Story and photo by Jonathan Hernandez
In 2019, we were served with what might be one of the most competitive AL division series matches yet.
The Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays, both with strong defenses, competed to see who would stand up to the New York Yankees, who once again easily swept the Minnesota Twins, something the infamous “evil empire” has done for a decade and a half.
The Rays, having forced a Game 5 on the Astros, put up a good fight against the 2017 World Series champions, winning both games at Tropicana Field.
Ultimately, the Rays fell short in Game 5 and were eliminated from advancing to the AL championship series. Fans may be disappointed the “flappy bois” did not advance, but a handful of analysts have said the Rays were not expected to make it this far into the postseason.
When Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell were injured, it seemed like hope for the Rays looked bleak. Miraculously, Charlie Morton pulled the team through long enough to win many games and clinch the AL Wild Card, with the Rays’ bullpen helping him out along the way.
Their defense was one of the strongest in all of baseball, and the idea of having an opener is a revolutionary concept nobody in the MLB but the Rays seems to have mastered — at least not yet.
Most of these openers would be from the Rays’ bullpen-like Diego Castillo and Ryan Yarbrough, trades from other teams like Nick Anderson and Peter Fairbanks, or from the farm like Brendan McKay and Brent Honeywell.
Nonetheless, had Glasnow and/or Snell didn’t get injured this season, the Rays would’ve played the Wild Card game at home, or at best, made it into the ALCS.
While the bullpen can be seen as the Rays’ biggest asset at best, their batting is average but decent enough for a good team. This year, the Rays scored, thanks to hits and runs from Yandy Diaz, Tommy Pham, Willy Adames, Austin Meadows and everyone’s favorite Korean boy, Ji-Man Choi.
The Rays also had good hitters who came from other teams, such as Eric Sogard from the Blue Jays or Travis D’Arnaud from the Mets.
All being said, there is room for improvement in the near future, with the hopes that Jesus Aguilar, whom the Rays acquired from the Brewers, rebounds and hits many homers again, and prospects like Wander Franco aiming to fit in with the roster.
If the Rays’ excellent pitching and decent hitting wasn’t enough for non-fans to be convinced we had potential, just look at what’s happened behind the scenes. The Rays have been through heck and back, but even with a low payroll and ownership similar to many small-market teams, they persisted.
When people laughed and humiliated the Rays for “lacking” any fans with one of the lowest attendance rates in all of baseball, they persisted. Fans came to the Trop in droves, especially in the ALDS.
I’m not talking about fans of the opposing team, like Yankees and Red Sox fans outnumbering Rays fans; I’m talking about fans showing their support for the local team.
Most importantly, when people taunted that their future was in jeopardy and said they might as well move to Montreal, they persisted. As of late, Tampa, St. Petersburg and the Rays are back on the negotiating table for a new stadium.
Despite everyone’s doubts about Tampa Bay, they have proved those doubters wrong. If there is anything to say about the team this season, it’s that the Rays overachieved.
Nobody expected them to keep on fighting for this long, and as a Rays fan, this makes me hopeful for what the future will bring. Whether it’s prospects in the farm that have the potential to hit dingers or continuing to build on the bullpen, it will be interesting and exciting to see what the 2020 Rays will end up looking like.
Maybe next year will be the year we bring the Commissioner’s Trophy to St. Pete. When that happens, expect me to be at the parade downtown.
