Triple-A Durham Bulls manager Jared Sandberg runs infield drills Monday. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
Ailment seemed to be the buzz word around the Tampa Bay Rays camp Tuesday. First Asdrubal Cabrera missed the workout and was sent home after exhibiting stomach-flu like symptoms — Jake Odorizzi had similar issues earlier in the week. Then bench coach Tom Foley left the field early feeling lightheaded and dehydrated. Foley was taken in by the trainers and checked out and is fine. Still the Rays got in a full day of work on this abnormally warm winter (read: ha) day.
Chris Archer was among the pitchers throwing on the last day of live batting practice, along with Jeff Beliveau, Brandon Gomes, Ernesto Frieri and Kirby Yates. Archer is scheduled for his first exhibition start on Sunday.
The team will have an early and abbreviated workout with the players in shorts on Wednesday in advance of the Rays’ annual charity golf tournament.
Noteworthiness
Joey Butler is a player who has an idea what playing for Kevin Cash may be like. Butler was a teammate for the Round Rock Express during Cash’s last season as a catcher, and has an intimate understanding of the Rays new skipper after spending a good amount of time together. Neil Solondz (Rays Radio Network) met up with Butler to ask him about his time with Cash, among other things.
Alex Cobb came across a lost male dog of an unknown breed after workouts at Charlotte Sports Park, Monday. Cobb is giving the animal a home until its owner comes forward. The dog weighs about 20 pounds, was missing a collar, and lacked distinctive features when discovered. Cobb and the Rays are asking that the owner(s) email LostDog@raysbaseball.com with proof to claim.
Nick Franklin getting reps at short. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
Once the fog cleared from the greater Port Charlotte area, likely opening day starter Alex Cobb got the opportunity to throw live batting practice, along with Nathan Karns and flame throwers Jose Dominguez and Jhan Martinez among others. Karns, one of the candidates for the number five starter’s job, will get the ball in the spring opener against the Orioles, Thursday.
While getting reps on the mound is important, the pitchers are getting a little tired of throwing live batting practice. According to Marc Topkin, Cobb said without the hitters swinging, there wasn’t much point to it. Manager Kevin Cash understood the frustrations, noting everyone is eager to get to games. Cash talked about the importance of this last round of batting practice with Rays Radio:
Pitching coordinator Dick Bosman worked with the pitchers on the art of holding runners on base, and the Rays squad spent a good amount of time on rundown plays, with an emphasis on making only one throw, and a good one at that.
The Rays will hold two more workouts ahead of Thursday’s game; Tuesday — which won’t start until 10:00 AM due to a pre-scheduled MLB domestic violence awareness meeting — and an abbreviated session Wednesday in advance of the annual charity golf tournament.
Noteworthiness
If you were to ask Nick Franklin who would be the heir apparent at shortstop, his answer would be quick and to the point:
“I’m going to be out there at short. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’m not.”
In a piece on the utility player acquired last season in the David Price trade, Marc Topkin suggested if the biggest question in unscrambling the Rays’ muddled middle infield situation is indeed whether Nick Franklin can play shortstop, there may be an easy answer.
Franklin’s answer was simple and passionate,
“Absolutely, absolutely. One hundred percent. I’ve grown up playing shortstop. Even at the big-league level, playing short just seems natural to me. I enjoy it. I’m really comfortable there. … It’s been in my blood for a long time.”
Franklin was quick to note that he practiced all off-season on any weaknesses at short, namely his range. Spending part of the winter working with a track coach to increase his rang, Franklin focused on his first and second step.
“I’ve been making pretty good gains on that,” Franklin said, “starting from the bottom of my running form to starts, sideways, you name it.”
As Topkin wrote, with only a brief September look to go by — six starts at second, three at short — Rays bench/infield coach Tom Foley said Franklin appears to have focused on the right issues, mentioning arm strength, range and consistency as the primary points of evaluation.
At the end of the day, the plan is to take almost the whole spring to decide who fits best where — either Franklin as the primary shortstop with Asdrubal Cabrera at second, or vice versa. Should Franklin win the job, he would more than likely still be platooned with the likes of Logan Forsythe and/or Tim Beckham against LHP.
There was some action in camp Monday when middle infield prospect Tim Beckham smashed Drew Smyly’s windshield during batting practice. Beckham was quoted,
“I hope BMW covers that; if not, meal money will,”
“I’m willing and open to do any kind of role this team would need me to fill,” Montgomery said. “There’s going to be adjustments you have to make doing that, but I told them, ‘Hey, I feel good as a starter and I feel like I could transition to a bullpen role if needed, as well.’ I feel pretty confident about doing that.”
“If they want me to do that and if called upon to do that, I think I can do it,” Montgomery said. “Obviously you want to be in the big leagues, and any way you can get there is what you want to do. So having the ability to start or relieve would be more valuable, and as a player, I want to make myself the most valuable that I can.”
Cash compared Montgomery to New York Yankees reliever Andrew Miller, who, like Montgomery, is a tall left-hander whose “leverage and that deception plays pretty well.” Cash thinks that adjustment can help a pitcher, citing Indian’s right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who put up a 2.30 ERA in 43 innings out of the ‘pen in 2014 before moving into the starting rotation and going 5-3 with a 1.30 ERA in a 10 game span.
Cash spoke about the difference in perspective between starting and relieving,
“You’ve got three outs or two innings to work with, and it shortens your thought process instead of thinking about getting to that sixth inning all the time. They end up being better pitchers in the long run.”
A grainy photo of Rays infield drills with Tim Beckham and Nick Franklin getting work in at short stop, and Asdrubal Cabrera and Logan Forsythe getting work in at second base. (Photo courtesy of Marc Topkin)
Despite the wet fields following a night of heavy rain, the Rays were back at things Sunday for the second full-squad workout, and the second day of live batting practice. Bulleted highlights from the seventh day of camp follow:
Before Chris Archer, Ernesto Frieri, Mike Montgomery and Jake Odorizzi threw live batting practice, manager Kevin Cash had the squad working on bunting as the primary fundamental of the day.
Per a tweet from Marc Topkin, Frieri splintered the bat of Tim Beckham on the very first pitch:
First live BP pitch from #Rays Ernesto Frieri splinters Beckham’s bat
Cash plans to use LHP Mike Montgomery in a relief role this spring. Though the team was adamant they wouldn’t be calling upon another lefty to fill a spot in the bullpen left in Jake McGee’s wake (making Jeff Beliveau the only left handed reliever while the Rays closer mends), the use of Montgomery creates an interesting possibility at the start of the season.
Cash set the rotation for the first three exhibition games: RHP Nathan Karns starts Thursday vs. Baltimore, RHP Matt Andriese starts Friday vs. Minnesota, RHP Alex Cobb starts Saturday vs. Pittsburgh in Bradenton. The starters will work only one inning, two tops, the first time through.
A known known… Marc Topkin wrote about the open fifth starter spot,
Karns and Andriese are two of the candidates for the open spot in the rotation at the start of the season, along with RHP Alex Colome, who remains delayed by visa issues in the Dominican Republic. RHP Burch Smith is another possibility for that role.
Noteworthiness
In an attempt to disperse the negatives surrounding Rays president Brian Auld following his glib, arrogant remark to the St. Petersburg City Council in December, Charlie Frago (Tampa Bay Times) wrote an article titled, Tampa Bay Rays president moves past public stumble before City Council. It’s worth a read in the least.
The team works out during the Rays first full squad workout of the spring. (Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays)
The Tampa Bay Rays held their first full squad workout in Port Charlotte, Saturday. The workout was open to the public, and an estimated 1,100+ fans showed up to get a look at the overhauled roster.
The day started with manager Kevin Cash’s short, yet concise, introductory speech which stressed the concept of team above anything else.
“Today was the first day that we kind of start with creating the identity of our club a little bit. We’re all very big on ‘teammates’ and the concept of being a good teammate.”
While the speech marked a change from the colorful orations of previous manager Joe Maddon, the team who is seeking course their own path, separate from that of Maddon, seemed to appreciate what they heard.
“It was as good as it gets. Concise, to the point. I think it conveyed who he is as a person and what he’s trying to achieve overall, which is basically just win, get to know the guys and go out and work hard every day. And that’s going to be our motto, and that’s how we’re going to do things,” said Evan Longoria, who continued,
“It was refreshing to hear him speak for the first time to the team and to see what he had to say, and I love all of it. I saw a lot of heads nodding in approval, and that said it all to me.”
Alex Cobb was also impressed,
“It was very impactful. It was a stern way he put it that we’re going to have each other’s back and we’re not backing down from anything. It was almost like an underdog type of speech, and I think we’re embracing that type of role.”
Cash’s positively powerful speech not only made ripples within the clubhouse, national media heavyweights ESPN also caught on. Jayson Stark of the aforementioned sports behemoth seemed fairly optimistic about the Rays in general, writing,
“Kevin Cash won’t be Joe Maddon. And won’t try to be. And knows he should never try to be. He came marching into spring training with no team slogans, no medicine men and no clubhouse animal acts. And that won’t change, no matter how long he manages.
In the first team speech of Cash’s managerial career Saturday, he told his team, simply: “Today is the first day to start creating the identity of our club.” And out there in his clubhouse he found a group more than ready to help him do that.”
Dare I say it feels like an out with the old, in with the new type of scenario? The team certainly loved playing for Maddon, but as Stark pointed out, they seem invigorated by the thought of trying to win with a slightly different style. Alex Cobb even went as far as to laughingly describe the new regime as “trying to bring back more normal baseball,” yet saying it in a way that clearly wasn’t meant to be derogatory.
“The old way was great,” Cobb said. “But we don’t have that anymore. That’s not an option for us, to have that anymore. It’s gone. Those guys are gone. So we can either be lost, or we can create our own identity.”
Cash will be meeting with several veteran players to get their input before deciding on clubhouse and travel rules.
The Rays ran through more than a few drills Saturday, including the always entertaining pop-up drills which could have ended in disaster. Evan Longoria collided with the considerably larger Juan Francisco. Luckily both players came out unscathed, with Longo going as far as to say, “Next time I’ll go the other way. I’m not going to run into him again.”
Cobb, Enny Romero, Steve Geltz, Nathan Karns, Kevin Jepsen and non-roster invitee Robert Zarate — who stood out to Cash — threw live batting practice. Cobb was pleased with how he felt and welcomed the chance to face hitters after weeks of bullpen sessions, “It makes you focus a lot more.”
As I mentioned yesterday, non-roster invitee Ronald Belisario incurred a fracture to his non-throwing arm in an accident prior to Spring Training. According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) the first odd injury of the spring occurred as Belisario got out of the pool in his home in Venezuela.
Belisario told team officials the accident happened a month ago — before he signed, with a $1.5 million salary if he makes the big-league team — though he didn’t have it checked out until reporting to camp. The injury likely explains why his deal with the Blue Jays fell through.
The ground-ball specialist won’t throw for at least two weeks, and probably won’t be ready to start the season with the Rays. Matt Silverman was quick to note, “He’s ready to rehab and get back as soon as possible.”
Noteworthiness
Alex Colome should have his visa issues resolved this week; Colome has been throwing on schedule at the Rays’ complex in the Dominican Republic.
Per Marc Topkin, the market for likely-to-be-traded OF David DeJesus could pick up with the injury to Blue Jays OF Michael Saunders (though not to get back C Dioner Navarro from Toronto) and the potential suspension of Angels OF Josh Hamilton. Of note, Toronto just signed Dayan Viciedo to provide roster depth while Saunders mends.
Ernesto Frieri was having difficulty locating on both sides of the plate before Jim Hickey made an adjustment. (Photo and caption courtesy of Roger Mooney/Tampa Tribune)
Day five of Spring Training is in the books. Boog Powell arrived to camp Friday, so only RHP Alex Colome (delayed by visa) is missing ahead of Saturday’s whole team workout. Nothing truly newsworthy made the ranks of Twitter Friday afternoon, and what follows are a couple of loose ends that needed to be tied up.
I made mention previously that Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey is already helping new reliever Ernesto Frieri. Frieri saved 71 games in parts of three seasons with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, before his career spun off the tracks. The right handed reliever lost his job as the Angels’ closer, was traded to Pittsburgh in June of last season then released by the Pirates in August. As Roger Mooney (Tampa Tribune) wrote, the reason he was so eager to sign with the Rays in November was for the opportunity to work with Hickey.
“That’s why I’m here,” Frieri said. “I’ve seen Hickey, he’s the man. He knows what he’s doing. He fixed a couple of guys before, and I hope I’m not the exception. I’m pretty sure he’s going to give me the right information and I’m going to take advantage.”
Much like former closer Fernando Rodney, Frieri moved around the rubber in his first few bullpen sessions this week, in an attempt to regain control of his pitches on both sides of the plate. In the picture above, and video below, you can clearly see Frieri on the extreme first base side of the rubber:
If early indications mean anything, the footwork change has made an initial difference — Frieri was able to locate on both sides of the plate following Thursday’s bullpen session. The great unknown, however, is how this project will turn out over time, especially in comparison to the other pitchers Hickey fixed in the past — namely Joaquin Benoit, Rafael Soriano, and Rodney. The Rays pitching coach acknowledged as much,
“He seems to be extremely eager to hear what we have to say. You never know (how it will turn out), but at least it demonstrated his willingness to be open and try things.”
In other news, the Rays finally released former first round draft choice, and all around dick hole, Josh Sale.
#Rays release 2010 first-round LF Josh Sale, who hit .238/.313/.344 in 90 G at High-A Charlotte in 2014. Suspended for entire 2013 season.
Sale was suspended in three consecutive seasons for the use of amphetamines and all around asshole-like behavior, which came to light after he bragged about throwing change at a south Florida stripper, on Facebook. Deadspin published an article about the incident, titled, On Facebook, Rays Prospect Brags About Throwing Change At A Stripper.
Noteworthiness
As if you needed a reminder, the Rays first full-squad (sans Colome) workout will take place Saturday (today), starting at 9:30. The workout is open to the public, and free. The workout will include pop-up drills which, as Marc Topkin writes, “…Can be fun to watch, especially if it’s windy or overcast, but the highlight will be live batting practice.” Alex Cobb, Kevin Jepsen, Brad Boxberger, Matt Andriese, Nathan Karns and Burch Smith are among the pitchers scheduled to throw today.
Rays non-roster invitee Ronald Belisario was seen in the clubhouse this morning with his left arm in a sling. Belisario reportedly has a fractured left shoulder, and won’t do anything on the field for two weeks. The fracture occurred in an accident prior to the start of camp camp.
This is interesting; #Rays non-roster invitee RHP Ronald Belisario seen in clubhouse with his left arm in a sling
