Kuzul

The 2013 MLB season is now in full swing, and the Rays haven't had very good start to their year. Tampa Bay stands at 3-4 after the first week of baseball, dropping a couple of tough games but showing some bright signs as well.It's just the beginning of what should be an exciting year for this talented Rays team.Here are five things I've taken away from the first seven games of the season.Begin Slideshow

Every year, in sports, there are underrated players who break onto the scene with great performances.And, every year, people try to predict who those players will be. And this year, I have some ideas.Despite successful 2012 campaigns, these players aren't getting much attention for a variety of reasons. However, in 2013, they will be getting attention, for some good performances, in fantasy and real life. And then, they'll be shining in the bright lights of October.But who will those players be? Well, why don't you find out.Begin Slideshow

Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson is drawing a huge amount of interest in trade talks, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman—and any general manager who isn't calling Tampa Bay's Andrew Friedman to try and acquire him, frankly, shouldn't be a general manager.Hellickson, 25, made 31 starts for the Rays in 2012, going 10-11 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 124 strikeouts over 177 innings of work.Winner of the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year award and a Gold Glove recipient in 2012, Hellickson has a career mark of 27-21 to go along with an impressive 3.06 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in just over 400 innings—with the bulk of those innings coming in AL East play.He's also under team control through the 2017 season.So why would the Rays be looking to move someone with considerable upside who has yet to reach his prime?Two words: Scott Boras.Hellickson is represented by the mega-agent, and Tampa Bay ...

The most common phrase in professional sports (also the most overused phrase) that players and coaches use to describe a recent transaction is "it's a business." As a student of business, I can confidently confirm this brilliant diagnosis.As a business, the Tampa Bay Rays must first outline their goal for the 2011 season. A successful season would entail making the playoffs, most likely as the American League wild card, and compete in the postseason. Check that off.Next, they must begin basic preparation. This is primarily training employees and allowing managers to learn the strengths and weaknesses of their people, i.e. Spring Training. Check that off, too.Finally, the club has to analyze its environment for the 2011 season. The most common tool to assess a given business at any time is with a Five Forces Analysis.The Five Forces are: supplier power, buyer power, substitutes, rivalry, and competition, but for the sake ...

When projecting the 2011 fantasy value of prospects with little or no major league service time, their value is tied as much to opportunity as it is to ability. For example, prospects like Mike Trout and Shelby Miller have as much ability as anyone in the minors but will not see the big leagues until at least 2012.  The following list of pitching prospects (max 16 MLB starts) contains the guys with the best current combination of opportunity and ability. The cream of the crop is Jeremy Hellickson. Not that I am breaking any news with that statement, but I would be remiss in assuming every reader knows that Hellickson is at the top of this list is a given.  The Tampa Bay prospect has produced at every level of the minor leagues posting fantastic strikeout numbers and displaying excellent control. One thing I particularly like about Hellickson is that he has logged ...

The Grapefruit and Cactus circuits are both well underway and prospects all over the league are starting to establish themselves while others have watched their stock slip. With the spring training schedule at its halfway point, the time to impress coaches and management is now for many of these youngsters. With roughly three weeks to go until teams head north for the summer months, many of the prospects listed below have very limited time to unseat the seasoned veterans ahead of them on the depth chart and onto your fantasy baseball team. Lets take a look at who made big moves this week and others that fell off. 1) Jeremy Hellickson – TB  (LW:1) The young Rays flamethrower maintains his firm grasp on the top spot this week. Hellickson finally made his first appearance of the ...