2005 Record: .414 (67-95) Last place in AL East

2004 Record: .435 (70-91)

Who’s Out: Roberto Alomar (2B), Danny Bautista (RF), Alex Gonzalez (3B), Joe Borowski (P)

Who’s In: Manager Joe Maddon, pitching coach Mike Butcher, hitting coach Steve Henderson, bench coach Bill Evers, bullpen coach Bobby Ramos, first base coach George Hendrick; Sean Burroughs (3B), Ty Wigginton (INF); Pitchers Travis Harper, Jesus Colome, Dan Miceli, Shinji Mori, Lance Carter, Chad Harville.

Notes: The Rays are starting the 2006 season with a lot of new faces, most notably former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon. Maddon and the Rays didn’t make any flashy moves this winter, and it seems that they are wisely playing the waiting game while their young core grows (the Rays are remarkably young – the average age of the players on the 40-man roster is 26.68!). Tampa Bay might not be contenders in the immediate future, but they have numerous prospects getting primed for their turns as Devil Rays stars. Outfielder Johnny Gomes has performed very well for the Rays when called up from the minors, and Joey Gathright has the speed and average to make him a potentially stellar leadoff man. The Rays also have pitching prospects working in the minor leagues, and any of these guys could serve as the foundation for a better Tampa Bay team or trade bait for bigger stars in years to come.

Labels: 2006 team profiles