It's funny when I say this but the Tampa Bay Rays are once again the team to beat in the AL East. It was 2 years ago that the Rays were better than the New York Yankees and made it to the 2008 World Series but came up short to the Philadelphia Phillies. This year it seems that history is once again repeating itself as the Rays lead the AL East division over the defending 2009 World Series Champs the New York Yankees by 5.5 games with a 32-12 record, the best in baseball.
Earlier this year I put the Rays in my Top 12 Teams to win the World Series but I didn't pick them to win division or to even be this good. I know it’s early but the way they are playing I think right now no team can stop them. The reason between their early successes is their pitching, it has been lights on. They have "BIG GAME JAMES" who is their number 1 starting pitcher with an ERA of 3.08, 5 wins, 1 loss, and 66 strikeouts. The guy is nasty and is a big key for them. Next is the young gun and a big surprise in David Price who has pitched like a 10 year vet for this team. The kid is really helping out this ball club and has proven that he can play in this level where as to last year he was still going through the growing pains as a rookie. Price has the second to lowest ERA on the team with a 2.41 ERA, the most wins on the team with 7 wins, 1 loss, and third most strikeouts with 46 K's. The kid is the future of this team. Next is Jeff Niemann who is really the one guy who is really underrated as a pitcher and is very good. He carried this whole team last year and helped them make a run for the postseason but came up 3 games short of the AL Wild Card over the Boston Red Sox. This year his same momentum has carried over and has helped this team once again, Niemann is third on the list with the lowest ERA with a 2.54 ERA, 4 wins, 0 losses, and 36 strikeouts. Watch out for him for the rest of the year. Then they have Matt Garaz who last year didn't really have a great year but this year he really put it in fifth gear and has stepped up with game leading the team in ERA with a 2.37 ERA, 5 wins, 2 losses, and second in strikeouts with 54 K's. Garaz seems to show that he will hope to have a bounce back year and if he does he is going to be hard to face down the road. The last guy in this rotation is Wade Davis who has really done a nice job at the back off the pitching staff. Davis last year wasn't really what the Rays would hope he would be but this year he is everything the Rays have asked him to be and that is being consistent. Davis has an ERA of 3.35 with 4 wins, 3 losses, and 34 strikeouts. He has been somewhat of a surprise on this team.
Next is the Rays bull pen which has pretty good as well as their pitching staff. We start with Dan Wheeler who has been outstanding for the Rays and done his roll very nicely and has pitched great when being used. Wheeler has an ERA 2.45, 4 HLD and 16 strikeouts. Then there is Joaquin Benoit who has really proven that he could maybe someday be a starting pitcher for this team with a good fast ball and an ERA of 0.00, 1 save, and 13 strikeouts. Then they have another very good outstanding relief pitcher in Grant Balfour who has done a great job pitching having the same numbers as Wheeler just Balfour as 19 strikeouts in the pen. Last but not least is the Rays new closer who has been lights out and that's Rafael Soriano who came over from the Atlanta Braves. He has been one of the reasons why the Rays bull pen has been so good this year. He has an ERA of 1.40, 13 save in 13 opportunities, and 16 strikeouts.
Now the finals reason why the Rays are very good is because of their infield and outfield, also their beach isn't too bad. The Rays know they have a young team and their oldest Tampa Bay Ray on the team is left fielder Carl Crawford who is the leader of this ball club who has been playing with the Rays since 2002 when the Rays were a laughing stock and were never really good. But Crawford stayed with the team and it’s payed off in the end. Winning a division title, an American League Pennant, and making it to World Series in 2008. Crawford in 2010 is hitting .324, 3 HR, and 21 RBI's. Then there's the best third baseman in the league with Evan Longoria leading the team in home runs and RBI's. He is hitting .319, 9 HR, and 38 RBI's starting 2010 on a good note. The catcher John Jaso have been a big big surprise and taking over that roll. This kid is only 26 years old and this is second time in the big's since 2008 and boy he has done a nice job batting .349, 2 HR, and 18 RBI's. Next on the list is first baseman Carlos Pena who in the beginning was off to a slow start but has really picked it up and is improving every game. He's second on the team in home runs and RBI's. Pena is hitting .187, 7 HR, and 27 RBI's hard to believe that he has such a low batting average with all those RBI's. Now to right field with Ben Zobrist who started the year over at second but has really fitted well over in right field. It’s very hard from being an infielder your whole career to being moved to the outfield. Zobrist's numbers haven’t changed though hitting .309, 2 HR, and driving in 23 RBI's. We move over to center field to the speed man B.J. Upton who has started off a little slow himself but yet still has to batting average over .200 and will soon I think will be batting at least .260 by the end of the season. But as of right now he is batting .214, with 5 HR, and 19 RBI's. So no worries I hope for the Rays sake. Now to the short stop roll in Jason Bartlett who has been doing really well after coming a great year in 2009 and seems to keeping it rolling. He is batting .246, 1 HR, and 22 RBI's. Over to his right is second basemen Reid Brignac who has filled his roll nice at second and has proven he is an everyday player hitting .306, 2 HR, and driving in 16 RBI's. To the DH is Willy Aybar who is not bad to have at this spot. He hits for average and can steal a dew bags here and there. Aybar is hitting .243, 4 HR, and with 11 RBI's.
Now over to the Rays beach that is pretty good I mean not guys that are outstanding but players who can hit, field, and catch. We start with backup catcher Dioner Navarro who in the beginning of the season was the starting catcher but lost his role as it seems he just can't get out of the whole he's in batting .188 with 0 HR and 4 RBI's. Next is infielder Sean Rodriguez who plays at second but can really play anywhere in the infield. Rodriguez is batting .214, with 1 HR and 10 RBI's. Then there's outfielder Gabe Kapler who is a good hitter and a pretty good fielder. He mainly plays right field but he will take any spot you ask him to fill. In 2010 he is hitting .270, with 1 HR, and 7 RBI's. Last on this Rays team is DH and new comer Hank Blalock who isn't the player he once was when he was the Texas Rangers but still has some pop in his bat hitting .313, with 1 HR and 2 RBI's.
So there you have it. Are the Rays the team to beat in the American League or is this just one of those teams that is hot at the right moment? Seems as lately that this team is for real and ready to take on any team that stands in their way of winning their first ever World Series title.
For Beyond Baseball,
I'm Seth Lempert.
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