MLB Team Report – Tampa Bay Rays – INSIDE PITCH
The Rays don’t have a lot to sort out in the final days leading up to their April 2 opener, but they face what looks to be an intriguing and interesting decision on whether to give the last spot in the rotation to Jeff Niemann or Roberto Hernandez.
Both have pitched relatively well this spring, posting similar numbers through their first five appearances.
Niemann had a 2.13 ERA through 12 2/3 innings, allowing 11 hits and three walks while striking out nine. Opponents were hitting .234 against him. Hernandez (the former Fausto Carmona) worked 15 innings, allowing 13 hits and five walks while striking out 12, allowing a .236 average and compiling a 3.60 ERA.
Niemann won the final spot in the rotation last spring, but he missed most of the season. He broke his right leg in mid-May, then after making it back for a Sept. 1 start, shoulder inflammation sidelined him the rest of the season.
When he is healthy, he can put together impressive runs, but injuries have been an issue throughout his career. Though he says he has been fit and feeling good this spring, his fastball was clocked only in the mid to high 80s (at least 2-3 mph below his norm) in a March 14 outing. The Rays gave him extra time before his next scheduled outing on March 22.
Hernandez has not had much success since a stellar 2007 campaign in Cleveland, going 33-48 with a 5.01 ERA from 2008-11 and then missing most of last season following his age/identity fraud arrest. However, the Rays have a good track record of getting veterans back on track, and the potential for him to work 200 innings is appealing, especially given the trade of James Shields.
The Rays has talked about the possibility of whoever doesn’t make the rotation going to the bullpen, though neither seems like a particularly good fit. Trading Niemann also would be a possibility, though the drop in velocity could raise further questions. Both make around $3 million.
The Rays may have to pick whether to go for the potential upside with Niemann and wait to see if/when he breaks down, or they could opt for the depth and security Hernandez could provide.
“Figuring out how to set up our rotation is probably the biggest decision we have,” executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. “It’s a really good problem to have with two really capable, good, quality major league starters. We’ll continue to debate it and talk through what puts us in the best position to win games.”
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MLB Team Report – Tampa Bay Rays – NOTES, QUOTES
–RHP Fernando Rodney was due to rejoin the Rays after pitching eight times, saving seven games, as his Dominican Republic team won the World Baseball Classic. Manager Joe Maddon said he wasn’t worried about Rodney’s workload. “More of a concern than just pitching too often would be the fact that you’re pitching at such a high level, the way the Dominicans are dealing with this, it’s almost like a playoff situation, so there’s a lot of amperage going on there,” Maddon said. “We’ll see how this all plays out. … There’s going to be some kind of ‘woof’ after this whole thing’s over.”
–C Jose Molina, a member of the Puerto Rico team that finished second in the World Baseball Classic, only played in two games and got only three at-bats during his two-plus week stint, so the Rays are concerned about him being ready. However, they will be cautious in pushing him too hard to make up for lost time because he is 37. “We’ll see how he feels when he gets back,” manager Joe Maddon said.
–OF Desmond Jennings could be excused for having an identity crisis. Last year, he was faced with replacing four-time All-Star Carl Crawford in left field, and this season he is taking over in center field for B.J. Upton. But Jennings said the key to his success will be getting back to being himself, specifically being more patient at the plate and not expanding his strike zone as he did too often last season. “I got away from being me,” Jennings said.
–OF Matt Joyce has been hoping for years to get the opportunity to play every day, but the Rays usually end up sitting the lefty swinger against most lefty starters. He would seem to have a better opportunity for full-time work this year, as they Rays don’t have a right-handed-hitting reserve outfielder, but manager Joe Maddon said Joyce still would be platooned and would have to earn the opportunity for more at-bats. “If he’s able to run with it further, then that’s up to him,” Maddon said.
–LHP David Price will remain on schedule to start the April 2 opener despite a frustrating and potentially dangerous outing in a minor league game on March 18. Price cut short his start after one messy 37-pitch inning because of what he said were terrible field conditions that left him concerned about the potential for injury. He threw another 34 pitches in the indoor batting cage and said he would make his remaining exhibition starts on schedule. “Everyone wants to get their work in, obviously, in the countdown to Opening Day, and you want to be ready for it, but today wasn’t the right way to do it,” Price said.
BY THE NUMBERS: 39 — Major league players, including Rays 3B Evan Longoria, who have contracts worth at least $100 million.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s hard to believe that anybody passes the opportunity up after experiencing it.” — INF/OF Ben Zobrist, on playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
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MLB Team Report – Tampa Bay Rays – ROSTER REPORT
PROJECTED ROTATION:
1. LHP David Price
2. RHP Jeremy Hellickson
3. LHP Matt Moore
4. RHP Alex Cobb
5. RHP Jeff Niemann or RHP Roberto Hernandez
Even with the trade of James Shields (to Kansas City for a package topped by prospect Wil Myers), the rotation still looks deep and talented. Price is an ace, and the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner, and Hellickson and Moore are young and talented support.
If Niemann is healthy and Cobb shows his 2012 form, Hernandez could end up as a key member of the bullpen. There will be depth at Triple-A, led by RHP Chris Archer and RHP Jake Odorizzi.
PROJECTED BULLPEN:
RHP Fernando Rodney (closer)
RHP Joel Peralta
LHP Jake McGee
RHP Kyle Farnsworth
LHP Cesar Ramos
RHP Roberto Hernandez or RHP Jamey Wright
RHP Brandon Gomes or RHP Josh Lueke
The Rays will return the back end of a bullpen that was the AL’s best, led by Rodney, who posted a record 0.60 ERA. Peralta, Farnsworth and McGee will handle the seventh and eighth innings as the bullpen should again be dominant.
It’s the front end that will have a different look, with Ramos replacing departed J.P. Howell and either Hernandez (who could also end up in the rotation) or Wright (who took a minor league deal) as the ground-ball specialist. There should be one more spot, with Gomes, Lueke and maybe Wright competing.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
1. CF Desmond Jennings
2. SS Yunel Escobar
3. 3B Evan Longoria
4. RF Ben Zobrist
5. LF Matt Joyce
6. DH Luke Scott
7. 2B Kelly Johnson
8. 1B James Loney
9. C Jose Molina
Having lost 40 percent of the home runs from last year’s team, the Rays are looking to not only replace the power but also cobble together a lineup that is more consistent and strikes out less.
The additions of Escobar, Johnson and Loney will be part of that as the Rays bank on each rebounding from rough 2012 seasons. But the biggest keys will be the health and return to past form of Scott, who spent two stints on the DL, and Longoria, who missed more than half the season with a hamstring injury.
TOP ROOKIES: OF Wil Myers, the centerpiece of the trade with Kansas City who hit 37 home runs last season between Double-A and Triple-A (with a .314 average and 109 RBI), is expected to start the season at Triple-A but join the Rays at some point, with the potential to make a major impact as a five-tool player.
RHP Jake Odorizzi (15-5, 3.03 at Double-A and Triple-A), also acquired from the Royals in the deal for James Shields and Wade Davis, will be on a similar path, with the potential to make it to the Rays sometime this season and then eventually take a place in the middle of the rotation.
MEDICAL WATCH:
–RHP Juan Carlos Oviedo (Tommy John surgery in September 2012) will spend most of the season rehabbing his elbow, with the possibility he could help the Rays in September.
