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Season Summary
- Second Half: 30-40, .429 (6th place, 18.0 behind)
- First Half: 32-37, 464 (5th place, 10.0 behind)
- Pitching: 62-77, 3.76, 38 saves, 1 complete game, 1189 strikeouts
- Hitting: .235, 468 runs scored, 42 HR, 110 steals (53% success)
- Defense: 167 errors (1.20 per game)
- April: 11-12 (.478)
- May: 14-15 (.482)
- June: 8-18 (.307)
- July: 15-14 (.517)
- August-September: 14-18 (.438)
- Position Players used: 19
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Pitchers used: 17
- Includes two position players used as pitchers.
- Pitchers per game: 3.4
Leading Players
- Best Player on the Team: Pitcher Jake McGee
- Best Starting Pitcher: Wade Davis (3.02, 7-12, 165 Ks) or Mike Wlodarczyk (3.29, 9-10, 123 Ks) or Jake McGee (2.96, 7-9, 171 Ks)
- Bullpen Stopper: Greg Dupas (1.93, 4-2, 25 saves, no holds, 59 Ks)
- Strikeout Pitchers: Wade Davis, Eddie De La Cruz, Greg Dupas, Jeff Kamrath, Kevin Lynn, Aaron Walker, Jake McGee
- Control Pitchers: Greg Dupas, Kevin Lynn, Aaron Walker
- Best Hitter: J.T. Hall (.274, 8 HR, 62 RBI)
- Home Run Leader: J.T. Hall (5)
- High Batting Average: none
- High On Base Percentage: none
- High Slugging Percentage: none
- Notable Baserunners: Garrett Groce, Alex Jamieson, Matt Spring, Neil Walton
- Notable Batting Eye: none
Mid-July Profile
The Baby Rays (thanks, John) have improved, but they're still a weak team. July's been a real streaky month; sometimes they look wonderful, but then then they collapse for a few days. It now seems unlikely that they'll match Clinton's 1965 futility record, mentioned in my last writeup.
The everyday lineup's been upgraded, and the Rays are capable of putting together an occasional rally. Outfielder Jackson Brennan, and infielders Cesar Suarez & Jason St. Clair have joined catcher Alex Jamieson and outfielders JT Hall & Garrett Groce as consistent contributors. There's no star power in that list, but these are fine ballplayers. Beyond this handful, though, there's an abyss. This squad's baserunning is remarkably poor; perhaps the worst I've ever watched.
The pitching's showing some wear. The big three starters--Mike Wlodarczyk, Wade Davis, & Jake McGee--have proven to be human; Matt Walker's taken up some of the slack, though. From the bullpen, Kevin Lynn's been extremely successful, and closer Greg Dupas has done as well as the anemic offense permits. Aaron Walker's also pitched fairly well
May Profile
The Devil Rays have scored but 156 runs; they've permitted their opponents to score 218. The truly amazing thing is that they've nonetheless finished May only slightly below the .500 mark. That's largely because the pitching rotation includes three starters who can win with such light offensive support. This team plays mediocre defense; it runs the bases horribly.
This team's best pitchers are among the MWL's elite: I included Wade Davis and Mike Wlodarczyk on my "best team" listing, and Jake McGee's best days are simply awesome. Closer Greg Dupas and setup man Kevin Lynn are the best in a decent but unexciting bullpen.
The 1965 Clinton C-Sox scored 376 runs (117 games) and batted .211; this offense is on roughly that pace. Outfielder JT Hall and backup catcher Alex Jamieson are hitting pretty well, and new second baseman Cesar Suarez looks promising. Beyond these few, it's a disaster area....
April Profile
The D'Rays are a strange mix, with some strong talents but a surprisingly weak supporting cast. This adds up to the MWL's worst offense; only the strong performance by the team's excellent pitching staff staved off disaster. Manager Skeeter Barnes hasn't yet found an acceptable infield combination, despite continual experimentation.
This team's best pitchers are a match for any in the league. Wade Davis has been simply spectacular, and Jake McGee's only a small step behind him, though his won/lost record doesn't reflect that. Mike Wlodarczyk's been solid, too; these three pitchers anchor the rotation. From the bullpen, Kevin Lynn, Chris Kelly, Aaron Walker, and closer Greg Dupas have pitched well.
Outfielders Garrett Groce and J.T. Hall are strong contributors, and catcher Matt Spring is a power source. Third baseman Matt Devins shows some promise, but hasn't been hitting well. OF Chris Cunningham's about a league-average hitter; so are catchers Alex Jamieson & Christian Lopez. Beyond these few, the Rays need to show some development.
Pre-Season Profile
Manager
Skeeter Barnes was a rather conventional manager in his only opportunity to date; his team bunted a bit less than usual, but ran bases fairly aggressively. That team played poorly, in ways which aren't reflected in its stats.
First Round Draft Selection
Team Age Information
- Average Team Age: 22.6
- Pitchers: 22.8
- Hitters: 22.4
- Oldest Player on the Team: Kevin Lynn (born 11/12/1978)
- Youngest Player on the Team: Jacob McGee (born 8/6/1986)
The average player in the Midwest League this season is 21.9 years old. This information is based on opening day rosters as published on the team website and will not be updated.
Where they played last season
This summary is based on the team's opening day roster and will not be revised to reflect roster changes.
This summer's Southwest Michigan nine is based on last summer's Hudson Valley team, with some contributions from other teams in the system.
Team League W/L Place Hitters Pitchers
(Teams)
Visalia California (A+) 55/85 10(10) 1 1
Southwest Michigan Midwest (A) 73/64 3(14) 3 2
Hudson Valley New York-Penn (A-) 31/43 11(14) 9 7
Princeton Appalachian (R+) 34/31 3(10) 5 4
The big league D'Rays moved several of these players during the season last summer; those are counted twice in this table. One had a brief stint in Double-A ball. Everyone on this squad played in the Tampa Bay system last season.
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