Is Johnny Damon a Hall of Famer?

KudoSurf Me!Follow @twittablogga

Is Johnny Damon a hall of famer? Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune breaks it down.

This is what Joe Maddon thought he was getting when the Rays signed Johnny Damon on Feb. 1: An average left fielder with some life in his bat and the reputation of being a great clubhouse guy.

This is what Maddon actually got: A better-than-great clubhouse guy with a lot of life left in his bat, who is quietly putting the finishing touches on what is looking like a Hall of Fame-career.

"This liberal arts kind of player, a guy who's fulfilled a lot of different arenas or areas, he's not just specialized in the home runs or strikeouts or 3,000 hits," Maddon said. "He's done a lot of things real well."

What Damon has mostly done real well for the Rays is get on base. It took him less than 70 games to set the franchise mark for consecutive games of reaching base at least once at 39. It took a failed drug test by Manny Ramirez to make Damon the Rays full-time designated hitter, and it took Damon those same number of games to establish himself as the best DH in franchise history.

Damon is about to catch Jimmie Foxx for 72nd place on the all-time hits list, and he is about to become the 53rd player in major league history with 500 doubles.

With that milestone double, Damon will become 11th player with 500 doubles, 100 triples, 200 home runs and 2,500 hits. The other 10 are in the Hall of Fame.

Evan Longoria laughs with awe when he hears those numbers.

"It's kind of crazy to think that, because his approach and his outlook on a daily basis is like he's a rookie player, you don't really take a step back and think about the stuff he's accomplished in his career," Longoria said. "I think he'll be in the Hall of Fame without a doubt, just looking at his numbers right now."

Damon is keenly aware of where he stands in baseball history and where those with similar career stats stand, and those fellas have their mail forwarded to Cooperstown.

"I think I can now," Damon said when asked if he sees himself as a Hall of Famer. "Regardless of whether I get to 3,000 hits or not, I think the runs scored and winning the championships definitely helps me out. But it's tough because I've definitely been on some teams where the focus has been on other players, like the A-Rods and the Jeters and the Mannys and stuff, and a lot of the stuff you've done gets overlooked. But if you ask a lot of (my) former teammates, they would believe so, and I guess at the end of the day that's the most important thing, to have the respect from all of your teammates, and I feel like I have that."

Longoria, the three-time All-Star third baseman with two Gold Gloves, said he learns something from Damon every day. Longoria marvels at how well Damon prepares himself for a game, and how much fun Smiling Johnny Damon has playing.

"He goes out there and has fun. That's the biggest thing," Longoria said. "You can tell he enjoys playing the game every day."

Damon entered Saturday night's game needing 356 hits to reach 3,000. At the pace he's on, he'll need two more seasons to reach that milestone.

"He talks about sticking around and trying to extend his contract here," Longoria said. "That would be cool to play with him a couple of more years and possibly watch him get that 3,000 hit."

The Rays could do worse at DH. In fact, with the exception of Jose Canseco's 31 homers during the first half in 1999, they have.

The team will be tempted to move Damon in July should they fall out of playoff contention, and his modest $5.25 million contract will be an issue in the offseason should they try to resign him.

But in nearly three months, Damon has proven to be the perfect DH for the Rays – relatively cheap and very productive.

And, Damon wants to play close to Orlando home and wants to play for a playoff contender.

Plus, he's highly motivated to add to those Hall of Fame credentials.

"For us it's a positive," Maddon said, "because as he's motivated it's going to bring out the best in his performance. We're going to reap the benefits of him attaining these numbers."

The Current State of the Tampa Bay Rays

KudoSurf Me!Follow @twittablogga

We have great pitching and……well…. we have a great manager. The Tampa Bay Rays are competing in the toughest division in baseball with great pitching and a great manager and that’s it! How is Tampa hanging in there when compared to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox’s?

Success has a formula and for the Rays it’s their minor league system. The Rays are consistently producing nice arms. Some of this has to do with the past decade of high draft picks but more recently Mark Friedman has been quite savvy in collecting picks via trades. The problem is that the majority of the Rays prospects are pitchers. Granted, you can’t ever enough quality arms but the lack of bats coming up is of some concern. Besides Desmond Jennings, the Rays have NO other viable internal options to help the anemic Rays offense.

So where are the Rays in 2011? They are currently the mirror image of their farm system. Great pitching all around sprinkled with decent hitters here and there.
The lack of offense was highlighted in the most recent series against the division leading Boston Red Sox. The Rays were only able to produce two runs on seven hits during the first two games of the series. The trademark “Rays Manufactured Run” isn’t as prevalent without Crawford tearing up the bases. This was painfully obvious in last nights loss to Boston. In the bottom of the ninth, Elliot failed in his attempt to lay down the sacrifice bunt and advance both Kotchman and Upton. Sean Rodriguez and Justin Ruggiano followed by striking out to end the game. The difference in 2011 and 2010, 2009, 2008 is that in previous years we would have gotten the runners over and scored at least one run via a sacrifice fly.

It’s not that Tampa doesn’t have the ability to hit but rather the consistency in doing so isn’t there. The fact of the matter is that Upton, Jaso, Fuld, Johnson, Shoppach, Brignac, and Rodriguez are all below league averages in offensive production. Upton started off the year on a tear only to sizzle to a .143 BA this month. Furthermore, Longoria is sporting a .244/.358/.430 stat line. If the season ended today this would be his worst season to date. Without the unexpected bat of Matt Joyce the Rays could theoretically be completely out of the AL East Pennant race by now.

So where do we go from here? I would hold tight and stay the course. The Rays currently have an unofficial musical chairs game in the outfield with Desmond Jennings joining soon. With the July 31st deadline approaching the Rays may look to deal one of those outfielders in order to sure up other deficiencies such as offense. The problem is which outfielder should go?

BJ Upton is the player with the most trade buzz. Despite his bad press he is a solid center fielder. With the exception of 2009, Upton has had a WAR of four or better. Add in his outstanding defensive skills and above average base stealing and he actually out performs a list of very notable center fielders.
Notable Center Fielders that B.J. Upton had a better WAR than last year:

Denard Span
Alex Rios
Andrew McCutchen
Matt Kemp
Adam Jones

As previously mentioned, BJ has cooled down significantly but historically he has an annual slump that lasts between 30-45 days. There’s no doubt, trading Upton would render a good return of prospects but would Tampa be a better off?

The reason for the musical chairs in the outfield is because of the lack production at the plate. In May, Sam Fuld came out of nowhere and became a fan favorite yet his June has been so horrific he’s lucky to still be on the 25 man roster. Justin Ruggiano was called up before Desmond Jennings and has caught fire this month. Yet many wonder if he’s this month’s version of Sam Fuld. If BJ Upton is traded then Tampa is left with one of the two as the everyday left fielder. I know, scary thought.

Desmond Jennings is expected to arrive within weeks and is branded as the next Carl Crawford of BJ Upton 3.0. It’s very possible that Jennings catches on quick and mimics Atlanta’s Jason Heywards entrance to the bigs but can the Rays count on that? My feeling is “no they cannot”. Not only is this a tremendous amount of pressure on a rookie but it’s unrealistic no matter how touted the prospect is.

My feeling is that the Rays should keep BJ Upton unless they fall really behind in the standings. This would give the Rays an outfield of Jennings, Upton, and Joyce with Ruggiano as the 4th option. There isn’t a ton of power there but that’s a great defense, speed, and athleticism that could help jolt the Rays in producing more of their trademarked “Manufactured Runs”. In addition, Longoria is starting too heat up after his stint on the DL. If Zobrist, Damon, and Kotchman continue their current hitting trends the Rays would then have above average offensive production from every position minus shortstop and catcher. Even if Jennings struggles its unlikely that the offense will drop off if any. On the contrary, if Upton was traded the likelihood of a drop off is much more likely. It follows, that the Rays should benefit by simply staying put and waiting it out.

So what’s the current state of the Rays? Same old same old. There right in the thick of the AL East division despite a shoe string budget. The pitching is talented and deep with internal options waiting in the farm leagues. The hitting is inconsistent and options are limited with little spending money. Calling upon Jennings and waiting on Longoria and Upton to heat up could be enough fire power to compete during the pennant race in September. Especially with Joe Maddon at the helm.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox Series Preview

KudoSurf Me!Follow @twittablogga

Tuesday, 7:10 PM: Tim Wakefield (4.88 FIP) vs. James Shields (3.50 FIP)
Wednesday, 7:10 PM: Josh Beckett (3.13 FIP) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (4.03 FIP)
Thursday, 7:10 PM: Clay Buchholz (4.38 FIP) vs. David Price (2.92 FIP)

The Red Sox enter St. Petersburg with a nine game winning streak and a 4.5 game lead over the Rays in the AL East. The Red Sox have put their early season slump behind them and are playing the best ball in the majors. If the Rays have any hope they might need to get feisty!

The Red Sox’s offense is nothing short of spectacular right now. The Red Sox’s are sporting an incredible .353 wOBA and bring numerous hot hitters such as “The Greatest Ray of All Time”, Carl Crawford. On paper, the only advantage the Rays hold is their pitching. By chance or maybe Maddons design the Rays have their three best starters for the series. If the Rays are going to win the series they will heav

This series also marks the beginning of a dreadfully hard schedule. They will face the Soxs or Yankees 14 times in the next 33 games. The Rays are a competitive bunch but I’m not sure if any team would look forward to that schedule. If your looking at the glass half full, then the Rays will definitively find out if they are buyers or sellers well before the trade deadline (aka move Upton).

As mentioned earlier, Carl Crawford is returning to the “Trop” for the first time since free agency. The twitter world has many of the Rays players encouraging the fans to cheer Crawford when he approaches the plate. I’m sure they will but in my opinion you won’t here them over the cheers from Red Sox fans. ☹

Tampa Bay Rays Recap 6/11/2011

KudoSurf Me!Follow @twittablogga

W: J. Cruz (4-0)
L: J. Accardo (3-2)
S: K. Farnsworth (14)

Friday was not a good night. The Baltimore Orioles dominated the Rays in every aspect resulting in an embarrassing 7-0 shutout. The Rays were so atrocious I neglected the game recap as I felt it best to forget the night altogether. Thus, for purposes of Consider This! Consider That!; the Rays didn’t play on June 11, 2011. It was simply that bad.

Fortunately, Saturday was a different story. The night started off with Longoria driving in Johnny Damon after doubling to deep right. The run production continued in the 5th with Zobrist’s RBI double scoring Mr. Damon and Longoria promptly driving in Zobrist to give the Rays a 3-0 lead. With David Price pitching the game was Tampa’s to lose.

Entering Saturday, David Price had only allowed one career home run in 39 1/3 innings to the Orioles. Mark Reynolds promptly ended that streak with a 400 foot bomb in the 5th. After Reynolds four bagger Price became shaky and never settled down. He allowed another run in the fifth via an Adam Jones ground rule double scoring Snyder and in the 6th, Mark Reynolds returned to the plate where he took Price deep for the second time in the game. Baltimore took the lead 4-3 and Price was taken out of the game.

The Rays tied the game when Ben Zobrist scored on a Casey Kotchman double in the 7th. With David Price out of the game Maddon brought in Peralto to record the HOLD. However, Paeralto quickly loaded the bases and eventually WALKED in the go ahead run. Baltimore, AGAIN, took the lead 5-4.

Thank goodness for Ben Zobrist as he led of the 9th with a lead off triple eventually getting knocked in by another Casey Kotchman single. So for the next second time in three games the Rays were heading into extra innings.

In the 11th Zobrist recorded his fourth extra base hit of the night setting a franchise record for the Rays. Longoria followed by knocking in Zobrist for the go ahead run and THIS TIME the Rays wouldn’t relinquish it. Longoria scored off a Kotchman double adding another insurance run for Farnsworth to handle in the bottom half of the inning. Farnsworth recorded his 14th save of the year and the Rays pulled off another extra innings (W).

After the game, Joe Maddon almost ran out of breath trying to pass around the credit for the victory. "Just go around the field," Maddon said. "Whether it was Ruggiano going over the wall, B.J. doing the Willie Mays thing, Matt moving runners, Jaso really good game behind the plate ... every player contributed tonight to that win." In addition to Zobrist’s three doubles, triple, and 4 runs, Kotchman went 4-6 with two RBI’s; and Longoria went 3-5 with three RBI’s.

With tonight’s victory the Tampa Bay Rays ended the Orioles four-game winning streak. The series finale is tomorrow at Camden Yards 1: 35 EST.

Tampa Bay Rays Recap 6/8/2011

KudoSurf Me!Follow @twittablogga


WP: J Cruz (3-0)
LP: F Rodney (2-3)
SV: K Farnsworth (13)

The Rays should file for trademark rights on the phrase “Manufacturing the Win.” The team has become synonymous with winning via small ball and last night’s series clinching sweep was no different.

The powerless Brignac got the Rays' offense started in the 3rd with his first homer of the season. It was the 10th homer in 524 career at-bats for the Rays' No. 9 hitter, and his first since Sept. 18 2010. Tampa decided to get back to the basics and manufactured runs in both the 7th and 8th inning via clutch hits from Ruggiano and Zobrist. Justin drove in the Rays' second run with a two-out RBI double. In the 8th, Ben’s bomb was five feet short of clearing the Angles high right field fence but still managed to score a hustling Damon. It also managed to infuriate Weaver as he threw his glove to the ground after hearing the crack of Ben connecting with his weak sauce (aka 121st pitch).

Tampa was well on it’s way to sweeping the Angels (in Anaheim) with James Shields carrying a six hit shutout into the 8th inning. Then the game got interesting.
James let all three batters he faced in the 8th reach base which resulted in Maddon involving the bullpen. Ramos threw two pitches. Not three. Not four. Two pitches and promptly gave up a 3 run double to Bobby Abreu. In an instance Shield lost the win and Jared Weaver was off the hook for a very mediocre outing.

Great pitching in the ninth led the game to extra innings where Rays manager Joe Maddon started his magic by using two pinch hitters. Jaso pinch hit for Rodriguez and reached based via a walk and the flu-ridden Longoria reached on an infield hit past the mound. Next the bomber known as Brignac came to the plate. Jaso took off for third base and recorded his first stolen base of the year. Brignac followed with a perfect bunt and BAM!!!! Manufactured run.

Pinch Hit + Walk + Stolen Base + Squeeze Play = Trademark Rays Manufactured Run.

In the bottom of the 10th Bobby Abreu made another attempt at salvaging the game for the Angels. He slammed Farnsworths pitch to deep center where Upton made a outstanding defensive grab by jumping up and making the catch while hitting the wall. It wasn’t Griffey material but it got the job done.

"I didn't think it would carry that far," Upton said. "We were in a `no-doubles' situation out there. I kind of felt the warning track but I didn't know exactly where the wall was. So I just had to jump a little bit for it and came down against the wall."

The Rays swept a three-game series on the road for the third time this season and also gained another game on the Yankees in the AL East. Next up Friday June 10, 2011@ Baltimore Orioles.