Tampa Bay Rays: Why Their Offense Will Be Good Enough to Win the AL East

It will be another hard-fought battle for the AL East in 2012, and the Tampa Bay Rays will likely be in the hunt to win it all season long. Tampa's great starting pitching is definitely good enough to win the division, but the question is whether the team will hit well enough.

Offensive production was the only thing that stood in the way of an AL East title and postseason success last year. With all the tough competition in the American League, it's clear the Rays are going to have to hit better than they did in 2011 in order to be serious title contenders.

There are some good reasons to believe that the Rays' offense will be better in 2012. For starters, offseason acquisitions have already made an impact in the lineup, and they should make the Rays a better team overall this season. The Rays made smart moves by signing Carlos Pena to play first base and Luke Scott to be their DH, replacing Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon from 2011.

It's early, but it looks like the replacement is paying off and the newer combo will produce more runs for the Rays this year. Both Scott and Pena have started the season off on a tear in the meat of the lineup. Scott is hitting .400/.438/.933 with eight RBI and two home runs. Pena has been the Rays' best hitter after the first nine games, batting .353/.450/.735 with 11 RBI and three long balls.

As expected, Evan Longoria is also hitting very well, starting his 2012 season with a .333/.436/.545 line along with five RBI and a homer. I think Longoria will have his best season yet this year, which is another reason why the Rays will score enough runs to be at the top of their division.

The Rays have a very strong trio of big boppers in Longoria, Pena and Scott, who will likely lead the team offensively. If those three stay healthy and hit to their potential, the Rays will have a great shot at winning the AL East.

Jeff Keppinger and Jose Molina are two more additions who could bolster the offense. Keppinger is outstanding contact hitter who should help lower the Rays' high strikeout ratios, as well as contribute to the bottom of the order. Keppinger has already been somewhat of a pleasant surprise this season, coming through with some clutch hits. Molina is no All Star either, but he probably is a better offensive option than both Kelly Shoppach and John Jaso—who were the Rays' two main backstops last year.

Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton are three more bats that will be key to the Rays' lineup this season, just like they've been in the past. Neither Joyce are Zobrist have started to hit well yet, and Upton has been on the DL since the season began. Once Joyce and Zobrist start to get things going at the plate and Upton returns to the lineup, the Rays will instantly become a more threatening team to their AL East opponents.

The three combined for 247 RBI and 62 homers last season, finishing second, third and fourth in team leaders for both categories (behind Evan Longoria who led in both). Ben Zobrist hit 20 homers with an impressive 91 RBI, while Joyce was selected to the All-Star Game and finished the season with 75 RBI, 19 homers and a .277 average. Upton produced his share of runs as well, collecting 81 RBI with 23 home runs while stealing 36 bases.

The Rays should finally have a consistent leadoff man in the lineup with the full-season addition of Desmond Jennings this year. Jennings—a late-season call-up in 2011—stole 20 bases with 25 RBI and 10 homers in his 63-game rookie season. Having an everyday leadoff guy like Jennings is definitely a big help to the lineup that the Rays didn't really have this year.

The running game has been a big part of the Rays' offense in past years, and Jennings' huge threat on the base pads provides a big boost with Carl Crawford no longer with the team. Like Crawford, he's a great base-stealer with excellent speed.

The Rays' running game hasn't gotten off to a good start, however, which is a big reason why the Rays are only 21st in the majors right now in runs scored. It's really unfair to judge Tampa's offense at this point in the season, though, as two of the team's three main base-stealers are out with injury. Both Upton —who lead the team in stolen bases last year— and Sam Fuld (20 stolen bases in 2011) are on the DL.

Injuries have not only hurt the running game, but they have hurt the offense overall. As I said before, Upton was one of the main run-producers last season, and not having him in the lineup is huge. Luke Scott—another huge piece—was also out with an injury for three games last week. The offense still hasn't been healthy yet this season, which is why I think it will only get better.

Still, the Rays do have some obvious weaknesses in the lineup, mainly the bottom of the order. Elliot Johnson, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and Jose Lobaton are some names that are a bit of a concern.

It's safe to say the Rays won't have the best lineup—or overall offense—in their division when comparing them to the stacked rosters of Boston and New York. They likely won't have to match their rivals' big bats, though, with such stellar starting pitching and defense as dominant as they have.

Still, the Rays offense will need to come through for them when needed, just like it did last year in their memorable Game 162. The Rays can expect that from their talented young roster this year, as they definitely have all the ingredients for a functional offense.