2012 Tampa Bay Rays Predictions
The Tampa Bay Rays weren’t able to defend their 2010 division title, but they managed to make the playoffs for the third time in four seasons despite losing key contributors Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett, Rafael Soriano and Matt Garza.
Offense was an issue at times in 2011 but a pitching staff that ranked second in WHIP (1.22) and eighth in ERA (3.58) helped keep the team alive and allowed them to catch the Boston Red Sox in the wild card race.
Projected Pitching
Starting rotation: David Price (L) – Tampa Bay’s ace went 12-13 with a 3.49 ERA and ranked fifth in the league with 218 strikeouts.
James Shields (R) – He’s coming off the best season of his career. He went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA and is one of only five pitchers with at least 150 strikeouts and 200 innings every year since 2007.
Jeremy Hellickson (R) – The reigning AL Rookie of the Year went 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA.
Wade Davis (R) – He went 11-10 with a 4.45 ERA last season – not spectacular but very solid.
Matt Moore (L) – He could be this year’s AL Rookie of the Year. He showed his potential with an 11-strikout game against the Yankees in September and a brilliant outing against the Rangers in the playoffs.
Closer: Kyle Farnsworth (R) – The setup man turned closer had 25 saves last season.
Projected Lineup
Jose Molina (Catcher) – We can’t expect much offense from the soon-to-be 37-year-old, but he’s still a force behind the plate where he has thrown out 36.5 percent of base runners attempting to steal the past four seasons.
Carlos Pena (First Base) – The Rays missed his pop in the lineup last season as he donated his services to the Cubs. He hit 28 home runs last year and averaged 36 a season with Tampa Bay from 2007-2010.
Ben Zobrist (Second Base) – He was one of the few bright spots at the plate for the Rays last season. He batted .269 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs.
Evan Longoria (Third Base) – Hampered by oblique and foot injuries, Longoria still blasted 31 round trippers and drove in 99 runs.
Reid Brignac (Shortstop) – He’s coming off a tough year at the plate (batted .193) and will likely need to show improvement to keep his job.
Desmond Jennings (Left Field) – He hit .259 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs and 20 steals in 63 games after getting a call-up from the minors.
B.J. Upton (Center Field) – He is yet to reach his lofty expectations but is still one of the better center fielders in the bigs. He showed the kind of production he is capable of in September when his 20 RBIs carried the offense.
Matt Joyce (Right Field) – He batted .277 with 19 bombs and 75 RBIs in 2011.
Luke Scott (Designated Hitter) – The Rays are hoping he can show the kind of production he did from 2008-2010 when he averaged 25 home runs and 71.3 RBIs for the Orioles.
Prediction – 3rd Place AL East: Tampa Bay would have ended up third in the division last season had it not been for Boston’s historic collapse. The Rays have an outstanding pitching staff but not enough offensive potency to win the division going away. They’ll likely end up where they should have ended up last year. MLB odds makers have listed the Rays at +650 to win the AL East.
