Our All-Time Top 50 Tampa Bay Rays Have Been Revised to Reflect the 2023 Season
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:
3. Ben Zobrist
4. David Price
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.
21. Shane McClanahan
The story of Shane McClanahan’s major league career is still very much an open book, but his early chapters have perfectly illustrated the Tampa Bay Rays' uncanny ability to continuously identify, refine, and unleash elite pitching talent. Selected 31st overall in the 2018 amateur draft out of the University of South Florida, the left-hander didn't have to pack his bags very far to begin his professional journey, keeping his high-octane fastball right in his home state.
McClanahan officially joined the starting rotation in April 2021, instantly changing the dynamic of the staff with an aggressive, power-pitching approach. He attacked big-league hitters without a hint of hesitation, grinding his way to a 10–6 record across 25 starts. That electric debut campaign earned him a seventh-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and served notice that the Rays had found their next frontline anchor.
That potential fully blossomed into true stardom during a spectacular 2022 sophomore campaign. Armed with a devastating changeup and a high-90s heater, McClanahan dominated the junior circuit, earning the honor of starting the All-Star Game for the American League. He concluded that brilliant breakout summer with a 12–8 record, an elite 2.54 ERA, and a microscopic 0.926 WHIP while striking out 194 batters in 166.1 innings—a performance that landed him sixth in the AL Cy Young voting. He maintained that elite trajectory into 2023, securing a second consecutive All-Star nod and racing out to an 11–2 record with a 3.29 ERA.
However, the high-stress nature of modern power pitching caught up to him that August, as his season was abruptly cut short by the news that he required a second career Tommy John surgery. The recovery process wiped out his entire 2024 campaign and delayed his highly anticipated return.
Will a healthy McLanahan bring another All-Star year in 2026?
