Over/Under: Carl Crawford

Today's Hitter is Carl Crawford

Carl hit .273 with 8 HR's, 57 RBI's, and 25 SB's in '08

Prediction: Over

The main reason of this being over: B.J Upton in the lead-off spot. Mr. "I will never bat out of the two spot in the line up" needs someone with more of a threat on base so he receives better looks at the dish. Carl will need to become more of a team player this year if B.J does lead off. This means actually doing something called bunting and moving runners into scoring position. Also, lets hope that nagging leg injury doesn't flair up again. We all want to see Carl's pit crew more active this year.

Predicted '09 Stats: .280, 11 HR's, 65 RBI's and 40 SB's

-B.B.

Over/Under: Scott Kazmir

Scott Kazmir

12-8, 3.49 ERA, 166 K’s, 152.1 IP

Prediction: Over

The Rays leader in nearly every pitching statistic turned an overall average year this past season. He came off his injury last season pitching lights out but slowly began his decline. His biggest problem last season was high pitch counts, which can be attributed to the disappearance of his out pitch, the slider. If Scotty K is to have the breakout season we’ve all been waiting for, and finally blossom into the consistent and reliable number one, he’s going to need to regain his feel for the slider. If he can do this, he can keep his pitch counts lower and return to the strikeout king he was back in ’07. Just maybe then, in his fifth full season, he can be the guy to carry this club into October. While I don’t think it’ll show too much on paper, Kazmir will play a bigger role in the success of the team this year.

Predicted ’09 Stats: 15-6, 3.30 ERA, 215 K’s, 200 IP

-A.M.

Over/Under: B.J. Upton

Over and Under is used to determine how we feel returning Rays will do compared from last year.

Our first player is B.J Upton.

B.J batted .273 with 9 HR's 67 RBI's and 44 SB in 2008

Our Prediction: Over

The man almost hit as many home runs in the playoffs as he did in the season with a torn labrum. He has the natural ability to put up M.V.P type stats. Only question that really lingers from last season is the hustle factor. Maddon pulled Upton out from multiple games due to lack of hustle. But after the showing B.J put up in the postseason it should not be a problem. Also Upton's stats may vary if he is put in the leadoff spot. Which could help Crawford see more fastballs because of Upton's speed. B.J in the leadoff role could lead to more run production early in the game for the Rays.

Predicted 09 Stats: .285, 20 HR's, 90 RBI's (varies due to where he bats) 45 SB

-B.B.

Welcome to Trop Talk

Welcome to Trop Talk, a blog dedicated to the team that plays in the Trop, The Tampa Bay Rays. This site, operated by Brett Ballard and Adrian Martinez, wants to fill readers in with information about the Rays, Players, Transactions, and other random tid-bits. We will also provide informed opinions about anything and everything Rays. This site is being brought to you from two college kids who are dedicated fans that span back from the Quentin McCracken charging Pedro days. We would like to thank Cork Gaines who runs RaysIndex.com, which is a great blog for any Rays fan, and Alex Monroe for helping with site issues. In the upcoming days we will start our first segment titled Over and Under, where we will evaluate the returning Rays players and provide our insight on how we think the season will play out for them. Feel free to email us with any tips or comments at TropTalk@gmail.com. Enjoy the site and Go Rays.