MLB Top 5: Tampa Bay Rays First and Third Basemen and DHs

By Kevin Rakas

This is the second article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Tampa Bay Rays. In this installment are first and third basemen and designated hitters.

The corner infielder spots for the Rays include two Hall of Famers, as well as the starters from the club that won the pennant in 2008. Tampa Bay, like many other teams, has used the designated hitter spot to give other starters a rest, with very few hitters having a multiple year stay at the position.

The Best First and Third Basemen and Designated Hitters in Tampa Bay Rays History

First Basemen

Honorable Mentions – Steve Cox was selected by the Athletics in 1992 but did not make his major league debut for another seven seasons. After being taken by the Devil Rays in the expansion draft, he spent nearly two years in the minors, then was a starter in Tampa Bay for the next three seasons. Cox batted a career-best .283 as a rookie in 2000 but had his best campaign two years later, when he set career highs with 65 runs, 142 hits, 30 doubles, 16 home runs and 72 RBIs. He played 15 games in Japan in 2003, 19 more in 2005 and retired to become the manager of Porterville College in California.

Casey Kotchman was a St. Petersburg native who was selected by the Angels in the first round in 2001. He spent five seasons with the Anaheim/Los Angeles franchise, then bounced around to six other teams over his final six years. Kotchman’s only season in Tampa Bay was one of his best. In 2011, he hit 10 home runs, drove in 48 runs, set career highs with 153 hits and a .306 average and won a fielding title. He also appeared in four playoff games with the Rays, totaling four hits and two RBIs. Kotchman played with the Indians and Marlins, took a year off from baseball, then spent time in the minors with the Royals and Blue Jays before retiring after the 2016 season.

The son of a Coast Guard officer, Logan Morrison was used to moving around as a kid. The slugging first baseman, outfielder and designated hitter did so at the professional level, playing for six teams during an 11-year major league career. “LoMo” spent two years with the Rays after being traded from Seattle. After a year as a platoon player, he had his best season in Tampa Bay, setting personal bests with 75 runs, 126 hits, 38 home runs and 85 RBIs in 2017, but he was snubbed for the All-Star Game. Morrison played for the Twins, Phillies and Brewers over the next three seasons and had stints with several minor league and independent teams before leaving the game in 2022.

5. James Loney – The Houston native began as a pitcher but was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round as a position player in 2002. Loney was a solid run producer during his seven-year stint with Los Angeles. He was sent to Boston as part of a blockbuster deal in 2012 and played 30 games with the Red Sox before signing with the Rays as a free agent. Loney had two productive seasons in Tampa Bay, but injuries limited his effectiveness in 2015. He ended his brief time with the Rays tied for second in franchise history with a .291 average to go with 439 hits and 176 RBIs in 417 regular season games, and he totaled five hits and two RBIs in four playoff contests. Loney played one more season with the Mets, had failed runs with three other major league teams, spent a year in Korea and finished his career with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters before retiring in 2019.

4. Ji-Man Choi – The Korean import signed with the Mariners and spent six years in the minors (including an appearance in the 2013 MLB All-Star Futures Game) before suffering a fractured fibula during spring training in 2015. Choi had brief stints with the Angels, Yankees and Brewers before being traded to the Rays in 2018 (one day after hitting a grand slam for Milwaukee). He had a solid first full season in Tampa, batting .251 and setting career highs with 54 runs, 107 hits, 19 home runs and 63 RBIs. “G-Money” saw his average decline in his final two seasons with the Rays and finished with 163 runs, 320 hits, 52 homers, 203 RBIs and a .352 on-base percentage (sixth in franchise history) in 414 regular season games. He was a boom-or-bust player in the playoffs, totaling 11 runs and 15 hits in 29 games but hit four home runs and drove in six runs while also appearing in the 2020 World Series. Choi split 2023 between the Pirates and Padres and spent two months in the Mets’ minor league system before being released.

3. Yandy Diaz – He defected from his native Cuba and signed with the Indians in 2013. Diaz spent three years in the minor leagues and played 88 games with Cleveland over major league seasons before he was sent to Tampa Bay in late 2018. Following two years at third base, he moved across the diamond and hit 13 home runs in 2021. Diaz played at third again the following year before returning to be a first sacker in 2023. He earned his only All-Star selection and silver slugger to date, while also getting some MVP consideration, after leading the league with a .330 average, finishing second with a .410 on-base percentage and setting career highs with 95 runs, 173 hits, 35 doubles, 22 homers and 78 RBIs. In addition to an All-Star Game home run, Diaz set a team record with a 20-game hitting streak in 2024. In six seasons with the Rays (2019-present), he ranks second in franchise history in on-base percentage (.374), fourth in average (.289), fifth in walks (320), sixth in doubles (142), seventh in hits (707), eighth in games (666), runs (352) and total bases (1,077), ninth in slugging percentage (.440) and tenth in RBIs (313) to go with 74 home runs. In the playoffs, he totaled six runs, 14 hits, two home runs and five RBIs in 25 contests.

2. Fred McGriff – The Tampa native was successful in almost every stop throughout his 19-year career. He led the league in home runs with both the Blue Jays and Padres and earned three All-Star selections, played in two World Series (winning one in 1995) while hitting 10 playoff home runs with the Braves. McGriff was sold to the Devil Rays after the expansion draft in 1997 and hit 19 home runs in his first season with his hometown team. He rebounded to hit .310 with 32 home runs and 104 RBIs in 1999 and was selected to his fifth and final All-Star team the following year. McGriff hit 27 home runs, including the 400th of his career in June, and drove in 106 runs. In 2001, he was traded to the Cubs and had another stellar season the next season in Chicago. Thanks to knee, hip and groin injuries, his numbers fell off, especially in Los Angeles in 2003.

The “Crime Dog” came back to Tampa Bay for one final season but was released in late July, finishing his Rays career as the franchise leader in on-base percentage (.380), tied for first in slugging percentage (.484), tied for second in average (.291), seventh in RBIs (359), eighth in hits (603) and home runs (99) and tenth in total bases (1,004) to go with 277 runs and 192 doubles.. He retired in spring training in 2005 with a .284 average, 1,349 runs, 2,490 hits, 493 home runs and 1,550 RBIs. After 10 failed attempts on the writer’s ballot, McGriff was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2023. He became the fifth member of the Rays Hall of Fame in September 2024.

1. Carlos Peña – He emigrated from the Dominican Republic to Massachusetts and was drafted by the Rangers with the tenth overall pick in the 1998 draft. Peña flashed power during stops in Texas, Oakland and Detroit and, after a brief stint in Boston, he signed with Tampa Bay in 2007. He responded with the best year of his career, earning a silver slugger and winning the Comeback Player of the Year Award after setting personal bests with a .282 average, 99 runs and 138 hits and posting team records with 46 home runs, 121 RBIs, 103 walks, a .411 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage. Peña followed that with the first gold glove in Rays history, along with 31 homers and 102 RBIs in 2008 and a league-leading 39 long balls the next season (tied for second in team history). He hit 28 more in 2010 but batted just .196 and signed with the Cubs. After posting similar numbers with Chicago, Peña returned to Tampa Bay and hit just .197 with 19 home runs. He split 2013 between Houston and Kansas City and ended his career the following year where it began, in Texas.

Peña finished his five seasons with the Rays (2007-10 and ’12) ranked second in franchise history in home runs (163), third in on-base percentage (.360), walks (460) and strikeouts (811), tied for third in slugging percentage (.483), fourth in RBIs (468), sixth in runs (402), seventh in games (726) and total bases (1,175), tied for eighth in doubles (113) and ninth in hits (559). The two-time MLB All-Star Futures Game participant with the Rangers and 2008 fielding champion was a key piece of his team’s run to the World Series that season. Peña totaled eight runs, seven hits, three homers and six RBIs in the seven-game ALCS, leading the Rays past the Red Sox. Following his playing career, he has held several broadcasting jobs, including with MLB Network as well as with the Red Sox, Cubs and Tigers.

Third Basemen

Honorable Mentions – Although he was born in Nebraska, Wade Boggs spent most of his youth in Tampa, and he was drafted by the Red Sox out of high school in 1976. He became one of the greatest pure hitters in the history of the game, winning five batting titles and rapping 200 or more hits seven times in the Boston uniform. From there, Boggs went to the Yankees and solidified his stellar career by winning a championship in 1996, creating the iconic image of him celebrating the victory by riding on a police horse. Thanks to expansion, he was able to complete his legacy by signing with the Devil Rays in 1998 and playing his final two seasons with his hometown team. Although he was not as dangerous as he had been in his prime, Boggs, still showed some pop in his bat. He batted .301 in 1999, and on August 7 of that year, he became the first player to hit a home run for his 3,000th career hit when he did so against the Indians. “Chicken Man” retired with 3,010 hits, a .328 career average, 12 All-Star selections, eight silver sluggers and two gold gloves. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

5. Yandy Diaz – Following his trade from Cleveland, he hit 14 home runs in 79 games in 2019, then hit two more against the Athletics in the Wild Card Game. After another injury-plagued season, Diaz converted to first base in 2021 but returned to the “hot corner” the following year, batting .296 with 57 RBIs. Overall, he has played 241 games at third base and totaled 25 home runs in three primary seasons at the position. During the 2020 playoffs, Diaz appeared in 13 games and totaled three runs, seven hits and an RBI against the Dodgers in a World Series loss.

4. Joey Wendle – He was drafted by the Indians in 2012, was traded to the Athletics two years later and made his debut in Oakland in 2016. After two brief callups, Wendle was traded to the Rays following the 2017 season and originally started at second base, finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting the following year. Although he spent more time at the keystone position during his four years in Tampa Bay (2018-21), his best year was 2021. He earned his only All-Star selection to date after batting .255 with 122 hits and 43 RBIs to go with career-high totals of 73 runs and 11 home runs. The versatile Wendle also helped the Rays get to the 2020 World Series, totaling eight runs, 11 hits and five RBIs in 20 postseason games. He spent 2023 with the Marlins and had brief stints with the Mets and Braves before he was released.

3. Isaac Paredes – The Mexico native signed with the Cubs in 2015 and was traded to the Tigers two years later. After playing 57 games in two seasons with Detroit, Paredes was traded to Tampa Bay and hit 20 home runs in 2022 (including three against the Yankees in a late June game) despite hitting just .205. He fared even better the following year, setting career highs with a .350 average, 71 runs, 31 homers and 98 RBIs. Paredes hit 16 more long balls and earned his only All-Star selection so far in 2024, but he was sent back to his original team, the Cubs, at the trade deadline. The 2019 MLB All-Star Futures Game participant finished his Rays tenure (2022-24) with 160 runs, 280 hits, 67 home runs and 198 RBIs in 335 games. Paredes also helped his home country win a bronze medal in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

2. Aubrey Huff – Versatility seems to be the key at the “hot corner” for Tampa Bay and Huff is no exception. He started more than 100 games at four spots, with the most (250) at third base. The 1998 draft pick made his brief debut two years later. Huff broke out in 2002, batting a career-best 313 with 23 home runs and 59 RBIs. He had his best campaign the following year while playing right field but returned to third base in 2004 and produced a .297 average, 92 runs, 178 hits, 29 home runs and 104 RBIs. “Huff Daddy” went back to right field and hit 22 homers for his fourth straight season with at least 20 or more and had a brief stint at the “hot corner” in 2006 before he was traded to the Astros.

Huff ended his seven-year Devil Rays career (2000-06) ranked third in franchise history in home runs (128), fifth in hits (879), doubles (172), RBIs (449) and total bases (1,444), sixth in games (799), tied for sixth in average (.287) and seventh in runs (400). He won a silver slugger and the Edgar Martinez Award (designated hitter of the year) with the Orioles in 2008 and was a part of two championship teams with the Giants, ending his 13-year career after the World Series victory in 2012. Huff was a radio commentator and high school baseball coach after his playing days. He has admitted to Adderall dependance and made some controversial posts on Twitter in recent years, which got him excluded from the 10-year anniversary celebration of San Francisco’s 2010 championship.

1. Evan Longoria – The Long Beach State graduate was the third overall pick of the then-Devil Rays in 2006 and became arguably the greatest star in franchise history. Longoria came onto the scene two years later, earning his first of three straight All-Star selections, as well as the Rookie of the Year Award, after batting .272 with 27 home runs (including three against the Twins in September) and 85 RBIs. He excelled in the playoffs as well, amassing 10 runs, 12 hits, three doubles, six home runs and 13 RBIs in 16 games to lead the Rays to their first World Series. Longoria hit home runs in his first two at-bats against the White Sox in the Division Series and blasted four more while driving in eight runs against the Red Sox in the ALCS. He drove in more than 100 runs and won gold gloves the next two years and added a silver slugger in 2009, when he hit 33 home runs, rapped 164 hits and set career highs with 100 runs and 113 RBIs.

After another 30-homer season in 2011, “Longo” missed more than half of the following year with a partially torn hamstring on a steal attempt. He played in all but 12 games over the next five seasons, totaling at least 70 runs, 150 hits, 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in each of them. He also posted the second three-homer game of his career in the final game of the 2012 season. Although his numbers declined later in his Rays tenure, Longoria hit a personal-best 36 home runs in 2016. The following year, he earned his third gold glove, smacked his 250th career homer in June and became the second Tampa Bay player to hit for the cycle in August. Longoria was traded to the Giants in the offseason, finishing his decade with the Rays (2008-17) as the all-time franchise leader in games (1,435), runs (780), doubles (338), home runs (261, totaling 30 or more four times and 20 or more nine times), RBIs (892, including eight seasons with 80 or more), walks (569), strikeouts (1,220) and total bases (2,630).

The 2013 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award winner and 2015 fielding champion also batted .270 and ranks second on the team list in hits (1,471), tied for third in slugging percentage (.483) and eighth in triples (19). In the postseason, Longoria appeared in 30 games with Tampa Bay and amassed 16 runs, 22 hits, five doubles, nine homers and 21 RBIs. He spent five years with San Francisco before finishing his 16-year career with Arizona in 2023. Longoria is also a self-taught drummer, owns a restaurant in Tampa and is the subject of a viral YouTube video where he makes a barehanded catch to save a reporter that was later proven to be staged (most likely for a commercial).

Designated Hitters

Honorable Mentions – Aubrey Huff started games at five positions, and he was the primary designated hitter in 2002, when he batted .313 with 23 home runs, 59 RBIs and 142 hits. Although he had better seasons at third base and in right field, he played 176 games at DH in seven seasons with the Devil Rays (2000-06) before he was traded to the Astros for two minor league prospects, one of which was future All-Star Ben Zobrist.

Johnny Damon was far removed from his “Caveman” days with the 2004 champion Red Sox and two years past his clean-shaven years with the Yankees when he signed with the Rays as a 37-year-old in 2011. One of the most dangerous leadoff hitters in his prime, he had a solid year with Tampa Bay, batting .261 with 79 runs, 152 hits, 16 home runs, 73 RBIs and 19 steals. Damon hit a two-run homer in Game 1 of the Division Series, but the Rays fell to the Rangers. He played his final major league game with the Indians the following year, finishing his 18-year career with 1,668 runs, 2,769 hits, 235 home runs, 1,139 RBIs and 408 stolen bases.

C.J. Cron was drafted in the first round by the Angels in 2011, appeared in the MLB All-Star Futures Game two years later and spent his first four major league seasons with the Southern California team. He was traded to the Rays in 2018, batting .253 with 68 runs, 74 RBIs and a career-high 30 home runs in his only season in Tampa Bay. Cron spent one season each with the Twins and Tigers before going to Colorado, where he had his greatest success with an All-Star selection in 2022. He was traded back to the Angels the following season and hasn’t played since he was released by the Red Sox during spring training in 2024.

5. Jonny Gomes – He was drafted by the Devil Rays in 2001 but almost lost his career before it began. Gomes suffered a heart attack on Christmas Day the following year thanks to a clogged artery, but he was able to resume playing after the incident. He had brief callups in 2003-04 then came to Tampa Bay on a full-time basis the next season, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting after driving in 54 runs and setting career highs with a .282 average, 61 runs and 21 home runs, including three against the Royals on July 30. In 2006, Gomes had similar power numbers (20 homers and a personal-best 59 RBIs) but saw his average drop thanks to a shoulder injury that required surgery. He spent two more seasons with the Rays, finishing his six-year stint (2003-08) with 186 runs, 297 hits, 66 home runs and 184 RBIs in 415 games. Gomes played for six teams over his final seven seasons (he won a World Series with the Red Sox in 2013), then played part of one season in Japan. He retired in 2018 to become a coach and instructor with the Diamondbacks.

4. Greg Vaughn – Like many snowbirds from northern areas in the United States, he migrated to Florida at the end of his career. Vaughn earned two All-Star selections in eight seasons with the Brewers and another when he hit 50 home runs for the Padres in 1998. He blasted 45 more the next year with the Reds then signed with the Rays before the 2000 season. Vaughn hit 28 home runs as the team’s left fielder in his first year, then made his fourth and final All-Star Game in 2001, finishing the year with 24 homers and 82 RBIs. He missed most of the following season with a broken hand and a bruised shoulder, batting just .183 with eight home runs. Vaughn signed with the Rockies and played 22 games in 2003 before retiring with 355 home runs in his 15-year career.

3. Harold Ramirez – He was born in Columbia and signed with the Pirates in 2011. After minor league stints with Pittsburgh and Toronto, Ramirez joined Miami, where he hit 11 home runs as a rookie in 2019. He only played three games with the Marlins before playing in his native land, then spent a year with the Indians. Ramirez was traded twice during the 2021-22 offseason, first to the Cubs and then the Rays. He hit .300 in his first season and then improved in 2023 posting career highs with a .313 average, 125 hits, 12 homers and 68 RBIs. Ramirez was released by both the Rays and Nationals during the 2024 season, and he currently is in the minor league system of the Braves. He has a son on the autism spectrum, so he dyes his hair blue in honor of autism awareness.

2. Jose Canseco – The Cuban-born slugger was drafted by the Athletics and began his career in 1985. In nine seasons in Oakland, Canseco smacked at least 30 home runs five times, led the league twice, won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1986 and the MVP Award two years later after becoming the first member of baseball’s 40-40 club. He earned five All-Star selections and three silver sluggers and led the Athletics to the World Series three straight years, including a victory over the Giants in 1989. Canseco still showed great power but was not as successful in stops with Texas, Boston and another with Oakland. He regained his star form by hitting 46 home runs with the Blue Jays in 1998, then signed with the Devil Rays and was an All-Star for the sixth and final time the following the year, finishing with 34 homers. Canseco regressed thanks to a foot injury, and he spent the second half of the year with the Yankees after being claimed off waivers. He played his final season with the White Sox in 2001, finishing his 17-year career with 462 home runs and 1,407 RBIs. Canseco has had a tumultuous life outside of baseball, filled with him admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs (he was nicknamed “The Chemist” for his ties to steroids), several forays into reality television and sports, bankruptcies, divorces and multiple legal issues. He has also written two books about steroids in the game with allegations about many of baseball’s stars along with his former teammates.

1. Austin Meadows – The Georgia native split his four years in Tampa Bay (2018-21) between designated hitter and the two corner outfield spots after he was acquired in a trade from Pittsburgh. Although he is listed as the primary right fielder for the Rays in 2019, Meadows spent considerable time at all three spots that season, earning an All-Star selection after batting .298 with 89 RBIs and setting career highs with 83 runs, 154 hits and 89 runs. He split time between left field and DH in 2021, posting 79 runs, 27 homers and a personal-best 106 RBIs. Meadows totaled 184 runs, 308 hits, 65 home runs and 212 RBIs in 326 regular season games and amassed seven runs, 12 hits, three doubles, three homers and eight RBIs in 25 playoff contests, with included the 2020 World Series. Following his big season, he was traded for Paredes and a draft pick before the 2022 season. However, he played just 42 games with Detroit thanks to health issues including tendinitis in his Achilles, and he is currently not on a major league roster after stepping away to seek help for anxiety issues.

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