Wander Lust

 

I don't like the Rays. Don't like that they're winning, don't like their business strategy, don't like most of their pitchers. And yet, honestly, I don't really dislike Wander Franco. 

Look, when the Sox had Betts and Bogaerts, and Devers now, I could dislike the team doing well but with the talent those guys were working with, at the end of the day I had to respect them. Same with Ortiz, honestly. I've got the same kind of admiration for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he plays for the enemy but the way he hits is extraordinary. And that's kinda where I am with Wander. I think he's eye-popping in the field, and that catch he made this week was incredible. I think he's a very impressive hitter with great contact abilities and the occasional long ball. Right now he's one of the more exciting young players out there, and at this rate I have like 5 or 6 different versions of his rookie card, so I'm perfectly fine with him.

There are honestly a few Rays I don't have too many qualms against. Randy Arozarena is a really nice power hitter that the Cardinals never should have parted with [or, seeing as the Cards are made up of like 10 outfielders right now, maybe they were onto something], and he's been consistently good since his rookie season in 2020 [get it right, sportswriters]. I think Shane McClanahan is a really strong pitcher who is less infuriating and more just impressive. I like seeing people like Yandy Diaz and Harold Ramirez find a niche in Tampa.

But...I mean, the rest of the team is just full of guys I don't love. Brandon Lowe, as big of a guy he is in Tampa, is so unreliable. He'll refuse to hit for 2 seasons and then spring up out of nowhere and hit accurately for power again. I really don't like players like that who are that flighty, and even if one of the prime offenders of that [Mike Zunino] is off the team, there's still even more, like Christian Bethancourt and Taylor Walls, who are infuriating me this season. Like, when did Taylor Walls learn to hit? These last few seasons he's absolutely refused to and let his defense do the talking, but NOW he's hitting .288?? 

The single most infuriating part about this team is that it's not laid out like most 'good' teams usually are, and it somehow does better than them all. The Rays, as I write this, have only lost 5 games, even with the amount of supposed replacement players they've brought together. They're winning, essentially, on the strength of management and organizational strength, and it barely has to do with most of these players' actual abilities, save for, like, Wander and Randy and McClanahan and those guys. So much of this team is happenstance, and those teams that feel like they win specifically to tick me off are the bane of my existence. The Rays are just the latest and greatest.

The bubble will pop eventually. It has to....right?

Coming Tonight: Any worry that this guy's status as one of the best players in baseball would be affected by his recent injuries has been almost immediately washed away.