Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Penned-in Rollins is now Tampa Bay's plan

I saw this question directed to me about Heath Rollins from the fine folks over at raysprospects.com.
The only one who confuses me a little is Rollins, I assumed the switch to [relief pitcher] was to control his innings, but apparently not. Perhaps (or not) Stacy can shed some light on why this appears to be Rollins' long-term plan?

Perhaps, I can. =)

Though Rollins did have a 3.94 ERA as a starter this year, the Rays no longer project him as a possible starter in the major leagues. He's fully part of the bullpen. With the move, which came when Darin Downs moved up, they want to send Rollins to Arizona to give him extra time to adjust.

I'll fully admit I was 0-for-3 on my early AFL guesses, but I also wasn't sure if one would be eligible. I had Jake McGee, Elliot Johnson and Fernando Perez on my list since all three had missed considerable time with injuries.

((And I like those questions much more than being asked about Auburn and Alabama football! It stuns people around here that I don't know the four-deep depth chart from both schools, plus the favored formations for second-and-short from the right hashmark.))

4 comments:

Doug said...

Thanks Stacy. The "or not" referred to whether you would see the question (or not), not whether you knew the answer.

I still hate to see a decent, if not great, starter at the AA level moved to the pen. He may not be Davis or Hellickson, but he's never had a bad year and always eaten a ton of innings. Now if he had pitched a full season in AAA this year, I could see the move as they prepare to add him to the Rays 25-man. But he's at least a year away, so why now? I'll read (and link to) the article you listed for more info.

On Perez, I don't think he would be eligible. A player can't have more than one full year of MLB service time in the AFL. Since Perez accumulated some last year, and has been on the DL all this year (DL time still counts, even 60-man DL), I think by the time the AFL starts he would be well over 1 year.

I'll see if we can't get you some other Biscuits questions. And here in Ohio, any sportswriter who doesn't know the Buckeyes four-deep is summarily shot, so enjoy the SEC. :)

Stacy Long said...

I'll admit I usually don't read the comments. When I saw there were seven, I gave it a click.

I wasn't sure about Perez because of the service time.

Trust me, a few people have wanted my hide around here. Certain groups didn't like what I wrote last year after top-ranked Alabama didn't look great beating LSU. "If Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country, that doesn't say much for the country."

Doug said...

"If Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country, that doesn't say much for the country."

I can see how that wouldn't go over well in AL, but good for you. I'd much prefer to read a sportwriter who gives his honest opinion than a 'homer'. And not the kind that do it just for the attention, but a serious article pointing out the flaws in a local team. In the long run, serious fans are going to respect your opinion much more than the homers. I think you do the same with your Biscuits coverage, the team is what it is, and you tell it like it is. I also enjoy the personal interest stories you do about the players, and the way you razz them a little (even if Gloria doesn't get it).

Have to ask: Which 2 teams play for the National Championship this season?

Stacy Long said...

Thanks. Oddly, I received no follow-up e-mails after Alabama lost to Florida and Utah.

This year? Hmm, this year?

We used to do preseason guesses in the paper that I always put great study into. Each time, starting in '05, I always came back with the same team for the national title.

Speaking of razzing the players, one particular Biscuit was quite stunned and questioned my sanity when he saw my choice.

You can guess which player that was because I'll go with the same team again.

Rice!!!