When the Tampa Bay Rays were discussing who they should pick with their 1st round pick in 2002 (2nd overall) after the Pirates went with cheap Bryan Bullington, whom they were confident they would sign, there was little or no discussion involved at all. Everybody seemed to agree that the best plan was to pick B.J. Upton, a.k.a Bossman Jr., a kid whose talent was undeniable, and who clearly had a bright future in this league. Picking Upton #2 in 2002 was one of the building block for future success which came to fruition in 2008.

Upton was a key contributor in 2008. Can he have an encore performance in '09?

Now, fast forward to 2009, where the defending AL champs Tampa Bay open up camp, and the Bossman is recovering from off season surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Upton played through this injury in 2008, not being able to hit for power with much success due to his injury, but instead concentrating on his base stealing (44 stolen bases) and his fielding (.983 FP with 378 putouts). Upton’s bat, at full strength, is a great addition to the heart of an already very strong lineup, and Upton provides a few keys to fixing the problems of the ‘08 Rays. Here are the three reasons why the Rays need him back at full strength to win in 2008:

#1) Besides newly added Pat Burrell, Upton is the only legit middle of the order bat the Rays have that hits Lefties well

As a whole, the Rays only have 4 regular projected starters who can hit lefties better then they hit righties: Aki Iwamura, Jason Bartlett, Pat Burrell and BJ Upton. Aki will likely be hitting either lead off, #2 or towards the bottom of the order depending on his performance in ST, Bartlett is comfortable in the 8-9 spot, leaving Burrell and Upton as the middle of the orders answer to LHP. Burrell is a known lefty killer from his days in Philadelphia, and the Rays signed him to do just that for the next two years. Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena, the lineups usual middle of the order men, do not project well against lefties (Pena hits a career .226 against LHP and Longoria hit .242 against LHP in his first full season). Against LHP, a fully healthy Upton can fit right in at the #3 spot, protect by Pat Burrell in the cleanup spot. The lineup needs to have an answer to C.C. Sabathia and the other potent lefties in the league.

#2) Upton is one of the few  truly legit base stealers on the Rays have

The Tampa Bay ranked 1st in Stolen Bases in 2008, as they stole 142 bases as a team. Now, consider that B.J. Upton stole 44 bases in that year, providing about 31% of the total. Now, Carl Crawford’s injury reduced him to playing only 109 total games, in which he stole 25 bases. A full healthy Crawford playing for 160 + games is assured at least 40 something steals, so the guy is legit. The only other guy to steal 20 or more bases was Jason Bartlett, the team MVP who batted 9th. The guy is an all round contributor, but at the 9th spot his impact is rather limited. So, basically, if Crawford cannot handle a full 2009, the Rays will need Upton to pick up the SB slack even more.

#3) Upton’s defensive capabilities in center are irreplaceable

Since being drafted in 2002, Upton has been switched to a multitude of defenisve positions based upon need and his own physical gifts. First, Upton played SS during his minor league career, never managing to get a hang of the position and delaying his own emergence to the majors. Finally, Upton made it to the major leagues, where he was played at 2B with decent success, and it looked like Upton had found a place to play. Then, when the Rays signed Aki Iwamura, and eventually moved him to 2B, BJ was put in Center Field. There, in 2008, Upton produced a solid defensive season, and is looking upon staying in CF for a long time. The OF helps show his cannon throwing arm and great fielding better then any position, and there is no doubt that nobody on the Rays can man Center as well as Upton, for few people in the league have more defensive ability in center.

What I am trying to say, in short, is that Upton contributes too the Rays in too many ways and is too valuable to Tampa Bay’s success. For the Rays to succeed this year, they will need him to recover his power stroke and to show his ability as a possible 35-100-40 player.

Ross’ Rapidfire Rays Notes

• Manager Joe Maddon announced Saturday that Carlos Hernandez will be the Rays’ starter for Wednesday’s Spring Training opener against the Reds at Charlotte County Park
• Rays hitters stepped up to the plate to face live pitching for the first time this spring Saturday.

What Head lines will ever consistent James Shields produce in 2009?

Hello, my name is Dennis Ross and I will be your blogger for the Tampa Bay Rays for hopefully a long time. Here’s just some basic stuff about me.

Background:

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, I am more then half way through my Junior year at LM High School. I get half way decent grades and play football for my high school.

How I became a Rays fan:

I first got hooked by baseball about 7-8 years ago, as the Yankees were dominating baseball, and my home town team, the Phillies, were a name synonymous with failure (This year and last year are convenient exceptions, as the Phillies happened to turn legit once I started following the Rays, kinda funny). I did not follow the Phillies or any one team in specific for quite a few years, enjoying watching the games that were on and not really rooting for anybody, until a few months ago. I started to plan out my future with the idea of moving to Tampa Bay after college or maybe even going to college (I see the University of Tampa as a top 3 possible college). Also, I am fond of a Tampa, which came out of nowhere and proved the whole league wrong.

My first impressions of the 2009 Rays season to be:

Great. Once more, the Rays are being low balled by most people who see them as the third best team in the AL East, behind big spender New York and a healthy Boston squad. The Rays thrive on this kind of thing, and will look once more to play with a chip on there shoulder. Anyway, the AL East race will no doubt be one of the best, if not the best race in the AL, and that the Rays will follow their new motto well, ‘09 > ‘08.

Ross’ rapid fire notes and analysis:

• The Tampa Bay Rays have signed pitcher Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

1. An attempt to keep the Bull Pen intact if (or more like when) Troy Percival goes down. Izzy might not be getting any younger, but he does provide good depth.

• The Rays made a minor trade Thursday, sending right hander Juan Salas, who was designated for assignment on Feb. 12, to the Indians for Minor League second baseman Isaias Velasquez.

1. The Rays have a surplus of relief pitching and are looking to deal some players who are running out of minor league options for some younger talent to develop. This trade is pretty fair on both sides.