Revamped outfield giving Rays exactly what they needed at plate, in field

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Chandler Simpson ranged to his right on Sunday afternoon, gliding through the outfield grass and onto the dirt surrounding the left-field line at Charlotte Sports Park. As a fly ball from Pittsburgh's Spencer Horwitz sailed toward the protective netting, Simpson reached out his left hand, bounced off the low fence and crashed to the ground, the ball safely in his glove.

Two pitches later, Simpson broke to his left, gauged a line drive off Billy Cook’s bat, made a quick adjustment to come in and laid out to make the diving catch.

It was that kind of day for Tampa Bay’s outfield. Center fielder Cedric Mullins went 3-for-4 with a homer, a bunt single and four RBIs. Right fielder Jake Fraley was hustling all over the place, as usual, going 3-for-3 with a double and two stolen bases. Simpson went hitless, but made an impact with his glove in left field.

This was what the Rays had in mind when they overhauled their outfield over the winter.

They’ve raised their offensive floor, sure, with Mullins providing more power and Fraley offering on-base ability with some power and speed. But the defensive improvements they’ve made, in terms of the players they brought in and the strides they’ve taken in Spring Training, are even more critical.

“We'll take whatever offense we can get, but being able to prevent runs is really important to us,” manager Kevin Cash said Monday. “Last year, we didn't do as good a job as we are capable of. You just see the work being put in by some new guys and some returning guys. … It's really been a highlight.”

In fact, Cash told the team on Sunday that the Rays’ outfield work has been “probably the brightest spot of camp.” He has repeatedly lauded the daily instruction they’re getting from new first-base/outfield coach Corey Dickerson, as well as Triple-A coach Reid Brignac and Alejandro Freire, the team’s assistant director of complex and academy development.

Seeing their efforts translate onto the field has been rewarding for everyone involved.

“Super proud of the guys, just kind of taking in all the information that we're getting in terms of adjustments and how to get better jumps and first steps and things of that nature,” Mullins said. “Then, implementing them into the game as quickly as we have, he gave us a lot of credit.”

Improvement was necessary on that front after last season.

The Rays’ outfielders had their issues offensively, hitting only 29 homers as a unit (fewest in MLB) while posting a .663 OPS that ranked 26th in the Majors. They hit for average and ran well, but their lack of power production was made all the more glaring by their uncharacteristic defensive performance.

Rays outfielders ranked 21st in the Majors in Outs Above Average (minus-9) last season, by far their lowest total over the past 10 years, and 26th in Fielding Run Value (minus-12), their lowest mark since Statcast began tracking it in 2018.

The front office did what it could in the offseason. Out went Jake Mangum, Josh Lowe, Christopher Morel, Kameron Misner and others. In came Mullins, regarded as a good defender in center with power at the plate. That pushed Simpson back to left field.

In came Fraley, who has been a reliable contributor (especially against right-handed pitchers) when healthy. Back came a healthy Jonny DeLuca, another quality defensive outfielder.

Then came the work, spearheaded by Dickerson, a recently retired player who once engineered his own dramatic defensive transformation into a Gold Glove Award winner.

“I think the front office did a good job of saying, 'Here specifically are some things that these guys individually need to work on,'” Cash said, “and Corey has done everything he can to build that relationship and hammer that out with them.”

Mullins said Dickerson “set a standard for what he was looking for out of us,” and the outfielders bought in. It’s been a mix of analytically based information and tips that Dickerson picked up over the course of his career, mostly regarding pre-pitch anticipation and movement. Cash said it’s resulted in improved jumps, increased acceleration and other quantifiable steps forward.

“The pre-pitch is obviously physical, but just being locked in and making sure I'm caring, making sure I'm locked in every rep in BP,” Simpson said. “Definitely, the mindset has been the biggest thing.”

How much of a difference will it make this season? Can they mix and match their way to better offensive production as well? Those questions will be answered in time.

But the early returns are positive, and they’ve got the highlight-reel catches to prove it.