Rays New Year's resolutions: nine for '09

December 30, 10:46 AMTampa Bay Rays ExaminerRob Quinn

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Price guns for Rookie of the Year. 

The New Year is almost upon us and it’s time to start thinking about our good old New Year’s resolutions. Since my own personal resolutions never make it to February, this year I am going to go ahead and make resolutions for other people – the Tampa Bay Rays. These are nine goals for ’09 that I would like to see some players shoot for.

B.J. Upton - Get 25 infield hits.

Last year, Upton had 12 infield hits and had his hustle questioned multiple times, including one infamous benching by Joe Maddon. Ichiro and Hunter Pence led the majors with 40 infield hits apiece last year. If Upton busts it down the line every time he makes contact in 2009, he could double his infield hit total from a year ago and silence many critics that question his focus.

Dioner Navarro – Make the All-Star team.

Navarro made it in 2008 and he stands a good chance to make it to the 2009 game in St. Louis. Navarro got off to a red-hot start at the plate in 2008 and cooled off to finish the season at .295. Navarro is one of the best defensive catchers in the league and if he can duplicate his 2008 season at the plate he should be an All Star along with perennial starter Joe Mauer of the Twins.

Jason Bartlett – Win the Gold Glove.

The shortstop Gold Glove is there for the taking, that’s for sure. Michael Young won it in 2008 and he is known more for his bat than his glove. Bartlett had the second lowest fielding percentage of all AL shortstops last year, even though he has a reputation as a glove man. If Bartlett can cut down on the errors, this is a reachable goal.

Carlos Pena – Hit 30 homers.

Last year, Pena became the first player in team history to record back-to-back seasons of 30 or more homers. If he hits at least 30 in 2009 he will extend his record streak to a third season and also pass Fred McGriff for second place on the team’s all-time list.

Carl Crawford – Play 150 games.

If CC gets into 150 games, I am confident his numbers will return to the normal All-Star caliber that he usually puts up. Carl stole only 25 bases last year, and that number should see a tremendous boost with a full year of a healthy Carl.

Evan Longoria – Drive in 100 runs.

Longoria drove in 85 last year in 448 at bats, so in a full season of work, 100 should be no problem. He should have plenty of runners on base to drive in so this should be the easiest mark to reach for any player, provided the dreaded sophomore slump doesn’t strike.

Akinori Iwamura – Score 100 runs.

Aki scored 91 last year, so nine more shouldn’t be a problem, right? The Rays have a good lineup and if Iwamura can reach base regularly like he did in 2008, he should be able to hit triple digits in runs.

Scott Kazmir – Average at least 6 IP per start.

Last year Kaz threw 152.1 innings in 27 starts, for an average of only 5.64 innings per start. Kazmir also averaged a team-high 101.9 pitches per start last year. This is the one hurdle Kazmir needs to clear before becoming a truly elite pitcher, rather than a great talent with unfulfilled potential. If he can improve his command and stop nibbling through the early innings, then he can become a much more valuable pitcher and should see his win total significantly increase as a result.

David Price – Win American League Rookie of the Year

He’ll be the odds-on favorite to take home the award going into the season, but I really don’t think any of that will get into his head and affect his performance. Price loves challenges and sets high goals for himself as it is. He is confident and if he stays healthy, I believe he can give the Rays back-to-back Rookie of the Year awards.

If the Rays can meet these challenges, they should be in a position to make a run at their team goal for 2009 – winning the World Series. Aim high.

As always comments are appreciated and you can e-mail me at raysexaminer@live.com