The Tampa Bay Rays are currently the class of the American League and have not let up on being an overall strong team, with stats and on-field play backing it up. But if one thing is said to be true that will get the Rays a World Series title, it will come down to their pitching and balanced approach on offense and coaching. So here’s why these keys are important for this team to win a championship.
Important Keys To a Rays World Series Run
The Starting Pitching
The Rays’ starting pitching has been dynamite all season; the team’s ace right-hander, Drew Rasmussen, has been on a heater, posting strong starts and holding offenses to one run. His stats this season have been nothing short of great, starting with a 2.72 ERA, 163 strikeouts and a 15-3 record. Left-hander Shane McClanahan is another elite arm in this rotation. However, McClanahan is dealing with a left forearm tightness injury that landed him on the injured list. When healthy, McClanahan is a huge help to this starting rotation.
Right-handed pitcher Griffin Jax is another key cog for this team and has been doing well overall and helping keep the Rays in that first-place spot; Jax has a 4.56 ERA and a 9-11 record. Right-hander Freddy Peralta rounds out the pitching rotation. However, Peralta isn’t having the best year, with a 4.59 ERA and a 9-11 record, but he can get the key outs when called upon.
The Bullpen
Right-handed closer Bryan Baker has been astonishing for the Rays; Baker has a 1.43 ERA this season. Baker does not blow very many saves either; Baker leads the league with 40 saves this season. Baker has been dominant this entire year and is the pitcher who will slam the door on opposing offenses. Right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly is the team’s high-leverage setup guy. Kelly’s numbers are also good, coming in with a 2.49 ERA over 72 innings pitched.
Brody Hopkins is another right-handed option for the bullpen as the Rays head into the postseason. Recently called up from the minor leagues, Hopkins throws nearly 100mph and has four strikeouts. The other relievers in the bullpen, right-hander Cole Suser and left-hander Steven Matz, are two names that can produce key strikeouts needed in tight games, such as playoff games in October.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen is certainly another big strength for the team.
The Offense
The Rays have a well-balanced offense in Major League Baseball up to this point, starting with third baseman Junior Caminero. Caminero has hit 41 home runs this year, has a .271 batting average, and is the key cog in this lineup. Left fielder Chandler Simpson is another thumper in the Rays lineup. Simpson’s numbers are also astonishing, starting with a .309 batting average with 38 runs batted in. Designated hitter Yandy Diaz brings even more firepower to this offense. Diaz currently has a .292 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage.
First baseman Jonathan Aranda is important to this lineup as well. Aranda is at a .277 batting average with 22 home runs. This offense has a lot of power mixed in with contact hitting, which will make pitching to this lineup very difficult.
The Coaching staff
Manager Kevin Cash and his staff have done a great job this season overall at putting his ball club in a position to not only win the American League East Division and the American League but also to get the Rays back to the World Series for a second time since 2020, when the Rays fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. Cash has seemed to push the necessary buttons to gain wins and steal some games that the team may not have won. Cash has 991 wins and 844 losses in over 12 years as a manager.
Cash’s assistant coaches have done a fine job with the team: Chad Mottola as the hitting coach and Kyle Snyder as the pitching coach. Pitching and hitting as a team rank near the top according to ESPN. Pitching is ranked seventh with a 3.70 ERA, while hitting ranks first overall with a .259 batting average.
The Rays do have all the ingredients to win a championship; it’s now the question of whether the team can execute.
