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.