First round pick delivers

The benefit of being so bad for so long allowed the Tampa Bay Rays to garner many top prospects. Once you have the opportunity to make those picks it is essential to draft well and the Rays have done this. Here are just a few of their first round draft picks over the last few years:

• 1999 Josh Hamilton
• 2000 Rocco Baldelli
• 2002 BJ Upton
• 2003 Delmon Young
• 2004 Jeff Niemann
• 2006 Evan Longoria
• 2007 David Price
• 2008 Tim Beckham

This is a pretty impressive list.

David Price was one of those can't miss prospects that the Rays drafted out of Vanderbilt. In his first season in the minors he had a record of 12-1 and fast tracked to the Rays squad. Last year he was 10-7 with a fairly average ERA of almost 4.50.

Price started his 2010 season against the mighty Yankees and showed that he is ready to take the next step towards being that superstar. The 24 year old pitched 7 2/3 innings of 7 hit ball with 7 K's allowing just three runs. If the Rays are to do well this year they need Price to win 16-18 games, which he is very capable of.

The starting staff for the Rays this year consists of Price, staff ace James Shield age 29, Niemann 28, Matt Garza 27 and other Rays draft pick Wade Davis 24. They are young and talented but do they have enough to knock off the experienced staffs of the Yankees and Red Sox? Or is the team to beat in the AL East the Jays?

In the minors last night one of the top pitching lines was from Dodgers prospect 24 year old Scott Elbert. He finds himself in AAA with Albuquerque and hurled six innings of 2 hit ball while striking out 10.

Pedro Alvarez the Pirates third base prospect continued his hot hitting in the first two days of the AAA season knocking 2 more HR and 5 RBI. Add that to the previous days HR and 2 RBI and it seems he wont stay too long in the minors. He is just23.