The Tampa Bay Rays c-squad took on the Minnesota Twins in Ft. Myers Wednesday afternoon. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)
The Tampa Bay Rays c-squad took on the Minnesota Twins in Ft. Myers Wednesday afternoon. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)
On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays returned from their trip to Cuba ready to take on their Knutson Classic nemesis, the Minnesota Twins…well, kind of.

With all the players who made the historic trek to Cuba not in attendance after arriving at Tampa International Airport at 5:00 AM, the team brought a roster to Fort Myers composed of 29 minor leaguers.

As Josh Vitale wrote in his game recap for SunCoast Sports, “Of the 20 players who appeared in the game, nine had no names on the backs of their jerseys. Only four were still in big-league camp and only one, right-hander Erasmo Ramirez, was on the 40-man roster.”

Still, even with the average uniform number for the Rays’ starting lineup being 67.78, the C-Squad was able to defeat Minnesota’s Major League team by a 5-2 margin, thanks in part to six outstanding innings by Ramirez.

Erasmo fanned eight (six swinging) while allowing just one unearned run on three hits (two doubles and a bunt single) over the course of his outing.

It was his mix of pitches that made Ramirez so effective.

Yeah, I like it, because all my pitches are working, Ramirez said when asked if he was happy with his spring so far. I throw them for strikes, every one. And mix it up, that’s a big deal now, no matter who’s hitting. Just go and mix my pitches.

A low-to-mid-90s fastball either baffled or overpowered the Twins’ batters, while his filthy off-speed stuff had them chasing pitches well off the plate and in the dirt. Only two batters ― Joe Mauer and Darin Mastroianni ― were able to make solid contact off Erasmo, yet even so Ramirez neutered Miguel Sanó and company, rendering the team ineffective.

Well played, smiley guy. You can see his video highlights below.

The New What Next

Matt Andriese will get the start Thursday night when the Rays travel to Tampa to take on their AL East foe, the New York Yankees. Enny Romero, Steve Geltz and Danny Farquhar are also expected to pitch.

Rays 3/24/16 Starting Lineup

Forsythe 2B
Morrison DH
Longoria 3B
Dickerson RF
Jennings LF
Kiermaier CF
Pearce 1B
Beckham SS
Rivera C
Andriese RHP

Noteworthiness

Per Marc Topkin (Tampa bay Times) the three hurlers taking the mound Thursday night are among those being looked at in order to compensate for the two-month injury absence of closer Brad Boxberger.

― Chris Archer won’t be in Tampa Thursday night. The Rays opted to have him work in Port Charlotte, in either an intrasquad or minor-league game.

― Forbes Magazine released its annual franchise value rankings. The Rays again sit at the bottom of Major League Baseball, however, the team’s value has risen to $650-million (from $625-million in 2015). The Yankees are ranked first with a value of $3.4-billion.

To put things into perspective, the Rays overall value has increased by $360-Million since 2008. What follows is a breakdown of the Rays’ annual franchise value, extending back to 2008. 

2008 $290-Million
2009 $320-Million
2010 $316-Million
2011 $331-Million
2012 $323-Million
2013 $451-Million
2014 $485-Million
2015 $625-Million
2016 $650-Million

― According to a pair of Topkin tweets, the Rays are projected to finish at 80-82 and fifth in the AL East, and 18th in the overall, by ESPN the Magazine‘s 2016 rankings. The Cubs were ranked number one overall, and the Red Sox were projected to win the AL East. 

Tampa Bay was also picked to finish 84-78 and in third place by Sports Illustrated. The Blue Jays were picked to again win the East.

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