Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Corey Dickerson (10) after flying out to end the the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Corey Dickerson (10) after flying out to end the the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

According to Mark Simon (ESPN), the Tampa Bay Rays are still among the MLB leaders in hard contact, just behind the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So why is it that they have nothing to show for their efforts? There are a handful of running theories.

Is it luck-dragons, as their lackluster .272 BABIP might suggest? How about the combined 26% strikeout percentage? Maybe it’s the team’s inability to defeat the shift, as the combined .256 BA/.256 OBP/.341 SLG/.597 OPS slash line might indicate. I’d argue it is all of the above.
 
One thing is certain, the Rays offense is a tough nut to crack. Consider this a conversation starter, and we’ll continue to analyze the team’s production moving forward. So, what say you?

Leave a comment