Archer solid in final spring tuneup, Rays’ injury news, and Dinosaur Jr.

The Tampa Bay Rays took on the Minnesota Twins in Ft. Myers on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

With Spring Training on the wind down, Chris Archer took the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays in his final Grapefruit League start of the season. Despite nine combined and solid pitched innings of baseball, the Rays fell 1-0 to the Minnesota Twins.

Takeaways from Tuesday’s ball game:

— Archer looked ready for Opening Day, throwing 39 pitches (27 strikes) and allowing just one hit and a walk while fanning four. Archer’s fastball looked good, with an average velocity sitting at 96 mph, and he located his slider and his improved changeup. Overall, Archer has been efficient this spring, and has allowed just three earned runs in 13-2/3 innings while striking out 17.

The right-hander was pleased with his spring performance, and justifiably so.

I came in with a couple of goals, and I think I achieved those goals, said Archer. Now I’m looking forward to April 2 and kicking this thing off right.


(Audio Courtesy of Rays Radio)

— Derek Norris made his debut with the Rays and went 1-3 at the plate, and threw out a runner trying to swipe second. He was pleased by his seven inning debut:


(Audio Courtesy of Rays Radio)

— Daniel Robertson continued his push for a spot on the Opening Day roster, collecting two of Tampa Bay’s five hits. Rays beat writer Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) is impressed with both Robertson and RHP Austin Pruitt:

What I like about this is the Rays normally do not begin the year with rookies on the roster. They would rather not start their arbitration clock so early, and they’d rather the kids work up a sweat at Durham before joining the big club.

Now, they might send both back to Durham. But that we’re just days away from Opening Day and two rookies (along with RHP Jaime Schultz) have a chance to break camp with the team shows the farm system might be ready to spit out a few more major leaguers. The Rays constantly talk about how the farm system is the life blood of the organization. It would be nice to see it churn out a few who actually contribute.

Rays manager Kevin Cash also is a fan of Robertson:

Robby’s having a pretty solid spring.

— Alex Cobb remains on schedule to pitch the third game of the season on April 5, even after skipping Sunday’s start because of lower back tightness. Cobb told the Tampa Bay Times his back felt better Tuesday, and was confident it would not — “Not at all” — disrupt his schedule.

He is expected to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and make his final spring start on Friday in Clearwater.

— Also on the injury front, Tim Beckham is on track to be the Opening Day shortstop, despite irritation in his right hip flexor that kept him away from game action on Sunday. He is slated to return to the fold Wednesday.

— Matt Duffy told the Times his surgically repaired left heel was feeling “really good” and “normal” after four days of rest in a hard cast, following an MRI and doctor exam that showed no issues.

The Rays will slowly build Duffy up, with no set target date to start playing rehab games, or appear in a regular-season game.

Step one is complete. It feels good, Duffy said. Now Step two is strengthening it for a while and continuing to feel good.

— Two non-roster invitees, Rickie Weeks and Tommy Hunter, were informed that they will make the Opening Day roster as members of the team.

Weeks has taken on a mentor role this spring, providing leadership to some of the younger players on the team, like Tim Beckham. He also adds a veteran presence to the clubhouse. He will platoon first base with Logan Morrison, especially against left handed pitching.

Weeks will make $1.5-million this season, with the chance to make $600-thousand more in incentives.

Hunter, a major league veteran of nine seasons, will help out in back end of the Rays bullpen. He will make a base salary of $1.4-million, with the chance of $1.5-million more in incentives.

Since Tampa Bay has a full 40-man roster, two moves will have to be made before the team takes the field on Sunday.

The New What Next

The Rays play host the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday at Charlotte Sports Park. Erasmo Ramirez will get the start opposite Baltimore’s Opening Day pitcher Kevin Gausman. Also scheduled to toe the rubber are Xavier Cedeno, Alex Colome, Jaime Schultz, Tommy Hunter, and Jumbo Diaz.

Rays 3/29/17 Starting Lineup

Bourjos CF
Norris DH
Longoria 3B
Dickerson LF
Weeks 1B
Souza RF
Beckham SS
Franklin 2B
Sucre C
Ramirez RHP

Baseball bloggers…they’re just like us

X-Rays Spex was on hand last night at the State Theater, where we watched one of the greatest rock bands of the last 30 years — Dinosaur Jr. If you’re not familiar with the band that influenced practically every modern punk and indie band, including My Bloody Valentine and Nirvana, well…uh, my sympathies to you.

Rays reportedly close to signing Peter Bourjos

Boston Red Sox v Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(Photo Credit: SB Nation)

Word broke late Monday night that 30 year-old outfielder, Peter Bourjos, is likely headed to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The deal for Bourjos — who previously signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox over the offseason — if completed, will be for cash considerations, and could be announced as early as Tuesday.

The outfielder is valued mostly for his speed and defense. And while he has had his moments at the plate, over his seven-year major league career, Bourjos has been inconsistent in the batter’s box, slashing a lifetime .243 BA/.300 OBP/.382 SLG/.682 OPS/88 wRC+ line. He does own a .313 BA/.340 OBP/.521 SLG/.861 OPS slash this spring, although that is over a much smaller sample size.

It Bourjos would likely function as bench depth for Tampa Bay since Colby Rasmus is slated to start the season on the disabled list. They also have Mallex Smith, Corey Dickerson, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr. lined up for the outfield this season, However, since Bourjos and Smith are both left-handed hitters, what this means for Smith remains unseen.

X-Rays Spex plays pepper with C70 at the Bat, Rays roster construction, stadium doom and gloom

Erasmo Ramirez throws during the first inning against the Pirates late last week. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

It’s that time of year again, where three blogs — X-Rays Spex included — were asked six Tampa Bay Rays centric questions by Daniel Shoptaw of C70 at the Bat blog, for their annual Playing Pepper series. We love playing Q&A with Daniel, so of course we obliged him in the request! You can read our responses below, as well as the rest of the Q&A session over at C70 at the Bat.

1. Was it a good offseason for the team?  Did they do what they needed to do? Is there a move you wished they had made that they didn’t?

I would call it a decent offseason. The Rays made some good moves, like the acquisitions of Wilson Ramos and Colby Rasmus – which shore the defense behind the plate and in the outfield – as well as the re-inking of Logan Morrison. In kind, the addition of Mallex Smith, who is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder at all three spots, adds to the Rays superb outfield.

However, they lost fan favorite Logan Forsythe in the trade with the Dodgers for Jose De Leon, which set them back in certain terms. Tampa Bay could use another left-handed relief pitcher, an outfielder and/or bench depth, and someone who could increase the on base percentage numbers of this lineup.

2. Evan Longoria seemed to have a bit of a bounce-back year last season. It feels like he’s been around forever, but he’s only 31. What are the expectations for him this year?

Regression happens, and Longoria will likely regress from last season’s campaign. How much will he regress is the question.

The ZiPS projection system has Longoria slashing .266 BA/.318 OBB/.485 SLG/.803 OPS/.336 wOBA/113 wRC+ with 30 homers, 79 runs, 88 RBI and a 3.5 fWAR – down from last season, yet not terrible by any stretch of the imagination. ZiPS also projects a 12% drop in ISO (from .248 to .219), however, his exit velocity and improved launch angle suggests that might be a tad pessimistic.

3. What kind of job competition will go on during spring training?

There is competition at the catching position with three players – Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Jesus Sucre –  vying for two roster spots. This, of course, is while the Rays await the return of Wilson Ramos, who is recovering from knee surgery.

On the infield, with Matt Duffy’s slow recovery from offseason heel surgery, INF Daniel Robertson — who’s looked better at the plate, and in the field, since the start of Spring Training — could make the team as a utility infielder behind Tim Beckham, given their newfound need for a right-handed bat. That, however, depends on whether the Rays add a right-handed hitting outfielder. Robertson is also competing against Michael McKenry and Nick Franklin for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

As for the bullpen, Alex Colome and Xavier Cedeno are certainties, as are Brad Boxberger, Shawn Tolleson and Erasmo Ramirez. Beyond that, Danny Farquhar, Ryan Garton, Ryne Stanek and Jose Alvarado are battling for spots.

There have been trade rumors swirling around Ramirez, which would open a roster spot, while Boxberger is expected to start the season on the DL, which will open another.

4. Is there an unheralded player that people should keep an eye on this season?

That’s a tough question, but I have to go with Mallex Smith if only for the amount of work he puts into perfecting the art of bunting.

5. What’s your projection of the team’s record and/or where will they finish in the division?

If only I could see into a crystal ball. Instead, I will defer to analytics and computers.

Bouncing back from a 68 win season is no easy task, yet the PECOTA projection system likes the Rays’ off-season moves and is forecasting Tampa Bay as the sixth best team in the American League, and second best team in the AL East with a mean average of 84 wins to 78 losses. A lot of things will have to go right for the Rays to end the season as contenders.

An interesting side to the projection, PECOTA pegs Tampa Bay’s defense to save 27.0 fielding runs above average (FRAA) — tied for fourth best in the AL. When compared with the other teams in the AL East, the Rays (tied with Toronto) the others by a fairly negligible margin…unless you’re the Baltimore Orioles and are projected for a -4.3 FRAA.

Overall, the Rays are projected for a total WAR of 32.6 (12.1 pitching and 20.5 non-pitching) — second best in the AL East behind Boston (39.4).

6. Who is your all-time favorite Ray and why?

Hands down, Ben Zobrist. The former Ray, in my opinion, exemplifies what it means to be a solid ball player and an all-around good human being. And while he may be regressing – growing older has an effect on all of us – Zobrist still works hard and his reputation precedes him.

I met BenZo a few years back when I taught at a different elementary school. A student had won a promotional contest in which his class got the opportunity to meet him. Knowing my love of the Rays, the school’s community coordinator went out of her way to let me meet Zobrist privately. And while it was like talking to Springsteen, in that I geeked out really hard, Zobrist’s character and everyman demeanor shined through and put me at ease. Being the nerd that I am, I will always cherish the baseball he autographed for me.

Note: We submitted our responses before the Rays acquired free-agent catcher Derek Norris. The section dealing with the battle for a catching spot (in question 3) on the roster has changed dramatically.

Thank you so much for making us a part of this again, Daniel!

Rays 2017 roster construction

Have you ever wondered how the Rays’ current 40-man roster was constructed, yet haven’t the time to do a ton of internet sleuthing? Our friend Robert Selg (Rays Republic blog) has your back! Robert created a great tool (embedded below) that does just that, and it extends all the way back to 1998 when Chuck Lamar was the General Manager.

[embeddoc url=”http://tampabayrays.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017-Tampa-Bay-Rays-Roster-Construction-Sheet1.pdf”]

Rays’ stadium location search, and what comes next

If you’re like me, you likely were dismayed by the news that the Rays’ top choices for a new ballpark location are not available, while Stu Sternberg’s diagnosis that the team’s future in Tampa Bay is very much “unknown.” Friend of the blog Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium blog, WTSP news) deciphered the signal from the noise, and went out of his way to remind everyone that this really isn’t news at all. Rather Pransky found another effort by to regain leverage in some capacity.

…the Rays aren’t ready to do much of anything in the next few months, writes Pransky, most likely because of the lack of political opportunity. A strong season or shift in Tallahassee priorities could change that.

Moreover,

Pinellas remains light years ahead of where Hillsborough is in terms of courting the team.  Readers of this blog understand they’ve always been, simply because of funding.

You can read his well reasoned article at Shadow of the Stadium blog.

Rays 3/26/17 pre-game notes, Norris deal officially announced, Rasmus to start season on DL

Corey Dickerson signs autographs for fans before a ball game on March 24th. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

The final week of the Grapefruit League season kicks off Sunday in Tampa, where the Tampa Bay Rays will take on the New York Yankees — the team they will face for real next Sunday on Opening Day.

The New What Next

The Rays’ number five starter, Matt Andriese, will take the hill, and he will be followed by Jumbo Diaz and Jaime Schultz. Bryan Mitchell will toe the rubber for the Yankees. Number three starter Alex Cobb, who was slated to throw in a minor league intrasquad game in Port Charlotte, was scratched with lower back tightness. Cash does not believe it will impact his readiness for the start of the regular season. Also scratched from the lineup this afternoon is Tim Beckham, who is suffering an irritated hip flexor that Cash said was not serious.

Rays 3/26/17 Starting Lineup (updated)

Dickerson LF
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller 2B
Morrison 1B
Weeks DH
Robertson SS
Sucre C
Smith RF
Andriese RHP

Noteworthiness

— The Rays officially announced the signing of catcher Derek Norris to a one-year deal on Saturday. We wrote about the pending deal then as well.

The addition of Norris provides Tampa Bay with an experienced catcher on Opening Day. A corresponding move will need to be made to formally add Norris to the 40-man roster, and trade winds have already started to circulate around Curt Casali.

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), Norris, who is excited to work with the Rays’ talented group of hurlers, will play in an intrasquad game on Sunday and a minor league game on Monday to get extra at-bats and get himself acclimated as quickly as possible.

— Veteran outfielder Colby Rasmus confirmed Saturday that he will start the season on the disabled list.

Although nothing major is holding Rasmus back, he allowed that he does not yet feel 100%:

We’ve been trying to progress up to that point, but it’s looking like I’m going to start on the DL. It’s not nothing major but I don’t feel like I’m ready to run something down in the gap for nine innings. I’ve been doing a lot of outfield work and it feels pretty good. But I don’t feel like I’m quite to that point yet, to [be ready to] play a full nine innings and run (balls) down in the gap.

With DL stays shortened from 15 days to 10 under Major League Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement, as well as the ability for teams to backdate a player’s time on the DL three days, Rasmus could miss as few as six games over the first week of play.

Rays manager Kevin Cash confirmed the team’s plan:

Colby has made huge strides here the last couple days. We’ve all spent time talking with him. I think it’s a pretty good thought process that he has saying that when he comes out and plays the field he wants to make sure he feels good and can go track a ball down in the gap and he’s just not quite there yet. He will continue to get his at-bats DH-ing and just continue taking it day to day and see how he does. … We’re more optimistic, and I think he is, too, that it’s sooner than later if he does start with that scenario.

Mallex Smith will likely crack the Opening Day roster in Rasmus’ place, and probably will start in left field on Opening Day, with Corey Dickerson as the designated hitter.

— Many of those playing this afternoon in Tampa (including Evan Longoria, Corey Dickerson, Kevin Kiermaier and Mallex Smith) worked out at the Trop this morning as a means to get used to the new turf. Their review of the new turf: it played true and looked much better.

Feels good to be back under the big top! @raysbaseball #Indoorbaseball

A post shared by evan longoria (@evan.longoria3) on

— Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) articulated a counter point to an article regarding the Stadium Saga which the Times published on Thursday:

Sternberg’s comments about the stadium sites were interpreted by some skeptics as hints the Rays don’t see a workable Tampa Bay site and eye a move out of the area. It didn’t come across that way at all, more as a matter-of-fact update on how difficult the project is — to find a good site, governmental support and cost-effective financing. If anything, as Tampa Bay Times colleague John Romano writes today (page 1B), it might have been a sign that the best option will be building new on the Trop site.

Rays to sign Derek Norris to one-year, $1.2-million contract with incentives

The one-year deal with Derek Norris, is pending a physical. (Photo Credit: MLB.com)

The Tampa Bay Rays are close to signing free-agent catcher Derek Norris to a one-year deal, pending a physical. Tampa Bay could retain control of Norris next season when he would be arbitration eligible one last time.

Norris will earn $1.2-million and can add another $800-thousand in incentives. That is on top of $688-Thousand in termination pay — 1/6 of his $4.2-million arbitration contract — he is owed by the Nationals under the arbitration arrangement he reached at the start of his short-lived stint in Washington, D.C.

The Rays will have to create space on the 40-man roster once the deal is finalized.

Tampa Bay signed Wilson Ramos during the offseason, although he isn’t expected to make his debut until May or June. Even then, he will likely return as a designated hitter. Instead of picking two catchers from the group of Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Jesus Sucre, the Rays are adding Norris — the most proven of the lot. Norris has made 446 big-league starts between Oakland and San Diego, while Casali has made 116, Sucre 77 and Maile 43.

Norris is coming off a rough offensive campaign with the Padres, having slashed .186 BA/.255 OBP/.328 SLG/.583 OPS/55 wRC+ with a career-worst 30.3% strikeout rate in 458 plate appearances. Yet Norris is not far removed from slashing a passible .246 BA/.336 OBP/.392 SLG/.718 OPS/110 wRC+ line over 982 plate appearances with the Athletics and Padres (from 2012-15).

Sandy Kazmir (The Process Report) brought up a good point, perhaps there was something other than age to his offensive decline.

Still, the Rays pursuit (and eventual acquisition) of Norris has more to do with what he offers behind the plate, specifically his pitch framing.

(Screen Grab Courtesy of Baseball Prospectus)

According to Baseball Prospectus, Norris ranked 10th in Framing Runs last season, saving 8.9 with 7.4 Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA). StatCorner also allotted plus pitch-framing marks, with Norris presenting 7.8% of outside pitches for strikes while collecting 5.7 Runs Above Average (RAA).

In the words of Daniel Russell (DRaysBay), who recently wrote about Norris’ value behind the plate:

Over the last two seasons Derek Norris has graded well with a +7 DRS over 244 games and 2,023.2 innings behind the plate. Last season saw his Caught Stealing rate dropped to 20.8% from 34.3% in 2015, but that may return to form.

Most importantly, though, Derek Norris has been among the better pitch framers in baseball since moving to the Padres in 2015.

Over the past two seasons, Norris has contributed +21.3 runs behind the plate, according to Baseball Prospectus’ Framing Runs. Baseball Prospectus’ FRAA (runs above average) credits Norris with +11.8 and +8.5 runs in each of the last two years.

Despite the fact that his starting catcher status will be short-lived, Norris picked the Rays over the Rockies, Cardinals and Blue Jays — whom he also was connected to — because he expects to receive more playing time in Tampa Bay.