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The Tampa Bay Rays have officially kicked off spring training down in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Grapefruit League is underway.
The Tampa Bay Rays made a handful of roster moves on Sunday. SS Tim Beckham was reassigned to minor league camp. RHP Matt Bush, RHP Dane De La Rosa, OF Brandon Guyer and C Stephen Vogt were optioned to Triple-A Durham. The moves come as the Rays trim their roster ahead of the regular season.
Of all the names on the list, Guyer, a right-handed hitter, could be the first to get his cup of coffee. Part of the Matt Garza deal with the Chicago Cubs, he hit 14 home runs and had a .905 OPS in 107 games at Triple-A Durham last season.
Beckham was the first-overall pick in 2008. Just 21, he is considered one of the Rays' top young prospects, even after hitting just .271/.328/.408 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2011.
Bush and De La Rosa figure as bullpen depth this point.
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation's blog on the Rays, DRaysBay. Or tune into Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer for more news, notes and analysis from around the league.
It's tough not to fall in love with the Tampa Bay Rays. They've put a competitive team on the field for each of the past four seasons, making the postseason in three of those years, and their roster is filled with all manner of "good guy" players. Carlos Pena has a smile that lights up the room, and his optimism is hopelessly contagious. David Price is bringing back the old-time stereotype of left-handed pitchers: they're eccentric, goofy nut-jobs. Evan Longoria is arguably the best young superstar in the game. Super Sam Fuld has used his time in the spotlight to help children with diabetes. And Joe Maddon is possibly the most progressive manager in baseball, and a tireless supporter of all his players and the other local sports teams.
And yesterday, the Rays organization did something special: they had 70 people (36 players, 34 staff) shave their heads to support the Cut for a Cure Campaign. Begun by VIncent Lecavalier, the Lightnings' captain, the campaign raises money to support pediatric cancer research and a variety of local Tampa Bay hospitals and research centers.
You can find pictures below the jump. There are some great shots, although I think Stu Sternberg and Don Zimmer might be my favorites.
If you'd like to donate to the Cut for a Cure Campaign, you can do so here.
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a slow start so far in spring training, going a mere 2-5 through their first few games and landing in second-to-last-place in the American League. Oh, the horror! With a start this slow, the Rays’ hopes at the postseason are all but ruined!
…Or not. Spring training results are all but meaningless, and the New York Yankees (2-4) are keeping the Rays company at the bottom of the AL standings. Winning it’s the biggest concern with spring training — most teams are only worried with getting their players ready for the season, and finishing March with as few injuries as possible.
At the moment, the Rays are dealing with their fair share of injuries, although none of them seem serious. Evan Longoria has been slow to see game action after getting hit in the hand during batting practice last week, but his hand was merely bruised and there was no lasting damage. Matt Moore has been dealing with some abdominal soreness, but that has cleared up and he’s slowly working towards getting ready to pitch in his first game. And Sean Rodriguez is suffering from a finger sprain and likely won’t see more game action for 2-3 more days.
On the bizarre injury front, David Price injured his neck by toweling himself off “too vigorously” between innings of his start yesterday. This is apparently not the first time he has done this, and he expects to be fine within the next couple of days. If this has happened to him multiple times, though, he may want to rethink how he towels himself off…
Weekend Schedule:
Fri., March 9: Baltimore Orioles, Charlotte County, 1:05 p.m.
Sat., March 10: Boston Red Sox, Fort Myers, 7:05 p.m.
Sun., March 11: Pittsburgh Pirates, Charlotte County, 1:05 p.m.
Probable Pitchers:
Friday: RH Alex Cobb, LH Alex Torres, LH J.P. Howell, RH Jhonny Nuñez, RH Ryan Reid
Saturday: RH Wade Davis, RH Burke Badenhop, RH Josh Lueke, RH Albert Suarez, RH Romulo Sanchez, RH Dane De La Rosa
Sunday: RH Jeff Niemann, RH Brandon Gomes, RH Joel Peralta, RH Fernando Rodney, LH J.P. Howell
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation’s blog on the Rays, DRaysBay. Or tune into Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer for more news, notes and analysis from around the league.
The Tampa Bay Rays (1-4) finally got their bats working as they defeated the New York Yankees (2-3) Wednesday afternoon, knocking Hiroki Kuroda (L, 0-1) around for 3 ER in 2 IP.
SP James Shields (W, 1-0) got the start for the Rays and pitched an immaculate pair of innings. His line: 2 IP, 2 SO, 0 BB, 0 H, 0 ER and 1 ground ball. RP Burke Badenhop (H, 1), acquired from the Miami Marlins this offseason, followed up with two strong innings, collecting two strikeouts and four ground outs en route to another scoreless pair of innings. RP Josh Lueke (H, 1) followed with another scoreless, hitless two innings, grabbing three ground outs in the process.
The Rays hitters struck out 11 times and walked only once, but they also went a collected 10 for 34 with a strong performance from C/OF Stephen Vogt, starting at DH. Vogt went 3 for 3 and knocked in three runs in the second inning on a triple slashed to right field. The Rays added another run off RHP Adam Warren after a pair of singles and a perfect sacrifice bunt from Jose Molina.
In the sixth inning, the Rays loaded the field with prospects, as is typical for Spring Training, but what is not typical is that the Rays put two of their top prospects -- SS Tim Beckham at SS Hak-Ju Lee -- on the field at the same time. The 22-year-old Beckham took second base while the 21-year-old Lee manned short. Both players looked good at their positions, and in the top of the ninth, they combined for a smooth double play combination.
The expectation heading into 2012 was that Lee would play in Double-A while Beckham would start at Triple-A, but today's intriguing usage may foreshadow both players at the same level sometime in 2012.
Catch the Rays on Thursday afternoon, when they take on the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers in split squad action.
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation's blog on the Rays, DRaysBay. Or tune into Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer for more news, notes and analysis from around the league.
The Tampa Bay Rays (0-3) lost to the Baltimore Orioles (1-0) on Monday, 1-3 -- not that anything after the 5th inning really matters this early in Spring Training.
RHP Wade Davis started the exhibition game for the Rays, pitching 2.0 innings with a decent line: 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K and 3 ground outs. Davis is looking cement a spot in the 2012 Rays rotation after an underwhelming performance in 2011 in which he sported a 4.45 ERA and 4.67 FIP.
Starter RHP Alex Cobb also played today, pitching in the fourth and fifth innings, but accruing less impressive numbers: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K and 2 ground outs. Cobb spent parts of 2011 as the fifth and -- before getting injured -- sixth starter for the MLB club. With the ascendancy of LHP Matt Moore, however, Cobb is likely to start the season at Triple-A until an injury or trade opens the door for him.
The Rays only managed two extra base hits on Monday -- doubles from 2B Ben Zobrist and C Stephen Vogt -- and altogether only collected three hits and three walks. The team altogether struck out 14 times, including a pair of strikeouts from prospect SS Tim Beckham, and went a collective 3 for 29 without the likes of 1B Carlos Pena, 3B Evan Longoria or DH Luke Scott.
Tampa Bay will be in action again on Tuesday, facing the Minnesota Twins in Charlotte.
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation's blog on the Rays, DRaysBay. Or tune into Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer for more news, notes and analysis from around the league.
The Tampa Bay Rays hit the field for the first time in 2012 on Saturday, taking on the Minnesota Twins in a Spring Training exhibition game at the Lee County Sports Complex in Lee County, FL.
The Rays send top lefty David Price to mound to get the season underway. The 26-year-old Price looks to build on a successful fourth season in the majors. He has managed to bring his FIP lower in each of his last three seasons -- 4.59, 3.42 and 3.32 -- while bringing his walk rate to a career low 6.9% in 2011, and he hopes to do more of the same in 2012.
Facing the Rays on the mound will be veteran hurler Carl Pavano, who has undergone a career resurgence with the Twin. He has pitched over 640 innings over the last three years with a FIP near 4.00 in each of those seasons. He may not be much of an ace starter, but he can eat innings and give teams fits on occasion.
The Rays starting lineup looks like this:
LF Desmond Jennings
CF B.J. Upton
2B Ben Zobrist
RF Matt Joyce
C Jose Molina
DH Jose Lobaton
1B Juan Miranda
3B Elliot Johnson
SS Reid Brignac
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. ET
Broadcast: 620 WDAE
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation's blog on the Rays, DRaysBay.
The 2012 Grapefruit League schedule begins on Saturday, and the Tampa Bay Rays will be opening the slate against the Minnesota Twins on the road in Fort Meyers, Florida, before the two teams travel to play in Port Charlotte on Sunday. Both games are scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
David Price will be getting the start for the Rays on Saturday, but will only be pitching one inning in the opener. As expected, a cavalcade of relievers are to follow in the remaining innings.
The bruise on third baseman Evan Longoria's has gone away but he will not play in either game this weekend according to reports. He will be making his debut Monday when the Rays play the Baltimore Orioles.
For all things Tampa Bay Rays, make sure to visit DRaysBay. For more on the Spring Training developments across all of Major League Baseball, head on over to the SB Nation MLB Hub Page.
The principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, Stuart Sternberg, recently chatted with Roger Mooney of TBO.com, and in their conversation, Sternberg indicated he had faith in an increase in the Rays' constantly flagging attendance. According to Mooney:
Sternberg is optimistic attendance will increase this season, but he remains cautious. He expected the Trop to fill up in 2009 as fans flocked to see the defending American League champions and was more than surprised and very disappointed when they didn't. His optimism for this season stems from an upturn in the economy, a slight increase in season-ticket sales and the excitement in the Bay area surrounding the team that reached the postseason during the past two years.
Well, don't get too excited just yet, Mr. Sternberg. I'm afraid to report the most recent data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not really giving an endorsement to the hope of increased attendance in 2012:
Note: 2011 data is both preliminary and only partially completed.
It is important to note that employment as a whole in the US is up from last year. The very latest employment figures suggest the US added around 3.5 million jobs this last year -- which is great -- but for a Tampa Bay economy that was seemingly disproportionately hit by the recession, it appears likely the gains in Pinellas and Hillsborough will lag behind the national gains.
The preliminary and partial data above shows Hillsborough county clearly started to rebound while Pinellas continued to sink. A rebound for Tampa is great and all, but who can really spend ~1 Mayan long-count calender on the bridge, trying to get to St. Pete after work?
Matt Moore is one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball. He’s been ranked as the best prospect in baseball by ESPN’s Keith Law, and every other top prospect analyst lists him within the top three. After signing an extension with the Rays this off-season, it’s likely that he starts the season in the rotation as the #4 or #5 starter.
Most young pitchers — especially young fireballers — are broken into the majors on a strict innings limit, so there have been some concerns that Moore would be treated with kid gloves this season. But according to Rays GM Andrew Friedman, that’s not the case:
Friedman said rookie LHP Matt Moore’s innings will be watched but don’t have to be limited because he’s been “built up in a pretty systematic way” in the minors. (Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times)
The Rays do a good job bringing up their young prospects slowly, continuously building their workload through the minors, so this doesn’t come as a huge surprise. But it’s still certainly exciting to hear, and it means Moore could get a full 180-200 innings workload this season.
For more on Tampa Bay, check out SB Nation’s blog on the Rays, DRaysBay.
The Tampa Bay Rays began their 2012 Spring Training on Monday with the official reporting of pitchers and catchers. As a part of the camp's beginnings, the team's manager, Joe Maddon, and VP of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, spoke with the media in a brief Q&A session.
The Tampa Bay Times shares a little clip of that mini-presser, in which the two architects discuss expectations for the 2012 season:
The Rays enter the season with a strong chance at returning to the playoffs, having finished 3 of the last 4 seasons with one of the top three records in the American League. Moreover, the Rays' 2012 roster promises to feature some of the league's best fielding and pitching, as well as one of the fastest lineups around.
With young starters like Matt Moore, Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson filling out a roster featuring establish stats in James Shields, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria and David Price, it makes sense that the Rays are thinking World Series. Moreover, with a second Wild card now, the AL East seems poised to send its preeminently excellent top three teams to the 2012 playoffs.
Life is good for Rays fans right now.
Down in Port Charlotte, Florida, the sun is shining bright. The band is playing, children shouting, and everyone's heart are light. Because down in Port Charlotte, the Tampa Bay Rays have officially kicked off the 2012 baseball season and begun Spring Training today.
Now that pitchers and catchers have reported -- we'll have pictures soon! -- the next most important question on everyone's mind is: Okay, when do games actually start? As exciting as it is to be able to look at actual baseballs being thrown around the field, spring training can quickly become boring without games to keep our attention.
The Rays' full spring training schedule is below, and they kick off their Grapefruit League season on March 3rd against the Twins. Their first home game will also be against the Twins, and will happen on March 4th:
If you're interested in coming to the games early, the Rays take batting practice 2 hours and 45 minutes before game time, and they take fielding practice 45 minutes before the game. The batting practice lasts an entire hour, while the fielding practice is around 10 minutes long.
Oh, baseball. It's good to have you back again.
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation's blog on the Rays, DRaysBay.
The Tampa Bay Rays are getting ready for the 2012 Spring Training in Port Charlotte, Florida.
Hundreds of bats. Hundreds of balls. One big fat hope.
Video courtesy of Marc Topkin and the Tampa Bay Times.
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Rays Spring Training 2012: Jeff Niemann In The Rotation, Wade Davis Sent To Bulpen
According to a post by Tampa Bay Times sports writer Marc Topkin, Jeff Niemann will start the season on the Rays' rotation, while fellow pitcher Wade Davis will be sent to the bullpen.
Both pitchers started games for the Rays last season with Niemann earning an 11-7 with a 4.06 ERA in 23 starts and Davis going 11-10 with a 4.45 ERA in 29 starts.
Part of the reason for this shift was the emergence of pitcher Matt Moore towards the end of last season. After being called up in September and defeating the Texas Rangers in game one of the ALDS he earned a spot on Tampa Bay's rotation. James Shields, David Price and reigning AL rookie of the year Jeremy Hellickson round out the Rays' rotation.
For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, drop by SB Nation's blog on the Rays, DRaysBay. Or tune into Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer for more news, notes and analysis from around the league.
Mar 27 12:54p by Tim Blank