BURNING QUESTIONS
Who replaces Tommy Pham’s production?
The Rays enter spring training looking to piece together enough production to offset the loss of left fielder Tommy Pham. Hunter Renfroe, acquired in the same trade that sent Pham to San Diego, is the most obvious choice to fill the void. Last year, Renfroe hit a career-high 33 home runs for the Padres.
Third baseman Yandy Diaz could also make up for Pham’s loss in the lineup. Diaz was limited last season to just 79 games because of injuries, but he had an OPS of .816 when he was healthy.
Who’s the starting catcher?
With catcher Travis d’Arnaud leaving for Atlanta in free agency, the Rays are heading into 2020 without a set starter at catcher. Mike Zunino, 28, split time with d’Arnaud last year, but he struggled in batting just .165 in a down year.
In the two seasons before that, Zunino hit 45 total homers. Over the last two seasons, he has thrown out 35 of 96 players attempting to steal against him, better than 36% and eight percentage points better than the league average. If he can hit better this season, he seems a sure bet to be the team’s No. 1 catcher.
Michael Perez is another option at catcher, but he has played in limited duty at the major league level. Over the past two seasons, Perez has started 37 major league games. Last year he hit .217 and had a .345 OBP.
Kevan Smith was a backup for the Angels last season, but he played fairly regularly. In 67 games he hit five homers with 20 RBI and finished with a .251 batting average.