From Young to Williams, here are the top 10 MLB debuts in Rays history

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays have had no shortage of anticipated debuts in franchise history. From top overall picks like Delmon Young and David Price to top prospects like Matt Moore and Junior Caminero, plenty of players have arrived with inescapable hype alongside them.

Occasionally, it took time for their ability to shine through. Sometimes, those talented youngsters immediately delivered on their promise. Every Major League debut is special, but some are more memorable than others.

Here, in chronological order, are 10 of the greatest Major League debuts in Rays history.

Aug. 29, 2006: Delmon Young
The first overall pick in the 2003 Draft flew through the Minors and reached the big leagues and debuted for the then-Devil Rays near the end of a 101-loss season under manager Joe Maddon. He was hit by a pitch, struck out, then in his third trip to the plate, hit a two-run homer off White Sox starter Freddy Garcia. Batting eighth ahead of a young shortstop named Ben Zobrist, the 20-year-old right fielder singled in the eighth and scored on a double by Rocco Baldelli. It was one of four MLB debuts in club history in which a hitter recorded at least five total bases and one of nine in which the player homered. He was the American League Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2007, then he was dealt to Minnesota in a franchise-altering trade.

April 12, 2008: Evan Longoria
Sure, Longoria’s performance wasn’t all that special. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI and played the whole 3-2 loss to the Orioles at third base. But this is more of an honorary placement, as Longoria’s arrival marked the beginning of a new era in Tampa Bay baseball as much as the changing of the team’s name from “Devil Rays” to “Rays.” The greatest player in franchise history went on to win the 2008 AL Rookie of the Year Award, and the 2008 club’s worst-to-first turnaround ended in the World Series.

Sept. 14, 2008: David Price
Price’s stat line doesn’t necessarily stack up against the best debuts in team history. Pitching at Yankee Stadium in the final month of the Rays’ push for a division championship, the left-hander allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four over 5 1/3 innings in relief of starter Edwin Jackson. But the hype was inescapable for Price, the top pick in the 2007 Draft, and his appearance out of the bullpen foreshadowed his role as a key relief arm in the 2008 postseason. A month and five days later, he was on the mound at Tropicana Field for the final out of the 2008 AL Championship Series.

Sept. 6, 2009: Wade Davis
This is arguably the most impressive debut in team history, statistically. A big-time pitching prospect selected in the third round of the 2004 Draft, Davis held the Tigers to just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings. He exited with a 3-1 lead, but the bullpen blew it in the ninth of a 5-3 defeat. No Tampa Bay player has worked more than seven innings in his MLB debut, and Davis’ nine strikeouts are the most for a debuting Rays pitcher.

Aug. 2, 2010: Jeremy Hellickson
Hellickson was one of the top 20 prospects in baseball entering the 2010 season, but the Rays had little use for him with a rotation of Price, James Shields, Matt Garza, Jeff Niemann and Davis, all of whom made at least 29 starts during a 96-win season. But Hellickson’s time came against the Twins in early August, and the mild-mannered Iowan delivered. He retired the first 10 batters he faced, worked seven strong innings with six strikeouts and earned the win in a 4-2 victory. The right-hander’s big chance came in 2011, when he was named AL Rookie of the Year.

April 23, 2016: Blake Snell
A highly touted prospect heading into the 2016 season, Snell gets bonus points for degree of difficulty here. The 23-year-old debuted at Yankee Stadium against a lineup with the following well-established veterans: Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Carlos Beltrán, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Brian McCann and Chase Headley. And he was lined up against Masahiro Tanaka. How did Snell respond? As cool as he’d always be. He limited New York to one run on two hits and struck out six with just one walk over five innings in a 3-2 Rays loss.

June 29, 2019: Brendan McKay
Here’s another one with a strong case as the best individual debut performance. A two-way player selected fourth overall in the 2017 Draft, the left-handed pitcher shut down the Rangers over six scoreless innings. After 5 1/3 perfect innings, he allowed his first (and only) hit and a walk in the sixth and earned the win in a 5-2 victory. Injuries derailed McKay’s career, but at this point, the future was as bright as could be.

June 22, 2021: Wander Franco
The consensus top prospect in baseball at 20 years old, Franco arrived in the Majors with an 80-grade hit tool and an absurd amount of hype. The Rays leaned into the lofty expectations, batting him second in his debut, and Franco lived up to them in his first game. He hit a game-tying three-run homer in the fifth, making him the first Ray with a game-tying homer in his MLB debut, and he’s the only Tampa Bay player with six total bases in his first career game. Franco finished 2-for-4 with a walk, although the Rays lost to the Red Sox, 9-5.

April 26, 2022: René Pinto
Pinto didn’t even start his first game in the Majors, but it was still one of the best offensive debuts in club history. With the Rays down by seven, Pinto replaced Mike Zunino behind the plate in the fifth inning and struck out in his first at-bat. Two innings later, he launched a two-run homer off Matt Koch for his first career hit, making him the eighth Ray to homer in his MLB debut. Pinto later added a single, becoming one of nine Rays (eight at the time) with multiple hits in his debut.

Aug. 22, 2025: Carson Williams
Williams was called up from Triple-A Durham earlier than expected, arguably sooner than he should have been, but he put his top-prospect potential on display when given the chance. The slick-fielding shortstop reached on an error in his first plate appearance, hit an RBI single next time up and launched a two-run homer to center field in the seventh inning. The 22-year-old joined Young, Franco and Pinto as the only Rays with a home run and multiple hits in his MLB debut.