Rays ready to roll after break
The Tampa Bay Rays surprised everyone with their first half record of 44-41, and are in position to gain the second wild card spot if the season ended today. There have been some surprises and disappointments along the way. first the surprises:
Logan Morrison. Hitting .258 with 24 HR and 57 RBI's, Morrison has at times carried this Rays team on his back offensivley the first half of the season. There were times when he was the only one hitting and the only Ray getting the hits when they mattered most. His also my chioce for first half MVP. The Rays would not be in the spot they are without the contributions of Logan Morrison.
Corey Dickerson. One of two All-Stars, Dickerson hit .312 with 17 HR and drove in 42 runs the first half of the season. Another Ray who delivered in the clutch. Dickerson is on pace for a career high 35 HR and close to 90 RBI's. Well deserving of his All-Star selection. Dickerson has also been very gold in the field as he has yet to make an error this season.
Jacon Faria. Where would the Rays be without his contributions? He stepped in nicely when Blake Snell was sent down to Durham in May and all he has done is go 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 6 starts. 9BB and 37K's. Faria has been a solid addition to the rotation and should be a huge boost to this Rays pitching staff down the stretch.
Alex Colome. Yes he struggled his last few outings and his ERA went up a couple points, but overall he has done an excellant job in the closers role. Colome had 25 saves the first half of the season and should be a bit better in the second half with Brad Boxberger back and Colome not having to pitch a 4-5 out save.
Tim Beckham has finally learned I hope what it means to be a big leaguer. This is the first time Beckham has had a chance to be an every day player at the big league level and offensively has done an adequate job Hitting .274 with 11 HR's and 33 RBI's. Beckham still has a lot of work to do on the defensive end and his base-running can be atrocious at times, but this Beckham is a much improved Beckham over the one we saw the last half of the 2016 season.
Another rookie who deserves some kudo's is Chase Whitley. He made the club out of spring training and has been one of the bright spots in the bullpen Going 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA and a couple of saves.
The bullpen has been most disappointing. Outside of Tommy Hunter the free agent pick-ups have not worked so well for the Rays. Jumbo Diaz has been a bust and Shawn Tolleson has been injured a large part of the season.
The question is can the Rays maintain this level of play and get a playoff bid.? Offensively Yes. This offense I don't believe has reached its full potential. Kevin Keirmaier will be back in August and the Rays will have Wilson Ramos for the 2nd half providing he stays healthy. Rickie Weeks and Peter Bourjos have yet to really make a big-time contribition in the roles that they are in. This Rays offense will be dangerous and give opposing teams fits the second half of the season.
The starting pitching is solid with Archer, Faria, Cobb, and Ordorizzi as the top 4. I don't see Blake Snell as really being a contributor in the second half. Perhaps Brent Honeywell gets a shot at some point. Matt Andriese is due back in August as well.
The key will be the bullpen. Xavier Cedeno is working out and will be able to go on a rehab assignment soon. Chase Whitley as been the only rookie that has really impacted the bullpen in a positive way. The Rays have given a lot of opportunities to the likes of Ryan Garton, Diego Moreno, Ryne Stanek, and Austin Pruitt and have not gotten good results.
If the Rays want to be contenders instead of pretenders in the second half, they are going to have to acquire a couple of bullpen guys. Here are some guys that may be available: David Robertson, Tony Watson, and Kelvin Herrera.
Now lets sit back and see how it plays out down the stretch.
