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.
Our All Time Top 50 Tampa Bay Rays have been updated to reflect the 2022 Season
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 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 2022 revision of our top 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 the American League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, Tampa was not able to make the playoffs, but they were contenders. On a young team, this allowed, four new entrants on our Top 50.
As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:
3. Ben Zobrist
4. David Price
5. Kevin Kiermaier
You can find the entire list here.
Kiermaier, who is now a Toronto Blue Jay, did not do enough to move past his number five spot.
Brandon Lowe, moved up one rank to #15.
Of the highest four new entries, we have Infielder, Yandy Diaz, who enters this list at #29.
2021 American League Rookie of the Year, Randy Arozarena, debuts at #30.
An All-Star last year, Shane McClanahan enters at #43, and fellow hurler, Tyler Glasnow moved up two spots to #45.
Outfielder, Manuel Margot debuts at #50.
We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.
27. Tyler Glasnow
When the Tampa Bay Rays made the high-profile trade to send Chris Archer to Pittsburgh in July 2018, they weren't just rebuilding—they were fundamentally reshaping their pitching future. Austin Meadows and Shane Baz were important parts of the return, but Tyler Glasnow, standing 6-foot-8, had the most exciting potential. Although his first two months in St. Petersburg were challenging, with a 1–5 record and a 4.20 ERA over 11 starts, the front office recognized that his high-velocity, top-tier pitching was a powerful, yet volatile, asset waiting to be unleashed.
That explosion happened the following spring. Glasnow started strong in 2019, earning American League Pitcher of the Month for April. As he was establishing himself as a true ace, a serious forearm strain sidelined him for nearly four months. He came back just in time for the final stretch, ending a shortened regular season with a remarkable 6–1 record and a tiny 1.78 ERA over 12 starts.
The shortened 2020 season was tumultuous for the big right-hander. Despite a 5–1 record and a higher 4.08 ERA in the regular season, his dominant raw stuff continued to be a key asset. He struck out 91 batters in only 57.1 innings and became a key part of the postseason rotation, guiding the franchise to an American League pennant and a World Series appearance.
By 2021, Glasnow appeared unstoppable, boasting a sub-1.00 WHIP, a 5–2 record, and a 2.66 ERA. Sadly, a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in mid-June abruptly ended his rise. The Tommy John surgery that followed wiped out the rest of that season and nearly all of 2022. Demonstrating his relentless work ethic, he returned in 2023, posting a promising 10–7 record over 21 starts. He also achieved career-highs with 120 innings and 162 strikeouts, reaffirming his status as a top-tier pitcher capable of missing bats.
Facing rising arbitration costs, the Rays traded veteran right-hander Glasnow to the Dodgers before 2024. His time in St. Petersburg is a ‘what-if' due to injuries, but his record of 27–16 and 526 strikeouts over 388.1 innings reflects a peak of high efficiency that contributed to Tampa Bay's golden era.
