Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Tampa Bay Rays.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Rays finished 80-82 and missed the playoffs.  There were two new entrants and multiple elevations coming from the 2024 season.

As always, we present our top five, which saw one change.

1. Evan Longoria

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ben Zobrist

4. Kevin Kiermaier

5. David Price

You can find the entire list here.

Based on the revisions, Kiermaier overtook Price for #4.

Brandon Lowe moved up from #16 to #9.

Third Baseman Yandy Diaz was not able to move past last year’s #10.

Outfielder Randy Arozarena, who was traded to Seattle during the season, advanced two spots to #17.

Pitcher Zach Eflin, who was traded to Baltimore during last season, enters at #50.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Zach Eflin worked his way to become a decent Starting Pitcher with Philadelphia, but he never became a star in the Keystone State.  Earning free agency in 2023, Eflin signed with Tampa, where he had his best season in Major League Baseball, leading the NL in Wins (16) with a sixth-place finish for the American League Cy Young.

The season after, the faltering Rays traded the Pitcher to Baltimore, but his strong year on a team that consistently rotates talent lands Elfin on this list.

A college star at Florida State, Taylor Walls did nit have to travel far when the Tampa Bay Rays chose him with their Third Round pick in 2017.  A versatile infielder, Walls debuted for the Rays in 2021, and has provided top-level defense at Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop where needed.  A light hitter, Walls’ glove is what gets him in the game, and in 2022, he led the American League in Defensive bWAR (2.8), and was first in Total Zone Runs by a Shortstop (14) in 2024.

If Walls could get his OPS to at least .650, he would see considerably more playing time.

David Price was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays as the first overall pick in 2007. He made his debut a year later in September, helping the Rays make it to the World Series. Although the team didn't win, Price had a win and a save in the playoffs, and this marked the beginning of his professional career.

In 2009, Price joined Tampa Bay's starting rotation, and in 2010, he became an All-Star, finishing the season with a 2.72 ERA, 19-6 record, and 188 strikeouts. He was second in Cy Young voting, and the Rays' belief in his potential had been proven right. Price was an All-Star again in 2011 and 2012, with the latter being the best season of his career. He won the American League Cy Young, with a league-leading 20 wins and a 2.56 ERA.

As was typical for the Rays, they traded Price (whose contract was set to expire after the 2015 season) during the 2014 campaign to Detroit. Despite the trade, Price had another excellent year, finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting (15-12) and topping the league in strikeouts (275). The Tigers had a tough year in 2015, but Price performed well, beginning the year with a 9-4 record and a 2.53 ERA. He was even better in the second half with the Blue Jays, helping them reach the playoffs. In that year, he won his second ERA title (2.45) and was the runner-up to Dallas Keuchel for the Cy Young.

Price signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2016, but he was no longer a Cy Young contender. He still ate up a lot of innings, but his ERA started to rise, and he had elbow issues. Nonetheless, he played a significant role in Boston's 2018 World Series Championship. Price was shut down with elbow problems in 2019 and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020, although he sat out the COVID-shortened year. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series that year without him, and he was awarded a ring despite having no on-field accomplishments.

Price spent two more years in the bullpen for the Dodgers and compiled an overall career record of 157-82 with 2,076 strikeouts.

Archer was drafted by the Cleveland Indians but was later traded to the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He made his Major League debut in 2012 and became a permanent fixture in the Rays' rotation a year later. In 2015, despite having a losing record of 12-13, Archer had his best season. He fanned 253 batters, which placed him second in the American League. His 3.23 ERA was good enough for fifth place, and he also attained fifth place in Cy Young voting and added his first All-Star.

Although Archer never duplicated his 2015 season, he remained a top flamethrower despite his losing record. He led the league in losses in 2016 (19) but had 233 strikeouts. He had 249 strikeouts in 2017, which was also his second and final All-Star game. However, Archer's peak was over as he began accumulating injuries. He was later traded to Pittsburgh in 2018, where he suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome and missed the entire 2020 season. When he returned, he was ineffective, and although Tampa resigned him, more injuries were compiled, and he was only able to play six games in 2021. Minnesota gave him a shot, but that only lasted a year.

Archer's record was 63-89 with 1,454 strikeouts.

Wade Davis started his Major League career as a pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009. He had a good start, winning 12 games and losing 10 in 2010, and a similar season in 2011. However, in 2012 the Rays decided to move him to the bullpen where he found more success, lowering his ERA to 2.43 over 70.1 innings. After the season, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals where he became a well-known player.

In 2013, Davis returned to the rotation but struggled with a high ERA. The Royals moved him back to the bullpen in 2014, where he excelled as a set-up man, not the main closer. That year, he had a great performance with a 1.00 ERA and 0.847 WHIP, earning him eighth place in the Cy Young voting. Davis also helped the Royals reach the World Series by winning two games in the playoffs.

Davis had an even better year in 2015, helping the Royals win the World Series. He finished sixth in the Cy Young voting, going 8-1 with a 0.94 ERA and 0.787 WHIP. In the playoffs, he earned the Babe Ruth Award by recording four saves, 18 strikeouts, and no earned runs over 10.2 innings. Davis was a critical part of the championship-winning team and had an excellent performance throughout the season.

After another good year with the Royals, Davis was traded to the Chicago Cubs, where he became an All-Star in his only season there. He then signed with the Colorado Rockies in 2018, where he had a strange year. Although he led the National League in saves with 43, his ERA was 4.13. Unfortunately, he struggled with arm issues afterward and attempted a comeback with the Royals in 2021, but it was unsuccessful.

Despite the ups and downs of his career, Davis finished his career with 141 saves and a World Series ring that he earned with his excellent performance.

Scott Kazmir was a power pitcher who was initially drafted by the New York Mets. However, he never played for the team as he was traded to Tampa Bay while he was still in the minors. This trade would later receive a lot of criticism from Mets fans, particularly when Kazmir started going to All-Star Games with the Rays.

Kazmir made his debut for Tampa Bay in August of 2004, and while there was much to like about the southpaw, there were also some concerns. He had a good strikeout rate, but he also walked a lot of batters. Nonetheless, Kazmir rose to become Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter in 2006 and earned his first All-Star that year with a record of 10-8, 3.24 ERA, and 163 SO. He had an even better season in 2007, leading the American League in strikeouts with 239. Kazmir was an All-Star again in 2008 (12-8, 3.49 ERA, 116 SO), but he struggled with injuries and his performance declined. He was traded to the Angels during the 2009 season, where he finished strong. However, he had a disappointing 2010 season with an ERA close to six over 150 innings.

In 2011, Kazmir only played one game in the majors and was demoted to the minors, where his career seemed to be over. The Angels released him, and he played in several leagues in 2012 before Cleveland gave him another shot in 2013. Kazmir made the team and was respectable with a 10-9 record and a 4.04 ERA. He then signed with Oakland, where he went to his third All-Star Game, which was a significant achievement considering where he was just a few years before. Kazmir finished with a career-high of 15 wins and had a good start to the 2015 season but was traded to Houston during the season. He then played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for a year, but muscle issues forced him to leave a game in late September, which turned out to be his last game in the majors for the next five years.

Despite his ups and downs, Kazmir had a respectable career with three All-Star selections. He also played in other leagues and won a silver medal for the United States in the 2021 Olympics. Kazmir eventually got another chance in the majors with the San Francisco Giants but retired after that.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out, and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Tampa Bay Rays.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Rays went off to a torrid start and made the playoffs but was unable to get past the first round.  There are two new entrants and several elevations, some of which are significant.  However, this is more of a reflection of the franchise’s relative youth and Tampa Bay’s propensity to unload tenured players.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Evan Longoria

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ben Zobrist

4. David Price

5. Kevin Kiermaier

You can find the entire list here.

Yandy Diaz, who went to his first All-Star Game, and won his first Batting Title, skyrockets from #29 to #10.

The enigmatic Outfielder, Randy Arozarena, also made a huge jump.  An All-Star last season, Arozarena climbed to #19 from #30.

Now a two-time All-Star, Pitcher Shane McClanahan also had a giant rise in the rank.  He went from #43 to #20.

Another Pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, who is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, went from #45 to #30.

The controversial and likely MLB-banned Wander Franco debuts (and likely ends) at #32.

Manuel Margot moved to #43 from #50 and is no longer with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The last new entrant is Isaac Parades, who enters the list at #47.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Isaac Paredes arrived in Tampa in a straight-up trade for Austin Meadows, which was an excellent opportunity for the versatile infielder.  Playing at Third, Second and First, Paredes, who only had 2 Home Runs over 57 Games in Detroit, had 20 in 2022 in 111 Games. 

In 2023, Paredes broke out with 31 Home Runs, 98 RBIs, and a Slugging Percentage of .488, and he looked to be a future All-Star, and that would be the case in 2024, when he made it to the mid-season event.  However, the slumping Rays traded Parades to the Chicago Cubs before the trade deadline.  

With Tampa, Parades had 280 Hits with 67 Home Runs.

What a shame.

Before we get to why that is, let’s look at what Wander Franco was supposed to be. 

Franco was signed by the Rays in 2017 from the Dominican Republic and dominated in the Minors.  He was called up in 2021 and did enough in only 70 Games to finish third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.  Tampa was so impressed that they did something that they never do: they made a long-term investment in a player.  The Rays inked Franco to an 11-year contract extension worth 182 million.  He was only 20 years old and had the world by the balls.  Or so we thought.   We will get there soon.

Franco missed time in 2022 with hand injuries, though he still batted .277 with 87 Hits in 83 Games. He got off to a torrid start in 2023, making the All-Star team as an injury replacement for Aaron Judge and showcasing sparkling defence at Short. His power was up (17 Home Runs), and he had 30 stolen bases by early August, but he was placed on administrative leave due to alleged sexual activities with an underage girl.

Franco is unlikely to return to the Majors, and if we based this solely on character, he would not be here at all.  That is not how we work here, so Franco is ranked and will be until he is pushed out.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top Tampa Bay Rays.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Tampa was not able to make the playoffs, but they were contenders.  On a young team, this allowed, four new entrants on our Top 50. 

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Evan Longoria

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ben Zobrist

4. David Price

5. Kevin Kiermaier

You can find the entire list here.

Kiermaier, who is now a Toronto Blue Jay, did not do enough to move past his number five spot.

Brandon Lowe, moved up one rank to #15.

Of the highest four new entries, we have Infielder, Yandy Diaz, who enters this list at #29.

2021 American League Rookie of the Year, Randy Arozarena, debuts at #30.

An All-Star last year, Shane McClanahan enters at #43, and fellow hurler, Tyler Glasnow moved up two spots to #45.

Outfielder, Manuel Margot debuts at #50.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Manuel Margot played four seasons in San Diego before he was traded to Tampa, where he again played four years, before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Margot played in all three Outfield positions. While he was a light hitter, batting only .264 with 320 Hits and 19 Home Runs as a Ray, his defensive versatility made him valuable for Tampa Bay. He shined brightest in the 2020 Playoffs, where he had four Home Runs and made an incredible catch in foul territory in rightfield, falling six feet to make the catch. 

The stay for Margot in Tampa is brief, but they usually are as a Ray.

Finding a home in Mexico after defecting from Cuba, Randy Arozarena impressed in the Mexican League to get signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, playing well enough to get a late-season callup two years later.  St. Louis traded him to Tampa the year after, and in the Sunshine State, he would become a star.

Arozarena played only 23 Games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but he was a starter in Outfield during Tampa’s playoff run, where he won the ALCS MVP, blasting nine Home Runs in the post-season and winning the Babe Ruth Award.  Still rookie eligible in 2021, Arozarena won the Rookie of the Year (20 HR, 145 Hits), and had 20 taters again in 2022.  Arozarena had one of his most rewarding years in 2023, beginning by representing his new country, Mexico, in the World Baseball Classic where he had the defensive play of the tournament and a Slash Line of .  He then made history as the first MLB player to start his career with three straight 20/20 years, and was an All-Star for the first time.

Sadly, Arozarena's game fell off dramatically in 2024, and he was traded mid-season to the Seattle Mariners.  As a Ray, Arozarena had 531 Hits with 85 Home Runs.

Yandy Diaz defected from Cuba at the age of 21, and the prospect joined the Cleveland Indians organization, and he would make his first appearance with the team in 2017.  Two years later, Diaz was part of a three-team trade that landed him with the Rays, where he found a better fit and opportunity.

Playing at Third Base and First, Diaz was a starter, but missed a lot of time in 2019 and 2020 due to injuries.  Healthier since, Diaz has been a solid producer both offensively and defensively, and has had 624 Hits to date for Tampa.  In 2023, Diaz went to his first All-Star Game, and set career-highs in Doubles (35), Home Runs (22), RBIs (78), Slugging (.522) and won his first Batting Title (.330).  Was this the season of his life?  It could be, as Diaz regressed in 2024, though still had 158 Hits.  

If Diaz returns to 2023 form, he could crack the top five of this franchise list. 

The career of Shane McClanahan has been brief thus far, but he has been another arm in the continuing reloading of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Taken with the 31^st Pick of 2016’s Amateur Draft, the southpaw, who played his college ball at South Florida, could stay in state.  McClanahan debuted for Tampa in late April of 2021, earning a spot on the Starting Rotation.  He finished the season with a strong 10-6 Record and was seventh in Rookie of the Year voting.

McClanahan went to the All-Star Game as an MLB sophomore, completing the year going 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA and a sub-one WHIP (0.954).  He was also sixth in Cy Young voting. The hurler made the All-Star Team again in 2023, and had another good season (11-2, 3.29 ERA) albeit in only 21 starts, due to requiring Tommy John Surgery.

Will a healthy McLanahan bring another All-Star year in 2025?

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2022 revision of our top 50 Tampa Bay Rays.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Tampa had another excellent season, where they again made the playoffs, but the small market team reloaded again in the off-season, always seeking cheaper and younger talent.  

As always, we present our top five, though there were no changes, and only one new addition overall.  There were, however, significant elevations on the list.

1. Evan Longoria

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ben Zobrist

4. David Price

5. Kevin Kiermaier

You can find the entire list here.

It is worth noting that Kiermaier was unable to overtake Price for #4, and is at #5 for the second straight year.

Second Baseman, Brandon Lowe, skyrocketed from #40 to #16, a reflection more on the short stays that players have in Tampa, than it does on Lowe’s solid 2021.

The same can be said for Joey Wendle, who also shot up from #36 to #17, but Wendle is now with the Marlins.

Austin Meadows, who was traded to Detroit during Spring Training, also jumped multiple spots, climbing from #49 to #34.

Starting Pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, who begins the year on the DL, is the lone new entry at #46.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Tyler Glasnow was one of three players traded for Chris Archer in 2018, and he had a rough finish to his Tampa-half of the season, going 1-5 with an ERA over four.

Glasnow had a great start in 2019, winning the American League Pitcher of the Month in April, but arm strain took him out through the meat of the season.  He came back before the playoffs, finishing the year with 12 Starts, a 6-1 record and a 1.78 ERA.  Glasnow was off in the COVID-19 reduced season, who while he had a 5-1 Record, had a 4.08 ERA.  He again helped the Rays make the playoffs, and the Pennant. 

Glasnow had a good start to his 2021, going 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP, but a tear to his UCL led to Tommy John Surgery, prematurely ending his season and casuing him to miss the majority of 2022.  Glasnow returned in 2023, and went 10-7 over 21 starts with an ERA of 3.53 and 161 Strikeouts.  The Rays traded him to the Dodgers after, leaving Glasnow with a record of 27-16 with 526 Strikeouts as a Ray.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the pre-2021 update of our top 50 Tampa Bay Rays of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There are three new additions, and one significant jump, but nothing that impacts our top five.  As always, we announce our top five immediately, but out full list can be found here.

1. Evan Longoria

2. Carl Crawford

3. Ben Zobrist

4. David Price

5. Kevin Kiermaier

The three new entries are:

Infielder, Joey Wendle, enters at #36.  Second Baseman, Brandon Lowecomes in at #40.  Outfielder, Austin Meadowsdebuts at #49.

The only significant jump of an active player, Shortstop, Willy Adames, climbed from #36 to #31.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.

Joey Wendle led the West Chester Golden Rams to a Division II Championship in 2012, and he followed it up with a pro career, first with the Oakland Athletics, where he played minimally before he was traded to Tampa.

Wendle won the Second Base job out of Spring Training in 2018, and the versatile defensive player was fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting while batting an even .300.  Wendle was hurt through much of 2019, but was a top player on the 2020 team that won the Pennant.  In 2021, Wendle had another good year with Tampa, going to the All-Star Game, with an 11 HR/.265 year.  

After the 2021 Season, Tampa traded Wendle across the state to Miami.  With the Rays, the infielder had 371 Hits.

Brandon Lowe is still early into his career but he has been very impressive thus far.

Playing at Second Base, Lowe debuted in 2018, but still qualified as a rookie in 2019, where he was third in Rookie of the Year voting, batted .336, and was an All-Star.  It was especially impressive considering that Lowe missed nearly half the season due to shin and quad issues.  In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Lowe was an All-MLB Team 2 Selection, showing that he is poised for greatness in a full season.  That is what he gave Tampa in 2021, with a tenth-place finish in MVP voting where he belted 39 Home Runs with 99 RBIs.  

Lowe is still with Tampa though over the last three seasons, he has missed significant time over the last three seasons.  He enters 2025 with 126 Home Runs with a career .812 OPS.