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.
Hard-Hit Rate Leaderboard
Pirates 19%
Diamondbacks 18%
Tigers 17%
Rays 17%
Cubs 17%
Orioles 17%
Rockies 17%Worst
Braves 10%— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) May 4, 2016
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?