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Art Deco · 12-29-2023, 10:53 AM

Record: 12-10
4th place, AL East 3.5 behind Baltimore/Boston, 1 behind the 3rd wild card.

As they've done the past two seasons the Rays have stumbled somewhat out of the gate, playing ~.500 ball. The starting pitching has been abysmal (5.97 ERA) and the offense has struggled (dead last in hits, 14th in the AL in RBI and 13th in OBP) and the defense has been awful as well so it's a small miracle they've won 12 games so far (pythag has them 11-11). One bright spot though has been the winter's big acquisition, Fernando Tatis Jr. How bright?

He's almost single-handedly won a couple of games for us and I'd hate to think where we'd be without him. Meanwhile on the injury front Kevin Alcantara went on the IL with a stiff back but will return once his stint is up, Shane McClanahan left his last start with a dead arm but avoided the IL and on the last day of the month lefty reliever Matt Cronin tore his meniscus and will be out until September.

The Angels are off to an incredible start while the AL East looks extremely competitive this year so the Rays' slow start won't be as easily overcome as it was the last two seasons. Too bad they're not in the AL Central which doesn't have anyone over .500.

These are some ugly team numbers all around, except for the bullpen which has been the saving grace. Despite its dysfunction the offense has hit a bunch of homers which have kept them afloat (thanks largely to Tatis) and although the starters have struggled they've at least kept the ball in the park and that ERA has been bloated by the lousy defense.

Alcantara was hitting well before hitting the IL and although Bobby Marsh's numbers look pretty lousy he started the year 1-for-33 and has actually been one of the team's hottest hitters over the last 10 days or so. Bench guys like Saggese and Lora have been very productive in limited at-bats and may start earning more.

As you can see the starters have all been victims of BABIP with all 5 at least .340 against including an absurd .500 for McClanahan. Like the big winter pickup on the hitting side the big winter pickup on the pitching side has excelled as Emilano Teodo has been absolutely dominant with a 2/30 BB/K ratio in 22 IP.

Nothing exciting brewing down on the farm as our best prospects are years away from making an impact and months away from playing in the DSL. Nobody at the full-season level is standing out so far but some of the older guys not on the list with MLB experience (Specht, Rosa) or too old for the list (Cooper Kinney) are off to good starts at Durham and could see some big club time.

12-29-2023, 10:53 AM	#134
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,841	April 2029 Record: 12-10 4th place, AL East 3.5 behind Baltimore/Boston, 1 behind the 3rd wild card. As they've done the past two seasons the Rays have stumbled somewhat out of the gate, playing ~.500 ball. The starting pitching has been abysmal (5.97 ERA) and the offense has struggled (dead last in hits, 14th in the AL in RBI and 13th in OBP) and the defense has been awful as well so it's a small miracle they've won 12 games so far (pythag has them 11-11). One bright spot though has been the winter's big acquisition, Fernando Tatis Jr. How bright? He's almost single-handedly won a couple of games for us and I'd hate to think where we'd be without him. Meanwhile on the injury front Kevin Alcantara went on the IL with a stiff back but will return once his stint is up, Shane McClanahan left his last start with a dead arm but avoided the IL and on the last day of the month lefty reliever Matt Cronin tore his meniscus and will be out until September. The Angels are off to an incredible start while the AL East looks extremely competitive this year so the Rays' slow start won't be as easily overcome as it was the last two seasons. Too bad they're not in the AL Central which doesn't have anyone over .500. These are some ugly team numbers all around, except for the bullpen which has been the saving grace. Despite its dysfunction the offense has hit a bunch of homers which have kept them afloat (thanks largely to Tatis) and although the starters have struggled they've at least kept the ball in the park and that ERA has been bloated by the lousy defense. Alcantara was hitting well before hitting the IL and although Bobby Marsh's numbers look pretty lousy he started the year 1-for-33 and has actually been one of the team's hottest hitters over the last 10 days or so. Bench guys like Saggese and Lora have been very productive in limited at-bats and may start earning more. As you can see the starters have all been victims of BABIP with all 5 at least .340 against including an absurd .500 for McClanahan. Like the big winter pickup on the hitting side the big winter pickup on the pitching side has excelled as Emilano Teodo has been absolutely dominant with a 2/30 BB/K ratio in 22 IP. Nothing exciting brewing down on the farm as our best prospects are years away from making an impact and months away from playing in the DSL. Nobody at the full-season level is standing out so far but some of the older guys not on the list with MLB experience (Specht, Rosa) or too old for the list (Cooper Kinney) are off to good starts at Durham and could see some big club time.