Tampa Bay Devil Rays
 

Tampa Bay GM Chuck Lamar took a lot of grief last year when he tried to assemble what amounted to a major league softball team - all slugging, no pitching or defense.  Quick fixes, especially ones that are as poorly conceived as that one, are doomed to failure.  However, much to his credit, he was one of the first ones to admit it was a big mistake.  His reasoning for attempting it was that the fans simply weren't coming to see a franchise build from the ground up; they wanted an exciting team now and he tried to give it to them.  What the fans in Tampa may not realize is that Lamar has done a fine job building an exciting team... it just won't be exciting - as in competitive - at the major league level for another couple of years.  Lamar has managed to stockpile an enormous amount of quality young players that, just like the Marlins on the other coast of Florida, will soon become a real player in a tough division.
 

Offense

The D-Rays were dead last in run scoring last year in the AL.  Part of that has to do with the makeup of the team and part of it had to do with a number of injuries that crippled what offense they had.  Vinnt Castilla, one of the big boppers acquired to help a sagging offense was plagued by back troubles and a bad divorce.  Although no one expected him to continue the level of production he had in Colorado, they certainly didn't expect the woeful performance they got.  This season, he's healthy, mentally as well as physically, so he should return to above average production for his position.  He's backed up at third by a talented young hitter named Aubrey Huff, who doesn't have the defensive skills or the power of Castilla, but is superior in his ability to negotiate a walk.  Former All-Star Fred McGriff and Huff-clone Steve Cox will man the other corner.  Other than a big blip in 1999, McGriff's production has been on the decline for several years now.  Cox probably won't supplant him this year, but will be the everyday first baseman before long.  White Sox castoff Mike Caruso and Felix Martinez will battle for the shortstop position.  After a spectacular rookie year, Caruso slumped badly and has yet to rediscover the magic.  Tampa better hope he does because Martinez, as good a defender as he is, is a poor offensive player.  Brent Abernathy has been solid this spring and will be a quality everyday second baseman for Tampa.  While he won't be spectacular offensively, he will give them good on base skills and an occasional stolen base.  In the outfield, the D-Rays have team leader Greg Vaughn, Gerald Williams and newly-acquired Ben Grieve.  Vaughn and Williams are near polar opposites.  Vaughn draws walks and has very good power but low average.  Williams has some power, almost no plate discipline, but a good batting average.  Williams will eventually be replaced by 20-year old phenom Josh Hamilton.  Grieve had an "off year" in Oakland last season, which tells a lot about the talent he has: 27 homers, 100+ RBI, and an on base percentage of nearly .360.  That's an "off-year" for this 25-year old.  The D-Rays also have 2 more outfielders on the way - Carl Crawford and Greg "Toe" Blake, both of whom are graded by scouts as impact players.  Behind the plate, Tampa hopes that some combination of John Flaherty and Mike Defelice will provide them major league average production.  While the Devil Rays won't be good (yet), they will improve over last year's disaster and in 3 or 4 years, if they can find good production at short and catcher, they could have one of the better offenses in the AL. RATING: 50
 

Defense

Tampa does a decent job of catching the ball.  Williams has very good range in center.  Martinez had the best range of any shortstop in the majors last year.  The rest of the team is average to above average on D.  RATING: 55 
 

Starting Pitching

The Devil Rays most devastating injuries last year came in the rotation.  Both Wilson Alvarez and Juan Guzman were out for most, if not all of the season.  Tony Saunders valiant comeback from a broken arm ended tragically before he could make it back.  Albie Lopez filled in admirably but is not the answer to the need for a front end starter.  Paul Wilson finished strongly and looks to have finally returned to the form that had him atop the prospect lists 4 years ago.  If he can keep his shoulder healthy, he should be the ace they've been looking for.  Jesus Colome and Matt White have tremendous upside but are still to young to be counted on for a regular rotation spot.  Ryan Rupe and Brian Rekar will be keeping their spots in the rotation until Colome and White are ready.  Rekar, once a solid prospect for the Rockies, has struggled the past couple of years but is having a terrific spring.  He has enough talent to be a solid middle of the rotation starter.  This probably won't be the year things come together for this staff.  However, if they can keep the young guys healthy, a rotation with Wilson, Colome and White will be formidable by 2003.  RATING: 50 (but rising fast)
 

Bullpen

In order to get Ben Grieve, the Devil Rays had to give up their closer Roberto Hernandez.  That will cause some problems initially as it will probably take a while to fill his shoes.  Estaban Yan and Tanyon Sturze are the most likely candidates, with Yan having the inside track.  In 30 innings in relief last year, Yan struck out 34 batters while walking only 8, very promising numbers for someone who throws as hard as he does.  Sturze seems more suited for starting so if Yan can establish himself as the man at the end, look for manager Larry Rothchild to bolster his young rotation with Sturze.  The rest of the bullpen is not that strong so unless someone can close the gate at the end, this could be a source of consternation all season.  RATING: 45
 

Management

Larry Rothchild was a very good pitching coach.  As a manager, it's hard to say.  He hasn't really been given a whole lot to work with, but then again, his teams haven't really over-achieved either.  Chuck Lamar has done a good job of building and his trade for Grieve should be considered a coup.  His trade for Kevin Stocker a few years ago - surrendering Bobby Abreu - should be considered an unmitigated disaster.  He hasn't really showed a whole lot with his in-season trades, so it's hard to guess how he'd do if his team were in contention.
RATING: 50
 

Conclusion

There are still too many pieces missing to consider the Devil Rays a contender, especially in the hotly contested AL East.  But many of the pieces are in view on the horizon and it won't be long before they will be in the thick of the race.