Before this baseball season, many experts predicted the Tampa Bay Rays would finish atop of the American League East Division. The reality isn’t as good for the Rays.
The Rays welcomed back the 2013 A.L. Rookie of the Year, Wil Myers, third baseman Evan Longoria and arguably had one of the best pitching staffs entering the season.
Not only were the Rays projected to be neck-and-neck with the Boston Red Sox at the end of the year, but they were tied at No. 4 with each other for the best odds (12-to-1) to win the 2014 World Series. The Rays will finish above the Red Sox (67-88) when the season is done, but as of midnight Sunday they were 75-80 on the year. The Baltimore Orioles have already clinched the division by 14+ games.
The projections are generally based off of previous performances and do not take into account possible issues like trades and injuries. And injuries have plagued the Rays throughout the season.
In April, the Rays lost starting pitcher Matt Moore for the season after he tore a ligament in his left elbow. They then opted to trade their “ace” David Price for a pair of prospects. Price still holds the Rays’ season highs for strikeouts (189) and wins (11), even months after the trade.
Relief pitcher Grant Balfour, who was supposed to be a major off-season pick up, did not live up to his days in Oakland and had a mere 12 saves in his 2 wins and 6 losses.
Myers was virtually invisible in his 300+ batting attempts through his 81 games played, even considering the two months he missed from a broken wrist. Myers has hit six home runs and 32 RBIs. His 2014 statistics have dropped nearly 50 percent from his Rookie of the Year campaign (13 HR, 56 RBIs) and his batting average dropped from .293 to .219.
The three-time all-star Longoria was about the only consistent thing on the team this season. Again, Longoria led the team with home runs and RBIs this season, in a year where the Rays couldn’t even buy a hit. Longoria is the franchise leader in home runs and RBIs.
As of opening day, according to The Associated Press, the Rays had the 28th lowest payroll ($77 million) in all of baseball, finishing just above the Florida Marlins and the Houston Astros.
Showing their “moneyball” skills, the Rays are eight wins higher than the Red Sox and four wins shy of the New York Yankees for No. 2 in the division. The Yankees have the second highest payroll in the MLB at just under $204 million and the Red Sox are fourth with just under $163 million.
There is much to take away from the Rays’ 2014 season despite their woes, starting with the stars of the team.
Longoria will enter his third year of his 10-year, $100 million contract. He has voiced his love for the organization, so he is not leaving anytime soon. At 23, Myers should have plenty of years to adapt to the pros#2014 could’ve just been a fluke. With Price’s departure, space is freed up. The Rays may go out and get a fresh face to lead the team next season. Moore will return healthy, alongside pitchers Alex Cobb and Chris Archer, all who have shown significant growth in the past few seasons. The fielding and baserunning is consistent; however, the problem is getting on base.The Rays will need to get an established power hitter or may call up some of their top prospects to fill that void.
If the Rays are able to stay healthy and hit consistently next season, we may be talking about them come October 2015.
