2017 State of the Bulls, Based on the Rays
Sitting less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, it’s time for our third annual ‘State of the Bulls, Based on the Rays,’ where we take our first true look at how the Bulls Opening Day roster could shape up. Of course we’re still over 80 days away from Durham’s Opening Day (read: a lot can change), but here we examine who could/will be in the Bull City when the 2017 season kicks off.
Starting Pitchers
Like previous seasons, Tampa Bay’s rotation is young and talented. It appears the Rays will open the season with the combination of Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, Jake Odorizzi, Blake Snell and either Matt Andriese or Chase Whitley, with the other working out of the bullpen. So what does that mean for Durham? Off the bat three returners jump off the page: Austin Pruitt, Jaime Schultz and Jake Faria. All have been starters their whole careers, and barring injuries at the big league level, all will most likely open in the Bulls’ starting rotation.
Rounding out the rotation is a little less clear. Justin Marks is back with the organization after making 23 starts with Durham and earning a September call up in 2016, while prospects Chih-Wei Hu and Taylor Guerrieri each had solid seasons with Double-A Montgomery. Those three are most likely to fill the final two spots, with newcomer Ryan Yarbrough and prospect Brent Honeywell potentially earning a look as well.
Relief Pitchers
The Durham bullpen could be stocked with returnees as well, with Dana Eveland, Danny Farquhar, Eddie Gamboa, Ryan Garton, Mark Sappington, Ryne Stanek and Neil Wagner all in the mix. Something to keep in mind though, is the Rays are still looking to fill spots in their bullpen, and the first four names listed all spent time in the bigs in 2016. Assuming a few of the aforementioned get plucked, Diego Moreno, Andrew Kittredge, Jeff Ames and Kyle Bird could the ones filling spots in Durham.
Catchers
The Rays acquired Wilson Ramos this offseason to fill one of two catching spots on their roster, but the veteran will miss the first few months of the season because of injury. This seemingly sets up a three-way battle in Spring Training between Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Michael McKenry. Bulls fans are familiar with Casali and Maile, while McKenry was signed as a minor league free agent in December. One of the three will open the year in Durham, with the Bulls’ second catcher still unclear, but it could be Justin O’Conner, who battled injuries for much of 2016.
Infielders
Right now, the Bulls are on track to open the 2017 season with a crop of young, talented infielders. Tampa Bay’s 2016 Minor League Player of the Year Casey Gillaspie, Daniel Robertson and Jake Hager are all expected back after completing their first seasons of Triple-A in 2016, while Willy Adames — the №19 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com — is prepared to make the jump to Durham. After a strong season in Double-A Kean Wong could also make the jump, while Ryan Brett could return to Durham after missing all of 2016 because of an arm injury.
Outfielders
Similar to Tampa Bay, the Bulls might find themselves with a logjam in the outfield. The Rays had a solid crop to choose from at the New Year between Kevin Kiermaier, Steven Souza Jr., Corey Dickerson and Mikie Mahtook, and in the last two weeks have also added Mallex Smith and Colby Rasmus. It’s unlikely the team would keep both Mahtook and Smith on the roster, so the Bulls could see one of the two in Durham to start the season.
Additionally, the Rays picked up Jason Coats off waivers from Chicago, and he figures to fit into the Bulls’ outfield mix with returners Johnny Field and Dayron Varona. Tampa Bay also picked up Shane Peterson as a minor league free agent, while prospect Jake Bauers is expected to make the jump to Triple-A after spending the last season and a half in Montgomery. Patrick Leonard could be back as well, with he and Bauers both having the ability to play first base.
As mentioned at the start, there’s still a lot of time between now and when the Bulls take the field in April. Still, expect the Bulls to have a young, talented team when the season finally kicks off.
