1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season
1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
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League | American League |
Division | East |
Ballpark | Tropicana Field |
City | St. Petersburg, Florida |
Record | 63–99 (.389) |
Divisional place | 5th |
Owners | Vince Naimoli |
General managers | Chuck LaMar |
Managers | Larry Rothschild |
Television | Sportschannel Florida WWWB WTSP (Joe Magrane, Dewayne Staats) |
Radio | WFLA (Paul Olden, Charlie Slowes) |
The 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season was the first season in franchise history. This season, they finished last in the American League East and finished the season with a record of 63–99, 51 games behind the World Champion New York Yankees. They finished with the worst record in the American League and second worst in all of MLB, ahead of only their in-state rivals and defending World Series champion Florida Marlins. Their manager was Larry Rothschild.
Miguel Cairo was the last active player remaining from the Opening Day roster, until retiring after the 2012 season.
Offseason
- March 11, 1997: Luis Polonia was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[1]
- May 10, 1997: Pete Laforest was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[2]
- June 3, 1997: Jason Standridge was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1st round (31st pick) of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1997.[3]
- June 3, 1997: Kenny Kelly was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2nd round of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed June 12, 1997.[4]
- November 11, 1997: Mike Kelly was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for a player to be named later. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays sent Dmitri Young (November 18, 1997) to the Cincinnati Reds to complete the trade.[5]
- December 9, 1997: Wade Boggs signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[6]
- December 16, 1997: Scott McClain was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[7]
- December 18, 1997: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[8]
- January 27, 1998: Dave Silvestri was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[9]
- January 27, 1998: Jerome Walton was signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[10]
Expansion Draft
Round 1
Pick | Player | Position | From | To |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tony Saunders | LHP | FLA | TB |
4 | Quinton McCracken | OF | COL | TB |
6 | Bobby Abreu | OF | HOU | TB |
8 | Miguel Cairo | 2B | CHC | TB |
10 | Rich Butler | OF | TOR | TB |
12 | Bob Smith | 3B | ATL | TB |
14 | Jason Johnson | RHP | PIT | TB |
16 | Dmitri Young | 1B | CIN | TB |
18 | Esteban Yan | RHP | BAL | TB |
20 | Mike DiFelice | C | STL | TB |
22 | Bubba Trammell | OF | DET | TB |
24 | Andy Sheets | IF | SEA | TB |
26 | Dennis Springer | RHP | ANA | TB |
28 | Dan Carlson | RHP | SF | TB |
Round 2
Pick | Player | Position | From | To |
---|---|---|---|---|
30 | Brian Boehringer | RHP | NYY | TB |
32 | Mike Duvall | LHP | FLA | TB |
34 | John LeRoy | RHP | ATL | TB |
36 | Jim Mecir | RHP | BOS | TB |
38 | Bryan Rekar | RHP | COL | TB |
40 | Rick Gorecki | RHP | LAD | TB |
42 | Ramón Tatís | LHP | CHC | TB |
44 | Kerry Robinson | OF | STL | TB |
46 | Steve Cox | 1B | OAK | TB |
48 | Albie Lopez | RHP | CLE | TB |
50 | José Paniagua | RHP | MON | TB |
52 | Carlos Mendoza | OF | NYM | TB |
54 | Ryan Karp | LHP | PHI | TB |
56 | Santos Hernández | RHP | SF | TB |
Round 3
Pick | Player | Position | From | To |
---|---|---|---|---|
58 | Randy Winn | OF | FLA | TB |
60 | Terrell Wade | LHP | ATL | TB |
62 | Aaron Ledesma | IF | BAL | TB |
64 | Brooks Kieschnick | OF | CHC | TB |
66 | Luke Wilcox | OF | NYY | TB |
68 | Herbert Perry | IF | CLE | TB |
70 | Vaughn Eshelman | LHP | OAK | TB |
1996–97 MLB June drafts and minor league affiliates
The two expansion teams set to debut in 1998, the Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks, had two full seasons to establish scouting and player development systems and were permitted to participate fully in the 1996 and 1997 Major League Baseball drafts. The Devil Rays drafted 29th in 1996 (when they selected 97 players overall) and 31st in 1997 (when they selected 92). The team began developing those players in a farm system with three minor-league affiliates in 1996 and five in 1997.
Among the players selected and signed by Tampa Bay from those drafts were pitcher Dan Wheeler (34th round, 1996), catcher Toby Hall (ninth, 1997), infielder Jared Sandberg (16th, 1996) and outfielder Alex Sánchez (fifth, 1996).
1996 farm system
Level | Team | League | Manager |
---|---|---|---|
A-Short Season | Hudson Valley Renegades | New York–Penn League | Bump Wills |
Rookie | Butte Copper Kings | Pioneer League | Tom Foley |
Rookie | GCL Devil Rays | Gulf Coast League | Bill Evers |
Hudson Valley affiliation shared with Texas Rangers[11]
1997 farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: St. Petersburg
Regular season
- March 31, 1998 – The Devil Rays played their inaugural game, as well as their first home game, against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers won 11–6 in front of an audience of 45,369 fans.[12]
- April 1, 1998 – The Devil Rays enjoyed the first win in their franchise's history, an 11-8 comeback against the Tigers. Rolando Arrojo was the winning pitcher.[13]
- June 22, 1998 – The first interleague game between the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays took place at Tropicana Field. The rivalry would be known as the Citrus Series. The Marlins won the game in twelve innings by a score of 3–2.[14]
Opening Day starters
3 | Quinton McCracken | CF |
13 | Miguel Cairo | 2B |
12 | Wade Boggs | 3B |
29 | Fred McGriff | 1B |
24 | Mike Kelly | LF |
44 | Paul Sorrento | DH |
6 | John Flaherty | C |
14 | Dave Martinez | RF |
19 | Kevin Stocker | SS |
40 | Wilson Álvarez | P |
Season standings
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 114 | 48 | .704 | — | 62–19 | 52–29 |
Boston Red Sox | 92 | 70 | .568 | 22 | 51–30 | 41–40 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 88 | 74 | .543 | 26 | 51–30 | 37–44 |
Baltimore Orioles | 79 | 83 | .488 | 35 | 42–39 | 37–44 |
Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 63 | 99 | .389 | 51 | 33–48 | 30–51 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | ANA | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
Anaheim | — | 5–6 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 5–7 | 9–3 | 6–5 | 5–7 | 4–7 | 10–6 |
Baltimore | 6–5 | — | 6–6 | 2–9 | 5–6 | 10–1 | 5–6 | 7–3 | 3–9 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 5–7 | 6–5 | 5–7 | 5–11 |
Boston | 5–6 | 6–6 | — | 5–6 | 8–3 | 5–5 | 8–3 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 9–2 | 7–4 | 9–3 | 6–5 | 5–7 | 9–7 |
Chicago | 6–5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | — | 6–6 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 4–7 | 4–7 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 4–6–1 | 7–9 |
Cleveland | 7–4 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 6–6 | — | 9–3 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 3–8 | 9–2 | 7–3 | 4–7 | 7–4 | 10–6 |
Detroit | 3–8 | 1–10 | 5–5 | 6–6 | 3–9 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 3–8 | 7–4 | 3–8 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 5–6 | 7–9 |
Kansas City | 5–6 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | — | 7–5 | 0–10 | 7–4 | 4–6 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 9–7 |
Minnesota | 5–6 | 3–7 | 6–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 5–7 | — | 4–7 | 4–7 | 2–9 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 7–9 |
New York | 5–6 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 10–0 | 7–4 | — | 8–3 | 8–3 | 11–1 | 8–3 | 6–6 | 13–3 |
Oakland | 7–5 | 3–8 | 2–9 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 4–7 | 4–7 | 7–4 | 3–8 | — | 5–7 | 5–6 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–8 |
Seattle | 3–9 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 7–4 | 2–9 | 8–3 | 6–4 | 9–2 | 3–8 | 7–5 | — | 6–5 | 5–7 | 4–7 | 7–9 |
Tampa Bay | 5–6 | 7–5 | 3–9 | 6–5 | 3–7 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 4–7 | 1–11 | 6–5 | 5–6 | — | 4–7 | 5–7 | 5–11 |
Texas | 7–5 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 8–3 | 4–7 | 3–8 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 7–4 | — | 7–4 | 8–8 |
Toronto | 7–4 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 6–4–1 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–4 | 6–6 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 7–5 | 4–7 | — | 9–7 |
Notable transactions
- May 26, 1998: Jerome Walton was released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[10]
- June 2, 1998: Aubrey Huff was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 5th round of the 1998 amateur draft. Player signed June 17, 1998.[15]
- July 1, 1998: Josías Manzanillo was released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[8]
Citrus Series
The season series each year between the Devil Rays and the Florida Marlins has come to be known as the Citrus Series. In 1998, the Marlins won the series 3 games to 1.[16]
- June 22 - Devil Rays vs Marlins: 2 – 3
- June 23 - Devil Rays vs Marlins: 6 – 4
- June 24 - Devil Rays @ Marlins: 4 – 8
- June 25 - Devil Rays @ Marlins: 1 – 5
Roster
1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
= Indicates team leader |
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. | SB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | John Flaherty | 91 | 304 | 63 | 3 | 24 | .207 | 0 |
1B | Fred McGriff | 151 | 564 | 160 | 19 | 81 | .284 | 7 |
2B | Miguel Cairo | 150 | 515 | 138 | 5 | 46 | .268 | 19 |
3B | Bob Smith | 117 | 370 | 102 | 11 | 55 | .276 | 5 |
SS | Kevin Stocker | 112 | 336 | 70 | 6 | 25 | .208 | 5 |
LF | Quinton McCracken | 155 | 614 | 179 | 7 | 59 | .292 | 19 |
CF | Randy Winn | 109 | 338 | 94 | 1 | 17 | .278 | 26 |
RF | Dave Martinez | 90 | 309 | 79 | 3 | 20 | .256 | 8 |
DH | Paul Sorrento | 137 | 435 | 98 | 17 | 57 | .225 | 2 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
Player | G | AB | H | HR | RBI | Avg. | SB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wade Boggs | 123 | 435 | 122 | 7 | 52 | .280 | 3 |
Aaron Ledesma | 95 | 299 | 97 | 0 | 29 | .324 | 9 |
Mike Kelly | 106 | 279 | 67 | 10 | 33 | .240 | 13 |
Mike Difelice | 84 | 248 | 57 | 3 | 23 | .230 | 0 |
Rich Butler | 72 | 217 | 49 | 7 | 20 | .226 | 4 |
Bubba Trammell | 59 | 199 | 57 | 12 | 35 | .286 | 0 |
Jerome Walton | 12 | 34 | 11 | 0 | 3 | .324 | 0 |
Scott McClain | 9 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .100 | 0 |
Dave Silvestri | 8 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .071 | 0 |
Tim Laker | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 | 0 |
Kerry Robinson | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rolando Arrojo | 32 | 202.0 | 14 | 12 | 3.56 | 152 |
Tony Saunders | 31 | 192.1 | 6 | 15 | 4.12 | 172 |
Wilson Álvarez | 25 | 142.2 | 6 | 14 | 4.73 | 107 |
Julio Santana | 32 | 140.1 | 5 | 6 | 4.23 | 60 |
Dennis Springer | 29 | 115.2 | 3 | 11 | 5.45 | 46 |
Bryan Rekar | 16 | 86.2 | 2 | 8 | 4.98 | 55 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; SV = Saves
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO | SV |
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Roberto Hernández | 67 | 71.1 | 2 | 6 | 4.04 | 55 | 26 |
Esteban Yan | 64 | 88.2 | 5 | 4 | 3.86 | 77 | 1 |
Jim Mecir | 68 | 84.0 | 7 | 2 | 3.11 | 77 | 0 |
Albie Lopez | 54 | 79.2 | 7 | 4 | 2.60 | 62 | 1 |
Rick White | 38 | 68.2 | 2 | 6 | 3.80 | 39 | 0 |
Scott Aldred | 48 | 31.1 | 0 | 0 | 3.73 | 21 | 0 |
Dan Carlson | 10 | 17.2 | 0 | 0 | 7.64 | 16 | 0 |
Ramón Tatís | 22 | 11.2 | 0 | 0 | 13.89 | 5 | 0 |
Matt Ruebel | 7 | 8.2 | 0 | 2 | 6.23 | 6 | 0 |
Eddie Gaillard | 6 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 5.87 | 5 | 0 |
Mike Duvall | 3 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 1 | 0 |
Brad Pennington | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | inf | 0 | 0 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; SV = Saves
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO | SV |
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Jason Johnson | 13 | 60.0 | 2 | 5 | 5.70 | 36 | 0 |
Rick Gorecki | 3 | 16.2 | 1 | 2 | 4.86 | 8 | 0 |
Terrell Wade | 2 | 10.2 | 1 | 1 | 5.06 | 8 | 0 |
Dave Eiland | 1 | 2.2 | 0 | 1 | 20.25 | 1 | 0 |
Game log
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April (12-13)
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May (12-16)
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June (10-17)
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July (9-16)
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August (10-20)
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September (10-16)
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Awards and honors
1998 MLB All-Star Game selection:
- Rolando Arrojo, pitcher
Team leaders
- Home runs – Fred McGriff (19)
- Runs batted in – Fred McGriff (81)
- Batting average – Aaron Ledesma (.324)
- Hits – Quinton McCracken (179)
- Stolen bases – Randy Winn (26)
- Walks – Fred McGriff (79)
- Wins – Rolando Arrojo (14)
- Strikeouts – Tony Saunders (172)
- Earned run average – Rolando Arrojo (starters) (3.56), Albie Lopez (relievers) (2.60)
- Saves – Roberto Hernández (26)
Farm system
References
- ^ Luis Polonia Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Pete LaForest Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Archived from the original on January 31, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
- ^ Jason Standridge Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Kenny Kelly Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Mike Kelly Stats".
- ^ Wade Boggs Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Scott McClain Stats".
- ^ a b "Josias Manzanillo Stats".
- ^ "Dave Silvestri Stats".
- ^ a b "Jerome Walton Stats".
- ^ a b Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
- ^ "Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Devil Rays Box Score, March 31, 1998". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Devil Rays Box Score, April 1, 1998". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "Box Score of Game played on Monday, June 22, 1998 at Tropicana Field".
- ^ Aubrey Huff Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Statistics".
- ^ "1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Affiliates".
- 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Baseball Reference
- 1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Baseball Almanac