1. THE "TAJ" MAHAL
This afternoon, the Rays will get their first look at the highly anticipated pitching prospect in the system, the club's top prospect, Taj Bradley, and this will be not only a great opportunity for Bradley to possibly work on major league bats, but also to show some of the skill set that could make him rebound in Durham this year (if he starts in Triple A).
Bradley, who comes off a 2.57 ERA season in 2022 while splitting time between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham, will be making his first start in Spring Training, similar to what his teammate Cooper Criswell had happen yesterday against the Twins.
Expect to see Bradley take his outing longer than Criswell, especially if the Red Sox trot out the big guns such as Devers and Verdugo for their home Grapefruit League opener this afternoon, as Bradley could easily go at least two innings of work on the day, and with him being a top prospect, the Rays may want to see a larger sample size at Fenway South.