Here we are with another team that remains in the same position as last year, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays once again made the postseason on their miniscule payroll, but after the finish of this season I am left uncertain about their future. The one comparison that is coming to mind is the Twins from 2002-2006. The Twins made the playoffs 4 out of 5 years while the Rays have made it 4 out 6 years. Neither team did much in the postseason with the Twins winning one series and the Rays winning 2 series in 2008. Their payrolls were both near the bottom of the league and they were both forced to constantly replenish their rosters with young players. The beginning of the end for the Twins was the trade of ace pitcher Johan Santana for a group of prospects that did almost nothing in Minnesota. The Rays are going into a similar situation this offseason with the probable trade of ace David Price. I know that the Rays will get a lot of top prospects for him, but one can only hope that they turn out better for Tampa than for the Twins. I am worried that this year was the end of their entertaining run though.
RAYS TEAM TRIVIA
# of players to play in a Rays game (1998-2013) - 339
# of those players to have a Rays card (as of today) - 230
% of Rays players to appear on a Rays card - 67.8%
Big names left out - Hank Blalock, Julio Franco, Dwight Gooden
# of new Rays in 2013 - 17
Total # of Rays in 2013 - 42
position on last year's list -- #4 = same
Let's take a look at the first half of the 2013 Tampa Bay Rays with the team card leading the way.
I'll be back with Part 2 tomorrow.
Thanx for reading.
2 comments:
Wow, I didn't even know that Shelley Duncan was still in the big leagues.
Those are really cool... The cropping on the David DeJesus really makes it look like a 1977.
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