bama45
04-05-2002, 02:21 AM
Tampa Bay is off to their best start ever, by going 3-0 in the first week of the regular season of MLB. Does Tampa Bay stand a chance of competing in the tough AL East?
Only time will tell us. How does their players match up against New York's or Boston's in the A.L. East? Most of Tampa's players are not very well known, except for slugger Greg Vaughan.
Pinch-hitter and outfielder Randy Winn hit a pinch-hit homerun to give his team a 9-2 victory over Detroit Thursday. That gave them their record of 3-0 for the young season.
One of the team's most promising player is second baseman Brent Abernathy. He is only 24 years old. He's a good defensive player and is promising on offense. In 2001 he hit safely in his first 10 games.
Another good young player is 27 year old first baseman Steve Cox. Cox doesn't hit a lot of homeruns, but he hits the ball hard enough to be productive.
Now most baseball fans are aware of outfielder Ben Grieve who came over from the Oakland Athletics in 2001. He can hit for power. He hasn't shown his best effort yet, but I really feel he will be a big assest to his team. He's a .276 lifetime hitter and he is only 25.
Outfielder and leadoff hitter Jason Tyner could develop into a very good hit. He is only 24, soon to turn 25. He can bunt and slap the ball around.
Shortstop Chris Gomez is a good single's hitter, but can hit with power more often than you think. He is an aggressive player and could have a breakout season soon.
As for their starting pitching staff they are young. One of their pitchers Ryan Rupe has a lot of promise. He was disappointing in 2001, but promises to improve. He won his first game of the young season Thursday against Detroit in a 9-2 win. He had seven strikeouts in that game and pitched an effective seven innings.
Tanyon Sturtze is another starter that has a lot of learn, but he was named Most Valuable Player by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Baseball Writer's Association of America. He had 11 wins in 2001. Led the staff in starts and innings in 2001. He has the potential to win 16 to 18 games with some run support.
Lefty Nick Bierbrodt is a former number one pick that came over from Arizona last year. He made 16 major league starts last season. He stands 6-5 and weighs 175 pounds.
Victor Zambrano will be a starter for this team and has already won one game this season. He is from Venezuela. He has great potential.
Paul Wilson will be another starter for the Devil Rays. He stands 6-5 235. He was 8-9 in 2001 with an ERA of 4.88. Esteban Yan is the closer for this team. He had 22 saves for Tampa last season.
In closing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have one slugger for sure in their lineup day to day. He is usually the DH. His name is Greg Vaughn. In 2001 he hit 24 homeruns with 82 RBI's, but he only batted .233. In 1998 he hit 50 homeruns and in 1999 he hit 45. So he can hit a lot if things go right for him. The only problem is he is 36 and will be 37 before the end of the 2002 season. So can Tampa Bay compete for the A.L. crown? I doubt it for this year. This team is just too young and inexperienced, but if the ball bounces the right way they may be respectable in 2002.
_:2guns:
Only time will tell us. How does their players match up against New York's or Boston's in the A.L. East? Most of Tampa's players are not very well known, except for slugger Greg Vaughan.
Pinch-hitter and outfielder Randy Winn hit a pinch-hit homerun to give his team a 9-2 victory over Detroit Thursday. That gave them their record of 3-0 for the young season.
One of the team's most promising player is second baseman Brent Abernathy. He is only 24 years old. He's a good defensive player and is promising on offense. In 2001 he hit safely in his first 10 games.
Another good young player is 27 year old first baseman Steve Cox. Cox doesn't hit a lot of homeruns, but he hits the ball hard enough to be productive.
Now most baseball fans are aware of outfielder Ben Grieve who came over from the Oakland Athletics in 2001. He can hit for power. He hasn't shown his best effort yet, but I really feel he will be a big assest to his team. He's a .276 lifetime hitter and he is only 25.
Outfielder and leadoff hitter Jason Tyner could develop into a very good hit. He is only 24, soon to turn 25. He can bunt and slap the ball around.
Shortstop Chris Gomez is a good single's hitter, but can hit with power more often than you think. He is an aggressive player and could have a breakout season soon.
As for their starting pitching staff they are young. One of their pitchers Ryan Rupe has a lot of promise. He was disappointing in 2001, but promises to improve. He won his first game of the young season Thursday against Detroit in a 9-2 win. He had seven strikeouts in that game and pitched an effective seven innings.
Tanyon Sturtze is another starter that has a lot of learn, but he was named Most Valuable Player by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Baseball Writer's Association of America. He had 11 wins in 2001. Led the staff in starts and innings in 2001. He has the potential to win 16 to 18 games with some run support.
Lefty Nick Bierbrodt is a former number one pick that came over from Arizona last year. He made 16 major league starts last season. He stands 6-5 and weighs 175 pounds.
Victor Zambrano will be a starter for this team and has already won one game this season. He is from Venezuela. He has great potential.
Paul Wilson will be another starter for the Devil Rays. He stands 6-5 235. He was 8-9 in 2001 with an ERA of 4.88. Esteban Yan is the closer for this team. He had 22 saves for Tampa last season.
In closing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have one slugger for sure in their lineup day to day. He is usually the DH. His name is Greg Vaughn. In 2001 he hit 24 homeruns with 82 RBI's, but he only batted .233. In 1998 he hit 50 homeruns and in 1999 he hit 45. So he can hit a lot if things go right for him. The only problem is he is 36 and will be 37 before the end of the 2002 season. So can Tampa Bay compete for the A.L. crown? I doubt it for this year. This team is just too young and inexperienced, but if the ball bounces the right way they may be respectable in 2002.
_:2guns: