Coghlan makes Topps MLB Rookie All-Star Team; Rays' Niemann left off

Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan, a former East Lake standout, made the 51st annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star team, which was announced Wednesday.

Coghlan was picked as the National League Rookie of the Year. Rays right-hander Jeff Niemann, who finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, did not crack the Topps team.

Here's the Topps Rookie All-Stars

1B Travis Ishikawa, San Francisco (120 games, 9 HR, 39 RBI, .261)

2B Chris Getz, Chicago (A.L.) (107, 2, 31, .261)

3B Gordon Beckham, Chicago (A.L.) (103, 14, 63, .270)

SS Elvis Andrus, Texas (145, 6, 40, .267)

OF Chris Coghlan, Florida (128, 9, 47, .321)

OF Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh (108, 12, 54, .286)

OF Nolan Reimold, Baltimore (104, 15, 45, .279)

C Omir Santos, New York (N.L.) (96, 7, 40, .260)

RHP Tommy Hanson, Atlanta (127.2 IP, 11-4, 2.89, 116 K, 46 BB)

LHP J.A. Happ, Philadelphia (166 IP, 12-4, 2.93, 119 K, 56 BB)

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria to grace cover of Major League Baseball 2K10 video game

Tampa Bay Rays All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria is already one of the faces of their franchise, and one of the brightest young stars in Major League Baseball.

Now, Longoria will have a different honor, as he will be the face (the cover athlete and spokesman) for a video game, Major League Baseball 2K10.  Online voting is now open at www.2Ksports.com/vote, and fans can select from a gallery of different cover art designs featuring Longoria and help determine which one will adorn the cover of the game.

“It’s been a milestone year for me, from winning a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger Award, to now being selected as the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K10 – this has been a truly humbling experience,” Longoria said in a statement. “Since 2K Sports is letting fans decide on the final box cover art, I’m going to have to rally my Rays teammates to ensure that my favorite takes the lead.”

Longoria, 24, already has two All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award in two big league seasons.

“When it comes to selecting cover athletes for our games, we look for players who are more than just a fancy resume,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of sports development for 2K. “With Evan, he is one of the most fun and exciting players in the game, which helps complement the vibe we are striving for with Major League Baseball 2K10.”

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Here's how one MVP ballot looked

Here is how Times baseball writer Marc Topkin voted for the AL MVP award. There are 28 ballots cast, due before the start of the Division Series:

1. Joe Mauer, Twins
2. Mark Teixeira, Yankees
3. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
4. Kendry Morales, Angels
5. Derek Jeter, Yankees
6. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
7. Michael Young, Rangers
8. Ben Zobrist, Rays
9. Chone Figgins, Angels
10. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners

Twins C Joe Mauer wins AL MVP; Ben Zobrist finishes eighth, Longoria 19th

The American League MVP award was nearly unanimous, as Twins catcher Joe Mauer receiving  27 of 28 first place votes.

Mauer (387 points), finished ahead of two Yankees, 1B Mark Teixiera (2nd, 225) and SS Derek Jeter (3rd, 193).

A couple Tampa Bay Rays received some votes, as Ben Zobrist finished eighth (34 points), with a sixth-place vote the highest on his ballot. Zobrist did finish ahead of the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Ichiro Suzuki.

Rays 3B Evan Longoria finished 19th, with nine points.

The MVP was voted on by the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Top prospects OF Desmond Jennings and RHP Jeremy Hellickson added to Rays 40-man roster

The Tampa Bay Rays have added two of their top prospects, OF Desmond Jennings and RHP Jeremy Hellickson, to their 40-man roster.

The move was expected, as the deadline is Friday to set their 40-man, and both Jennings (the Rays Minor League Player of the Year) and Hellickson (Rays Minor League Pitcher of the Year) are expected to be key pieces in the Rays future.

The Rays are also adding LHP Alex Torres (acquired from the Angels in the Scott Kazmir trade) to the 40-man, and reinstated 1B Carlos Pena from the 60-day disabled list to complete the roster.

Both Jennings and Hellickson helped lead Triple-A Durham Bulls win the International League title and the Triple-A National Championship. Jennings hit .318 with 11 homers and 52 steals for Durham and Double-A Montgomery, and has said being healthy for the first time in a few years made a big difference.

Hellickson, 22, also made the most of his promotion to Durham, going 6-1 in nine starts.

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Rays OF Fernando Perez says diving catch attempt in spring training likely caused left shoulder injury, too

Turns out, Tampa Bay Rays OF Fernando Perez's attempt at a diving catch in spring training last season cost him more than he originally thought.

Perez, 26, dislocated his left wrist on that play in March in Port Charlotte, which led to surgery and him missing most of the season before joining the Rays in September. But Perez said his left shoulder injury (to his labrum), which he had surgically-repaired in October, likely occurred on the same play.

So how come he didn't know until later? Perez said doctors told him that with a labrum tear, if you have long periods of inactivity, it can feel like there is no injury, and the pain may not be as noticeable until you become more active. It was only when Perez was doing serious baseball activities in the season's final couple months where he realized something was wrong.

The speedy switch-hitter, who had a good chance to crack the 2009 Opening Day roster until he injured that wrist, batted .206 in 18 games.

“When I began working out again, we all assumed the pain was referred pain from my wrist,” Perez wrote in an email to the Times. “But once I got some confidence that I wasn’t injured, the more ambitious plays I attempted in the outfield told me I had something I ought to get checked out.”

Perez said while surgery wasn’t ideal, it was necessary, and he expects to make a full recovery by spring training. He said he recently got out of his sling and will rehab in New York until the new year.

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Durham Bulls manager Charlie Montoyo wins minor league award

Durham Bulls manager Charlie Montoyo has won the Mike Coolbaugh Award, given to an individual who has "shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field."

Montoyo will be honored, along with Minor League Baseball's four other major award winners during the Winter Meetings Dec 7-10 in Indianapolis. Montoyo, a manager in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system for the past 13 seasons, led the Bulls to their third straight Southern Division crown on their way to the International League title. Durham also won the Triple-A National Championship.

“I am very humbled and honored to win this award because of what he represents,” Montoyo said.

“Charlie has been a hard working, loyal staff member for the Rays since 1996,” said Rays Director of Minor League Operations Mitch Lukevics. “He is a dedicated teacher of our game with a
passion to help players both on and off the field. Charlie exemplifies everything that the Mike Coolbaugh
Award stands for. We are proud and thrilled that he is receiving this award.”

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

East Lake's Coghlan named NL rookie of the year; Rays' Niemann fourth in AL

Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan, a former East Lake standout, has been named the National League Rookie of the Year.

Tampa Bay Rays RHP Jeff Niemann came up short in his bid to win AL Rookie of the Year, as he finished fourth.

Report of Carl Crawford wanting out of Tampa Bay is false

With trade rumors already circulating about All-Star leftfielder Carl Crawford, now there's an apparently false, unattributed report from the NY Baseball Digest that suggests Crawford wants out of Tampa Bay.

The NY Baseball Digest report, citing an unnamed source, stated that Crawford is upset with the Rays over picking up his 2010 option and allegedly backing out of an agreement to negotiate his potential long-term deal.

The report just doesn't seem to have any merit, as it doesn't match up with what both sides have been saying all along (and as recently as this week).

Crawford's agent, Brian Peters, said earlier this week that they were still looking forward to working on a potential-long term deal with the Rays. That's exactly what Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said when they picked up Crawford's $10 million option on Monday, that both sides were "very interested."

Whether the two sides can work out a deal remains to be seen. But Crawford has shown his interest, and there have been no indications of any animosity from either side.

The report is here..... http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=17698.

That doesn't jibe with what Crawford said in late September, when he expressed interest in working out a long-term deal.

" I hope we can get something done, but if not I'll just go into next season, do what I have to do and try to help the team win and go from there," Crawford said.

- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

Video: Milton Bradley for Pat Burrell?

Why would the Rays want troubled outfielder Milton Bradley in a potential trade for Pat Burrell? Times sports columnist John Romano asks in this video clip from "The Lineup,'' 6-6:30 p.m. weeknights on Bright House Sports Network.