I have a feeling that this is the season that the Rays could approach 81 wins. They improved their bullpen in the off-season and they got rid of head cases like Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes which should make the clubhouse atmosphere much better. Look for Cliff Floyd to be the hired gun the Rays needed to inject more power into the offense. Take the over.

The Tampa Bay Rays have nice depth in the starting rotation because a lot of the top prospects in their minor league system are climbing towards the majors. 24-year old lefty Scott Kazmir is the ace of the staff but he won’t pitch until at least early May because of a sore left elbow. He started 34 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He also led the American League with 239 strikeouts in only 206.2 innings which shows what kind of stuff he has. Look for the Rays to be careful with him.

26-year old righty starter James Shields came out of nowhere to dominate last season. He started 31 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 12-8 with a 3.85 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He also is a strikeout pitcher as he whiffed 184 batters in 215 innings for the Devil Rays last season. Look for him to be a workhorse this season and he should win at least 15 games with the improved bullpen that the Rays have for 2008.

24-year old righty Matt Garza was the prize in the Delmon Young trade with the Twins in the off-season. He pitched in 16 games (15 starts) for the Twins last season and he was 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He also started 16 games in AAA last year and he was 4-6 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Garza whiffed 95 batters in 92 innings which shows what kind of stuff he has. Look for him to win at least 12-14 games this season for the Rays.

25-year old righty Andy Sonnanstine will be the #4 starter for the Rays this season. He started 23 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 6-10 with a 5.85 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He is a control pitcher as he only walked 26 batters in 130.2 innings for the Devil Rays last season so the defense must be on their toes when he’s pitching.

24-year old righty Edwin Jackson could be finally turning the corner as he was solid in the 2nd half last season for the Devil Rays. Overall, he pitched in 32 games (31 starts) for the Devil Rays last season and he was 5-15 with a 5.76 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. If Jackson juch threw more strikes he would be effective because he has good stuff.

25-year old righty Jason Hammel will be the #5 starter until Kazmir returns in May. Hammel pitched in 24 games (14 starts) for the Devil Rays last season and he was 3-5 with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. He has better stuff than his stats indicate.

25-year old lefty J.P. Howell will be the long man in the bullpen but he could get some spot starts. He started 10 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 1-6 with a 7.59 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He just doesn’t have the stuff to get out major league hitters as a starter. He started 21 games in AAA last season and he was 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He also whiffed 145 batters in 128 innings.

25-year old righty Jeff Niemann is the starting pitcher closest to ready in the minors. He started 25 games in AAA last season and he was 12-6 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Niemann is an intimidating presence as he’s 6′10″, 265 pounds.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C

27-year righty swinging Johnny Gomes will be the starting RF at least at the start of the season for the Rays. He played in 107 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 85 for 348 (.244 avg, .782 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 17 homers and 49 RBIs. He did whiff 126 times last season however. Gomes has been an all-or-nothing hitter so far in his major league career as he has averaged a homer every 19.1 at bats in his career and a whiff every 3 at bats, so don’t expect him to hit over .250 this season. In 32 games in RF last season for the Devil Rays he didn’t make an error while showing slightly below average range. If he gets 500 at bats this season he will hit at least 30 homers for the Rays.

30-year old lefty swinging Eric Hinske could eventually work his way into a platoon with Gomes. He played in 84 games for the Red Sox last season and he was 38 for 186 (.204 avg, .715 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 6 homers and 21 RBIs. Hinske is a better hitter than he showed last season as he is a career .255 hitter with a .770 OPS in 770 career major league games and the Rays hope he shows it in 2008. Hinske didn’t make an error in 12 games in RF last season while showing poor range.

Cliff Floyd could play some RF when/if Rocco Baldelli returns this season. He played in 63 games in RF last season and he didn’t make an error while showing very poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C-

23-year old righty swinging B.J. Upton appears to have found a home in CF. He played in 78 games there last season for the Devil Rays and he only made 2 errors there while showing outstanding range. He also had an amazing 11 assists from CF showing off his outstanding arm. He sometimes gets bad jumps on the ball but that will likely change as he gets more used to CF. He played in 129 games overall for the Devil Rays last season and he was 142 for 474 (.300 avg, .894 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 24 homers, 82 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. Look for Upton to dominate in 2008 for the Rays.

26-year old righty swinging Rocco Baldelli will start the season on the D.L. for the Rays. He played in 35 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 28 for 137 (.204 avg, .626 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 5 homers, 12 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He didn’t make an error in 20 games in CF last season while showing outstanding range. Baldelli will likely have to DH when he gets back in an attempt to keep him healthy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

26-year old lefty swinging Carl Crawford will be one of the major threats in the Rays lineup for the 2008 season. He played in 143 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 184 for 584 (.315 avg, .821 OPS) with 93 runs scored, 11 homers, 80 RBIs and 50 stolen bases (led the A.L.). Crawford only made 4 errors in 139 games in LF last season for the Devil Rays while showing outstanding range. Look for Crawford to have a better season in 2008 for the Rays.

26-year old righty swinging Justin Ruggiano is the #27 prospect in the Rays system according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook. He played in 17 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 3 for 14 (.214 avg, .481 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs. He also played in 127 games in AAA last season and he was 149 for 482 (.309 avg, .888 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 20 homers, 73 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.

30-year old lefty swinging John Rodriguez might also have a chance to make the Rays’ roster. He played in 55 games in AAA ball last season in the Cardinals’ system and he was 42 for 160 (.263 avg, .875 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 8 homers and 27 RBIs. He has also played in 158 games in his major league career and he is 99 for 332 (.298 avg, .812 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 7 homers and 43 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A