The Tampa Bay Rays are off to a historic start to open their 2023 season. They made even more history on Saturday following their 11-0 blowout victory over the Oakland Athletics. With the win, Tampa Bay became the first team since the 2003 Kansas City Royals to begin a season with an 8-0 record, per Talkin' Baseball.
It needs to be said that the 2003 Royals ended up missing the playoffs altogether after finishing the year with an 83-79 record. Nevertheless, the Rays will remain confident moving forward. They've been a consistent playoff contender over the past few years, relying on analytics and impressive pitching.
Tampa Bay doesn't feature much star power. They've approached their roster construction with different methods. Often times, teams build their roster around 2-3 superstar franchise players. The Rays, on the other hand, simply try to find position players that offer plus-value at every position. Then they apply a similar method with their pitching.
With that being said, the Rays have seen some stars emerge over the years. Tyler Glasnow, who's currently injured, is regarded as a top-tier SP when healthy. SP Shane McClanahan broke out last season and even started the All-Star Game. OF Randy Arozarena is a talented player without question, and SS Wander Franco was a highly-regarded prospect who's flashed signs of stardom.
In the end, the Rays still rely on their methods and it has worked for the most part. Tampa Bay has been a force during the regular season, although, they have endured trouble in the playoffs.
The Rays will look to extend their winning streak to nine games on Sunday against the Athletics.
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