Tampa Bay Rays: Spring Training Information

By Scott Caruso – Rays of Light
Location: Progress Energy Park – St. Petersburg, FL
Pitchers and Catchers Report: Feb. 15th
First Game: Feb. 29th @ Cincinnati
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Akinori Iwamura (2B)
2. Carl Crawford (LF)
3. Carlos Pena (1B)
4. B.J. Upton (CF)
5. Cliff Floyd (DH)
6. Rocco Baldelli (RF)
7. Willy Aybar (3B)
8. Dioner Navarro (C)
9. Jason Bartlett (SS)

Projected Rotation

1. Scott Kazmir
2. James Shields
3. Matt Garza
4. Andy Sonnanstine
5. Edwin Jackson

Projected Bullpen

Long: Jason Hammel
Situational: Gary Glover, Juan Salas, Trever Miller
7th Inning: Dan Wheeler
8th Inning: Al Reyes
Closer: Troy Percival
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Key Battles

Offense: For the first time in perhaps the team’s entire history, the Rays go into Spring Training with nearly the entire roster already set. The biggest decisions come at third base and backup catcher, with both spots coming clearer into focus every day.

Third Base: The biggest question mark is whether or not Evan Longoria is going to be starting at third base on Opening Day or not. The Rays have said that they will make the decision about his April home before Spring Training starts, but here we are just days away and no decision has yet been made. As it stands right now, the assumption is that Evan Longoria will begin the year at Durham, with Joel Guzman and oft-troubled Willy Aybar splitting duties at third base until “Evan Almighty” is ready to become the face of the franchise.

Aybar and Guzman provide an interesting platoon at the third base, with Aybar possessing superior on-base skills, while Guzman is a bigger power and glove threat. One Rays blogger suggested that the Rays really need to find a way to mesh the two into one player – “Jolly Guzbar” – who would give you the best of all worlds. That, of course, will not happen, and Rays fans will need to live with a platoon of the two players for the short-term. If Aybar, who missed all of 2007 with the Braves because of his much-publicized personal issues, is not ready to go, the Rays have also brought former AL Rookie of the Year Eric Hinske into camp to compete for a starting job.

As for when Longoria will be ready? The Rays are likely holding him back to stop his arbitration clock from ticking and to avoid an Alex Gordon-esque situation from last year. Following the Ryan Braun approach to grooming your third baseman-to-be seems to be the team’s most likely course.

Catcher: While Dioner Navarro is locked in as the starting catcher after a very good second half of 2007, the Rays have 3 candidates for the backup catcher’s role. Each brings something different to the table. It’s going to come down to who handles the pitchers best during Spring Training and, to a lesser extent, if any one of the three completely outhits the rest of his competition.

Mike Difelice, a 12-year veteran, is a non-roster invitee and brings a “veteran influence” that the Rays talked about wanting to include on the team. The problem with him is that he’s simply not very good any more. Still, a solid spring could make him the front-runner to win a roster spot.

Rays fans have been waiting for Shawn Riggans to get a legitimate shot at regular playing time for a couple of years, but a series of injuries have really derailed someone who was once considered to be a prospect. He already has a 40-man roster spot, which could – in theory – make him the front-runner since no roster move needs to be made in order to include another catcher. The Rays have quite a bit of dead weight in the pitching department, though, and you never know if someone might need to visit the ol’ 60-day DL, making a roster move pretty easy to make.

The dark horse is Josh Paul, who spent much of last season as Navarro’s backup. He was recently signed to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, and because of his familiarity with the pitchers in camp, could emerge as the favorite because of his ability to work with the hurlers. He’s not an offensive threat at all, and his defense is below-average.

The Rest of the Offense: All other offensive spots are virtually locked in: Silver Slugger award-winner Carlos Pena will man first base again, while the much underrated Akinori Iwamura shifts from third base to second base to make room for the impending arrival of Longoria. Jason Bartlett, who the Rays acquired as part of the Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza swap, will provide a much-improved glove at shortstop, as he replaces the defensively-challenged Brendan Harris and Josh Wilson at the 6-hole. Ben Zobrist, a switch-hitter who has had little success in the big leagues of yet, will likely serve as the utility player (along with whoever from the Guzman-Aybar platoon isn’t starting).

All Star Carl Crawford continues to anchor one of the best outfields in the game, with B.J. Upton beginning his first full season in centerfield. There will be a three-person platoon in right field and designated hitter, with Rocco Baldelli, Cliff Floyd, and Jonny Gomes sharing the duties. The biggest question there, of course, is whether or not Rocco will be able to stay healthy enough to ensure Floyd remains as the designated hitter on most days. Floyd, when healthy, can be a valuable asset to an offense, but he’s also prone to injuries. Gomes is a gamer, and has a ton of raw power in his swing. He strikes out a ton and makes bonehead plays in the field sometimes, but he plays hard every day and should get his share of at-bats, especially against left-handed pitching. If an injury befalls any of that group, prospect Justin Ruggiano could get a look.

Pitching: After fielding one of the worst bullpens in baseball in 2007, the Rays have completely revamped the relief corps in an attempt to give manager Joe Maddon some reliable arms to turn to when a situation gets muddy. In fact, there really isn’t a spot in the bullpen up for grabs right now (except for whoever is the loser of the 5th starter race, which I will explain below).

Fifth Starter: All-world lefty Scott Kazmir will continue to be the rock atop the rotation, while James Shields and Matt Garza are already written in ink on the depth chart. It appears as though Andy Sonnanstine, who pitched much better than his numbers would indicate in 2007, is also very secure in the 4th starter spot. That leaves the Rays with 4 pitchers – Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel, J.P. Howell, and Jeff Niemann – competing for the final rotation spot and, ultimately, a long-relief role.

Jackson has been an enigma since his career starter. Rushed to the big leagues way too soon by the Dodgers, he has shown limitless potential but has never been able to put it together into a successful package. Whether it is his inability to throw strikes or his inability to keep the ball in the park, something always seems to derail Edwin and his career has been a constant struggle to put it all together. He did begin to show some signs of life towards the end of 2007, but had an awful September and didn’t do himself any favors. Still, he’s the favorite to win the 5th starter spot because of his limitless potential, his lack of minor league options, and the fact that he was even worse in relief than he has been as a starter.

Long-Relief: That leaves Hammel, Howell, and Niemann for the long-relief role in the bullpen. The Rays are desperately hoping that Jeff Niemann has a good spring, because there’s not too much more he can do in the minor leagues. This is really a make-or-break year for him. With David Price, Wade Davis, and Jake McGee on the horizon, time is running out for Niemann to make his mark on the big league roster. Hammel, though, is the front-runner to net the final bullpen spot because he has worked in the role before and has shown that he can succeed there. J.P. Howell has been incredibly inconsistent in the major leagues, and is probably best suited as a back-of-the-rotation starter if injuries take their toll. Niemann will also get serious consideration if the Rays need another starter at some point during the season.

The Rest of the Bullpen: Troy Percival is in camp and is a lock to be the Rays’ closer, while last year’s 9th inning guy, Al Reyes, slides back to the 8th to compliment him. Both of those guys are in the twilight of their careers, and as one Rays writer said, every pitch could be the last for either of them. Still, if healthy, they provide a formidable – and improved – back of the rotation. Dan Wheeler – acquired from Houston for Ty Wigginton at the trade deadline – will fill the other setup spot, and could also close in a pinch. Trever Miller was just recently signed to be the lefty specialist, a role that the Rays didn’t have anyone adequate to fill during the 2007 season. Pitching coach Jim Hickey has already indicated that Gary Glover’s spot in the bullpen is secure, calling him “one of the four guys (Percival, Reyes, Wheeler) we trust with a lead.” That leaves one bullpen spot open, and flame-throwing Juan Salas is the favorite to pick up that spot. Though there’s an outside chance that Grant Balfour or Scott Dohmann could slide into that role, Salas has already had a bit of success at the big league level and the Rays seem to like his makeup on the mound.

What To Expect: We should hear pretty early on whether or not Evan Longoria will start the year on the big league roster. If he does, he immediately slots into the 7 spot in the order and at third base, which shifts both Guzman and Aybar to bench roles, and probably bumps Zobrist back to Durham. The catching and starting pitching battles should come right down to the wire, and I wouldn’t be surprised if each of those guys is still auditioning for a role during the last week of Spring Training.

Scott covers the Rays for the blog Rays of Light on the View from the Bleachers network.

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