David Price Likely to End Season in MLB

David Price was recently sent down by the Rays. The assumed opinion is that he’ll be back up to the big club by the end of the season.

“I know I belong,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that. And there’s no doubt about that in that clubhouse. [But] they have a process for me in mind and they’re going to stick to it.”

In his final spring training outing Price hit 99 on the gun. For the spring pitched 2.0 IP of hitless ball, with 3 K’s, 0 walks and 1 HBP.

It could very well be argued that Tampa already has one of, if not the top two rotation starters in the AL East.

AL East Starters Sorted by ERA

Adding Price to the mix towards the end of the season and at minimum for the start of 2009 will give the Rays one of the strongest 1-2-3 rotations in not only the AL East but all of major league baseball. Let’s also not forget Matt Garza, another potential #1 level starter. The Rays also have a trio of minor league starters in Jacob McGee, Wade Davis & Jeff Niemann with minimum #3 starter potential and a few starters at the MLB level in Edwin Jackson & Andy Sonnanstinne that have potential. I’d expect the Rays to trade a few of these arms (which should yield high trade value) to shore up the bullpen or add another strong bat. Back to Mr. Price.

David Price College Stats

I usually break down a few of these simple stat lines but what’s the point? He dominated in terms of hits allowed, strikeouts and SO/K rate. An impressive feat is the low amount of HR allowed vs aluminum bats, especially considering his velocity. That alone can tell me that a mix of location and movement is part of Price’s game.

Price, the #1 overall pick in the most recent MLB draft signed an $8.5 million major league contract. His repertoire includes the aforementioned fastball, a plus plus slider and a plus change. Basically he’s the total package.

In the past the Rays have presented a mixed bag of results when it comes to calling up minor league stars and starting their arbitration clocks. Many felt that Delmon Young should have seen MLB action sooner, while others feel that BJ Upton was rushed in 2004.

I haven’t seen anything out the Rays camp as to where Price will start but one would have to assume that he’d begin in High A, with a quick promotion to AA & AAA on tap before a August/Sepetmember MLB call-up.