J.P. Howell
The Tampa Bay Rays sit atop the AL East right now to everyones’ surprise, except maybe Manager Joe Maddon and one whacko fan. The intangibles are due to a great organization, being able to pick the right players to fit their budget. And it should only get better from here.
The Rays have great starting pitching and a very good defense. They have leadership in Johnny Damon. Now they are getting some great hitting to compliment this team.
Evan Longoria is back from injury, B.J. Upton is getting timely clutch hits, Matt Joyce has come full circle, and Casey Kotchman can see better, thus he is hitting as all had ever hoped for.
The legendary Sam Fuld has cooled off at the bat, but his defense has rallied the Rays on a daily basis. Ben Zobrist is hitting big time again and the catching of Kelly Shoppach and John Jaso are throwing out runners. No wonder they are in first place.
The bullpen has been doing a good job thus far but the weakness of this team appears to be there. With the starters going deep into games, the bullpen has not been exposed too much. But help is coming.
J.P. Howell will be returning this week to the Rays. Howell missed all of last season with left shoulder surgery. In 2009, he was 7-5, 2.84 ERA, and 17 saves. He will certainly be a big lift to the bullpen.
With starter Jeff Neimann on the DL, it looks as though either Alex Cobb or Alex Rogriguez will get the call from AAA to get one or two more starts until Neimanns’ return.
Talking about AAA, the Rays have several players that appear to be Major League ready. Aside from Cobb and Rodriguez, pitcher Cory Wade may get a call sooner than later. Wade right now is 1-0, 0.82 out of the bullpen.
If there is catching need, Jose Lobaton has been putting on a hitting clinic as of late. Lobaton leads the Durham Bulls in hitting at .338 and .419 OBP.
The real dilemma for the Rays is the Bulls outfield. All three outfielders are ready to be called up. Brandon Guyer is hitting .333/.395, Justin Ruggiano .316/.393, and Desmond Jennings .291/.404. No wonder the Bulls are in first place also.
One of these outfielders will surely get a shot to play with the Rays this season while the others may be considered in a trade for pitching before the trading deadline.
One more look down the line, we see shortstop Tim Beckham for AA Montgomery hitting .299/.378. But a problem lies with Class A shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, acquired in the Matt Garza trade. Lee is lights out at .385/.453. One of these players need to move up to AAA. Joe Maddon is not one to give up on his players, but if the shortstop position fails to provide any hitting, the talent is here for the future.
The Boston Red Sox are now on the rise and it will be tough to keep such a talented team from the top of the AL East. But if anyone can do it, it will be the Rays. That Joe Maddon, he has it all mapped out somewhere.
With James Shields going tonight, the Yankees are in deep trouble. They are only one game out of last place. That’s where they belong. The highest payroll in baseball in last place. That’s justice!