DRaysBay

Rays To Sign Felipe Lopez

2011-02-02T21:31:56Z

Rays To Sign Felipe Lopez

"The Rays agreed to sign infielder Felipe Lopez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas (on Twitter). Lopez will earn $1MM if he makes the Major League roster and can earn another $1MM in incentives, according to Rojas. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reported yesterday that the sides were close to a deal."

Sorry Sox. Consider this Shouse retribution...

Our scouts are tremendously excited about [Hak-Ju] Lee. He is a premium athlete at a premium...

2011-02-02T16:30:53Z

Our scouts are tremendously excited about [Hak-Ju] Lee. He is a premium athlete at a premium position, very quick and a disruptive runner. Not everyone who plays shortstop has the pure physical ability to make some of the highlight plays that separate the great ones, and he does. We believe strongly in allowing players to develop at their own pace, but Lee profiles as an above-average shortstop down the road.

R.J. Anderson interviews Chaim Bloom, the Rays' Assistant Director of Minor League Operations. Bloom also discusses Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, Adam Russell, Brandon Gomes, Chris Archer, and Tim Beckham.

AL East: Where Young Catching Talent Rules The Earth

2011-02-02T13:01:06Z

More photos » J. Meric - Getty Images

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There are several compelling story lines within the American League East this season. Carl Crawford is a Red Sox, Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon are Rays, the Yankees are determinated to build the perfect rotation for the year 2001, etc. However, the most interesting storyline to me will be watching and tracking the growth of the stable of young catchers inhabiting in this division.

Each of the five teams has one: Jaso, Wieters, Saltalamacchia, Montero, Arencibia. The amount of playing time they'll receive will obviously vary depending on the situation, but by season's end I'd expect at least four of the five to lead their team in starts behind the dish (the possible exception is Jesus Montero - we'll get to him in a minute). Using the CAIRO projection system, let's take a look at how the five stack up. We'll start with John Jaso.

John Jaso: 453PA, .249/.343/.355 wOBA: .318

After looking at all five projections, the thing that stands out to me the most is Jaso's .318 wOBA. Surprisingly, that ranks as the lowest of the five, with even Jarrod Saltalamacchia coming in at a .319. Jaso's career low wOBA at any level is .336 at Durham in 2009. Last year's .341 may be a tad on the high side, but I don't believe it's going to fall 23 points. Of course, it easily could and I'll look like an idiot. There are obvious concerns with Jaso: namely, he's a slow slap hitter who derives most of his value from his great patience. Those types of players are hard to pin down performance wise. Even if he has a high walk rate, if he can't hit then pitchers will pound him with strikes until he finally shows he can beat them. But as I've already stated I'm on the optimistic side, I don't see him posting a sub-.350 OBP.

Jarrod Saltalmacchia: 365PA: .247/.320/.403 wOBA: 319

With Victor Martinez now with the TIgers, Saltalmacchia gets another chance to prove he's starter material after a failed stint with Texas. A 68-year-old Jason Varitek is all that stands in his way, and if he can't beat him out...well...that's embarrassing for all involved. Even though he's seen action in parts of the last four seasons, "Salty" will turn just 26-years-old this season. That's younger than John Jaso, by the way. He's always hit relatively well in the minors for a catcher, but hasn't been able to put it all together for a full season (with injuries being a factor) at the MLB level. His career wOBA in 899 PAs at the MLB level is .307. Not good. As a Rays fan I hope he doesn't realize his potential this season, but at 26 he's still young enough to breakout.

Matt Wieters: 545PA, .268/.337/.413 wOBA: 331

Despite an increased walk rate and ISO, partnered with a lowered strike out rate, last season was a disappointment for Wieters compared to his rookie campaign. The culprit looks to be the .287 BABiP compared with the .356 he put up in 2009. The .303 wOBA he posted in 2010 is not what we expected to see from someone who has a whole Chuck Norris style facts page dedicated to him. He's a switch hitter and won't be platooned like Jaso will be, so he should easily reach the 545 PA's CAIRO projects for him. With another year of experience under his belt, and an improved Orioles' lineup around him, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the projected .331 wOBA was just right.

J.P. Arencibia: 545 PA.245/.305/.482 wOBA: .335

There will be no John Buck nor Mike Napoli in Toronto this season. That leaves the 25-year-old power filled Arencibia and Jose Molina to man the backstop for the Blue Jays. It's obvious who the better offensive player is out of the two, and it's not close. After a disappointing 2009 season at AAA (.728 OPS, nearly all SLG% aided), Arencibia had a great 2010 in Las Vegas. His triple slash line of .301/.359/.626 and 32 home runs helped earn him a promotion to the majors, where he proceeded to spit on James Shields' soul by hitting two home runs and a double in his first game. His CAIRO projected wOBA of .335 is nearly all due to his tremendous power; even if his OBP is below .305 he should still be a league average catcher. The Toronto motto seems to be "Swing hard and hope", which looks like a perfect fit for Arencibia's talents.

Jesus Montero: 508PA, .261/.326/.446 wOBA: .337

There's debate as to where Montero will accrue most of his at bats this season. The Yankees signed Russell Martin to catch and are moving Jorge Posada to full time DH duty. As such, it's likely that Montero will begin the season back in AAA - where he posted a .375 wOBA last season - until either he forces the Yankees' hand or a spot opens up organically. If Russell Martin is the same player we saw the last last two seasons when he had a wOBA's of .307 and .306, then we should see Montero by June at the latest. He could match those numbers in his sleep. While CAIRO isn't as high on Montero as ZIPS (another respected projection system) is, a projected .337 wOBA for a 21 year old rookie would be impressive nonetheless.

Young, cheap, talented catchers have never been a market inefficiency, but it seems like the American League East has a firm grasp on that market.

Looking for some suggestions for themed road trips for 2011 I'm sure there are manny ideas out...

2011-02-01T22:20:33Z

Looking for some suggestions for themed road trips for 2011 I'm sure there are manny ideas out there.

Joe Maddon on Twitter

Any ideas, everyone?

Rays Introducing Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon

2011-02-01T16:47:48Z

More photos » David Zalubowski - AP

almost 2 years ago: Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Ramirez follows through, connecting for an RBI single against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game in Denver on Friday, April 24, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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The Rays are set to introduce Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon at noon today, so if you'd like to watch the proceedings, you can either tune into the Bright House Sports Network or watch a live online stream from 10 News.

There is no word yet on who will be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Manny and Damon, but we'll update this thread as soon as we hear. According to Marc Topkin from the St. Pete Times, these roster moves may not be announced today.

Links and Such: The Danks Theory, Splits, Zobrist, and Dirk Hayhurst

2011-02-01T13:30:07Z

There's been a lot of action in the Rays blogosphere recently, so check it out:

FanGraphs came out with new heat maps tool yesterday, allowing you to look at pretty heat maps for any pitcher in the majors. This lets you to see where a pitcher throws each of his pitches and how often. Tommy Rancel used them to take a look at The Danks Theory, his name for the fact that midway through the 2010 season, Joe Maddon started playing same-handed batters against pitchers with dominant change-ups. The idea is that change-ups are most effective against batters of the opposite hand of the pitcher, so by going unconventional and playing right-handed batters against right-handed pitchers (and vice versa), Maddon eliminated a pitcher's strongest weapon. The concept is pretty strong, and Tommy finds some more support for it with the heat maps.
The Process Report is running a series on keys for the Rays in this upcoming season, and two of the recent articles focus on Wade Davis and Ben Zobrist. There are so many interesting players on the Rays, but these two are extra big question marks for this upcoming season. Will Zobrist's power return somewhat? Will he hit balls with more authority, get some BABIP regression, and have his average rebound? Will Wade Davis improve upon his 2010 season, and if so, by how much? Check out the links to RJ's pieces if you're curious.
I don't know how I've neglected to cover this, but Dirk Hayhurst signed with the Rays a week ago, and he's possibly the most entertaining career minor leaguer that you'll find anywhere. He's written a book "The Bullpen Gospels", he's working on another one, he keeps an updated blog and Twitter feed, and his wife works in music therapy with kids with special needs. Oh, and he refers to himself as the Garfoose, an imaginary creature he created for his wife's job of working with children with autism. Check out his most recent blog post: Four Preseason Predictions. Also, Jason Collette has a video of Hayhurst up over at Dock of the Rays.
According to Marc Topkin of the St. Pete Times, Manny and Damon are set to be announced at a noon press conference today. The Rays will need to remove two players from their 40-man roster before these moves are completed, so we'll see who is being removed soon enough.
And finally, I've got some good visuals and research to pass along. First, Justin Bopp over at Beyond the Boxscore created an impressive graphic showing how the Rays performed at home versus on the road last season. The data isn't predictive and shouldn't bet taken as such, but it's fun to see how the Rays performed last season and partly why they were so good on the road.

Also, Jason Hanselman from Dock of the Rays did an impressive amount of research and work to compile the Rays' regressed platoon splits for this upcoming season. You don't have to understand all the math involved, but in short, Jason took past data on players and used it to estimate their true talent level against both righty and lefty pitchers. Keep this information handy, because we can be sure Joe Maddon will be using something similar when deciding how to construct his line up on a day-by-day basis.

Want a Job with the Rays?

2011-01-31T19:56:30Z

Want a Job with the Rays?

The link above is for an internship in the Communications department with the Rays. As they state, the responsibilities would include, "...assist[ing] with publications, media credentials, gameday duties, and research projects as needed." You should understand baseball stats, know how to use Excel, and be a good communicator. Someone here's got to be interested, no?

There's also currently listed an internship in the Sales and Service department, and a part-time position as a Fan Host. If you're looking to get into the business side of baseball, either internship would probably be a way to get the foot in the door.

What Do They Throw?

2011-01-31T13:30:41Z

During the Arizona Fall League this off-season, the Tampa Bay Rays had four pitchers on the same roster for the Peoria Saguaros: Alex Cobb, Sergio Espinosa, Neil Schenk, and Jeremy Hall. That team's stadium just so happens to have Pitch F/x cameras installed, with the data freely available. This data allows us to know what type of pitches these guys throw.

Alex Cobb

The right hander wasn't ranked among the Rays top ten prospects by Baseball America's or ESPN's Keith Law (16th in BA's complete rankings), but he has the potential to become a decent major-league pitcher. Anyway, on to the charts:

I'm not sure if the camera's are off a little at the Arizona ball parks, but his curveball doesn't have that much positive horizontal spin deflection. It may be just the way he throws it that causes it to spin like that, although I don't know if that is good or bad. The only definitive I can say is that his change-up seems to have split-finger type movement. If the change-up is in between the fastball and the origin (0,0) in the pitch f/x data, it could mean that there is less revolutions per minute as a cause of split-finger grip. That is just my theory. I labeled a few sliders there but they could be just some outlier change-ups.

The fastball did reach 93 mph a few times, but he did have some fastballs clock around 85-87.Those are likely just slow fastballs, which pitchers throw sometime. Wade Davis is the only Ray I can think that does that on a regular basis. Otherwise, Cobb throws some average pitch f/x pitches in my opinion.

Sergio Espinosa

Espinosa was not ranked BA's top 30.

Not a pretty curve, it reminds me of how CC Sabathia's looks. The change-up has spin similar to the fastball, indicating that it is likely a straight change-up. I'm not certain that he throws both a four and two seam fastball, but there appeared to be two clusters.

You couldn't tell just from the spin deflection graph, but Sergio Espinosa is a junk-ball pitcher. His change-up ranges from the low-60s to the low-80s. His fastball has a 10 mph range and his curveball can reach eephus speed.

Jeremy Hall

Hall has had good FIP numbers, helped by a low HR/9 and BB/9.

No curveball for Hall. Notice that his change-up spins similar to his two-seam fastball, unlike Alex Cobb's and Sergio Espinosa. That would be what I call a tailing change-up, likely thrown with a circle change grip. The slider seems a little sloppy although that could be a cutter.

The fastball velocity is below average so that would definitely not stand out to scouts. I am sure Hall is a control pitcher relying on good location on his fastball since he threw it so often.

Neil Schenk

The second left-hander of the group, Schenk has had excellent numbers in the minors. However, he did pitch in High-A at an advanced stage.

He appears to have an over the top delivery with a cutter that has good movement, just a bit off the fastball. He might be having a problem with the change-up with its marginal use and somewhat unusual spin deflection.

The fastball velocity is around average and the cutter doesn't clock as high. His stats look great, but must be taken with a grain of salt considering his age in the lower levels.

Other than Cobb, not an exceptional group. Still, it is interesting to see what pitchers throw without relying on a scouting report.

Data and statistics from Fan Graphs, Rays Prospects, and MLBAM.

Photo and info from Marc Topkin and the St. Petersburg Times. Manny is in the house, taking...

2011-01-31T13:24:10Z

Photo and info from Marc Topkin and the St. Petersburg Times.

Manny is in the house, taking physicals and signing papers. He's purportedly lost 12 pounds.

MLB CBA Overhaul: Your Ideas?

2011-01-23T14:00:38Z

More photos » Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

3 months ago: Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, center, leaves after answering questions from reporters at a news conference at baseball's general managers meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

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The Rays currently have ten first round picks and 12 of the first 86 picks in the 2011 amatuer draft. Since 1980 there have been 8 teams to have 6 or more first round picks. The first team to have at least 6 picks was the Montreal Expos in the 1990 draft. In 1997, the Expos had a record 8 picks and the White Sox had 6. In 1999, the Baltimore Orioles had 7 first round draft picks and the Padres had 6. The 2002 Oakland Athletics, as detailed in Moneyball, had 7 picks. In 2007 the Giants and Padres each had six draft picks. The original intent for this story was more Rays-centric, as I focused my research on how these teams performed the season prior to losing their free agents, how they performed the season after they lost their free agents, and how the compensation system benefitted the team losing the free agent. I assembled the data but along the way I found myself being distracted with the details about how players were acquired prior to the amateur draft, why MLB has a draft, and how did the compensation system come into existence.

While compiling this story a common thread seemed to jump out at me at every turn, and that is that Major League Baseball has always had an equity problem. A select group of teams have been able to manipulate the system to give themselves a huge competitive advantage through fiscal strength. This gap in have and have-not's has always led to a change in the control of the distribution of players. As the system changed and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) evolved into a strong union, the fight over free agency, specifically free agent compensation, has led to nearly all of the labor strife in the history of our game. As the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) nears its expiration on December 11, 2011, the Rays stand ready to haul in a record number of draft picks. The Rays shouldn't have to lose their stars or a large number of established players to gain a possible competitive advantage, should they? (A quick look at a volume of picks vs money to spend on picks was recently covered on MLBTraderumors).

The free agent compensation system is in need of a complete overhaul (Ben Nicholson-Smith provides a history of the Elias Rankings over at MLBTraderumors.com.) It could be argued that the current system limits free agent movement by reducing the pool of teams players tagged by the Elias Bureau as having Type A status have to negotiate with. The Elias system that ranks free agents for the purpose of assigning a compensation label is outdated and another evaluating system is needed. Large market teams such as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees can lose their own Type A free agents, gather compensation draft picks, and sign multiple free agents with the risk of losing only one first round pick. The Yankees pulled that trick in 2009 with signing CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and A.J. Burnett while only surrendering one first round pick (also a 2nd and 3rd round pick as well). The Boston Red Sox have benefitted tremendously from the financial ability to sign big dollar free agents to replace those they lose and still garner top draft pick compensation (see Boston's 2005 draft class and 2010 Free Agent Compensation). Pointing out the way the Yankees and Red Sox use the system is not an attempt to diminish what they do, it is an example of how the large market teams have learned to game the system. That, in combination with an expiring labor contract means that the system will be overhauled, to what degree we don't know, and that there is a chance that the free agent compensation resolution could lead to a work stoppage.

On top of the free agent compensation system, the arbitration process needs to be redesigned. Just in the past few weeks we've seen players in the middle of their arbitration years (Matt Garza and Zack Greinke) get traded. We've seen a 15 million dollar contract given to a player in his final arbitration year (Prince Fielder) and we've seen a reliever sign a 12 million dollar contract (Jonathan Papelbon) in his final arbitration year.

These are serious questions that the MLBPA and the Owners will have to face in the negotiations of the next CBA. These are questions that are going to hang over MLB all summer long and into the fall. In my opinion, the current system is in need of more than a minor tweeking and this is going to result in a work stoppage of some kind starting in mid-December 2011. With the obvious problems with the free agent system and the arbitration process, I am interested in your ideas on how to solve these problems and how the owners and MLBPA will be able to achieve a more of an equitable balance of player allocaton across major league baseball.

What type of system would you design if asked to outline the next Free Agent Compensation plan?
Would you continue to label players Type A and Type B, if so, what type of statistical basis would you center on?
Would you restrict large payroll teams from receiving draft compensation for loss of free agents?
Would you implement a draft slotting pay system?
Would you redesign the arbitration process that if a player that has a poor season after an inital arbi1 contract award that player could take a substantial pay cut in future arbitration years?
Will large revenue clubs resist change and hold the revenue sharing as a hammer over the smaller revenue clubs?
What changes would you make to the Rule 5 Draft System?

When we make arguments for or against a player's skill set, we usually use a set of statistics gathered from the past, usually present the data in a clear concise table or graph, or find a creative way to present the data to make a logical argument. I stumbled down a similar path, but instead of raw data to interpret, I continued to come across stories of how the Draft and Free Agent Compensation System came into being and the inequities that caused labor strife and finally the different ways the owners and MLBPA tried to remedy the problems. Many of you may know these stories and some may not. I've included the historical background as a replacement for statistical data, if needed, to see how prior player allocation systems were constructed in MLB.

The details on how the Major League Draft and Free Agent Compensation System came into being are included after the jump.

How Did MLB Get To The Amateur Draft?

From the late 1890's until 1964, amateur players were free to negotiate and sign with any team that was interested; they were in the truest definition, free agents. Once the player signed a contract he was perpetually bound by the reserve clause to that team. This meant the team was free to reassign, trade, sell, or release the player at any time. The only leverage a player had was to hold out and refuse to play. To prevent teams from monopolizing talent there was a limit on the number of players a team could have under contract. Since most amateur players were not ready for the major leagues they would sign a contract with a minor league team. The minor league team owned the player with the same contractual rights as the major league teams, meaning you could only be acquired by a major league team in a trade or by being sold.

Limiting the amount of players that a major league team could have under contract enabled minor league owners to overcharge for the talent they had under contract (many times in late season auctions). In the 1920's, St.Louis Cardinals owner Branch Rickey, to get around overpaying for players and the roster limit rules, began to purchase minor league teams. The Cardinals farm system would allow them to retain the best players and sell the rest of the players to other teams in need. Other teams caught on to this "farm system" and began buying up farm systems. The teams that were late to the party found themselves without a minor league team to buy. This meant these teams were unable to get the top talent available and had to pay more to acquire second tier prospects.

In order to redistribute some of the minor league talent, major league baseball had its Rule 5 draft. The Rule 5 draft originated in 1903 as it was a key piece of the agreement between the National League, American League, and the various minor leagues. The other inequity among players was the signing of top amateur talent. Since owners were able to underpay the players they had perpetual rights to, they were able to give large signing bonuses to unproven players. To prevent these rich teams with large farm systems from signing all the top amateur talent, major league baseball instituted the "Bonus Baby" rule. A player signed to a large bonus (varying amounts) had to be placed on the major league roster. The rule was challenged and rescinded in 1950 only to be revived in its strongest form in 1952. The 1952 rules stated that if you awarded a bonus of $4,000 or more to a player, that player had to immediately be placed on the 25 man roster and had to stay there for two full seasons.

Of course teams would look for ways around the Bonus Baby rule, but the most egregious act was committed by the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Athletics. The Athletics would draft Clete Boyer and sign him to a Bonus Baby contract. He'd spend his two years on the Athletics bench and just when the Athletics were allowed to send him to the minors they would instead send him to the New York Yankees as the player to be named later! The trade would complete a deal made the previous winter. Many other AL owners protested the trade but the league office allowed it to go through. Both leagues voted to rescind the Bonus Baby rule in 1957 but would be brought back in 1962 after the league added four teams. The new Bonus Rule was altered to force the player to spend one year on a major league roster.

The owners had a general understanding to cap signing bonuses at $100,000 but this would be tested in 1957 and again in 1965. In 1957, the Yankees would offer high school senior Carl Yastrzemski the highest bonus for a high school player in Yankee history of $40,000 but Yastrzemski (represented by his father) stood firm at his price of $100,000. The Braves would enter the bidding at $60,000 and the Phillies would offer $102,000. The elder Yastrzemski was not moved by the Phillies offer and the young Yastrzemski would enter college. While playing in college, the Red Sox would offer Yastrzemski $108,000, a two-year AAA contract at $10,000 per year, and agreed to pay the remainder of Yastrzemski's college education. In 1964, the California Angels were desperate to infuse talent onto their roster and were certain that University of Wisconsin outfielder Rick Reichardt was the next Carl Yastrzemski. The Angels would give Reichardt a $250,000 signing bonus. After the signing of Reichardt the owners determined that it was time to implement a system to control the distribution of talent. The Bonus Baby Rule system was replaced by the Amateur Draft in 1965.

How Did MLB Arrive At Free Agency?

It was during the Bonus Rule period of baseball that the MLBPA was founded, with Bob Feller as its first president. The MLBPA was formed to resolve the issue of inadequate pensions. The MLBPA began to be an effective entity at the same time as the Amateur Draft was being instituted. The MLBPA would hire labor economist Marvin Miller to be its Executive Director and would effectively negotiate the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 1968. The first CBA was very short and gave the players an increase in minimum salary and a larger expense allowance. The most important aspect of the deal was the building of a formal foundation to owner-player relations, including written procedures for arbitration of player grievances before the commissioner.

The CBA expired after the 1969 season and the second CBA agreement, this time a three year deal, would be signed in 1970. The players would win the right to have owner-player disputes not involving the "integrity of baseball" could be arbitrated by an independent three-member panel with the chairmen selected jointly by the players and the owners. While the negotiations of the second CBA were ongoing, the owners and MLBPA decided to not broach the Curt Flood situation and allow the courts to rule on it. Curt Flood, an eleven year veteran with the St.Louis Cardinals was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Flood was angry about the deal and challenged the clubs right to trade him. The case made it to the US Supreme Court where the Court ruled in favor of the owners.

The second CBA did not lead to peace between the owners and players. A dispute erupted over pension fund payments and the desire for the owners to accept binding arbitration in contract disputes. For the first time in the history of baseball the players went on strike. The strike would last 13 days from April 1, 1972 to April 13, 1972 and would end when the owners would agree to add an additional $500,000 to the pension fund and agree to binding arbitration.

The third CBA which covered the 1973 to 1975 seasons saw players with two full seasons of service have their salaries determined by an arbitrator and created the 10 and 5 rules which gave veterans with 10 years of major league service and at least five years with the same club the right to veto a trade. It was during this time that several players (Sparky Lyle & Bobby Tolan) would play through one season under the reserve clause, and then demand free agent rights in arbitration. The players would relent and sign a contract prior to the case going through to the arbitration process (usually with a slight raise), but in 1975, both Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith took their case to arbitration claiming that the reserve clause only provided the owners with a one-year option, not the right to perpetually renew. The arbitrator, Peter Seitz, ruled in favor of the players, a ruling which came down on the eve of the negotiations of the new CBA. The owners feared that every player in baseball could simply play one year without a contract and become a free agent; therefore, they locked the players out at the beginning of spring training 1976. After a few weeks commissioner Bowie Kuhn, against the wishes of many owners, ordered the camps opened and play to resume while the new CBA was negotiated.

By midseason 1976, a new 4-year CBA was signed which included that all players with at least six years experience could become free agents when their contracts expired, but the owners wanted limitations placed on free agency. One limitation was that a player could only file for free agency once every five years and that players could only negotiate with up to 12 teams besides his former club. The 12 teams would be determined by an annual draft of negotiating rights.

As predicted, free agency caused salaries between 1976 and 1980 to skyrocket (average salary 1976: $51,501, average salary 1980 $143,756). One way to limit free agency was to implement a compensation system where a team that lost a quality free agent was allowed to select a player from the signing clubs major league roster. At the time of the proposal, the only compensation a team received for losing a free agent was a draft pick. The players balked at this proposal, but with the strike deadline looming, the players and owners agreed on a CBA that settled all matters except free agency. The owners and players created a joint committee to determine the best way to tie compensation to free agency. The CBA stipulated that if a deal on free agency couldn't be reached by February, 1981 the owners could implement their plan, but if they did, the players had the right to strike.

Neither side had shown any ability to compromise on the free agent compensation, so the players would hit the picket lines in the summer of 1981. The strike would last from June 12, 1981 to July 31, 1981. When the dust settled the new "free agency" compensation system was instituted. A free agent compensation draft was set up that allowed a team that lost a quality free agent to pick a player for a pool of players made available by other ML teams. This is the birth of the Type A, Type B, and Type C label system. Only a Type A would trigger entry into the compensation draft. Type B would continue to result in draft pick compensation, but Type C would result in no compensation. Teams could protect 26 players in their organization form the draft, except teams that signed a Type A free agent, they could only protect 24. A team could opt out of signing any Type A free agents and not have to risk any players in the compensation draft. This draft was held in January or February and by any estimation was a disaster, but did have a great moment tied to it.

For one of the few times in history, the New York Yankees were on the losing side of a player acquisition battle. The Oakland Athletics had lost Tom Underwood to the Orioles and had a pick in the selection pool. The #1 pick in the 1984 draft was Tim Belcher who failed to sign with the Minnesota Twins and was eligible in the January, 1985 draft. The Yankees, with their financial resources, drafted and signed Belcher, and were very proud of themselves for this achievement. The Yankees had no idea that by signing Belcher before the compensation draft that he'd be eligible for the draft, but the Athletics knew and they selected him. A furious George Steinbrenner vowed to end the draft compensation system and found nobody to obstruct him and the 1985 CBA set up the draft compensation as we know it today.

There have been several work stoppages since the 1985 CBA (1990, 1995) was signed, there have been many changes to the June Amateur Draft (number of rounds, eliminating the January drafts, etc), changes to the free agent compensation system (surrendering your non-protected first round pick, a period of Type B and Type C compensation, and the elimination of Type C compensation) has been tweaked over the years but is now like so many other system in MLB in need of an overhaul. Will the MLBPA and the owners find a compensation system that doesn't lead to each side drawing a line in the sand resulting in a lockout/strike? Will there be a free agent compensation system that truly works in favor of the poorer clubs that doesn't restrict the movement of players? Will the next grading system utilize a different statistical system, one that takes into account defense and more sabermetric statistics rather than relying solely on traditional statistics? What type of system would you design if asked to outline the next Free Agent Compensation Plan?

Additional Reading:

Short Lived Free Agent Compensation Draft - Baseball Reference

A Contentious History: Baseball's Labor Fight - ESPN

Evolution of the Draft - MLB.com

Rule V Draft - Baseball Reference (several links to The Hardball Times included)

Poll

Will there be a work stoppage when the CBA expires in December, 2011?

Yes, because the large market teams will resist the increase in revenue sharing.

18 votes

Yes, the players union will not agree to the free agent compensation plan offerred by the owners.

15 votes

Yes, the owners will hold steady to take control of player allocation and salary structure.

18 votes

No, the players and the owners both realize that they make a lot of money.

70 votes

No, the owners will give in at the 11th hour and give the players what they demand.

32 votes

Other: Explain in Comments

2 votes

155 votes | Poll has closed

Rays Reportedly Sign 1B Casey Kotchman, Acquire RHP

2011-01-28T21:06:43Z

More photos » Rob Carr - AP

Seattle Mariners' Casey Kotchman swings wildly at a floating orb.

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Only moments after alluding to it on his 1010 AM interview, it appears Andrew Friedman signed a first baseman to a minor league deal. According to MLBTR, the Rays have signed former Mariner Casey Kotchman, a defensive whiz who bats like his wrists are broken. Of course, a defensive whiz at first base is kind of like a genius weightlifter -- the extra trait doesn't really help all the much.

That being said, Kotchman's defense has saved quite a few runs over his career and it single-handedly made him almost a 2-win player in 2008. In reality though, his bat makes him very much a Travis Lee clone and therefore Dan Johnson insurance at best.

Last season was really rough on ol' CK: He played for the Mariners -- which is bad enough -- but he also had a putrid .217/.280/.336 line, good for a 66 wRC+ (or 7th worst among players with 400+ PAs). However, Bill Petti's Batter Regress Tool suggests Kotchman should and would return to his league average ways:

Heyman reports Kotchman's deal to be worth $750K plus incentives, and as a minor league deal, I expect it means we will not see him unless Johnson asplodes. And, honestly, if the unthinkable happens and Johnson turns in pumpkin pie, then Cotchman and his glove aught offer at least 1 WAR and plenty for the Eye-Heads* to ogle over.

*If I'm allowed to be called a stat-head, then I reserve the right to call others Eye-Heads.

In other news, the Rays also snatched the family-sized Twins reliever Rob Delaney on the waiver wire. A righty with middle relief written all over him, Delaney has -- by rule -- been added to the 40 man roster and could provide yet another no-name arm to assemble another Friedman'd Frankenstein Bullpen.

For more on Delaney, check R.J. Anderson's write up on The Process Report:

At 6’3", 230 or so, Delaney is a large fellow with plenty of hips to rotate. He went undrafted and can grow a fabulous mustache, suggesting that, if nothing else, he’ll take Dale Thayer’s role in fuzzy-lipped relief pitcher purgatory.

Andrew Friedman Coming Up On 1010 AM

2011-01-28T19:16:56Z

Andrew Friedman Coming Up On 1010 AM

Worth tuning in.

How To Find a Cheap Diamond Without Mortgaging Your House

2011-01-28T17:15:18Z

Shortly after the Rays were defeated in the 2008 World Series, Edwin Jackson was shipped off to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Matt Joyce. Some were surprised by the departure; despite being left out of the post-season rotation, Jackson set a franchise record with 14 wins and was only 25 years-old. This was the first occurrence of a wonderful, recurring problem for the Rays: too much starting pitching. Two former first-round picks were waiting in the wings in Triple-A Durham - David Price (1st overall) and Jeff Niemann (4th) - and Wade Davis and Mitch Talbot were banging on the door as well. Something had to give, so it was likely the Rays would either move Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine.

There were many different factors that went into the decision of who to trade. Jackson had just finished up his final season of team control, while Sonnanstine had two more seasons remaining before becoming arbitration eligible. Another determining factor was what each player could bring back in return. Sonny, a soft-tossing right-hander, completed a great 2008 campaign mixing up his four pitches to keep hitters off-balance. Jackson threw much harder and earned more wins, but most peripherals gave the edge to Sonnanstine. Jackson oozed potential despite only glimpses of greatness. We will never know if Sonny was shopped as well, but I feel pretty confident that Joyce is being better than anything the Rays would have received back for Andy.

Hindsight is 20/20 and Edwin went on to have two very good seasons producing 3.5 and 3.8 WAR (vs. 1.3 and 1.5 in the two prior seasons with the Rays) while earning $2.2 and $4.2 million. That's outstanding production for that price. Jackson is set to make north of $8 million this season and was involved in his third trade in three years, moving on to the White Sox. The Rays may have been well suited to hang on to Jackson, but at the same time, by trading him they acquired six seasons of Matt Joyce and made room for Niemann in the rotation. The Rays may not have fleeced the Tigers, but they were able to exercise risk minimization.

During the 2008 season, the Rays extended Scott Kazmir to the tune of three years- $28.5 million. In 2009, Kazmir's velocity continued a downward trend, his struggles worsened, and he found himself on the disabled list working with Rick Peterson. The extension began to look like an epic disaster for the Rays. Peterson was able to work some of his magic, buying Andrew Friedman just enough time to exercise his now famous, "Salary dump in the middle of a playoff race!!!" Scotty Kaz was worth -.8 WAR in 2010 in Anaheim while raking in a cool $8 million, with another $12 million guaranteed for 2011. (It's funny that Blue Jays fans don't seem to be describing the Vernon Wells deal as a horrible deal, and Wells was worth 4 WAR in 2010!) On the bright side, the Angels can buy Kazmir out in 2012 for $2.5 million.

This would have been masterful if the Rays had simply convinced the Angels to take on Kazmir's contract. That type of desperation could have made the Angels have second thoughts. Andrew Friedman needed a return to sell the deal - a package that included Sean Rodriguez, lefty pitching prospect Alex Torres, and Matt Sweeney. That's a whole lot of cost control, and Rodriguez's 1.9 WAR in 2010 may be more than the Angels ever see from Kazmir.

Edwin Jackson succeeded beyond the bay and Scott Kazmir has not. Combine their 2010 seasons and they were worth 3 WAR for $12 million in salary, about fair market value, a value the Rays won't be able to succeed against the big boys with. This year, Jackson and Kazmir will combine for $20 million. What's important is the Rays refused to get left holding the bag, to be the one left standing when the music stopped. They make this possible by stocking the system with young arms to step right in when the predecessors start to get more expensive.

With top pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson waiting in the wings, the team executed this off-season's "salary dump": the Matt Garza trade. The Rays have now moved 3/5 of the 2008 World Series rotation and probably upgraded the rotation as a result. What has all this salary dumping left us with? I leave you with this team-controlled graphic:

A Second Look at the Baseball Theorem of Relativity

2011-01-28T12:00:45Z

We've recently been discussing how the last few rosters stack up -- were the 2008 Rays more talented than in 2009? How does 2010 fit in, and how good will 2011 be?

Well, I thought I'd encourage the discussion further: I've been toying around with Tableau Public and figured I aught share the following chart. It features B-Ref Wins Above Replacement for starters (or players with 100 or more games) over the last three seasons.

Note: I've recorded player's positions according to what they played 2/3 of the time. Therefore, Ben Zobrist -- though very much a utility man, is a second baseman in 2009 but a right fielder in 2010. Likewise, Eric Hinske -- who played less than 2/3 at any one position, is considered utility.

What intrigues me most is how -- at least by starting position players -- the 2008 Rays appear quite inferior. Granted, the strength of the Rays teams have always been defense, pitching, and brawlfense, none of which these charts capture (or capture well, in the case of defense*).

*Am I correct to say B-Ref WAR doesn't use UZR?

Still, the differences are intriguing -- especially considering the disparity of results. This no doubt reminds the faithful reader of my previous ruminations concerning the BASEBALL THEOREM OF RELATIVITY in which I espoused: "When fleeing a ravenous cheetah, do not worry about outrunning the cheetah; focus on outrunning your loved ones."

So what say ye?! Which era of fielders would you choose if given a time desk with which to transplant historic lineups into modernity?

Poll

The best roster of positional starters...

My visual response to PGP's article earlier this week. I would be worried about Manny's ability to...

2011-01-28T01:15:59Z

My visual response to PGP's article earlier this week. I would be worried about Manny's ability to stay back on off-speed pitches.

Projecting The Affiliates

2011-01-27T18:00:44Z

More photos » Mike Ehrmann - Getty Images

4 months ago: ST PETERSBURG FL - OCTOBER 07: Desmond Jennings #27 the Tampa Bay Rays waits on deck during Game 2 of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field on October 7 2010 in St. Petersburg Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

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The big signings of Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez mean that the 25-man roster is beginning to take shape, and they also had some ramifications for the minor leagues. Without a clear opening at the major-league level, we know that Desmond Jennings is a near-lock to return to Durham now. With spring training games still a month from getting started, there's still a lot to sort out -- Is Jake McGee a Ray or a Bull, a starter or reliever? -- but after the jump I take a look at how the full-season team rosters are shaping up.

Durham Bulls

C: Robinson Chirinos
1B: Leslie Anderson
2B: Cody Cipriano
SS: J.J. Furmaniak
3B: Russ Canzler
OF: Desmond Jennings
OF: Brandon Guyer
OF:

SP: Alex Torres
SP: Alex Cobb
SP: David Newmann
SP:
SP:

RP: Dane De La Rosa
RP: Brandon Gomes
RP:

Desmond Jennings will be back in the Durham outfield to try to improve on last year's performance. Hindered early by a wrist injury, he never really got into a groove and his .756 OPS in 2010 was his lowest since his debut season in Princeton way back in 2006. With a performance more like his 32-game cameo there in 2009 -- a .910 OPS -- he could earn a trip back to the majors, but if Johnny Damon is playing well, it's tough to see Jennings called up to play a bench role.

Joining him in the outfield will be Brandon Guyer, who broke out in a big way last year for the Cubs double-A affiliate, Tennessee. He's seen a lot of time in center field, and should get rotated in if the Rays expose Jennings, the likely everyday center fielder, to the corner spots. At the plate, Guyer set career highs in 2009 in virtually every category, so he'll need to show the advances were for real. Most importantly: his power (13 home runs in 2010, just three in 2009) and plate discipline (his weakest attribute as a hitter; 91 walks in 356 career games).

Two of Guyer's Tennessee teammates will join him in Durham. Catcher Robinson Chirinos, also a member of the Matt Garza deal, is the second-best hitting prospect on the team behind Jennings. Chirinos finished last season at triple-A and, like Guyer, set career highs across the board. Converted to catcher only three seasons ago, he just needs more reps behind the plate. If John Jaso or Kelly Shoppach were to go down early in the season, the Rays might choose to promote Jose Lobaton or Nevin Ashley instead of Chirinos.

Third baseman Russ Canzler also posted a career high OPS for Chicago's double-A affiliate, but he was picked up as a minor league free agent. He's not much of a prospect, but could be a short-term at a corner infield spot, a la Willy Aybar of years past, though Canzler isn't on the 40-man roster. Leslie Anderson, the Cuban defector, is, and he's likely to split time between 1st base and the outfield to keep him sharp.

The rotation will be led by the two-headed Alex monster, Cobb and Torres, and perhaps Jake McGee. All three season began 2010 in Montgomery's rotation, though McGee of course made it to the majors in a relief role. Where he begins the 2011 season, bullpen or rotation, Tampa Bay or Durham, will be decided in spring training. David Newmann, who had a disappointing season last year, will try to rebound at a new level.

Dane De La Rosa, an indy ball refugee, was added to the 40-man roster in the off-season and is a dark horse to win a bullpen spot. With Durham's bullpen experience an exodus similar to the one in St. Pete, De La Rosa could emerge as the Bulls closer if McGee is in the rotation or Tampa Bay. His main competition would be Brandon Gomes, who dominated double-A for two seasons in the Padres system and will get a shot at triple-A after coming over in the Jason Bartlett trade.

Montgomery Biscuits
C: Stephen Vogt
1B: Henry Wrigley
2B: Cole Figueroa
SS: Tim Beckham
3B: Matt Sweeney
IF: Shawn O’Malley
OF: Isiais Velasquez
OF: Kyeong Kang
OF: Reid Fronk

SP: Matt Moore
SP: Chris Archer
SP: Nick Barnese
SP: Joe Cruz
SP: Shane Dyer

RP: Josh Satow
RP: Marquis Fleming
RP: Zach Quate
RP: Neil Schenk

Let's start with the pitching staff because, wow, is it a good one. Matt Moore and Chris Archer need no introduction, they have some of the nastiest stuff in the minors. Archer pitched a half-season in double-A with the Cubs and would be in line for a mid-season promotion to Durham with continued success. Moore will be a Southern League newbie, but if his second-half adjustments carry into 2011, he could force the Rays' hand as well. Nick Barnese and Joe Cruz are two intriguing righties who are breakout candidates this year.

Charlotte's bullpen a season ago was arguably the best in the minors, and they graduate to Montgomery for 2011. Double-A is a tough test that Zach Quate, Marquis Fleming, Neil Schenk, and Josh Satow will need to prove they can pass. Scott Shuman, who was dominant in Bowling Green's bullpen last year, could also join this group.

Stephen Vogt led the Florida State League in OPS, but as an older prospect with an iffy defensive rotation, has a lot to prove in 2011. Tim Beckham looks like he'll begin the season still at shortstop, but may not end it there. If he does wind up shifting to third base or the outfield, he'll have to show more with the bat. Cole Figueroa, a part of the Bartlett trade, will join Beckham up the middle. Matt Sweeney and Shawn O'Malley will look to bounce back from disappointing injury-plagued 2010 seasons.

Charlotte Stone Crabs
C: Jake Jefferies
1B: Mike Sheridan
2B: Tyler Bortnick
SS: Hak-Ju Lee
3B: Greg Sexton
OF: Ty Morrison
OF: Cody Rogers
OF: Chris Murrill

SP: Alex Colome
SP: Jake Thompson
SP: Wilking Rodriguez
SP: Kyle Lobstein
SP: Albert Suarez

RP: Matt Bush
RP: Scott Shuman
RP: Kirby Yates

Again, it looks like the pitching will be the strength here. All five starters are at least solid prospects who could make the leap in 2011. Alex Colome and Jake Thompson have the biggest arms but haven't quite put it together to be consistently dominant. The Rays have almost never promoted starting pitchers out of high-A, so these guys should get comfortable with the Charlotte Sports Park mound. In the bullpen, Matt Bush and Scott Shuman both have an argument to make Montgomery's roster, but there may simply not be enough innings to go around there.

At the plate and in the field, Hak-Ju Lee will surely command the most attention. He has potential with his bat, his wheels, and his fielding ability, but all three areas are still rough around the edges. Tyler Bortnick has performed very well at the plate as a 16th round pick in 2009 while his defense remains well-regarded.

Ty Morrison, Cody Rogers, and Chris Murrill will eat up fly balls all over the outfield as all three have plus speed. Rogers has plus raw power at the plate, but struggled to make contact last year. Morrison also has some swing-and-miss in him, though his walk total improved each month last season. Still, he stole a system-leading 58 bags despite a .324 OBP.

Speed is going to rule this team, as Lee, Bortnick, Morrison, and Murrill each stole at least 30 bases last season, while Rogers probably would have had he played a full season.

Bowling Green Hot Rods
C:
1B: Phil Wunderlich
2B: Robby Price
SS: Derek Dietrich
3B: Julio Cedano
OF: Kevin Kiermaier
OF:
OF:

SP: Enny Romero
SP: Braulio Lara
SP: Jason McEachern
SP: Merrill Kelly
SP: Wilmer Almonte

RP:
RP:
RP:

This is where it starts to get iffy. The Hot Rods could get some major star power if the Rays are aggressive with the top 2010 high school draftees: outfielders Josh Sale and Drew Vettleson plus catcher Justin O'Conner. The 2009 high school position player draftees, Todd Glaesmann, Luke Bailey, and Jeff Malm, also have a shot to play in Bowling Green despite disappointing 2010 seasons. Given the Rays historically conservative approach, though, I'm not quite ready to pencil any of them in.

The guys I do have going here are polished players who lack star ceilings: Robby Price and Derek Dietrich in the infield, Kevin Kiermaier in the outfield. Phil Wunderlich is a nice sleeper with some big raw power, but his contact and plate discipline need work.

A pair of lefties, Enny Romero and Braulio Lara, dominated the Appalachian League last year and are poised to make the jump to full-season ball. Jason McEachern was one of my favorites before the year, but his control and command took a step back while his stuff stagnated. He'll get another chance at the Midwest League, still just 20 years old. Merill Kelly was last year's eighth round selection and brings some polish to the young rotation.

Feel free to go ahead and dissect these now. I'm pretty sure I got in all the big prospects, but there's a good chance I forgot someone. So if there's anyone you'd like to see on here, post in the comments and I'll edit him in.

Jonah Keri Live Chat

2011-01-27T17:29:57Z

Jonah Keri Live Chat

Pop on over to FanGraphs if you've got anything to ask Jonah.

Keith Law's Top 100 Prospect List: Rays Top the Charts

2011-01-27T17:06:38Z

Every year a variety of prospect lists come out, and every year the rest of us try to sort out exactly what they mean. Some evaluators are higher on certain players than others, and so instead of treating any one list as gospel, it's best to take a look at what everyone is saying and synthesize the information as much as possible.

That said, Keith Law is a highly regarded analyst and his prospect lists certainly merits consideration. He just released his Top 100 prospect list today, including Top 10 rankings for each team. According to his list, the Rays have eight out of the top 100 prospects in baseball: Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Desmond Jennings, Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Alex Torres, Alex Colome, and Jake McGee. That's the most of any team in baseball, although the Blue Jays are right behind with seven.

The article is Insider only, so I'm hesitant to include more information from it here. Instead, here's a brief look at how Law's Top 10 list for the Rays compares with Baseball America's list:

Keith Law		Baseball America
Hellickson	1	Hellickson
Moore	2	Moore
Jennings	3	Jennings
Archer	4	Archer
Lee	5	McGee
Torres	6	Sale
Colome	7	Torres
McGee	8	Lee
Sale	9	Colome
O'Conner	10	O'Conner

Comparable Players By Age

2011-01-27T13:00:53Z

Upon the retirement of Rocco Baldelli at the early age of 29, Matt Klaassen thought it fit to try and figure out what type of career he may have had if injuries hadn't ravaged his legs. Klaassen used the Similarity Score-based comparables on baseball-reference.com through Baldelli's age 24 season - his peak. The results were interesting: Ellis Burks, Gary Maddux, Gary Matthews Sr. It's a really interesting piece and I suggest you all go check it out. That got me to thinking, what players are some of the current Rays most similar to by age?*

*I'm only taking the players on roster with more than a few years of experience

B.J. Upton (25): Lee Mazzilli

Mazzilli's age 25 season wasn't bad by any stretch. He posted an OPS+ of 126 while stealing 45 bases and posting a .370 OBP. It would also be the last season in which Mazzilli played more than 111 games. Injuries took a tool on his career and he would play sparingly over nine more seasons. Let's hope the same doesn't happen to B.J.

Evan Longoria (24): Scott Rolen

I'm relieved Longoria's age 24 season comparable is Rolen, because at age 23 it was Hank Blalock. When his career is over I think Rolen will end up being one of the more under appreciated players of his era. There's a reason there are only 10 third basemen in the Hall of Fame; it's really tough to remain durable playing there. Rolen has had his share of injuries, but should have a strong Hall of Fame case when he retires. Not many third basemen hit .284/.369/498 over 15+ seasons. I think we all expect Longoria to be a better version of Rolen, which is lofty praise.

Ben Zobrist (29): Don Hoak.

I had no idea who Don Hoak was before researching this. He played for five teams over an 11 year career. His age 29 seasons just happened to be his best. He was an All-Star, OPS'ing .863 and putting up an OPS+ of 125, and leading the league with 39 doubles. Hoak enjoyed a few more productive seasons before retiring in 1964.

Kelly Shoppach (30): Chris Widger

Chris Widger. Gross.

James Shields (28): Carl Pavano

Shields' most comparable player at age 27 was Scott Baker. That's funny, because I've always thought of them in a similar fashion, but had never checked that. Seeing Carl Pavano's name there will stir up a range of emotions, I'm sure. However, Pavano's age 28 season is the one that caused the Yankees to give him that regretful contract. He went 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA that year for Florida. We all know that his years in New York didn't go so well, but he's turned his career around nicely with the Twins. If we're lucky Shields will grow a mustache half as good as Pavano.

David Price (24): Roger Moret

Price really only has one full season of starts to work off of. Moret pitched for three teams over nine seasons, retiring in 1978 with a 3.66 ERA. His 1973 season, at age 24, was his best, going 13-2 with a 3.17 ERA for the Red Sox. I'm sure as Price's career progresses we'll see some more impressive names on his list.

They haven't played a game for the Rays yet, but just for fun lets look at Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. Manny's age 38 comparable is Ken Griffey Jr, and Damon's age 37 is Vada Pinson. Damon's most similar batter of all time is Tim Raines, which is neat.

I wouldn't try and extrapolate too much from those comparisons, but they sure are interesting to look at.

DRaysBay Writing Contest: Let the Voting Begin

2011-01-26T19:38:38Z

We finished collecting entries for our writing contest last Friday, so now it's time for the voting. Each article will be presented as an anonymous FanPost, and voting will be done by the number of Rec's. If you like a particular article, give it a rec. There's no minimum or maximum number of submissions you can vote for, but please try and be judicious.

Also, please realize that some articles were written a few weeks ago, and some of the content might be outdated (for example, discussions of signing Vladimir Guerrero). Don't hold this against a post, but try to judge based on the quality of the person's writing and/or analysis.

We have a total of 8 submission, and we'll post two a day until we've run through them all. Voting will stay open until next Friday, when the three posts with the largest amount of rec's will be declared the winners.

Thanks again to everyone that submitted!