Power Ranking: Top 5 Tampa Bay Rays of All-Time

With the Tampa Bay Rays’ pitchers and catchers reporting in a week, it’s a great time to look back on the great players of yesteryear.

With the Tampa Bay Rays‘ pitchers and catchers packing their bags for Port Charlotte, anticipation runs high this time of year. The days can’t tick by fast enough as we await spring training games.

Right now seems like a great time for me to share my top five Rays of all-time. These are merely the opinions of one man. Feel free to share your top five lists in the comments. We start with the Crime Dog.

5. Fred McGriff

The “Crime Dog” didn’t arrive in Tampa Bay until his age-34 season, but his production was still at a high level. After a solid season in 1998 which saw him hit 19 homers, Fred McGriff experienced a career renaissance of sorts in 1999 when he hit .310, smashed 32 homers and drove in 104 runs. An All-Star bid in 2000 was another feather in the cap for the aging legend.

The 2001 season proved to be even better for the then 37-year-old McGriff. Through the first 97 games of the year with the Rays, he was slashing an exceptional .318/.387/.536 to go along with 19 HR and 61 RBI. McGriff was a highly sought after commodity at the All-Star break and was dealt to the National League contending Chicago Cubs.

He came back to his hometown Rays in 2004 at the age of 40 to get to the 500-home run mark but fell just seven short. While he didn’t have the longevity of the other players on this list, his three and a half seasons from ’98-’01 were statistically some of the best any player to wear a Rays’ uniform.

McGriff certainly had an outstanding career with a slash line of .284/.377/.509 with 493 home runs and 1550 RBI. With numbers like that it’s no wonder why he was deemed eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot. While he might not have made it into Cooperstown after falling off the ballot in 2019, McGriff’s greatness should not be forgotten amongst the baseball world.

1998-2001, 2004, All-Star 2000, .291 BA  99 HR  359 RBI, .864 OPS, 9.0 War

4. James Shields

One of the key contributors to the Rays’ success during the late 2000s, James Shields remains arguably the best big-game pitcher the franchise has ever had. He is still the only pitcher in Rays’ history to record a win in a World Series game, pitching 5.2 shutout innings against a formidable Phillies’ lineup that included the likes of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and a prime Ryan Howard.

His best season as a member of the Rays was in 2011 where he went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA. For his efforts that season, he was awarded his first and only All-Star selection.

Shields time in St. Pete ultimately came to an end in December 2012 when he was traded to the Kansas City Royals where the Rays acquired Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi. While pitching for the Royals he helped lead them to the World Series in 2014 with some clutch performances. Shields would start Game 1 and 5 of the series but lost both games while the Royals ended up losing the series 4 games to 3 to the San Francisco Giants.

Shields would go on to also pitch for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres but never quite found the same success that he did while with the Rays, a common theme amongst the other players on this list.

Shields holds many of the franchise’s pitching records including wins, strikeouts, and complete game shutouts. Shields’ many accomplishments and statistical feats for this franchise more than warrants a place among the club’s top five players.

2006-2012, All-Star 2011, 87-73  3.89 ERA  1250 SO  1.223 WHIP  19.7 WAR

2. Carl Crawford

The face of the franchise during the early and mid-2000s, the appropriately nicknamed “Perfect Storm” was the man in Tampa. A three-time All-Star, Crawford was a menace for opposing teams.

Carl Crawford holds many key records for the Rays including being the all-time leader in batting average, hits, triples, and stolen bases which he led the entire league in on four separate occasions during his tenure with the Rays.

His final year with the Rays might have been his best as he slashed an outstanding .307/.356/.495 with career highs in home runs (19) and RBI (90).
Crawford was never quite the same dynamic player he was after he left the Rays. During the 2010 offseason, he signed a lucrative 7-year, $142-million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

The numbers immediately regressed and he only lasted 2 seasons with the Sox before being shipped off to the LA Dodgers. While he played much better during his time in LA compared to his disappointing years in Boston, he was oft-injured which ultimately led to his retirement at 34 when his contract with the Dodgers expired.

Crawford was a part of all of the bottom-dwelling Rays teams from 2002-2007 but was also an essential piece of the puzzle that led to the Rays advancing to the World Series 2008. It definitely wouldn’t be blasphemous to argue for Crawford to be in the number one spot on this list, but there was one player who edged him out.

2002-2010, 4 Time All-Star, Gold Glove 2010, Silver Slugger 2010, Four-Time AL Stolen Base Leader, .296 BA  104 HR  592 RBI  .781 OPS  409 SB  35.6 WAR

1. Evan Longoria

If there is one name synonymous with this organization, it’s Evan Longoria. Longo’s first three seasons in a Rays’ uniform resulted in three straight All-Star appearances. While he may not have exceeded some of the lofty expectations set for him after such a stellar start to his career, he was undeniably a sensational player during his decade in Tampa Bay.

He holds many of the franchise hitting records including belting 261 home runs (almost 100 more than the next highest player on that list) and knocking in 892 RBI over the course of his Rays career. His offense wasn’t the only highlight of his game as he was truly a complete player, known for his acrobatics over on the hot corner winning three Gold Gloves.

While many thought that Longoria would be a Rays’ lifer, he was ultimately traded to the San Francisco Giants in late 2017 in exchange for Christian Arroyo, Denard Span, Matt Krook, and Stephen Woods. Longoria ended up having the worst year of his career in 2018, hitting .244 with 16 HR and 54 RBI which were all career lows. A far cry from where he was in his prime with the Rays.

At 34, Longo still has some years left. If he can put together a few solid seasons he might be the Rays’ best hope for gaining their first representative in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

2008-2017, 3x All-Star, AL Rookie of the Year 2008, 3x Gold Glove, Silver Slugger 2009
.270 BA  261 HR  892 RBI .823 OPS  49.8 WAR

Does your top-five list differ? Let us know how and why in the comments!