photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BY COLIN BISH, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Despite the Tampa Bay Rays enduring many player injuries and a player scandal, this team will make it to the Fall Classic.
The weird curse of Rays pitchers being struck down by arm injuries continued this season. It started when the team lost two great pitchers, Jeffery Springs and Drew Rasmussen, within the first two months. The team has lost ten pitchers, including reliable bullpen arm Jason Adam and star left-hander Shane McClanahan. On top of the injuries, the Rays took a massive hit when they placed star shortstop Wander Franco on the restricted list amid an investigation into a relationship with a minor.
The first reason the Rays will make it to the World Series is their offense. They have one of the most consistent offenses in the league, with eight players who have played at least 100 games with an OPS+ of 100 or higher. OPS+ is a stat that takes a player’s offensive output and normalizes it across both leagues. One hundred is league average, so the Rays are getting at least above-average production from almost their entire batting lineup.
The second reason is their excellent starting pitching and bullpen. While their rotation has suffered major injuries, they still have a solid starting staff composed of Zach Eflin, Tyler Glasnow, Zack Littell, Aaron Civale and Taj Bradley.
The Tampa bullpen is a dominant force. They can turn pitchers who have struggled with other franchises into efficient arms for later innings. This team has many examples, such as Shawn Armstrong, Robert Stephenson and Jake Diekman. Altogether, their bullpen ranks eleventh in terms of ERA and first in walks and hits per innings pitched.
This means the Rays effectively limit runs scored because of their relievers’ abilities to limit baserunners. An effective pitching staff is one of the most important pieces in a World Series run, and the Rays have had one of the most consistent units all season.
One argument many have against the Rays this season is their play in July. The team went an abysmal 8-16 that month, which allowed the Baltimore Orioles to jump them for the American League East division lead. The Orioles have held that spot since July, but the Rays have remained consistent despite losing their lead.
After the Orioles took three games out of four from the Rays in mid-July, the Rays have a record of 27-16. Outside of that putrid July, the Rays have an above .500 winning percentage every other month. Before the turmoil, the Rays were impeccable. Even after the bad month, injuries and scandal, Tampa continues to look like a formidable playoff team.
bishcj22@bonaventure.edu
