Fansided

Who is your MLB team’s unsung hero so far this season

By Brad Weiss

DENVER, CO - APRIL 25: Trevor Story
DENVER, CO - APRIL 25: Trevor Story /
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WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 05: Ryne Stanek #55 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Nationals won 4-2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 05: Ryne Stanek #55 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Nationals won 4-2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Rays: Ryne Stanek

The Tampa Bay Rays were not supposed to be good this season, but they have hung in there, and currently are two games over .500 in 2018. While the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are dominating in the standings, the Rays have found some bright spots along the way this season.

When it comes to this roster, they are just very young, and they do not have the kind of experience needed to compete with the big boys just yet. As an organization, once their young players develop into stars, the franchise trades them away, so it must be tough being a fan of the Rays.

On the field, the Rays find themselves playing good baseball only half of the time, and that is due to the inexperience. They do have some solid young players on this roster, including Ryne Stanek, who has become the “opener” for the team this season.

We say opener because the Rays have adopted a new way of attacking a game this season. They deploy the bullpen to start the game, and in Stanek, they have a guy with electric stuff that can really get it done.

Stanek has a fastball that can reach the low-100s, and over his 39 appearances this season, he has done a nice job making batters look silly. He has struck out way better than a batter per inning, has an earned run average of 2.45, and is a guy who is going to play a big role in turning this franchise around.

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