It's no large surprise that the Tampa Rays are using their strong farm system to strengthen their MLB roster as the playoffs draw nigh. And it's less of a surprise that the biggest impact player getting called up -- along with Jonny Gomes, Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot -- is David Price, rapidly rising pitching phenom of first round fame."For David to get this opportunity so early in his career speaks volumes about him," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "We still feel like there's some things developmentally that he needs to work on. There were a little bit of road bumps for him in Triple A, but it's good for his development to have experienced it, and we think for him to be a part of this environment and what's going on right now will further aid in his development."Price has been more dominant in the minors -- his stint at Triple-A excepted -- than even the most optimistic of expectations could have predicted, going 12-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 109 K's and only 32 walks in 109.2 innings.
The Rays are, of course, in pretty good shape playoff wise; they hold a two game lead over the Red Sox and a nice eight game cushion over the Wild Card hopeful Twins.
There's no word yet on how Price and Niemann -- both top end starters in the minors -- will be used at the big league level. And it would seem pretty presumptuous to expect Price to slide into the rotation amid a pennant race and simply dominate, which is why seeing both guys pitch out of the pen wouldn't be shocking at all. But if Edwin Jackson falters at all, well, yeah, Price will be in the rotation pretty quickly.
