Tampa Bay baseball: A Decade of Defeat

Third base, a position I took a long hard look at, doesn't go to Wade Boggs, the 2005 Hall of Famer who got his 3,000 hit while on the Devil Rays. Boggs finished his career in 1998 and 1999 with the Rays and put up  a season with a batting average over .300 and a .377 OBP, but after so many MVP and All-Star type years in New York and Boston, he hardly is known for his time in Tampa.

The honor at third base goes to Aubrey Huff, who over the course of his time in Tampa (2000 to 2006), saw time at third base (283 games), right field, first base and left field. As the starting third basemen in 2004, he scored 92 runs, hit 29 home runs, had 104 runs batted in and batted .297. This follows up an equally impressive 2003 when he was the team's starting rightfielder. Huff is the franchise leader in doubles, home runs and RBIs.

One selection in outfield was super easy. Carl Crawford, the franchise leader in games played, plate appearances, runs, hits, stolen bases, and triples, is a shoo-in for the selection in left field. The two-time All-Star (2004, 2007) has played his entire career in Tampa and has been regarded as one of the building blocks of the franchise.

Crawford, in his six seasons, has already had four 50-plus stolen base seasons, two 100-plus run seasons, four straight double digit home run seasons and three straight .300-plus seasons.

Centerfield was a little harder. In the end it came down to Randy Winn and Rocco Baldelli. They have both appeared in over 300 games at the position (Baldelli, 389 and Winn, 351). I think, when healthy, Baldelli, who finished third in the 2003 Rookie of the Year voting, gets the advantage. In his full seasons of 2003 and 2004, he averaged 84 runs, 14 home runs, 76 runs batted in and a .285 batting average.

Randy Winn's best season, which came out of nowhere was in 2002, when he scored 87 runs, hit 14 home runs, drove in 75 and hot .298. I think over the course of their careers the players have put up similar stats, as Winn matured as a hitter once he left Tampa, but I am going to give the honor to Baldelli and hope he can make it back from the internal ailment which looks like it will keep him out of action for some time in 2008.

Rightfield is going to none other than Ben Grieve, the expensive  and over-hyped hitter Tampa Bay signed in 2001. The reason he gets the award is not because of his offense (his Tampa highs include 72 runs, 19 homers, 72 RBI and a .264 batting average), but because there weren't many other suitable options as Huff had already been named top third basemen, although Huff's numbers in 2003, as the starting rightfielder, 91 runs, 34 home runs, 107 runs batted in and a .311 batting average, certainly outshine Grieve's overall contributions. But despite Grieve's disappointing production, I am going to give Grieve the honor in rightfield.

I am going to keep pitching short and sweet, although pitching in Tampa has been anything but sweet. I am going to give the first starting pitching honor to Scott Kazmir, who came over from the Mets in 2004. He has started 97 games from 2004 to 2007, is the franchise leader in most pitching categories, the ace of the staff and a 2006 All-Star. He won a career high 13 games last year and had a lead leading 239 strikeouts.

James Shields, Kazmir's counterpart in the rotation the past two years gets the second starting pitching honor. Shields, who has started 52 games for the Rays, had a career high in wins (12), strikeouts (189) and ERA (3.85) last year, with every indication he is going to improve those numbers in 2008.

The last starting pitcher honor is going to Rolando Arroyo, who won the first game for the Rays 11 to 8 over the Detroit Tiger on April 1, 1998. Arroyo, played for the Rays in 1998 and 1999 and won 21 of his 56 starts, including 14 in 1998, a year when he also posted 152 strikeouts in 202 innings pitched and had a 3.56 ERA.

The closer honor is going to go to Roberto Hernandez, who over his three years in Tampa saved 101 games, averaging 73 innings pitched and a 3.43 ERA.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?