The Tampa Bay Rays: MLB Team Of 2008

Once again, Major League Baseball did not disappoint its fans in 2008. From the longest World Series game ever played, to Manny being the “Manny-est” he’s ever been, to my beloved Yankees not making the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons—the headlines this year never ceased to keep on coming.

Every team seemed to give us something to talk about at some point during the year.

Yet, during a year in which the underdog always seemed to make some kind of a stand in almost every sport, it would only be appropriate that Major League Baseball’s 2008 Team of the Year would be a team with a history of not only being the underdog, but of being the worst.

Tampa Bay began the year with a mission: to change its losing ways.

The Devil Rays had not had a winning season since their inception at the start of the 1998 season.

A team looking for something to change its persona at the beginning of the year, Tampa Bay began 2008 by dropping the “Devil” from their name and changing their uniform colors from that revolting green to a cool blue and white.

However, even with their new-found identity, it was still hard for any of us, including the Tampa Bay faithful, to believe that the team would have enough firepower to compete with the American League East superpowers way up north.

I first caught a glimpse of what the now Tampa Bay Rays were going to be when I attended an April 4th game between the Rays and Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

The Bronx Bombers hardly resembled anything that their nickname suggests by getting pummeled 13-4 by the Rays that night.

As the season continued, and spring turned into summer, New York and Boston fans alike began to realize that the talent and determination to win that the Rays were exhibiting was not simply a fluke.

For the majority of the year, the Yankees and Red Sox had nowhere to look but up, and the first place Rays, nowhere but down.

For crying out loud, who ever thought that the importance of a midsummer series between the Yanks and Sox would be control of a wildcard spot?! Well, that was the case in 2008.

The Rays eventually outlasted both teams to claim their first division title in their 11 year history. They held a two game lead over the Red Sox (who took the American League Wild Card) after 162 games.

And the Yankees? They were not even a factor.

The Rays would take care of the Chicago White Sox with ease during the Division Series, winning in four games.

Next up was a familiar foe in the Boston Red Sox, who had made short work of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in their respective Division Series.

After the Rays jumped out to an early 3-1 ALCS lead, the Red Sox began to display their famous comeback ability. Boston took Game Five 8-7 at Fenway Park, despite being down 0-7 as late as the seventh inning.

At that point, it seemed like the baseball gods were going to finally put things back in order. With momentum on the Red Sox’s side, most of the country believed that the amazing Game Five comeback would spell the beginning of the end for the Cinderella story Rays.

The series was eventually pushed to a Game Seven in Tampa Bay, as expected. However, the Rays prevailed, winning the game 3-1.

No matter what team you root for, it was a very exciting and great time to be a baseball fan. In a year of firsts—their first winning season, their first division title, their first season of actual relevance in the baseball world—the Tampa Bay Rays were going to their first World Series.

But what is it that made the Tampa Bay Rays of 2008 go from worst-to-first in what seemed like the blink of an eye?

How is it that a team that had finished in last place for nine of its first 10 seasons not only showed improvements, but made its way to the apex of the sport? 

The Rays' success came from a combination of a couple of different things: they sported the most consistent pitching in baseball while demonstrating the perfect mix of young talent and veteran leadership.

Scott Kazmir and James Shields headlined the Tampa Bay starting staff, which did not contain a pitcher who possessed more than 14 wins, yet was as reliable as any.

Backing up the starting pitching was the longest tenured Ray, Carl Crawford, alongside players such as speedy center fielder B.J. Upton, slugging first baseman Carlos Pena, catcher Diarnno Navarro, and the young third base phenom Evan Longoria.

In addition, the Rays managed to be the best team in the American League while sporting a payroll a fraction of the size of most of their major league counterparts ($43 million compared to the noteworthy Red Sox’s $133 million and the Yankees’ $209 million in 2008).

But it is important to remember that the small payroll fact should be taken with a grain of salt. Many teams work with a small payroll and continue to do what everyone expects them to do, which is, frankly, to suck (followed by complaining about it later on).

What made the Rays of 2008 so special was the fact that, day-in and-day-out, they managed to play the game with a childlike enthusiasm, all the while acting like professionals when the situation called for it.

Though signs of immaturity broke through every now and then, their hard play and desire to win made the Rays truly deserving of how good they were—and they were good.

Ultimately, the Rays were disposed of in five games by the Philadelphia Phillies during the World Series—in quite convincing fashion, mind you.

But while many pointed to the Phillies’ star-studded lineup, and Cole Hamels’s MVP-caliber performance as the reason why the Rays lost, I believe that the true reason why Tampa Bay fell short was because, after all they had been through, they were finally star-struck. The awe of where they were finally caught up with them.

After so much, how could a team that was expected to be irrelevant—a team constructed of nothing but kids and rejected veterans—be asked to take on any more?

However, there is no reason to believe that the Rays 2008 success was simply a stroke of luck.

Unlike their cross-state rivals in Miami, who have historically been dismantled after every playoff appearance, the Rays have entered this off season looking to upgrade an already potent team, showing interest in the likes of more big league veterans such as Bobby Abreu, Ken Griffey Jr., and Jason Giambi.

Not to mention the emergence of pitching prospect Dave Price, who gave us a brief preview of some of his superb skills during the later part of the season and the playoffs. He will only get better as the years go on.

So while the Rays came out of nowhere, catching our attention in 2008, they will no doubt be one of the major league centerpieces of the 2009 season, and beyond. 

And as an avid Yankee fan, I would like to say on behalf of all of us: I’m a little frightened.

The American League East is now officially a three team division. 

The Tampa Bay Rays: Major League Baseball’s Team of 2008.