D-Rays

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The DBacks expansion brethren are fresh off a sweep of their 1998 counterpart and in the midst of quite a run. Since talking about the DBacks right now is abut as fun as syphillis, I though I'd start a thread about Tampa Bay and get some good baseball talk going if anyone wanted to join.

Both teams followed the same model, but where TB screwed up in making bad deals such as Greg Vaughn, Vinnie Cashstealer, Crime Dog, Canseco, Wilson Alvarez, etc., the DBacks prospered under good deals like Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, Jay Bell, etc. Both teams, seemingly out of money are in the rebuilding process right now.

Which team do you think will make the playoffs next? Will either contend for a World Series before the end of the decade? Whose shoes would you rather be in looking to the future?

 

[schillingfan]

The DBacks expansion brethren are fresh off a sweep of their 1998 counterpart and in the midst of quite a run. Since talking about the DBacks right now is abut as fun as syphillis, I though I'd start a thread about Tampa Bay and get some good baseball talk going if anyone wanted to join.

Both teams followed the same model, but where TB screwed up in making bad deals such as Greg Vaughn, Vinnie Cashstealer, Crime Dog, Canseco, Wilson Alvarez, etc., the DBacks prospered under good deals like Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, Jay Bell, etc. Both teams, seemingly out of money are in the rebuilding process right now.

Which team do you think will make the playoffs next? Will either contend for a World Series before the end of the decade? Whose shoes would you rather be in looking to the future?

Don't know much about Tampa Bay's farm system. But at least they don't seem prone to make as stupid a signings now as they did initially and the D-Backs still do.'

 

[Ryanwb]

I like the D-Rays farm system a lot.... they have this SS who should be up with the club anytime now that is Jeter-esque. Of course their Achillies heel is going to be their pitching. And of course their #1 draft pick who was very promising, Josh Hamilton, is a coke addict....

But the grass is definately greener in Tampa overall

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I like the D-Rays farm system a lot.... they have this SS who should be up with the club anytime now that is Jeter-esque. Of course their Achillies heel is going to be their pitching. And of course their #1 draft pick who was very promising, Josh Hamilton, is a coke addict....

But the grass is definately greener in Tampa overall

The SS you're talking about is BJ Upton, whose Derek Jeter with more power. Supposedly he's tearing up every level at the age of 19 so you'll probably see him up here quick and make some All-Star games. Their SP who nearly got a no-hitter the other night is supposed to be a promising arm. They already have a solid foundation in place. Aubrey Huff is a prototype corner infielder, Carl Crawford is already one of the best leadoff batters in the game, and Baldelli should become a very good player as well. Their payroll right now is only around $20 million so they could probably add some of the pitchers they're going to need.

The problem though is the division they play in. With the Yankees and Red Sox it's going to be a tall order for their GM to be saavy and creative enough to compete without any sort of finances. Just look at what highly-regarded baseball GM JP Ricciardi failing in Toronto. I think the Rays will make the playoffs before the DBacks do again, but in the long run under the present economics of baseball, I'd rather be in Arizona's situation.