Tampa Bay Rays 2016 Season Rewind
The 2016 season was a step in the wrong direction for the Tampa Bay Rays. What happened to turn a dark horse candidate for the American League East title into a team with the fourth worst record in baseball?
Last season was a time of transition for the Tampa Bay Rays. The brain trust of Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman had departed, and now, the new regime was making the squad over in their image. There was a new found emphasis on power, as opposed to the speed and defense that had become a hallmark of the Rays over the years. Yet, there was still a solid young pitching staff in place, and with the unsettled nature of the American League East, the Rays seemed to have an outside shot at the division.
However, disaster struck. While the Rays hit for that expected power, the offense did little else. Despite finishing fourth in the league with 216 homers, and seventh with a .426 slugging percentage, Tampa Bay struggled to produce any offense. The Rays were 14th in runs and on base percentage, and dead last in batting average.
The pitching staff also struggled. While Chris Archer, Drew Smyly, and Blake Snell all had their moments, they had quite a few problems getting the final out of an inning. While the Rays as a whole were eighth in the American League with a 4.20 ERA, they needed far more from their pitching staff this past season.
That combination of difficulties on offense and pitching short circuited what could have been a promising campaign, leaving the Tampa Bay Rays with a 68-94 record, 25 games out of first. This was not the first step that the Rays were expecting in their attempts to revamp the roster.
So, what went right for the Rays this past year? What went wrong, and what does the future hold? Let us take a look back at the Tampa Bay Rays 2016 campaign.
Let’s start with the obvious. Evan Longoria, the face of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise, was back to form in 2016. Although he was unable to achieve his goal of being an All Star in front of his home crowd in San Diego, Longoria did get back to form, posting a .273/.318/.521 batting line with a career high 36 home runs. The 2016 season also marked the fourth straight campaign where Longoria played in 160 or more games, showing that he truly is a building block for the future.
The Rays also got surprising production from Brad Miller. While the somewhat competent defense at short that the Rays hoped for never came to be, he did hit a surprising 30 home runs and 29 doubles. Even more importantly, Miller took over at first late in the year and solidified the position. Between he and Longoria, the Rays had a solid 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup.
On the pitching side, the Rays had to be shocked with the production they received from Alex Colome. Pressed into service as the Rays closer when Brad Boxberger was injured, he held the job for the majority of the season. Colome notched 37 saves while posting a 1.91 ERA and a 1.024 WHiP, striking out 71 batters in 56.2 innings. He certainly deserved his place as the Rays All Star.
Likewise, it was a solid year for Jake Odorizzi. After pitching well last year, Odorizzi continued to build on that performance, posting a 10-6 record with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.194 WHiP. While he may not be a front of the rotation arm, Odorizzi has started to prove that he could be a dependable middle of the rotation starter, and a potentially intriguing trade chip.
Despite their record, it was not all doom and gloom for the Tampa Bay Rays. They had some solid performances last year, and may have even found a couple of pieces to build around.
While the Rays had some positives, there were quite a few negatives during the 2016 campaign as well. It makes sense; after all, the Rays did finish with the second worst record in the American League. Quite a bit had to go wrong.
Let’s start on offense. Once again, the Rays had issues at catcher, where they tried four different players over the course of the season. Journeyman Bobby Wilson, who has been with four different teams since 2014, including both the Rays and Rangers twice, was the most productive of those options. Even then, his .230/.272/.391 batting line worth an OPS+ of 81 was nothing special.
For the Rays, the offense as a whole had issues. Yes, they hit for a tremendous amount of power, but that was basically all the Rays did. Even worse than a three true outcome squad, they were a two true outcome team, ranking fourth in homers and they had the most strikeouts in the American League. With no one on base to drive in, those homers did not matter.
On the pitching front, Chris Archer may have been the biggest disappointment of the Rays season. A year removed from making the All Star Game and finishing fifth in the Cy Young vote, Archer led the league in losses while struggling with his command all season. His 4.02 ERA was just about league average, and his 1.242 WHiP may seem solid, but he also had his highest home run rate of his career.
Aside from Danny Farquhar and Alex Colome, the Rays bullpen was a disaster for much of the season. Brad Boxberger never got his season off the ground, and 1.726 WHiP made him quite the adventure when he was able to pitch. Even with Colome and Farquhar, the Rays bullpen ranked 21st in baseball with a 4.09 ERA, a mark that was worse than the Braves and the Angels, who also had their own relief issues.
Well, enough looking back. Let’s look ahead and see what the Rays would need to do to improve in 2017.
In all reality, not much may change for the Tampa Bay Rays next season. The ever present payroll constraints will be in place, making a quick turnaround that much more difficult.
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In the past, the Rays could work around those issues. With Evan Longoria set in the middle of the lineup, and a plethora of excellent arms, the Rays were able to supplement the roster with their crop of young talent. However, with Blake Snell having cemented his place in the Majors, that talent is just not there in the upper levels of the minors. The rebuild may take some time.
That problem has been exacerbated by the Rays failures on the trade market. While pieces such as Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi and Ben Zobrist had been acquired in trades over the years, those players just are not there in the Rays system at this point.
The Rays rebuild is likely going to take some time, and a great deal of patience. Just as the first contending teams were a few years in the making, the next playoff team in Tampa Bay may be a bit down the road. But a few free agent signings to shore up the bullpen, and a focus on locating a couple of players that can get on base may help the Rays be respectable in 2017.
Next: Padres 2016 season review
The Tampa Bay Rays have their work cut out for them this offseason. A couple of smart moves, and an eye to the future, could help the Rays get back on track.