ST. PETERSBURG -- After starting the franchise with 10 consecutive losing seasons from 1998-2008, the Rays have enjoyed one of the most successful stretches across baseball, including two World Series appearances.
During those successful seasons, the Rays had plenty of strong single-season performances by the best players in franchise history. MLB.com looks back at some of those strong performances, ranking the top five single seasons in Rays history.
1. Carlos Pena, 2007
This one was easy. Despite the Devil Rays winning just 66 games in 2007. Pena was able to deliver with undoubtedly the best single season by a position player in franchise history. He set franchise records with 46 homers, 121 RBIs and a 1.037 OPS. Pena was able to hit 28 or more homers in each of his four seasons with the Rays, but his best work came in ‘07 with the type of campaign that will be difficult to top.
2. Evan Longoria, 2009
Longoria is the best player in franchise history and 2009 was his best season with the Rays, which is why he comes in at No. 2 on this list. Longoria, who was in just his second season in the Majors, hit 33 home runs, recorded a career-high 113 RBIs and finished with a .889 OPS, the highest in his career in a full season. To top things off, Longoria earned his only Silver Slugger Award and won the first of three Gold Gloves.
3. Yandy Díaz, 2023
Díaz was once known as much for his bulging biceps as anything he did on the field, but the muscular infielder quietly became one of the most consistently productive hitters in baseball after joining the Rays. And the 2023 season was his finest work, as he won the franchise’s first batting title with a .330 average in 600 plate appearances over 137 games that year. But he wasn’t just hitting for average. Díaz got on base at a .410 clip and posted a career-best .522 slugging percentage, a product of his career-high 35 doubles and a career high (at the time) 22 homers. Díaz had been known for scorching the ball but hitting it hard on the ground; that changed this season, and he received a Silver Slugger Award and MVP votes in recognition of his accomplishments.
This one comes down to three numbers. The first is 45, as in the number of home runs Caminero hit during his first full season in the Majors, one shy of matching Peña’s single-season club record. The second is 110, as in the number of runs the All-Star third baseman drove in, fourth most in franchise history at that point. And the third is 21, as in Caminero’s age for most of the season, which made what he did all the more incredible. Top prospects don’t always immediately deliver on the hype they generate, but Caminero found ways to put his incredible raw power into action at a preposterously young age. He still displayed room for improvement -- his 131 OPS+ didn’t rank among the 20 best seasons in franchise history, and he hit into 31 double plays -- but his at-bats became must-watch material in this season.
5. Aubrey Huff, 2003
Huff ended up winning two World Series titles with the Giants, but his best seasons came as a member of the Rays early in his career, and his best season came in 2003. Huff hit 34 home runs, 107 RBIs and finished with a .311 batting average that season. Perhaps the most impressive part of Huff’s season, however, is the fact that he played in all 162 games and struck out just 80 times.
Honorable mentions
Original Devil Ray Fred McGriff had the club’s first big offensive season in 1999, hitting 32 homers with 104 RBIs and a .957 OPS. … Carl Crawford hit .305 with 15 homers in 2009, but what really set that season apart offensively? He stole a career-high 60 bases, including six in one game. ... Jose Canseco had a strong ‘99 season, finishing with 34 home runs, 95 RBIs and a .931 OPS. Had this list been a top six, Canseco would’ve likely made it. … Ben Zobrist had an impressive career with the Rays and ‘09 was his coming out party, as he hit 27 home runs and stole 17 bases. Zobrist was one of the most consistent and versatile Rays players, but he just missed this list. … Logan Morrison made a bid at becoming just the second Rays player to hit 40 homers in a season, but he fell just short, hitting 38 in ‘17. ... Brandon Lowe had a 39-homer, 99-RBI campaign in 2021, leading the Rays’ first 100-win club with 4.7 WAR and a 142 OPS+.