This was supposed to be *the* year for the Rays. They looked like one of the most talented teams in the American League, and were going to be a playoff lock. But just like with the Rangers, their season derailed quickly and couldn’t get back on the tracks. By the time all was said and done, all the dust had settled, and the smoke was cleared, the Rays were in no man’s land in the AL East – but at least they had a better year than the defending World Champion Red Sox.
Preseason Prediction: Tampa Bay is undoubtedly one of the five best teams in the American League, and that should put them in heart of the playoff picture. However, things can get out of hand quickly with just one run of bad luck. Remember last year, when Tampa Bay needed to scrape and claw their way to simply force their way into a tiebreaker game with the Rangers? Just because the Rays are a 90-win team on paper doesn’t mean that they’re guaranteed a playoff spot, and nothing will come easy this year for the Rays. (Joe Lucia, March 20th)
What Went Right: Kevin Kiermaier came out of nowhere to have a fantastic rookie season, homering ten times and stealing five bases in 103 games while playing fantastic defense in center and right field. Ben Zobrist had another solid Ben Zobrist season, though he hit for less power than in prior years and was controversially not traded at the deadline. Catcher Ryan Hanigan played well, but only played in 80 games because of a pair of DL stints. Both Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings played relatively well, though their power numbers fell off.
David Price pitched great in 23 starts for the Rays before getting shipped to the Tigers. Drew Smyly, who came over from Detroit in the trade, was dominant in seven starts before getting shut down for the season. Chris Archer has made 31 starts (and counting), pitching to a 3.42 ERA in the process. Alex Cobb got his yearly DL stint out of the way early, and pitched very well in 24 starts. Jake Odorizzi came into his own after struggling in April. Jake McGee had a season as good as his 2012, and was moved into the closer’s role when Grant Balfour fell apart. Brad Boxberger finally got consistent time in the majors, and was dominant (though homer-prone). Jeremy Hellickson rebounded from an early DL stint to pitch great in 11 starts.
What Went Wrong: The Rays had one above .500 month all year – July, when they went 17-6, scraping and clawing their way to a game of .500 before the bottom fell out again. Matt Moore blew his elbow out after just two starts. Former top overall pick Tim Beckham blew his knee out in December and barely got any playing time in the minors before AAA Durham’s season ended. The Grant Balfour and Heath Bell experiments were complete and utter disasters in the bullpen. Evan Longoria stayed healthy, but was thoroughly mediocre at the plate, putting together the worst overall offensive numbers of his career. The sophomore slump hit Wil Myers hard, and the injury bug smashed him too – Myers homered just six times in 82 games. Jose Molina was one of the worst offensive players in baseball, and Hanigan’s injuries forced him to get more playing time than expected. Sean Rodriguez and Logan Forsythe were fine for bench players, but probably got more playing time than they should have. James Loney hit like he did in the second half of last year instead of like he did in the first half.
Most Surprising Player: Kevin Kiermaier wasn’t really a highly-touted prospect. Fangraphs ranked him 13th in the Rays organization before the season, while Baseball America had him tenth and Baseball Prospectus had him eighth. He wasn’t supposed to make much of an impact in the majors this year, but Wil Myers’ broken wrist forced him into a starting role. Kiermaier thrived, playing elite defense for the team and hitting more than anyone expected him to, even though he struggled immensely in the second half. Thanks to the Rays’ always fluid, always frustrating payroll situation, Kiermaier’s emergence could allow them to trade someone like Matt Joyce (one year of arbitration left), David DeJesus (still owed a minimum of $6.125 million), or maybe even Desmond Jennings (entering year one of arbitration this winter) and gain more flexibility elsewhere.
Most Disappointing Player: There are so many, too many, options here. With apologies to Heath Bell, Grant Balfour, Evan Longoria, Jose Molina, and James Loney, I think the choice has to be Wil Myers. The Rays expected a lot from the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year in 2014, and got…well, nothing. Myers is hitting .220/.296/.321 through 82 games this season, and he’s homered only once in 29 games since returning from a broken wrist. The phrase “lost season” gets tossed around a lot, but it really does apply to Myers’ age 23 season in the majors. He dealt with a serious injury that cost him nearly three months of playing time
The Future: It’ll be an interesting offseason in St. Petersburg, that’s for sure. The Rays only have two players that can become free agents (Joel Peralta and Ben Zobrist), but they hold club options on both that will more than likely be exercised. But ten players are going to be getting arbitration raises, and some redundant talent could get moved to clear payroll and open spots for younger, cheaper players. The team will miss Price next season, but a rotation of Archer, Cobb, Smyly, Odorizzi, and Hellickson, with a returning Moore possibly joining them, has the potential to be one of the best staffs in the American League. The Rays don’t need to blow it all up like some teams in baseball, and with Price gone, the only monstrous trade I could see them making would be a Zobrist deal – and even that wouldn’t be a blockbuster like the Price or James Shields trades. However, if the Rays can’t return to contention in 2015, there could be a tidal wave of change coming to Tampa Bay.
