Bay Area native named starting pitcher for spring training opener

The Rays will kick off their 2025 spring training schedule against the New York Yankees at George Steinbrenner Field. It will be a thrilling day for multiple reasons. First of all, the Rays will be playing a baseball game for the first time since their 3-1 loss to the Red Sox last September.

Secondly, tomorrow's game will be played in the Rays 2025 home stadium in Tampa, so the club and fans will get an early glimpse of what home games could look like in the minor league ballpark.

Now, we know that this will still be a spring training game and it doesn't technically count towards anything. Also, we won't get the McClanahan-Cole matchup that we'll likely see at least once during the regular season. The starting pitcher for tomorrow's exhibition against the Yankees will be 32-year old right-hander Joey Krehbiel.

Krehbiel was born and raised in Seminole, FL and he attended Seminole High School, which is the same school that former Rays postseason hero Brett Phillips graduated from. The town of less than 20,000 people is in close proximity to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, so Krehbiel's reunion with the Rays is a homecoming of sorts.

The former Oriole only pitched in one inning for Tampa Bay in 2021, so the Rays are ultimately getting a brand-new look at him in their uniform. Ever since his miniscule stint with the Rays, the righty has spent the last few seasons in Baltimore.

His only campaign that surpassed 50 innings was in 2022. Krehbiel threw 57.2 innings that year and produced respectable numbers as a reliever. He didn't excel in the strikeout department, as he punched out only 45 hitters, but his sub-4.00 ERA and 18 walks definitely showed some promise.

Joey Krehbiel wasn't able to make an MLB appearance last season, but he threw in 54 games for the Mariners Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, Washington. In that minor league stretch, Krehbiel went 5-3 with a 3.26 ERA. The Rays front office is hoping to tap into the relief pitcher's ability to withstand adversity. The combination of Kyle Snyder's expertise and the comfort of his hometown could be the ingredients that he needs to be successful.