Episodes
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The Rays had a really interesting draft. It consisted of high upside prep arms, tall college RHP flirting with triple digits, and tooled up athletes. They killed it, especially with polished mechanical pitchers that are good movers while being able extremely projectable. However, their draft was headlined by Gatorade Male Player of the Year, Grady Emerson. He displays a connected swing & stays extremely balanced with his lower half. He stands 6'3" with more physical projection left and makes excellent In-Zone Swing decisions. He's an easy plus defender, great athlete, & has a knack for the balls to the opposite field. He's also trending towards 200 lbs now. We also touched on the trade deadline, the organization as a whole, and talked about the upcoming Red Sox series.
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The MLB Draft is tomorrow, and it is maybe the most exciting part of an MLB season, especially when you are the best team in the American League. We highlighted the top three consensus names and broke down some advanced data from their 2026 seasons.
Roch Cholowsky is a premium defender at shortstop who, in 61 games, hit 21 home runs with 36 walks to 36 strikeouts while slashing .320/.452/.636 with a 1.088 OPS and a 146 wRC+. He has been the consensus first overall pick for the last several months up until the last couple weeks, depending on which outlet you look at. It is really hard to find a flaw in his game on either side of the ball.
Grady Emerson brings an extremely smooth left-handed swing, with the ability to let the ball travel and shoot offerings the other way into the gap. He is a fluid mover at shortstop with lateral range that projects to improve as he develops physically. Already standing at 6'3"/185, he has plenty of room to add strength once he enters an MLB development program. Emerson has an advanced understanding of the strike zone with a high contact floor, and as his body matures, the game power should follow.
Vahn Lackey looks to be one of the most complete catchers to enter the draft since Buster Posey. In 61 games, he hit 20 home runs with 50 walks to just 38 strikeouts while slashing .397/.519/.772 with a 1.291 OPS. He stole 15 bases as a catcher and is a well-rounded defender with consistent pop times under 1.90. By all accounts, he is a great person, a hard worker, and one of the best characters in this draft class.
It is hard to decide which direction the Rays will go, but you really cannot go wrong with any of these top three options.
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The Rays were able to split the series against the Yankees with strong pitching performances from Shane McClanahan, Ian Seymour, and Griffin Jax. For McClanahan, it was a season-high in innings and the most emotional he has been on a mound this season. His Changeup had a 60% whiff%, and he held an Avg EV of just 73.4 MPH. He is now tied for second in Rays history for most starts with six or more innings pitched, four or fewer hits allowed, five or more strikeouts, and no walks. Ian Seymour collected a career-high 12 strikeouts and had Whiff rates over 45% on his 4-Seam and Changeup. It was the first time in Yankees history they have struck out 12 times against one pitcher through the first five innings of a game. Griffin Jax, aside from one mistake pitch, also had a strong outing with 10 strikeouts over 16 whiffs.
On the offensive side, Yandy Díaz had a four-hit game in Game 3, his 11th career game with Tampa Bay with at least four hits, the second-best mark in Rays history. It was also his 290th career game with the Rays in which he recorded a multi-hit effort, the third-best mark in franchise history. In Game 4, Junior Caminero hit his 27th home run of the season on a pitch that isn't a strike; he sends it 438 feet the other way at 108.3 MPH. There are players who won't pull a ball 438 feet in their career, let alone go the other way. Chandler Simpson has been swinging the bat better over the last couple of weeks, and after his second triple yesterday, he was hitting .362 over his last 16 games with four walks and just three strikeouts.
The Rays now take on the Seattle Mariners for their final series before the All Star break, with Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero, Bryan Baker, and Drew Rasmussen representing them in Philadelphia.
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Junior Caminero and Drew Rasmussen capture the AL Player and Pitcher of the Month; the Rays have won 8 straight games and are now 4 games up in the AL East. Junior Caminero had one of the best stretches we have ever seen in Rays history: 9 HR in his last 8 games exiting game 2, and is now the youngest player since 1900 to have a 6-game HR streak, passing Griffey. He's trending to be the 6th player in MLB history to have 300+ hits, 75+ HR, and fewer than 240 Ks before turning 23 years old, joining Mel Ott, Al Kaline, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, and Bob Horner. It was awesome to see Chandler Simpson showing some life at the plate and on the bases. Cedric Mullins since May 1st: has 8 HR and a 125 wRC+ with a .800 OPS and a .358 OBP. Shane McClanahan had a nice bounce-back outing using his changeup more; Ian Seymour had another unbelievable start against the Royals, and Griffin Jax did too. In 51 innings since April 26th, he has a 2.65 ERA — 16th best mark in baseball over that time and 2 places behind Drew Rasmussen's 2.44. The Rays are now in Houston and play the Astros for a 3 game set.
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Junior Caminero put on one of the best offensive displays in Rays franchise history over the last week, and with no surprise, took home AL Player of the Week. He joins Bryce Harper, Willie Horton, and Boog Powell as the only players under 23 to hit 7 or more home runs in a 6-game span, and since the start of May, his 1.002 OPS ranks ahead of Nick Kurtz (.996) and Shohei Ohtani (.983) for best in baseball. We also talked about contributions from the whole lineup, a bunch of reinforcements that should come back soon, and touched on some deadline thoughts that we'll get into more once the 2026 MLB Draft is over. It was an action-packed episode.
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The Rays split the Royals series after dropping the first 2 games. Junior Caminero had 3 HRs, and the Rays pitching staff carried a no hitter into the 9th inning. Ian Seymour had arguably the best game of his career, and Casey Legumina got the first 4 outs of the game. The trio continues to be one of the best in. the sport, as Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda were hitting the ball all over the field, and Junior Caminero displayed his elite power. The bullpen continues their strong performance lately. The Rays will finish the homestand playing a 3 game set against the Diamondbacks.
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The Rays have been unable to escape the 1-run loss curse, dropping five straight games by a single run. It was great to see Jonny DeLuca deliver two absolute bombs in his first couple of games back, and Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez each delivered gritty outings in back-to-back starts. We also touched on Theo Gillen's recent promotion and how he's the only prospect in the minors with 12+ HR, 25+ SB, and an average over .310 , all while flashing plus defense and sound plate discipline. The offense has been a struggle over the last few weeks, particularly outside of the team's trio of offensive talent. With a stretch of upcoming home games at Tropicana Field, hopefully a big offensive day is right around the corner to snap the Rays out of their funk.
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The Rays were swept by the Dodgers, but all three games were one-run losses and winnable. The pitching also looked excellent: Drew Rasmussen dominated, posting a 0.43 ERA, 1.75 xERA, and 1.24 FIP in June. He's posted an absurd 38.9% K-BB%, the best mark in baseball, and has held opponents to a .129 batting average. His 29 strikeouts and 1.1 fWAR lead all pitchers this month. Other than Ohtani, he was the best pitcher in baseball this June. Nick Martinez has given up three or fewer runs in 13 of his 14 starts this season, and his 2.60 ERA through his first 14 starts with the club is the fourth-best mark in Rays franchise history (min. 50 IP). We harped on Cam Booser and Jonathan Aranda bouncing back during the series, and the return to Tropicana Field is huge for this team. Ten straight games and 17 of 23 at the Trop is massive as the Rays look to bounce back against a loaded Nationals lineup starting today.
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The Rays had a tough start to the west coast road trip, but they salvaged the Angels series with an 8-3 win on Sunday. The offense has been struggling lately, so it was good to see them have a strong game to end the series. We talked about the pitching performances from Griffin Jax, Shane McClanahan, and the bullpen. Next series is the Dodgers on the road, that should be an interesting one.
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After a rough week-and-a-half stretch, the Tampa Bay Rays took care of the Boston Red Sox, sweeping them, and they now have a sweep against every team in the AL East. Yandy Díaz continued to deliver in almost every game and extended his MLB-leading 24-game on-base streak. Drew Rasmussen became the first pitcher in franchise history to record 22 or more strikeouts, one walk or fewer, and three or fewer hits allowed in a two-start span. Nick Martinez, after his start against the Red Sox, now has the second-lowest ERA in Rays history through the first 13 starts of a season (min. 50 IP). Bryan Baker also made Rays history, becoming the third closer in franchise history to record 18 saves by June 9, joining Alex Colomé's 2016 season and Fernando Rodney's magical 2012. Baker's 16 hits allowed are the fewest among the three, and he now carries a 1.98 ERA to start 2026. We also talked about the success of Kevin Kelly, Casey Legumina, Cedric Mullins, and Ian Seymour's new Sweeper shape and updated role with the team. The Rays now begin a west coast road trip, and we highlighted the Angels series, including a player who has had success in that ballpark and a pitcher who has looked great in his new role but could get even better with a Sweeper that hasn't yet taken full shape.
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The Rays have been going through a little skid over the last week and a half, but prior to that they went 21-4 over a 25-game stretch. The Rays trio went absolutely insane in the month of May. Jonathan Aranda posted a .374/.464/.560 slash line with a 1.025 OPS and 183 wRC+, along with 1.2 fWAR. He led all qualified hitters in OBP and AVG and was tied with Nick Kurtz for 1st in wRC+ and OPS. Junior Caminero, on the other hand, posted a 165 wRC+ in the month of May with an 18.1% BB% compared to a K% of just 13.8%. His Avg EV was an absurd 94.1 MPH, the 8th highest mark in baseball. We also talked about Yandy Díaz and why he could be the best hitter in Rays franchise history. We recapped the Orioles series, the recent three-game set against the Angels, and Game 1 of the Tigers series that came down to the wire.
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What isn't going right for the Rays right now? They are 21-4 in their last 25 games, have the most series sweeps in baseball to start the season, and aside from all the metrics we talk about, they are doing the small things right. They are playing great defense, taking extra bases on poor cut-off throws and bad defense, and they are gelling as a unit. In every post-game interview, a player mentions it. This group believes in each other and they don't quit. Everyone has each other's back. The Rays took care of business, sweeping the Baltimore Orioles, capped off by an amazing comeback win in the series finale during the 8th inning with huge at-bats from Richie Palacios and Jonathan Aranda. This series had MLB debuts, first career home runs, a blowout 16-run performance, and plenty of energy, especially from the tarps off movement in left field.
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The Rays continue their dominant stretch of baseball, especially at home, where they are an MLB leading 16-5. The pitching continues to perform well as Shane McClanahan, Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen and others had productive outings. The offense has been scoring in a lot of ways, including production from Taylor Walls and Cedric Mullins, as well as the trio in Caminero, Diaz and Aranda. We previewed the Orioles series with some interesting pitching matchups like Shane Baz returning to the Trop and guys like McClanahan and Jax going. We also briefly talked about the upcoming MLB Draft, which has a loaded top of the class, including UCLA's SS Roch Cholowsky, Fort Worth Christian SS Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey.
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The Rays are now 15-2 in their last 17 and entered yesterday’s game with the lowest team ERA and were the best at limiting hard contact. They quite literally are getting outs from every pitcher in their bullpen and starting rotation. Nick Martinez has a 1.70 ERA to begin the season, Shane McClanahan has looked great over his last 4 starts with his pitches grading exceptionally well, and Bryan Baker is closing games out like nobody’s business, racking up 11 saves to start the year. Jonathan Aranda added his 8th HR of the season, Junior Caminero is continuing to hit balls 450 FT with exit velocities north of 115 MPH, and the team is making a ton of contact and working competitive at-bats. The Rays are now 27-13 and own the best record in the American League, leading the AL East by 2 games over the New York Yankees. They play 2 more games against Toronto before welcoming the Miami Marlins.
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The Rays are fresh off a series sweep against the Giants, highlighted by a walk-off in game 3 from Jonathan Aranda, the 200th in club history, a strong performance from Griffin Jax to open game 2 with the bullpen following suit and capped by Aranda's 26th and 27th RBIs of the season, and Shane McClanahan's best start of the season in game 1 with home runs from Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero. Prior to the Giants series, the Rays took 2 of 3 from the Guardians thanks to strong performances from Steven Matz and Nick Martinez and big games from Ryan Vilade and, yet again, Jonathan Aranda. The Rays open their next series against the Blue Jays tonight at 6:40 PM with Nick Martinez and his 1.70 ERA taking the mound in game 1.
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The Rays swept the Twins and are winners of four straight games. Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan delivered strong outings, and Nick Martinez tossed 8 innings, matching his career high. Junior Caminero had himself a 2-HR game against Taj Bradley with EVs over 111 MPH and distances over 435 FT. He's red hot when he goes the other way or up the middle. Jonathan Aranda also smoked 2 HR off his former teammate for the first multi-HR game of his career, both over 105 MPH and over 402 FT. The offense the last few days has been clicking on all cylinders, getting production from 1-9, and the pen has looked very impressive with strong performances, especially from Griffin Jax, who opened yesterday, throwing more Changeups and being more competitive in the zone. We also talked about some of the most productive players in the farm, including Theo Gillen, Xavier Isaac, and Taitn Gray.
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The Rays took it to the Yankees and carried that momentum into Chicago, a place they have struggled at over the last few years. In game 1, Shane McClanahan was able to deliver 5 strong innings, and Ryan Vilade delivered his biggest day at the plate as a Ray with 3 hits, including a 108 MPH EV single. Ben Williamson joined in on the party with two doubles, Nick Fortes and Yandy delivered RBIs, and Jonny DeLuca has looked awesome when he gets playing time. In game 2, Cole Sulser and Jesse Scholtens delivered 7 scoreless innings, Junior Caminero had an absurd one-handed 104.8 MPH EV, 393 FT HR, Jake Fraley got in on the HR action for his first as a Ray, and Jonny DeLuca again had a great day at the plate with a 107 MPH HR. In the series finale, Steven Matz delivered again, and the Rays have won every game he has pitched in. Junior Caminero hit a HR in back-to-back games, and this time it was a game-tying shot. We saw some of the energy that we had seen in the WBC, Taylor Walls collected 2 RBI and has made an impact on the ballclub since returning from the IL. Richie Palacios keeps proving that he deserves more playing time with his approach and results, Nick Fortes had another multi-hit game, Jonathan Aranda collected multiple walks and will look to break out of a little funk, and Hunter Feduccia collected a nice bases loaded walk. The Rays are on fire as they travel to PNC Park to face the Pirates. It's going to be an interesting series with all the great pitching matchups.
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The Rays swept the Yankees for the first time since 2021. We recapped all the notable performances, including 3 good starts from Steven Matz, Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen, strong production from the bullpen, and the offense doing its job in key spots. We talked about some injury updates, including Edwin Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger, Gavin Lux and Joe Boyle. We also talked about some of the young position player prospects playing well. Guys like Caden Bodine, Theo Gillen, Daniel Pierce, Taitn Gray, Brendan Summerhill, Xavier Isaac, Dean Moss, Carson Williams, Austin Overn, and Cooper Kinney stand out. The last thing we did was preview the upcoming series against the White Sox, with top SP prospect Noah Schultz making his debut on Tuesday for the White Sox.
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Baseball was played at Tropicana Field for the first time in 561 days and the Rays delivered with a convincing win over the Chicago Cubs. Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, and Cedric Mullins all left the yard, Chandler Simpson was amped up for almost every play he was involved in, and the pen was nails after Shane McClanahan's 4 innings. We also talked about the last two games of the Twins series, including a golf swing HR from Junior Caminero and strong outings from both Steven Matz and Nick Martinez. The Rays are currently 5-5 and look to take the series against Chicago before they welcome the New York Yankees.
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The Rays have been playing a rough stretch of baseball to start the year. They have the worst team defense this year with -7 OAA and -7 DRS, and it has snowballed at times. The starting pitching, however, has looked great with recent strong outings from Drew Rasmussen and Joe Boyle, who is throwing less 4-Seam and tapping more into his secondaries. We also talk about the next two matchups of the Twins series and some minor league standouts including Brody Hopkins, Jacob Melton, and Taitn Gray. Thank you guys for the support so far!
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