raysup

If the season ended today . . . and it did

• Fan Exhaustion 
• Marlins did not return to NY 
• Gabe Kaplan – too rough for San Francisco Giants  - perfect fit for the Angels
• Steve Cohen, Mets, says goodbye to Buck Showalter
• Dusty Baker was able to meld a fractured Astros team
• Tony Francona strength - listens & cares for his players
• Big Papi meets Tony Francona
• Miguel Cabrera retirement – would Miggy have continued his career in Miami sans Loria
• Joey Votto ejection statement
• World Series walk begins with Wild Card best 2 out of 3
• 3 game competition gives a better sense of a teams’ measure
• Mat would like a postseason without byes for any teams 
• Tampa Bay Rays, Never know what you are going to have at the end of the series
• Rays will face weaker pitching with Rangers & Orioles
• Yandy Diaz wins batting average title
• No local Bally Sports in postseason
• Difficulty with national broadcasters doing such a poor job on the Rays – John Smoltz
• MLB beats their chest on increased viewership, however continue blackouts
• MLB building revenue base through Repetition, Frequency, Gambling
• Entertainment shows for Baseball in 7th inning stretch?
• Tyler Glasnow & Taylor Swift arm in arm promo for the Rays?
• Cardinals, Adam Wainwright concerts
• Saint of Second Chances – Mike Veeck – Disco Demo in Chicago & fireworks in the Trop
• PostSeason Rays, Tapia, Aranda, Basabe & Junior Caminero
• Rays Roster Luke Raley & Jose Siri may return.  Who will leave
• Junior Caminero AA rookie with veteran performance 
• Basabe will probably not make it to postseason
• Mat measures the impact of not facing Blue Jays, righties Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios & Chris Bassitt 
• Junior Caminero will bring a lot to the plate facing Rangers lefties
• Kevin Cash & Wild Card roster
• Marlins – how will they fare against the Phillies
• Lou Schiff’s @BaseballandLaw, Marlins team is building a lot of experience
• Kudos to Kim Ng for her constructive calls for the Marlins
• Mat & Mark face off on National League champion choices Atlanta Braves or Milwaukee Brewers
• 3 PM First Pitch starts to Wild Card games 
• MLB should consider NFL model of broadcasting most games simultaneously? 
• How many viewers does MLB lose while fans are at work during broadcast?
• Mark reminiscences about days of old with newspaper box scores & radio as the only source to track the game
• Mat likes Balanced schedule but needs consideration of extending playoffs & possibly cutting regular season by 3 games. Also scheduling should consider varying local weather impact throughout the season.
• Mat’s proposed New MLB format would include:
• MLB with 32 teams & 5 game playoff & cut regular season to 159 teams
• What does a 32-team format look like
• Create 4 regional divisions to 8 teams per region
• Set number of teams to 2 top per region that enter into the playoffs
• Junior Caminero from AA skips AAA leaps to Major League Tampa Bay Rays
• Caminero is mature & methodical with a veteran attitude
• Rays Bullpen pitching plan, Taj Bradley – a strategy reflects Dodger method with Julio Urias
• Taj is a cool & fierce competitor

  Thanks to Mat Germain. Mat can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_   Mark can be found on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz
  BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple,

• MLB Rundown 
• Long stretch of games for O’s – facing Astros, Red Sox, Nationals & Guardians
• AL West strength who will prevail into Wild Card spot – Astros, Mariners & Rangers 
• NL East – Atlanta Braves rule across entire AL
• Compare Braves & Brewers  pretty evenly matched in starting pitching 
• BaseballBiz visit to Camden Yards – Avid & loud fans with a Sold Out crowd of 43,000 plus fans
• Mat’s visit to Camden Yards, sat in the vanishing left field seats w/Blue Jays fans
• Finding moments & milestones with Yandy Diaz
• Select a Rays jersey with player longevity with the Rays - Isaac Paredes 
• Yandy & Isaak quietly build a great body of baseball work
• Game 2 – Zach Eflin was on fire against the Orioles Eflin, the most important & steady confident player of the Rays. Cy Young award talk
• Game 3 with Orioles – Tyler’s pitching was off and Rays lost
• Grayson Rodriguez - pitched a career-high 8 scoreless innings on 7 strikeouts & 5 hits (O's Game Notes) ‘he fanned Curtis Mead on a 100.1 mph fastball in the 2nd inning, the 2nd fastest strikeout pitch by an O’s starter in the Statcast era …His 117 strikeouts this season are the 10th-most by an O’s rookie at 23 years old
• No Yankees & Red Sox this postseason 
• Grayson Rodriguez & Shane McClanahan comparisons on style and health
• Brandon Lowe – (O's Game Notes) slugged his 21st home run of the season in the first inning; marked the 105th homer of his career, surpassing Carl Crawford for sole possession of 6thplace on the Rays all-time home run list…Also marked his 202nd career extra-base hit, tying him w/Fred McGriff for eighth-most in team history
• Game 4 – 11 inning loss for the Rays 
•  Why did Kevin Cash use Pete Fairbanks for 2 innings 
• Rays face Angels next
• Shohei Ohtani 
• Ray Bourque & the Boston Bruins path could that be the same for Mike Trout
• Angels need an Alex Anthopoulos style GM to rebuild their organization – perhaps Chaim Bloom
• Pirates could be a model for a new Angels path
• Will Rays keep a .600 record for the remaining season?
• Teams with a Bye may go cold with time off at the beginning of postseason
• The Stadium of the Future – Virtual Ballpark – with live - on-field avatars
• AppleTV & MLB –  a camera shot from the seats with the Canadian broadcast 
• Rays’ Tristan Gray (O's Game Notes) Gray made his 1st MLB start, 1st career hit, and launched his first career home run in the 8th inning

Thanks to Mat Germain. Mat can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_   Mark can be found on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz
BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple,Spotify & Google podcasts & @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & https://www.baseballbizondeck.com

Please like, follow and comment. Let us know your thoughts about the show. DM Mark on Twitter  X @TheBaseballBiz
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Mat Germain visits BaseballBiz On Deck to look at the Tampa Bay Rays as they enter the last 24 games of the 2023 season.

• Waivers – Angels – Guardians results 
• Rays faced former Rays pitcher Matt Moore
• Miami Marlins – Thanks to Lou Schiff @BaseballandLaw
• Losing series to Cleveland Guardians – Bad Aura?
• 24 games left are some players hiding injuries
• Taylor Walls & Kevin Kiermaier comparisons – 
• Some sloppiness in recent defense - Is Taylor missing confidence -1.4 defensive rating & 8 errors
• Osleivis Basabe is a better shortstop than Taylor
• Shortstop glut – Walls comparing himself to Wander Franco?
• Heart & Hustle & Confidence equation that Taylor needs to achieve
• Rays need to go back to building a competitive environment
• Quick at Bats hurting Rays?
• Rays top hitters, Yandy Diaz, Jose Siri, & Isaak Paredes, benched during the Red Sox game
• Speedy Vidal Brujan got tagged at third
• Rays Fun & Frustrating, Fun & Frustrating
• It’s baseball – Yankees swept Astros in Houston, A’s wins series over Angels 
• Could Yankees win 22 of 25 remaining games to remain relevant – Not Likely
• The A’s have a better future than the Angels – Will Ohtani and Trout stick around
• Angels dealt away 6 of their top 10 prospects – looks like a lean future 
• Yankees & Angels both are burdened by injuries and top salaries to Judge, Cole, Ohtani & Trout
• Stubborn ownership & weak scouting making bad decisions for both Yankees & Angels
• Perry Minasian, GM for the Angels has relatively no say with budget & players
• What does it take to change Owners minds to build and keep a better team in Anaheim
• Yankees’ Aaron Boone always apologizing and making excuses 
• Yankees Front Office has been lazy in Analytics & Development
• Promote Cashman to President to stop him as GM & keeping dinosaurs around Judge
• Could David Stearns be the new Yankees GM – who would he select as team manager
• CB Bucknor & Angel Hernandez – MLB need a retirement age for umps - Umpires should be anonymous 
• Tommy La Sorda & Video Replay
• Rays Opening Day roster compared to today’s lineup – pitching has taken a hard hit but Rays have done a great job rebuilding rotation
• Will we see Colby White, Curtis Mead, Junior Caminero & Austin Shenton come up in September
• Rays Minor League Teams have a chance to be in the Minor League Series. Durham Bulls, Montgomery Biscuits & Charleston River Dogs – post season may find some Rays minor league players in Perth, Australia
• Phenoms Wander Franco & Julio Urias probably out. How can league use these as learning moments for their players
• Need Mentoring system for new players to keep them on the right path

Special Thanks to Mat Germain. Mat can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_   Mark can be found on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz
  BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple,Spotify & Google podcasts & @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter and of course on https://www.baseballbizondeck.com
 
Please like, follow and comment. Let us know your thoughts about the show. DM Mark on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz
Thanks to Tampa Baseball Museum for their continuous support.
 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Author, Rick Vaughn, "100 years of Baseball on St. Petersburg's Waterfront. How the Game Helped Shape a City" discusses Al Lang & the evolution of MLB Spring Training in St. Pete. Rick’s front office career spans the Orioles, Redskins & Vice President of Communications with the Tampa Bay Rays. #RaysUp

• Baltimore, rolling out Camden Yards
•  Rick's book of baseball stories  -  "100 years of Baseball on St. Petersburg's Waterfront. How the Game Helped Shape a City"
• Al moved to St. Petersburg for his health & fell in love with the community
• Brought the best teams to St Petersburg - Boston Braves, New York Yankees, St Louis Cardinals & . . . 
• Keeping it fresh - Boston Braves depart St Pete on Tuesday & Al has a new team, the St. Cardinals in place by Saturday
• Babe Ruth's Train
• Tampa paid Cubs to bring their spring training to the city 
• Al Lang, philanthropy
• The Depression, Spring Training & the impact on St. Pete
• Babe Ruth & St. Pete, a love affair
• Yankees moved team from New Orleans to turn down the Babe’s night life
• All Children’s hospital recipient of Ruth’s generosity
• Minor League Map of Florida - watching up & coming players 
• 1968 - 29 future Hall of Famers in Al Lang Field 
• 90 Tampa natives that have played Major League Baseball
• Seaver & Gooden both playing in Tampa high schools simultaneously
•  minor league players in Tampa - Justin Crawford with the Threshers
• 1960 the death of Al Lang
• Fighting Segregation in Tampa Bay Baseball - Bill White & Dr. Ralph Wimbish, 
• Cardinals brought all players, managers & families under one roof in St. Pete 
• Did Florida lose spring training teams to Arizona due to segregation?
• Al Lang & Rick Vaughn strong champions of the game
• prepping for the launch of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• Buck Showalter or Socha could have possibly been the first Rays GM
• Rays original Owner & GM had not worked in baseball
• What makes a great ballpark experience in an outdoor open ballpark
• Rays future stadium should honor the past & deliver a park with modern day amenities
• Build a Rays stadium in Ybor reflecting the history of Ybor & the cigar factories
• Tampa Bay needs a champion for baseball and the Tampa Bay Rays
• Wade Boggs stories at Al Lopez field & Tino Martinez working in cigar factory
• Tampa baseball with the Cubs & Red Sox
• Augustus Busch Jr, owner of St. Louis Cardinals brought Busch Gardens to Tampa

Rick's book on Amazon @
 "100 years of Baseball on St. Petersburg's Waterfront. How the Game Helped Shape a City"
BaseballBiz On Deck on iheartradio, Apple, Spotify & Google & www.BaseballBizOnDeck.com
Please like, subscribe and remark. Let us know your thoughts about the show.
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Mat & Mark dig into the Fenway experience and the potential for Boston to come back hard when Adam Duval & Trevor Story return.

• The Fires in Canada and the impact on people
• Rays play in Cold, Wet & Rain at Fenway
• Eflin, Glasnow, McClanahan & Bradley – top tier pitching talent
• Manuel Margot takes a hard hit against the scoreboard
• Rays gel together as players & family & RedSox needs of team meetings
• Trevor Story & Adam Duval will be returning soon & becoming more of a threat in AL East
• Red Sox were 29 – 23 outside of games with the Rays
• Toronto Blue Jays – a hair away from Tanking
• What’s up with Alek Manoah – Not a Roy Halladay, Can Manoah come back strong
• Fenway Fans – need some of their top players back. They  are not happy with Duran and cannot wait for Duval to return.
• Boston Red Sox – Keystone Kops defense gave Yandy Diaz a “little league home run” Everything may change when Trevor Story returns to Shortstop and Kike Hernández
• Ron Washington of the Atlanta Braves has reset the team defensively. Red Sox need that kind of coach
• To build a stronger Red Sox team they need to bring up Marcelo Mayer at Shortstop, Kike in Centerfield, Trevor Story at second base and Devers at third.
• Orioles still need to make investments into pitching
• Reds exciting times ahead with Ely De La Cruz
• The Rays are Marvelous – Rays, Yankees & Orioles are leading both the American and National Leagues
• Rays upcoming schedule & upcoming return of Andrew Kittredge will make the future bright
• Will Quebec get an MLB team? Government is supportive of the idea of attracting an MLB team. But what will Bronfman and ownership group offer to build a stadium.
•  Costs could include other costs of $2.5 billion to make this happen
• Other cities most likely to get a MLB team - Vegas, Utah, Portland, Charlotte or Nashville 
• Nevada government has ended session without a guarantee of financial support for a new stadium. Ownership needs to take on the responsibility of buying and building a stadium
• Rays still have not established their new stadium and location has not been finalized. 
• The Fenway Park experience – reasonable Ball Park Food Prices and Fan passion 
• Bucket List parks – Wrigley Field & Petco
• Rays Minor Leagues – Evan McKendry, Pitcher of the Month
• Vidal Brujan
• Mat & Mark’s projections for Tampa Bay Rays for total season wins for the Rays
• Rays players potential trades to come

Special Thanks to Mat Germain. Mat can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_
  BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple,Spotify & Google podcasts & @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter and of course on https://www.baseballbizondeck.com
 
Please like, follow and comment. Let us know your thoughts about the show. DM Mark on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz

Thanks to Tampa Baseball Museum for their continuous support.
  
 Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Mat Germain recounts with Mark this past rough week in New York with the Tampa Bay Rays  playing both Yankees & Mets 

• Blame Game – Yankees pelting Randy Arozarena. Aaron Boone old school on playing the game. Boone is he channeling Billy Martin attitude. Boone a man of great character 
• Yankees talent – Harrison Bader brings the Cardinal way to the field. Rizzo & Bader make a good supporting staff with Aaron Judge. What happened to Gleyber Torres? 
• Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, Drew Rasmussen, has been moved to the IL. What will his return look like. What will the Rays rotation look like. 
• 6 man rotation, limited innings, taxi rides with minors pitching, will that mitigate the likelihood of injuries or diminish enthusiasm. 
• Rays’ strategy – Talent trumps Experience 
• Rays’ front office needs to help Kevin Cash with the bullpen 
• Jason Adam looking for the touch and feel needed for better pitching 
• Pete Fairbanks – will he be able to pitch in the cold weather of October 
• Home field advantage would benefit Pete with controlled temperature at the Trop 
• The Rays will be aiming for “elite” when trades begin and will be building a strong rotation for later in the season and playoffs. 
• Mat’s 5 man rotation -  Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Josh Fleming, Taj Bradley & Yonni Chirinos. Next steps, Rays need to promote some of our AA pitchers to AAA 
• @Mat_Germain_ on Twitter talks about potential of adding Pete Alonso or Freddie Freeman to the Rays roster to anchor the lineup 
• Would Mets, Steve Cohen, let Alonso leave. What’s Pete thinking? 
• What’s next with the Mets? Top talent on short term contracts with mega-stars. 
• Great to watch the Mets pitching this year with Verlander, Kodai Senga, Scherzer. 
• Yankees Slam – Bad behavior in Toronto – gum-throwing Aaron Boone & Domingo German with sticky hands. 
• Sticky Stuff is the MLB equivalent of the NBA traveling call 
• Rays come home this week. Hoping for the return of some good vibes. Tough schedule ahead starting with Brewers, Blue Jays & Dodgers. 
• Mental State of the team – how will they be now. Did they lose some momentum this past week. 
• Kevin Cash trying to get Randy Diaz to smile 
• Looking forward to eX-rays returning to the Trop this week, Mike Brosseau, Ozzie Timmons & Willie Adames 
• Fenway is On Deck 

Special Thanks to Mat Germain. Mat can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_
 BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple,Spotify & Google podcasts & @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
 
and of course on https://www.baseballbizondeck.com

Please like, follow and comment. Let us know your thoughts about the show. DM Mark on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz
 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Mat Germain, deep dive analyst of the Tampa Bay Rays visits to give us a breakdown of their ongoing success and what we may expect

• Are we there yet – heading to Disney World
•  Steadfast & Disciplined team making excellent baseball decisions. Rays have come together organically as a team
• Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco, Isaac Paredes increased plate discipline
• Josh Lowe & Taylor Walls have increased zone awareness thus escalating the number of pitches from their opponent
• Best year in baseball since building the pyramids
• What if the Rays win only 50% of their remaining games they will be at 92 wins
• Kyle Monzardo, Ruben Cardenas, Vidal Brujan & Curtis Mead can continue to gain experience in AAA
• Yankees series in Tampa – Rays kept their foot on the gas pedal and will change the whole month of May with that series
• Mark had to walk out of the room when Gerrit Cole was pitching
• Rays Tropicana attendance soared during Yankees series
• RandyLand Rays Marketing team steps up
• Yankees dependent on a happy Gerrit Cole & need to build up team with players like Volpe & Cabrera
• Cleavinger out for the season. Keep your eye on up and coming Joe LaSorsa
• Injuries and Tommy John’s how the Rays have dealt with it.
• What to do with Brandon Lowe situation – move up Josh Lowe in the lineup
• AL East is a Beast           
• Divsions are antiquated. Just break it down to 2 Leagues. What happens with the rivalries
• Pat Williams of the Orlando Magic is ready to bring Major League or Baseball to Orlando. Will they have local support? How will that impact the Marlins, the Rays and the TV markets?
• Are most Tampa politicians Yankees fans. St. Pete has the most to offer the Rays and the community
• Could the new Rays “Trop” arena follow the Montreal Olympic Stadium model with a translucent roof? 
• Maybe follow the Rangers with that industrial military hangar look. 
• Projections for the upcoming Baltimore and Yankees road trip.
• Mark’s Pithy Party – jabs MLB Network broadcaster for not knowing how to correctly say Wander (Frahn-co) Franco’s name not to mention calling Shane McClanahan, Shane McClellan. Come on guys, Wake Up. Give a little respect to these players.
• Big Picture for the Rays – 104 wins
• Slow start in Charleston & Bowling Green. Will there be a larger focus on pitching or bats
• Getting ready for the Draft
• Be on the lookout for Chandler Simpson in the Rays future
•  Love letter to the Rays front office:  “Please for the love of Pete, go get major impact pieces please.”
• Minor Leagues are where it is at. Just ask Kevin Kiermaier who climbed up through the minors and then spent 10 years with the Rays

Follow Mat Germain  on Twitter @Mat_Germain_
  BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify and at https://www.baseballbizondeck.com
For more information on the museum visit https://www.tampabaseballmuseum.org/

For more information on Mental Health you may reach out to the National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI)

• 2 teams undefeated in MLB – Twins &  Rays 
  the Twins rotation is strong 
•  Royals beat the Jays – what happened to Berrios
•  AL East 
  •  Don’t write off the Red Sox - Rafael Devers 
  •  Toronto has traded off much of their lineup
  •  Baltimore will their pitching hold up 
• NL East  
  • Mets are experiencing what it’s like a 40 year old Cy Young award winner
  • Braves & Mets leading NL East
  •  Marlins acquisition of Luis Arraez will strengthen their team. They need more offense
•  NL Central
  •  Mat called it when he saw Brice Turang in AAA is a spark plug Brewers lineup 
  •  Chicago Cubs disappointing start
  •  Over all Parity between the teams in NL East will be a dogfight
  •  Highlights – Brian Reynolds w/ Pirates, Reds pitching looking solid
  • Brett Taylor  Bleacher Nation and Dansby Swanson great debut with the Cubs
• NL West
  • Dodgers young players stepping up
  •  Diamondbacks – will MadBum be able to be back to himself
  •  Rockies – Kris Bryant showing promise
  •  Diamondbacks, Evan Longoria – Longo can still hit it Long
• Mat Germain  – fWAR tweet
  •  Hitters who've already reach 0.5 fWAR: 
  • 1 Adam Duvall 0.7 #RedSox 2 Wander Franco 0.6 #Rays 3 James Outman 0.5  -  fWAR definition - https://bit.ly/3m9GkxO
• More on NL West
  • Mark asks Oakland A’s really? 
    Mat, A’s will be pesky – expect them to be better than Nationals
  • Nationals team is only of AAA quality
  • Seattle Mariners expectations to be a powerhouse – NASA rocket or backyard homemade missile?
  • Will Seattle be better when Robbie Ray returns?
•  Angels will continue to be a challenge with Trout & Ohtani
• Balancing of the new 2023 schedule on Division games in first month of the season
•  Will Twins hold 1.000 winning percentage
•  Anthony Rendon – MLB & MLBPA agree on penalty for player behavior. Is this a good sign for a better relationship with union & MLB?
•  Teams can no longer complain about the toughness of their division

Tampa Bay Rays

• Durham Bulls, Rays AAA minor league teams being broadcast on MLBtv & other MiLB games, great way to see the future of the Rays
•  Rays Minor league – players moving up and down from A to AAA teams
•  Durham had a tough series with Norfolk
•  Curtis Mead & Kyle Manzardo they are looking hungry to move upTaj Bradley & Grayson Rodriguez playing in difficult weather
•  Pitching Arms - Tyler Glasnow how much of him will we see him, Zach Eflin, Jeffrey Springs, Shane McClanahan are looking good. We won’t see Shane Baz until next year
•  Closer, Pete Fairbanks - No hits on his past 23 innings – a man possessed
•  Fairbanks & Jason Adam 2 strong arms to depend on in the bullpen
•  Randy Arozarena came out strong hustling against the Nationals

Mat Germain  on Twitter @Mat_Germain_
  BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify

Mat Germain joins BaseballBiz On Deck and takes a look at the Tampa Bay Rays stadium plans

• Tampa Bay Rays new stadium plan
• Downtown development plan omits a Rays Stadium in Ybor City
• St. Pete Mayor, Ken Welch, announces acceptance of Hines & Tampa Bay Rays proposal
• Benefits for St. Pete, Rays, and fans
• Brian Auld's excitement about the new stadium plan but uncertainty about who will pay for what
• Decisions to be made before the first shovel of dirt is tossed
• MLB catching up with Mat Germain's proposal for a balanced schedule
• World Baseball Classic and the possibility of it becoming like the Soccer World Cup
• Possibility of Mike Trout facing Ohtani in the WBC
• Impact of star players participating in the WBC on young players making it to spring training
• Jason Adam's current status
• Extensions signed for Yandy Diaz, Pete Fairbanks, and Jeffrey Springs
• Yandy Diaz delivering nightmares to opposing pitchers with his strike zone awareness
• Potential starting lineup for the Rays (Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe, Isaac Paredes, Josh Lowe)
• Mat's breakdown of starting pitchers and their expected playing time
• Who will be the Rays' "clubhouse guy" bringing positivity to the team
• Rays Fan Fest on Saturday, February 18
• Spring Training games in air conditioning at the Tropicana
• New faces that may be seen at Fan Fest (Kevin Kelly, Coby White, Zach Eflin, Curtis Mead, Kyle Manzardo). 
  (show notes by ChatGPT)

Mat Germain can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_

 BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts & @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
 
Please like, follow and remark. Let us know your thoughts about the show. DM Mark on Twitter @TheBaseballBiz
 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward" 

Sources & Links:

• Rays Fan Fest - https://www.mlb.com/rays/fans/fan-fest 
• St Pete Mayor announces moving forward with Hines & Tampa Bay Rays proposal, Channel 10 Tampa Bay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG8VDa2Dmm8 
• Brian Auld - Tampa Bay Rays what needs to go right and who will pay for what, Channel 10 Tampa Bay:   https://www.youtube.com/live/VFjOWs7cxxM?feature=share 

RaysUp! Neil Solondz, pre-game, post-game announcer, podcast host & occasional play by play guy for the Tampa Bay Rays

• Working with Andy Freed & Dave Wills
• “Living in Life’s Candy Store” – Dave Wills
• Tampa Bay Rays strength of Finding, Evaluating & Teaching Young Players
• Team has been strong and in the running 4 years in a row
• Change with loss of Zunino, Kiermaier . . . 
• Rays 2023 Potential Rotation – Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs & Zach Eflin
• Zach Eflin – hometown boy – most of career with Phillies – Now 3 year contract with the Rays
• Rays Minor League players on the cusp to rise this year include Curtis Mead, Taj Bradley & Colby White & Kyle Manzardo
• Great Minor League team partners
• Post- Hurricane Ian damage - Spring Training  – in Orlando for the first few weeks and then move to Trop for most of the home games.
• New 2023 Rays interleague printable schedule
• Rays have one of the longest & most tenured group of broadcasters
  • Neil praises Dave & Andy 19 years as Rays broadcasters as being 2 of the best broadcasters & kudos to the entire broadcasting team
  • Broadcasters Enrique Oliu & Ricardo Taveras - Spanish Radio Tampa Bay Rays
• Manny Navarro translator for the team 
• What preparations Neil takes in preparing for the upcoming season 
• What will the 2023 roster look like
• How will new schedule impact Rays “It’s not who you play it’s when you play them” -  reflecting on Reds & Rays games in July 2022
• Tampa Bay Rays Podcast news & interviews with Neil Solondz
• Neil's Advocacy on Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. We all can help you can reach Neil on Twitter  @neilsolondz 

Notes:
Dave Wills & Andy Freed - Tampa Bay Times Story
Twitter: @AndrewFreed33 & @davewills34

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness
Neils Advocacy: https://secure.pancan.org/site/TR/PurpleStride/PurpleStride?fr_id=2692&pg=entry

General: https://secure.pancan.org/site/TR/PurpleStride/PurpleStride?px=1274265&pg=personal&fr_id=2692

Neil Solondz website
Rays Radio: https://www.mlb.com/rays/fans/radio
Twitter @neilsolondz

Photo of Neil Solondz used in Social Media 
courtesy Will Vragovic – Tampa Bay Rays

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple & Google podcasts 
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• Yankees, Astros, Padres & Phillies - ALDS & NLDS begins 
• Mat Germain shares his PostSeason vision with a #RaysUp attitude
• ALDS is finally over  - After Guardians fell to the NY Yankees 
• ALCS  - New York Yankees & Houston Astros 
• NLCS  - San Diego Padres & Philadelphia Phillies
• Will not be watching ALCS – not interested in Astros or Yankees franchise
• Nestor Cortes is the most likeable Yankee
• Aaron Hicks, Josh Donaldson & Oswaldo Cabrera  - need to use peripheral vision to avoid collision
• Collisions and concussions can be Career-Enders – Justin Morneau
• Dangerous pitching from Nolan Ryan to Aroldis Chapman
• Phillies & Padres – How much weight has Juan Soto taken off of the Padres front office
• Phillies Bryce Harper is ready – “Put a Ring On It”
• PostSeason with a Tampa Bay Rays perspective
• Former Rays on Phillies with José Alvarado & Andrew Bellatti 
• Padres with former Rays: Blake Snell, Jake Cronenworth  & Wil Myers
• Rays “had a serious lack of grit” this postseason
• We need that high intensity, commitment & grit that we had in the past with Kiermaier, Zunino, Brosseau, 
• Randy Arozarena & Yandy Diaz dilemma siphoned off energy  from the team
• Kevin Cash - we have to stop playing like sh*t
• Harold Ramirez & David Peralta carried a heavy load. Would Josh Lowe have made a difference
• Rays what’s next – Loaded with prospects, who will come up and who will go
• Mat’s considerations for future Rays players include: Josh Bell, Jose Abreu, Trey Mancini, Josh Lowe, Daulton Varaho, Austin Slater, Adam Duvall, José Azocar
• Shohei Ohtani would be a dream piece for the team, but highly unlikely
• Eury Perez or Max Meyer could be a good deal for the Rays in a trade with the Marlins if the Rays traded Randy Arozarena
• Taj Bradley & Eury Perez a future pitching combination for the Rays
• Hunter Harvey could be a strong relief pitcher much like Nick Anderson 
• Rays need someone to bring the team together like an Adames. Mat suggests Jose Abreu as a bridge to build love between Yandy & Randy
• Will Rays shop Randy away
• Preparing for 2023 keep an eye on Rule 5 Draft decisions, Winter Leagues, Mason Auer in the AFL (Arizona Fall League),
• Mat list of top Rays Prospects – keep an eye on Ronnie Simon – over 20 Home Runs & over 30 stolen bases

Mat Germain can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain
BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts &
@TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
Please like, subscribe and review. Let us know your thoughts about the show.
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

@Mat_Germain_  shares his insights into the Tampa Bay Rays organization 

• Rays win the 3 game Yankees series at Home 
• Real problem with Game 3 was Ji-man Choi in the #2 spot of the lineup
• Yandy Diaz let final call of the game to the umpire on 3 – 2 count
• David Peralta or Jonathan Aranda should have been moved up in the lineup
• Kevin Cash is loyal to his players to a fault
• Watching the Montgomery Biscuits
• Mat’s analysis with 3-D pitching models 
• Tracking command with Corey Kluber
• Aggressively Attacking the Zone
• Stretching Corey as Rays head to the playoffs
• Kluber incognito on the bench extended to 7th 
• Mat’s process in evaluating Tampa Bay Rays minor league players & teams
• Tracking players through the levels of the minor leagues
• Outfielders – competitive positions – Miles Mastrobuoni, Grant Witherspoon
• Infield Glut  -  Vidal Brujan & Xavier Edwards may be playing in the Outfield
• Taylor Walls – elite defender at SS or 2nd
• Will Rays trade Brandon Lowe in off season
• Josh Lowe may be keeping an eye on Jose Siri
• Wander Franco is warming up now with the Durham Bulls, 
• Will Tyler Glasnow & Yonny Chirinos be back by playoffs
• MLB potential changes – number of pitchers on team rosters
• Umpires not giving the right calls & extending the pitch count 
• RoboUmps & Pitch clock are on the horizon
• MLB takes over MiLB Operations in Vero Beach 
• Double the camera angles to reduce human error on calls in baseball
• Orioles continue to fly higher this season
• Twins, Guardians & White Sox what is happening, AL Central banner  “Nobody wants it.”
• Great Fans of the game – love your team – love the game – respect the competition
• How Rays move pitchers like Taj Bradley & Shane Baz through the Rays minor league farm system
• Rays have the extra boost and momentum to close the gap with the Yankees

Special Thanks to Mat Germain  @Mat_Germain­_ on Twitter for his insights, analysis and news on the Tampa Bay Rays

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts &
@TheBaseballBiz on Twitter 
Please like, subscribe and remark. Let us know your thoughts about the show.
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• Mark @TheBaseballBiz visits the Louisville Bats at Slugger Field
• White Sox  affiliate Charlotte Knights v Reds affiliate Louisville Bats
• Gavin Sheets & Jonathan India faced off in the MiLB
• Baseball Family Fun, Fireworks & Fight Chants
• Support your local Minor League teams
• New York Yankees v Tampa Bay Rays
• Yankees continue to Rise
• Aaron Judge hits 25th Home Run of the year
• Gerrit Cole v Corey Kluber
• The Rays errors from Manuel Margot, Randy Arozarena
• 16 minutes lost by Umpires trying to increase the pace of play
• Sporting News article details what happened with the Umpire discussion
• Brandon @SportsBlitzPod gives the MLB Rundown
• NL East Atlanta Braves is looking good
• St. Louis Cardinals leading NL Central
• Dodgers & Padres tied for the lead in NL West
• Yankees 6th team to win 46 of their first 62 games
• Matt Carpenter is setting new personal records
• Tarik Skubal will he make All Star Game
• Joe Maddon's Mohawk did not save his Angels or his job
• What's happening in other Sports 
• NHL Stanley Cup - Tampa Bay Lightning,  

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• Breaking News on New Signaling devices ProMystic & PitchCom
• Austin Meadows traded to Detroit for Isaac Paredes & a draft pick
• Meadows will bring strength against the AL Central right handed pitcher
• Is Tampa Bay Rays infield crowded – any room for Paredes – Vidal Brujan, Taylor Walls & others block the path
• Trusting Erik Neander, the Chess GrandMaster of trading
• Will Carlos Correa bring the Twins out of the basement?
• What will AL Central look like this year
• Shortstop Movement for 2022 – Correa, Trevor Story, Javy Baez,  Corey Seager, Marcus Semien
• Aaron Judge –  How much will a 30 year old be paid - Next El Capitan?
• Can Judge stay healthy – will Aaron say no Vaccinations and to playing in the Toronto Blue Jay games
• A few words from Carlos Beltran on the Judge at the YES network
• How many of your team’s games will be blacked-out or streamed elsewhere
• MLBtv, Amazon, Peacock, Youtube, Apple+, Hulu, ESPN2, ESPN+, BallySports, YES, 
• MLBtv – out of market games  & 1 Free game a day
• Brandon’s story in following NASCAR on FS1 & the Daytona 24
• Jose Ramirez 3B signs extension with Guardians with a 5 year 124 million extension

BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, Spotify & Google podcasts
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod on Twitter 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

Will & David talk with Ashlee Wilson, Director of Partnership & Marketing for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, about the role the ball park plays in the community, curating the fan experience, and planning events that create memories for a lifetime.

Learn more about BG Hot Rods by visiting milb.com/bowling-green

Find out more about Sublime Media Group at sublimemediagroup.com

Baseball Analyst, Mat Germain, takes a deep dive into the Rays tank and discovers good news.

• 2022 Rays lineup projections
• Emerging players, Josh Lowe, Vidal Brujan, Taylor Walls
• Yandy Diaz - his bat is coming to life
• Outfield is looking great with KK, Arozarena, Margot & Phillips
• Kiermaier & Austin Meadow trade rumours
• Rays Pitching Rotation - Corey Kluber can be a great stablizer 
• Looking forward to seeing Jalen Beeks coming back to mound. 
• Base Speed – Arozarena, Kiermaier, Phillips gain another base
• Chaim Bloom and the Boston Red Sox making some moves with Trevor Story 
• NYC drops Covid restrictions for Aaron Judge, Kylie Irving & other NYC Un-Vaxed. Will Judged be docked for games he can't play in Toronto. If Trevor can do it so can you.
• Tim Beckham hits a Home Run and gives a cold stare into the Rays dugout  as he slowly trots home. 
• Erik Neander got rid of the Old Guard and gave the team to Kevin Cash
• PECOTA ratings on the Rays is wildly inaccurate - ask Mad Dog
• Stealing Base - Rays base speed tracking
• Enlarging the bases may allow the Rays to break some records. 
• Mat’s AL East 2022 projections

Special Thanks to Mat Germain who can be found on Twitter @Mat_Germain_
BaseballBiz is also on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple & Google podcasts 
You can reach Mark @TheBaseballBiz on Twitter & Brandon @SportsBlitzPod 
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music "Rocking Forward"

• Kiermaier politely laments
• Rays & Red Sox rock it for 13 innings looking for the advantage to win best 4 of 5
• How deep is your pitching staff
• Did the last inning Ground Rule Double steal the Rays steam
• Mark and Brandon discuss @Mat_Germain_  Rays expert 6 postgame insights and questions to last nights game.
• Drew Rasmussen - what happened?
• How would you build a solid 5 man rotation amongst the 13 pitchers on the Rays postseason roster.
• After bringing 9 pitchers to the mound how do you plan for Game 4 pitching?
• Brandon Lowe - Where are you and why did you bunt?
• Mike Zunino is suffering - should Mejia been brought in to face Pivetta
• Ground Rule Double - should it be modified, should Umps on the field make final call
• Schwarber in runner's lane. Intentional or just dumb at first base? Umps should have called it.
• Accolades to those Rays that brought it to ALDS game 3, Robertson, Arozarena, Kiermaier, Franco & Robertson
• Time to pull our big boy pants up and RaysUp tonight for ALDS Game 4 in Fenway

Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day at the Trop

• 3:29  Part 2 Interview with Marlins fan Lou Schiff @BaseballandLaw talk Sandy Alcantara, Jesus Aguilar mentors Jazz Chisolm, Cory Dickerson, Jon Berti, Chad Wallach, Starling Marte
  
  
• Six percent of MLB season played
  
  
• 20:45  -  Rays freeze in Boston with the Red Sox and lose series
  
  
• 22:20 - Yankees Series - Ugly Rivalry - Hit By Patch 
  • Brandon - "You cant be a Savage if your Soft" Wrestlemania attitude to the field
  • 24:35  Game 1 - Rich Hill 6 innings & 7 strikeouts, The Shift, Corey Kluber
  • 29:45  Game 2 - Chris Archer returns leaves w/forearm issues, Austin Meadows delivers with home run
  • 33:00  Game 3 - Brent Honeywell starts first 2 innings after 4 surgeries & 1300 days later.  Meadows gets hit 2x by Yankees' Jordan Montgomery and  wins CC Sabathia Sportsmanship award
• HBP is getting old - A warning has been issued -
  
  
• 41:45   eX-Ray Report on Texas Ranger Nate Lowe.  Should we have kept him
  
  
• Breaking News on Ranger game 1  - Tyler Glasnow is magnificent - 14 strikeouts - potential Cy Young winner.  Special Thank you to Willy Adames for his solo homer that brought in the only run for the entire game.
  
  
• 46:40  Rays injury report  Ji-Mon Choi, Nick Anderson, Kevin Kiermaier, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche, Oliver Drake, Yonny Chirinos, Jalen Beeks, Pete Fairbanks
• Jeffrey Springs excitement to come.

Special Thanks to Scott Holmes for the music Stomps and Claps
Also thanks to  Lou Schiff @BaseballandLaw, Brandon @SportsBlitzPod and Mark @TheBaseballBiz 

RaysUp edition of BaseballBiz

Mark an Brandon take a look at 
Who will be on the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays roster 

• Congrats to Marlins new GM, Kim Ng
• Kevin Cash, Manager of the Year, Tampa Bay Rays
• Tampa Bay Rays Roster cooking on the stove
• What deals will be cut by Erik Neander
• Kevin Kiermaier, 
• Blake Snell,
• Charlie Morton,
• Mike Zunino,
• Hunter Renfroe,
• Yoshi Tsutsugo
• Special Thanks to Tricia Whitaker for excerpt of Kevin Cash interview
• Music by XTakeRuX  -  Rocking Forward

This is the teaser episode for the newest show on the Bleav Podcast Network, Play the Bay, hosted by Evan, Kaylee, and Chip. Get ready for the best show covering Tampa Bay's great franchises the Lightning, Rays and Bucs!

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