PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WFLA) — The Rays have a new-look starting rotation going into this spring training, with Zach Eflin as the lone returner from last spring’s starting five.
“I think it’s going to be a really dangerous group,” Eflin said. “You look up and down the system here, and it’s just full of top-of-the-rotation arms. It’s going to take guys taking steps forward and people to retain their consistency, and it’s going to be a fun year. We have a lot of chemistry in this clubhouse, and as much as it sucks losing Glas (Tyler Glasnow), he brought so much to the team physically, mentally, just as a great teammate, but I think we’re in a really good position right now with the young arms that we have to make a really good push this year.”
“[It’s] exciting,” Rays’ manager Kevin Cash said. “But you can’t take away from what the guys that we had last year. Coming into spring training last year, we felt like we were really well-positioned in a rotation. We feel that way this year. We’re just going to get there a little differently– maybe some more established guys last year, but guys that are kind of eager for opportunity. It is nice to have a guy like Zach Eflin that’s kind of a mainstay that can carry over and lead this group.”
Two starting pitcher additions are Aaron Civale and Zack Littell, who both joined the Rays mid-season last year.
“I don’t know where we would have gotten without Zack Littell and the contributions,” Cash said. “We have built starters up in the past– from reliever to starter– that one was about as smooth as a transition as you could ask for, and [in] pretty dominant fashion. He was efficient, threw strikes, got deep into ballgames — what all starters, that’s kind of their goal to do. Then, with Aaron, early on, right when we acquired him, did some really good things — strike-out rate spiked. I think like Erik (Neander) said yesterday, probably some unlucky stuff took place, but he’s a guy that’s been there, done that. So to have those guys complementing each other and Zach, I feel like we’re in a good spot.”
Beyond that, you’re looking at Ryan Pepiot from the Dodgers in the Tyler Glasnow trade and some younger players in Taj Bradley and Shane Baz down the road as he’s working his way back from Tommy John surgery.
“Taj, look, he got a lot of good reps last year,” Cash said. “We’re very excited about the potential and excited to kind of see him take another step forward. But his stuff is really impressive to watch from the side. I’m guessing it’s pretty impressive when you’re in the batter’s box facing him. As far as Shane goes, we’re going to take a conservative approach and build him up very slowly, knowing that we don’t have an exact number, but we’re not going to go out there and expect 200 innings of him. So I think this spring, he’ll get through spring, and then maybe we’ll start his build-up afterward.”
“It’s honestly really cool for me personally,” Eflin said about working alongside the younger pitchers. “I get to help them in their process of developing into a major league baseball player. I’ve never seen such talent around an organization than I do right now. You can pick 12 pitchers and any of them could be frontline starters, so it’s going to be so much fun watching those guys develop and really learn how to throw the ball over the plate the right way and attack hitters and get quick outs and pitch deep into the game. So it’s going to be a fun process.”
In looking at the Rays catchers, Rene Pinto is the front-runner there, as the only returner at that position from the Rays 2023 big league roster. Cash said Tuesday there are several other players they like behind him, including Alex Jackson, who was with the Rays’ Triple-A team, the Durham Bulls, last season.