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Tampa Bay Rays Mid-Season Recap

One of the more consistently successful teams to this point in the 2023 MLB season is the Tampa Bay Rays. And their success is nothing new.

The Rays are slowly beginning to find themselves as one of the more exciting teams in the MLB. As an up-and-comer, Tampa Bay is finding themselves in the heat of the American League East race. To be fair, they are doing a decent enough job of living up to preseason expectations.

Certainly, a 61-40 record shows that they are one of the more consistently successful teams. Yet, the record is mere percentage points off the lead in what is turning out to be one of the best divisions in baseball in 2023.

For more on Back Sports Page’s MLB Mid-season Recaps, take a look at Sofia Tiurek’s latest piece on the Chicago Cubs.

But how have the Rays made a name for themselves with how successful they are? Let’s take a closer look behind the team…

Tampa Bay Rays Mid-Season Recap: Elite Offense Turning Heads

When people think of the success of the Tampa Bay Rays, offense is one of the first talking points. This year’s Rays group is no different.

Conversely, the statistics show that as a team, the Rays are second in the AL in runs scored (532), second in home runs (148), second in total bases (1525), and second in slugging percentage (.450).

Likewise, the team has top-five rankings in the Junior Circuit in batting average (fourth at .257), total hits (fourth with 872), on-base percentage (fifth at .328), and OPS (third at .778).

One of the key contributors to that success is first baseman Yandy Diaz. The 31-year-old Diaz recently became a first-time All-Star, and he is becoming one of the more reliable corner infielders in today’s game. Through his first 83 games, Diaz is sporting a career-best in batting average (.319), slugging percentage (.502), and OPS  (.904). His .402 on-base percentage is also tops on the team.

Another guy is who putting together an All-Star worthy year is young shortstop Wander Franco. Now in his third season, Franco is another All-Star who is developing into one of the more exciting shortstops in today’s MLB. In 94 games, Franco is posting a .277/.333/.443/.777 slash line with career-highs in home runs (11) and RBIs (44). He also currently a career-best with 28 stolen bases.

Likewise, the Rays lead all teams in the American League with 115 total stolen bases. Speed is becoming an important part for any MLB offense today, and having the most stolen bases is always nice to prove the ability to be difficult to contain.

Rays Mid-Season Recap: Pitching Also One of The Top Units in the AL

The heading explains it all. When the pitching is on, the offense is on, and vice versa. And the Rays’ pitching staff is one that is trustworthy. Looking at the overall statistics, the Rays could be considered a top-5 unit in the Majors. They lead the AL in wins (61), ERA (3.67), innings pitched (892.2), fewest hits allowed (754), and fewest runs allowed (385). They also have surrendered the third-fewest earned runs (364), third-fewest home runs (105), and struck out the fifth-most batters (903).

Of course, when talking about the Rays pitching staff, a person would be amiss if they did not discuss Shane McClanahan.

In back-to-back All-Star seasons, McClanahan is becoming one of the more dominant left-handers in today’s game. Through 18 starts, McClanahan sports a very impressive 11-1 record with a top-notch 2.56 ERA. McClanahan is one of those starters who does an impressive job of limiting damage, with only 29 earned runs allowed in 102 innings. He also does solid work of keeping runners off of the base paths, as noted by a 1.12 WHIP. Of course, 107 strikeouts is not a bad number for a 9+ K’s per 9 ratio.

Starters Give Plenty of Aces

But McClanahan is not the only guy who is posting ace-caliber or at least top-level starter numbers. Free agent acquisition Zach Eflin is also posting some healthy stats of his own. The 29-year-old right-hander currently holds an 11-5 record in 19 starts with a rock-solid 3.36 ERA. But the numbers that jumps out the most in the scouting reports is a WHIP (Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched) of 0.988. Any pitcher that maintains a sub-1.00 WHIP is putting some seriously good numbers. Eflin also has 113 strikeouts, which is on pace to break a previous career-high of 129 from 2019.

The Rays also boast Tyler Glasnow and Taj Bradley in their rotation.

Tampa Bay Rays Mid-Season Recap: Defense Stats

Similar to the offense and the pitching, the Rays’ defense is the top in the AL. Tampa holds the best fielding percentage in the junior circuit (.989) and the fewest errors (40).

Rays Best/Statement Win/Worst Loss of the Season

Looking back at the Rays schedule, their biggest statement win of the season came back on June 9. That day, they beat the currently-AL West-leading Texas Rangers 8 to 3. Likewise, their worst loss also is to an AL west opponent. The Rays’ worst loss of the 2023 campaign came on the road on June 12 at the hands of the Oakland A’s. That game resulted in a 4-3 defeat for Tampa.

Final Thoughts on Tampa Bay Rays

Overall, seeing the Tampa Bay Rays as one of the top teams in the MLB is not a big surprise. And their momentum should carry them toward perhaps a deep postseason run. But can they clinch an elusive first World Series title? They certainly have the talent, but only time will tell.

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Nate Powalie is a contributor for Back Sports Page. A 2022 graduate of Ashland University (Ashland, Ohio), Nate has five years of sports writing experience, and has gotten the chance to call sporting events for radio and live stream. Nate can be found on Twitter (@PNate22) and Facebook (Nate Powalie).

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