Here we are, halfway through yet another season. The standings and leaders:
Rays team stats:
Quite a turnaround from when we last posted these in the column on the far right. Our pitching numbers are vastly improved and even the zone rating is semi-respectable now. BABIP/DE remain poor but that's something that's always been an issue, maybe in how I play the game. Oh, and our baserunning isn't so hot as we seem to be getting all kinds of runners thrown out on the bases or attempting steals this year for some reason.
Team hitting stats:
Team pitching stats:
In lieu of position-by-position report card with grades, I'll go with categories.
Needs improvement: Short relief, where Jordan Diaz has been wildly inconsistent, Jose Alvarado doesn't have the stuff he used to, Jon Whiteleather's been horrible, and Tim Siqueiros, while striking out people, has had a knack for giving up big hits. Also needing improvement: Jasson Dominguez, who's striking out too much and not hitting for average although his power has come around. Nate Clark is hitting tons of homers but not much else, reflected in his BA and his WAR.
Top of the class: Dayle Jenkins is having an MVP-caliber season, and Christian Little looks like the AL Cy Young frontrunner.
Best newcomers: Jaiden Hardaway got off to a mediocre start (as did the team), but in June he hit 350/437/476. And Bo Angeac has exceeded expectations at 3B. When Connor Kirkley and Bobby Witt Jr come back later this month, we're going to have some tough lineup and roster decisions to make. Xavier Edwards will go when Kirkley is back, but I really don't want to send Angeac back down.