The Days of the Rays

05/15/2023

By: Marissa Kasch

Inside the Rays’ Historic Start & What It Means for the 2023 MLB Season

Whether you’re a die-hard MLB fan or you barely follow baseball, nearly everyone has heard about the Tampa Bay Rays and their incredible start to the season. The Rays came out of the gate swinging this year with a 13-0 start, the best start to an MLB season in over 30 years. The Toronto Blue Jays snapped this winning streak on April 14, but the Rays didn’t stop making history. Their record currently sits at 30-11, yielding a win percentage of .731 — the best in the league — and they’re putting up numbers like no team in recent memory.

The Rays’ prowess extends far beyond their win streak or record. Of course, it is always impressive when a team opens the season with a lengthy winning streak. But the Rays were even more special. Their 13-game run tied the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1982 Atlanta Braves for the longest winning streak to open a season. However, during this winning streak the Brewers had a 2.92 run differential, while the Braves’ was 2.46. The Rays beat opponents by 5.46 runs during their streak. Talk about dominant.

Now, let’s look at other teams with a great start to the season. There were four teams with a 10-0 start: the 1955 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1962 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1966 Cleveland Indians, and 1981 Oakland Athletics. Respectively, their run differentials were 3.90, 3.00, 2.30, and 4.40. Even with these teams’ impressive start to the season, none came close to the Rays in terms of run differential.

During their win streak, the Rays had more games where they won by four or more runs (11) than games where they won by three runs or less (2). In other words, the Rays don’t just come to win, they come to dominate.

Is this win streak surprising? Well, any 13-game win streak and MLB record always comes as somewhat of a shock, but the Rays have proven their talent in recent years. They have the MLB’s fourth best record since 2018 and set a franchise record with 100 wins in 2021.

Recently, the Rays have been a force to be reckoned with, though they may seem like underdogs. The team has never won a World Series and the franchise has one of the smallest payrolls in the league. This season, however, the Rays seek to change this narrative and prove that spending doesn’t equal success and history can always be rewritten.

Tropicana Troubles

The Rays started the season 14-0 at home before being shut out twice by the Houston Astros. They currently sit at 19-3 at home, which is impressive considering the term “home-field advantage” doesn’t really apply to them. Tropicana Field is home to the Rays, but it’s also home to a non-retractable roof and catwalks. Back in 2011, the Rays faced the New York Yankees at home. The Yankees had a hit that would have been an easy fly ball in any other park. However, the ball hit the catwalk in foul territory and came down onto the field, putting it in play. The Rays were able to recover the play, but other times they have not been so lucky. Prior to this, a ball hit one of the stadium’s support rings and fell into play, costing the Rays the game versus the Minnesota Twins. In addition to this, it is incredibly easy to lose sight of a fly ball at Tropicana Field as it blends in with the coloring of the roof. Of course, this is a disadvantage to other teams, and the Rays have more practice with these instances. However, it is not an ideal situation for anyone.

Sparse attendance in Tampa Bay does not lend any advantage to the team either. In fact, their attendance creates more of a disadvantage than anything. The Rays are among the lowest attendances in the league, averaging fewer than 18,000 fans per game. Because the Rays are located in Florida, Tropicana Field is a hotspot for fans from any and everywhere.

So how did they do it? Usually with streaks like this, it’s easy to pinpoint the driving force, whether that’s power hitting, impeccable pitching, or management. The intriguing thing about the Rays is that it’s a little bit of everything.

Power Hitting

Last season, the Rays were known for anything but power hitting, ranking 25th in home runs. However, they lead the MLB with 80 home runs so far this season, with nine players hitting at least six each. That’s another dangerous thing about the Rays: They are a well-balanced team. They don’t have one powerhouse hitting a record amount of home runs; they have a solid contribution from several players. They have also already scored 252 runs, coasting past opponents. The domination didn’t end with their winning streak. Overall, the Rays have beat opponents by four or more runs in 18 games. In nine of these games, the Rays have beat their opponents by seven or more runs. They also lead the MLB with a .276 batting average and 241 RBIs.

Pristine Pitching

There is no doubt their hitting is impressive. Even in losses, the Rays have had high-scoring games. Their pitching, however, is even more impressive than their batting. They lead the MLB with the fewest hits and the fewest runs allowed. They have already pitched seven shutouts this season, leading the MLB. Last year, the Houston Astros pitched the most shutouts in the MLB (21). With seven shutouts already in the books, the Rays are on pace to break this record. They also lead the league with a 3.17 ERA. It may help that they have one of MLB’s best pitchers, Shane McClanahan, who has gone 7-0 and boasted a 1.76 ERA.

Remarkable Management

Aside from obvious expertise in pitching and hitting, the Rays have an excellent manager in Kevin Cash. Cash has been with the Rays for eight seasons with four trips to the postseason. He has won Manager of the Year twice during this time in 2020 and 2021, becoming the first American League manager to win in consecutive years. Furthermore, Cash is only 45 years old, making him one of the youngest managers in MLB. His age and readiness to evolve with the game may be the reason he connects with his players so well. He also employs a bold, aggressive style which his players admire, though it can get him into trouble at times. Cash is very analytical in his approach to management, which typically works in his favor with decision making, but can also cause controversy. Take the 2020 World Series for example.

In Game 6, Cash decided to pull Blake Snell in the sixth inning where the Rays led the Dodgers 1-0. Snell was having a spectacular outing, striking out nine batters and allowing only two hits through 73 pitches. When he was pulled, there was one runner on and one out. It seemed like the furthest thing from a logical decision to pull Snell, but according to Cash, the decision was all analytics-based. The decision ended up costing the Rays the World Series that year, and Kevin Cash came under fire for it. However, his loyalty to analytics has proven to be beneficial for the Rays over the years.

Cash was a catcher during his time in the majors which allowed him to see the entire field and better understand each position. Historically, catchers have been renowned for their managing capabilities due to their experience in making quick decisions, seeing the whole field, and being involved in every play of the game. Catchers also gain a vast knowledge of both hitting and pitching, making it easier to make pitching decisions based on matchups as a manager. Though some of Cash’s strategies have raised controversy, whatever he is doing is obviously working. His start to this season, postseason trips, and Manager of the Year awards speak for themselves.

Payroll Problems

Tampa Bay’s latest feat becomes even more remarkable when you take the Rays’ payroll into consideration. They have the third-lowest payroll in the league at $73 million. For reference, the New York Mets have the highest payroll at $353 million, nearly five times the allowance for the Rays. Tampa Bay has been clever in the use of its payroll, taking advantage of the MLB salary rules for young players. Per the MLB, players in their first three years can make league-minimum salaries before becoming eligible for three years of arbitration. Shane McClanahan, the current front-runner for the Cy Young Award, is being paid a league-minimum salary of less than $800,000. Drew Rasmussen, another starting pitcher for the Rays, is also making the league minimum. Even as players enter arbitration and can begin to argue their salary, they are still not being paid exorbitant amounts. Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena is making $4.2 million this season in his first year of arbitration. Tampa Bay’s knowledge and use of the system has allowed them to develop stars at shockingly low prices.

What’s Next?

The Rays have the opportunity to be very great for a long time. They are one of the youngest teams in baseball with an average age of 27. Because these young players can be paid less, the Rays can thrive with a modest payroll for years to come. Currently, they sit atop almost every category. They lead in home runs (by a lot), RBIs, total runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, win percentage, ERA, WHIP, and batting average against. The fact that the Rays lead in more categories than not is mind-blowing, and it paves the way for an exciting season. But keep in mind that October is a long way away, and no sport can be definitively predicted by a season’s beginning. It’s how they finish that ultimately counts.

SI: Tampa Bay Rays Start Puts Them in Club That Historically Leads to World Series Title

Image via Joe Stella / Media Mobilize