OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Expansion Revision: 1998 Devil Rays and beyond

Moriarty9 · 10-17-2009, 02:38 PM

Devil Rays win 111 games
Holliday, Howard punished AL pitching
October 5, 2009

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays set a new franchise record for wins in a season and are looking at the chance to win their third consecutive World Series, fifth in seven years.

The Devil Rays won the American League East by 22 games over the Wild Card winning Toronto Blue Jays, 89-73. It is Tampa Bay's eighth division title in the last nine seasons, and eighth in the franchise's 12 year history.

The team was led offensively by a pair of potential free agents: Ryan Howard and Matt Holliday. Howard led the American League in home runs with 47, runs with 126 and total bases with 352. He was third in RBI with 132 and eighth in walks with 94. Holliday led baseball in batting average (.340) and led the AL in hits with 208. The outfielder was second in the league in runs scored (118), fifth in RBI (124), and sixth in total bases (322).

"Matt and Ryan were huge all year, and we expect them to be big in the playoffs," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "They're some of the best hitters I've seen."

Howard hit .277 with 47 homers, 132 RBI, and 126 runs scored in 154 games. He set a career high for himself in home runs and tied a career high in triples with four. He has told Tampa Bay that he wants roughly $26 million annually in a new contract, which he said would be a hometown discount.

Holliday has also talked about a possible contract extension, telling the Devil Rays front office he wants a five-year deal worth $25 million annually. He hit .340 with 26 home runs, 124 RBI, 118 runs scored, and stole 21 bases. Holliday set career highs in hits, runs, RBI, and steals.

The Tampa Bay offense was, however, more than just two guys. Aubrey Huff had his best season in several years, and arguably the best of his career. Huff hit .336 (a career high) with 41 doubles, 25 home runs, 91 runs scored, and 103 RBI in 150 games, stealing a career high 10 bases. He primarily played first base, giving Howard time as the DH and allowing Brian Buscher and Alex Gordon to play third base for a good portion of the year, but started 43 games at third and spent 27 innings in the outfield. He made three starts as the Devil Rays DH.

Josh Hamilton found himself with strong numbers but little recognition as much of the spotlight was on Howard and Holliday. Hamilton hit .280 with 26 home runs, 99 runs scored, 114 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 150 games.

Picked up from the Seattle Mariners on June 13, catcher John Baker was fantastic for Tampa Bay. In 84 games with the Devil Rays, Baker hit .334 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI, bringing his season numbers to .314 with 20 homers, 78 runs, and 90 RBI in 140 games.

Cliff Pennington has made a case for the Rookie of the Year award after hitting .261 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI, scoring 98 times and stealing 26 bases. Though he started the season at shortstop, he spent most of the year playing a strong second base.

Buscher played well in his 100 games, hitting .343 with three home runs, 28 RBI, and 45 runs scored. Gordon, however, struggled. In 82 games, Gordon hit .199 with four home runs, 19 RBI, and 23 runs scored.

The other contributors of note were Nomar Garciaparra (.269, 7 HR, 39 RBI, 50 R, 297 AB), Brendan Harris (.246, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 56 R, 92 G), Ben Francisco (.241, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 89 G), and backup catcher Gerald Laird (.310, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 142 AB).

The pitching was also solid this season as the Devil Rays team ERA was an AL-best 3.87 (the league ERA was 4.71). The starting rotation featured four All Stars in 2009: Dan Haren, Pedro Martinez, Zack Greinke and Felix Hernandez.

Haren struggled down the stretch, hurting his chances at winning a second straight Cy Young award, but he still pitched well overall. Haren went 17-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 31 starts, striking out 207, posting a 1.06 WHIP, and holding opponents to a .226 average.

Martinez missed much of September with a knee injury, but will be ready to go for the post-season. The 37-year-old was impressive in 2009, going 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts.

Hernandez had the best season of his young career as the 23-year-old, in his sixth big league season, finally was able to keep from consistent inconsistency. Hernandez went 16-6 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and .217 batting average against in 32 starts. He did struggle in September, going 0-3 with a 4.99 ERA in five starts, but finished his regular season on a high note on October 1, throwing a complete game shutout, striking out six Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.

Greinke finished his season on July 29 when he fractured his elbow during a start at home against the New York Yankees. It was a crushing blow to the Devil Rays as Greinke was 10-0 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and .220 average against in 20 starts. He was on his way to an 11th win at the time as he had thrown four perfect innings and struck out six before the injury.

John Lackey had his most productive season since going 17-6 in 2006, by putting together a 13-10 season with a 4.74 ERA in 28 starts.

After the Greinke injury, left-hander Jon Lester joined the starting rotation and pitched pretty well. Lester went 10-7 with a 4.53 ERA in 153 innings this season, making 37 appearances and 16 starts. He went 7-1 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 starts once he officially joined the rotation after Greinke went down for the year.

Jonathan Papelbon was an All Star this season and finished second in the American League with 39 saves. In 61 games, Papelbon was 7-3 with a 2.74 ERA, striking out 73 batters in 69 innings. Opponents hit .217 against him and the closer posted a 1.12 WHIP.

Left-handed reliever Craig Breslow was huge for Tampa Bay in 2009, going 9-2 with three saves and a 3.03 ERA in 64 games. He provided multiple innings when needed and, aside from a rough month of July, was solid all year long.

Manny Delcarmen got off to a rough start (7.20 ERA in April) and was inconsistent at times during the year, but pitched well enough to go 6-4 with six saves and a 3.58 ERA in 58 appearances.

David Aardsma, still officially a rookie, helped out a great deal as well, going 2-1 with a pair of saves and a 4.32 ERA in 43 games. Opponents hit .219 against him.

Jeff Francis figured to get some time in the rotation if Lester didn't adapt to the role well, but found himself making only two starts during 2009. The lefty went 6-3 with three saves and a 4.99 ERA in 40 games, throwing 70 1/3 innings.

The team lost left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes (1-1, 4.22 ERA, 10 2/3 IP) to a back injury in May, and centerfielder Lastings Milledge (.249, 6 3B, 8 HR, 56 RBI, 68 R, 17 SB) on September 4 when his cheekbone was fractured by a pitch.

The Devil Rays will open up the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals of the AL Central. Kansas City won their division by nine games with a record of 87-75.

10-17-2009, 02:38 PM	#625 (permalink)
Moriarty9 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,858 Thanks: 10 Thanked 3x in 3 posts	Devil Rays win 111 games Holliday, Howard punished AL pitching October 5, 2009 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays set a new franchise record for wins in a season and are looking at the chance to win their third consecutive World Series, fifth in seven years. The Devil Rays won the American League East by 22 games over the Wild Card winning Toronto Blue Jays, 89-73. It is Tampa Bay's eighth division title in the last nine seasons, and eighth in the franchise's 12 year history. The team was led offensively by a pair of potential free agents: Ryan Howard and Matt Holliday. Howard led the American League in home runs with 47, runs with 126 and total bases with 352. He was third in RBI with 132 and eighth in walks with 94. Holliday led baseball in batting average (.340) and led the AL in hits with 208. The outfielder was second in the league in runs scored (118), fifth in RBI (124), and sixth in total bases (322). "Matt and Ryan were huge all year, and we expect them to be big in the playoffs," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "They're some of the best hitters I've seen." Howard hit .277 with 47 homers, 132 RBI, and 126 runs scored in 154 games. He set a career high for himself in home runs and tied a career high in triples with four. He has told Tampa Bay that he wants roughly $26 million annually in a new contract, which he said would be a hometown discount. Holliday has also talked about a possible contract extension, telling the Devil Rays front office he wants a five-year deal worth $25 million annually. He hit .340 with 26 home runs, 124 RBI, 118 runs scored, and stole 21 bases. Holliday set career highs in hits, runs, RBI, and steals. The Tampa Bay offense was, however, more than just two guys. Aubrey Huff had his best season in several years, and arguably the best of his career. Huff hit .336 (a career high) with 41 doubles, 25 home runs, 91 runs scored, and 103 RBI in 150 games, stealing a career high 10 bases. He primarily played first base, giving Howard time as the DH and allowing Brian Buscher and Alex Gordon to play third base for a good portion of the year, but started 43 games at third and spent 27 innings in the outfield. He made three starts as the Devil Rays DH. Josh Hamilton found himself with strong numbers but little recognition as much of the spotlight was on Howard and Holliday. Hamilton hit .280 with 26 home runs, 99 runs scored, 114 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 150 games. Picked up from the Seattle Mariners on June 13, catcher John Baker was fantastic for Tampa Bay. In 84 games with the Devil Rays, Baker hit .334 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI, bringing his season numbers to .314 with 20 homers, 78 runs, and 90 RBI in 140 games. Cliff Pennington has made a case for the Rookie of the Year award after hitting .261 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI, scoring 98 times and stealing 26 bases. Though he started the season at shortstop, he spent most of the year playing a strong second base. Buscher played well in his 100 games, hitting .343 with three home runs, 28 RBI, and 45 runs scored. Gordon, however, struggled. In 82 games, Gordon hit .199 with four home runs, 19 RBI, and 23 runs scored. The other contributors of note were Nomar Garciaparra (.269, 7 HR, 39 RBI, 50 R, 297 AB), Brendan Harris (.246, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 56 R, 92 G), Ben Francisco (.241, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 89 G), and backup catcher Gerald Laird (.310, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 142 AB). The pitching was also solid this season as the Devil Rays team ERA was an AL-best 3.87 (the league ERA was 4.71). The starting rotation featured four All Stars in 2009: Dan Haren, Pedro Martinez, Zack Greinke and Felix Hernandez. Haren struggled down the stretch, hurting his chances at winning a second straight Cy Young award, but he still pitched well overall. Haren went 17-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 31 starts, striking out 207, posting a 1.06 WHIP, and holding opponents to a .226 average. Martinez missed much of September with a knee injury, but will be ready to go for the post-season. The 37-year-old was impressive in 2009, going 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts. Hernandez had the best season of his young career as the 23-year-old, in his sixth big league season, finally was able to keep from consistent inconsistency. Hernandez went 16-6 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and .217 batting average against in 32 starts. He did struggle in September, going 0-3 with a 4.99 ERA in five starts, but finished his regular season on a high note on October 1, throwing a complete game shutout, striking out six Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Greinke finished his season on July 29 when he fractured his elbow during a start at home against the New York Yankees. It was a crushing blow to the Devil Rays as Greinke was 10-0 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and .220 average against in 20 starts. He was on his way to an 11th win at the time as he had thrown four perfect innings and struck out six before the injury. John Lackey had his most productive season since going 17-6 in 2006, by putting together a 13-10 season with a 4.74 ERA in 28 starts. After the Greinke injury, left-hander Jon Lester joined the starting rotation and pitched pretty well. Lester went 10-7 with a 4.53 ERA in 153 innings this season, making 37 appearances and 16 starts. He went 7-1 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 starts once he officially joined the rotation after Greinke went down for the year. Jonathan Papelbon was an All Star this season and finished second in the American League with 39 saves. In 61 games, Papelbon was 7-3 with a 2.74 ERA, striking out 73 batters in 69 innings. Opponents hit .217 against him and the closer posted a 1.12 WHIP. Left-handed reliever Craig Breslow was huge for Tampa Bay in 2009, going 9-2 with three saves and a 3.03 ERA in 64 games. He provided multiple innings when needed and, aside from a rough month of July, was solid all year long. Manny Delcarmen got off to a rough start (7.20 ERA in April) and was inconsistent at times during the year, but pitched well enough to go 6-4 with six saves and a 3.58 ERA in 58 appearances. David Aardsma, still officially a rookie, helped out a great deal as well, going 2-1 with a pair of saves and a 4.32 ERA in 43 games. Opponents hit .219 against him. Jeff Francis figured to get some time in the rotation if Lester didn't adapt to the role well, but found himself making only two starts during 2009. The lefty went 6-3 with three saves and a 4.99 ERA in 40 games, throwing 70 1/3 innings. The team lost left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes (1-1, 4.22 ERA, 10 2/3 IP) to a back injury in May, and centerfielder Lastings Milledge (.249, 6 3B, 8 HR, 56 RBI, 68 R, 17 SB) on September 4 when his cheekbone was fractured by a pitch. The Devil Rays will open up the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals of the AL Central. Kansas City won their division by nine games with a record of 87-75.