Tampa Bay Rays Midseason Awards

Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher of the Year: Chris Archer

After leading the American League in losses last year, Chris Archer is having quite the bounceback year for the Tampa Bay Rays.

An All Star for the second time, Archer is getting back to being the Rays ace. His 7-5 record is a bit misleading, as is his 3.95 ERA. For the third consecutive season, Archer is averaging over ten strikeouts per nine innings, with 147 strikeouts against 38 walks in his 123 innings. He has continued to be a workhorse as well, leading the American League with 19 starts and ranking second in innings.

Yet, for as good as Archer has been this year, he could be even better, His fielding independent pitching indicates that his true ERA should be at 3.16, 0.79 runs lower than his current mark. With improved luck, Archer’s won-loss record would likely be much better as well.

Nonetheless, Archer has continued along the Rays tradition of developing top starting pitchers. He has taken that step to being the next David Price, an ace that Tampa Bay can build around. Those struggles from 2016 have been put behind him, with Archer looking at a stellar second half. If the Rays are going to reach the postseason, they will need it.

A true ace, one can understand why Chris Archer is a coveted arm in a hypothetical trade market. Fortunately for the Rays, he is not going anywhere any time soon.