Tampa Bay Rays: The 2010s All-Decade Team

The 2010s All-Decade Tampa Bay Rays defied all the odds, proving that to win in MLB you don’t need to empty the bank, you just need to play smart.

You look at a team like the Tampa Bay Rays and you have to wonder how in the world do they stay competitive on such a low budget. During the 2010s, the Rays continued the level of play that took them to the 2008 World Series.

This decade, they have an 860-681 (.531 W-L%) record, winning 90 in a season or more games 6x. That’s more than the Boston Red Sox, who only won 90 or more games in a season during the 2010s 5x.

They did it on a fraction of the budget of the powerhouse teams inside of their own division. In fact, according to Spotrac, this is how the Rays compared with the Red Sox and New York Yankees during the 2010s (no data for 2010):

[NYY, Wins, ~Payroll | BOS, Wins, ~Payroll | TBR, Wins, ~Payroll]

• 2019: NYY, 103, $223M | BOS, 84, $229M | TBR, 96, $64M
• 2018: NYY, 100, $180M | BOS, 108, $227M | TBR, 90, $69M
• 2017: NYY, 91, $210M | BOS, 93, $210M | TBR, 80, $78M
• 2016: NYY, 84, $221M | BOS, 93, $208M | TBR, 68, $64M
• 2015: NYY, 87, $223M | BOS, 78, $183M | TBR, 80, $74M
• 2014: NYY, 84, $215M | BOS, 71, $170M | TBR, 77, $77M
• 2013: NYY, 85, $239M | BOS, 97, $171M | TBR, 92, $73M
• 2012: NYY, 95, $228M | BOS, 69, $175M | TBR, 90, $70M
• 2011: NYY, 97, $214M | BOS, 90, $173M | TBR, 91, $46M

What you’ll notice is that the Rays never exceeded $80M in payroll in any season while the Red Sox and Yankees exceeded $150M or more all ten years. In fact, on average the Rays spent about $715K per win while the Red Sox and Yankees spent more than $2M each.

It’s proof for why you don’t need to break the bank to be competitive.

With that, let’s take a look at the talent the Tampa Bay Rays featured during the 2010s.

All-Decade Tampa Bay Rays Infield

The Rays struggled to keep an everyday catcher on the roster during the 2010s. So after crunching some numbers, Jose Molina won the spot. In three seasons with Tampa (2012-2014), Molina slashed .213 with a .271 OBP and .286. While those numbers are good, it’s in other areas that Molina helped the rays.

• His veteran presence served as a plus for the organization.
• Defensively, Molina had his best season in Tampa, posting a total DRS of 25.

James Loney (First Base) broke out with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 and went on to post two consecutive seasons of .900+ OPS’. Since then, he struggled to maintain that level of play.

In all, his time in Tampa should serve as a positive for the first baseman. While there (2013-2015) he hit .291, the best batting average he’s posted on any team. Also, like Molina, defensively, Loney provided the team with a level of confidence that made his lack of power worth the while.

Before going on to win two consecutive World Series titles with the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago Cubs, Ben Zobrist (Second Base), like Evan Longoria, was the hear and soul of the Rays. A super utility who can play all infield positions at an elite level, Zobrist was selected to be an All-Star in 2013. It would be the second time he received the honor in his career.

Zobrist’s reputation rests on the fact that he does everything well. While his time with the Rays during the 2010s (2010-2014), Zobrist hit .265 with a .357 OBP and a .419 SLG. He wasn’t going to light up the scoreboard with his power, but he was going to do just what you needed to win games.

Yunel Escobar (Shortstop) played just two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2013-2014). In that time span, he hit .257 with a .328 OBP and .354 SLG. Defensively, Escobar was sound during the 2013 season, posting a +4 DRS. However, in 2014, things took a bad turn and as a result, the Rays opted to let him walk.

In the team’s short history, Evan Longoria (Third Base) is ranked as the best Rays player ever according to Baseball-Reference. In fact, his 49.8 bWAR tops all Rays players all-time, and the next guy, Zobrist (36 bWAR), is way behind.

Longoria played 10 seasons with the Rays, posting a .270 average with a .341 OBP and .483 slugging. During the 2010s, he played between 2010-2017. In that time, he was selected to an All-Star game and won a Gold Glove Award. He placed 6th in the AL MVP voting 2x in 2010 and 2013.

All-Decade Tampa Bay Rays Outfield

Matt Joyce (Right Field) played for the Tampa Bay Rays between 2009-2014. From 2010-2014, he played 622 games, hitting .251 with a .344 OBP and .434 SLG.

In 2011, Joyce was selected to be an All-Star. That season, Joyce hit .277 with a .825 OPS. As a member of the Rays, this was arguably the best season he had. Just one year prior, he posted a .837 OPS.

Kevin Kiermaier (Center Field) isn’t the best hitter on the planet. He’ll average somewhere between 10 and 15 homers in a season while posting an OPS well under .800. Defensively, however, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better outfielder.

In fact, since 2014, among all outfielders that qualify, Kiermaier has the highest DRS (130 DRS). The next best defensive outfielder, according to FanGraphs, is Mookie Betts (113 DRS)

Desmond Jennings (Left Field) played his entire MLB career (2010-2016). Jennings’s career never really panned out despite having great potential. In fact, between 2011-2014, Jennings slashed .249 with a .327 OBP and .402 SLG. He stole 86 bags while only getting caught 22 times. His 105 OPS+ in that time shows that he was an above-average player.

All-Decade Tampa Bay Rays Starters

David Price (LHP) started his career with the Rays and immediately established himself as an ace. Between 2010 and mid-2014, before he would be traded to the Detroit Tigers, Price was selected to be an All-Star 2x, he placed 2 or better in the AL Cy Young voting, winning it in 2012. That season, Price posted a 20-5 record with a 2.56 ERA, striking out 205 batters over 211 IP.

In Rays history, according to Baseball-Reference, despite only have played about six seasons with the organization, Rays is the best pitcher. His 21.1 bWAR edges out James Shields who posted a 20.0 bWAR

Chris Archer (RHP) played about 6.5 years with the Tampa Bay Rays. At times, Archer pitched like an ace, who can strike out hitters at will. Between 2012 to mid-2017 Archer posted a 3.69 ERA, striking out 1146 hitters in 1063 IP.

Archer was selected to be an All-Star two times in his time with Tampa. He placed fifth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2015, losing out to Dallas Keuchel.

Blake Snell (LHP) started his career with the Rays in 2016. Since then, he has gone from being a middle of the line starter, into an AL-Cy Young Award winner. His best season came in 2018, when after leading the league in wins (21), ERA (1.89), ERA+ (217), and H9 (5.6) he bested Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander in the Cy Young voting.

2019 wouldn’t be so kind to Snell. After a long stint on the IL, Snell only started 23 games, while posting a 4.29 ERA and winning just six games.

During the 2010s, James Shields (RHP) pitched three seasons for the Rays (2010-2012). In that time, Shields was selected to his only All-Star game and placed third in the 2011 AL Cy Young Award. In that time, Shields started 99 games for the Rays, winning 44 of them. He’d post a 3.76 ERA and a 1.210 WHIP.