MVP Baseball 2005/Tampa Bay Devil Rays Organization

The Tampa Devil Rays aren't statistically well off and on the surface are going to struggle more often than not. This is not helped by the fact that they are in what is oft described as the toughest league in Baseball, the American league east which contains BOTH the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox They can, however, make up for this through a rather excellent farming system which seems to harbor quite a bit of hidden talent for the major league club to eventually call up. The player however, from a management and simulation standpoint can expect more trouble than not in trying to build up this ball club at a major league level. They just can't seem to use what they have to their gains while often.

Your Team Rivals are: The Baltimore Orioles(AL East), The Boston Red Sox(AL East) and The Florida Marlins(In state, NL East)

Tampa Bay Devil Rays(MLB)
As mentioned above, the Devil Rays are not in the best of starting positions and up to this point in their history were quite familiar sitting in the AL East's basement. The numbers acting in opposition to each other helps this situation little. You've got some of the fastest base runners in the game, but your Hitting rating makes it rather hard to get them on base to start with. Similarly you've got some better than average fielding but your bullpen is literally the worst in the game. Thus, you'll quite simply have to min max where you can. Get your batters on bases, steal as often as you can and try to get used to starting bullpen motions a little earlier than most teams.

If you plan to simulate progress during games or manage them(as opposed to play them manually), prepare for a lot of heartbreak. The Devil Rays have a very real tendency to choke at any and every part of the game during the management and simulation route if the player should pursue them. When they choke, they tend to choke hard.

Key players
Carl Crawford(LF): Simply put, he's going to be your team Ace on the batting side. He has great contact, a nice amount of power in his swing AND is either the runner up or flatout the fastest player on the team. If he isn't swinging for the fences, you want him on base as much as possible. He's easily capable of stealing 2nd and 3rd base on a consistent basis.

Roccio Baldelli(CF): Baldelli is similar to Crawford in many ways. He isn't as fast as Crawford is, but he has more power to his swing and is still an ideal runner to try to swipe second with. The only downside is that Baldelli seems to injure far more than most other players on the team, so caution is advised.

Josh Phelps(DH): Though only a face you'll see in either home game or American league away games, Phelps is a solid person to entrust with the task of moving the runners forward or getting on base. He isn't really what I would call fast, but a very strong DH.

BJ Upton(SS): BJ is basically another Crawford. He's fast and can hit hard if needed, though his hits come less often than Crawford's do.

Julio Lugo(2B): Good hitter, above average speed.

Mark Hendrickson(SP): Is going to be your most enduring and successful pitcher. That being said don't expect an amazing record out of him. He'll still be relatively close to a .500 record. Don't underestimate him fully however. He's fully capable of getting more than a few amazing games out of him. Sadly, at 36 years old starting the game, he'll likely retire within 4 or so years, though by that time there should be some comparable new blood to count on.

Scott Kazmir(SP): Kazmir is much younger than Hendrickson and probably going to be more of a interim go to guy at best. He can't quite give you the same level of performance but will be sure to get you through most situations. Compared to the rest of your bullpen he'll be a god send.

Danny Baez(CL): Your Closer is your best relief pitcher hands down. Danny Baez is no exception. If you need to stop runs from coming in, or hold a small lead late game, then Baez is going to be your go to. Do note however that as a closer he's not meant to be extended as most relievers are. You can, at best get 2 solid innings out of him in most games.

Strategies vs Rivals
Rival games are an important part of Major league play in MVP baseball 2005. Performance during these games effects team chemistry greatly during both Dynasty and Owner modes as well as potential income in Owner mode exclusively. Losing these games can be devastating and so all care should be taken to achieve victory in these bouts. If your players aren't happy, your team isn't performing as well as it could be. If your fans aren't happy then they don't show up to games and you don't get paid! That's not to say anything about the players themselves.

Like most things for the Devil Rays unfortunately, your rivals are all far more equipped to handle these games than you are. The Orioles are 14th overall, the Marlins 11th and the Red Sox are number one. Victory is far from impossible, however it may be easier said than done in many cases.

VS Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are by far likely to be the most troublesome of your rivals. They made history in 2004 for being the first team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit and win it all against the Yankees in the ALCS. They aren't any less frightening here. They've got a ton of Power hitters scattered across the lineup such as Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Edgar Renteria, Johnny Damon and Jason Varitek, who coincidentally is also one of the fastest releasing and hardest throwing catchers in the game, further emphasizing the importance of your running game.

Tim Wakefield is probably going to be the worst pitcher you have to face in this game, possibly other than Zack Grienky. Most pitches will come at you roughly around 70-85 or so MPH. Tim Wakefield however has a knuckle ball which is not only excellently controlled but UNBELIEVABLE in how slow it actually proceeds. We're talking lower 50's in terms of speed and is a pitch that will continually mess up if you're not expecting it after a few speedier throws.

Durham Bulls(AAA)
The outstanding offensive capabilities of the Durham bulls ensure for the most part that they can actually chart their own course rather fine. It's not uncommon for the first few years or so of a Dynasty or Owner mode game to simulate the Bulls into the playoffs. Whether they make it into the championship once there is anyone's guess but for seasonal play the Bulls tend to be very self sufficient.

Montgomery Biscuits(AA)
The Biscuits are easily the weakest team in the farm system for the Devil Rays. While they generally maintain a winning record, the problem with the Biscuits is that it isn't enough to simply stay above .500. More often then not they'll be in a relatively ok position, but simply fail to qualify for the playoffs without additional aid. The fact that the team tends to be very passive and not very mobile also emphasizes the need to take advantage of their close to average hitting capabilities.

Visalia Oaks(A)
The Visalia Oaks, just as the Durham bulls tend to be very hands off as a farm team. You don't really have to worry too much about every eyeing them for a good amount of the time as they're almost always bound to make the playoffs under their own power. They've got the best Single A pitching line up in the game and are fairly aggressive on the base paths, meaning some good opportunities to turn single hits into hits of opportunity. It should be noted however that, relative to the MLB players, the Single A runners are significantly slower, but so are the defensive team's catchers and accuracy.

Key Players
Pat Snow(SP): This is a future major leaguer in the making. He's only got about 3 or so pitches: A sinker, 2 and 4 seam fastballs, but he has excellent control over each of those pitchers as an addition to the con of better predictability from batters.