Tampa Bay Rays Team Profile

The  SeatGeek Sports Blog will be doing Team Profiles for all the Major League Baseball teams over the next couple of months.  Each profile will include 5 topical questions about the team, answered by those who follow the teams the closest, the bloggers.  For the Tampa Bay Rays Devon Rogers of Riseoftherays.com was nice enough to provide some insight on the team.

SeatGeek: Over the past couple years the team has been able to go from a perennial “loser” to one of the most talented teams in Major League Baseball.  Over the next couple of off seasons it seems that it will be difficult for the Rays to keep some of their top talent (i.e. Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford) if they are unwilling to spend big bucks to keep them.  So in the future will the Rays increase the amount of money they spend as a team or are they committed to continuing to build within?

Devon Rogers: I think it is a little bit of both. The Rays payroll has increased substantially over recent years, but the ownership has said that this year will be the year to win it as they cannot spend as much in the future. They will continue to use their great minor league system to fill holes while signing who they can. We saw this with Zobrist and I think we will see this with Pena in the offseason.

SeatGeek: What is the feeling amongst Rays fans about the 5 year contract extension for Ben Zobrist?

Devon Rogers: The feeling is that the Rays got another great contract for a talented player. Ben Zobrist is a fan favorite amongst Rays fans because he is a great person, and he is a great player since he can hit and play almost anywhere. They did not spend too much on him, and based on his performanc, he deserves it. Ben is one of the people to stay with a team he likes for his career, and he likes it here, so that probably helped in negotiations. Rays fans, including myself, love Zorilla for his playing ability and the fact that he is great to the fans.

SeatGeek: Are there any Rays minor leaguer(s) who could have an impact in the majors this season?  If so, give me a little scouting report.

Devon Rogers: I think there are a few, but mainly Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson. Desmond Jennings is a toolsy outfielder who is most likely an option to replace Carl Crawford. You could see him as a September Callup who could give guys rest down the stretch without losing too much playing ability. Jennings has the speed, average and home runs. He has more power than Crawford and should be a great player. His only downside is that he has had injury troubles throughout the minors, which is why he is not already in the bigs. Hellickson is a right-handed starter who could slot in to the rotation if there is an injury or somebody struggling. If that doesn’t happen, he could end up in a similar role that David Price played in 2008. He is an all-star caliber starter when he makes it here.

SeatGeek: What over the last two years has changed in B.J. Upton’s game to make him go from one of the young rising stars in baseball, to someone who looks lost at the plate?

Devon Rogers: In the beginning it was his shoulder. He was playing through a torn labrum. Then we saw him mashing in the 2008 playoffs and he had surgery. You said it correctly, he looks lost. He swings at just about anything and pulls off the ball. He is still salvageable, but he needs to figure out something quickly.

SeatGeek: What is the secondary market like in Tampa? Do more people buy tickets off the secondary market or from the team?  If someone was coming to the Trop for the first time where would you recommend they sit?  Why do the Rays have such a hard time selling tickets when they are in first place?

Devon Rogers: I do not buy off of the secondary market, but the team encourages Stub Hub. Scalping also happens, as it is legal as long as it is not on Tropicana Field property. I think most of the sales go through the team though. If they were looking for value, I would recommend the outfield. There are not many bad seats out there and they are not much more expensive than the upper deck. All outfield is the same price, so you could sit in the first row for the same price as the last. The lower you go the better. If money is no object, there is the Whitney Bank Club and the Home Plate club. The Whitney Bank club has an all you can eat buffet and leather seats located under the second deck on the lower level. The Home Plate club has the same buffet, but these seats are the leather seats in the first 3 or 4 rows behind home plate, approximately 50 feet from the plate. I believe the Rays have such a hard time selling tickets due to the economy. The economy has been hit especially hard in this area and most families cannot afford to go to the game. Also, some people in Tampa are stubborn to come to St. Petersburg to see a game. They believe that the stadium should be in Tampa so they don’t have to drive as far. That is a stupid reason, but it is mostly the economy.

I’d like to thank Devon for taking the time to answer some Rays questions from SeatGeek.  You can find Devon Rogers at Riseoftherays.com.   Watch out for more MLB Team Profiles weekly on the SeatGeek Sports Blog.