|
2007 Going into 2006, the Devil Rays were in desperate need of a first baseman, as has been the case since Fred McGriff was traded to the Cubs in 2001. The Rays` primary post-Crime Dog first basemen have ranged from inadequate to mediocre:
YEAR FIRST BASEMAN RATES VORP
2001 Steve Cox .257/.323/.427 2.0
2002 Steve Cox .254/.330/.396 3.2
2003 Travis Lee .275/.347/.459 20.7
2004 Tino Martinez .262/.362/.461 22.8
2005 Travis Lee .272/.331/.426 8.2
2006 Travis Lee .223/.312/.364 -11.4
2007* Ty Wigginton .269/.335/.466 16.6
*projected starter with PECOTA forecast
Bankston was the closest thing the Devil Rays had to a projectable young first baseman heading into last year, but rather than recognize that and get him moving towards the major leagues, the Rays took the one-time outfielder and moved him to third base, a move which (A) necessitated a return to Double-A to open the season, (B) seems to have negatively affected his hitting, and (C) left the position a festering wound. While the Rays had other candidates for third base such as B.J. Upton, they had no other candidate for first. It was the kind of move that deserves backslapping all round, an office party, and maybe bonuses. Bankston is almost certainly not a future All-Star. His offensive skills have regressed as he`s climbed the ladder (check out the incredible shrinking walk rate) and he`s failed to keep himself in great shape. Still, he and Joel Guzman currently represent the organization`s best chance of breaking the club`s reliance on stop-gaps at the cool corner--stopgaps such as Ty Wigginton.2006 Although the minimum prerequisites for first base are not particularly intense--Wanted: Burly slugger. Need not be too mobile. Apply within--the Rays have had a hard time locating anyone who fits that description. Since Fred McGriff hit an aggregate .294/.383/.496 during the Devil Rays` first four years, the team`s first base production has been wholly inadequate. Bankston should change that. He has good power and is randy for the strike zone. More athletic than your typical first baseman, he was moved from the outfield only because of the organization`s surplus there. Bankston missed six weeks with a knee injury, and a wrist injury dented his 2003 numbers. Assuming he stays healthy, he`ll be pressuring Travis Lee from the get-go. 2005 Given all of the outfielders in the system (Baldelli and Crawford are both young, plus prospects like Young, Gathright, Dukes, and Pridie), somebody needed to get shifted to another position. Bankston is that guy, spending a second year at Charleston and moving to first base. He can flat-out hit, and he's been doing it with persistent tendonitis in his wrist. Off-season surgery will hopefully correct that problem once and for all.
|