Tampa Bay Rays Fan Blog

Talk about the Tampa Bay Rays

Is Evan Longoria still one of the top third baseman in 2010?

There are no newcomers to the top five third basemen list. Although everyone is the same, four out of the five players moved in the standings. Read on to see who the new number one is!

5. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays: Longoria moved all the way to the bottom. Back in early June, Longoria was the best third basemen in baseball, since then he has slowed down a little. Longoria’s average dropped 30 points since early June going from .321 to .291. Longoria’s power numbers are significantly down with only 15 home runs and 68 RBI’s, which isn’t bad. It isn’t a surprise that the Rays are now in second place, it seems like when Longoria is going right so are the Rays. The Rays still have the second best record in baseball, but unfortunately the team with the best record is in the same division. Longoria should remain on the list until the end of the season and maybe he will take back his number one spot.

August Update: Top Five Third Basemen of 2010

August 3, 2010 Posted by sportsfan1 | Evan Longoria, MLB, Tampa Bay Rays | , , | No Comments Yet

Soriano Makes #1 of the Top Closers of 2010

Four out of the top five closers come as no surprise. The shocker is number one, he has always been known as a good relief pitcher, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be the top closer of 2010 so far this year.

1. Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay Rays: Soriano is the best closer of 2010 so far. Soriano is a converted closer. Last year with the Braves was Soriano’s first season as a closer and he did pretty well with 27 saves in 31 opportunities. The Rays were extremely desperate for a closer this season and took a gamble with Soriano. That gamble has certainly paid off. Soriano already has 23 saves this season and only one blown save. On top of that, Soriano’s ERA is 1.65. If Soriano holds his ERA under two by the end of the season, it will be the first time he does that since 2003 when he was a setup man for the Mariners. The Rays never had a dominate closer since they have become a franchise. If the Rays had a closer like Soraino two years ago when they were in the World Series, they might have won those close games. Instead the Rays were forced to use their best relief pitcher at the time, J.P. Howell, who lost both of the close games.
The Rays were in first place for most of the season so far, but have fallen back a little. The Rays still have the second best record in baseball, but they are behind the best team in baseball who is in their division, the Yankees. The Red Sox are also right in the race, only one game back from the Rays. If Soriano keeps up at this pace, he can help the Rays win the close games. Right now Soriano is pitching better than Rivera, who has been injured off and on and Papelbon who is having a little bit of an off year with a 3.71 ERA. The Rays have a good chance of making back to the playoffs this year.

Click here to read the full article – Top Closers of 2010 – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network


July 7, 2010 Posted by sportsfan1 | MLB, Original Content, Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay Rays | , , , , | 1 Comment

David Price Makes #2 of the Best Starting Pitchers of 2010

This year is the first year in a long time that starting pitchers are dominating more than hitters. ERA’s are so low this year for many pitchers, which made it very hard to pick a top five. A lot of people probably know who number one is going to be, but the other four can be anyone’s guess.

2. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays: At the age of 25, Price is proving to be the Rays ace. Two years ago when Price entered the league at the end of the 2008 season, the Rays were expecting him to be their future ace. Price shined in the ALCS as the Rays closer beating the Red Sox. Last year Price moved into the rotation and had just an all right season going 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA. This year Price is now what the Rays expected two years ago. This year Price is the ace. Price is 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA and 84 strikeouts. Price just needed a little time to develop and is now helping the Rays stay in contention in the tough AL East. The Rays were the best team in baseball for the first two and a half months of the season. They fell back a little bit, giving the lead to the Yankees and also letting the Red sox pass them. I think the Rays just need a rest and they will get that in a few weeks when the all-star break rolls around. The Rays are still very much in the race for first, they are only three games back and have the fourth best record in baseball. Like I said with the Red Sox, the Rays still have a lot of games against the Red Sox and Yankees which will determine who is the best team not just in the division but, probably in all of baseball.

Click here for the full list at: Around the Diamond: Top Five Starting Pitchers of 2010

Team USA Sports Memorabilia
and other Team USA Autographed Cards
Below are links to autographed cards available for David Price.

David Price Autographs
David Price Autographed Cards

June 30, 2010 Posted by sportsfan1 | David Price, MLB, Rays Memorabilia, Tampa Bay Rays | , , , , | No Comments Yet

Evan Longoria top third baseman in 2010

Three out of the five third baseman on this list are having comeback years. One of the players career looked like it was over, one of them hasn’t had a good year since he was in the National League, and the last comeback player had a power outage last year.

1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays: No surprise here, Longoria made it clear the last few years that he is the elite third baseman in all of baseball. Longoria is getting better and better every year. In his third year in the league, Longoria is playing for the team with the best record in baseball. Thanks to Longoria the Rays can compete in the tough American League East and he is looking to bring them back to the World Series to win it this time. Longoria leads his team in hits with 79, doubles with 22, RBI’s with 51, on base percentage with .391, slugging with .573, and average with .321. Longoria continues to get better and better every season. At 24-years-old Longoria may be the best third baseman for a long time to come.

Read who else made the top in Eric Heyer’s post..
Around the Diamond: Top Five Third Baseman of 2010

June 16, 2010 Posted by sportsfan1 | Evan Longoria, MLB, Tampa Bay Rays | , , , , | No Comments Yet