Rays All-Stars thrilled with honor

The Rays chosen for the All-Star Game were predictably thrilled:

INF/OF Ben Zobrist, on how far he's come to be an All-Star:
"I just think back to a couple years ago, and how humbled I was by that situation, getting sent down to Triple-A and getting injured later on that year, and getting injured the beginning of 2008, too. It was definitely difficult, but now after making some strides at the end of last year and I feel like I'm making some strides this year, it was far beyond what I thought was going to happen coming into the year. I'm very blessed."

And on getting to play in St. Louis:
"It's going to be extremely special because St. Louis was my first baseball town in the big leagues that I'd ever been to a game. Well, I had been to Kansas City, but that I had really remembered going to games as a kid and ejoying times with friends there and watching guys in the big leagues at that time. Growing up when you're kind of in your formitive baseball years, so it'll be very special to play in probably the only All-Star I would have ever had the chance to play in St, Louis, will be this one. I was just telling my dad on the phone that If i never get to play in any other All-Star game, this would have been the one I would have wanted to play in."

SS Jason Bartlett, on his first selection:
"It's an exciting feeling. It's always been a dream. I texted my brother last night, 'who would have thought that I would go from playing wiffle ball in the front yard to being a major-league All-Star?" It really didn't hit me until I laid in bed last night. I realized that not too many people get this opportunity.

LF Carl Crawford, on being voted in by the players for his third:
"I get excited about it every time. It never gets old.  ... Players vote, and they know what's what. It always feels better when the players vote you in."

3B Evan Longoria on being voted the AL starter:
“I think it shows a lot about the steps that the team has taken, as far as the fans’ eye. And it’s definitely a huge honor, obviously with the caliber of third basemen there are in the American League, to be the leading vote getter is just a tremendous honor.” 


 

Comments

[joemaddonsucks.com]

Orlando,your point about Longoria is understood, but both of them are not doing well overall, but Longo is injured and needs to sit down or DH, and his upside is unlimited. Both are struggling.

May 27th-July 5th stats

Pena 7 HR,15 RBI,.213 Avg, 43 K's
Longo 5 HR, 15 RBI,.234 Avg, 28 K's
Navi 3 HR, 13 RBI, .202 Avg, 16 K's
Gross 1 HR, 10 RBI, .292 Avg, 17 K's

Since coming back from DL

Burrell 2 HR, 6 RBI, .169 Avg, 19 K's

This high scoring offense isn't scoring alot lately, and that is why they are losing the close games. Hopefully they can pick it back up, but sorry no way Pena deserves to be an All-Star this year.

[Orlando]

So Longo is batting .200 with 9 RBIs since May 30th, they pay Pena to hit HRs and RBIs, he has done that! What if he was batting .300 with 10 HRs and 30 RBIs, what do you prefer?

[galloway84]

JMS you are 100% correct. You have taken the words out of my mouth. You summed it up right their. When the Rays have a winning streak, he starts tinkering the lineup for NO REASON WHAT SO EVER! No need to put Niemann in the bullpen and find room for Willy Aybar to play 3 for 4 and he is on the bench for a week except for pinch hitting.

[joemaddonsucks.com]

Pena had a good April, he hasn't been able to get clutch hits since Mid-May, and he clearly isn't an all-star this year. Early in the year wasn't the time to rest him, but he has been an automatic strikeout the past 6 weeks. Now would be the time to let Aybar play DH one day, play 1B one day, 3B one day, and maybe even 2B one day, and rest the guys who are struggling for a day each, and use the hot guy. Weird time to stop resting guys. Resting them in the first 2 months was useless, now is when they need resting. The Rays were so good for a week, nowthey can't get anything right. Pitching is going south, the hitting is going south, and the defense already went south. This Niemann move is already backfiring, last year's stats against Texas are useless as they have different player and team this year. Niemann looked messed up out of the pen, you took him out of his normal rhythm, can't keep doing that to a rookie pitcher. But besides that, they just aren't playing well at all again, tired of hearing how it's early and it's only 5-6 games back. They keep losing games they should win, and you don't see the Bosux and Skankees losing 4 in a row over and over. They lose 1 or 2 in a week, and keep distancing themselves. The Rays are better than this, but they can't keep leaving guys in the lineup that don't hit, and benching hot guys. Gross is looking like the normal Gross of his career, and Navarro, Burrell, Longo, Pena simply aren't hitting. Boston and NY make changes and move guys around when they struggle, the Rays blindly keep playing there guys. Walks keep killing this team on pitching, it's amazing how Hickey takes good pitchers and turns them into ineffective pitchers, and when he just leaves them alone they do fine. Also, the most runs scored sounds great, but winning games is what the Rays need, and they don't win the close games this year except for the 7 game winning streak. Longoria sure doesn't look good at 3rd base, if his hamstring is messed up he shouldn't keep playing 3rd, let him DH, and use Aybar at 3rd. Longo clearly isn't making plays at 3rd, he looks slow and doesn't seem to hustle on defense like he used to, granted it may be the hamstring, but why not sit him and let him DH? Seems like the Rays just keep making mistakes that cost them dearly. You know it's going bad when Bartlett makes 2 errors in the same series..

[Tim]

.240 doesn't equal all-star. Sorry.

[delt11]

I have to disagree you take away pena's average first in home runs, 6th in runs scored, 11th in slugging, 1st in walks, 9th in rbi's, and 9th in ops. all very big offensive categories

[tbird]

Without a doubt, they all deserve to participate in the All-Star game and receive national attention and exposure! Feel so glad for JB and BEN as you knew CC and Longo were going to get selected anyway and now those two will get the experience of a lifetime. To me, the possibility of Carlos getting selected isn't warranted as he has not had a good year so far this year, on either side of the ball and there are others far more deserving.