The Tampa Bay Rays always have a solid roster. It’s rarely regarded as the best roster, it’s never going to the most potent lineup, but it’s going to be a lineup that battles and grinds and will almost always find themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The pitching is of course the sail that steers the ship, but don’t sleep on this offense. The offense this year, I think, will be a little more formidable than usual. The premier name in this lineup is Evan Longoria, and a young stud Wil Myers is becoming one of the game’s more established hitters as he continues to mature at the big league level.
One guy I’d like to see break out and become the number one prospect rating he once held is Desmond Jennings. Jennings has struggled in his first few years in the big leagues, and going into his third full season and at age 27, to me it’s time for Jennings to break out. Jennings isn’t much of a power hitter, but he should be hitting for a much better average. If Jennings can get himself on base a little more, the Rays could have a very good leadoff hitter.
One other guy that often goes unnoticed is Ben Zobrist. Zobrist is another guy who’s numbers rarely jump out at you, but he’s so consistent, he’s been as reliable a guy as the Rays have had for many years.
James Loney came over last year for the Rays and really had a big impact. His bat cooled off at the end of the year, but having a veteran left-handed bat in their lineup was something the Rays were in need of.
The one thing I, and many others, love about the Rays is their pitching. It seems like the Rays just reload when they let someone go of the caliber of James Shields or (soon to be) David Price. What I like about the Rays arms is they are not incredibly well known.
Two guys I look at in this rotation that I think are two of the top young arms in the game, and they are Alex Cobb and Chris Archer. The Rays have begun the trend of bringing up their top pitching prospects, putting them in the bullpen, and then allowing them to join the rotation after they’ve gotten some experience out of the bullpen. Archer was one of those guys to take this path. His early MLB career saw him in and out of the rotation, and last year he was a spot starter here and there, but this year, Archer gets a shot to be a very solid middle of the rotation pitcher for Tampa. I for one think this kid is on the right track to be a bonafide number two starter, who, if Shields gets moved, could easily be a number one in the next year or two.
But he’s going to have to contend with Alex Cobb. I love the way Cobb pitches. He’s a bulldog, who logs big innings, his numbers are terrific, his stuff is terrific. If Cobb doesn’t get hit by a line drive right in his melon last summer, Cobb probably contends with Max Scherzer for the American League Cy Young award. If Cobb stays healthy in 2014 and makes 30 starts or better, The Rays have three ace pitchers at the top of their rotation.
In the future, no matter how it plays out with Cobb and Archer, the Rays pitching is in good hands.
And the beauty of this rotation is it doesn’t end with those guys. Jake Odorizzi, who’s been dealt twice in elite talent deals, is probably not going to be a Cobb or Archer, but he’s going to be a very good middle-rotation starter. He’s another guy, his numbers won’t blow you away, but he will give you very good innings, very good outings, and is easily a 15 game winner in the future if he can find himself a permanent spot in the rotation this year, which right now looks like a definite possibility.
Last year, in my brief Rays preview, I said the Rays could move three of their top arms, and not miss a beat because of the depth of their minor leagues.
Last year we got a taste of what lefty Enny Romero (left) and right hander Alex Colome could bring. These two guys should be up at the big leagues at some point this season in a bullpen role, and whether Tampa moves Price at the deadline, or they move him in the offseason, these two guys could be the next in line of an Archer or Cobb type of pitchers in this Tampa rotation.
The Rays pitching, always has, and will continue, to make them legitimate contenders in a load American LEague Eastern Division. I expect no less this year, and truthfully, the pitching really makes up for a lot of their shortcomings on offense.
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