Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, spring training is upon us! The Hot-Stove period is over, the Rays have, presumably, made all of the off-season moves they’re going to make, and it’s time to turn our attention from the lesser sports like football (thank god that crap fest is over) and the atrocious NBA, back to baseball. And I, for one, am ready for baseball! There is easily as much, if not more, excitement for the 2012 season as there was for the 2010 season. The Yankees have already pulled the first punch with the news that:
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted Sunday his team “conceded” the American League East division to the Rays two years ago, saying the Wild Card setup at the time made the title mean “nothing more than a t-shirt and a hat (source, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).
Kids, it’s going to get ugly this year. Then again, maybe those overpaid jag-offs need to bolster their ego somehow, since they really didn’t do much this off-season. Not to mention, they’ve got to make news somehow, since the majority of the attention in the AL has been placed firmly on the Rays, Tigers, Angels, and Rangers. Besides, we’ve got bigger fish to fry. For one, who’ll be the primary short-stop, and what will the Rays do with the seven starters on the roster?
Below are a couple of things pertinent to the start of spring training; the roster including the non roster invites, and a breakdown of what’s going to happen, and when. The roster is noticeably missing a few of the more recent acquisitions. I went ahead and asterisked them beneath the chart. If you notice any errors, don’t hesitate to mention them in the comments section.
Spring Training Roster (including non-roster invites)
| 40-Man Roster | |||||||
| Pitchers | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| 35 | Christopher Archer | R-R | 6’3″ | 185 | Sep 26, 1988 | ||
| 45 | Burke Badenhop | R-R | 6’5″ | 220 | Feb 8, 1983 | ||
| 44 | Matt Bush | R-R | 5’9″ | 180 | Feb 8, 1986 | ||
| 53 | Alex Cobb | R-R | 6’2″ | 195 | Oct 7, 1987 | ||
| Alexander Colome | R-R | 6’2″ | 185 | Dec 31, 1988 | |||
| 40 | Wade Davis | R-R | 6’5″ | 220 | Sep 7, 1985 | ||
| 49 | Dane De La Rosa | R-R | 6’7″ | 245 | Feb 1, 1983 | ||
| 43 | Kyle Farnsworth | R-R | 6’4″ | 230 | Apr 14, 1976 | ||
| 47 | Brandon Gomes | R-R | 5’11” | 175 | Jul 15, 1984 | ||
| 58 | Jeremy Hellickson | R-R | 6’1″ | 185 | Apr 8, 1987 | ||
| 74 | J.P. Howell | L-L | 6’0″ | 195 | Apr 25, 1983 | ||
| 52 | Josh Lueke | R-R | 6’5″ | 235 | Dec 5, 1984 | ||
| 57 | Jake McGee | L-L | 6’3″ | 230 | Aug 6, 1986 | ||
| 55 | Matt Moore | L-L | 6’2″ | 205 | Jun 18, 1989 | ||
| 34 | Jeff Niemann | R-R | 6’9″ | 260 | Feb 28, 1983 | ||
| 62 | Joel Peralta | R-R | 5’11” | 195 | Mar 23, 1976 | ||
| 14 | David Price | L-L | 6’6″ | 225 | Aug 26, 1985 | ||
| 27 | Cesar Ramos | L-L | 6’2″ | 205 | Jun 22, 1984 | ||
| 56 | Fernando Rodney | R-R | 5’11” | 220 | Mar 18, 1977 | ||
| Wilking Rodriguez | R-R | 6’1″ | 160 | Mar 2, 1990 | |||
| 33 | James Shields | R-R | 6’4″ | 220 | Dec 20, 1981 | ||
| 50 | Albert Suarez | R-R | 6’2″ | 185 | Oct 8, 1989 | ||
| Alexander Torres | L-L | 5’10” | 175 | Dec 8, 1987 | |||
| Catchers | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| 38 | Robinson Chirinos | R-R | 6’1″ | 195 | Jun 5, 1984 | ||
| 31 | Jose Lobaton | S-R | 6’0″ | 195 | Oct 21, 1984 | ||
| 28 | Jose Molina | R-R | 6’2″ | 250 | Jun 3, 1975 | ||
| Stephen Vogt | L-R | 6’0″ | 215 | Nov 1, 1984 | |||
| Infielders | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| 15 | Reid Brignac | L-R | 6’3″ | 195 | Jan 16, 1986 | ||
| 9 | Elliot Johnson | S-R | 6’0″ | 190 | Mar 9, 1984 | ||
| 7 | Jeff Keppinger | R-R | 6’0″ | 185 | Apr 21, 1980 | ||
| 3 | Evan Longoria | R-R | 6’2″ | 210 | Oct 7, 1985 | ||
| Carlos Pena | L-L | 6’2″ | 225 | May 17, 1978 | |||
| 1 | Sean Rodriguez | R-R | 6’0″ | 200 | Apr 26, 1985 | ||
| Outfielders | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| 5 | Sam Fuld | L-L | 5’10” | 180 | Nov 20, 1981 | ||
| 11 | Brandon Guyer | R-R | 6’1″ | 210 | Jan 28, 1986 | ||
| 8 | Desmond Jennings | R-R | 6’2″ | 200 | Oct 30, 1986 | ||
| 30 | Luke Scott | L-R | 6’0″ | 205 | Jun 25, 1978 | ||
| 2 | B.J. Upton | R-R | 6’3″ | 185 | Aug 21, 1984 | ||
| 18 | Ben Zobrist | S-R | 6’3″ | 200 | May 26, 1981 | ||
| Designated Hitters | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| 20 | Matt Joyce | L-R | 6’2″ | 205 | Aug 3, 1984 | ||
| Non-Roster Invitees | |||||||
| Pitchers | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| Bryan Augenstein | R-R | 6’6″ | 230 | Jul 11, 1986 | |||
| Marquis Fleming | R-R | 6’1″ | 185 | Sep 11, 1986 | |||
| Jhonny Nunez | L-R | 6’3″ | 215 | Nov 26, 1985 | |||
| Ricky Orta | R-R | 6’2″ | 195 | Nov 6, 1984 | |||
| Ryan Reid | L-R | 6’0″ | 215 | Apr 24, 1985 | |||
| Romulo Sanchez | R-R | 6’5″ | 270 | Apr 28, 1984 | |||
| Matt Torra | R-R | 6’3″ | 225 | Jun 29, 1984 | |||
| Catchers | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| Craig Albernaz | R-R | 5’8″ | 195 | Oct 30, 1982 | |||
| 41 | Nevin Ashley | R-R | 6’1″ | 215 | Aug 14, 1984 | ||
| Mark Thomas | R-R | 6’1″ | 180 | May 5, 1988 | |||
| Infielders | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| Tim Beckham | R-R | 6’0″ | 190 | Jan 27, 1990 | |||
| Hak-Ju Lee | L-R | 6’2″ | 170 | Nov 4, 1990 | |||
| Matt Mangini | L-R | 6’4″ | 230 | Dec 21, 1985 | |||
| Juan Miranda | L-L | 6’0″ | 220 | Apr 25, 1983 | |||
| Will Rhymes | L-R | 5’9″ | 155 | Apr 1, 1983 | |||
| Outfielders | B/T | Ht | Wt | DOB | |||
| Brad Coon | L-L | 6’0″ | 175 | Dec 11, 1982 | |||
| Jesus Feliciano | L-L | 5’10” | 190 | Jun 6, 1979 | |||
| Jeff Salazar | |||||||
* Catcher Chris Gimenez, outfielders Brad Coon and Jeff Salazar
February 21 Update: Please note, I’ll be updating the checklist (below) frequently with anecdotes and other applicable information as spring training progresses.
Dates to keep in the back of your mind, now with an annotated checklist
X Monday, February 20: Pitchers and catcher report; Friedman and Maddon spring training press conference.
X Tuesday, February 21: First workout; all 38 pitchers and catchers reported to today’s first workout. 13 of the 21 position players have checked in as well. B.J. Upton was one of those positions, and is reportedly “a few pounds heavier (up to 190) and “a little bit stronger,” says Rays beat writer Marc Topkin, after off-season workouts a Tampa gym. Brandon Gomes, who is coming off of back surgery, will throw a bullpen session later today.
X Saturday, February 25: Position players report
X Sunday, February 26: First full squad workout
Thursday, March 1: Intrasquad game.
Saturday, March 3: Exhibition opener vs. Twins in Fort Myers
Friday, April 6: Season opener vs. Yankees at Tropicana Field