When David Price came up towards the end of the season in 2008, his blazing fastball, devastating slider and poise took the league by storm. As the Rays reached the 2008 World Series, Price notched several big-time performances and helped Tampa Bay nearly take down their first title. Certainly the future seemed bright for the youngster, and for the franchise as a whole.
But Price soon found out that circumstances can change dramatically from year to year. In his first year as a big league starter, Price struggled to find consistency and the Rays failed to make the playoffs, causing the buzz surrounding his obvious talents to diminish considerably. Price still went 10-7 but posted a very pedestrian ERA of 4.42, which started rumors that perhaps Price wasn’t the pitcher that everyone thought he might be.
Heading into 2010, the Rays still had high hopes for Price and they will need a big season out of the left-hander to have a chance at competing in the arduous American League East against premier clubs like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. In his second season as a starter, though, Price has answered the call and has been instrumental in getting the Rays off to an unbelievable start. While everyone assumed the Yankees and Red Sox would be battling it out atop the standings all season long, as of April 25th it was the Rays’ record of 14-5 that was the best in the entire league.
All Price has done is set himself up in the fourth slot in the rotation and pitch lights out thus far. After his first four starts of the season, Price had an impressive 2.20 ERA and a 3-1 record, with a big win against the rival Yankees and a complete game shutout against the Toronto Blue Jays. He also leads the team in strikeouts and has shown very good control, which had been problematic for Price in the past. With his talent level and a good team at his back, Price will continue to sell <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push([‘_trackPageview’, ‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’]);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/tampa-bay-rays-tickets/”>Tampa Bay Rays tickets</a> at a prodigious rate.
This is a great sign for the former first overall pick in the draft, but an even greater sign for the Rays. If they can get that type of pitching from the fourth man in their rotation, the Rays are going to be awfully tough to beat all season long. Ace James Shields is off to a strong though not spectacular start to the season and Matt Garza has been dominant thus far, going 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA to start the season. Even fifth starter Wade Davis has averaged nearly six innings per start and had a 2.65 ERA heading into his fourth start of the season.
Heading into the season, the Rays already boasted one of the top lineups in the league, with a nice combination of power hitters like Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena and speedy players like Carl Crawford, not to mention up-and-coming sluggers like B.J. Upton. After nearly a month of baseball, the Rays have scored the most runs in the entire league, which is saying something considering the hot start and overall talent level of a team like the Philadelphia Phillies.
Though it’s still early, the Rays’ ability to score and get consistent pitching has to scare the other teams in the American League East. With a group of young players starting to peak at the right time, the Rays could very well be one of the best teams in the league all season long and Price is in great position to help guide the Rays back to the postseason.
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