Tomorrow, a truck fully loaded with gear, uniforms, and all the necessities for spring training arrives in Port Charlotte. February 1st, players will start making their way down. Then, on February 13th, pitchers and catchers officially report.
First thing’s first, however.
Truck Day. That day was today.
Newly appointed clubhouse manager, Ryan Denlinger, met with the media for the first time as the trucks were being loaded behind him.
“It’s not a one person deal by any stretch of the imagination,” Denlinger said. “Once the players get there it’s a completely different animal. It’s no longer your time, it’s their time.”
So what exactly gets included in the haul? Glad you asked.
Roughly 400 dozen balls, 250 pairs of pants, 20 dozen bats, trainer supplies, and other necessities just to name a few. When asked about the drive down, Denlinger laughed.
“We’re gonna drive it to the Skyway, take a break, then keep on going.”
Archer sighting.
The ace of the pitching staff, Chris Archer, made an appearance at the Trop today. He was more than willing to set aside a few minutes for the media and talk about the off-season, trade rumors, and, of course, Evan Longoria.
Chris Archer in the house for #Rays truck day at the Trop!
The ace says he’s gotten himself into martial arts training this off-season to learn more about discipline. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/291soEoVKj
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) January 24, 2018
“There’s a lot more that we can potentially do,” he said when asked about the team’s off-season moves. “But if we did absolutely nothing, there is a group of promising young talent that’s gonna help the team in 2018. I’m looking forward to being a part of their development and growth.”
With Longoria now in San Francisco, Archer gave his thoughts on seeing the 10-year vet leave the Rays.
“It was tough,” he said. “Just like for all the fans and everybody, he had a great influence on my career. When I came up I admired his leadership abilities and how he went about his business. He told me one day that I’d be doing the same thing.”
Archer, entering his seventh season, said he took on “a few new things to his regimen” this off-season.
“I’ve started doing a little bit of muay thai training, martial arts training,” he said. “Just for the discipline element. For the conditioning element.”
The first full squad workout is set for February 19th at Charlotte Sports Complex.
