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

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

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.

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. But after trying to decide what the all-time Rays team would look like on the field,

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

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 -- 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.

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,

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 -- 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 -- 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 -- In their short history, the Rays haven't had many Hall of Famers play with the organization, with Wade Boggs and Tampa native Fred McGriff being the most notable players to wear a Devil Rays jersey. However, the Rays have had a lot of very good players, though

After his unbelievable walk-off moment in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series, outfielder Brett Phillips explained why his part in the improbable victory was even more extraordinary than it already seemed. "To know the backstory is to know the story," Phillips said then. "When these guys were in the

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

You know about the most famous home runs hit at Tropicana Field. Wade Boggs’ 3,000th hit. Dan Johnson. Evan Longoria. If you’re reading this, that’s all familiar territory. But how about some of the longest home runs hit inside St. Petersburg’s domed ballpark?

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays don’t often “win the offseason” with splashy signings and headline-grabbing trades. So they are not necessarily built for the Winter Meetings, the offseason’s marquee event that has become a time for big transactions in the baseball world. But they have occasionally rocked the boat --