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Rays Add Infield Depth
By SCOTT CARTER scarter@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 1, 2005. |
 LAKE
BUENA VISTA - Nick Green was all packed
and ready to spend his first weekend at
his new house in suburban Atlanta. But
when the Braves departed for home after
Thursday's 7-4 loss to Houston at
Cracker Jack Stadium, Green wasn't with
them.
Green stayed in Florida to meet his new
teammates after the Devil Rays acquired
him from Atlanta for pitcher Jorge Sosa.
Green was brought in to provide middle-
infield depth for the Rays, a concern
since the retirement of second baseman
Roberto Alomar earlier this spring. When
Alomar retired, projected utility man
Jorge Cantu became the presumptive
starter at second.
As for that new home Green purchased a
week before spring training started, his
twin brother, Kevin, is the lone
resident for now.
``I didn't even move in yet,'' Green
said. ``He'll be able to take care of
it, so everything will be good.''
Shortly after hearing about the trade
from Braves manager Bobby Cox, a stream
of teammates stopped by Green's locker
to wish him well. Green had worked his
way through the Braves' farm system
since they selected him in the 32nd
round of the 1998 draft.
``Everybody was getting excited to go to
Atlanta,'' Green said. ``Now I'm just
going to drive down the road. It's just
a good opportunity. Everybody wants to
play. Now, hopefully I'm going to get an
opportunity.''
As a rookie last year, Green, 26, made
his presence felt when Atlanta second
baseman Marcus Giles injured his
shoulder and was sidelined for two
months. Green stepped in and hit .273
with 15 doubles, three homers and 26
RBIs in 95 games. He was pegged as
Atlanta's utility player this season.
He leads the Grapefruit League this
spring with 10 doubles.
``He can play the game,'' Rays general
manager Chuck LaMar said. ``A good
line-drive hitter. Not a power guy, but
a ... doubles hitter. A good defender
and a mistake-free type player. Just
knows how to play the game, always has,
and you'll get the most out of him.''
Green can play second and third and is
considered versatile enough to play
shortstop if needed.
``He's a gamer. His teammates love
him,'' Atlanta general manager John
Schuerholz said. ``He has got a lot of
ability. He's got some kind of lively
bat. He'll get an opportunity to play a
lot more in Tampa Bay and I think he'll
respond well and be an asset to that
team as we suspect Sosa will be to us.''
Green, who was born in Pensacola but
lived in Atlanta since his middle-school
years, said he knows little about his
new team. He does know Cantu and
outfielder Rocco Baldelli from their
days in the Arizona Fall League.
He realizes the Rays don't know much
about him either.
``I would have never been in this spot
if it wasn't for last year,'' Green
said. ``If I didn't have the opportunity
to play last year, those guys wouldn't
have seen what I could do and would have
never wanted me. I think last year
played a big part in it.
``I know [the Rays] have a lot of young
guys. This [with Atlanta] is a learning
experience for the young guys, which I'm
glad I was able to learn from these
guys. Now I can take what I've learned
over here and take it over there and
perform with it.''
As for Sosa, the Braves expect him to
shore up their bullpen as one of the
late-inning setup men for closer Dan
Kolb. With Jesus Colome very similar in
ability and the bullpen overcrowded, the
Rays departed ways with Sosa, 11-26 with
a 5.17 ERA as a part-time starter the
past three seasons.
``He's got a great arm. He's got a power
arm, and in the opinion of our scouts,
he's exactly the kind of guy we need for
our bullpen right now,'' Schuerholz
said.
Staff writer Carter Gaddis
contributed to this report. |
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