Tampa Bay Rays: Predicting how well the team could do in 2023

The Tampa Bay Rays could adequetely describe their 2022 season as disappointing. Although the team finished with a record of 86-76, putting them above .500, it is a large step down for a team who won their division last year and appeared in the World Series in 2020.

The Rays' 2022 season came to a screeching end at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Wild Card series. Here's what fans can look ahead to when it comes to the Rays in 2023.

The Rays are a pitching-centered team. Despite their loss to the Guardians in the Wild Card series, the team only surrendered three earned runs over 22 innings of play in that series. The team had the third-best ERA in the American League last season, posting a team figure of just 3.41.

Pitching is important, especially in a division like the AL East, which features big hitters like Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Leading the way for the Rays in 2022 was sophomore ace Shane McClanahan, who posted a team-best ERA of 2.54 in 28 starts. Of the four Rays pitchers to make more than 10 starts this season, three had ERA numbers below 3.00.

"Shane McClanahan should start the All-Star Game. It isn't close" - Tampa Bay Rays

When it comes to hitting, the Rays struggle to hold a candle to other teams in their division like the New York Yankees. With only 139 home runs last year, the team was in the bottom five in the MLB in that category. In turn, the team only scored 666 total runs, placing them 21st out of 30 MLB teams.

The team does have some young talent who they can count on to produce more in 2023. Randy Arozarena, the 2021 Rookie of the Year Award winner, was the best hitter for the Rays last season, hitting 20 home runs and 89 RBIs. He and fellow youngster Isaac Paredes were the only Rays to hit 20 or more homers last year. Watch out for this dynamic young pair to post similar numbers next season.

"#8 Wander Franco 21 & 22 stats: 282/337/439 6 WAR, 13 HR, 72RBI, 11-year $182M. HE IS ONLY 21" - Sandy Stats

A big issue for the Rays in 2022 was the health of another young star, Wander Franco. The Rays signed Franco to a 11-year deal worth $182 million before the season. However, Franco only played 82 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, with hand surgery keeping him sidelined for half of the season. If Franco returns healthy, he will make a huge difference for his team in 2023.

Tampa Bay Rays enter 2023 as an underdog in their division.

The Tampa Bay Rays seem to be in the awkward position of being significantly better than the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles, but incapable of matching the hitting power of the Toronto Blue Jays or Yankees. Although their young talent and pitching will continue to work for them, expect a third-place finish in 2023 for the team, whose time is still yet to truly come.