Fantasy Baseball: 2015 Tampa Bay Rays Fantasy Outlook

Sep 16, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman James Loney (21) at bat against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Here we are! Pitchers and catchers have reported, and Spring Training is in full swing (pun intended). Most of us will start having fantasy baseball drafts very soon, and we here at Fantasy CPR are no different. It is time to dust off the notes from last season, and check out which players could have an impact on your fantasy league.

2015 Tampa Bay Rays projected starting lineup:

C: Rene Rivera (.252, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 0 SB) with San Diego
1B: James Loney (.290, 9 HR, 69 RBI, 4 SB)
2B: Nick Franklin (.160, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB in 28 games)
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera (.241, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 10 SB) with Cleveland and Washington
3B: Evan Longoria (.253, 22 HR, 91 RBI, 5 SB)
LF: David DeJesus (.248, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB in 83 games)
CF: Desmond Jennings (.244, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 15 SB)
RF: Kevin Keiermaier (.263, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 5 SB)
DH: John Jaso (.264, 9 HR, 40 RBI, 2 SB)

The Rays sold off everything that wasn’t bolted down except for Evan Longoria and David DeJesus. DeJesus is only keeping the seat warm for Brandon Guyer or Steven Souza in left. Souza hit two homers in just 23 at-bats last September with the Nationals, and could break camp as a starter somewhere in the outfield or at DH. If he does, he is worth a late round pick in all standard leagues on potential alone. Those of you in keeper or dynasty formats might want to hang on to him. He will be up by Memorial Day at the latest if he doesn’t make the team this spring.

If Souza doesn’t take DeJesus’s job, Mikie Mahtook might. Both Keirmaier and DeJesus seem like stop-gaps at this point, especially since the Rays rebuilt their farm system through trades. Mahtook has good power and is a solid defender, which makes him a good fit in left. Jennings is the only guy in the OF that has a spot locked up. Mahtook is worth a flier in deep leagues if he wins a job. He is likely too unpolished to be a standard league asset right away, but keep an eye on him and be ready.

Keiermaier is a solid option in deeper leagues, but needs more power and/or speed to become relevant in standard leagues. His average won’t help, nor will it hurt, so that does make him a low-risk injury replacement once those start piling up.

Jennings’s average will scare a lot of standard leaguers away, and you may be able to get his power/speed combo at a discount in drafts. You just have to make up the average elsewhere. Jennings is a career .248 hitter, so don’t expect an improvement there. He is a strong 20/20 candidate though. That makes him a good option in deep leagues, and a solid late rounder in standard leagues.

Longoria is the only real fantasy prize in Tampa. Some are still taking him in the first round, but I won’t be one of them. His RBI totals are going to sink even further with a lack of talent around him in the lineup. He will still hit for a good average, steal a couple of bags, and hit 30 homers. That makes him a good second round pick in standard leagues.

Some have hopes that Asdrubal Cabrera can bounce back after a terrible season last year. In fact, he was even worse after his trade to the Nationals. At least he will be back in an everyday role in Tampa, and could see a marginal increase in numbers. He is a career .268 hitter, so I could see his average rebounding. He is a fringe option in standard leagues because of his power and speed. He is a 15/15 guy at a fairly weak position. If you miss out on the top options, I like Cabrera as a late round guy.

James Loney never gets any love on draft day, but he always winds up on rosters. He is going to hit for a good average, and in leagues that count doubles, he is a greater asset. He does a little of everything, but is a master of nothing besides maybe putting the ball in play. I would draft him late in standard leagues if I know my team is going to need help in the average department. He is a very good deep league option or in leagues that use a CI position. I will always find room for a guy that hits for a good average on my team. .300 hitters are a dying breed. Loney is one of the handful that still has a chance to do it every year.

I am guessing that Rivera and Jaso wind up in a platoon behind the plate. Jaso has never hit lefties well, and the Rays have plenty of young talent that is going to start filtering in throughout the year. The first ones will likely be Guyer, Mahtook and Souza. That will mean the OFs will be taking DH duties and not Jaso. The 32 year old Rivera finally landed a starting gig last year in San Diego, and did a decent job, but if Jaso gets pushed out of the DH role, there is a good chance that he surrenders some at-bats to Jaso. He is a bit better defensively, and is a better hitter all around.

Nick Franklin is a guy that has been good, if not great, at every stop in the minors. He has just never been able to translate that into major league success. He has decent power and decent speed, but is not great at either. He is not worth taking a risk on in any standard scoring league with less than 16 teams. He is only 24 though, so it would be unfair to label him as a bust just yet, but time is running out. He is worth a late round flier for those of you in deep leagues or dynasty leagues.

If Frankin can’t hold the job, the Rays have a whole slew of people that can take over. Logan Forsythe would likely get first crack, but he is a career .235 hitter with very little power and speed. He wouldn’t be worth an add except in AL-only leagues.

Tim Beckham is a two-time minor league all star in the Rays’ system, and is perhaps the best fielder of the bunch. He has decent speed and a little power, but won’t wow you with his average. There is a chance that he could take the job with a good spring. If he does, consider him in deep leagues and dynasty leagues.

The wild card here is Ryan Brett. He has decent power, great speed, and is a career .297 hitter in the minors. If he can hit for a good average at the major league level, there is a good chance that he could hit leadoff for the Rays. If he is the starter, he is worth a middle round pick in deep leagues, and maybe a late round pick in standard leagues. He could be a great source of cheap steals, and likely won’t hurt your average much. That said, if he does not win the starting gig, he won’t do you any good in standard leagues. Watch this closely through the spring.

Next: Let Take A Look At The Pitchers

Sep 14, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (22) pitches against Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Tampa Bay won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Rays Projected 2015 Rotation:

Alex Cobb (10-9, 2.87 ERA, 149K)
Chris Archer (10-9, 3.33 ERA, 173K)
Drew Smyly (9-10, 3.24 ERA, 133K)
Jake Odorizzi (11-13, 4.13 ERA, 174K)
Alex Colome (2-0, 2.66 ERA, 13K in three stars)
Grant Balfour (2-8, 4.91 ERA, 12/15 saves, 57K)
Jake McGee (5-2, 1.89 ERA, 19/23 saves, 90K)

The Rays have one of the brightest young rotations in the league, especially when Matt Moore (0-2, 2.70 ERA, 6 K in two starts) comes back from Tommy John Surgery around Memorial Day. All of them are capable of striking out 180 or more batter, and all of them have good or great ERA’s. Odorizzi’s is a bit skewed because of his struggles early last season. He really put things together in the last couple of months of the season.

Even though Cobb is listed as the ace, Archer has the most upside and will likely be the first Rays pitcher off the board in most leagues. I see Archer as a solid number two starter for your fantasy team.

Smyly is a bit unproven, but there is a reason that he was a big piece of the David Price deal. He can be downright nasty at times. Don’t let the record fool you; he is a quality pitcher. Him and Archer are solid middle of the rotation guys for your fantasy squad.

Odorizzi is a fringe mixed league option at this point. He may turn out to be a big asset if he pitches like he did in the second half of last year, so he is worth a pick in the last couple of rounds if you are looking to fill your rotation.

I would recommend owning any Rays starter across all other formats. They all have great strikeout potential, and can really help in quality starts for those of you that play in leagues that count those. They likely won’t help much in the win column, but they can help keep your ERA and WHIP down and your K’s up.

As for Moore, he is worth drafting in any league, just be aware that most pitchers struggle some when coming back from Tommy John Surgery. His career numbers are outstanding, so there is a lot of potential if you are willing to use up a DL or bench slot for half the season. He should be rostered in all keeper and dynasty formats.

If Grant Balfour (or ball-four as I like to call him) is the closer, he won’t be for long. His ERA and WHIP were astronomical last year. I would suspect that if he starts the season closing games that the Rays are only doing so to give him some value on the trade market. He likely won’t end the season in a Rays uniform.

McGee is clearly the future at closer. He pitched very well in the role last year, and he helps your strikeout totals as well. Even if he doesn’t win the job outright this spring, I would still recommend owning McGee in all leagues. His ERA and WHIP are microscopic, and can help you even in standard leagues. Oh, and he posts a very nice strikeout total.

As far as Balfour, it’s hard to recommend a closer with peripherals like that. Let someone else deal with the headache. If you are that desperate for saves, you may as well just punt the category.

That does it for the A.L. East! Stay tuned for the rest of the teams as we lead up to the 2015 season!

Next: Top 15 Pitcher Rankings For 2015

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