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Devil Rays hope to bounce back
Tampa Bay optimistic after worst year since 1998
March 25, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Outside of their inaugural season in 1998, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have avoided a losing season every year in the club's history. That nearly changed last season, when the team finished at 81-81 on the year. The downward trend in wins the last two seasons is something the team hopes does change.

The team's pitching staff struggled, according to its previous standards, but manager Christian O'Neal is confident that pitching coach Al Nipper can help out now that he has joined the big league staff.

Dan Haren will be the Opening Day starter for Tampa Bay. The two-time Cy Young winner had a number of struggles last season, but managed to go 15-10 with a 4.09 ERA in 33 starts for the Devil Rays. Owed $19 million this year, Haren has stated he expects to earn his keep in 2012 and predicted improved numbers.

Jon Lester has been inconsistent in his big league career, but O'Neal sees enough in the 28-year-old lefty to make him the number two starter to open the season. Lester went 12-12 with a 4.86 ERA in 32 starts last year, and is 39-34 with a 5.15 ERA in his career. Nipper has some experience with Lester in the minor leagues and believes the southpaw is set for a fine season this year.

The rest of the starting rotation is unsettled, both in order and makeup. Ed Hughes went 6-4 with a 6.26 ERA in 14 games, 10 starts, with Tampa Bay last year but was expected to open the year in the big leagues. He suffered a ligament injury in his elbow early in spring training and will miss most, if not all, of April, and may end up in AAA as a result.

William Burgess is a likely candidate for the number three spot in the rotation based on experience, but no decision has been made. Burgess, 24, had 63 big league starts, most of which came with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He went 11-9 with a 4.56 ERA in 25 games with Tampa Bay last season after being acquired early in the year from Pittsburgh. For the year, Burgess posted a 13-10 record and 4.28 ERA in 29 games in 2011.

Mike Pelfrey is expected to make the rotation, though where exactly is to be determined. Pelfrey, 28, went 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA in eight big league starts after going 13-1 with a 1.03 ERA in AAA last season.

The same is said for 29-year-old lefty Kason Gabbard. After going 9-3 with a 2.47 ERA in 24 AAA starts, Gabbard worked 13 1/3 innings with Tampa Bay, holding opponents to three runs on 15 hits.

A dark horse candidate for a roster spot is 22-year-old right-hander Jose Cervantes. The minor leaguer pitched in four different levels last season, putting together an 11-5 record and 1.10 ERA between them. He is getting an extended look this spring.

Dustin Moseley, a 30-year-old right-hander, is another option for the Devil Rays. Moseley went 1-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings with Tampa Bay last year after a strong 10-2 record and 2.94 ERA in AAA. Though he's seen limited big league action since coming to the Devil Rays in 2010, the former Cleveland Indians starter owns a 30-49 record and 5.80 ERA in 108 career appearances, including 101 starts.

In the bullpen, Manny Delcarmen will be back as the club's closer. Delcarmen, 30, just signed a two-year deal worth $12.25 million annually to stay with the Devil Rays and performed well last year, his first as the team's closer. Delcarmen went 3-5 with 34 saves and a 2.76 ERA in 48 games last year.

Helping set-up Delcarmen will be a trio of talented left-handers: David Price, Carl Sadler, and Craig Breslow.

Breslow, 31, went 4-4 with four saves and a 2.25 ERA in 57 games last season. He has gone 28-10 with 10 saves and a 2.51 ERA in 235 big league games in his career with Tampa Bay.

Sadler spent 2011 between San Diego and Tampa Bay, and is eager to enter his first Opening Day with the Devil Rays. Sadler went 0-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 22 appearances with the Devil Rays, 2-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 59 appearances on the year.

Price, who has been floated as a potential addition to the rotation after working primarily as a set-up man, will be back in the fold as well. The 26-year-old lefty went 5-2 with four saves and a 3.19 ERA in 38 appearances in 2012. Of his 94 career games, two are starts, and he owns an 8-4 record with seven saves and 3.15 ERA.

Also hoping to make the team are left-handers Danny Herrera and Onan Masaoka. Herrera, a 27-year-old minor leaguer, has been a dominant reliever in the minor leagues but has not yet been given a shot in the big leagues. He owns a 19-17 record, 65 saves, and a 2.88 ERA in 178 career appearances in the minor leagues.

Masaoka, 34, has spent the last few years in the Tampa Bay minor league system, pitching well. He last pitched in the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2005, working just 2 2/3 innings. In 2004, he worked 29 games after pitching in 68 games for the 2003 Colorado Rockies. Overall, he has made 137 appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado, and Toronto from 1999 to 2005.

Offensively, the team has a number of new faces, or relatively new faces.

There is a three-man battle going for two spots on the roster as catchers, with the starting job wide open. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the front-runner, having played in 114 games with Tampa Bay last year. He hit .247 with six home runs and 44 RBI for the Devil Rays, and threw out 30.6% of base-stealers.

Taylor Teagarden and Stan Hicks are also in the mix. Teagarden, 28, went 1-for-5 in Tampa Bay after hitting .224 with one home run and 15 RBI in 98 at bats in AAA due to injury. In 2010, he hit .284 with 14 homers and 55 RBI in 108 games in AAA. Hicks, a 25-year-old switch-hitter, is the team's catcher of the future, but they need to decide how soon that future becomes the present. Hicks hit .303 with 10 homers and 44 RBI in 89 games in Class A ball after playing 10 games in short-season A ball. He's an excellent defensive catcher, but has struggled this spring.

Acquired in July, Adrian Gonzalez is enjoying his first spring training with Tampa Bay. He hit .345 with 23 home runs and 62 RBI in just 76 games with the Devil Rays last year, hitting .311 with 42 homers and 119 RBI in 156 games on the season. He will hit in the number three spot, where the team hopes he will continue to put up big numbers.

Emilio Bonifacio was the second baseman last season, and hit .246 with 14 home runs, 52 RBI, and 68 runs scored in 131 games. He made 10 errors there and is now in competition with Pedro Castro and rookie Anthony Bender. Castro, 23, hit .312 with one home run and 25 RBI in 52 games with the Devil Rays last season. Bender, 24, has no big league time as of yet, hitting .282 with eight home runs and 42 RBI with 67 runs and 14 stolen bases in 96 games with the club's AAA affiliate.

Aubrey Huff, now 35, is back once again, this year opening up the year with plans to be the every day thirdbaseman. Huff hit just .247 last year, the lowest average of his career, with 22 homers and 82 RBI in 147 games. A career .293 hitter, Huff said he expects much better overall numbers so long as he stays healthy.

Melvin Spencer won the National League Rookie of the Year award with the Pirates last season, but was dealt to Tampa Bay in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge. Spencer, 24, hit .293 with 18 home runs 66 RBI, and 83 runs scored in 152 games for Pittsburgh last year. He will have to adapt to the American League in order to carry over that success.

If Spencer can't hold the job, Troy Tulowitzki will likely be called upon to step in. The 27-year-old was a free agent signing this winter, inking a one-year deal worth just $750,000. He hit .248 with nine home runs and 60 RBI in 144 games with the Texas Rangers last season after six years with the St. Louis Cardinals.

James Loney signed a one-year deal worth $13 million after seven years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Loney will play some first base, but will largely work as the DH for the year. He hit .287 with 19 home runs and 75 RBI in 144 games last season for the Dodgers.

The outfield is a bit crowded, leading many to believe that someone, if not Loney, will be dealt away sooner than later. Josh Hamilton has his spot secure in center field. Hamilton hit .302 with 20 home runs and 69 RBI in 96 games in an injury-plagued season, after hitting .308 with 29 homers and 107 RBI in 2010.

Carlos Quentin is owed nearly $7 million this year and showed good power last year, though his batting average was quite unimpressive, which may lead to decreased playing time in 2011. Quentin, 29, hit .234 with 26 homers and 73 RBI in 120 games between Tampa Bay and the Houston Astros after six seasons with the Boston Red Sox. With the Devil Rays, he really struggled, hitting .209 with 12 home runs and 38 RBI in 61 games.

John Meyers has great speed and is a strong defensive outfielder, but his bat is lacking and will likely result in him working off the bench. The 21-year-old lefty hit .213 with five home runs and 25 RBI, though scoring 52 runs and stealing 21 bases over 366 at bats last year.

Ben Francisco had just nine at bats last season before a neck injury ended his season. A career .265 hitter, he hit .276 with 19 homers and 74 RBI in 144 games with the 2010 Devil Rays. It is unsure how well he will rebound after missing, for all intents and purposes, the entire 2011 season.

To help with the questions marks around the offense, the Devil Rays have acquired outfielders Tilahun Mhina and Matt Kemp. Mhina, a 25-year-old left-handed hitter from South Africa, had an impressive rookie season with Toronto last year, hitting .294 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI in 126 games. He is a very good defensive right fielder and is currently penciled in as the starter on Opening Day.

Kemp, who hit .277 with 104 home runs in his seven years with Boston, signed a low-money one-year deal this winter with Tampa Bay. He hit .251 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI in 141 games, down slightly from his normal year.