Kuzul

The Houston Astros and Miami Marlins took different routes to end up in the dirty cellar of Major League Baseball.

The question is who will get out of the sewage first?

The Astros have played in Houston ever since they started as the Colt .45’s in 1962, but their seasons have lately gone far south of that. A record of 15-36 is a pace that only the Cleveland Spiders could aspire to.

Meanwhile, on the coast of west Florida, the 13-38 Marlins have gone bottoms-up, with a fire-sale the only thing that kept them from drowning in their 2012 Opening Day payroll.

But is there any real hope for these teams in the near future? And which team will we stop scoffing at first?

The Marlins have had their fun in the sun over their franchise’s relatively short life. But now they seem dead in the water; a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since their last of two World Series runs in 2003.

The Astros, who have never won a World Series, are well on to their way to a fifth straight season under .500, and a third consecutive 100-loss campaign.

There was a time where Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkman ran the show in Houston. Heck, even Carlos Lee was a star for them not too long ago.

But now that those talented pieces have departed from everyday duties at Minute Maid Park, what’s left for Houston? Jose Altuve, modern day’s Eddie Gaedel? Or Carlos Pena, once held high but now washed-up?

What Houston does have going for them is the fact Altuve (hitting .311 as of Sunday), at age 23, can be a cornerstone for the team’s future. But players like Brett Wallace (.042 average in 24 plate appearances) and Matt Dominguez haven’t exactly turned into what they were supposed to.

The Marlins have many of the same problems. The one difference between the clubs may be the fact that the Marlins have a potential superstar in Giancarlo Stanton.

But ever since he went on the disabled list, the Marlins have been lost at the plate and in the NL East standings. They have about as many hits as Vanilla Ice and about as much pop as Redenbacher without a microwave.

In fact, Marcell Ozuna is the only hitter (barely) above a .300 average, and no Marlin has shown much power at all, with Justin Ruggiano leading the club with eight homers.

So through all the woes, the lack of building blocks, and not much production from the veterans either, which team has the edge to build a winner again?

In slightly more than a flip of a coin, the ‘Stros have the better future.

The Marlins can’t buy their way out of this one. They went for the high-risk, high-reward strategy again after it worked twice for World Series runs, but the third time was the charm of destruction for Miami.

They have a brand new stadium they are paying off, and a shopping spree they wish they could forget. They have Ozuna, and Jose’ Fernandez, an ace-to-be. But the Astros can match them with guys that will soon be up with the club, including pitchers Jarred Cosart and Lance McCullers, and a potentially dangerous infield for 2014 or ’15.

The Astros truly do have a dump of a squad on their major league roster right now, but for the Marlins, the deciding factor may be Stanton.

It can only be rumored, but there’s more than a fair chance Miami moves him.

I see him in a different jersey by the trade deadline of 2014, if not before. And the Marlins won’t pick themselves up off the canvas until well after that.

As for Houston, they won’t exactly be the talk of the league any time soon with the Texas Rangers owning the NL West and the Los Angeles Angels beefing up their roster. But the Astros will become relevant again before the Marlins.

Or at least stay far away from the Cleveland Spiders.

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He didn’t look ready. It was in the latter stages of the Rays‘ pennant run of 2008, and Tim Wakefield was on the mound against Tampa Bay.

Justin Ruggiano had never seen something as bizarre as the knuckleball Wakefield was throwing in his direction. He couldn’t adapt and ended up with the awful honor of the “golden sombrero” (four strikeouts, three verses Wakefield) against the veteran, though the Rays managed to pull out a win.

As I headed back home from the Trop, many different thoughts went through my head. One had me wondering if Ruggiano would ever make a real impact at the major league level or if he would just remain the 25-25 threat in Triple-A.

The question has finally been answered. Many complained when Ruggiano was called up over Brandon Guyer and Desmond Jennings in late May. No one can snicker at the move now.

Before a rather disappointing outing last night, Ruggiano was hitting at a .340 clip in the first 19 games he had appeared in. His hustle has remained, but the seemingly lack of confidence that he had in 2008 is gone.

The talent was always there for him to produce at the top level, and though he may be a late-bloomer at 29, the Rays need the extra offensive help now more than ever.

Ruggiano also has had his share of “web gem” plays in his time in Tampa Bay, including his recent robbing of a home run in Baltimore. He’s getting much better jump on fly balls in the Trop, as well, no longer inexperienced in the oddly configured dome.

With there being a huge stock of outfield talent in the Rays’ organization, Ruggiano was left off the 40-man roster to begin the season, making it a surprise to most that he was called up.

When he was dropped from the 40-man roster, different teams toyed with the idea of adding him off of waivers, but luckily for the Rays, everybody passed on the Texas A&M grad.

So now he is getting fair share of time in left field, splitting it up with Sam Fuld, with many wondering when, or if, he will go cold.

He may still be considered a “fringe” player, but Ruggiano has made a mark with the big club and has proved himself as a strong asset to the team.

Whether he remains for the rest of the season, stays for years to come or is sent elsewhere when Jennings is finally called up, he has shown that he belongs.

He stepped up to the plate on the 14th of this month, well over two-and-a-half years since his “golden sombrero” game, and there was Tim Wakefield, standing on the mound against him once again. Except this time, the roles were reversed.

Ruggiano blasted a home run over the left field wall, sparking the Rays’ victory over rival Boston. He had truly arrived. Not bad for a 25th-round pick that no one picked off of waivers. Not bad at all.

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He’s the franchise now, at all of 25 years old, the all-American kid born in Downey, California, birthplace of the Apollo space program.

One thing is for sure: Evan Longoria‘s career has certainly taken off.

Longoria, or “Longo,” as all of us call him, is already becoming a bit of a legend in the Bay area. Many have already compared him to Brooks Robinson, the former Oriole great, who practically made third base the position it is today.

“E-Lo” has quickly become a top name in baseball conversations all across the nation. After all, Longoria is the only third baseman to make the All-Star team in each of his first three seasons in the league.

Not Robinson. Not Schmidt. Not Brett, or Matthews. Evan Longoria.

So with many considering him the best third baseman in the game right now, more and more pressure mounts on his shoulders to go along with the weight from the lineup that he’ll have to carry if the Rays wish to make the postseason again. You would think it would be too much for a 25-year-old to take.

But then again, it’s “Cool like Cali” Evan Longoria that we’re talking about here. He’s the face of the team, but he was born to handle the pressure. Only a few are like that. As his numbers grow, so will his expectations. It’s a natural occurrence, and Longoria continues to work hard to keep raising the bar.

He’s had to worry about other things recently as well. He’s had his 1969 Camaro (worth more than $75,000) stolen from a shop in Arizona and was also robbed when the rental house he, David Price and Reid Brignac were renting, was burglarized over the weekend.

None of that will make anything any easier for Evan, yet he seems to brush it off and keep going. Longoria came into the spring bulked up a bit from last season, looking in premier shape as he walked into the Port Charlotte training site, putting on some weight, ready to carry plenty of it this season.

His two Gold Glove awards have many coaches, players, writers and fans kicking up the Robinson comparisons. A Silver Slugger in 2009 and a spot in the home run derby his rookie year are just the start of his career offensive accolades and honors.

Longoria is looking to take the next step this season, going from a really good player to a great one. He’s averaged 40 doubles a season, which, if averaged over a 15-year span, would put him behind only  George Brett in terms of third baseman in that category.

With the numbers comes the endorsements that go with it. “That’s my cap!” has swept across America, with Longoria jumping on helicopters on televisions all around the USA. He donned the cover of one of the biggest video games, with 2K Sports plastering him on MLB 2K10.

To go along with that, Longoria also appeared in this year’s version of the Gillette “Young Guns,” pitting him in a commercial with the Rockies‘ Carlos Gonzalez, NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, NFL running back Ray Rice and quarterback Matt Ryan.

With the “Cali boy” look, the laid-back Longoria is just that way when it comes to pressure situations, but not at all when it comes to getting ready for a season. So while he may be living in the limelight, he’s also proving he’s more than worthy of it.

He wants to, realistically, be the greatest. Simple as that. That mentality will drive him to keep improving more and more. He may only be 25, but Evan Longoria is indeed on a quest to be the best.

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He was a 16th-round pick in the 2000 MLB draft, just another pick out of many on draft day, but James Shields, with his bulldog mentality, made more out of his experience in baseball than just being a draft selection.

Shields made his major league debut at 24 and struck out 184 batters the next season, on his way to a 12-8 record. His win-loss numbers would improve the next season, as he became the opening day starter for the Rays.

After a bit of a down season in 2009, Shields still seemed fine to most coming into the 2010 season but quickly found out that certainly was not the case.

Shields gave up an MLB-most 117 earned runs and 34 home runs. He also had a skyrocketing 5.18 ERA, something he donned after a couple of the worst starts of his career.

So coming into this season, it’s clear Shields three-year run as the team’s Opening Day starter is over, with David Price being the All-Star game starter and top left-handed pitcher in the game.

But even with his dismal season in 2010 and his bit of a demotion to at least second in the rotation, Shields has not lost his confidence.

Shields has been quoted several times about not caring what anyone else thinks of his play last year and that minus a couple of starts (I suddenly visualize that game in Toronto…ouch), he would of been just fine ERA-wise.

In Shields’ mind, he doesn’t even think he had a down year: “No, not at all, and frankly I don’t care what anybody says.”

In this situation, it’s good that he blocks out the “haters” and doubters that he has. But the truth is, there’s no hiding that it was a down year for him.

As the results Price has put up and the ones that Jeremy Hellickson will put up overshadow Shields, he’ll try to quiet the critics. Then again, he could be traded by the Rays if he is having a decent year and the Rays aren’t in contention but don’t count on that happening.

Many have already called for Tampa Bay to trade Shields, but there would have been no real value in return. While others (being fans) may have lost the faith in Shields, the Rays are still holding on to him and one person in particular has all the confidence in the world in him—James Shields.

And as long as that remains, a comeback season, even though he wouldn’t call it that, could certainly occur.

Any way you look at it, Shields must have a solid season for the Rays to contend deep into the season. The Rays will be asking for plenty of innings again from Shields to take away some of the load off the bullpen.

So while many don’t believe he’s in the Rays’ future plans and he won’t turn it around enough to stay with the organization, Shields says he’s very well-prepared for this season.

I guess we’ll know sooner, rather than later, if that’s the case.

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The Rays’ journey to becoming a constant playoff-contender took awhile, but came all of sudden when it finally happened.

Contending with the power-house teams of the AL East—the Yankees and Red Sox—is the toughest thing to do for any team to have to do. It’s makes it even tougher when you can’t spend half the money of the those two teams.

But the Rays haven’t used any excuses, rather using lower-risk, high-reward pickups and their minor league system to create a nucleus for a championship-caliber squad.

Two division championships and an American League pennant in three years is good for any team (except maybe if your from the Bronx), but under the circumstances of being a small-market club, it’s amazing what the Rays have been able to accomplish.

Here’s a list of five things you may or may not expect, but have kept the Rays at, or near the top of the tough AL East.

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The cowbells rang loud from the several dozens of Rays fans that made the trip up to New York for the 2008 MLB Draft. Never had the buzz around the team been so exciting, as the Rays were in the midst of a playoff run that eventually led to a pennant.

Meanwhile, the Rays had the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, and many were wondering which way the Rays would go. They ended up taking Tim Beckham, an 18-year old from Griffin High School in Georgia.

He was supposed to be a five-tool player, one that would need a couple seasons of seasoning before breaking into ‘The Bigs’, but was deemed to have potential higher than the clouds. The Rays surely believed he did, not only making him the first overall choice, but giving him a then-record $6.15 million signing bonus.

As most know, things haven’t panned-out exactly how Tampa Bay expected it would. Not even close, for that matter. The now 21-year old Beckham enters into this spring having hit a less-than-impressive .263 during his two and a half years in the minors. Once thought to be a long-ball threat at shortstop, Beckham has only managed to launch 12 home runs.

The image of watching Buster Posey tear apart opposing pitching in his rookie season, on his way to helping San Francisco to a World Series title, is a very hard one to stomach for many Rays fans. That the Rays could have picked him over Beckham after he was a stud at Florida State is a tough reality to swallow.

Beckham, meanwhile, has lost his tag as a big-time prospect, only ranked 19th among Rays prospects this year by Baseball America. By getting Hak-Ju Lee via the trade that sent Matt Garza to Chicago, the Rays now have another shortstop in front of Beckham.

Reid Brignac will start at short this season for the Rays, and may be the long-term starter at the position, not that it really matters concerning Beckham, seeing as he hasn’t even made it to Double-A yet. Beckham hit below .260 last season, while striking out 119 times in just over 120 games for high Single-A Charlotte.

Baseball America’s Jim Callis says Beckham’s lack of progression is “puzzling”, and doubts he will remain much longer at shortstop. The 6’1″, 190-pound former phenom with a 6.35-60 yard dash is now considered too slow to play at short.

Once thought of as a slow development, if Beckham does not have a breakthrough this season, he will be an afterthought, if he isn’t already. Even if he does manage to someday make it to the majors, he may not be able to play shortstop, and obviously would not be able to move over to third base.

Of course that type of thinking is getting way too far ahead of the current matter, seeing as Beckham has been stuck in the low levels his whole time in the Rays’ organization. So the question is, have the Rays lost all hope in Beckham?

He wouldn’t be the first major bust straight out of high school, but the fact that the Rays could’ve selected Posey or Gordon Beckham, two proven college players, makes people realize how naive they were when thinking Tim Beckham was the smart choice.

He may have had the best upside, but Posey was coming off a monster career at FSU, and would have been a safe, yet potentially great pick, which he was. The only problem? It was for another team.

With all the “what-ifs” aside, Beckham enters spring training with less publicity and media coverage than in the two years previous, becoming just another face in the crowd.

So while much has changed in the past two and a half years since the day he was chosen by the Rays, his game has yet to improve much at all.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the Rays kick off Spring Training this week, many new faces have entered into camp, and many familiar ones have gone away.

It was a long winter for the Rays, having lost most of their bullpen and their franchise outfielder, but picking up a couple of key pieces along the way.

In 2011, it’s clear to see who the leaders are (Evan Longoria and David Price) and who the key acquisitions were (Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon).

But what about a few surprises for this year? Here are the five players for Tampa Bay who have the best chance for a breakout season in 2011.

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This winter was a cold one for the Tampa Bay Rays, there’s no doubt about that. Losing the face of the franchise, the MLB saves leader, and one of the top two starting pitchers will make it that way for a team.

There’s questions galore with this club coming into 2011, from wondering who will be in what role in the bullpen, to how players will be switched around in several different positions.

These, in my mind, our the top five questions, or concerns, for the Rays entering this spring.

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