Tampa Bay Rays are constructed to conquer a condensed season

Outfield

Depth of bats will be important in a condensed schedule due to the workload put on players. If they are cramming that many games into a short amount of time, then guys are going to need games off. The Rays may be the most adequately equipped team to share the workload.

Center Field

Manuel Margot and Kevin Kiermaier would take care of center. With the expanded rosters we may even could even get a fair dosage of Randy Arozarena. Margot and Kiermaier are two of the rangiest outfielders in the game today. According to Statcast, Margot ranks in the 95th percentile in the outfielder jump, while Kiermaier is in the 100th percentile.

Outfield

Austin Meadows would get the majority of reps in left and presumably, Hunter Renfroe would see plenty of action in right. Renfroe’s power (33 HRS) and stellar defensive work (22 rDRS in 2019) are enough to keep him in the lineup on most days.

We haven’t seen much of Yoshitomo Tsutsugo‘s defense, but he was primarily an outfielder in Japan. And once more, don’t sleep on Brian O’Grady, especially in a slammed schedule like has been discussed.

Why even have all of this outfield depth when Margot and Kiermaier could cover the whole thing by themselves.

Infield

First Base

Ji-Man Choi looks to consume the majority of the at-bats at first, but we saw last season that Yandy Diaz can contribute from the right side. With the expanded rosters, Nate Lowe would likely find a spot on the team. Brian O’Grady looks like a monster just waiting for the right opportunity and he can play anywhere from first base to centerfield. Don’t forget about Jose Martinez, his glove has some questions but his bat has answers.

Third Base

Yandy Diaz should have the majority of reps locked down at third, but Nate Lowe came to camp 20 pounds lighter than last year and was getting substantial reps at the hot corner. A platoon between those two powerhouses could make things terrifying for opposing pitchers. Don’t forget about Tsutsugo, who had been working out at third base in Japan to improve his stock with major league teams. Keep in mind that Mike Brosseau also slugged .462 in 50 games last season.

More Options than a Golden Corrall…the difference is that these are actually good options.

Infield Continued

Second Base

Joey Wendle has been a solid major leaguer, Brandon Lowe exploded onto the scene in 2019 with an All-Star appearance and 17 homers in just 82 games. Daniel Robertson is a solid hand that provides reliable veteran depth, as well.

Catcher

Mike Zunino is what he is. We’ve covered him from every which angle. He hit .165 last season, which, sadly, isn’t that far off from his career average of .202. He has some power but he is trusted behind the plate. Michael Perez was set to be split the duties with Zunino last season before an injury opened the door for Travis d’Arnaud to blow the top of the dome off of Tropicana Field.

d’Arnaud has moved on to greener pastures, but Michael Perez was known in the minors as a top-notch defender and has shown the ability to be a patient and powerful hitter at various stops in the minors.

Add in the addition of veteran Kevan Smith, whose numbers look a lot like Travis d’Arnaud’s prior to his arrival in Tampa, and the Rays look to be in steady hands behind the plate.

Shortstop

Willy Adames led the AL in defensive runs saved at the position in 2019. He added 20 homers and looks to be on an upward trajectory with no end in sight. Robertson and Wendle can slot in behind him for depth, but you have to wonder…Wander?

Some analysts expected to see a sample of Wander Franco at the major-league level this season. The expanded rosters and crunched schedule could create a perfect scenario to bring the wunderkind up.

If the league wants to implement a schedule such as this then they will certainly feel the wrath of the Rays’ depth. This could be fun.