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By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 2, 2001
BALTIMORE -- Toby Hall has played a handful of games, but the rookie catcher already has made a significant impression on manager Hal McRae.
"He's done well in all departments," McRae said before Wednesday's game.
Hall has impressed with his bat, his catching and throwing from behind the plate, his leadership and the way he has called games.
But what McRae seems to like the most is Hall's potential.
"Upside, as far as being a complete player, he's probably closer than anybody we've got," McRae said. "That's a quick look, a quick study, and that opinion could change, but if you're saying who has the most upside potential, who has the best chance to be a complete player on this club, I would say Toby Hall does.
"I like everything I've seen of him."
Hall feels pretty good about things himself. "I'm nice and relaxed, it just feels like baseball now," Hall said. "I'm not putting any pressure on myself, I'm just playing and having fun."
Hall fouled a ball off his left knee in the second inning Wednesday, but had just a bruise as X-rays were negative.
SEDDON DONE: The Rays signed left-hander Chris Seddon, their fifth-round pick in the June draft. The Canyon (Calif.) High School product will join the rookie-level Princeton (W.Va.) team. The Rays have signed 11 of their first 15 picks but only two of the top five.
IT'S ALL LEFT: McRae said he would like to rearrange the rotation to split rookie left-handers Nick Bierbrodt and Joe Kennedy, who are pitching on consecutive days.
His thinking is that they pitch similarly and "give the same look to the hitters," but he's not ready to make the move.
"I would like for the two lefties to not pitch back-to-back, but we have a series coming up with the Yankees and it would probably be good. And maybe for Minnesota too," McRae said. "But at some point where it makes sense and where it's feasible, I'd like to break them up."
The Yankees are considered more vulnerable to left-handed starters because of the number of left-handed hitters in their lineup. If there are no changes, Bierbrodt would face the Yankees Wednesday at the Trop and Kennedy the next night. Kennedy would face them again in New York on Aug. 14.
GRAY AREA: Hall wore snazzy gray catcher's gear in his first two games but was told by team officials he had to switch to the more traditional black. Apparently the Rays' "official" color for catching gear is black, and a change would require approval from team and possibly MLB officials.
ON THE MOVE: A decision is expected today on Juan Guzman's future.
Guzman, recovering from June 2000 shoulder surgery, on Monday completed a 30-day rehab assignment. The Rays apparently don't believe he is ready to pitch regularly in the majors.
Rather than activate him immediately or release him, they may try to work out a deal to send him to the minors so he can continue his recovery.
RAYS BITS: John Flaherty accepted the duty as union representative; Steve Cox will be the assistant rep. ... Reliever Victor Zambrano has not given up an earned run in 131/3 innings of work since the All-Star break, most in the majors. ... The team's 4.38 ERA for July was its best monthly total since a 3.98 showing last August.
WHERE: Camden Yards, Baltimore.
RADIO: WFLA-AM 970, WLCC-AM 760 (Spanish).
RAYS BY THE NUMBERS Vs. East: 13-34
Vs. Central: 5-13
Vs. West: 7-17
Vs. NL: 10-8
Vs. RH starters: 26-60
Vs. LH starters: 9-13
On grass: 13-34
On turf: 22-38
One-run games: 11-10
Two-run games: 7-12
Extra innings: 3-2
Scoring first: 25-22
Scoring four or more: 32-30
Scoring fewer than four: 3-42
WEATHER FORECAST: Sunny with a high of 87 degrees, low of 67.
INFO: Call 1-888-FAN-RAYS.
TANYON STURTZE: The hard-throwing right-hander is 2-2 in his past five starts with a 5.06 ERA. Sturtze has been receiving treatment for a stiff back but says he should be okay. He has a 4.94 ERA with no decisions in 12 appearances, three starts, against Baltimore.
CALVIN MADURO: Maduro (0-2, 3.16) starts in place of Willis Roberts, who has a sore right knee. Maduro, 26, was impressive in his last start, shutting out Texas through six, then allowing two runs. The Aruba native has pitched one inning of relief against the Rays.
The Rays are the youngest team in the majors. Here are the five youngest teams, in terms of average age, as compiled by the Rays PR department:
(Team,Avg. age)
Rays,26.69
Twins,27.64
White Sox, 28.01
Reds,28.18
Expos,28.38