Many Tampa Bay Rays fans thought that 2022 would be a terrific season. After all, the Rays had won 100 games in 2021, but 2022 brought an 86-76 finish, with the team in third place in the American League East, 13 games behind the division-winning New York Yankees. Things were particularly bleak down the stretch as the team dropped eight of its last ten games and then got swept, 2-0, by Cleveland in one of the wild card series. Going into 2023, the Rays need to get back to the basics of what works for them – but will they? We have some thoughts about what they need to do to make a deeper run in the postseason, and whether you should include them in your MLB betting.
MLB News: Tampa Bay Rays 2023 Season Predictions
The Rays will have fewer key injuries
Even with a simple application of the law of averages, the number of important playmakers on the injured list almost has to decrease. Some of the top names that missed significant time included shortstop Wander Franco, starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, and second baseman Brandon Lowe. Adversity forced other players to take on key roles, though, and some of them flourished as a result. Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan cracked the top 10 in the American League for quality starts, strikeouts and ERA. He might have gotten into the top 5 in all of those numbers and been a larger part of the Cy Young conversation if – you guessed it – he had not hurt his left shoulder down the stretch. He took sixth in the AL Cy Young balloting anyway, and he returns as the presumptive ace of the staff for 2023.
Pitching will be an area of strength again this season
Some other starting pitchers who emerged in 2022 were Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs, who set career marks for ERA, innings pitched and total starts. The bullpen also some injuries, but they found a setup man and a closer in Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam, respectively. Fairbanks posted a 1.13 ERA in 24 appearances (with his time on the field, of course, limited with injuries). He has a 99 mph average fastball and a 96 mph average sinker, making him devastating to face as a hitter.
But what about the offense?
The Rays have never been one of the more prolific offenses in Major League Baseball, but last year was a real struggle as the team ranked 21st in MLB in scoring. Part of this had to do with the fact that so many players missed so much time; only six position players appeared in more than 100 of 162 games. Randy Arozarena was fifth in the American League in doubles, Yandy Diaz came in third in the AL in on-base percentage while leading off, and DH Harold Ramirez hit .300 with a .747 OPS, but shortstop Taylor Walls and utility infielder Isaac Paredes hit .172 and .205, respectively, and they both had to play a lot because of injuries to more productive hitters, and the Rays’ offense suffered as a result.
Who will emerge as the Rays’ top catcher?
Mike Zunino made the All-Star team in 2021, but he only appeared in 36 games in 2022. Rene Pinto, Christian Bethancourt, and Francisco Mejia were the top catchers last season, but none of them emerged as strong candidates to be the starter this season. Zunino is one of the players with whom the Rays severed ties in the off-season, along with outfielder David Peralta and starting pitchers Ryan Yarbrough and Corey Kluber. They didn’t emerge from the winter meetings with a strong catching candidate, so it will be interesting what comes out os spring training.
2023 Prediction: 90-52, 2nd place, AL East, Wild Card
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