Despite a 90-win season last year, the Tampa Bay Rays failed to make it to the playoffs. This year, they’re back to prove that they can contend in the highly competitive American League East Division, which has improved even more since last year. Though the competition is fierce, the Rays have a lot of weapons in their arsenal. They enter 2013 with one of the most skilled pitching staffs in the majors (despite losing James Shields), a healthy Evan Longoria and a reloaded roster with some new faces.
Perhaps the biggest fault of the Rays last year was their lack of offensive production. Even though their pitching was superb, they were one of the worst teams in terms of run support. To remedy this problem, the Rays acquired some trusty utility players in the offseason that can certainly drive in runs. Rays fans can only hope that newcomers Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson and Shelley Duncan will bring their hot bats to Tampa Bay.
Although many of the Rays acquisitions were wily veterans, they also managed to snag highly touted outfielder Wil Myers from the Kansas City Royals, a player with Mike Trout/Bryce Harper kind of potential. Don’t expect to see a ton from Myers from the get-go, though. The Rays management will likely keep Myers in Triple-A ball until he’s been deemed Major League ready. Myers is a stellar athlete, but the Rays don’t want to rush his transition into the majors.
Manager Joe Maddon is back for his sixth season with the Rays, a job he’s likely secured for a long time to come. Over the past eight years with the Rays, Maddon has posted a 588-551 record, the highest winning percentage by any manager in Rays’ history. The biggest reason for Maddon’s success throughout the past few years has been his strategic prowess. Maddon is a master at crafting dynamic lineups and maximizing the production of his players. He often uses the sabermetric statistical method to gain a competitive edge in every single game. For those keeping score at home, sabermetrics is the specialized analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity.
Fans can also rest assured that star third baseman Evan Longoria isn’t going anywhere either. Longoria recently signed a deal that will keep him in Tampa Bay through the 2022 season, citing that he wanted to “play his whole career with the Rays.” For Longoria, though, expectations are high. In the past two seasons, he’s sustained major injuries that have hampered his playing time and production. A Longoria-less lineup is fairly impotent, so staying healthy is a major factor. His defense is also vital to their wellbeing. For a team that relies so much on pitching, defense must also be at a high level in order to mitigate easy mistakes.
The road will not be easy for Tampa Bay, as there are still many questions still surround the success of this season. Can the young starting rotation live up to its potential? Will Closer Fernando Rodney be able to duplicate his success? Do we expect an MVP type of season from Evan Longoria? Only time will tell. In the meantime, don’t sleep on the Rays. There’s a solid chance that they could make a big splash this season.