesterday SteveSlow wrote a thread on the accomplishments of Rays young players Sean Rodriguez, Matt Joyce, Reid Brignac and John Jaso . He went on to point out in numbers how they have added to the Rays success this season.

I agreed with him on three of the candidates and as you can guess took exception to Reid Brignac. I do not hate on Brignac, just don't see what others do in him moving forward. Every franchise has a Brignac at either the MLB or AAA level, a middle infielder who can play  as a utility or in a match up situation. But that is not why i'm writing this thread.

SteveSlow defended Brignac by pointing out a league average SS has a 658 OPS and Brignac's line reads 261/309/381 ofor a 690 OPS. That is true, but as a SS which i believe is where his fans see him in the future he becomes very Caeser Itsurisesque. Close your eyes for the faint of heart. Brignac's numbers as a SS and which cover one half of his PA are the following 248/298/292  a 590 OPS with 0 HR and 9 RBI

Now i ask you, is this our SS of the future?

For those of you not familiar with the term one hit wonder it came out of the music industry in the late 50's and early 60's and as the phrase suggests, it described an artist who had but one smash hit and never did anything of note again.

Well Rays fans, sadly Ben Zobrist is our very own one hit wonder. I need not detail his outstanding season of 2009 where he mashed 27 HR and had an OPS well over 900, played an excellent defense and was considered a steal in the Aubrey Huff deal..

And then it happened the calender turned to 2010. His slash line is251/356/354 a sparkling 711 OPS.

He has but 28 XBH compared to 65 last year. Take out but one month and here are his OPS numbers:

April  683

June  735

July 640

August  487 

In those months his HR totals are 0,1,1 and 1. Want more?

His OPS with 2 out and RISP is 672

His high leverage OPS a whopping613

And the beauty of all this, the Rays have committed $17 million dollars to this Nick Green clone over the next three seasons

Glover is not a back end pitcher. Why is Hamell on the team, if he's never used. Howell back to his okd tricks. Madden out thinks himself again, He uses Wheeler for two batters? Look for a long losing streak.

This was a series they should have swept, instead they lose. Sorry to say, i see the dam about to break open. Too bad.

If Juan Salas is healthy, get him back here, and do something with Hamel, and then Glover. Dohlman didn't deserve his fate