It's frustrating for fans, but the Rays' approach works

So, just to get this straight, that was Wade Davis - cornerstone of future Rays rotations, three starts into his big-league career - throwing 124 pitches Thursday night in Baltimore?

Not the workhorse James Shields or the relatively seasoned Matt Garza, but one of those prized young pitchers the Rays have nurtured through their system with an anxious parent's eye on them at all times to prevent misuse?

For those conditioned to the caution with which the Rays have handled the arms expecting to keep them in contention for years to come, watching Joe Maddon give Davis that much leeway to finish off his complete-game shutout was jarring.

Tampa Bay's system is so ingrained now, and so familiar not only to its pitchers and coaches throughout the minor-league ranks but also the team's fans, that any seeming departure from it raises eyebrows. To the Rays' big-league staff, though, giving Davis the opportunity to do what he did at Camden Yards made perfect sense.

For one thing, with a pair of off days coming this week, the Rays were able to juggle their rotation to give Davis some extra rest before his next start. And perhaps more importantly, even though he has thrown only 18 2/3 innings in the majors, Davis essentially has graduated, for lack of a better term.

The Rays' emphasis on controlling their young pitchers' innings totals from year to year is all relative, and Davis is in the midst of the final step. He threw 168 2/3 innings last year between Montgomery and Durham, and his total this season sits at 177 1/3 innings. With another start or two this season, Davis will be well-positioned to enter Shields territory - approaching 215 innings - in 2010. And that's exactly where the Rays want him.

The idea behind all of the planning and monitoring is to avoid putting unnecessary strain on a pitcher's arm by having him make a huge upsurge in innings from year-to-year. Managing that progression - increasing the workload by, say, 20 percent each year - is, in the minds of the Rays and many observers, the safest way to bring along a young arm.

That's why David Price was used in relief rather than as a starter last season, and it's why he began 2009 in the minors where his innings can be controlled. Entering his start today, he's sitting on 144 innings after throwing 1401/3 last season - right on track.

It can be frustrating at times to watch the downside of that philosophy in action, with pitchers in the minors being built up at an agonizing pace and wins and losses taking a back seat to those all-important innings, but the evidence at hand suggests it has worked.

Over the past year or so, starting pitchers from top to bottom in the organization have been able to keep moving up the chain or do their job at the big-league level largely without serious injuries of the type that can typically spring from overuse. Since Scott Kazmir missed the first month of last season with an elbow strain suffered in spring training, the Rays' major-league rotation has been completely healthy.

And in the minors, the Rays have seen two pitchers considered significant prospects go down with serious elbow injuries that required "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery: 23-year-old left-hander Jake McGee, who otherwise would have had a shot to reach the majors this season, and 19-year-old Albert Suarez, an imposing righty who came up through the team's Venezuelan academy.

Considering the fragility of young pitchers, that's a pretty good record - one made more encouraging by the sight of McGee hitting 95 mph on the radar gun as he got back on the mound for limited action in Port Charlotte this summer.

Such positive results only reinforce the Rays' resolve in the course of action they have taken with their young pitchers - the resource they must protect more vigilantly than any other given the financial challenges they face year in and year out.

So as you eagerly await the arrival of the next great arm, like those minor-leaguers honored Friday night at Tropicana Field - Jeremy Hellickson, Darin Downs, Matt Moore - don't expect too much too soon. The Rays have too much invested in a system that works to take any chances now.