Opening day is finally here. The day of the year all baseball fan cherishes as much as Christmas morning and the Tampa Bay Rays get to play the first official game of the season against the Evil Empire New York Yankees. This is the 12th opening day sell out crowd at The Trop and it will take center stage at 1:10pm EST.
Manager Kevin Cash held his pre-game press conference from the dugout today.
Cash said he’s “so past last fall and what took place”. The Rays skipper said he and the team are accountable for what happened in the 2016 season but, they want to move forward.
He also addressed the addition of Derek Norris, on how he was fitting in with the team, and his performance. “He is tremendous.” Norris has handled the transition to a new team better than any other catcher he has seen. From the start, he was communicating with the pitching staff, working with Jim Hickey and Stan, and doing his homework. When asked about his offense Cash said he feels like Norris had a “hiccup” last season but, he feels he put up solid numbers in his career as a whole.
When asked about Brad Miller Cash said “all he cares about is winning”. He admits to “jerking around” Miller last season, moving him around the field, but at this time he will be at 2nd base. Manager Kevin Cash also said that since now Miller has a secure position at 2nd, he feels his confidence and skill at the position has improved.
A few weeks ago, the Rays signed 2-time Gold Glove outfielder Kevin Kiermaier to a 6-year extension and Cash was asked about where he is in his career. “He’s an elite player.” He went on to say that every game Kiermaier plays in He “finds a way to impact the team” and for “us to win games he needs to be out there”.
Lineup:
Dickerson DH
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller 2B
Souza RF
Morrison 1B
Beckham SS
M. Smith LF
Norris C
Archer P
