Tampa Bay Rays: Difference between revisions
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pastnames = Tampa Bay Devil Rays ([[1998 in baseball|1998]]-[[2007 in baseball|2007]]) | |
pastnames = Tampa Bay Devil Rays ([[1998 in baseball|1998]]-[[2007 in baseball|2007]]) | |
Revision as of 04:24, 23 February 2008
Tampa Bay Rays | |||||
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Retired numbers | 12, 42 | ||||
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World Series titles (0) | none | ||||
AL Pennants (0) | none | ||||
Division titles (0) | none | ||||
Wild card berths (0) | None | ||||
Front office | |||||
Principal owner(s) | Stuart Sternberg | ||||
General manager | Andrew Friedman | ||||
Manager | Joe Maddon |
The Tampa Bay Rays are a professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1998 to the present, the Rays have played in Tropicana Field.
From their inception up until November 2007, the organization's name was the "Devil Rays". The "Devil Rays" name originated from the marine creature of a similar name, manta ray. They were nicknamed "The D-Rays", a shortened version of the Devil Rays name. The new name "Rays" is described by principal owner Stuart Sternberg as the team representing, "A beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida,"[1] although they still have the original manta ray logo in the new colors as an alternate logo.
An expansion franchise, the club was founded in St. Petersburg in 1998. They are one of four teams never to have played in a World Series, the others being the Texas Rangers, the Washington Nationals, and the Seattle Mariners. They are the only team to have never made it to the playoffs, having finished in last place in every season of their existence, with the exception of 2004, when they finished fourth in their division.
Professional baseball in Tampa Bay
Although the Rays are one of baseball's youngest franchises, the Tampa Bay area has had a long history in professional baseball dating back to 1913. It was then that the Chicago Cubs moved their spring training site to the city of Tampa. St. Petersburg became a spring training host for the first time in 1922 when the Boston Braves came to town. Since that time, more major league spring training games have been played in St. Petersburg than any other city.[2]
St. Petersburg has been the spring training home for nine teams: the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Braves, New York Giants, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, and currently the Rays. Tampa has hosted spring training for seven teams: the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, and the New York Yankees, who currently call Tampa their spring training home.
The area also has been the home to many minor league franchises since 1919 when Tampa entered the Class D Florida State League (FSL). St. Petersburg also fielded a team in the league in 1920. Both cities were mainstays in the FSL, which is now a Class A league, throughout the 20th century. Past local minor league teams included the Tampa Tarpons, Tampa Smokers, and St. Pete Saints.
Today, the Tampa Yankees still play in the FSL. Other cities in the Tampa Bay region, including Clearwater, Dunedin, and Lakeland have also had long histories in the league and still have teams. In addition, several past and present teams in the Rookie level Gulf Coast League have called the Tampa Bay region home.
St. Petersburg was the home of the St. Petersburg Pelicans in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989-1990. The league featured former major league players who were age 35 or older. The Pelicans won the only league championship.
Amateur baseball also has a long tradition in the Tampa area. This tradition began in the ballfields of Ybor City, a community of mainly Latin immigrants in Tampa. Ybor was home to many social clubs, each of which sponsored highly competitive teams. Al Lopez, the first area resident to be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, came out of this environment.
Since then, many current and former major league players and managers such as Fred McGriff, Lou Piniella, Gary Sheffield, Tino Martinez, Luis Gonzalez, Dwight Gooden, Brad Radke, Tony LaRussa and Hall of Famer Wade Boggs (among many others) have gotten their start in the Little League, PONY League Baseball, and high school baseball programs of greater Tampa.
With its rich baseball tradition and growing population, a major league team to call its own seemed the next logical step for Tampa Bay. However, this remained an unfulfilled dream for many years.
Local leaders made many unsuccessful attempts to acquire a major league baseball team in the 1980s and 1990s. The Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners all considered moving to either Tampa or St. Petersburg before deciding to remain in their current locations. The Florida Suncoast Dome (now named Tropicana Field) was built in St. Petersburg in 1990 with the purpose of luring a major league team. When Major League Baseball announced that it would add two expansion teams for the 1993 season, it was widely assumed that one of the teams would be placed in St. Petersburg. However, the teams were rewarded to Denver and Miami instead.
In 1992, San Francisco Giants owner Bob Lurie agreed in principle to sell his team to a Tampa Bay-based group of investors led by Vince Naimoli, who would then move the team to St. Petersburg. However, at the 11th hour, MLB owners nixed the move under pressure from San Francisco officials and the Giants were sold to a group that kept them in San Francisco.
It was civic leader and St. Petersburg Times publisher Jack Lake who first suggested St. Petersburg pursue a Major League baseball team. The notable influences Lake held in the sport are what led to the serious discussions that took the city of St. Petersburg from being the legendary home of Spring Training to the Major League city it is today.
Finally, on March 9, 1995, new expansion franchises were awarded to Naimoli's Tampa Bay group and a group from Phoenix (the Arizona Diamondbacks). The new franchises were scheduled to begin play in 1998.
The Tampa Bay area finally had a team, but the stadium in St. Petersburg was already in need of an upgrade. In 1993, the stadium was renamed the Thunderdome and became the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and the Tampa Bay Storm Arena Football League team. After the birth of Rays, the naming rights were sold to Tropicana Products and $70 million was spent on renovations.
Franchise history
Before 1998
The Devil Rays began to build their organization shortly after the franchise was awarded in 1995 by naming former Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Chuck LaMar the senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager. The franchise's first minor league games took place in the 1996 season. On November 7, 1997, Larry Rothschild was named the team's first manager. The team acquired 35 players in the Expansion Draft on November 18, 1997. Tony Saunders from the Florida Marlins was the first player drafted by the Devil Rays. The team also drafted future star Bobby Abreu and promptly traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kevin Stocker, who had very little success for the Rays. Before the 1998 season, star players Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, and Wilson Alvarez were acquired.
1998-2003: Early years as the Devil Rays
The Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field before a crowd of 45,369. Wilson Alvarez threw the first pitch and Wade Boggs hit the first home run in team history that day, although the Devil Rays lost their opening game 11-6, they actually got off to a good start. They were 11-8 after 19 games before losing six straight, falling below .500 never to reach that level again in their inaugural season. They would go on to lose an expansion-like 99 games that year. Since then, the Rays have yet to have a winning season, finishing in last place in the American League East every year from 1998 - 2003. José Canseco was signed prior to the 1999 season. One of the most memorable moments in franchise history occurred on August 7, 1999 when Wade Boggs tallied his 3000th career hit on a home run, the only player to ever do so.[3] Boggs retired after the season and is the only Ray with his number retired. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
The Devil Rays acquired sluggers Vinny Castilla and Greg Vaughn on December 13, 1999 and dubbed McGriff, Canseco, Castilla, and Vaughn the "Hit Show". As it turned out, however, all of these players were past their prime, and the team continued to struggle in 2000. Prior to the 2001 season, the Rays changed their team colors and uniforms and also acquired highly-touted outfielder Ben Grieve from Oakland but neither move improved their luck in the standings. On April 18, Larry Rothschild was fired as manager and was replaced by Hal McRae. By the 2002 season, the Devil Rays decided to build with younger players and drastically reduced the team payroll. Randy Winn, Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall, and Carl Crawford began to emerge as key players. However, the 2002 season would prove to be the worst in franchise history to date. McRae was moved to a front office position after the season.
Before the 2003 season, the team traded Randy Winn to the Seattle Mariners for the right to negotiate with manager Lou Piniella, a Tampa native, who managed winning teams at every stop in his managerial career, including the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds (whom he led to a World Championship in 1990), and the Mariners (who he helped build into perennial contenders in the mid-1990s). Piniella was attracted to the Tampa Bay job because of the proximity to his family and the chance to build a losing franchise into a winner as he had done in Seattle. Piniella's first team still finished last, but was seven games better than the 2002 team. A highlight of the 2003 season was the emergence of Rocco Baldelli, a native of Rhode Island, as one of the top rookies in the major leagues. A bizarre incident occurred in 2003 when, in an interleague game against the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa's bat broke on a pitch from Jeremi Gonzalez, only to reveal it was corked.
2004: Rise of Crawford, Baldelli and Kazmir
Expectations were low for the team entering the 2004 season, but the team surprised most baseball experts by finishing with the best record in team history, 70-91. It was the first time the Devil Rays won 70 games in a season and they also finished in 4th place in the American League East, out of last place for the first time ever. Their record was 10-28 coming into May when they made their run in which they won 30 of 40 games, including a team-record 12 games in a row. The Rays had a 42-41 record after 83 games, within 5 games of the American League wild card. However, the team soon returned to its losing ways, leading to a final record of 21 games below .500. The season was highlighted by the continued development of Aubrey Huff, Carl Crawford, and Rocco Baldelli into some of the top young hitters in baseball. The front office produced a major accomplishment on July 30, 2004 when pitcher Victor Zambrano was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Scott Kazmir, who has since become the team's best pitcher and one of the top young pitchers in all of baseball.
2005: End of Piniella Era
After a 28-61 record at the All-Star Break in 2005, the Devil Rays turned it around in the second half of the season, going 39-34, for a final record of 67-95. Rocco Baldelli missed the entire 2005 season due to injury, but Carl Crawford and newcomers Jorge Cantu and Jonny Gomes led a productive offense that finished third in the American League in team batting average. To counterbalance that, however, the pitching staff had the second worst ERA in the American League. During their strong second half, the Devil Rays played spoilers in September, with timely victories over contenders such as the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Despite the promising finish, Lou Piniella became frustrated with what he perceived as an insufficient commitment to winning by the ownership group, and he reached a settlement with the team to release him from the last year of his contract.
2005-2006 offseason: Front office and Managerial Changes
Shortly after the season ended, Stuart Sternberg, who bought into the ownership group in 2004, took over from Vince Naimoli as managing general partner, thus taking over executive control of the team. He immediately fired Chuck LaMar, who had been the team's general manager since the team's first season, and most of the front office. Matt Silverman was named the team president, and Andrew Friedman took the role of Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. Gerry Hunsicker, former General Manager of the Houston Astros, was named the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, with the responsibility of advising the younger Friedman. Sternberg decided not to have a de jure General Manager, calling the position "outdated". Friedman and Hunsicker share the role of team representative at MLB functions.[4]
The team focused its rebuilding efforts around young stars such as outfielders Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Jonny Gomes, infielder Jorge Cantu (who hit 28 home runs and drove in 117 runs in 2005) and pitcher Scott Kazmir (who finished in the top 5 in the American League in strikeouts). Baldelli missed the entire 2005 season with injuries, but returned to the team in 2006. Also figuring into the Rays' future plans were Delmon Young and B.J. Upton, considered two of the best prospects in all of baseball.
In December 2005, Joe Maddon, the former bench coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, was named the new manager of the Devil Rays, the fourth in team history, replacing Lou Piniella in that role.
During the offseason, the new front office invested $10 million in improvements to Tropicana Field. Among the major changes were new club seating on the first base side, a 35-foot, 10,000 gallon touch tank holding 30 live cownose rays behind the right-center field fence[5], and the addition of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, relocated from Citrus County.[6] Other changes to increase attendance and fan interest included free parking at all home games, allowing tailgating in the parking lot before games, allowing fans to bring their own food and drinks into Tropicana Field, lower ticket prices and concession prices, and an increased number of promotions and give-aways.
2006: Rebuilding Year
With the change of ownership and the strong finish to the 2005 season, Tampa Bay fans were optimistic about the 2006 season. On April 10, 2006, the official attendance at Tropicana Field for the Rays' home opener was 40,199, the highest turnout since the 1998 Inaugural Season home opener.[7]
An unfortunate event occurred on April 26, when Delmon Young, playing for the Triple-A Durham Bulls, was ejected from the first inning of a game for arguing a third strike, and tossed his bat at the umpire, striking him in the chest protector. The umpire was not injured, but Young was suspended indefinitely the next day by the International League. Young ultimately was suspended for 50 games without pay and performed 50 hours of community service.[8]
At the All-Star Break, Tampa Bay was only 11 games under the .500 mark (39-50). However, the front office became convinced that the Devil Rays would not contend in 2006 and they traded several veteran players who were not in their future plans for younger players who were expected to contribute more in future seasons. The trades included:
- On June 20, outfielder Joey Gathright and infielder Fernando Cortez were traded to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher J.P. Howell.[9]
- On June 27, pitcher Mark Hendrickson and catcher Toby Hall were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Jae Seo, 22-year old catcher Dioner Navarro, and minor league outfielder Justin Ruggiano.[10][11]
- On July 12, infielder and long-time Ray Aubrey Huff was traded to the Houston Astros for young shortstop Ben Zobrist and minor league pitcher Mitch Talbot.[12]
- On July 31, shortstop Julio Lugo was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league prospects Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza.[13]
- On August 24, utility player Russell Branyan was traded to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitchers Evan Meek and Dale Thayer.[14][15]
The Devil Rays struggled in the second half, going 22-51 to finish the season with a 61-101 record, the worst in the major leagues. The team's poor play in the second half was attributed to the trades of veterans for prospects, injuries to key players such as Scott Kazmir and Ty Wigginton, and slumps by several players (notably Jonny Gomes and Jorge Cantu). Another factor was that the Devil Rays played extremely poorly on the road, winning only 3 out of 36 road games after July 1. This matched the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for the least number of road wins after the All Star break in baseball history. Overall, the Rays went 20-61 on the road, the third lowest number of wins on the road by any team since 1961.[16] On top of that, they led the major leagues in the number of leads blown with 94 and set a new American League record by losing 60 games that they had led. The Rays led in 121 games, but won only 61.
The Devil Rays were involved in two unusual triple plays in 2006; one they hit into, the other they executed themselves. On June 11 against Kansas City, they hit into the third triple play in major league history, and first since 1937, that involved an appeal. Russell Branyan flew out to center, Rocco Baldelli tried to advance to second base and was thrown out, and then Aubrey Huff was called out when the umpires ruled that he left third base early when he tagged up. Then, on September 2 against Seattle, the Rays executed a 2-6-2 triple play where the ball never touched the bat, something that had never been done before. Seattle's Raul Ibanez struck out, Dioner Navarro caught Adrian Beltre trying to steal second base, and then Ben Zobrist threw Jose Lopez out at home plate.[16]
On the positive side, the Devil Rays finished with a winning record at home (41-40) for the first time ever. Also, home attendance increased by 20% over 2005 to 1,372,193. This was the Rays' highest attendance since 2000.[16]
2006-2007 offseason: Rays sign Iwamura
During the 2006 offseason, the Devil Rays lost two players who had been in their organization. Cory Lidle, who had played parts of the 1999 and 2000 seasons in the major leagues for the Rays, died in an airplane crash in Manhattan on October 11.[17] Erik Walker, a 23-year-old pitching prospect for the Hudson Valley Renegades who had recently gone 3-1 with a 0.48 ERA during his first professional season, died in a canoeing accident on the New River in Grayson County, Virginia.[18]
On November 15, 2006, the Devil Rays won the rights to negotiate a contract with Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura.[19] He was signed to a three-year, $7.7-million contract on December 15, and ultimately made the 2007 Opening Day active roster. The Devil Rays paid $4.55 million USD (around ¥538 million) to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows for the rights to Iwamura.[20]
In an effort to court the Orlando, Florida, market, the Devil Rays played a series at The Ballpark (now called Champion Stadium) at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in the 2007 season. The series selected was the May 15-17 series versus the Texas Rangers. The Devil Rays swept the Rangers in that series. The Devil Rays are also entering their second season with a team representative working in the Orlando market.[21] There are no concerns about moving; the Rays have a thirty-year lease at Tropicana Field, keeping them in St. Petersburg at least through 2027.
2007: Peña and young stars lead the way
The Devil Rays had the youngest starting line-up since the 1983 Minnesota Twins. One of those young players, Elijah Dukes, was put on the temporary inactive list when a St. Petersburg Times report alleged he threatened to kill his estranged wife and their children. Dukes didn't play again for the remainder of the season. On the other hand, the Rays had bright spots on the year as they were led by pitchers James Shields and Scott Kazmir, who were both exceptional. Shields put in 215 innings and would have been close to 20 wins had he not endured multiple bullpen collapses. Meanwhile, Kazmir struck out a career high 239 batters with an ERA of 3.48.
Offensively, the Devil Rays may have had their best year. Tampa Bay was third in the AL in home runs (187) notably behind the New York Yankees. They also posted 131 stolen bases which also placed them third in the AL. They were led by Comeback Player of the Year, Carlos Peña who batted .282 and set Rays records in home runs (46), RBIs (121), walks (103), on-base percentage (.411), and slugging percentage (.627). He ranked fourth in the Majors in home runs and sixth in RBIs. They were also led by BJ Upton, All-Star Carl Crawford, and rookies Delmon Young and Akinori Iwamura.
With their improved offense the Devil Rays were one of baseball's best six-inning teams, but the absence of a steady bullpen wrecked many quality starts. The bullpen problem was at its worst during the first half, when the likes of Casey Fossum, Jae Seo and Edwin Jackson were just as likely to pitch two innings as five, which taxed an already mediocre bullpen by forcing them to log extra innings.
The Devil Rays compiled the worst record in baseball (66-96), finishing last in the American League East for the ninth time in their 10-season existence. The Rays signed manager Joe Maddon to a contract extension, with the club picking up the 2008 and 2009 club options.
2007-2008 Offseason: New logo, new uniforms, new outlook
New uniforms for the 2008 season were officially revealed on November 8 2007.[22]The unveiling coincides with a name change for the team, as the team is now officially called the "Tampa Bay Rays". The TV and radio game broadcasters already referred to the team as the "Rays" more often than "Devil Rays". The new team colors are "navy, Columbia blue and a touch of gold"[23]. The new team logo features a bright yellow sunburst that represents the Sunshine State of Florida. In the original press release, principal owner Stuart Sternberg said "We are now the 'Rays' - a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida."[24]
Roster Moves
The Rays front office has promised to increase the team's payroll for the coming season. Whereas it is currently around $24 million[25], the "mid-30s" has been rumored as a minimum for 2008.[23]
While the Rays may begin the 2008 season with much the same lineup that ended the 2007 season, several key trades or free agent signings may be in the works. The Rays are reportedly looking for a shortstop, a veteran catcher, and veteran pitching. The Rays traded Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie to the Twins for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan. The Rays signed a one-year deal with veteran relief pitcher Troy Percival who will act as the closer, moving Al Reyes into a role as a set-up man. The Rays signed Cliff Floyd who will split time at designated hitter and right field. If outfielder Rocco Baldelli is finally healthy, the Rays will have to find a place for him, and with top third-base prospect Evan Longoria and shortstop Reid Brignac quickly advancing through the organization, either could jump into the fray. The Rays also signed the #1 pick in the draft last year, pitcher David Price, who was widely recognized as one of the top players in college baseball.[26]
Scheduling
As they did during the 2007 season, the Rays will play a regular season home series at Champion Stadium in Orlando in 2008, April 22-24 against the Toronto Blue Jays.[27]
New Ballpark?
The biggest surprise of the 2007 offseason to date came on November 9 when the Rays announced that they were in negotiations to potentially build a new $450-million, 35,000 seat, open-air baseball stadium at the site of Progress Energy Park/Al Lang Field, their current spring training facility on the St. Petersburg waterfront, to open by 2012.[28] Stu Sternberg would provide $150 million and sign a long-term lease, and much of the remaining money would be covered by the sale of redevelopment rights to Tropicana Field and the state of Florida's 30-year, $60-million sales tax rebate for new venues. Any final plans would have to be approved by voters in St. Petersburg since all new construction on public property must be put to a referendum, regardless of whether or not the project uses taxpayer money.[29] [30]
Season records
Tampa Bay Rays - 1998 to 2007 | |||||
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Season | W - L | Win % | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
1998 | 63-99 | .389 | 5th in AL East | Larry Rothschild | - |
1999 | 69-93 | .426 | 5th in AL East | Larry Rothschild | - |
2000 | 69-92 | .429 | 5th in AL East | Larry Rothschild | - |
2001 | 62-100 | .383 | 5th in AL East | Larry Rothschild/Hal McRae | - |
2002 | 55-106 | .342 | 5th in AL East | Hal McRae | - |
2003 | 63-99 | .389 | 5th in AL East | Lou Piniella | - |
2004 | 70-91 | .435 | 4th in AL East | Lou Piniella | - |
2005 | 67-95 | .414 | 5th in AL East | Lou Piniella | - |
2006 | 61-101 | .377 | 5th in AL East | Joe Maddon | - |
2007 | 66-96 | .407 | 5th in AL East | Joe Maddon | - |
Totals (1998-2007) | 645-972 | .398 | - | - | - |
Playoffs | N/A | - | - | - | - |
Playoff Series | N/A | - | - | - | - |
Rivals
Tampa Bay's rivals include the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees (who make Tampa their Spring Training home), and the Rays' in-state rival from the NL, the Florida Marlins.
When Lou Piniella was manager, the Rays had some tense moments and several bench-clearing brawls with the Boston Red Sox, perhaps due to Piniella's history with the latter team when he was a player with the New York Yankees in the 1970s. After one 2005 incident in which several hit batsmen led to an on-field shoving match between the teams, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling called Piniella an "idiot" during a radio interview on a Boston station. This did not calm the tension. [31]
Quick facts
- Founded: 1998 (American League expansion)
- Home ballpark: Tropicana Field
- Uniform colors: White, Navy Blue, Columbia Blue, Gold
- Logo design: The word "Rays" in a baseball diamond
- Mascot: A six-foot, six-inch (152 mm) seadog named "Raymond"
- Playoff appearances (0): none
- Owner: Stuart Sternberg, et al.
- President: Matthew Silverman
- Executive VP of Baseball Operations (de facto General Manager): Andrew Friedman
- Manager: Joe Maddon
- Local Television: FSN Florida, WXPX
- Spring Training Facility: Progress Energy Park, St. Petersburg, FL (until 2009)
Retired numbers
- 12 Wade Boggs, 3B, 1998-99
- 42 Jackie Robinson, retired by all Major League clubs to honor his breaking of Baseball's color barrier.
Baseball Hall of Famers
No one has yet been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame based primarily on service with the Rays. One Hall of Famer wore Devil Ray green late in his career:
- Wade Boggs, 3B, 1998-99
Current roster
40-man roster | Non-roster invitees | Coaches/Other | ||||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Designated hitters
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Manager
Coaches
60-day injured list Restricted list 40 active, 0 inactive, 30 non-roster invitees
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Franchise leaders
Radio and television
As of 2007, the Rays' flagship radio station is WHNZ 1250 AM. The announcers are Dave Wills and Andy Freed. Rich Herrera is the pregame and postgame host. This team replaced Paul Olden and Charlie Slowes as of the 2005 season. Slowes went to the Washington Nationals, while Olden pursued a photography career. From 1998 through 2004, Rays games were on WFLA 970 AM.
The main television broadcaster is FSN Florida, although several games also air on local affiliate stations throughout the state of Florida including WXPX in Tampa, WOPX in Orlando, WPXC in Jacksonville, WCTV-DT2 in Tallahassee, WMYG-LP in Gainesville, and WBIF in Panama City. Previously, Rays games aired on local affiliates such as WMOR and WTSP in Tampa, WRDQ in Orlando, and WFXU in Tallahassee. Dewayne Staats (play-by-play) and Joe Magrane (color commentary) have been the TV team since the Rays' inception. A more recent addition to the telecasts is Todd Kalas, the son of Philadelphia legend Harry Kalas, who serves as the pregame and postgame host as well as a field reporter during games. Todd also hosts magazine shows and specials on FSN Florida throughout the season. Dick Crippen and Whit Watson have both filled in for Todd Kalas in the past.
FSN produces all games, regardless of on what outlet they are shown. In 2007, about 1/4 of the schedule will be aired in HD.
Although Rays games can be seen throughout Florida where available without blackout, FSN Florida games cannot be seen on the Bright House Networks affiliate for the Orlando, Florida, area, since that cable system does not carry FSN Florida. Only games carried by WOPX are shown on Bright House in Orlando.
Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Durham Bulls, International League
- AA: Montgomery Biscuits, Southern League
- Advanced A: Vero Beach Devil Rays, Florida State League
- A: Columbus Catfish, South Atlantic League
- Short A: Hudson Valley Renegades, New York-Penn League
- Rookie: Princeton Devil Rays, Appalachian League
Notable former players
- Roberto Alomar - 2B
- Danys Baez - P
- Wade Boggs - 3B
- Jose Canseco - OF/DH
- Vinny Castilla - 3B
- Dwight Gooden - P
- Ben Grieve - OF
- Juan Guzman - P
- Aubrey Huff - 3B/OF
- Joe Kennedy - P
- Fred McGriff - 1B
- Jim Morris - P
- Hideo Nomo - P
- Rey Ordonez - SS
- Victor Zambrano - P
- Greg Vaughn - OF
- Gerald Williams - OF
- Delmon Young - OF
See also
References
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20071107&content_id=2295315&vkey=pr_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb
- ^ "Tampa Bay Devil Rays Team History". Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (1999-08-08). "3000!". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (2005-11-04). "Sternberg presents winning combination". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Rays Touch Tank". Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Ted Williams Museum". Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Shelton, Gary (2006-04-11). "Something old is new again". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Chastain, Bill (2006-05-09). "Young regrets bat-tossing incident". MLB.com. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Cristodero, Damian (2007-06-21). "Gathright gets a fresh start". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (2006-06-28). "Rays get young catcher". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Cristodero, Damian (2006-07-20). "Jays may have eyes on Lugo". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Cristodero, Damian (2006-07-13). "Bye-bye Aubrey". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (2006-08-01). "Lugo trade adds muscle to system". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Cristodero, Damian (2006-08-25). "Rays trade Branyan for Class-A pitcher". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (2006-09-16). "Biscuits secure Southern League title". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ a b c Topkin, Marc (2006-10-01). "Rays year in review". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Topkin, Marc (2006-10-12). "Lidle known for passion, independence". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2007-06-27.
- ^ Mayo, Jonathan (2006-10-26). "Devil Rays lose bright prospect". MLB.com. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Devil Rays obtain negotiating rights to Iwamura". Associated Press. 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Devil Rays sign Iwamura for three years". Associated Press. 2006-12-18. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ "Series will be first regular-season games in Orlando". Associated Press. 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
- ^ Time to shine: Rays introduce new name, new icon, new team colors and new uniforms
- ^ a b http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/09/Rays/Payroll_will_rise_que.shtml
- ^ [1]
- ^ Cot's Baseball Contracts compendium
- ^ Fitt, Aaron (2007-06-15). "Price's excellence almost defies words". Baseball America. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/ticketing/orlando.jsp
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071114&content_id=2300571&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb
- ^ http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2007/11/rays-planning-w.html
- ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071121&content_id=2305660&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
- ^ http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2005/04/27/schilling_and_piniella_exchange_barbs/
External links
- Tampa Bay Rays official web site
- Tampa Bay Rays: St. Petersburg Times
- Tampa Bay Rays: Tampa Tribune
- The Baseball Cube Tampa Bay Rays Team Page
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
- An Open Letter to Stuart Sternberg from BaseLine Report: Why There is Hope for the Rays
- 365 Days of Dough, Rays and Me. A blog covering the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
- DRaysBay A blog covering the Tampa Bay Rays