Taking a Guess at the Opening Day Roster

jcassara — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:01:25 -0000

I know it's really early, but I thought it would be fun to take a guess at what the team is going to look like come Opening Day. This is my best guess as of 2/21, barring further injuries, trades, or acquisitions:

Catchers:
Ronny Paulino
Ryan Doumit

I think that Doumit will be given the chance (at least initially) to prove he can catch 1-2 times a week, to see if a platoon system could work at catcher. Moreover, I can't see anyone really establishing themselves in the Maldonado/Chavez/ Hernandez/Perez battle, so I don't think the Bucs will carry 3 catchers.

Infielders:
Adam LaRoche
Freddy Sanchez
Jack Wilson
Jose Bautista
Chris Gomez
Doug Mientkiewicz
Ray Olmedo

The first five guys are guaranteed, and I think Mientkiewicz will prove he can be versatile during Spring Training, and be able to do more than just first base. I think the Bucs will still want another middle-infield type, and Olmedo seems to have a good chance because he's a switch hitter with a good glove.

Outfield:
Jason Bay
Nyjer Morgan
Xavier Nady
Nate McLouth

Because I think the team will want another middle infielder, I think we'll only carry four outfielders (though Doumit can certainly play right if needed, Mientkiewicz will supposedly try to play corner outfield in Spring Training, and Bautista can obviously play all three spots in an emergency). I also think that Morgan will win the CF job, meaning he'll open the season with the club, rather than playing CF at AAA. McLouth will be able to get plenty of ABs not just at CF, but at the corners, where Bay and Nady will obviously need consistent time off after injury-plagued seasons last year.

Pitchers:
Ian Snell
Tom Gorzelanny
Matt Morris
Paul Maholm
Zach Duke

This starting five appears to be pretty much set, unless Duke has a complete meltdown this spring.

Matt Capps
Damaso Marte
John Grabow
Byung-Hyun Kim
Franquelis Osoria
Evan Meek
Jaret Wright

The first three were all established, and with Kim getting a Major League deal, he's guaranteed to be there as well. Dejan has been pointing out management's high regards for Osoria for awhile, so I think he'll also make the team for sure. The last two spots are the most difficult to guess. My selection of Meek was just predicated on the fact that he was a Rule 5 pick, and so the team might want to at least see what they got with him before giving him back away (and paying the price.) The long spot in the 'pen could be filled by any number of people, but Dejan indicated yesterday that Wright will probably get a long look for that role: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08052/859143-63.stm

So there you go, my guess. 13 position players, 12 pitchers. What's your guess?

SB Nation User Blog: jcassara

Taking a Guess at the Opening Day Roster