Off-Day Notes: Injuries, Zimmer to be Honored, and More

Gone Fishin’. Kevin Cash went from the Rays skipper to captain Cash in one fell swoop. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)

Tuesday’s off-day was a mile marker of sorts for the Tampa Bay Rays, denoting the final stretch of Spring Training before the 2015 regular season. That’s right friends, the season starts in a little more than a week from now. Here are a few notes from the off-day.

— Nathan Karns threw 29 pitches (20 strikes, 69% K/BB) over two innings in a minor-league game against the Orioles.

I knew they were going to be swinging early and often so it kind of allowed me to play with some of the pitches that I need to work on, knowing they’re aggressive and making sure (the pitches) are effective, Karns told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times).

Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Karns,

He threw some good curveballs. He looked like he had really good vela going.

— After Bobby Wilson caught a couple of bullpen sessions, he entered the above mentioned minor league game and caught Karns, accruing three at-bats along the way.

— The Rays skipper made it official, INF Nick Franklin, who strained his oblique Monday, will not be ready for opening day.

— It was also a busy off-day for Everett Teaford, Steven Souza, and Jake McGee. Teaford got in a bullpen session before a potential start Friday. Souza got an opportunity to hit in the Rays minor league game, after exiting Monday’s game due to a HBP. McGee threw a 30 pitch bullpen session and was reportedly pleased with his session. McGee will throw five more sessions before facing hitters, with the next bullpen session scheduled for Friday — he’ll throw 30 pitches like today. McGee told Roger Mooney (Tampa Tribune) he’s not pushing it with his bullpen sessions, because he doesn’t want to cause a setback. For what it’s worth, the lefty started throwing curve balls off flat ground Monday, and might throw a few more in 2015 as opposed to the “three or four” he threw in 2014.

— The Rays made public their plans to permanently honor longtime senior adviser Don Zimmer, by retiring his number 66 jersey in an Opening Day ceremony prior to the first pitch.

Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg released a statement on behalf of the team on Tuesday afternoon,

Don Zimmer enriched the lives of everyone in the Rays family, and he played a significant part in the growth of our organization. Zim’s presence has been a gift to the game of baseball, and his influence will be felt for years to come.

It has been a true privilege of my stewardship of the Rays to have had Don as such an important part of our organization. It is with great pride that we honor him and the game by retiring his number.

— A step in the right direction…

The New What Next

Matt Andriese will get the start Wednesday afternoon when the Rays take on the Minnesota Twins. Jeff Beliveau, Steve Geltz, Brandon Gomes and C.J. Riefenhauser are also slated to throw.

Rays 3/25/15 Starting Lineup

Jaso DH
Rivera C
Cabrera SS
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Jennings LF
Kiermaier CF
Souza RF
Beckham 2B
Andriese P

Noteworthiness

It was about a year ago when I was invited by Daniel of the Cards Conclave to write a guest piece about the Rays off-season. I gladly accepted the invitation then, though I had no expectation to be courted once more. Low-and-behold I was! Below are my answers to his questions; I’ll post a link to the article once Daniel sends it my way.

1. What are your thoughts on the team’s offseason?  Did they do what they needed to do?

The Tampa Bay Rays had an eventful offseason to say the least. Gone are middle infielders Yunel Escobar and Ben Zobrist; former Rookie of the Year award winners Wil Myers and Jeremy Hellickson; Matt Joyce; relievers Cesar Ramos and Joel Peralta; and catchers Jose Molina and Ryan Hanigan. Matt Silverman’s offseason moves ushered in a new crop of players like John Jaso, Rene Rivera, Asdrubal Cabrera, Steven Souza, Kevin Jepsen and Ernesto Frieri, to name a few. Expect prospects like Tim Beckham, Nick Franklin and Nathan Karns to make an impact as well.

As a certain former manager used to say, pitching and defense are in the Rays DNA — that still holds true now. The lackluster 2014 season made it abundantly clear, something needed to be done to bolster the offense. Did Silverman put together a more potent team? That fails to be seen at the moment. However, Steamer projects an improved Rays offense that will score around 675 runs and drive in 617 RBI — 63 more runs, and 31 more runs batted in over the previous season.

It should be noted, Kansas City scored 651 runs last season and went to the World Series. Two other playoff contenders — St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants — scored 619+ runs, less than the Rays are projected to score in forthcoming season. If Tampa Bay’s pitching staff is solid once again, and if the team can drive in more than 619 runs (the total St. Louis scored last season), a solid season wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.

2. How will things change now that Joe Maddon is gone?

Joe Maddon changed the culture within the Rays organization, and the team will always owe him a debt of gratitude for that. Yet the hiring of Kevin Cash over Dave Martinez symbolized a desire to change things from the previous regime. It’s a little early to predict what the net difference might be — after all this is Cash’s first managerial position, and there really isn’t much to go off of. However, he seems to value the player’s input on things (not that Maddon didn’t), Cash has already espoused the benefits of a stable lineup day in and day out, and you can be certain there won’t be any penguins or mariachi bands in the clubhouse.

3. Who will be the ace of the rotation by the end of the year?

If he can stay healthy and log 200-225 innings, Alex Cobb without a doubt.

4. What player do you expect to make the greatest strides this year?

Pitching wise, I would expect Drew Smyly to make great strides. Smyly is projected to outperform his career norms, and it will exciting to see how he improves in this, his first complete season under the tutelage of pitching coach Jim Hickey. As for position players, Evan Longoria will need to make great strides in order to meet and/or exceed his offensive projections (.256 BA/.334 OBP/.446 SLG/.780 OPS/.340 wOBA/124 wRC+/5.4 WAR) if Tampa Bay is going to be relevant in 2015.

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

I’ll put it this way, PECOTA has the Rays leading the AL East with an 86+ win season. Why? Pitching and defense. PECOTA projects the pitching staff to allow 638 runs — second in the American League, just behind the Mariners. Furthermore, the defense is pegged to save 28.3 runs above the average — second in all of baseball, just behind the Royals.

6. What do you like best about being a Rays fan?

Beyond the fact they are my local team, I love watching a team that plays hard, intelligent baseball. That they are competitive on a shoestring budget certainly doesn’t hurt.

Announcing the X-Rays Spex and Green Bench Brewing Company Opening Day Celebration

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We’re excited to announce that we will once again partner with Green Bench Brewing Co. for our series of Rays watch parties. To kick things off, we’ve decided to throw a pre-game party Opening Day, April 6, 2015, and you’re invited!

Green Bench will open their doors at high noon so we can while away the minutes and hours until Chris Archer’s first pitch, with some tasty craft beers and camaraderie.

As with our previous watch parties, anyone wearing Rays attire — including the designs we created — will instantly get $1.00 off per beer. We will also raffle off an array of great prizes to anyone who purchases a beer.

Start your pregame festivities with us, then head over to the Trop and catch your Tampa Bay Rays as they take on the Baltimore Orioles!

Rays Spring Training Update, Day 30: Franklin Suffers Oblique Injury, On Other Rays’ Injuries and Roster Moves

Nick Franklin (pictured in 2014) went down with a left oblique strain Monday. (Photo credit unknown)

The Tampa Bay Rays were met with another round of injury news Monday. Just a few hours after Nick Franklin was told he would platoon second base with Logan Forsythe, the infielder suffered what he called a “severe” left oblique strain on the last swing of batting practice prior to the game. It is uncertain if Franklin underwent an MRI, or if he was diagnosed by Ron Porterfield, so the extent of the injury is unknown at the time of press.

Oblique injuries can take a long time to get over, in some cases more than a month. Continued attempts for a player push through an oblique injury will often lead to compensations by other muscle groups, which can then lead to other problems. Because of it, the Rays training staff is expected to have Franklin take his time recovering from the injury — something Franklin acknowledged,

I know they don’t want to rush it. It’s something if you rush it, it can probably end up making it worse. I’m just going based off them. …I just know I’m going to be in there for treatment every single day.

Franklin told reporters he “thinks Opening Day in could be in jeopardy,” when asked if the injury might delay the start of his season.

Manager Kevin Cash reiterated Franklin’s assessment, saying, “we’re not too optimistic that he’ll be ready for Opening Day.” Cash was also sympathetic toward Franklin who has been working hard up to this point,

I don’t think he ever had an Opening Day before. If he hasn’t, that stinks. The guy’s worked hard, and then he has that with two weeks left. That’s unfortunate.

Franklin was expected to platoon second base with Forsythe, depending upon the pitching matchup. The question begs, who then will fill the chasm? The team will likely go one of two routes:

  1. Plug the hole at second with Tim Beckham (who has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster), and add Jake Elmore or Alexi Casilla as bench depth.
  2. Plug the hole at second with either Elmore or Casilla.

The addition of Casilla to the roster wouldn’t be surprising, rather it would give Cash a little more flexibility with the lineup while Franklin mends. Yet a roster move to include either Elmore or Casilla comes with a caveat; the team would have to open up a spot on the 40-man since both infielders were non-roster invitees to Spring Training.

Jake Elmore vs. Alexi Casilla's numbers at second base. (Statistics courtesy of FanGraphs)
Jake Elmore and Alexi Casilla at second base. (Statistics courtesy of FanGraphs)

Both Elmore and Casilla are utility players who’ve fielded multiple positions, both in the major and minor leagues. The biggest difference between the two, however, Casilla has about 30 times more experience at second base. That experience goes a long way.

Sure, Elmore committed only one error in 118-2/3 innings of work. But when you extrapolate Casilla’s error total over the 3,513-1/3 innings he’s accrued at second, you get essentially the same percentage of errors per total number of innings of work — about 1%. Furthermore, Casilla saved 21 defensive runs in 427 total plays at second base, extending back to 2010. Compare that to Elmore’s -2 DRS.

Then there’s the question of batting. Casilla, like Franklin, is a switch hitter who could be used to face right-handed pitchers.

Vs. RHP
Jake Elmore and Alexi Casilla at the plate vs RHP. (Statistics courtesy of FanGraphs)

While Casilla hasn’t destroyed righties over his career, when compared to Elmore, the switch hitting utility player pans out to be a more dynamic hitter. He’s also performed closer to Franklin, who has slashed .218 BA/.289 OBP/.389 SLG/.678/.300 wOBA/90 wRC against righties over his short career.

It’s all a game of wait and see at the moment. There are bright sides though — at least we aren’t talking about another pitching injury, and at least there’s organizational depth to depend upon in the interim.

Noteworthiness

…Of other injuries

  • Drew Smyly threw a bullpen session Monday, again focusing on fastballs. Cash said that Smyly “felt good” and is expected to throw another bullpen after two days’ rest.
  • Ronald Belisario will throw his first bullpen session on Thursday. Cash told reporters that Belisario had been impressive throwing off flat ground, adding that Belisario told him he does not need a lot of work to become game-ready.
  • Alex Colome gained back five of the 10 pounds he lost while he was in the hospital with pneumonia. He threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Monday, and he said he felt good.
  • Steven Souza returned to action Monday afternoon game. He, however, was hit by a pitch on his left wrist and left the game. It should be noted, Souza was scheduled to leave anyway. The Rays outfielder told reporters he was fine.
  • Brandon Guyer had the day off due to a mild ankle sprain. He is slated to play in a Minor League game Wednesday, and is hoping to have six to nine at-bats.
  • Rene Rivera took batting practice Monday, and is expected to return to action after Tuesday’s off-day.
  • Alex Cobb said that he felt good, and is scheduled to visit team orthopedic doctor Koco Eaton on Tuesday.
  • Jake McGee will throw a bullpen session in Port Charlotte Tuesday.

…Of roster moves

  • OF Taylor Motter and INF Allan Dykstra have been reassigned to minor league camp, manager Kevin Cash said.

Rays Spring Training Update, Day 29: Cash Close to Naming the Starting Rotation, Names Cabrera as the Starting SS

Mike Montgomery throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo courtesy of Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)
Mike Montgomery throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo courtesy of Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)

Despite the outcome of the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 blanking of the Tampa Bay Rays, the team ended the week with a 9-8-1 Grapefruit League record after winning five of their last seven — averaging five runs per game over a seven game stretch. The Rays will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday in Port Charlotte, ahead of their last off-day of the spring Tuesday.

It appears that manager Kevin Cash began to line up the starting rotation ahead of Opening Day, ultimately scheduling the presumed front three starters — Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi and Nathan Karns — to pitch Saturday. Archer and Odorizzi are slated to pitch in a minor league game, while Karns will get the start against the Red Sox.

Cash told Bill Chastain (MLB.com) Archer, Odorizzi and Karns sat down with pitching coach Jim Hickey and chose the contest against the Red Sox this upcoming Saturday as one they would all appear in:

Basically, what I think happened was [pitching coach Jim Hickey] sat them all down and talked with them and they all came down with the same day they wanted to pitch. So we’re going to find a couple of games, innings for them, stuff like that. But nothing more than that. We’re trying to not disrupt that many people’s schedule. So we let them have their choice. We’ll figure it out as we go.

Archer is scheduled to pitch against the Pirates, Monday, which puts him on a trajectory to take the mound on April 6. Karns will make a brief appearance in a minor league game Tuesday, which make sense given that he’ll appear on short rest just four days later. Saturday is Odorizzi’s next scheduled day to pitch.

Everything goes into lining up the rotation now, Cash continued. We’re all trying to accommodate them as much as possible, because a lot of moving parts and stuff like that. I don’t think anything is set in stone. I think we just had this day where it all came together, and they all just selected, ‘This is the day we want to pitch.’

The Rays could announce the Opening Day starter as early as this week, while the assumption is that Cash will start the season with a four man rotation, which would work given the two off-days in the month of April.

We’ll have a really good sense for the first series, and then after the off-day, there will be some more decisions to be made, whether [the first three starters] come back on normal rest or they get the day. I’ve got a pretty good feeling we’ll bring them back on normal rest without the extra day off, just given where we’re at with innings and pitchers and stuff like that.

The New What Next

As I mentioned above, Chris Archer will get the start Monday afternoon against the Pirates. Also scheduled to take the bump are Kevin Jepsen, Ernesto Frieri, Brad Boxberger, and Grant Balfour.

Rays 3/23/15 Starting Lineup

DeJesus LF
Forsythe 2B
Cabrera SS
Longoria 3B
Francisco 1B
Souza RF
Franklin DH
Kiermaier CF
Casali C
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

— Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) broke the news early this morning, the Rays decided that Asdrubal Cabrera will be their everyday shortstop.

Per Topkin,

…based on how well Cabrera has played this month — and the fact that neither Tim Beckham nor Nick Franklin have shown they would play better — Rays officials have told Cabrera he will be the regular shortstop, the Tampa Bay Times has learned. An official announcement is expected as soon as today (Monday).

In a question/answer session with the media (heard below), manager Kevin Cash confirmed his intention to platoon Franklin and Logan Forsythe at second base, relegating Tim Beckham to bench depth. There hasn’t been any word on how Jake Elmore and Alexi Casilla may factor into things.

And while some statistics and advanced metrics suggest a decline in Cabrera’s range, leading many to believe the 29 year-old would start the year at second base, manager Kevin Cash hasn’t noticed anything to suggest he couldn’t anchor left side of the middle infield:

He has not done anything this spring to look like he’s lost range, Cash told Topkin. If I had to say, from spring training, this spring, I’ve had the benefit of seeing him his last two years in Cleveland, he looks better. … His body looks better. He’s moving really well.

He’s made a couple nice plays where he is moving, soft line drives, a couple plays up the middle, and then a backhand play (last week) where he kind of pulled (first baseman James) Loney off the bag, but still he showed his range.

The Rays beat writer brought up a good point: while Cabrera erred 57 times over the past four seasons at short, and though his defensive runs saved (DRS) average (per FanGraphs) have gone from +3 in 2011 to -5, -16 and -7 the past three seasons, he still projects to be a considerable improvement over Yunel Escobar, who posted a -24 DRS in 2014.

The biggest factor in giving Cabrera the starting shortstop position may very well be his ability to make routine plays, something Cash finds great value in:

Cabby, he catches the ball. We like all the guys we have, but we like the guy that is going to make the routine play. And not to say that anyone is not doing that. I think they’re all doing that. Cabby just has the experience factor in there with making that play.

In a nutshell, while Franklin and his counterparts may have been better suited to play short — statistically speaking, that is — none of them outplayed Cabrera over the last four weeks of Spring Training. And with six combined errors between Franklin and Beckham this spring, compounded by the fact the pitching staff is currently mired by injuries, Cash needed a player who gives the team confidence in “solidifying in-game decision making.”

— This:

and this:

— Per a tweet from Steve Kinsella, Pablo Sandoval might just be an Achilles heel for the Red Sox. I reckon the Rays should exploit Boston’s swarthy third baseman to the fullest:

— Yes, this happened.

Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier posed with ballerinas at the Straz Center for a photo shoot promoting arts education.

Rays Spring Training Update, Day 28; Rays Walk-It-Off, Odorizzi Solid

Rays starter Jake Odorizzi pitched into the sixth inning Saturday. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
Rays starter Jake Odorizzi pitched into the sixth inning Saturday. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays won in walk-off fashion Saturday, as Allan Dykstra capped a three-run ninth with a two-run homer to right in a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. Jake Odorizzi was impressive Saturday, becoming the first Ray to work into the sixth inning of a Grapefruit League game. It should be noted, Tampa Bay took the Knutson Cup from the Twins, Thursday.

Juan Francisco put the Rays on the board with a massive opposite field blast in the fifth inning, however, the Twins pulled ahead with the lead in the sixth. Down by one in the ninth, Kevin Kiermaier doubled to start the inning, and David DeJesus walked. The Twins were unable to complete a double play on a Corey Brown grounder, and Kiermaier scored to tie the game at two on a throwing error on the play. After a fly out, Dykstra followed with his first homer of the spring for the victory.

The real story of the game was Odorizzi’s impressive 5-2/3 inning outing.* The presumed number two starter** allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four in an efficient 69 pitch (53 strikes, 77% K/BB) outing. Odorizzi was perfect against the front 10 batters before he gave up a bloop single in the fourth. However, he came back to retire the next six batters, including a stretch that featured back-to-back-to-back strikeouts.

Jake ultimately gave up both runs on four hits in the sixth, when it seemed apparent that he was fatigued — something that’s to be expected when you factor in the heat and humidity, compounded with the fact that he isn’t fully stretched out. Odorizzi’s fastball velocity dropped from 93 mph to 90 by game’s end.

Following his outing, Odorizzi was particularly proud of the work he put into throwing first pitch curve balls, telling reporters,

I think it was a strike overtime I threw it, so the work the other (during an intrasquad game) day paid off.

You can hear his post-game interview (courtesy of Rays Radio) below:

Brandon Gomes also had a good day on the mound, finishing off the seventh inning, and working one out into the ninth; striking out three in a pair of one-hit innings.

Manager Kevin Cash was pleased with the overall effort:

The New What Next

Everett Teaford will start Sunday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays. The LHP is in the hunt to earn one of the three remaining slots in the starting rotation. Also in the competition and scheduled to pitch is fellow lefty Mike Montgomery.

Rays 3/22/15 Starting Lineup
Jaso DH
Casilla 2B
Jennings LF
Longoria 3B
Loney 1B
Butler RF
Brown CF
Beckham SS
Wilson C
Teaford LHP
Noteworthiness

  • Drew Smyly threw 20 pitches off a mound on Saturday, reporting that all went well.

Felt greatRight direction for sure. Just keep going day by day. Smyly continued, ‘my catch game has been going great. So I was ready to get on the mound.’

Focusing on fastballs, Smyly noted that he did not feel restricted,

No, today was a good day. Threw 20 good pitches off the mound. Probably not 100 percent, but I don’t think anybody’s bullpen is 100 percent.

He is expected to throw another bullpen session Monday.

  • “The Rays starting pitching depth has taken yet another hit as LHP Enny Romero, slated for Triple A, is sidelined with a mid-back muscle strain and likely won’t be ready to start the season, writes Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times).” “Romero would have been among the first options if the Rays had additional injury issues.”

*That’s a rather awkward turn of phrase, innit?
**While Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly mends, that is.