PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays have one more full-squad workout before they open Grapefruit League play against the Phillies on Friday, but the team is finally ready to transition the drills into some games.
When asked what stood out from Wednesday’s workout, manager Kevin Cash said, “I think we’re ready for games. That stood out.”
Before the games begin, let’s take a look at five things we learned during the first week of Rays camp.
Zunino fits right in with staff
The biggest reason the Rays acquired catcher Mike Zunino during the offseason was the effect they believed he would have on the pitching staff. Through one week of camp, that has proven right as the 27-year-old has fit right in with Tampa Bay's arms.
“We just kind of started to understand each other, what I like to do and what he saw, so it was cool to just go back and forth on me helping him and him helping me,” said pitcher Blake Snell, who worked with Zunino this week. “I’m already very comfortable talking to him. He’s very open, which is awesome to see, and it feels like we’ve known each other for a while with the way that we talk.”
Zunino has made it a priority to spend as much time with each pitcher as he can, sometimes even sacrificing extra batting-practice time to do so.
Party of five standing out on mound
Every pitcher is working on something different at this point in camp, but Emilio Pagán, Colin Poche, Yonny Chirinos, Jake Faria and Tyler Glasnow are the pitchers most hitters point to when asked who had impressed.
Pagan, who threw his first batting practice session Wednesday, has been focusing on his curveball, fastball and changeup early on. Same goes for Poche, who has been implementing a splitter that should help a pitch described by catcher Nick Ciuffo as an “invisible fastball.”
Chirinos spent the last month of the offseason working out at Tropicana Field and said he felt great coming into camp. He’s looking to make the roster as one of the bulk guys out of the bullpen.
“Yonny’s always good,” Ciuffo said. “To me, the sinker has been my favorite pitch since 2013, and it’s gotten better and better and better every year. In my personal opinion, I think he’s going to have a very good career.”
Diaz has impressed
Yandy Diaz arrived at camp on Sunday, and it didn’t take long for the 27-year-old Cuban to impress his new team.
“He hits the ball very hard. He hits them a long way,” Cash said. “Today in batting practice, he put on another show.”
Diaz will get most of his reps at first base this spring in order to get more familiar with the position. Overall, the Rays feel he has adapted well and they’ll go into the season playing him at the infield corners.
Closer by committee in 2019
José Alvarado and Chaz Roe will probably get most of the ninth-inning work for the Rays, but Tampa Bay won’t name an official closer anytime soon.
“There’s no urgency,” Cash said. “We’ve had this conversation many times over many years, and I personally like the flexibility. If you can win games in the sixth, seventh or eighth inning, then why wait? We’ve got a bunch of guys we feel will find their way into the ninth inning and have success.”
Aside from Roe and Alvarado, Diego Castillo and Ryne Stanek will also get opportunities to close out games in 2019.
First base to remain fluid early on
The Rays are optimistic the first-base situation will sort itself out over the next couple of weeks, but there’s a good chance there will be a rotation at the bag even during the regular season.
Diaz, Ji-Man Choi and Brandon Lowe will get reps throughout the spring, with Diaz and Choi getting the most of them just so the coaching staff becomes more familiar with the two of them. Despite him not playing any first base last season, the staff has a better feel of what Lowe can do with the glove, given that he played a lot of second base and outfield in 2018.
“I think we’ll head into the season knowing that we have three guys that are capable of playing first base, and on given days, they will.”