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Inbox: When will Jennings arrive?
Rays beat reporter Bill Chastain answers fans' questions
By Bill Chastain / MLB.com
11/20/09 12:09 PM EST
When could Desmond Jennings come to the Majors? There's all this talk about starting Matt Joyce, but what about Jennings? He seems very similar to Carl Crawford to me.-- Nick A., Largo, Fla.
I've seen Jennings play a couple of times and he does seem to have all the skills necessary to play in the Major Leagues. While he's similar athletically to Crawford, Jennings still has a lot to prove in regard to whether he's a Major Leaguer, though. I would look for Jennings to begin the season at Triple-A Durham, see how he does, and depending on what happens in the Rays' outfield at the Major League level this season, I could see him in a Tampa Bay uniform by the end of the season.
There was no question that the biggest disappointment in 2009 was Pat Burrell. Will the Rays look to move on from the overrated contract we gave him? Aside from that, is David Price going to be able to establish himself as a building block around Matt Garza and James Shields? Who will be Tampa Bay's closer in 2010?
-- Scott G., Atlanta
Burrell is easily the most talked about player in the e-mails I receive. A lot of Rays fans were disappointed in his season and would like to see him wearing the uniform of another team next season. As I've said in the past, the likelihood of that happening is almost nonexistent based on his performance last year and the fact he will make $9 million in 2010. Those factors make Burrell almost impossible to move. The good news is there is a good chance Burrell's 2009 season was a fluke. Remember, he had to adjust to a new league, new cities, new teammates, being a designated hitter and he fought injuries.
As for Price, he appears to be the real deal to me.
Closer? I'll go with J.P. Howell again.
Where is Tim Beckham going to play when Jason Bartlett, Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist cover the infield?
-- Josciel V., Tampa, Fla.
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Beckham is a shortstop and was the top pick of the First-Year Player Draft in 2008. He will turn 20 in January, so I've got to believe he's got at least two more years in the Minor Leagues. Who knows what the Rays' infield will look like at that point and whether or not Beckham will still be an infielder. There's always a chance with a shortstop that he will be converted to another position.
We obviously have a championship-caliber team, with our infield consisting of powerhouses at the corners and Bartlett and Zobrist up the middle. There's really no need to worry except when it comes to Dioner Navarro. I love the guy's attitude, but he doesn't seem to take the game very seriously anymore. What are the plans for the club's catching situation?
-- Andy S., Odessa, Fla.
Right now, the Rays have made improving the catching position an offseason priority. The problem is that there are few above-average catchers in the game, and most are already on big league clubs. It is the hardest position to find quality for in the Major Leagues. My guess is that unless Tampa Bay trades for a catching improvement, Navarro will again be the team's backstop. If that happens, fans must hope he reverts to his All-Star form of 2008, when his catching seemed to be in a groove and he was one of the team's best clutch hitters.
Could the Rays trade Crawford for some of the Yankees' top Minor League talent like Ian Kennedy and Jesus Montero?
-- Dave M., Benton, Pa.
While I don't believe trading Crawford is out of the question, I would be shocked if the Rays traded him to a division rival. I just don't see that happening.
Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
