Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2003 Finish: 63-99, 5th AL East	Select Team Angels Astros Athletics Blue Jays Braves Brewers Cardinals Cubs Devil Rays Diamondbacks Dodgers Expos Giants Indians Mariners Marlins Mets Orioles Padres Phillies Pirates Rangers Red Sox Reds Rockies Royals Tigers Twins White Sox Yankees

Rocco Baldelli Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Batting Order
LF	Carl Crawford Hit only 5 HRs, but two were the team's lone walk-offs of '03.
3B	Geoff Blum Switch-hitter: .274 avg. vs. RHPs; .135 vs. LHPs in '03.
CF	Rocco Baldelli Ninth-most hits by an AL rookie since World War II.
DH	Aubrey Huff Set club record in hits and doubles.
1B	Tino Martinez Second among MLB first basemen in RBIs (923) since 1995.
RF	Jose Cruz Jr. .313 Avg, 8 HRs, 27 RBIs in 27 games at The Trop.
C	Toby Hall Placed among AL leaders with 1 SO every 12.4 PAs.
2B	Julio Lugo Dazzled with .300-12-37 line after the break.
SS	Rey Sanchez Career .338 hitter at Tropicana Field.
Rotation
RHP	Victor Zambrano Went 12-10; other Rays pitchers went 51-89.
RHP	Jeremi Gonzalez Had same ERA (3.91) as run support per 9 IP (3.91).
LHP	Mark Hendrickson Rays noticed he had 4.16 road ERA (7.67 at SkyDome).
RHP	Dewon Brazelton Got back in plans with 5-0, 2.77 stats in fall ball.
RHP	Doug Waechter Spun two-hitter in first ML start last September.
Bullpen
RHP	Danys Baez Allowed .189 average with men in scoring position.
RHP	Lance Carter Saved/won 52.3 percent of Rays' wins -- an AL rookie record.
RHP	Travis Harper Second among AL relievers with 93 innings.
RHP	Jesus Colome Had 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
LHP	Trever Miller Retired first batter faced in 17 straight outings for '03 Jays.
LHP	John Halama Career 4.93 ERA as starter, but 2.85 in 71 relief outings.
Prospects
SS	B.J. Upton Reached Double-A only 14 months out of high school.
OF	Jonny Gomes Averages more than 4 HRs per month as a pro.
OF	Delmon Young Hit 9 HRs in 38 ABs in a 2002 tourney for Team USA.

With competitive progress occurring at a glacial pace, the payroll of a sweatshop and fan support lukewarm, taking the temperature of this franchise is a tricky business. On one hand, the Devil Rays have never finished anything but last in the AL East. On the other, manager Lou Piniella and some enthusiastic kids have ignited a spark of hope. Contention is out of the question, but the heat is on to move the victory total toward 80 and climb out of the attendance cellar.

Until the annual patchwork of a front five (5.45 starters' ERA in 2003) stops looking like yesterday's salad bar, respectability will remain elusive. Only Victor Zambrano and Jeremi Gonzalez would crack the quintet of a good team -- and even then only at the back end. Zambrano weaseled a 12-10 record to claim ace status. He has the best stuff but perhaps the worst command in a rotation void of power arms. Manager Lou Piniella likes him: "He knows how to pitch. He doesn't get rattled. The younger guys should watch that." Gonzalez (rotation-low 3.91 ERA, but two elbow surgeries into his career) is another pitcher Piniella lauds for his "big heart." Sorting out the remaining berths will be a top priority in the spring. Mark Hendrickson, acquired from Toronto, is probably in because he's the lone left-hander. The club would like to see former No. 1 draft pick Dewon Brazelton (pummeled when he was rushed into action last year) carry over his progress from winter ball. Young Doug Waechter's baptism in 2003 was brief but encouraging. "Of all the kids we brought up, and we brought up a whole slew of them," says Piniella, "he's been our most impressive."

Outbid by the Yankees for Tom Gordon, Tampa Bay landed on its feet with a late signing of deposed Indians closer Danys Baez to claim the 2003 role of the gutty but stuff-challenged Lance Carter. Although Baez led the AL in blown saves and relief losses, his arm is live and resilient, and he should get more reliable with experience. Carter deepens a nice set-up corps that also includes steady, rubber-armed Travis Harper and inconsistent pea-thrower Jesus Colome.

The Rays' "keystone shuffle" continues, with incumbent shortstop Julio Lugo moving to second base to make way for journeyman Rey Sanchez. The latter, who at 36 will be the majors' oldest starter at the position, is merely a bridge to mega-prospect B.J. Upton. Sanchez can't hit, but he can still pick it -- which is all Piniella asks of him. Upton may make an appearance before the year is out. Lugo fell into the team's lap last May when he was released by Houston after being charged with (but later acquitted of) domestic assault. His strong second half prompted the Rays to pick up his option.

The new-look cornermen will be Tino Martinez at first base and Geoff Blum at third, both jettisoned by their previous teams who felt they had better alternatives. Though the two are not long-term answers, they are Piniella's kind of pros. Martinez's bat has dipped into the lower reaches of starting first basemen, and while his defense is fine, it is a downgrade from Travis Lee. Blum, who may platoon with Damian Rolls, is also below-average offensively for his position but with a first-rate glove and arm.

Defensively, this outfield could be amazing. Amazing as in historical proportions amazing, as in Gold Glove sweep amazing. Jose Cruz Jr., the new right fielder (replacing lead-footed Aubrey Huff) already has one, and there are those who will attest that center fielder Rocco Baldelli is better than Cruz. Then there's Carl Crawford who, says Piniella, "reminds me of a young Barry Bonds in left field, with possibly more range." Baldelli is the prototype for the sort of player the franchise wants. Those Joe DiMaggio comparisons may have been premature, but not as preposterous as they seemed at the time. He is a freak-athlete with perfect makeup. Crawford, only 22 (like Baldelli), was the AL's stolen base leader. His over-eager hitting style makes him ill-suited for his leadoff role right now, but Piniella thinks he'll win a batting title one day. Cruz is enigmatic -- a former 30-30 man who's batted .248 with modest power-speed numbers the past two years. He will, however, take a walk -- something no other Ray seems inclined to do.

Toby Hall has been unable to make adjustments at the plate and won't be more than a pedestrian hitter until he does. Defensively, however, his progress has exceeded expectations. He threw out the highest percentage (41.3) of base-stealers in the bigs last year. Ex-Oriole Brook Fordyce was signed to back him up.

Huff, the first big-time hitter the club has developed, will be the DH after several years of managers trying to hide his one-dimensionality at first, third and right. With more protection around him now, he could be an All-Star in the near future. A flexible bench includes multi-position players such as Rolls, Antonio Perez and Eduardo Perez. The latter was an underrated free agent signing; he can rake and is a great chemistry guy.

GM Chuck LaMar must feel as if he's clawed his way through the desert only to find that every step toward that sparkling pool of water only moves it two steps further into the distance. Now that there has been some tangible progress in player development and a modest loosening of the purse strings, he finds his AL East competition to be stronger than ever. Some of the team's futility can be pinned on LaMar's virtually nonexistent trading record and free agent missteps; the rest goes back to aloof ownership that has irritated an already fragile fan base. LaMar's best acquisition has been that of Piniella who, though he did not provide the team's desired jumpstart to wins or ticket sales, brought credibility and color.

Tampa Bay's first go-round under Piniella was, if nothing else, an aesthetic success. Youth was served, the team was entertaining, and even Oakland pitcher Tim Hudson had to admit late in the year, "They play harder than any last-place team I've ever seen." This season, the Rays remain young and under-budgeted. While the defense is as good as it gets, it has too-few impact players (none of them pitchers) and far too much competition in what is likely baseball's strongest division. Progress will be measured in small increments. "This will all come together for us in 2005," Piniella predicts. "But getting through [2004] and approaching .500 is tough."

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