Tampa Bay Rays kick off spring training
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Tyler Glasnow is excited spring training is finally here.
"It's nice to see everyone. All the coaches here. All the trainers, players, everyone so it’s great," the Rays' lefty said before jokingly adding with a smirk, "Even the media!"
Joking aside, Glasnow and the rest of the Rays have much to be excited about. Why wouldn't they? Their starting rotation boasts, in no particular order: the aforementioned Glasnow, Charlie Morton, and Blake Snell.
We won't bore you with numbers, but Rays catcher Mike Zunino feels good about that three-headed monster.
"Yeah I’ll put those three against anyone," Zunino said Thursday morning before the Rays first pitchers and catchers workout. "These guys never settle. It's one of those things where it gets me excited to go out there and work with these guys."
Ryan Yarbrough appears to be the fourth arm in the starting rotation, with Yonny Chrinos and Brenden McKay likely candidates to round the rotation out. Couple that with a mostly-intact bullpen that was first in the AL East in ERA, and the Rays staff with be hard to touch.
But there's an "if" component.
"If we stay healthy, it will be pretty exciting to see what we can do," said Blake Snell, who missed 93 games last year with an elbow injury. Snell was one of many Rays who missed time due to injury in 2019, while the team still managed 96 wins and a playoff appearance.
Rays manager Kevin Cash used the "I" word as well when talking about the pitching staff's outlook as well.
"If we can stay healthy, we’ve got really talented pitchers, and we’ve got talented pitchers that can provide some depth," he said.