Go Rays

Who is Joe Maddon? But anyway, admit it. You can't possibly root against the Tampa Bay Rays. They're so awful in a lovable way. Introduced into the Majors in 1998, they have yet to compile more than 70 wins in any of the subsequent ten seasons, nine of which have resulted in a last place finish in the impossible to compete in AL East. When they finished fourth in 2004, they had a party. Some truly awful things have happened to this team, such as Mark Hendrickson making futile attempts at figuring out what the ultimate goal of a pitcher is (to get batters out), Hal McRae's crazy tantrums being dwarfed by his successor (Lou Piniella), and Randy Winn leading the team in OPS during the 2002 season. In fact, almost nothing at all has ever gone right. That could possibly begin to change at some point in the near future though, and if you're any kind of real baseball fan, that prospect should at least pique your interest. How about a Rays-Royals playoff game? Anyone? Fuck you. I'd watch it by myself then.

By and large, Tampa Bay's problems have been directly related to pitching, the main issue being that they have none of it. The Rays are an annual American League floor mat in ERA, a telling stat. After recently trading 22-year-old outfielder Delmon Young (.288/.316/.408 in 2007) for Minnesota's Matt Garza (3.69 ERA, 67 K/32 BB in 83 IP), though, the 2008 roster will feature the best starting rotation it's ever had. In front of Garza is Scott Kazmir, still just 23, and James Shields, also young at 25. Kazmir is already a star, as he posted 239 strikeouts last season in just over 206 innings of work and an ERA of 3.48. Considering the fact Tampa Bay acquired him for Victor Zambrano, that's a pretty good value. Shields isn't as much of a sure thing, but he posted outstanding peripherals in '07, including a K/BB total of 184/36 and 1.11 WHIP. The acquisition of Garza gives the Rays three legitimate young, talented arms in their rotation, which is sure to be enough to pay huge dividends on the pitching end of the team. Bullpen wise, they need just as much help, although incumbent closer Al Reyes did fine in his role last season despite a 4.90 ERA (he struck out 70 in 60 2/3 innings of work while surrendering just 49 hits). The addition of Troy Percival will help as well.

Offensively, there are some very bright areas. Speedy Carl Crawford is still young and has established himself as a fine hitter with tons of contact ability and still developing power. 2007 also saw the emergence of super prospect B.J. Upton (.300/.386/.508, 24 HR, 22 SB) and super late bloomer Carlos Pena (.282/.411/.627), who posted such staggering numbers that he could have won an MVP award on a winning team. The Rays also have several more young, intriguing players on the offensive side of the ball that could pan out at any given time.

With a new stadium in the works, a new look in the logo and uniforms, and the removal of the word "Devil" from their nickname, Tampa Bay's utterly pathetic franchise is attempting to breathe new life into its tiny fan base. All I'm saying is that they've sold me. I love it when hopeless franchises make a push towards respectability. (See: Kansas City, Milwaukee) If the Rays win the AL East next year, don't expect me to really blink or anything.