Tampa Bay Rays All Time 25 Man Roster
By David Hill
Despite not having a long history, the Tampa Bay Rays have had a number of stellar players come through the organization. Who would make up their all time 25 man roster?
Tampa Bay had long been the destination for teams threatening to relocate. As teams looked to get more and more money from their local governments for new ballparks, Tampa Bay became quite the hotbed of baseball rumors. In fact, the San Francisco Giants almost moved to Florida before AT&T Park was built.
Finally, on March 9, 1995, the Tampa Bay Rays came into existence. An ownership group fronted by Vince Naimoli was selected as one of two groups to receive an expansion franchise. Finally, regular season Major League Baseball would come to the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.
It took a decade for the Rays to find success. During that time, they finished outside of the cellar only once, with a fourth place finish in the American League East in 2004. However, beginning in 2008, when the Rays went on a surprise run to the World Series, they became contenders. Right into the middle of the current decade, the Rays were a formidable squad, and one that could defeat any team in baseball.
Recent years have not been as kind to the franchise. After four playoff appearances from 2008 through 2013, the Rays have struggled once more. Handicapped by payroll issues, and an obsolete stadium, it has gotten more difficult for the Rays to recapture their former glory. However, even though the front office and manager have changed, that does not mean the future of the franchise is dark.
While the Rays may have only come into existence less than a decade ago, quite a few stellar players have passed through their clubhouse doors. And so, let us take a trip down memory lane, and look at the Tampa Bay Rays all time 25 man roster.