The 2008 Tampa Bay Devil Rays: A Forgotten World Series Losing Team

Had the World Series opponent for the 2008 Tampa Bay Devil Rays been anyone other than the Philadelphia Phillies I would have been on board. However I grew up a suffering fan of the Phillies and had to hope for the worst against this team of mostly unknowns. Having gone from losing almost 100 games in 2007 to nearly winning 100 in 2008 and battling to the point of getting to the World Series, this was a very accomplished team that for the most part has been forgotten in spite of all of the talent they had.

The Offense

Evan Longoria arrived with the Devil Rays in 2008 and put together a Rookie of the Year winning season with 27 home runs, 85 RBIs, and a .272 batting average. The team wasn’t completely dependent on him though as they had a few other players with notable contributions.

By Keith Allison (001H0783) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The best offensive threat the team had was first baseman Carlos Pena. Pena launched 31 home runs and knocked in 102 RBIs. He also drew 96 walks to help make up for his .247 batting average. Another guy getting on base a ton thanks to bases on balls was B.J. Upton who had 97 walks and a .383 on-base percentage. Along with his 44 stolen bases, the Devil Rays appeared to have a dominant threat at the top of the order.

Although he was the last out in the World Series, Eric Hinske was also a major reason why they got there in the first place. Hinske provided the team with the necessary skills a utility man must. He was third on the team in home runs with 20 and his versatility with the glove, although not so strong, was still a great benefit. The team should also be thankful for second baseman Akinori Iwamura whose career spontaneously combusted by 2010. Iwamura led the team with 152 games played and had a .274 batting average. It’s a silly argument, but Iwamura may have been the team’s glue.

The Pitching

Nobody on the 2008 Devil Rays’ pitching staff won 15 games. David Price only started one in the regular season along with 4 appearances in relief so at the time they didn’t have that one true dominant starter. What they did have were a couple really good pitchers including a 14-8 James Shields, an 11-9 Matt Garza, and a 12-8 Scott Kazmir. Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine also pitched well for the team–as well as needed.

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The team’s bullpen was however a bit shaky. Troy Percival, who seemed unstoppable during his days with the Wherever-They-Are-Now Angels, led the team in saves with 28, but also had a 4.53 ERA. Dan Wheeler would later fill in as the ninth-inning man and earn 13 saves with a much healthier 3.12 ERA.

The rest of the bullpen was pretty good too, most notably J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour. Howell would finish the season with a 2.22 ERA in 89.1 innings pitched while Balfour had his ERA down to 1.54 in 58.1 innings pitched.

The Fielding

Always underrated yet whenever you look at the great teams they’re almost always effective in this area is the team’s ability to catch the ball then throw the ball aka fielding. The team had a .985 fielding percentage which in modern-day baseball ranks in the upper half.

Longoria played a great third base for the team and would win his first Gold Glove the following season. He probably could have won the award in 2008 if he had played in more games. The team did win one Gold Glove this year and it was a bit of an unlikely candidate. First baseman Carlos Pena made only 2 errors all season for a .998 fielding percentage. Known more for his power, nobody could have guessed he would be the guy winning a fielding award and deserving it.

Five Statistical Facts about Willie Mays

Some consider him the greatest overall baseball player of all-time. He could hit for power, average, field, run, etc. This man, Willie Mays, was truly one of baseball’s best and the need to deliver any statistical facts about his career is unnecessary. However I will anyone because it’s important to know just how great he was.

20 Consecutive All-Star Games

From 1954-1973, Mays was an All-Star. The only years he didn’t make the All-Star team were his first two seasons and the 1953 that he missed due to military service. The final few seasons Mays probably didn’t deserve the nod however he’s Willie freakin’ Mays and how can you leave him off the roster?

A League Leader

Mays led the league in multiple categories in many different seasons. He led the league in runs twice, hits once, triples three times, home runs four times, stolen bases four times, and even won a batting title. What I enjoy most about all of these league leading categories was that he scattered them through his career. From 1954-1965, Mays led the league in at least one of the previously mentioned categories except in 1963 where he still finished fifth in the MVP voting.

12 Consecutive Gold Gloves

Try hitting a ball into center field against the Giants between 1957 and 1968 and chances are Mays was there to catch it. We know his most iconic over-the-shoulder catch, but he made plenty of other key defensive plays too. Because of this, Mays was awarded 12 consecutive Gold Gloves to further fulfill his status.

Postseason Batting

One of the few things Mays never excelled at was hitting in the postseason. The majority of Mays’ career there was only a World Series so unless the Giants got to the finals there was a very limited opportunity for Mays to get his at-bats. In 25 postseason games Mays hit only .247. His lone postseason home run took place in the 1971 NLCS when the San Francisco Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

His Two MVP Seasons

Mays was consistently in the MVP talks however he only ever won the award twice. The first time was in 1954 and the second was in 1965. Here is how the two seasons compare:

1954: 195 Hits, 119 Runs, 33 Doubles, 13 Triples, 41 Home Runs, 110 RBIs, .345 Batting Average

1965: 177 Hits, 118 Runs, 21 Doubles, 3 Triples, 52 Home Runs, 112 RBIs, .317 Batting Average

No matter which season you prefer, both were deserving.

Five Statistical Facts about Mike Mussina

One of baseball’s best winning pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s was Mike Mussina. Known as “Moose,” Mussina spent his entire career pitching for an American League East team; splitting time between the Baltimore Orioles and then the New York Yankees. He won lots, pitched well while doing it, and never quite reached the national attention he probably deserved. These are five statistical facts about the ultimate borderline Hall of Famer if there ever was one.

Wins

Mussina won 270 games in his career. He led the league once when in 1995 he had 19 for the Orioles. Each year it seemed as if Mussina would reach the coveted 20-win mark and often he came up just short. Finally in his last season back in 2008, Mussina won 20 games. Mussina was such a winner that each season other than his first in 1991 when he started 12 games he had an above .500 record. The one below .500 season, he was still 4-5 and had a 2.87 ERA.

No Cy Young Awards

The biggest thing keeping Mussina out of the Hall of Fame other than his lack of memorable moments might be the lack of Cy Young Award on his shelf. Mussina would come close on several occasions, particularly in 1999 when he finished second to Pedro Martinez. Unfortunately Martinez had a career year and nearly won the MVP Award in addition to the Cy Young. Mussina didn’t stand a chance.

By Aaron (ConspiracyofHappines) (Flickr) [CC BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Gold Gloves: 6

Just try to bunt on Mussina–he dares you. In his 18 seasons at the big league level, Mussina was awarded the Gold Glove in 6 of them. Even in seasons where Mussina would commit an error or two he would make up for it by displaying incredible range. His ability to throw the ball then field it showed even more in his desire to win.

Postseason Pitching

Unfortunately Mussina is near the top of the list of the best players to never win a World Series. The year he came to the Yankees was the end of their era of winning. The year after he left them, they won their most recent World Series. His luck in the playoffs was a bit better when he was on the mound, going only 7-8, but with a 3.42 ERA. Mussina had some really good series and some rather bad ones. It balanced out in the worst way as he was never able to get his ring.

Hot Septembers

The best month for Mussina seemed to be September. His career record of 44-21 was not much better than other months however his 2.86 ERA along with 16 complete games is impossible to ignore. Of those 16 complete games, 7 were shutouts. Mussina also happened to give up the fewest amount of home runs this month and nearly finished with more strikeouts than any other page on the calendar.

Five Statistical Facts about Evan Longoria

Far from a desperate housewife other than in name the franchise player for the Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria, has had an interesting career so far. From the seasons where he challenged for an MVP to the ones where the team wondered if he was actually the best player to build around or completely overrated, these are five statistical facts about his career.

Consistently Inconsistent

I can’t quite put my nose on it when looking at Longoria’s career statistics–mostly because I worry my nose is greasy and I don’t want to dirty up my computer screen. Whatever my reason, there’s something consistently inconsistent about him. Excluding the 2012 season where he only played in 74 games, Longoria has hit between 22-33 home runs each season and driven in 85-113 runs. Many of his other numbers look pretty on-par with other seasons however at the same time some do not. For instance, his batting average in 2010 and 2012 were .294 and .289, respectively. Then in 2011 and 2014 he hit only .244 and .253. There’s something very uncomfortable to me about this and I’m not sure I can ever embrace Longoria because of it.

Postseason Batting

The Tampa Bay Rays have been to one World Series with Longoria and perhaps his horrible performance in the postseason is why they didn’t win and have failed to get back. In the 2008 World Series, Longoria was 1 for 20 with a .050 batting average. His overall postseason batting average is a dismal .191. The only positive I see from the numbers is that he does have 9 home runs and 21 RBIs in only 30 games.

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All-Star Selection and Gold Glove Drought

In each of Longoria’s first three seasons, he was rewarded with a trip to the All-Star Game. In his second and third season, he also won a Gold Glove. Heck, let’s throw in there that he won the 2008 Rookie of the Year. Then the 2011 season happened where he had a very strange year. Hitting 31 home runs and 99 RBIs would normally be great however he had only a .244 batting average. I’m not sure what happened because he did still have a .355 on-base percentage. The important thing to note here is Longoria has not been back to the All-Star Game or won a Gold Glove since he did both in 2010. What happened?

July Struggles

An amazing anomaly is the batting average Longoria has in the month of July throughout his career. Normally a month where hitters take advantage of the warm weather, he has struggled. Longoria has only a .231 career batting average in the month of July. His .344 on-base percentage is however still better than August where he gets on base at a .313 rate. His batting average that month though is .261.

Great with Runners in Scoring Position

I feel like a lot of what I wrote here about Longoria was negative so let me share something he does well: hit with runners in scoring position. Longoria has a career .284 batting average with runners in scoring position and has hit 41 home runs. Without anyone on base, he’s hitting only .251. I suppose this means the key to the Rays’ success is getting someone to second base by the time it’s Longoria’s time to hit. Can you believe that? Get runners on base for your best hitter equals success. What a surprise.

Five Statistical Facts about Jon Lester

One of the best pitchers in baseball and a guy who rarely misses time, Jon Lester spent parts of 9 seasons with the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the Oakland Athletics for a playoff push in 2014. Things didn’t work out to very little fault of Lester’s other than the one-game playoff against the Kansas City Royals. Now a free agent and possibly headed to a city near you, here are five statistical facts you should know about him before he arrives.

200+ Innings

Since 2008 when he was finally given a chance to become a full-time starter, Lester has finished all but one season with 200 innings pitched or more. The one exception was in 2011 when Lester pitched in 191.2 innings. He happened to start 31 games that year so it’s not like he was too far off.

Postseason Pitching

Including the beating the Royals gave him in the Wild Card Game in 2014, Lester still has great postseason numbers. Overall Lester is 6-4 with a 2.57 ERA. Pitching in the World Series alone, something he did in 2007 and 2013, Lester is 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA. The lone run he gave up in the 21 World Series innings pitched came from a Matt Holliday solo home run.

By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Jon Lester”) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

2014 Strikeouts to Walk Ratio

It was no secret to Lester that he was going to be a free agent after the 2014 season. His performance was absolutely awesome with the Red Sox and even with the Athletics. One statistic he shined at most was his strikeouts to walk ratio. For every walk Lester had, he averaged 4.8 strikeouts. This was a new high for him.

What’s a Calendar?

Lester may never know what month it is as he seems to remain consistent throughout the year. His lowest batting average against is in August, which is at .244. His highest is a month earlier in July where he has a .255 batting average against. Even examining the numbers in the first and second half, things are almost identical. His first half batting average against is .248. In the second half it’s only slightly higher at .249.

Strange Relationship with Adam Jones

I’m not sure if Lester and Baltimore Orioles’ center fielder Adam Jones have ever formally met. On the baseball field though, Jones has stepped up to the plate 67 times with Lester on the mound. The result is a bit odd. Jones has a .322 batting average with 19 hits. Only 3 of those hits are for extra bases and they are all doubles. He also only has 5 RBIs. In addition to the glory, Jones has gone down on strikes 21 times against Lester. Adding it all up, 37 of the 67 plate appearances Jones has had against Lester resulted in a strikeout or a single. Jones’ teammates need to start getting on base ahead of him when facing Lester to make these singles worth anything.

Five Statistical Facts about Babe Ruth

You can’t spell baseball without Babe Ruth. Well, in English you can. I meant this more in a metaphorical way. No one in the history of the sport was more popular than he was. Even people who have never seen a baseball game know the name. I could go on forever praising him. Instead I’ll share these five statistical facts about baseball’s best.

Leading the League

Ruth seemed to always lead the league in something. Here are a few of those categories and how many times he beat out everyone else:

Runs: 8 Times
Home Runs: 12 Times
RBIs: 5 Times
Walks: 11 Times
Strikeouts: 5 Times

Tall Tale of Strikeouts

It has been said in the past by many about how even though he was great, Ruth still struck out more than anyone else. This may have been the case long ago however Ruth isn’t even in the Top 100 anymore. In fact, Derek Jeter struck out about 500 more times than Ruth ever did. Ruth had 1330 career strikeouts compared to the current leader Reggie Jackson’s 2597.

By National Photo Company [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Pitching Statistics

Most people know Ruth started his career as pitcher with the Boston Red Sox. He would take the mound 5 times for the New York Yankees, not doing too well when he did. Overall as a pitcher, Ruth was 94-46 with 2.28 ERA. His best pitching season was 1916 when he went 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA which included 9 shutouts. He also didn’t give up a home run in the 323.2 innings he pitched.

Postseason Batting

Ruth won 7 World Series in his career including 3 with the Red Sox. He was a pretty good hitter too in the Championship Series, swatting 15 home runs with a .326 batting average. His most famous World Series moment may or may not have happened when in 1932 he supposedly pointed out to center field then hit a home run right where he pointed on the next pitch.

Never Won a Triple Crown

All of the home runs, all of the RBIs, and a career .342 hitter yet Ruth was never able to lead the league in all three categories in the same season. Ruth only had one batting title, occurring in 1924 when he hit .378. Unfortunately Ruth’s 124 RBIs that season was not enough to match his league leading batting average and 46 home runs to win a Triple Crown.

Five Statistical Facts about Paul O’Neill

Ask a fan of the New York Yankees about Paul O’Neill they will swear he belongs in Cooperstown. While a very good player, O’Neill was one of those guys who benefited more by being on a good team than he was a guy who made his team great. That said, he had some pretty impressive seasons and hopefully these five statistical facts come off as bias and not anti-Yankees as possible.

A League Leader

O’Neill was only ever a league leader in any category three times in his career. The most notable was in 1994 when he won the American League batting title with a .359 batting average. The other two came in 1995 and 1998 when O’Neill led the league in double plays grounded into.

Stolen Bases

Surprisingly, O’Neill had quite a lot of stolen bases throughout his career. He also spread them out in a very unique way. When he was young and playing with the Cincinnati Reds, O’Neill managed to swipe 20 bases in the 1989 season at the age of 26. When he came to the Yankees he seemed to slow up, only stealing 1 base in the 1995 and 1996 seasons combined. By some miracle, O’Neill set a career high in stolen bases in his last year at age 38 with 22 of them. He was also only caught 3 times.

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Doubles Hitter, Not a Home Run Hitter

One misconception about O’Neill is that he was a power hitter. He was not. His 281 career home runs, although nice, do not compare to his 451 career doubles. In fact, O’Neill only ever hit more than 25 home runs once in a season when he launched 28 in 1991. His doubles were much more common, often landing in the mid-30s.

Postseason Batting

Four World Series Championships with the Yankees and one with the Reds gives O’Neill one full hand of rings. His teams may have won, but how did he do? He was actually pretty good. In 85 postseason games, O’Neill hit .284 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. O’Neill also had a very good strikeout/walk ratio, striking out 41 times and still managing to walk 38 times.

Typical Lefty against Lefties

As someone who swung from the left side we shouldn’t be too surprised to see poor numbers against other left handed pitchers. This was indeed the case as O’Neill only hit .247 against left handed pitchers. Oddly, he had a .262 batting average against left handed starting pitchers so it was those pesky left handed specialists out of the bullpen who were actually the ones ruining O’Neill’s day.

Five Statistical Facts about Nelson Cruz

One of baseball’s best sluggers and the reigning American League Home Run Champion, Nelson Cruz has had a decade of playing baseball that for the most part has been ignored until recently. A controversial suspension in 2013 due to PED usage set him back until joining the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 when he had his best season yet. Legitimate or not, here are five statistical facts about one of the few true sluggers in baseball.

Not As Good as Advertised?

I just got finished praising however it would be wrong of me to forego admitting he’s not as good as advertised. Cruz is a lifetime .268 hitter and until 2014 never knocked in 100 runs. He’s also only reached the 30 home run mark twice. Perhaps the worst thing about him is that Cruz never seems to play in enough games. Only in 2012 and 2014 was he able to reach the 130 game mark. But hey, if you like him don’t feel bad.

Where Did the Stolen Bases Go?

Another question, this one with less of an answer, where did all of Cruz’s stolen bases go? In 2009, Cruz stole 20 bases in 128 games and the following season in only 108 games he had 17. Each year since, Cruz’s stolen base totals have been in the single digits and getting lower and lower. Apparently off the juice, shouldn’t he have some more speed or the same?

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Postseason Batting

As a member of the Texas Rangers in their back-to-back World Series appearances and beyond, Cruz has 41 games of postseason experience. He’s been pretty good too hitting .292 with 16 home runs. His best series was easily the 2011 ALCS against the Detroit Tigers when he hit .364 with 6 home runs and 13 RBIs.

Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, and David Price

Three of baseball’s best pitchers are Felix Hernandez, Jon Lester, and David Price. You would think most guys would have bad numbers against all three or at least one of them. For Cruz it’s a different story. Cruz has a fair .258 batting average against Hernandez, but with 5 home runs. Against Lester he’s hitting .393 with 3 home runs. Finally there’s Price who has been targeted by Cruz for 4 home runs and a .375 batting average.

Not Clutch

Cruz is not a guy you want to send up to the plate when the game is on the line. With 2 outs and runners in scoring position he’s a .267 hitter. In at-bats late and in close games he’s only hitting .246. When the score is tied he’s a .252 hitter. The best way to sum it up is that when his team is ahead Cruz is a .293 hitter. When his team is behind he’s only batting .251.

The Story Behind the ‘Graph: Mark Buehrle

Maybe my favorite active pitcher and top 10 overall is Mark Buehrle. He’s a charitable guy very active in terms of animal rights. He has also been a great pitcher that has done just about everything from win a World Series to pitching a Perfect Game. Oh and it certainly helps singing autographs for me through the mail. Thanks Mark!

Five Statistical Facts about Denny McLain

One of my favorite Facebook friends is Denny McLain. An eccentric figure still today who should have probably done a lot more in baseball, McLain is must-read. Until he accepts your friend request, continue reading on here and learn five statistical facts about this sometimes controversial former pitcher.

1968 Season

In 1968, known to many as “The Year of the Pitcher,” McLain won the American League Cy Young and MVP Awards. Nobody could have been more deserving of either. McLain won 31 games, something no one has done since. In his league leading 41 starts he also completed 28 of them; again more than everybody else. As great as this season was, McLain still gave up more home runs than anybody else (31). He made up for this with the league’s best strikeouts to walk ratio, striking out 4.44 batters for each he walked.

1965-1969 Seasons

The prime of McLain’s career came from 1965-1969. Even with all of the other societal distractions like wars overseas and bellbottoms, McLain managed to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. In this 5 season span McLain was 108-51 with a 2.95 ERA. This comes out to an average of 22 wins a season.

3 World Series Starts

Imagine a pitcher in today’s game starting 3 games in the World Series. While possible, it remains unlikely. Going against Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 World Series, McLain actually lost 2 of his starts and won the other. His Detroit Tigers would ultimately win the series even without their best pitcher performing at the top of his game.

Hitting a Home Run

In his second career at-bat on September 21, 1963, McClain saw a pitch from Chicago White Sox starter Fritz Ackley that was too irresistible. McLain hit the ball over the outfield wall for a home run. This also happened to be McClain’s first major league start. He won the game with a complete game including 8 strikeouts.

Leading the League in Wins…and Then Losses

In 1968 and 1969 McLain led the league in wins with 31 and then 24. Only two years later in 1972, now playing for the Washington Senators, McLain struggled and went 10-22. Those 22 losses were the most in the league. Due to mostly to issues off the field, the following season was his last.