Tampa Bay recovered from an extremely slow start to the season to pull above .500 in the second quarter. With 83 games in the books, the Rays have passed the midway point in 2009, and we begin to gear up for the second half of the season and hopefully a stretch run.
When we looked at the team at the quarter pole, the Rays were a measly 21-22. Since May 21, the Rays have gone 23-17. At times they have looked like the champions of the American League, defending their crown. At other times, they've looked like the "Devil" Rays. Consistency remains elusive for this ball club.
With that said, let's give out some half-season hardware.
Record: 44-39
Team MVP: Evan Longoria, 3B
I honestly wanted to go with Jason Bartlett here, whose .358 batting average leads the team—but Longoria has been phenomenal all season. With 16 homers and 64 runs batted in at the halfway point, he's on pace to clear 120 rbi this season. Just think how much this kid gets paid in comparison to A-Fraud...
Best Pitcher: Jeff Neimann
Shocking as it may be, in a cavalcade of big names like Garza, Price, and Kazmir—it's been youngster Jeff Neimann who has led the way for Tampa Bay with seven victories. When Neimann has been good, he's been nearly unhittable. When he's been bad, he's been downright dreadful. Still, he has put together the most consistent numbers of any starter to this point in the season.
Randy Choate and JP Howell also get honorable mentions here.
Best Fielder: BJ Upton
Upton continues to be Tampa Bay's most consistent fielder with 198 put outs and only one error on the campaign.
Biggest Suprise: Ben Zobrist, 2nd Baseman/Utility
"Zo-Rilla," as he's called by Joe Maddon, continues to surprise everyone. Zobrist earned his first career All-Star appearance batting .281 with 16 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He's the ultimate team player, playing every position on the field except pitcher and catcher.
Biggest Disappointment: BJ Upton, CF
As great as Upton has been in the outfield, it's his work at the plate that's been a major disappointment. While he's gotten a bit better, .244 for a lead-off man is simply not good enough. Joe Maddon refuses to move Upton and it's understandable; when he gets on he's deadly on the base paths, as evidenced by his 30 stolen bases. Upton still needs to raise his batting average another 40 points to get out of the disappointment category.
Most Improved Player: Jason Barlett, Shortstop
Throughout the season I've joked that Bartlett has been on steroids because he's been sensational at the plate. He's already topped his career high in home runs with six and is on pace for 16 home runs on the season. He's batting an amazing .358 at the plate with 37 runs batted in, matching his total for 2008. Bartlett is a lifetime .285 hitter.
Projected Record: 90-72
Halfway Point Review: While the team is definitely playing better baseball, they've still got a ways to go before they can seriously be considered a threat to the Yankees or Red Sox in the American League East.
They've surpassed Toronto and continue to hang around in the AL East chase, only six games back. Realistically, the Rays best hope for post-season play may be the wild card spot, where the Yankees remain vulnerable.
To get there, Tampa Bay is going to need more consistency from starting pitching, especially young David Price. The bullpen is pitching much better than it did in the first quarter of the season. It needs to continue to be consistent.
Offensively, it's hard to ask Tampa Bay's mashers to do more. They rank second in the Majors in runs scored, fifth in team batting average, and fourth in home runs. Still, the Rays have to get more consistent with runners in scoring position. Scoring a bucket full of runs doesn't mean a lot if you're not winning games.
While I do believe the team will finish with a winning record this season, I continue to have doubts whether they have enough to make it to October.
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