2007: Carlos Pena

Carlos Pena set seven franchise records during his career best season in 2007. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In the best season of his career to date, Carlos Pena had a magical season with the Devil Rays in 2007. While hitting .282, Pena set seven franchise records, including RBIs, 121, homeruns, 46, and slugging percentage, .627. Although Pena excelled during the season, he originally signed with the organization during the offseason and attended spring training as a non-roster invitee. After being reassigned to minor league camp, Pena was called back up towards the end of spring training after first baseman Greg Norton suffered a knee injury. The D-Rays found themselves in a lucky situation, as Pena’s defense at first base was as impressive as his bat. Pena had the most assists at first base, 130, in the American League for the season. Pena finished the season on a high note, hitting an AL-best 13 homers in September. To top off his record-setting season, Pena garnered several awards along with team MVP, including AL Comeback of the Year, a Silver Slugger Award, and was a contender for the AL MVP vote. Carlos Pena has always been a fan favorite, and his numbers make it easy to see why Rays fans developed a fondness for the first baseman early on.

2008: Jason Bartlett

Jason Bartlett was a contributor to the Rays’ 2008 spectacular season, when they went from worst to first and made a World Series appearance. Credit: bostondirtdogs.boston.com

The Rays acquired Jason Bartlett from the Minnesota Twins following the 2007 season in the trade that sent Delmon Young to Minnesota in exchange for Bartlett and pitcher Matt Garza. While Bartlett hit .286, his 75 runs, 43 RBI, and 1 home run were not very impressive. But Bartlett became a crucial member of the Rays’ 2008 squad as many of their key players served terms on the disabled list. While the Rays were ranked first in the division leading up to the All-Star break, they fell from the top spot during the week Bartlett was injured. His absence had one of the greatest effects on the team than when players like Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, and rookie Evan Longoria spent longer periods of time on the DL during the season. Fans took notice of Bartlett’s solid defense at shortstop, especially his spectacular double plays with second baseman Akinori Iwamura, but also his encouraging spirit directed towards teammates. Bartlett was not the only Rays player to have a memorable 2008 season, as it was the first time the Rays made it to the postseason. In their worst-to-first Cinderella season, America took notice of Bartlett when he stole a base in Game 1 of the World Series and Taco Bell gave away free tacos nationwide to celebrate. As Bartlett bolstered a much-improved Rays roster in 2008, earning the team MVP award capped off Bartlett’s new start with the franchise that was entering a new phase of winning seasons and playoff contentions.

2009: Ben Zobrist

2009 was Ben Zobrist’s coming out party, as his hitting improved and he became an everyday starter for the Rays. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Following the Rays’ breakout season in 2008, Ben Zobrist was suddenly on everyone’s radar. Known for his ability to play all seven utility positions, the switch hitter was used primarily by the Rays as a backup and defensive replacement prior to 2009. But in 2009, everything changed. With a .297 average and 27 homers, including three grand slams, Zobrist posted an impressive .948 OPS. During the season, 91 was a magical number for Zobrist, as he drove in 91 RBIs, scored 91 runs, and drew 91 walks. Zobrist led hitters in the majors with an 8.3 WAR, putting him in the spotlight. And Zobrist did that while continuing to play over the place, starting 91 games at second base, while playing an additional 70 games in the outfield. Zobrist also earned a trip to that year’s All-Star game. And although the Rays did not make it back to the postseason in 2009, Zobrist helped Tampa Bay reach their second winning season in franchise history with an 84-78 record. Zobrist continues to be one of the backbones of the Rays’ lineup and still plays both the infield and outfield to provide flexibility for manager Joe Maddon, giving fans an endless list of reasons to root for Zorilla.

Not only has Bartlett lost something offensively, but also he isn't the defensive player he used to be. (Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

We know that Bartlett isn’t nearly as bad as he was in the 98 plate appearances that he has had this season, but he has clearly dropped up off since his breakout 2009 in which he posted a .320/.389/.490 line (132 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 7 triples, 14 homers, 66 RBI, 30 of 37 stolen bases, and 54 walks against 89 strikeouts in 137 games and 567 plate appearances. Since then, Bartlett has managed just a .242/.310/.317 line, just a 78 OPS+, in 303 games and 1248 plate appearances. He has hit fewer homers (6) and triples (6) than he did in 2009 alone and has stolen just 4 more bases than the 30 he stole in 2009 while getting caught 16 times. And defensively, Bartlett has also lost something, posting a -11.9 UZR from 2010 to 2012 compared to 4.9 from 2007 to 2009 and posting a 5.5 FRAA  from 2010 to 2012 compared to 13.6 from 2007 to 2009. The Rays traded Bartlett to San Diego in exchange for Cesar Ramos, Cole Figueroa, Brandon Gomes, and Adam Russell presumably knowing that he was over the hill. Nevertheless, Bartlett can’t be any worse than what the Rays have gotten from Sean Rodriguez, Elliot Johnson, and Reid Brignac at shortstop the past two seasons. Could the Rays look to Bartlett as at least a part-time player in September and see what happens from there? The problem with Bartlett as a part-time player is that he really doesn’t have experience anywhere but shortstop. Bartlett has 865 career major league games at shortstop with a grand total of 1 at any other position, a game at second base back in 2004. In the minors, he has 499 career games at SS and just 2 each at second and third base, last playing at either position also in 2004. Bartlett has reached the point in his career where he’s going to have to learn to play other positions to continue playing. But is that something that you really want to do in the middle of the season? The big thing we are leaving out is that Bartlett hasn’t even gotten into any rehab games since his knee injury. The Padres didn’t have any timetable for his return. Also, Bartlett has had some history of trouble with his right knee, missing time during spring training of both 2011 and 2012 because of the knee according to Corey Dawkins of Baseball Prospectus. Is Bartlett going to be ready to begin his rehab anytime soon, let alone appear in big league games? The good news is that the Rays or whichever team signs Bartlett won’t owe him anything other than a prorated version of the league minimum, even if he appears in the big leagues this season, and won’t have any further commitment to him. But even then, it doesn’t look like it makes any sense for the Rays to sign Bartlett. He’s not healthy and even if he was, he’s not the player that he used to be and the Rays don’t have playing time to offer him considering the numbers of infielders they already have on the roster and Bartlett’s lack of versatility. Good luck to Bartlett as he looks to reestablish himself as a big league player following this knee injury. But it appears extremely unlikely that will happen with the Rays.

We will begin with the trade that arguably sent the Rays to a World Series. In November 2007, leading into the best Rays season to date, the Rays made an unexpected move. They parted ways with one of their best young players in Delmon Young, sending him to the Twins with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan.

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