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2014 Cleveland Gameday HQ

FIELDING Joe Maddon’s teams have historically gotten better as the season has gone on. The same goes for their fielding. Maddon will make sure his players work at their craft and it’s evident by their play in the field. Longoria has improved tremendously since his rookie season at third base. Loney is a terrific fielding first baseman, and Zobrist is markedly improved at second base. A question mark could be Hanigan at catcher. No matter what, look for this club to get better in the field by the end of the season. That’s been a trend. STARTING PITCHING David Price was 10-8 with a 3.33 ERA last season and those numbers are expected to improve with another year of seasoning. The stuff is there and there’s no question about it. Can Price deliver consistently? That’s the bigger question, and it should be answered soon enough. Matt Moore was sensational last season, going 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA. Can he repeat that feat? Moore struck out 143 in 150 1/3 innings and seemed to get stronger as the season progressed. He’s still young and shouldn’t be intimidated by much. Look for another solid season from Moore. Alex Cobb and Chris Archer seem primed to stay in the rotation while Jake Odorizzi has stated a strong case to be the fifth starter. RELIEF PITCHING The bullpen will be anchored by closer Grant Balfour, who had 38 saves with the Oakland Athletics last season. Heath Bell, a former star closer with the San Diego Padres, Jake McGee, Joel Peralta and Juan Carlos Oviedo will all provide key work as setup pitchers. If needed, any one of them could step in as the temporary closer. Depth is a major plus in the Rays’ bullpen, and in a marathon season, that’s a big plus. Bell, a three-time All-Star, has 168 career saves. Having that as a backup in your bullpen never hurts. It will give Maddon choices, especially if the club gets nicked up at some point. MANAGING Maddon has won 90 or more games five times and guided his team to the 2008 World Series, where they were upended by the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. Maddon has proven to be a terrific manager year in and year out, despite dealing with a much smaller payroll than many other teams. He has the utmost respect of his players and it shows with how hard they play for him on a daily basis. In baseball, a manager can be the difference in many games. For the Rays, that has resulted in winning season after winning season. David Price JIM ROGASH/GETTY IMAGES SPORT


2014 Cleveland Gameday HQ
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