It's inevitable that at least one Tampa Bay Ray overstays their welcome by like a year in between regime changes. Aubrey Huff, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Kevin Kiermaier. And now it's Brandon Lowe, and arguably Yandy Diaz as well. This isn't really the team that made the World Series in 2020--the bullpen's different, a new youth movement has taken over...they're not even playing in the same stadium. They're at Steinbrenner Field, which at the very least isn't a dump like the Trop is, but there's no choice but for things to feel very different.
And yet Brandon Lowe persists. The funny thing about that, and putting him into the same category as those other guys, is that those other guys had multiple great seasons. Brandon Lowe has had 2019...and 2021, which was statistically better and close to an 100 RBI year, but he usually only makes 110 or so games a year, if that, he strikes out a ton, hasn't hit for average since the pandemic and just...continues to mosey around the back of this lineup. And yes, he's honestly done some nice stuff so far this year for the Rays, hitting 11 RBIs and 3 homers, but...he's not a well rounded player. He's still hitting like .239 right now, and that's honestly what his final average might be as well. The Rays right now have too many players that refuse to have other dimensions yet statistically still get favored. Taylor Walls is like that too. He's a great shortstop, but I don't want him on my team. Dude hits .170 every year. Ideally your starting shortstop should not be hitting .170. This didn't work when they had Mike Zunino hitting .170 and it doesn't work for me now. The only thing Taylor Walls has going for him to keep that position is that he's not a convicted felon. He's one lucky guy, I'll say that. You can really just...move Caminero over to third...make Caballero the backup...just to keep Taylor Walls in your lineup. Maddening.
What really excites me about this team are some of the young guys who DO have dimensions. Jonathan Aranda's made 1st his own this year, and he's hitting .377 with 11 RBIs and 3 homers. Caminero finally feels at home in the majors, with 5 homers already. Kameron Misner's still hitting .400 with some excellent contact work. Rasmussen and Baz are off to excellent starts, which means now the Rays start hoping they get through without injuring themselves. Really the only people who aren't hitting for this Rays team are the 30-year-olds and...well, Taylor Walls.
Even with all this progress, the Rays really have to hold onto Lowe and Diaz, because they're really the chaperones here. This is not a team ready to truly compete, and as this Yankees series is already showing, they're gonna need to really build on this before they can be a true match. And Carlos Rodon striking out nearly the whole team isn't how you prove you can dance with the big boys.
Coming Tomorrow- We got him relatively cheap but he's somehow been the best pitcher in Philly this season.
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