Not very many players like Ben Zobrist anymore. Not a Hall of Famer. But the guy could play practically every position and play it well. And really good in the post-season also.
The Hall of Fame topic got me thinking of another question as to who would be on your Mount Rushmore of all time Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays players? For managers it would be obviously Joe Maddon and Kevin Cash, but player selections are a lot more challenging. Here would be my five: Evan Longoria- No brainer here. Longo is a legend. Carl Crawford- Great Rays player in the time he was with them. And he was never the same player when after left the Rays when he played in Boston and LA. David Price- A definitive ace of the staff. His performance in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS against the Red Sox seals it. He literally put the team on his back that night and carried them to the AL Championship. James Shields- This one was the toughest selection. Wanted to go with Blake Snell and/or Tyler Glasnow or any of the current guys on the staff, but Shields was more consistent for a longer period of time. Brandon Lowe- Wanted to pick a guy on the current team who has been a mainstay. And Brandon has been with the Rays since 2018 and has put up consistently good numbers when he has been healthy. Honorable mentions: Fred McGriff, Carlos Pena, Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Josh Lowe, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Kevin Kiermaier, Tommy Pham, Scott Kazmir, Fernando Rodney, Chris Archer, Akinori Iwamura, Julio Lugo, Aubrey Huff, Rocco Baldelli, Jason Bartlett, Matt Joyce, Alex Colome, Jose Alvarado, Roberto Hernandez.
Hopefully, Junior Caminero will be the breakout star and franchise player for years to come. But we are a long way from that. Don't want to jinx it after what happened with Wander Franco. Hoping that one or more of the pitchers will emerge as big time winners. So difficult these days with all of the inevitable injuries that occur every year.
Curt Schilling should be a Hall of Famer. His regular season stats are well above average. But what puts him over the top IMO is his post-season performance. He always performed great in the post-season whether he was pitching for Philly, Arizona, or Boston. The bloody sock game in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS is legendary. If he is being kept out because of politics, that is reprehensible.
On the current roster I think Junior is probably the best shot but wayyyy too early to tell. I think Taj has the potential to be dominant too but we will see. Past Rays great, Manny Ramirez has the best shot of former Rays to get in the HOF lol
Dig the outro music.
Not very many players like Ben Zobrist anymore. Not a Hall of Famer. But the guy could play practically every position and play it well. And really good in the post-season also.
The Hall of Fame topic got me thinking of another question as to who would be on your Mount Rushmore of all time Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays players? For managers it would be obviously Joe Maddon and Kevin Cash, but player selections are a lot more challenging.
Here would be my five:
Evan Longoria- No brainer here. Longo is a legend.
Carl Crawford- Great Rays player in the time he was with them. And he was never the same player when after left the Rays when he played in Boston and LA.
David Price- A definitive ace of the staff. His performance in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS against the Red Sox seals it. He literally put the team on his back that night and carried them to the AL Championship.
James Shields- This one was the toughest selection. Wanted to go with Blake Snell and/or Tyler Glasnow or any of the current guys on the staff, but Shields was more consistent for a longer period of time.
Brandon Lowe- Wanted to pick a guy on the current team who has been a mainstay. And Brandon has been with the Rays since 2018 and has put up consistently good numbers when he has been healthy.
Honorable mentions: Fred McGriff, Carlos Pena, Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena, Isaac Paredes, Josh Lowe, B.J. Upton, Ben Zobrist, Kevin Kiermaier, Tommy Pham, Scott Kazmir, Fernando Rodney, Chris Archer, Akinori Iwamura, Julio Lugo, Aubrey Huff, Rocco Baldelli, Jason Bartlett, Matt Joyce, Alex Colome, Jose Alvarado, Roberto Hernandez.
Hopefully, Junior Caminero will be the breakout star and franchise player for years to come. But we are a long way from that. Don't want to jinx it after what happened with Wander Franco. Hoping that one or more of the pitchers will emerge as big time winners. So difficult these days with all of the inevitable injuries that occur every year.
Curt Schilling should be a Hall of Famer. His regular season stats are well above average. But what puts him over the top IMO is his post-season performance. He always performed great in the post-season whether he was pitching for Philly, Arizona, or Boston. The bloody sock game in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS is legendary. If he is being kept out because of politics, that is reprehensible.
On the current roster I think Junior is probably the best shot but wayyyy too early to tell. I think Taj has the potential to be dominant too but we will see. Past Rays great, Manny Ramirez has the best shot of former Rays to get in the HOF lol