Baby Rays Finally Growing Up

Yes, Josh Hamilton is going to be the Comeback Player of the Year, that is a given. However, he is just one player on a team that is struggling to stay in the wild card hunt with hopes growing slimmer by the day. With that being said, is it possible to have an award each year for comeback team of the year? 

Now, a couple teams have been shockers, both positively and negatively. A few negatives are the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, and the Colorado Rockies (following up their 21 out of 22 wins going into the World Series mismatch vs. the Red Sox). A few teams also have shown that if you are patient, good, even great things will come.

The new look Rays, no longer the "Devil" Rays, came out a little slow, making everyone think they were only slightly better than the last nine years of their existence. The Chicago fraternal twins have excited the baseball world and could repeat history. The Marlins are showing people what you can do without Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

Of those teams mentioned above, the Tampa Bay Rays deserve the most praise. The Rays, in their 11th season as a pro franchise, have not had a winning season in their previous 10. They are also in the most dreaded division in baseball with two teams having over $175 million payrolls along with names like A-Rod, Ortiz, Lowell, Papelbon, Rivera, Jeter, Halladay, Ramirez (gone now), and Beckett.

Yes, the "Baby Rays" have All-Stars of their own in Longoria, Crawford, Kazmir, and Navarro. They have a strong young pitching staff led by Kazmir, and as of this season, has help behind him with James Shields, Andy Sonnanstine, Matt Garza (picked up from the Twins for Delmon Young), and Edwin Jackson.

Not only do they have a solid five, but they have a young man named David Price, who, oh by the way, finally lost his first professional game in Durham. Before his recent call up to Durham he was 11-0.

The future holds possible playoff games for a team who never has finished higher than fourth. They have won more games than last year, which was their highest total previously. Even though their two biggest contributors in speed and power are on the DL, they have continued to play good ball due to pitching and defense, which is how they win games anyway.

The Yankees are fading fast with injuries and the Red Sox are adjusting to not having Manny Ramirez in the clutch. But, this is no fluke, no luck, no Harry Potter magic; the Rays are for real and will be a strong contender for years to come with good prospects in their system.

The fan support is growing, their marketing is getting better, and they are getting more revenue from more tickets and official gear. They may even have a higher budget next year to bring in someone who can hit the ball to the catwalk and beyond next season 40+ times a year.

These Rays are growing their stingers and are putting a spike into the scheme of the AL for years to come.