BY KRISTOPHER COLLEY, II
As the money and gigantic contracts flow in Major League Baseball, it is easy to predict that teams that cannot afford the price tags of certain players will get left in the dust.
This has not been the case for the Tampa Bay Rays in recent years. Year in and year out since a World Series run in 2008, the Rays under Manager Joe Maddon have been a perennial American League playoff contender.
Their 2013 campaign has been no different so far; the Rays boast a 66-48 record and are in great shape to make another postseason run.
Since the Rays do not have the enormous payroll of other competitors, they are forced to win games with quality young prospects, great production and execution, and splendid pitching.
They have a team Earned Run Average (ERA) of 3.82 and a Batting Average Against (BAA) of .238, which is second best in the AL.
Their pitching staff has stars: ace David Price (6-5, 93 strikeouts), Matt Moore (14-3, 115 strikeouts), Jeremy Hellickson (10-5 107 strikeouts), and emerging star Chris Archer. Archer has been sensational this season winning 6 games and posting a 2.71 ERA, all while showing flashes of a future ace in the making.
The offseason move to acquire Wil Myers from the Kansas City Royals’ farm system is arguably the best move the Rays have made in years. Myers brings a dangerous and consistent bat to a lineup that has been known to go dormant at critical moments. Since Myers was called-up on June 18th, the Rays have posted a 31-14 record including winning 16 of 18 in a stretch in July.
Maddon somehow consistently gets his team to perform and to compete at a high level even when they are supposedly the underdogs. They have the third lowest payroll in the majors, but the fifth best record this season.
Needless to say, the remaining month and a half of the regular season will be an intense and entertaining one, but the Rays are poised and are ready to make a run. If their bats continue to stay warm and their staff keeps dealing, the sky is the limit for the 2013 Tampa Bay Rays.
Kristopher Colley, II is an aspiring sports writer and reporter. He is a junior at Morehouse College.
