Tampa’s Construction:

The Rays a True Contender

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

6/17/2019

         The Tampa Bay Rays despite a 90-72 record last season, finished 3rd in their division and 7 games back of the second AL Wild Card spot. This displays how tough the American League proved to be last year in terms of making the postseason. This will not be the case this season as Tampa Bay has gotten off to a tremendous start. Thanks to a talented roster they have constructed through smart transactions and player development. This article will look to elaborate on the roster construction of the Rays, highlighting the players acquisitions and player development that have been key in the strong start.

Key Player Acquisitions:

            Solid player acquisitions by the Tampa front office has played a huge role in the success of the Rays. The 41-27 record the Rays currently sport has seen contributions to their winning formula come a variety of players. With the Rays being a small market team, they had to be smart when making moves in the offseason. The Rays made deals for undervalued players, in order to stay in good financial position. While bringing in players who are providing surprising production due to having a consistent opportunity to play. The players they acquired this offseason include Outfielders Avisail Garcia and Guillermo Heredia, infielder Yandy Diaz, Catcher Mike Zunino, and starting Pitcher Charlie Morton. The free agent signings of Charlie Morton and Avisail Garcia were both low risk, high reward signings. Garcia is coming off an injury riddled season playing in just 93 games last year. He is two years removed from a season where he hit .330, with 18 home runs and 80 RBI’s in 136 games in 2017. Garcia is hitting .300 with 11 homers and 29 RBI’s, providing the Rays a solid middle of the order bat. In Charlie Morton, the Rays got a solid number two starter to slot in behind ace Blake Snell. He is coming off two consecutive good seasons with the Houston Astros including winning the 2017 World Series. Morton posted 3.62 and 3.13 ERA’s those past two years and increased his strikeout totals each season. Morton is 8-0 with a 2.10 ERA, and 98 strikeouts in 81.1 innings. The Rays in these two free agents have gotten high end production from lesser publicized acquisitions that will continue to aid their push to the postseason.

The other three additions in Zunino, Heredia, and Diaz were all acquired through trades. Zunino and Heredia were acquired from the Mariners in a 5-player deal. Both players have filled different needs, with Zunino serving as a starting catcher and Heredia a solid 4th outfielder. Zunino despite a slow start offensively hitting just .180 and dealing with injury is still valuable. He has given the Rays solid defense and there is still plenty of time for his offense to come around. Heredia has given them depth to lessen the workload on their key outfielders like Austin Meadows and Kevin Kiermaier. He has provided good offense as a role player hitting .256 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI’s as well. Infielder Yandy Diaz, who they got from Cleveland, has the highest upside of any of these players. The 27-year-old has provided surprising offensive production. Hitting .273 with 10 homers and 26 RBI’s, while playing strong defense as shown by his .971 fielding percentage. All these offseason moves have produced early on and will need to continue to aid the Rays winning ways throughout the season.

Developing Core:

The Rays group of young players have emerged this year to form a core that will be a force for years to come. The players that form this core for Tampa Bay include pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Diego Castillo, Ryne Stanek and Yonny Chirinos. These arms are apart of a pitching staff who lead the MLB in ERA at 2.98. Snell serves as the ace of the rotation and is coming off a CY young season. He owns a solid 3.50 ERA so far but is still trying to find his form. Glasnow and Chirinos have shown great potential in their short time with the Rays. Glasnow with an electric repertoire is currently on the injury list but pitched well going 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA before injury. Chirinos has gone 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA, while settling firmly into the rotation. The relievers play key roles in a strong bullpen that has been a major advantage for them. Castillo, 25-years-old has become a key late inning reliever, for posting 6 saves and 11 holds in 29 appearances with a 2.05 ERA. Stanek has given manager Kevin Cash versatility, especially serving as an opener in the Rays bullpen day strategy. He has performed this role 19 times pitching to a 2.63 ERA. These relievers will have to continue to headline a strong bullpen.

The position players that form the Rays core present versatile skillsets both as hitters and defenders. These players include, Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames, Austin Meadows, and Kevin Kiermaier. All these players are 28 years old or younger and provide solid building blocks for the organization. Lowe and Adames provide anchors on the Rays infield up the middle. Lowe has given Tampa a consistent power bat, posting 14 homers and 29 total extra-base hits. Adames is the youngest of this group at just 23 years old. He has shown to be an elite defender, while providing solid offense with 6 homers and 19 RBI’s. Outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and Austin Meadows give the Rays star power. Kiermaier is a 2-time gold glove centerfielder with improved hitting production. Meadows at just 23 years old is leading Tampa Bay offensively and looks like a superstar in the making. He is currently hitting .325 with 12 homers, 38 RBI’s, and 8 stolen bases. These two outfielders provide the Rays two horses they will look to lean on to lead them to a postseason berth. Thus, the core the Rays have begun to build is paying immediate dividends and will be major assets in the future.

The Rays through these transactions and player development have formed a team comprised of young players and solid assets that have produced winning results. They will need their young core to continue to grow. While their offseason acquisitions will need to continue to perform at a strong level. The Rays have built their team in a way that is set to create sustainable success. The Rays, even without a huge budget, have build a roster filled with young talent that will be tough to beat this season. The playoffs, this year, are an attainable goal for the improved Rays.