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Outs Per Swing
The Cajun God Of Baseball Is Here--Tommy Rancel
Reid Brignac Called Up To Rays; Bartlett to DL
So much for a slow news day. The Rays made a flurry of surprising moves today. According to the Heater, the Rays have placed starting SS Jason Bartlett on the 15 day DL with a right knee strain. The injury occurred on his steal of 3rd in the 7th inning of last nights win. Bartlett was slow to get up, but remained in the game and even had a two RBI single in the same inning.
To replace Bartlett the Rays recalled a pair of shortstops from Durham, including one of their top prospects, Reid Brignac. They also recalled Ben Zobrist. I’m expecting, and hoping, that Brignac will take over the starting duties while Bartlett is out, with Zobrist being here as a backup plan. This will give the Rays a chance to see what a future left side of Brignac and Evan Longoria would look like at the Major League level. Brignac was hitting .265/.312/.431 with 7 HR and 38 RBI at Durham. According to several scouting reports his defense has improved tremendously in the past year or two.
It will also allow the Rays to showcase Brignac to other teams as he is one of the Rays’ most attractive trade pieces. Many wondered about the future of Brignac once the Rays acquired Bartlett, and Brignac’s future became even more cloudy when the Rays drafted SS Tim Beckham with the 1st overall pick. I have wondered if the Rays would move Brignac to RF, but we won’t see him play anything but the middle IF in this call up.
To make the additional room on the roster, the Rays sent Mitch Talbot back down to Durham a day after being called up. The Rays opted to go with 14 position players and 11 pitchers. If they need a pitcher Zobrist or Brignac can simply be sent down and a pitcher recalled. We are sad to see Mitch go before throwing a pitch.
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6 Responses to “Reid Brignac Called Up To Rays; Bartlett to DL”
July 4th, 2008 at 12:06 am
You are right that something is afoot. Brignac is prime for trading, and if he does well, could find himself in the Show somewhere. The competition has begun for a couple of key players. It is good to see the Rays NOT selling.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Amen to not being sellers. From what I’ve heard and read, a RH bat and reliever are on the top of the Rays wish list with Bay, Nady & Fuentes serious targets.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Tommy, this is show time for Brignac, I agree with your theory about Excellant trade possibilities not only for Tampa but also for Brignac. He is definitely Big League material.
Do you know of any clubs that might be interested in a 23yr old 6′3 shortstop that in my opinion is well on his way to a great career.
Thanks
July 4th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
One person asked me if Brignac had a great two-three weeks could he over take bartlett? Im not sure if that would happen, but it would be a great problem to have.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I agree, the only reason he’d get called up is to be possible trade bait. He wasn’t hitting all that well at AAA. I still think he ends up in RF eventually.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I don’t think the Rays are doing anything more than getting the best available fielding shortstop in the lineup, and that is Brignac. He looked very comfortable there tonight. I really don’t think he needs to be showcased in the majors. If anything, he is likely to start slowly and hurt his status; teams can see what he does at AAA and project just as well as they can see 2 weeks in the majors.
It can’t hurt Brignac to get a bit of exposure to the majors now and then go back to Durham when Bartlett returns. I doubt he sits on the bench here or that he replaces Bartlett.
As for RF, I also think that is unlikely. First, he has made great strides as a shortstop, to the point where many analysts consider him a plus defensively. And also, while his bat is probably excellent for shortstop where he shows solid doubles and home run power, it is distinctly ordinary for a right fielder who is expected to hit more home runs.
He may indeed be traded to fill other needs, but I don’t think that is why he is here or that the Rays are trying to deal him.
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