PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida— During the second inning of Tuesday’s spring training matchup between the Boston Red Sox (1-2) and the Tampa Bay Rays (1-2), the ESPN Crew were interviewing centerfielder Brett Phillips via Facetime. With just an earbud in his right ear, the young centerfielder took questions during the inning when a loud crack stopped his sentence.
“That is well hit, off the wall,” said Phillips as he retreated to the centerfield wall, expecting the park to keep the ball in play.
He was right about it being well hit, but not about the ballpark’s ability to hold the bomb off the bat of Yairo Munoz, as it cleared the wall with ease. The mid-game interview allowed for an instant reaction from Phillips.
“That ball was hit pretty well… you have to tip your cap on that one right there,” said Phillips.
That was the 1st of 4 home runs the Red Sox would add, including 3 in the third inning off of Rays pitcher David Hess, that helped push the Red Sox to an easy 9-3 victory. That third inning was the difference in the game. Enrique Hernandez, Jarren Durran, and Rafael Devers all homered within 4 at-bats, pushing the lead to 6-0. A Jonathan Arauz double scored 2 more and put the game out of reach early.
That young power at the top of the Red Sox lineup is sure to bring optimism to a Red Sox fan base hoping for better outcomes this year. Since their 2018 World Series, they have yet to make the playoffs. They finished below .500 in the shortened 2020 season.
Young Rays highlight lineup
When Spring Training rolls around, usually teams at the bottom of the previous year’s standings have the most talented prospects fans and experts are buzzing about. However, 2 of the top prospects in all of baseball are a part of the Rays organization, a team coming off an appearance in the World Series.
Left fielder Randy Arozarena exploded last postseason to become one of the hottest names in baseball. He was acquired from the Cardinals in 2020, but the pandemic riddled season left him at the minor league alternate site until August 30. He came up to provide the best stats in MLB postseason history, breaking the records for home runs (10), hits (29), and total bases (64) in a memorable run for the Rays. And because of his late call-up, this 2021 season will qualify as his rookie year.
He batted third for the Rays, and his clean-up hitter shares his elite prospect status. Wander Franco is the top-rated prospect in all of baseball; he is a big part of the Rays’ top-rated farm system. According to experts, he is one of the best prospects going back many years. In his minor league career, he has more walks than strikeouts along with a .336 batting average, .405 on-base percentage, and .523 slugging percentage.
In this matchup, 24-year-old Kevin Padlo showed off his power with a deep home run in the 6th inning. The third baseman is just one of the many talented infield prospects for this Rays team.
Red Sox pitchers handle Rays
On the mound, the Red Sox got a great performance from Martín Pérez. Coming off a year where he finished top 10 in the American League in games started (2nd), walks (5th), and earned runs (10th), his play was one of the bright spots in down season last year. Over his 2 innings of work, he shutout the Rays and only allowed 1 hit.
Garret Whitlock and Joel Payamps came out and shut the door as well, keeping the rays scoreless while adding 4 strikeouts. Their dominant effort was impressive as they shut down the Rays starters, allowing their offense to pull away. Joshua Winckowski added 4 strikeouts while giving up the first run. Ryan Weber would give up 2 more runs in the 8th but shut the door in the 9th to preserve the victory.
Up Next
Red Sox vs. Twins, Wednesday, March 3, Hammond Stadium, South Fort Myers, FL Rays vs. Pirates, Wednesday, March 3, Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, FL
