The 2023 MLB season opened to a glorious weekend of baseball. The rule changes promised a bigger, quicker, better game, and they delivered. Strikeouts, runs, and stolen bases are up, while the Tampa Bay Rays announced their presence with authority. It is too early to get overly excited … but are the Rays the best team in baseball? Let’s take a deeper look into the most dominant opening weekend team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Tampa Bay Rays kid at shortstop
Wander Franco has been one of the most anticipated prospects in baseball for a few years. The Rays made roster moves for years around his potential. However, his first season in the show was average until he was injured. Fast forward to Opening Day 2023, and Wander Franco has arrived.
Not too late to hop on the Wander Franco train. He’s going nuclear this season… pic.twitter.com/Unosr399CS
— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) April 2, 2023
Through the Rays’ first series, Franco is batting .636 with seven hits in 12 at-bats. He also showed great poise in his red-hot start, drawing two walks. His speed on the base paths was there, with a stolen base and three runs scored. Power? He has that too. Check out this home run.
Wander Franco shows off the opposite-field power. 💪 #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/tNm2gA0RYm
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2023
His experience with the Dominican Republic WBC team this spring has elevated Franco, and he is now who we all heard he was expected to be. Of course, it’s far too early to get on an MVP chant, but those AL MVP odds are looking good early on.
Six hitless innings
Jeffrey Springs has beat the odds, traded twice, and set for assignment three more times before becoming a starter. He is a guy who was never supposed to make it to a starting big-league rotation. However, he has persisted in a way only a true baseball player can and thrived in Tampa Bay’s rotation last year. Sunday, he declared his dominance as a starter for the Rays after he threw six hitless innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts in a defeat of the Tigers.
Baseball’s Best Team
A lot to be optimistic about happened in Tampa this weekend. Randy Arozarena continued his WBC hot streak with his first home run while Jose Siri smacked in a few more runs. Their pitching was outstanding, ranking second in MLB in ERA.
It was just a sweep of the Tigers, but the Rays are MLB’s only undefeated team. So far, it looks like the Tampa Bay Rays are the best team in baseball.