By Glenn Giangrande
Didn’t the Rays stop the arbitration clock silliness by locking up Evan Longoria? Thursday’s start by Jeff Niemann serves as exhibit A, B, and C for why David Price should be up in the Majors. Oh, and after his performances last September and October, no I don’t care that he was 1-3 with a 3.92 ERA through May 6th at Triple-A Durham. He’s going to get his money eventually. Start the clock already.
 
Niemann gave the Rays just 3.1 innings and 78 pitches before being lifted against the Yankees. He won the fifth starter job in Spring Training, beating out Jason Hammel before he was traded to Colorado. Price was ticketed for the Minors no matter what. Why? As long as a youngster proves that he is mentally tough, what’s the harm in putting him into a prime Major League role if he is the best alternative? The high-end potential of Price versus what Niemann can offer – a 5.68 ERA in five starts this year heading into action versus the Yanks…who would you take?
 
To be fair, Niemann was a top prospect once upon a time, a 4th overall draft pick before arm problems set him back. Now 26, he might be right up against his ceiling. If you believe in having your best players on the field, Price should have started the year in the Majors and never looked back.
 
When I haven’t been on the job with YES lately, I’ve been really getting into Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel. I have no idea when it airs on a normal programming schedule, but re-runs tend to air somewhere in the 1:30, 2 AM range. I don’t know what show came first – that one, or Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on the Food Network, but they look like they could be sister shows, and thankfully, us viewers win.