Today started off with an Orioles card
as the Card of the Day. I really like that card, but I don’t feel right about a current card of a team other than the Rays being the card of the day, so here is the new Card of the Day for February 15th. This is a
SlangKo Original and it is AWESOME! I use that adjective a lot, but here it is very appropriate. I love his vintage cards, but this full color, glossy 2010 model is just as bad-ass. The card is titled 2010 Ray Guns and features 4 of the Rays young guns who will be fighting for a spot in the rotation. I was a little bit surprised that he picked Andy Sonnanstine over Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis, but I am a Sonny fan, so I have no complaints. The Rays have given away two All Star starters within a year’s time and STILL have an amazing core of young starting pitchers, these 4 included.
I love it! I can’t WAIT for spring training to commence! You can look forward to more
SlangKo Originals to be featured as Card of the Day in the months ahead-ideally they will be autographed. Go Rays! Troll out.
Today started off with an Orioles card as the Card of the Day. I really like that card, but I don’t feel right about a current card of a team other than the Rays being the card of the day, so here is the new Card of the Day for February 15th. This is a SlangKo Original and it is AWESOME! I use that adjective a lot, but here it is very appropriate. I love his vintage cards, but this full color, glossy 2010 model is just as bad-ass. The card is titled 2010 Ray Guns and features 4 of the Rays young guns who will be fighting for a spot in the rotation. I was a little bit surprised that he picked Andy Sonnanstine over Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis, but I am a Sonny fan, so I have no complaints. The Rays have given away two All Star starters within a year’s time and STILL have an amazing core of young starting pitchers, these 4 included. 
Yeah, Sonnanstine is really out of place on that card. It looks very cool though - but would be better with Davis or Niemann.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said that the Rays "have given away two All Star starters within a year’s time", I had to stop and think about who you meant. Then I realized that Edwin Jackson was an All Star due to his fluke first half last year.
But do you really think they just gave away either Jackson or Kazmir?
Jackson never lived up to his potential in his 3 years with the team, and wasn't any more than a #5 starter. While in hindsight, it would have been nice if they traded Sonnanstine to Detroit instead of Jackson, it wasn't a bad deal. I like Matt Joyce, and think he will prove to be an above average big league right fielder for years to come. Let's check back in 2 years, and I'll bet that Joyce is a more valuable player than Jackson. Jackson will likely struggle pitching in the hitters park in Phoenix this year.
Kazmir was much more valuable than Jackson, but he struggled through most of '09, and after 5 full years in the majors, he still hasn't lived up to his potential as a top starter. When you consider his large contract and his injury risk too, it did make sense to trade him while his value was still high. And I love the return that they got. Sean Rodriguez is a potential All Star at 2B, Alex Torres gives them another top arm in the system, and he's a lefty - something that the Rays system was kinda short of. And according to Keith Law, Matt Sweeney is the best of the three - with the potential to be a power hitting, high OBP first baseman - kinda like Carlos Pena.
Another way to think about the Kazmir trade is that there's no way that the Rays could've added Soriano this winter if they hadn't shed Kazmir's contract. And wouldn't you rather have a rotation of Shields-Garza-Niemann-Price-Davis with Soriano as closer than Shields-Garza-Niemann-Price-Kazmir with no closer?
Sorry for the long comment - I'm just dying to talk about the Rays with spring training about to start...