Tampa Bay Rays: The 2010s All-Decade Team

All-Decade Tampa Bay Rays Bullpen

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Jake McGee (Middle Relief) pitched 6 seasons out of the Rays bullpen. In that time, he generally was up and down. His ups were really up and his downs were really down. Overall, however, he could be a reliable arm, even elite at times.

Overall, between 2010 and 2015, McGee appeared in 297 games, posting a 2.77 ERA and striking out 319 hitters over 259.2 innings. A closer look at his numbers shows that he performed better in even number years.

• 2010: 1.80 ERA / 1.000 WHIP
• 2011: 4.50 ERA / 1.500 WHIP
• 2012: 1.95 ERA / 0.795 WHIP
• 2013: 4.02 ERA / 1.181 WHIP
• 2014: 1.89 ERA / 0.897 WHIP
• 2015: 2.41 ERA / 0.938 WHIP

The explanation for this: who the heck knows.

Alex Colome (Set-Up Man) can pitch like an elite closer at times. In fact, in 2016 he led the league in saves with 47. One season prior, he was selected to be an All-Star after posting a 1.91 ERA in 57 games. That season, he struck out 71 batters over 56.2 innings.

Colome would be traded to the Seattle Mariners during the 2018 season, where he’d gain a reputation as a shutdown set-up man. He is currently a member of the Chicago White sox.

Fernando Rodney (Closer) has a knack for driving fans of any organization he plays for crazy. However, while with the Tampa Bay Rays, he was actually quite good. Between 2012-2014, Rodney appeared in 213 games and posted a 2.21 ERA and 1.136 WHIP. In 207.2 IP he struck out 234 batters.

The best part of it all, especially if you’re Dominican, like me…in 2013, while with the Rays, he helped the Dominican Republic to win the World Baseball Classic.