NEW YORK – Joe Ryan, one of two young Tampa Bay poor people selected for the U.S. Olympics, realizes that baseball players are different from most other athletes who go to the Tokyo Games.
“I’ll be pretty excited when we get on the plane,” he said after the roster was announced on Friday, “but even then I still have a season ahead of me. I have other things going on here.
“So we talk about how it’s different from other Olympic sports that other people participate, they worked for four years for it. And we’re like, okay, when we’re done, I have to start five days later or whatever always it is. “
Ryan, a 25-year-old Class AAA right-hander, was a holdover from qualifying and 22-year-old Class AA right-handed Shane Baz was added to the 24-man roster by manager Mike Scioscia. They are assisted in the rotation by Toronto’s right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson and former Texas right-hander Nick Martinez, now at Fukuoka in Japan.
“If you look at Tampa’s future and look at these two guys, when they develop to their potential on the hill, this team is going to be good for a while,” Scioscia said.
Baz will also go to the All-Star Futures Game on July 11th at Denvers Coors Field.
“Of course you want to play in the big leagues, but to win a gold medal for your country is pretty hard to beat,” said Baz.
Scioscia also included 37-year-old left-hander Scott Kazmir, who could be his fifth starter, and outfielder Bubba Starling among 10 newcomers.
They joined a group from qualifying led by third baseman Todd Frazier, aides Edwin Jackson and David Robertson, and Miami infielder Eddy Alvarez, a 2014 silver medalist in short-distance speed skating.
Major League Baseball does not allow players in 40-man ranks to compete in the Olympics, and many teams discourage top players from playing.
Infielder Luke Williams, the best American hitter in qualifying, was called up from Philadelphia, and right-handed James Sherfy was brought up to the Major Leagues from San Francisco immediately after the qualifying tournament.
Outfielder Jarren Duran, who scored 0.368 in qualifying, was banned from going to Japan from Boston.
“The directors have been incredibly receptive to understanding the experiences of many of their young players, but first and foremost they need to be accountable to their own team and organization,” said Scioscia.
St. Louis blocked 22-year-old left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who started twice in qualifying and will go to the futures game.
“You have him on the right track for what you need in your organization. We respect that,” said Scioscia.
There were also Yakult right-handed Scott McGough and Yokohama outfielder Tyler Austin, who will play on his home field at the Olympic Games. Orix outfielder Adam Jones was not selected.
Baz, who finished 12th overall in Pittsburgh’s 2017 Amateur Draft, is 3-4 with a 2.12 ERA for the AA Montgomery and AAA Durham classes, scoring 69 in 462/3 innings.
Woods Richardson, 20, is 2-1 with a 4.68 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 272/3 innings for Class AA New Hampshire.
Frazier, who was sacked from Pittsburgh in May after scoring 3 for 35, was the star of the qualifying tournament. The 35-year-old third baseman was 4 for 4 with a home run and an RBI double in the final. He was 6 for 15 (.400) with 2 homers and 5 RBI in the four games of the Americas tournament.
The post US squad includes Tampa double dose first appeared on Daily Florida Press.
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