Rays infielder Nick Franklin will be battling for the starting job at shortstop this spring, and he has no doubts he can play the position at the major-league level.
"Absolutely," Franklin said, per the Tampa Bay Times. "Absolutely. 100 percent. I've grown up playing shortstop. Even at the big-league level, playing short just seems natural to me. I enjoy it. I'm really comfortable there. … It's been in my blood for a long time.
"I wouldn't say I need any work. Honestly, I think over these past years I've improved a significant amount at shortstop. … I've been practicing all offseason at short. And there's really no weakness."
The Rays plan to take most of the spring to decide who will be the team's starting shortstop, but Franklin seems pretty confident he will emerge as the victor in the competition.
"I'm going to be out there at short," he said. "There's not a doubt in my mind that I'm not."