The good news is that for the first time since arguably Carl Crawford, the Tampa Bay Rays have a genuine base running talent in their midst. The bad news is stealing bases seems to be the only thing he's good at; despite 38 steals, Chandler Simpson is an outfield liability and has a 6.85 OPS despite a .297 average. He gets singles, but he's not a great contact performer. But man does he get on base.
This is the grey area the Rays lie in once again, in yet another period of mediocrity cut from the same cloth as their pre-2020 teams. They're certainly one of the most intriguing teams in the bigs, even if they aren't really one of the best. Having Junior Caminero up and hitting certainly helps; Caminero is on track for a 40+ homer season and an 100+ RBI season after being an All-Star starter at 21. It's very helpful that the Rays can see the future of their team in a young player who isn't about to throw it all away for a felony. Similarly promising is Carson Williams, a 22-year-old shortstop prospect who's already hitting .316 after 5 games in the majors, meaning he's already an offensive upgrade over Taylor Walls. But then again so is my grandmother. Williams, Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and arguably Chandler Simpson are pieces this team can build on, to the point where if they ever figure out this stadium nonsense, they'll have a competitive team to fill seats there.
But everything else for right now is more of the sideshow stuff that Cash teams are known for. Witness Bob and Ian, the incredible Seymour twins, two guys named Seymour who are both rookies for the Rays and ARE NOT RELATED, nor are they related to Carson Seymour, a third rookie for the Giants! Marvel at Ha-Seong Kim, who spent four glorious seasons in San Diego then completely forgot how to play baseball the second he got to Tampa! Watch in amazement as Jake Mangum, a 30-year-old rookie, seeks to have a breakout season on a team that doesn't even want to pay its 28-year-olds!
Right now some of the most crucial Rays are scrub relievers having nice months. Garrett Cleavinger, Eric Orze...what else can you say about them other than 'well they relieve well'. At least Pete Fairbanks is a proven success, but compared to prior Fairbanks seasons this isn't much. The Rays used to be known for their DIY bullpens, now they're just like everybody else.
The odd part is there hasn't really been a watershed moment of 'this doesn't work anymore' for these Rays teams. They're still thinking it's a viable tactic. They're probably gonna let Lowe, Fairbanks and Diaz, the sole remnants of the 2020 team, go in the offseason, probably not pick up Kim's option, and possibly even cut Taylor Walls. All to save room for a youth movement they probably won't pay because of a superstar they paid millions to who'll never play again. It's a little sad in a sense, or it is the moment you stop laughing.
Coming Tomorrow- He was having a breakout season four years in the making and then in came the Yankees to ruin it.
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