Thirtysomething execs building a winner with Rays

	Fleet-footed Carl Crawford gives the Devil Rays a bona fide star to build around. Jim Rogash/WireImage.com

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For the first time I can now truly say I believe the Devil Rays have a ray of hope. If not today, then in the not-too-distance future. And by that I mean sooner than I would have believed, perhaps even in our lifetime.

The reason Tampa Bay has hope is its kids, and not just the kid players -- the kids in the front office, too.

Their GM, Andrew Friedman, is 30, and his boss and the team president, Matt Silverman, is also 30, only a few months older than Friedman. Naturally, a lot of understandable skepticism entered with them last year from the old guard in baseball. They came from Wall Street with no baseball experience. Some folks worked and waited their whole lives for a chance at any decent job in baseball; these two fellows started at the top last year.

But of course, since it was the D-Rays, they were also starting at the bottom. There was nowhere to go but up. The Devil Rays of managing partner Vince Naimoli and GM Chuck LaMar were mismanaged as badly as any team in sports history, as evidenced by the fact they only reached 70 victories once in their 10-year history.

Friedman's predecessor, LaMar, masqueraded as the team's GM for a decade, a fact he finally admitted -- he's really a scout and called his GM stewardship a "10-year detour." It was a remark that was met with agreement from Tampa but also annoyance in that LaMar pretended for all 10 years that he knew what he was doing, and that everyone else was crazy.

LaMar knew talent, he just didn't know how to put together a winning team. He also gave the impression he was in way over his head whenever he spoke. He didn't sound like a GM; he sounded like the sergeant in Gomer Pyle.

It turns out Friedman is everything LaMar is not, erudite, personable and reasonable. He's young, yes, but far from arrogant. Unlike LaMar, he is smart enough to know he doesn't know everything. So while most folks in baseball view Friedman skeptically, I look at him as someone who has a chance.

Friedman's assessment of his team in an interview last month was that his club had great talent but lacked experience. The same may be said for him.

He hasn't tried to remake the club in a day. He's shown patience. Friedman isn't rushing to put his stamp on the team. They've taken it slow. And if he needs guidance, he has Gerry Hunsicker, an excellent veteran baseball man, at his side. They could be on the right track.

The team has some pieces (LaMar is a pretty good scout, even if he was a terrible GM), and a chance. Some competing execs say he claimed he asked for too much in deals, like LaMar did. But I think he's just waiting for the right time to strike. He knows it isn't now.

"This year is going to be very important in terms of learning what we need to focus on in free agency and the trade front next offseason," Friedman said.

Their payroll is a sport-low $24.1 million, or less than Roger Clemens would have made over a full season with the Yankees. Yet, they have strengths. Carl Crawford is a proven star. Delmon Young is multitalented. B.J. Upton, who in a rare combo leads the league in both batting average and strikeouts, is on the cusp of stardom. As a team, they lead the American League in both home runs and stolen bases.

The D-Rays are 14-18, but they're still in better shape than they've ever been. It's also become more obvious where they need to improve; it's the usual spots, the rotation and bullpen. Friedman said he felt they were "underrated from a starting pitching standpoint," and that may be, but from an overall pitching standpoint, they still need massive work. Their 5.69 team ERA is nearly a half run worse than the next worst in baseball, Texas.

Their rotation isn't completely empty, as Scott Kazmir and, perhaps, James Shields are keepers. They knew the bullpen was going to be a problem, but at least the chosen closer, Al Reyes (10 saves, 1.20 ERA), has been excellent.

Manager Joe Maddon, a veteran baseball man but inexperienced manager who came in with the kids, is the right man for this job. He's patient, kind, bright and even hip (which plays with the kids). Maddon has done a nice job with the questionable 'pen, and he's the one who picked Reyes. Maddon is growing with the team.

They obviously still need a lot more help, although a talented collection of pitchers at Triple-A Durham, led by former first-rounder Jeff Niemann, provide additional hope for the future.

"We will have more resources in the future," Friedman said.

The future ... for the first time ... looks halfway promising in Tampa.