Tampa Bay Rays: Roster outlook, rankings and camp

With Opening Day approaching, we began breaking down the Rays probable roster position by position. So far, the men behind the dish and at the hot corner have been discussed.

Catchers:

Mike Zunino will lead the way while Micheal Perez and Nick Ciuffo will battle it out all spring for the backup role.

Zunino’s pop will be a welcome addition to the Rays lineup as he has put together three 20+ home run seasons.

This is what I had to say about the battle and Perez’s chances:

"In my opinion, Perez is in the driver’s seat this spring as he competes with Nick Ciuffo for the backup role. He was good during his abbreviated stint in Tampa Bay and likely made a nice first impression on Cash and company."

Third Baseman:

Matt Duffy, Daniel Robertson, and Christian Arroyo will all look to get a piece of the pie at third this season. But, I believe that Robertson will eventually take over the starting role at the hot corner.

"If I am repeating myself, I am sorry… But, the bottom line for Duffy, Robertson, and Arroyo will be health. Any of the three could emerge as the third baseman if the other two go down in camp of later on in the season. I still think Duffy opens as the starter but Robertson will be ready and waiting for his chance filling in elsewhere. Don’t forget that Yandy Diaz, Joey Wendle, and Andrew Velazquez could all see time at third this year as well. The Tampa Bay Rays have a plethora of options at the hot corner this season"