Kevin Kiermaier and Manuel Margot are hard-coded atop the centerfield depth chart for the Tampa Bay Rays, but both players come with question marks.
Despite Kiermaier’s statesman status as the longest-tenured Ray, the club has taken an aggressive approach to finding players capable of roaming the grass in center. He remains a defensive stud, but his health is perpetually in question and his offense has slipped over the past two seasons. His two-year slash line checks in at just .223/.280/.386 across 847 plate appearances. Despite roughly 21% less offensive production than average (79 wRC+), Kiermaier’s A-1 defensive abilities and plus baserunning skills maintain his viability as a starter. Margot fits the same profile, but five years younger and he bats from the right side.
The Rays know what they like, apparently, because they are continuing to experiment with power-shy Lucius Fox in centerfield, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Fox has been an infielder for most of his career, primarily at shortstop, though he’s gotten looks at second and third as well. Fox is a tremendous speedster, making him a fit for center from a raw tools standpoint, but he has yet to log any professional time in the outfield. It hasn’t clicked yet for Fox offensively with a .244/.337/.325 line across four seasons in the minor leagues.
Before acquiring Margot, the Rays also picked up Randy Arozarena in the Matthew Liberatore trade. Arozarena now seems likely to start the year in Triple-A, but he’s another option for center. He also happens to be coming off a monster year in Triple-A, where he hit .358/.435/.593 in 64 games after earning a promotion from Double-A. He excelled in a small-sample 19 games with the Cardinals at the end of the year, making their playoff roster as a speed option off the bench. Purely from a numbers standpoint, Arozarena could have the highest-ceiling of all their current options.
The Rays clearly prefer a gold glove roving-type in centerfield, but Austin Meadows could also fill in there in a pinch. It is telling, however, that he has only logged 13 innings in center since being acquired from the Pirates.
It’s randy winn’s job to lose
Bj Upton would like a word sir
Desmond Jennings has shown well to to this point as well. Gonna be a real horse race
I’d say Rocco should be given a shot
How quickly we’re forgetting about Quinton McCracken
Mad respect for the original. Better watch out, Q. Can’t miss prospect Bubba Trammell is gunning for your job.
How about Joey Gathright?
Jason Tyner can’t be counted out, but his contact/speed approach makes him a real weapon as a 4th OF
Anything that moves Aubrey Huff to the DH is fine by me. Ben Grieve clearly doesn’t have much left, and Jonny Gomes is a total question mark.
Ben Grieve got me good. Kudos to the Rays fans here for this walk down replacement level memory lane.
While all these comments are hilarious, from y’alls fan standpoint, it must suck to see what goes on in their front office every year.
Pfft everyone knows Carl Crawfords gettin the job
In Left Field!
Damon hollins enters the chat
Gerald Williams likes this.
Delmon Young for no reason at all.
Elijah Dukes is the obvious choice
How is Kenny Lofton Jr. not mentioned? One of the most underrated protects.
Thank goodness for the powers of the internet. Huh, guys?
I hear that this kid Josh Hamilton is gonna be a stud for them in the outfield.
_________/
Please take Deshields from Cleveland, they’ll take a fungi bat and a dozen BP balls…
Steve Cox is poised for a huge year.
I thought Mallex Smith had the job pretty much nailed down.
Elijah Dukes: hold my beer
Greg Vaughn is a shoe in
Toe Nash is ready to mash!
fine let’s all forget about Justin Ruggiano
Canseco is heading up this list fast
Sam Fuld has been turning heads this spring
Margot Keirmaier Meadows is probably the best defensive lineup in the mlb.
You may get 80-90 production from Margot and keirmmaier but their defense easily makes up for that.if keirmaier is having a good season id look to ship him out to a center field needy team and use Arozarena in 2021.
Acuna, Inciarte, Ozuna…. is pretty damn good….
Ozuna is not good. Please look at facts before providing your biased opinion
I suggest you look up Ozuna’s defensive stats sir. Because you would insert your foot in your mouth if you did.
979 fielding % and a -0.4 defensive WAR. Sooo where should I shove my foot again?
Fielding percentage, another advanced metric from the 19th century.
Ah, fielding percentage. The horse and buggy of the statistical world.
Fielding percentage, yes. Honest SABR-lemmings know that so-called “advanced metrics” are very flawed. There are articles about this on Fangraphs, Baseball Reference, BB Prospectus, and even the SABR website. The knee-jerk ability to dismiss “old fashioned” stats only proves that you are trying to appear much smarter than you are.
WAR is a subjective stat.
Doesn’t Ozuna have 1 gold glove to his name?
It isn’t anything of the sort.
It’s even worse than that: it’s a pseudo-stat. The math is flawed, and the defensive components they try to include render it practically useless.
Ozuna stinks in the field. -8 OAA baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/outs_above_aver…
You seem to be chewing on your foot there qbert.
Rafael Palmiero had a Gold Glove at 1B in a season he played 18 games there. GG is a joke.
All the defensive measurements say Ozuna is bad. Old school like fielding percentage, saber-metric metrics like DRS and dWAR, and the new exact measurements like Outs Above Average.
Ozuna is just not a good fielder, Hitter is another story, but defense is clear.
There’s a reason the criteria for winning a Gold Glove were changed: Rafael Palmeiro. Try to keep up, that can’t happen again.
BTW, he started 28 games at 1B in ’99, not 18.
@Koamalu …
There are no “exact” defensive metrics. None. They ALL have issues. Don’t believe me? Read some articles on Fangraphs and/or the SABR website (Society for American Baseball Research). Technically, the most accurate defensive stat remains FldgPct. And your own eyeballs.
Kappel with another lie. Ozuna and his fraudulent GG. Defensively they don’t stand a chance with Tampa.
Margot and Kiermaier are great defensively. But I think Meadows is below avg. still would make them a great defensive OF.
He didn’t do too bad over in left field last season.
Yes, he was referring to Meadows playing center specifically.
Margot, Kiermaier, renfro would be best outfield defense.
FINALLY! Somebody who knows Renfroe was the best defensive RF in the NL last year. Oh, by the way, he’ll be good for 30+ homers.
Yeah lol I guess brain fart wasn’t paying attention spelled his name wrong and I’m not 100% maybe someone can back me up I believe he had 17 DRS last year
He had much more than 17, try 22.
Wow lol even better than I thought. Thanks
Ozuna is awful at defence
Renfroe? 23 DRS. Only Robles was better.
Meadows isn’t a good outfielder. Renfrow is easily better.
Arozarena was fun to watch in STL late last season. I’m hoping that he can be equally productive in a time share or even possibly as a future full-time CF.
It would be interesting to see how other teams value Kiermaier. I really like him as a player but I think his days as a starter on any team are already numbered unless he picks it up offensively in the early part of this season.
You can get Kiermaier and his contract for a bag of Tom Styer campaign buttons.
In the minors, they also have Josh Lowe (brother of Nate), who likely is a 4th OF type; questions about his bat, but he’s more than adequate defensively in CF..
Overall, it’s a pretty strong group, in a non-star power, but pretty solid kind of way.
But please, Meadows is not a CFer; he’s barely a corner guy.
You’re probably right, I’d forgotten about Kiermaier’s contract. Yikes.
Check out Juan Lagares for a similar comp to Keirmeier. Though Lagares is no longer a defensive stud. He only garnered a minor league deal with the giants this offseason.
Padres
“[R]oaming the grass in center”? Grass? Good one!
Braves could send Ender Inciarte and Adam Duvall to the Rays for Matt Snell and s outfield prospect.
Who?
How would that make any sense whatsoever from the Rays’ perspective?
Why?
For matt Snell? Nah, you gotta give George Acuna.
(Wasn’t Matt a NYJet running back years ago?)
Margot will be Margot. Pretty good defense, but not much of a stick. Great speed, and he can steal some bases when he gets on. His stats tell the whole story.
Kiermaier – .744 OPS vs RHP
Margot – .775 OPS vs LHP
Platoon makes sense
Oh Rays! When will you learn that depth and fundamentals won’t help you win?
You need big names and expensive contracts to make the playoffs…
The Rays won 96 games last year. They won 90 in 2018. And they did it in the AL East. I’m pretty certain they know what they’re doing.
I have sarcasm for you. I am disappoint but will make better next time.
This time, the Rays evaluate and develop players better than any team in any major sport. Too bad they don’t go for the gusto when a window is open.
Ok.
Wenfoe
Isn’t Lucius Fox from Batman?
Going from running Wayne enterprises time being a Rays CF candidate. How the mighty have fallen.
Got to go with Margot out of the first two mention. He at least gets on base some…
Brand Lowe to. The loser at DH.