Rays News and Notes: Former Ray Clyburn Killed

Today we lost a member of the Rays community. Former Rays outfielder Danny Clyburn, Jr. was shot this morning at a home in the town of Lancaster, South Carolina.

Clyburn did not have a long or memorable MLB career, but he did spend a season with the Rays. Clyburn played 28 games with the Rays in the 1999 season, hitting .198 in 89 plate appearances. The 1999 season was his last in the big leagues. Even though Clyburn did not spend much time with the Rays, he was still a member of the Rays community and it is always sad to lose someone.

Rays News and Notes

• NESN.com has a great article on the Rays under-the-radar offseason. Many Rays fans will not think the Rays had a quiet offseason, but to the outside, the Rays did things their way, signing cheap options to fill holes.
• SBNation.com published an article today on the Rays speed and how it is a key to the Rays success. I would agree that their speed sets them apart, but I would put their pitching and defense as bigger keys to success. The Rays speed has taken a hit this offseason, with the addition of Carlos Pena and Luke Scott who have next to no baserunning ability. The Rays still do have one of the quicker teams in baseball, and we all know Joe Maddon will take advantage.
• Finally, we have more Rays players making an impact in the community. Matt Joyce held a baseball camp at North Brandon Little League with fellow Major Leaguers Grant Balfour and Jonathan Albaladejo. The camp had 95 attendees and raised $10,000 for the Little League.