Tampa Bays Rays: Top Five Players on the Roster

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Nearing the end of another disappointing year, the Tampa Bay Rays will have some questions to answer this offseason. For now, take a look at the top five players their roster has to offer.

The Tampa Bay Rays seem to be a team that is stuck in neutral for the time being. They have some great pieces but not a big enough market or budget to allow them to compete in the American League East right now.

The AL East has been dominant this season. Currently the Rays are the only team in the division that is not expecting to be in the postseason. Even the Yankees (who were sellers at the break) have managed to put themselves in a position where they may claim one of the two Wild Card spots.

Which direction the Rays will choose to go in will be an interesting situation to watch this winter. With plenty of attractive pieces if they become sellers they could easily re-stock their farm and make their team’s future instantly brighter.

They could also make the decision to go all-in with their core players and improve both their outfield and starting rotation behind Chris Archer. For now, though, the Rays are last in their division and look to be in need of some help this offseason. Until then who are the current top players on the Rays roster?

That question is surprisingly difficult to answer with a few exceptions. The Rays roster seems to be one full of players with upside who just haven’t lived up to expectations or past performances. Here are the top current Rays players.

Next: Number Five

5. Kevin Kiermaier

Kevin Kiermaier is a solid player that the Rays may look to keep for several seasons to come in their outfield. Kiermaier is similar to the Braves’ Ender Inciarte in that he brings much more to the team than is apparent.

One of the best things about Kiermaier offensively is that he is always a tough out. He rarely strikes out and always seems to be hustling. On a team like the Rays, his effort is noticed and appreciated both by teammates and fans. He has also enjoyed a power surge this season hitting the ball out of the park a career high 12 times.

Kiermaier’s defensive ability is often fun to watch. He goes after the ball with the same hustle that he uses on the base paths. He has brought potential homers back more than once in his career and has the ability to make dazzling plays in the outfield.

The problem for Kiermaier is that his defense is still a bit ahead of his bat. Despite almost always putting the ball in play Kiermaier still seems to go through spells where all he can do is roll the ball over to short. Despite that, Kiermaier is a very good player and at age 26 may continue to improve.

Next: Number Four

4. Jake Odorizzi

Jake Odorizzi is a player who is much like Stephen Strasburg was a season or two ago. A player who has been around for a little while but has yet to deliver on high expectations. Despite not being the ace that some thought he was capable of being, Jake Odorizzi is a very good pitcher and could still turn into an ace yet.

Odorizzi is quietly putting together a very solid season. He is 9-6 with a 3.81 earned run average in 172.2 innings pitched so far this season. Add in the fact that a lot of those innings are against some of the best offenses in the league in the AL East and his numbers look even better.

Don’t give up on Odorizzi turning into an ace-like starter just yet. He may not be a pitcher that is going to rack up double-digit strikeout games every time out, but he has a great ability to keep his team in games and still has the potential to keep improving as he gets older. The problem for Odorizzi is does he play into the Rays’ long term rotation plans? He could be a player that the Rays decide to move instead of a pitcher that will be featured a bit later in this list.

Next: Number Three

3. Chris Archer

No question that if this season’s numbers alone were being considered for this list, Chris Archer wouldn’t deserve a spot in these rankings. This list, however, is considering Archer’s past performance and production. Archer, like Odorizzi, hasn’t benefited any from pitching in the AL East and if you believe it shouldn’t make a difference, look at David Price’s drop in production this season.

Chris Archer has had great seasons before this year. He has proven he can pitch like an ace. The Rays would be best served at this point to keep Archer and let him rebuild his value to what it was before this season began. Archer is a player who can rack up strikeouts but even in his best seasons struggled at times to work deep in games.

Archer is a great building block regardless of the direction the Rays decide to go this offseason. Whether rebuilding or gearing up to compete, the team would benefit greatly from having Chris Archer playing into it. Archer not only will improve in the coming seasons but still likely has his best years ahead of him. Pitchers may have down years, but when they are as good as Archer there is one thing that is certain: they will bounce back.

Next: Number Two

2. Logan Forsythe

Logan Forsythe would have had no chance of making this list before the past two seasons. He has gone from a defense-only player who struggles to hit above the Mendoza line to a very solid hitter who can hit the ball out of the park with regularity.

Moving to the Tampa Bay Rays was a move that re-invented Forsythe and has changed the way he is looked at as a hitter. To help put the magnitude of Forsythe’s change into perspective, consider that he hit 18 home runs in his first four seasons as a major leaguer and since then has hit 36 in the last two while maintaining an average above .270 or better.

Logan Forsythe is one of the few players on the roster who has not only delivered on expectations, but has far exceeded them. Forsythe is a player who much like Archer could fit well into the Rays’ plans regardless of which direction they decide to take their franchise.

Forsythe is the type of player that you want to pull for and a great example of not knowing what a player is capable of judging only by the first few seasons of their career.

Next: Number One

1. Evan Longoria

Evan Longoria is quietly one of the most consistent players in the major leagues. Regardless of the team around him he goes out and seems to put up close to the same numbers every season. He has been the face of the Rays franchise for a long time and has provided great production.

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He is enjoying a great year in his age 30 season and is on the verge of setting a new career high in home runs. Longoria, much like every other talented player on the roster, has been surrounded by trade rumors in recent months. It will be interesting to see how the Rays handle his contract and if he does finish his career as a Ray.

Overall, the Rays roster is a mix of established players and underachieving players who haven’t lived up to expectations. The problem for the Rays this offseason will be to judge if it is time to move on from some of these players or to stick with what they have.

Next: Rays Being Left Behind in AL East

They have several young prospects as well who could soon give the major league roster a boost. Until then Rays fans will have to be content watching a small market team that is doing its best to compete in a tough division.

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