Tampa Bay Rays news and links: Cocount Oil in the Trop

Gabe Kapler, the former Rays outfielder, and the onetime prospect to eventually be the Rays manager will come into Tropicana field with the Phillies. Mark Topkin wrote about Kapler’s brief but eventful start as the Phillie’s manager. One snippet:

“The way I personally analyze baseball was shaped heavily by the Boston front office and the Rays front office,’’ Kapler said this spring. “Andrew Friedman had a huge impact on the way I think about baseball. (Current Rays GM) Erik Neander absolutely had a huge impact on the way I think about baseball.

It will be interesting to watch how his season in Philladelphia plays out, and to consider it as one of those alternate realities that could have been us.

Other Rays Links

• Topkin had a bit of sass in his “10 things we think we know about the Rays” regarding who is and who isn’t a 20 home run hitter. I like it:

I hope it’s a good mix,” Cash said. “We’re going to need to hit the ball out of the ballpark at times. Brad (Miller) being hurt doesn’t help, but we’ve got guys with a track record — between C.J., Carlos (Gomez) and KK, you’re talking about 20 homer guys. (Fact check: Neither Cron nor Kiermaier has hit 20 in the majors, and Gomez hasn’t since 2014.).

• Trop Talk selected a Rays “All-Gif team,” meaning a team made up entirely of the most gifable players in Rays history. All the selections make sense. Only thing that does make sense is why no one is kissing their bicep.
• One interesting note from Bill Chastain’s Q&A was about Daniel Robertson’s weight.

You are correct, Paul. Robertson has lost weight, to the tune of about 15 or 20 pounds. He’s happy about the weight he lost and says he feels better at the lighter weight. Rays manager Kevin Cash told us early in the spring that they had wanted Robertson to get some winter ball at-bats following the 2017 season. But Robertson asked if he could concentrate on getting his body where he wanted to. Tampa Bay gave him the green light, and both parties were happy with the results.

• This is hockey, but it’s good.

• The video is fine. The still image is perfect.

Other Links

• David Brown wrote about Kenyan Middleton’s regret about fracturing Elvis Andrus’s elbow with a (definitely unintentional) hit-by-pitch. It’s a nice, soft, human look at a difficult but common baseball situation.
• The Marlins ownership is claiming to be legally from the British Virgin Islands. Lol.
• Rob Mains wrote about baseball finances, arguing that the return on investment for baseball owners is too high. It’s a well-reasoned article about the economics of baseball, not a knee-jerk “they’re too rich” complaint. Worth considering when discussing Rays expenses and the continuing stadium discussion.