No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

Tampa Bay opened its doors to Major League Baseball in 1998 as the expansion Tampa Bay "Devil Rays," and the franchise had a retired number in place before ever playing a game. That's because Jackie Robinson's number had already been retired by every team in baseball. In recognition of his

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

ST. PETERSBURG -- Game 7 in 2008 or Game 162 in 2011? You don’t need to read much more than those four-word descriptions before the memories start flooding back. The first was Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series, the unforgettable moment the Rays reached the World Series

If it seems like the Rays are always wheeling and dealing, that's because they are. Such is life for Tampa Bay, where combating the realities of playing in baseball's smallest market remains a constant challenge. That often means finding creative ways to churn the roster, mine others across the Majors

ST. PETERSBURG -- Since the franchise’s “Rays” era began in 2008, Tampa Bay has been a consistently competitive club in the always-challenging American League East. The Rays have won American League titles and division titles, fought their way into October as a Wild Card team and endured only brief periods

ST. PETERSBURG -- It's no secret that many of the Rays’ best teams have been built on elite pitching. The organizational philosophy is to prioritize run prevention, and there’s a great emphasis on helping pitchers develop in the Minors and keep getting better in the big leagues. Because of that,

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays don’t always win on Opening Day. But when they do, they tend to put on a show. Four of their first 15 Opening Day victories were walk-off wins. One involved a local product hitting a go-ahead triple in the eighth inning of his first game

ST. PETERSBURG -- In 2020, Randy Arozarena gave Rays fans a thrilling reminder of the excitement a breakout star can bring. The rookie outfielder surged in September and then took over in October, setting records with nearly every home run as he burst onto both the local and national stage.

ST. PETERSBURG -- Even in their best years, the Rays aren’t necessarily known for their offensive firepower. Pitching and defense tend to win the day for Tampa Bay. But the Rays have featured sluggers like Carlos Pena. They’ve had speedsters like Carl Crawford. They’ve had young stars like Evan Longoria,

As an organization, Tampa Bay has been one of baseball’s greatest success stories since becoming the Rays in 2008. They’ve captured three American League pennants during that time, running all the way to the World Series but ultimately coming up short in 2008, '20 and ’26. Since the Rays' first

The Rays have only been around since 1998, but with all the roster transactions that the front office makes, a good number of players have played in the organization. And because of that turnover, there have been a lot of different jersey numbers throughout the years. Let’s face it, most

ST. PETERSBURG -- Coming up with a name for an expansion team is no easy task. The owner of the team eventually has the final say, but a lot of pressure comes from that decision. There’s pressure from the fan base to get it right, and there’s pressure from the

Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar. Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Oct. 7. 1) Mookie Betts (1992) One of the best all-around talents in the game, Betts was selected by

Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar. Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Oct. 5: 1) Claude Ritchey (1873) Ritchey, know as “Little All Right” due to his stature, played 13 years

ST. PETERSBURG -- When Matt Garza took the mound at Tropicana Field on July 26, 2010, the Rays had been on the wrong end of no-hit history four times in the previous eight years. About two years later, Félix Hernández threw the 23rd perfect game in Major League history against

ST. PETERSBURG -- Since the franchise’s “Rays” era began in 2008, Tampa Bay’s best teams have often been built on a foundation of excellent pitching. Homegrown starting pitching, specifically.

No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun

MLB.com has broken down the top five players at each position in Rays history. Some of the decisions were pretty clear -- hi, Evan Longoria -- while others created a good amount of debate. You can debate who you want to have manage the team, Joe Maddon or Kevin Cash.