TampaBay.Rays.MLB.com

By Paul C. Smith / MLB.com

"My defense is something I'll have to work on, especially over at Tropicana Field," Rocco Baldelli said. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

"The first thing I did was take a couple months off and not think about baseball at all," said Baldelli, who made a trip to the Vatican in Rome and then relaxed at his family's home in Woonsocket, R.I.

Then Baldelli went to work. He hit daily in the batting cage in the basement of his father's check cashing store. He also hit the weights. The result was 15 pounds of added muscle, bringing his 6-foot-4 frame up to 200 pounds.

Baldelli now looks like a quarterback, with sculpted biceps and long, strong legs. But he said the added bulk has not affected his swing or any other part of his game.

"It doesn't feel like it yet," Baldelli said. "I expect the best part will be the added endurance later on in the year."

By the end of the 2003 season, he was definitely worn down from 637 at-bats in 156 games. The most games he had played in his previous three years in professional baseball was in 2003, when he played in 117 while jumping from Class A Bakersfield to Class AAA Durham.

"[Baldelli] got a little tired at the end but a few of our guys did," said Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella. "With added depth, we're going to be able to rest the team a lot better this year."

Piniella has concentrated this spring on mixing in his new players, mostly veterans. That's because he expects Baldelli and left fielder Carl Crawford, both 22, to continue to improve while hoping DH Aubrey Huff can match last year's outstanding production.

"We need all three to play well," Piniella said. "They're going to be in the 1-3-4 spots at the top of our lineup."

Baldelli hit .289 with 11 home runs, 78 RBIs and 27 steals in 2003 and finished third in the voting for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. But, with Baldelli's added strength, Piniella is looking for added pop from his right-handed center fielder.

"We need him to hit for a little more power than last year," Piniella said. "I think he will do it naturally. It would be nice to get him in the 15-20 homer range, with 550ish at-bats. That would be a good, solid year."

Moving to third in the batting order means more RBI opportunities but Baldelli said he doesn't plan to change his approach to hitting.

"I don't think the pitching will be any different," Baldelli said. "I probably shouldn't alter my plan at the plate. Whatever got me here, I think I should stay with it."