The Rays announced that pitcher James Shields will be their Opening Day starter when the Rays open up against the Baltimore Orioles.
Scott Kazmir would have almost certainly been named the started if he were healthy, but he’s not, so the Rays will send Shields out there. Shields is no slouch however as he made a major leap forward in 2007. Shields threw 215 innings last year and seems to be headed towards a real workhorse career. In his 215 innings, Shields racked up more than his fair share of Ks and finished with a record of 12-8.
I saw Shields pitch a few times on TV in 2007 and was really impressed by his control and the command he had on all of his pitches. Shields should feast on free swinging teams and younger teams. That has the Baltimore Orioles written all over it, expect a nice outing from him on Opening Day.
