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Roger Mooney

Roger Mooney covers the Tampa Bay Rays for The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8. He has covered the Rays since their first season in 1998, including 11 years for the Bradenton Herald. Roger has also covered Florida, South Florida and Florida State football, the Bucs and the Lightning.

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Rays invite six more players to spring training

Posted Feb 12, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Feb 12, 2010 at 02:34 PM

The Rays signed infielders Angel Chavez and J.J. Furmaniak to minor league contracts with an invitation to major league spring training. They also invited invited four
of their minor leaguers to major league spring training: catchers Craig Albernaz and Nevin Ashley, infielder Tim Beckham and right-handed pitcher Heath Rollins.
Chavez, 28, played third base for the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA) in 2009 and set a franchise record with a .965 fielding percentage. The utilityman played in 10 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2005, his lone major league experience. He played for Panama in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and this past winter, played for Mochis in the Mexican Winter League.
Furmaniak (fer-MAIN-ee-ack), 30, spent the 2009 season with Lehigh Valley (AAA) in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. The nine-year minor league veteran has played parts of two seasons in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2005) and Oakland Athletics (2007), appearing in 29 games total. He has played mostly shortstop over his 10-year professional career, but has also seen extensive action at second base and third base and appeared in left and center field.
Rollins, 24, will be attending his first major league spring training. Albernaz, Ashley and Beckham were all non-roster invites in 2009 and will be attending big league camp for the second time.