Power Pros Forum

That's right I called it. The Rays are to sign Burrell for a 2 year 16million deal and he will play DH. The Rays are nearing the Salary cap.

I think they might start Fernando Perez in right field aswell as Zobrist and Gross( he was the fastest player in Minors and probably faster than Ellsbury, Ichiro, and Reyes, he has BLAZING speed. But I digress.

They also thought seriously on signing Giambi and Milton Bradley (More with Giambi, so close to offering him deal)

I just saw that on ESPN. Being a Red Sox fan, I'm not crazy about that move, but I like small-market teams like TB, KC, and Florida making big moves like that. Also, what position does Perez play?

you beat me to it...
got an e-mail from the rays site, just found it around 7 minutes ago...

Perez, (amazing fast blazing) plays right.


Huh? How do you get emails from the Rays site?

I just found out =) Thought Burrell was going to Dodgers since Manny wasn't going there then.

I think you just have to register on their site...
anyways, cownip better move the rays up a bit after this signing.

I suppose this kinda rules out Griffey going to the Rays then.

Nooooooooo, Pat the Bat is gone , ohh wait wait wait... that Pat Burrell .

But its seriously ironic. Burrell distroyed the Rays in the world series, including a go ahead HR in game 5 before Rocco tied it, and now he is with the Rays. Its like he is joining the enemy after distroying them.

Good for the Rays, I'd prefer they signed Abreu. He's a better player and I like him more, and I like the Rays too haha. I like the A's and I'm all ready rooting for them to win the AL West, so if they sign Abreu and Giambi they'll have all my support. Not for the wild card of course haha.

I disagree with you... Again (why do we argue so much?)


The Ray's never thought about signing Abreu. The reason being is, the Rays needed a big bat like Burrell ( Bobby also has it) But Abreu would be better at RF than DH I think what does the Yankee fan think? They are now going to give younger players the chance at RF, like Perez. I love Perez, he's fast, if I haven't made it clear yet.

Sorry Cownip, you are going to go all gunh ho on me...

Some baseball experts and Rays fans are saying they have the best lineup in the AL East.

And it makes sense. They have amazing speed while now they have power hitters. Have Perez lead-off, get a single, steal or no, then have Burrelll and Pena Drive them in. They really do have a great lineup. Don't get me wrong, the Yankees have a great lineup too. But their speed can't match the Rays. Admit that much for me. The Rays have a good lineup and good balance. Evan Longo is going to be even better for homers hopefully. Also, don't forget the Rays have Matt Joyce, he could play full-time RF. So who knows. They are saying they have the best AL east offense, they finished 13th in runs scored, but remember all the injuries the Rays had.

Also, Yankees Sergio Mitre and Phillies J.C Romero have been suspended 50 games, but let's not get into this.

I didn't know the Rays needs, I just knew they talked to Abreu. They have a good offense and I am under-estimating it a little, but they definetly don't have the best. Remember, the Rays may have been hurt by injuries, but the Yankees had it even worse. The Yankees had about 8-10 more DL visits, though the Rays had plenty. Jorge Posada injured, Jeter hurt the whole year, Damon and Matsui hurt, ect. The Rays just had more depth and dealed with it better. Plus now the Yanks have Texiera. In my mind it's clear the Yankees have a better offense then the Rays. The Rays are more of a pitching, bullpen, low-scoring team, but they are much more consistant then the Yanks. The Yanks live and die by the homer.
I never heard anyone say the Rays have the best offense. What sources said that, I'd be interesting in reading the article.

The Rays signed Burrell instead of Abreu because 1) he is right handed (the rays were looking for a big righthanded bat to complement Pena) and 2) he is cheaper at just $8 million per year. Plus, Burrell has a home in Clearwater, Florida.

As far as the offense is, I think it's pretty great. Their greatest asset is their speed, but with the signing of Burrell they have more power, too. Right now, I think the Yankees are better because of Teixeira, but just think how young the Rays are. They have plenty of time to improve. In contrast, the Yankees are old, and only Teixeira and Cano are younger than 30.

Within a few years, the Yankee lineup will have no comparison to the Rays, assuming they don't make any changes.

You guys are really over estimating the Yankees and under estimating the Rays. Let me compare each hitter.
As to not scare you away, here are the first few
Edit: That's a lie, I listed them all, sorry haha!
Catcher:
Yankees: Jorge Posada
Rays: Dioneer Navarro
Posada is the definite winner in my mind. He isn't as good defensively, but he hits for power, has a fantastic 3.80 On Base Percentage, hits about 20 homers a year, hits plenty of doubles, and has around 90-100 RBIs. Now 90-100 RBIs is good, but normally not great. What makes it so fantastic is that this guy is a number 7 hitter! That's just insane, hitting as many in as a Number 3 or 5 batter should, or a below average number 4! He also is a fantastic pitchers-catcher. Now, his one glaring weakness is obvious. He couldn't out-run a turtle. But despite this, I think he is clearly the better.
Dionner Navarro is a very good catcher and has shown signs of being all-star quality (like last year), but with one so young your not sure what your getting. Still, he hits pretty well, is a good clutch hitter, isn't as slow as Posada, and is a very good fielder. He also has great pitcher-managment skills, or so it appears in his first year. Don't get me wrong, he's a great catcher, but Posada is the second-best or best in the AL.

Third Base:
Yankees: A-Rod
Rays: Evan Longoria
Don't even try to argue this one. A-Rod is probably the best right-handed hitter to ever play the game and has a tied record of 3 MVPs. He is on track to have the most homeruns and be in the top 10 in RBIs. Longoria was fantastic last year, don't get me wrong, but I doubt he's a hall-of-famer, and definetly not a A-Rod. A-Rod is also a golden-glover, Longoria might be just short, but he is a great fielder to.

Short Stop:
Yankees: Derek Jeter
Rays: Jason Bartlett
Again, not even close. Jeter is a first ballot hall-of-famer. He hits deep .300 every year even when injured, is a 3?-time golden glover, is one of the best-clutch hitters in the game, is one of the best post-season hitters of all time, and is a brilliant and smart captain who in Power Pros should definetly have Good Morale. Bartlett is a great fielder and a pretty bad hitter who I don't know how he performs in the clutch, but he's not that great or I would. Easy decision.

First Base:
Yankees: Mark Texiera
Rays: Carlos Pena

Again, I'm going to have to say Yanks. Don't get me wrong, I love Pena, he's one of my favorite players. There both all-star quality players, but Texiera is definetly better. Texieras 28, Pena 30. Texiera has had a .378 OBP, Pena .355. Mark Texiera has a fantastic .541 Slugging Percentage, Pena .496 (still great). Mark Texiera hits about 15 homers, Pena hits much less on average, but that doesn't matter. He found power last year for the first time, and so with the last 2 years, he hits about 39 homers each year. Texiera hits 114 RBIs each year, Pena much less but the last two years roughly the same (as a number 4 hitter, while Texiera hits number 3 with less oppurtunities). They're both golden-glovers, but Texiera's a little better. So, Pena only has homers, but Texiera has every other catagory. There both all-stars, but Texieras fantastic.

So, we've done the infield done. The Yankees has a better player at every position, with 2 hall-of-famers, one almost borderline in Jorge, one who hits 350 and 330 his first two years (Cano) and should bounce back, and one who is one of if not the best first base men today. That's an all all-star infield. Now I can just tell you now that the Rays easily have Left and Center, but the Yankees have right with Xavier Nady, who isn't all-star quality, but is a solid player. Damon is all-star quality and Gardner/Cabrara have a lot of potential (people forget that Melky is only 24).

Finally, DH
Yankees: Matsui
Rays: Burrell?
Matsui is an all-star player and a great hitter who can hit 300 and knock 25 in a year. Burrel is a little above average player who hits about 27-28 a year. Matsui is a fantastic clutch hitter, Burrell hits in about 90, low for a number 5 hitter. Matsui hits an amazing 110 when he's healthy in the number 6 spot, where guys hit 80-90!

So the Yankees have much better hitters in 7 of 9 spots. True they have very little speed and the Rays have more depth, but the Yankees line-up is clearly superior.

Edit: By the way Mario, I haven't heard anyone say they have the best AL-East offense, it's always been hands down the Red-Sox or Yankees, but now much more often the Yankees with Texiera. And yes, they are much faster. I like the way the Rays play a lot, but there offense certainly isn't as strong.

My Picks:

C:Navarro

He's the better hitter and is younger.

1B:Texiera

Pena comes close but is older and i don't think he can keep up his numbers for much longer.

2B:Iwamura

He edges out Cano with his defense.

SS:Jeter

Another close one but I go with Jeter for the batting average.

3B:A-Rod

Big Hitter.End of story.

LF:Crawford

Damon bad.

CF:Upton

Upton has speed average and decent power. I don't care if the yanks are playing swisher melky or damon. Upton wins.

RF:Nady

Nady could beat almost anybody here. Burrell is a good hitter but is aging and Nady is a top outfielder in my mind anyway.

I forgot who the Rays DH was.....

SP:Rays

Good young pitchers are tough to beat. CC and Joba can't beat them alone.

Bullpen:Rays

Rivera is nice but the Rays are better.