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Winter Work Paying Off For Yankee Farmhand Matt Marsh
Sean Morash (BBBA Writer/Owner – offthebenchbaseball.com)
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To say the Tampa Yankees closer, Matt Marsh, is a friend of Off The Bench is a bit of an understatement. I grew up with the kid, know his family, and my mother and uncle met up with him over the offseason to enjoy a college football game.
There’s something about the bond forged in the dugout during all those U-16 tournaments that we played across the Southeast that is indescribable. I mention all this to make clear that I’m biased. I root for Matt. Hard. OTBB even published an extended interview with him this winter.
When I heard that he planned to train hard this offseason at a facility in the DC area where a teammate had trained recently and gained a few miles per hour, I was excited. I knew Matt’s history of arm troubles had robbed him of the potential velocity that was evident from the time we were 12. I knew that he had spent time at 3 different colleges on his way to being an undrafted right handed reliever out of Liberty University.
From my position as a blogger and baseball nerd, I know the success rate of that type of player. I know 24-year old relievers in A-ball are often labelled “non-prospects.” They’re usually organizational filler that take up space on rosters, and help minor league teams compete through their rigorous schedule.
I know that often times these guys are the footnote in scouting notebooks. They’re the guys that the real prospects are supposed to hit home runs off of. Matt’s baseball resume is impressive, but until this year was just impressive enough to be good enough to face the million dollar bonus babies, the Jorge Mateo’s of the world.
But all that just makes me more excited as I regularly check Matt’s baseball-reference page. He started the season as a closer for the high-A Yankees.
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The Tampa Bay Rays Are Just A Few Moves Away From Being Competitive
Sean Morash (BBBA Writer/Owner – offthebenchbaseball.com)
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The Tampa Bay Rays sit at 21 -25, 7 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. They’re still fighting the uphill battle against organizations with more money to spend to try to compete annually. They’ve got an chance to get after it this year and make some noise, but currently sit in an interesting position where they could become sellers and pack it in in preparation for next season should things continue to go awry in key areas.
The modern Rays don’t really sell; they’re always looking to add value and remain competitive while waiting for a little magic dust to come flying in. I think that’s a good plan again this year as they sit near .500 today, and they’ve got some magic dust on the way.
The pitching staff has reinforcements coming soon: Brad Boxberger will soon return from the DL to fortify the bullpen. Alex Cobb is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could help in the second half. Blake Snell is among the top 15 prospects in baseball and threw 134 innings last year with a 1.41 ERA.
But the problem with all these guys waiing in reserve is that the pitching staff has already been pretty solid and could be even better if a few contributors return to their expected level. They’re 5th in the AL in xFIP despite Chris Archer sporting a 4.62 ERA and Matt Moore owning an even worse 5.47 figure. Both guys are former All-Stars.
The pitching staff has been pretty decent and should improve even without the additional reinforcements.
The lineup? They’re a well-rounded and athletic group with a number of moving and interchangeable parts. They’re currently 3rd in the AL in WAR, but just 11th in runs.
See how Sean thinks Tampa Bay continue to get better by addressing a possible problem.
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