PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Joe Maddon believes there is a "different vibe" around Tampa Bay's Spring Training camp these days.

"And you know it's right," said Maddon as the Rays prepared to play their first Grapefruit League game of 2009 against the Reds at Charlotte Sports Park on Wednesday.

"It's vastly different, because now you're coming into this camp and we're able to set a pace that we know is the right pace," Maddon said.

Primary among the changes is having a familiar cast of players rather than the ever-changing rabble that once greeted Tampa Bay every spring.

"You know who the people are," Maddon said. "And these guys know they're going to be the starters on Opening Day. And with that, I think it's somewhat easier, just because you're going to plan out their work and get them to that point.

"And it's not pushing anybody and asking them to do something too soon, because you have to see something more than whatever. They just know they're getting ready for the season."

Maddon recalled what he told the media during his first Spring Training.

"I said, 'I can't wait until we come into Spring Training and the team's about 90 percent made,' and that's the way it is here in 2009," Maddon said.

According to Maddon, the change comes from the Rays' homegrown players growing up, along with the organization that now is able to attract free agents.

"I remember when [Andrew Friedman, executive vice president of baseball operations] first started talking to me about making [Tampa Bay] a destination point," Maddon said. "Of course, I understood what that meant, but I didn't appreciate how difficult it had been for the Rays to attract free agents.

"The one year they got the 'Hit Squad' or whatever they called that. And it got very difficult to get a real qualified free agent who wants to go to a team to win, and that wasn't available, and now it's available. And I think that opens up a whole different group of free agents you're looking for -- guys who are team oriented -- and I think we got those guys."

Maddon said he now can focus more on teaching.

"I've been able to get so much more involved in the coaching, and it's been so much fun, because I don't have to deal with a whole bunch of other stuff going on," Maddon said. "Even when I go home now, it's different. When I go home at night and put my feet up, I just think about what I want to do tomorrow -- baseball. Not, 'Who do I have to talk to about this particular problem?' It's pretty nice."