A New String of Divison Titles?

The Tampa Bay Rays are the next Atlanta Braves—well at least when it comes to division titles. When looking at the trends of the 1990-1992 Braves and the 2007-'09 Rays, it's hard to not think that the Rays could actually start a streak just like the Braves did.

In the late '80s, the Braves were losing. Throughout their brief history the Rays were losing as well.

For many years, both teams built through the draft and had their players come up through the minor leagues, creating some of the best assembled home-grown talent, with the exception of a few "ringers" brought in from the outside.

However, there are many of the same trends that can be seen in both teams that lead me to believe the Rays could string together a few years of winning division titles.

Let's begin with the first year of study.

The 1990 Braves finished 65-90 and 26 games out of first place in the old National League West. That year, they also drafted a major face of the franchise with the first pick in the draft, Chipper Jones.

The 2007 Rays finished the season 66-96, which was 30 games out of first place in the American League East. That year, the Rays drafted up-and-coming pitching sensation David Price with the first pick in the MLB Draft.

Then came the first year of a division title. The Braves finished the 1991 season with a 94-68 record, and one game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the N.L. West. Three mainstays in their pitching rotation were some fellas named John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Steve Avery.

The Rays on the other hand, finished the 2008 season with a 97-65 record, and two games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for first place. Three pitchers in their rotation, although not fully yet proven were James Shields, Matt Garza and Price.

Now, I know not many people will be jumping on the bandwagon to say that the Rays will win the East again this year, especially with all of the free-agent signings the New York Yankees made in the offseason.

But, with the youth of the Rays, they just might be able to match the youth of the early-90s Braves and string together a new streak of division titles. And in today's game where the Yankees are basically just outbidding everyone to make up an all-star team, would that be something great to see?