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2008 MLB
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2008 Tampa Bay Rays Predictions & Season
Preview
It
appears Tampa Bay is looking
to get some help from above
by removing the Devil from
their team’s name. Could the
new name be a ray of hope
for this downtrodden
franchise? Find out how
Jimmy Boyd sees things
shaping up in his 2008
Tampa Bay Rays predictions.
Starting Rotation/Bullpen
While Tampa Bay still
doesn’t have enough to
contend with Boston and New
York in the AL East, the
future looks considerably
brighter. With AL strikeout
champ Scott Kazmir and James
Shield providing the Rays
with a solid 1-2 punch in
the starting rotation, we
expect Tampa to be a lot
more competitive. These guys
will be there for the Rays,
but the key will be how
pitchers 3, 4, and 5 do.
Tampa Bay landed the Twins
recent top pitching prospect
Matt Garza in the offseason.
He will fit nicely in the
number three spot. It was
probably a great move for
him to leave Minnesota. He
was just 1-10 with a 5.91
ERA in the Metrodome, but
7-3 with a 3.13 ERA
everywhere else. Edwin
Jackson has the second
highest ERA in the majors
since 2004 and Andy
Sonnanstine had an even high
ERA than Jackson last
season. I don’t see that ray
of hope in either of the
latter.
While the starting rotation
is improving, the pen is
overdue for a face lift. Its
ERA was 6.16 last season.
That’s just not going to get
the job done. Moves to get
Dan Wheeler late in the
season and Troy Percival in
the offseason are steps in
the right direction, but
neither are the answer. Al
Reyes did save 26 games, but
at age 37, he isn’t far from
dead in baseball years.
Batting Order
Akinori Iwamura leads off
for the Rays. I can’t
pronounce his name, but he
has proven that he can get
on base. He reached base in
108 of his 122 starts in his
first season in the U.S.
Center fielder B.J. Upton
became the fifth youngest
player to hit .300 and go
20-20 last season. Carl
Crawford is one of the best
all-around players in the
game hitting in the
three-hole. He had 11
homeruns, 80 RBIs, and 50
stolen bases last season. He
really doesn’t have the
power to hit in the three
spot and would be the best
leadoff man in the majors.
First baseman Carlos Pena
blew up last season,
slugging 46 homeruns and
adding 121 RBIs. Jonny Gomes
is not nearly consistent
enough to hit behind Pena.
We expect teams to pass up
Pena to get to Gomes plenty
this season. Rocco Baldelli
has the potential to move
into that fifth spot. Not to
be confused with Eva, Evan
Longoria will likely bat
seventh with Dioner Navarro
and Jason Bartlett bringing
up the rear.
The Rays are getting close
to having a solid player at
every position, but as I
mentioned before, the bottom
spots of the rotation and
the pen are still huge weak
spots. This team will be
competitive though and
should leave the Orioles in
the dust. I know it seems
impossible to think now, but
the Rays could be
challenging for one of the
top spots in the AL East a
few more seasons down the
road.
While many handicappers take
the summer, off and the ones
that don't should, Jimmy
Boyd keeps right on cooking
up winners. Jimmy collected
another MLB Handicapping
Championship in 2007 in what
was the best season of his
career. Make sure you're on
board in 2008 with our
baseball picks as Mr.
Boyd looks to outdo himself.
Odds on the Devil Rays this season:
Odds to win AL East:
30/1
Odds to win 2008 AL Pennant:
60/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series:
150/1
Other Predictions for the 2008 Season:
Updated February 12th, 2008
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