New Shortstop Circus Begins

February 20th, 2016
"Cabby" out. Brad Miller in?

“Cabby” out. Brad Miller in?

Don’t be surprised to see another turnstile at shortstop this spring.

Tim Beckham and Nick Franklin are familiar, but Brad Miller is the newcomer to the competition to replace Asdrubal Cabrera, who’ll take a bite of the Big Apple with the Mets this season.

Who could forget the battle royale for the starting shortstop job last year in the fine metropolis of Port Charlotte, Florida. Of course, that was before Cabrera became the obvious choice long before the Rays waved bye-bye to Grapefruit League play.

Beckham and Franklin will get another shot, but Joe thinks Miller has the best chance to become the Rays’ primary shortstop. After all, Miller started a career-high 105 games there with the Mariners in 2014, and he followed it up with 83 starts in 2015.

Meanwhile, Beckham and Franklin are wet behind the ears, with just 37 starts at shortstop between them.

A platoon situation isn’t out of the question either. Still, the Rays had tracked Miller for a while before gaining him as part of the six-player deal that sent Nathan Karns and C.J. Riefenhauser to the Pacific Northwest.

As long as Miller can show consistency, his experience should serve him and the Rays well.

 

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