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A dramatic turnover is part of trying to find the right combinations, manager says.
By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 19, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- When the first-place Red Sox left us in mid April, the Rays were a last-place team feeling its way under new manager Hal McRae, who had just replaced Larry Rothschild.
Two months later, the standings and results haven't changed, but the Rays look nothing like the same team.
When the lineup card for tonight's game with Boston is posted, it's possible there will only be one player, first baseman Fred McGriff, starting in the same position he did then.
"We're searching for the right combination," McRae said. "I feel we're playing better, and I think the right guys are playing."
Over the past nine weeks, McRae's search has led to changes at virtually every spot in the lineup.
Aubrey Huff took over at third after Vinny Castilla was released. Centerfielder Gerald Williams, catcher John Flaherty and shortstop Felix Martinez were benched for what McRae said were poor performances, replaced by Jason Tyner, Mike DiFelice and Andy Sheets. Damian Rolls became the starting second baseman when Russ Johnson was on the disabled list, and Johnson has been relegated to a reserve role. Randy Winn has been similarly successful in rightfield during Jose Guillen's absence, making Guillen's future uncertain. Greg Vaughn has become the somewhat regular leftfielder, moving Ben Grieve to designated hitter. Tanyon Sturtze and Joe Kennedy were shifted into the rotation, and Paul Wilson was moved to the bullpen.
"When I came in, I knew changes needed to be made," McRae said. "Not knowing where, not knowing there was a timetable for change. You know that some need to be made. You don't know when you're going to make them. You don't know if you're going to be able to make them. You don't know if some players are going to change your opinion. I'm always open-minded and willing to change. That's part of development."
Tyner is one player who changed the first impression he made. McRae, as the bench coach, watched Tyner throughout the spring and was relatively unimpressed, save for Tyner's extraordinary speed. But when Tyner came back up in May following Guillen's injury, McRae noticed that he was swinging the bat better and playing more aggressively in the outfield. So much so that now he's playing ahead of Williams, the 2000 team MVP who has been struggling mightily, and auditioning for the future starting role.
"I don't want to be correct if I think a player can't achieve certain standards; I hope that player proves me wrong," McRae said. "So it's easy to change my opinion of a player when he proves me wrong. I'm always willing to change my opinion. And sometimes you think a player is better than he is and at some point that opinion has to change. That's part of the profession. That's part of the business."
In a way, McRae said, it's even the fun part of the assignment. "Because you're wrong so often, you have to be willing to admit you're wrong and move on," he said. "It's not an ego trip. It's trying to find the best mix of players to win."
What makes the Rays' situation particularly, um, challenging is that they are trying not only to win games now but to sort out which players they should want to keep around, and what roles they might be capable of filling.
"When a player gets to play, although you're trying to win now, there's always an eye to the future because you have to determine, or try to determine, where does this guy fit into the puzzle," McRae said.
"You try to determine what you've got. I want to know what I've got. What is this guy? Where does he fit in? If this is what he is, where does he fit? You have to determine what he is. I think that's real important. What kind of player is this guy? First division? Second division? Backup? Everyday?"
Because McRae is signed to manage for two more seasons, the decisions being made and information being gathered now are likely to have a significant impact for years to come.
"Winning comes first, and we're trying to put the best players out there to win, but we're also looking to the future," McRae said. "It's hard to get the right combination. It's easy to attempt to get the right combination, but it doesn't bother me to try. It's not difficult to try. I'm not afraid to try."