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Rays' Jesus Sucre: Strong contender for backup catcher spot

Sucre's catching skills have endeared him to his Rays teammates this spring, Roger Mooney of The Tampa Bay Times reports. "From what we've seen so far this spring, the dude has an absolute cannon (for an arm), and he calls a great game," outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said. "He knows what he's doing back there. It's all about taking pride in your defense, and you can tell it means a lot to him, and I respect the guys who really cherish what they can do on that side of the game."

Analysis:

The 28-year-old backstop has a .231 average with a double, a home run and four RBI over 29 plate appearances this spring, but it's his defense that seems to be propelling him ever closer to a spot on the Opening Day roster. Sucre comes to Tampa with a body of work that includes catching Felix Hernandez in Seattle and a 35 percent success rate against would-be base stealers over parts of four MLB seasons. He's already drawn raves from the pitching staff this spring and also impressed Triple-A Durham coach Ozzie Timmons during the latter's time coaching him in the Venezuelan winter league. Sucre's currently on a minor-league contract, meaning that the Rays would need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster if he were to break camp with the big league club. With Wilson Ramos (knee) not expected back until June at the earliest, Sucre's superb defensive profile could be the factor that vaults him over fellow contenders Curt Casali and Luke Maile for the backup job behind presumed starter Derek Norris.

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