McClanahan, Rays equally excited for ace's return to action

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- As a small group of reporters gathered around Shane McClanahan's locker Wednesday morning, fellow starters Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot stood nearby, listening and staring at Tampa Bay’s ace. Baz reached his phone into the scrum and asked perhaps the toughest question of the day.

“Who do you think’s more excited: the rotation to have you back, or you to come back to the rotation?” Baz asked.

McClanahan smiled and answered, “I think it’s more me being excited to be back. I think those guys would handle business regardless.”

But as Rays pitchers and catchers officially reported to Spring Training on Wednesday, there was no denying McClanahan’s importance to the team. As happy as he is to be healthy and free of restrictions after his second Tommy John surgery, the Rays are just as thrilled to see him back atop their rotation.

McClanahan’s bullpen session with new catcher Danny Jansen was the highlight of Tampa Bay’s first workout at Charlotte Sports Park. McClanahan drew a crowd, with pitching coach Kyle Snyder standing behind him (and stepping in like a hitter for a few pitches) while manager Kevin Cash, president of baseball operations Erik Neander, team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman and principal owner Stuart Sternberg watched.

“We know how talented he is. You put him in a very small category of starting pitchers over the last three or four years,” Cash said afterward. “We’re fortunate that he’s healthy, he’s back, and he certainly set the tone for this first day.”

Cash said the Rays don’t expect “any limitations whatsoever” for McClanahan this spring. The 27-year-old left-hander will be built up like the other starters in camp and said he’s planning to be ready for Opening Day.

The Rays will have to monitor his workload during the season, considering he missed all of last year and hasn’t thrown more than 166 1/3 innings in a season. That will require McClanahan to manage his high expectations and ultra-competitive nature, but he’s prepared for that.

“I’ve got a really good pitching coach and manager that are going to take the ball from me when they want to take the ball from me,” McClanahan said. “As a competitor, I’m going to make it hard for them. But at the end of the day, I know they’re looking out for me and my career.”

Sporting a newly shaved head at the start of camp, McClanahan said he had a normal offseason. He completed his rehabilitation last September by throwing bullpen sessions and facing hitters. He held out hope for a late postseason push, at which point he joked he would have tried “to sneak in there” as part of the pitching staff.

“Last year sucked. It was tough,” he said. “It was tough mentally, tough physically, and I’m glad to be back. It’s good to be around these guys.”

McClanahan can tell a difference on the mound, too, saying he has better feel for his pitches and an easier time spinning the ball than before surgery. But just being part of the group is his biggest point of pride at this point.

“I missed it a lot, man," McClanahan said. "I missed being out there, the good and the bad. I just missed competing alongside these guys. It’s cool to be back. It sucks, but I learned a lot last year, so I’m excited to go out and show what I learned.”

The Rays are optimistic about the quality and depth of their rotation behind McClanahan. Drew Rasmussen is healthy and back to starting. Taj Bradley, Pepiot and Baz all seem poised to take another step forward. Zack Littell was their most valuable pitcher last season, his first as a big league starter.

But McClanahan is a legitimate difference-maker. In his first three MLB seasons, he earned two All-Star nods while going 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA and 456 strikeouts in 74 starts. Few starters can match his stuff, with a fastball in the upper-90s and three devastating offspeed pitches. Factor in his drive to evolve and improve, and it’s possible he could get even better.

“Shane makes it different, there’s no doubt,” Cash said. “Not having him, we knew that whatever rotation that we thought we had was not going to be as good just because of his absence. This rotation, we’re pretty excited about, bullish on for good reasons, and he goes to the top of it and certainly adds to that.”

So, who’s more excited, McClanahan or the rest of the rotation? Take it from the two starters masquerading as members of the media.

“There’s no right answer,” Baz said.

“I think you’re more excited to come back,” Pepiot added. “We’re also very excited to have you back.”