Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Dukes in trouble again

I'll let the story speak for itself.

http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/newswire/story/devil-rays-dukes-arrested/

4 comments:

Stacy Long said...

The Rays just released a statement.

"We appreciate the seriousness of this incident, but the Devil Rays organization will not make any further comment while this remains a pending legal matter."

Luke Gofannon said...

Hello,

Just discovered your blog and looking forward to your coverage when the season starts.

This Q is off the topic of the post (though I wish Dukes would turn it around), but here goes: do you know if Longoria and Brignac are expected to start the season in Montgomery? Thanks.

Call of the Game said...

Everything I've heard points to BOTH of them starting here in Montgomery.

Luke Gofannon said...

Sweet. Keith Law with ESPN rates Longoria and Brignac among the top 25 prospects in all of baseball in the Scouts Inc. prospects list. Here's where he ranks (and what he says about) Longoria, Brignac, and some other guys in the DRay pipeline (of course, Delmon Young is no longer just in the pipeline):

2. Delmon Young, RF, Devil Rays
More raw talent than Gordon, but problems with his patience and his temper push him to No. 2. It would still be a huge upset if he doesn't become a big star, hitting for average and power with good defense.

....

13. Evan Longoria, 3B, Devil Rays
Lower ceiling than a lot of guys on this list, but at worst he's a high-contact, high-OBP hitter with moderate power. Should be a defensive asset.

...

21. Reid Brignac, SS, Devil Rays
Only thing keeping him out of the top 10-15 is his position. His defense improved this year, but he's still erratic, and the Rays do not have a good track record at improving the defense of their prospects.

Honorable mentions

....

• Elijah Dukes, OF, Devil Rays
If he would stop trying to unseat Milton Bradley as the Angriest Man in Baseball, he'd be on the list above. Catch him on the right day, and he'll show a 70 bat and 60-70 power. The most impressive thing I saw in the AFL this year was when Dukes (a right-handed hitter) swung at a ball that was off the outside corner and jerked it over the left-field fence.

Remember, those prospect rankings are for all of baseball. Thanks for the good news about Longoria and Brignac. Opening day, April 5th.