54 of the 63 players on the Rays spring roster reported to camp in Port Charlotte on this, the first official day of Spring Training. Of those players, all of the pitchers who were expected report did with the exceptions of Ronald Beliasario and Alex Colome, who were delayed by visa issues.
Tag Archives: Tampa Bay Rays
Why Sternberg’s “2022” Deadline Comment Means Nothing (Re-post from SOTS)
Here I was prepared to write a diatribe on Stu Sternberg’s heavy handed announcement that he will look for new stadium sites by 2022, with or without St. Pete’s blessing. Then it dawned on me, Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium blog) wrote a short and concise piece on how Sternberg’s 2022 deadline is, essentially, moot — why not re-post that piece in its entirety? After all, it summed things up well, and casted shade on Stu’s glaring attempt to regain leverage in the Stadium Saga.
A Few Questions As Spring Training Opens; Sternberg On the State of the Stadium Saga
As the hours tick down from a very busy offseason to a Spring Training full of hope and optimism, there are a handful of questions that long to be answered over the course of the next 6-½ weeks. Marc Topkin wrote about three of those questions Thursday — How is the middle infield going to be set up, is Steven Souza ready, and can they make their pitch? — though I’d argue another question should be included: who will back up Rene Rivera behind the plate? In an attempt to answer these questions, I am going to piggyback Topkin’s thoughts and add some analysis of my own.
Sites and Sounds From Rays Fan Fest; Kevin Cash Presser
A mere two days before the official start of Spring Training, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted their 20th annual Fan Fest at Tropicana Field. The X-Rays Spex crew was in tow (myself, Ian, and Adam), and we collectively documented some of the sites and sounds from the unofficial kick off to the 2015 season.
Rays Players Attend Early, Unofficial Spring Workouts
Alex Cobb, Daniel Robertson, Ryan Brett, and Mikie Mahtook are among the players who joined in the unofficial workouts in Port Charlotte, Friday. Some of the biggest news came out of the Kevin Cash/Matt Silverman pre-Spring Training press conference. Silverman said both Jake McGee and Matt Moore are on track with their rehabilitation schedule, suggesting a late April return for McGee and “June-ish” for Moore. McGee told Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) that his rehab is going well, though he previously had some soreness when throwing from 90 feet. The soreness concerns have reportedly been alleviated.