ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chris Archer relishes his emerging status as one of the new faces of baseball.
Evan Longoria still may be the most accomplished player on the Tampa Bay Rays roster, but Archer is quickly making name for himself after a breakout season in 2015.
The 27-year-old pitcher makes the second opening day start of his career Sunday against the defending AL East champion Toronto Blue Jays at sold-out Tropicana Field.
"It's a nice accomplishment. We have a lot of really good pitchers on our staff, so for me to be the one selected is nice," said Archer, who also started last season's opener, but only after Alex Cobb underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery during spring training.