Thursday, March 12, 2009

Predictions '09: Tampa Bay Rays

The Cinderella story of 2008 comes back with the same line-up and the same rotation as last year. They added Pat Burrell to DH which adds some protection to Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton. Was last season a fluke? They Rays definitely have the talent. Their rotation is dominant and their bullpen isn’t half bad. But I find it hard to believe that the Rays can put up numbers like last year. What excites me is that Carl Crawford and Upton didn’t have superb seasons. If they perform consistently better than last season, we may be in for more surprises.

Highlights: James Shields, Scott Kazmir, and Matt Garza are all solid. The Rays won 20 games when Andy Sonnanstine was on the mound. Lastly, David Price was the Minor League Player of the Year according to USA Today. This pitching staff is legitimate.

Question Mark: Troy Percival is already hurt and 
won’t be back at the start of the season. Will the bullpen be able to hold the Rays leads.

Key to Success: Joe Maddon just has to keep playing his game. The line-up is packed with young stars. The Rotation seems flawless. If the two can work together and consistently put up numbers, they have a team that can compete with New York and Boston.
Prediction: 3rd Place

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