Tampa Bay Devil Rays - The Early Years (1998-2009)  
   
 
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  Titles: Top Devil Rays Players of the Early Years  
  2008 - Won Division (Chicago (LDS), Boston (ALCS)), Lost World Series (Phillies)  
    Pitchers:  
  BallPark: Roberto Hernandez (4.92) -   32  
  Tropicana Field James Shields (12.93) -   31  
    Scott Kazmir (16.5) -   27  
  Team Name: Esteban Yan (1.52) -   19  
  Devil Rays (1998 - 2007) Danys Baez (2.88) -   18  
  Rays (2008 - 2009) Victor Zambrano (4.96) -   18  
    Mark Hendrickson (2.32) -   17  
  Owner:  Rolando Arrojo (6.65) -   15  
  Local Owners Group A (1998 - 2004) Albie Lopez (4.82) -   15  
  Local Owners Group B (2005 - 2009) Tanyon Sturtze (5.84) -   15  
    Matt Garza (6.95) -   13  
  General Managers: Edwin Jackson (2.36) -   11  
  Chuck LaMar (1998 - 2005) Paul Wilson (3.67) -   11  
  Andrew Friedman (2005 - 2009) Wilson Alvarez (4.15) -   11  
    Jeff Niemann (2.23) -   10  
  Managers: Jim Mecir (4.13) -   3  
  Larry Rothschild (1998 - 2001)    
  Hal McRae (2002) Catchers:  
  Lou Piniella (2003 - 2006) John Flaherty (0.34) -   22  
  Joe Maddon (2007 - 2009) Dioner Navarro (1.86) -   18  
    Toby Hall (5.73) -   18  
  No Hitters:    
  None First Basemen:  
    Carlos Pena (15.4) -   24  
  Hall of Famers: Fred McGriff (9.04) -   24  
  Fred McGriff Steve Cox (1.71) -   15  
    Travis Lee (4.45) -   13  
  Rookie of the Year:    
  Evan Longoria (2008) Second Basemen:  
    Ben Zobrist (7.82) -   14  
  MVP: Miguel Cairo (3.72) -   12  
  None Akinori Iwamura (6.57) -   6  
       
  Cy Young: ShortStop:  
  None Julio Lugo (13.5) -   31  
    Jason Bartlett (7.89) -   23  
  Notable Events:    
    Third Base:  
   1998 - For decades, there had been rumors of one team Aubrey Huff (11.8) -   22  
   after another moving down to Tampa, whether it was the  Evan Longoria (11.9) -   19  
  White Sox or the Giants or whomever was the franchise du    
   jour in turmoil. Finally, Tampa got their team as an expansion Outfield:  
   franchise. The problem was that there was no ownership group in  Carl Crawford (28.6) -   76  
  Tampa with the money to support a major league team properly.  BJ Upton (8.2) -   31  
  The Rays have been operating the team on a shoestring since Rocco Baldelli (9.58) -   27  
   its inception - no bueno. On top of that, the Rays have the worst  Randy Winn (7.35) -   21  
   ballpark in the big leagues, by far. Greg Vaughn (5.32) -   12  
   You walk in there and it looks like you're indoors. It's dingy. Jonny Gomes (1.29) -   11  
    And small.And not very attractive.  And they've got a lease  Ty Wigginton (2.12) -   11  
  on the thing that they can't break that goes on forever.  Jose Canseco (3.69) -   8  
  Not surprising then that for the first decade of the team's existence,     
   they average a 64-98 record with their high water mark in 2004  Notable Events:  
  when they actually make it to the rarified air of fourth place and a    
   70-91 mark. If you're looking for strike three (strikes one and two 1998 - Initial stocking of the team:  
    being ownership with shallow pockets and playing in an awful  □   OF - Bobby Abreu, 6th pick in expansion draft -   
   stadium), here it is: they are playing in the same division with the  bad trade to Phillies for SS Kevin Stocker  
   deep pockets Yankees and Red Sox - not to mention that the  □    OF - Dmitri Young, 16th pick in expansion draft - bad trade  
  Orioles and Blue Jays have usually been pretty decent, as well.   to Reds for Mike Kelly. Not as talented as his younger brother  
    Delmon, but turned out to be a better player  
   Ten years of high draft picks from all that losing gets you  □   OF - Randy Winn, 58th pick in expansion draft- after five  
   the following:  productive years with the Rays was dealt to Seattle in an   
   □  1998 - 3B Aubrey Huff, 5th round pick - solid slugger in  unusual trade for manager Lou Piniella in 2003  
  Rays lineup for seven years debuted in 2000 at age twenty three □   RHP - Victor Zambrano, 21, signed after being released  by the Yankees  
   □   1999 - OF Josh Hamilton (first overall) - HOF worthy talent with     
  drug problems who was never was able to exorcise his demons  2004 - In a steal, the Rays pick up lefty Scott Kazmir, 20, from the Mets in exchange for   
  while in the Tampa organization veteran righthander Victor Zambrano. Kazmir had been the fifteenth overall pick in the  
   □    1999 - OF Carl Crawford (1st pick in 2nd round of draft) -   2002 amateur draft by the Mets  
  was an outstanding player for the Rays for nine years -    
   debuted in 2002 2006 - SS Ben Zobrist, 25, is obtained from Houston in exchange for Aubrey Huff  
   □   2000 - OF Rocco Baldelli (6th overall) - another  fantastic talent    
   - his career was derailed by injury 2007 - Lou Piniella retires as manager, but, no worries, Joe Maddon, who's just as good,  
   □ 2000 - RHP Jamie Shields - 16th round of draft, debuted in 2006  signs on  
  he turned into a stud    
   □ 2001 - RHP - Dewon Brazelton (third overall) - a misfire 2007 - RHP Matt Garza, 24, is obtained from the Twins in exchange for Delmon Young  
   □ 2001 - OF Jonny Gomes, 18th round pick, debuted in 2003    
   □ 2002 - OF BJ Upton (2nd overall) - another great talent 2007 - 1B Carlos Pena, 29, low priced FA who had knocked around with four teams  
   - was too undisciplined a hitter to ever realize his potential    
  □ 2003 - OF Delmon Young (first overall) - had the talent,  2008 - It all comes together. Years of finishing last pay off as the Rays win the Division  
  but was another head case and beat the White Sox in the LDS and the Red Sox in the NLCS before losing to the   
   □  2004 - RHP Jeff Niemann (4th overall) - had a decent four year Phillies in the World Series. The Rays had gained thirty one games in the standings to do it.  
   career as a starter with the Rays until he blew out his arm It's an exciting young team led by recent first round picks Evan Longoria and David Price.  
  □   2004 - RHP Wade Davis, third round of draft, debuts in 2009 There's also plenty of other high quality young guys around like OF Carl Crawford,   
    - quality pitcher CF BJ Upton, SS Ben Zobrist, RHP Jamie Shields, RHP Matt Garza and LHP Scott Kazmir.   
  □   2005 - RHP Wade Townsend (8th overall) - a misfire Veteran 1B Carlos Pena anchors the lineup while the bullpen is also very solid. With Joe  
  □   2006 - 3B Evan Longoria (3rd overall) - bullseye - a star Maddon at the helm, it looks like the Rays will be a contender as long as they can hold on  
  □   2007 - LHP David Price (first overall) - bullseye again - an ace  to their talent.  
  □   2008 - SS Tim Beckham (first overall) - a misfire    
  □   2009 - 2B LeVon Washington (30th overall) - a misfire 2009 - The Rays fall back a bit to third place as the pitching flounders, giving up 83 more  
     runs ( a half a run a game) than they did in '08. It doesn't hurt that the Yankees go nuts  
    in free agency, signing CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixiera to leapfrog them in the  
    standings. Most of the starters and key relievers take a step backwards in '09 offsetting the  
    emergence of former fourth overall pick Jeff Niemann.