ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays have reason to feel good going into this season of great expectations.
They have a rotation that is among the game’s best. A bullpen crew of overpowering arms and varied styles that will torment hitters. Position players with maximum skills and minimal egos amenable to different roles that create match-up advantages, showcasing power and (some) patience at the plate plus grace in the field.
They have a mix of experience and enthusiasm. And — of greater importance in this coronavirus-delayed and abbreviated season — relative health, with three of the four key players who tested positive for COVID-19 and missed training camp ready for Friday’s opener.
“It’s a talented team,” manager Kevin Cash said Thursday.
And in this 60-game sprint where every pitch is magnified, rosters are in flux potentially daily, and health-based rules and restrictions impact just about anything they do, the Rays have something else that should play greatly to their advantage:
“Our guys,” said pitcher Tyler Glasnow, “are pretty go with the flow.”
As important as it is for the Rays to have talent, depth and versatility on the field, the flexibility of their minds in dealing with the unknowns, unusual and unprecedented over the next couple months may be just as big of an asset.
“We’re fortunate that I think we have a team that is very much equipped to odd stuff taking place that we’re not used to experiencing,” Cash said.
“We do have a very loose group and they’re going to make the most out of every situation. We’ve seen them do that the last two years and don’t see that changing this year.
“So we are fortunate with the different personalities that we have in the building that have shown the ability to adapt and adjust. And maybe with as versatile as we try to be in building a roster, we’re going to see our personalities be as versatile.”
This is the team that has embraced the opener pitching strategy, rotating closers, lineups based on platoon matchups, bullpen moves keyed to high-leverage situations rather than innings, multiple defensive shifts including a four-man and (coming this year) two-man outfield, a process and analytics coach in the dugout, and the occasional reliever going to play first or third base for an opposite-handed batter then returning to the mound.
On deck: The challenges of 2020.
“If there’s any team in baseball who can handle an unorthodox approach, it’s us because we’ve done it in years past and it’s worked to our advantage. …” centerfielder and team leader Kevin Kiermaier said.
“We do, we work in unorthodox ways, different than a lot of clubs out there. But it’s all for a purpose, to try to win. And I’ve said this many times, too, it’s hard to go against Kevin Cash and our front office, what they’re trying to do in a different way because with the opener and putting relievers at first base and putting ‘em back, we do things like that and it’s worked time and time again. …
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“If any team is suited for a different year like every team is gonna face this year, we’re a team that is all aboard with whatever we’re trying to do. We just know that we’re trying to get as many wins out of it as possible, so I don’t think anyone is going to complain whatsoever.”
That buy-in is a credit to Cash and his coaches, the culture they create in the clubhouse and the camaraderie it creates which should — even socially distanced — still be a big asset.
“We’re gonna do whatever we can to win, whatever it takes,” reliever Jalen Beeks said. “The good thing is we’ve got a bunch of guys that are willing to do that even if it’s different, even if it’s odd. If we think it’s going to help us win, that’s what we’re going to do. The guys we’ve got here are completely bought into that and I think that’s what allows us to have some success.”
Are there going to be some problems, some injury and illness absences that cause concern beyond opening the season without 2019 co-team MVP Austin Meadows? Absolutely.
Can a slow start in a season only against AL and NL East teams, where every game counts 2.7 times more than one in a full 162-slate, be devastating? Positively.
Will it be harder to ride the energy and emotion they thrive on with no fans to fire them up and limits on the celebrations they reveled in? Certainly.
Is there a worry that all the talk about them being the chic pick to win the World Series could go to their heads and take some edge off the underdog mentality that usually drives them? For sure.
But these Rays feel confident they’re good enough and flexible enough, physically and mentally, to handle whatever comes up on or off the field.
“It’s better,” said Glasnow, “than not go with the flow, for sure. I think we definitely have a good team for it.”
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July 24, 2020 at 04:04AM
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Rays have secret weapon for 2020 challenge: ‘Go with the flow' - Tampa Bay Times
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