...Montgomery and was called up only when Elijah was out of commission.
Calm B's 4 Tha Storm
Young and Upton have been relatively quiet in the off-season. Likewise, Dukes reported to the Arizona Fall League with a focus on baseball, and improving his chances to make the outfield for the Devil Rays in the near-term.
In the wake of his arrest this week, that future has been clouded again by questions about his ability to stay out of trouble.
Triple-Bs Keys to Success for Troubled Tampa Bay?
The bigger question for the Tampa is can it afford not one, but all three of the Triple-Bs?
Young, who was the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 No. 2 in our mid-season ranking, largely for his personal negatives, is still arguably one of the top three players in the minors, number one in at least two other rankings.
Upton who was taken no. 1 by the Devil Rays in the June, 2002 draft, likewise has been a top three pick (See: MLN FAB50 Baseball 2005 No. 3).
Dukes, who was a third round pick in the June 2002 draft, batted .293 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI. Had he not missed fifty games of the season his numbers likely would be even better.
Where is Gunther Gebel-Williams [who?] When You Need Him?
Former Bulls skipper Bill Evers rode shotgun over Young without incident in his last season in Durham before being promoted to the D-Rays bench coach.
Evers has a particular knack with developing players, but would he and his boss, D-Rays manager Joe Maddon, be willing to take on the whole B-hive, particularly with the storm warning of Tamargo being forced to walk the plank for failing to control them?
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays issued a statement Tuesday regarding Dukes arrest: "We appreciate the seriousness of this incident, but the Devil Rays organization will not make any further comment while this remains a pending legal matter."
While the club has refrained from comment, it is known that Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics was reviewing Dukes status last August. Certainly it will go under review again now.
There was rumor, earlier in January of a trade for Dukes with the...
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