From TBT.com
Monday, June 11, 2007
Quirks favor Shields, Reyes as All-Stars
By Marc Tolpin
The Devil Rays don't win a lot of elections.
And with the usual ultra-slim chance of a Ray being voted to the AL All-Star team by the fans, and the only slightly better possibility of one being elected by the players, the Tampa Bay representative next month probably will have to be selected by AL manager Jim Leyland.
Even that's not easy, because Leyland has to work within an unwieldy structure that, while requiring each team to be represented, tends to leave more room for pitchers than position players.
So though a case can be made for B.J. Upton, who ranks among the top four AL second basemen in average (.320), homers (nine), RBIs (30) and steals (13) and whose versatility could help the AL team win, the path to San Francisco will be more difficult. (Especially if Robinson Cano wins the fan voting as Leyland will definitely take his own Placido Polanco.)
The same can be said for Carl Crawford, whose recent warming trend has him among the top 10 AL outfielders in numerous offensive categories, but he faces tough numbers.
More likely, the Rays' All-Star will be RHP James Shields, whose stellar work (6-0, 3.04 ) includes a complete-game victory over Leyland's Tigers, or closer Al Reyes, whose comeback from Tommy John surgery included an unexpected evolution into one of the league's top closers, converting his first 15 save opportunities.
Rays rumblings
An interesting question for executive VP Andrew Friedman to ponder as the trade deadline nears is what to do when teams ask about Reyes. ... Yes, that is the same Jesus Colome, who is 4-0 with a save and a 2.25 ERA in 32 relief appearances for the Nationals. And the same Jorge Sosa, who is 6-2, 2.64 in seven starts for the Mets. ... That no-strings-attached, free-donut-when-the-Rays-win promotion at Dunkin' Donuts hasn't exactly caught on: An average of only 1,776 have been claimed after each victory.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Quirks favor Shields, Reyes as All-Stars
By Marc Tolpin
The Devil Rays don't win a lot of elections.
And with the usual ultra-slim chance of a Ray being voted to the AL All-Star team by the fans, and the only slightly better possibility of one being elected by the players, the Tampa Bay representative next month probably will have to be selected by AL manager Jim Leyland.
Even that's not easy, because Leyland has to work within an unwieldy structure that, while requiring each team to be represented, tends to leave more room for pitchers than position players.
So though a case can be made for B.J. Upton, who ranks among the top four AL second basemen in average (.320), homers (nine), RBIs (30) and steals (13) and whose versatility could help the AL team win, the path to San Francisco will be more difficult. (Especially if Robinson Cano wins the fan voting as Leyland will definitely take his own Placido Polanco.)
The same can be said for Carl Crawford, whose recent warming trend has him among the top 10 AL outfielders in numerous offensive categories, but he faces tough numbers.
More likely, the Rays' All-Star will be RHP James Shields, whose stellar work (6-0, 3.04 ) includes a complete-game victory over Leyland's Tigers, or closer Al Reyes, whose comeback from Tommy John surgery included an unexpected evolution into one of the league's top closers, converting his first 15 save opportunities.
Rays rumblings
An interesting question for executive VP Andrew Friedman to ponder as the trade deadline nears is what to do when teams ask about Reyes. ... Yes, that is the same Jesus Colome, who is 4-0 with a save and a 2.25 ERA in 32 relief appearances for the Nationals. And the same Jorge Sosa, who is 6-2, 2.64 in seven starts for the Mets. ... That no-strings-attached, free-donut-when-the-Rays-win promotion at Dunkin' Donuts hasn't exactly caught on: An average of only 1,776 have been claimed after each victory.
