A Fish Called Aranda

 

# of Rays with sub-.200 averages who still rank among the team's top statistical performers: Two. And you people wonder why I hate these teams,

The Rays continue to get by using the most cheap and antithetical means possible and only get rewarded for it. Once again they're riding a band of mostly scrubs to a place in the standings higher than a team that was supposed to be competitive, and are reaping the benefits of continuing to have one of the best farm systems in the league. They're playing in a minor league stadium with the hopes of eventually return to their MLB stadium, voted 29th in the league on a scale from 'new' to 'should be condemned'. 

And so whenever people start getting excited about a Rays rookie, I just tell them to temper their expectations. Either this player is going to get traded within a year, stay at the expense of their own health or have some calamity befall them. I think about the people who actually stuck around for a while in Tampa, and it's people like Carl Crawford [arrested for assault], Aubrey Huff [generally abhorrent human being] and Wander Franco [you know]. Or it's guys like Longoria, Kiermaier and Lowe, who stay for a while but can't stay healthy. Even as extensions get handed out left and right, and there exists the possibility of several current veterans, including Aaron Judge, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout and Jose Altuve, retiring after long, HOF-caliber careers spent playing for only one team, I think a player becoming a star and playing a complete, 15-year career with the Rays is a true fantasy. Just ask Blake Snell, Isaac Paredes and Willy Adames. 

And so you look at this Jonathan Aranda guy, and there's a ton to like about him. Defensive upgrade at first from Yandy Diaz, who's now the full time DH, can play everyday, hit .300 and lead the team in slugging. He's very multifaceted, in a way the fans were expecting Junior Caminero to be. Aranda, however, is 27, and this being his breakout season this late is...somewhat concerning. There's a lot of that in the breakout guys in this team. Misner's 27, Mangum's 29. At the very least actual rookie breakout Chandler Simpson, a base-stealing phenom in the tradition of B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford, is 24. But even for a rebuilding team, the median age is still 29 or 30, and you want to hand the team off to people who'll have 5 or so years of peak play to rest on. Some of these guys will be in their mid-30s by then, and they may not be long term solutions. Then again, Yandy Diaz's best years came after 29, so you never know.

I think what ultimately sours me on the Rays is that they just don't make any logical sense. They do all the things you shouldn't do and they still win. It goes against everything I expect from baseball. And yet it's efficient for them I guess. I dunno, if I had my way I'd buckle the Rays and Rockies in, find better markets and less cheap owners and march ahead.

Coming Tomorrow- He just passed 1000 RBIs, and he may pass 350 home runs in the next month. And he's only 32.