With the hours and minutes ticking down to the ceremonial second-half of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that Colby Rasmus will “step away from baseball.” In better news, the Rays ended the first-half of the season as the best defensive team in baseball, by way of defensive runs saved (DRS).
So long Colby, we barely knew you
The #Rays have placed OF Colby Rasmus on the restricted list. pic.twitter.com/Z28sYZ5SfI
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 13, 2017
Rasmus was signed to a one-year, $5-million contract this offseason, and was making hay in the 37 games he played with the Rays — hitting .281 BA/.318 OBP/.579 SLG/.897 with nine home runs — until he started experiencing pain in his left hip in the middle of June. The outfielder was placed on the 10-day DL with hip tendinitis, likely the consequence of his 2016 hip surgery.
The Rays, issued a statement (above) yet offered no explanation for Rasmus’ sudden departure; he likely will not return to the team this season. One line in the statement sticks out and leads one to believe that there could be more to the story than we know:
Respecting the privacy of Colby and his family, the Rays will have no further comment.
Then again, per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), it may just be a matter of Rasmus being frustrated by recurring injuries, and preferring to spend time with his family.
Your Tampa Bay Rays: the best defensive team in baseball
The Rays start the ceremonial second-half of the season four games over .500, tied for second place in the AL East, and firmly in contention for a postseason berth thanks large in part to the defense. According to Mark Simon (ESPN) the numbers give credence to why they are where they are. Tampa Bay is leading all of Major League Baseball in defensive runs saved (DRS).
All 30 MLB teams ranked by Defensive Runs Saved, per @FieldingBible pic.twitter.com/TGortKiwqN
— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) July 10, 2017
Kevin Kiermaier and Evan Longoria are at the head of the pack in DRS with +10 and +9 respectively. They are followed by Alex Cobb (+4), Adeiny Hechavarria (+3) — who’s appeared in just 11 games with the Rays — Corey Dickerson (+2), Steven Souza Jr. (+2), and Logan Morrison (+2).
Stepping away from the subject of DRS for a moment, and as Daniel Russell (DRaysBay) noted, even though Hechavarria has appeared in just 31 total games this season, he ranks second in baseball in UZR/150 with a score of 14.8, ahead of Andrelton Simmons (13.7) in shortstops that have accrued a minimum of 200 innings.
Back on topic, how does Tampa Bay’s outfield and infield stack up? Let’s take a look.
Even without Kiermaier, who’s been shelved since June 8, the Rays outfield is the third best in baseball.
All 30 MLB outfield ranked by Defensive Runs Saved pic.twitter.com/TS0sNs9PYv
— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) July 10, 2017
And even with average play at short (prior to the acquisition of Hech) and an unsteady Brad Miller, the Rays have the best infield in the American League.
All 30 MLB Infields ranked by Defensive Runs Saved pic.twitter.com/Znkd0mdqIg
— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) July 10, 2017
Additionally, both Jesus Sucre and Wilson Ramos have bolstered the team behind the plate.
The Baseball Prospectus leaderboard finds that Sucre (35 appearances) ranks 19th thus far, while Ramos (nine appearances) already ranks 27th.
All in all, the Rays are a good team once again, and are thankfully relevant going into the second half of the season. We already knew that they were an offensive juggernaut, and Simon’s findings show that they have been able to bolster the offense without sacrificing the defense.
Moving forward, it fails to be seen whether the front office will add a few players here or there leading up to the trade deadline, or if they will stand pat.
Noteworthiness
— What might the Rays do now without Rasmus? Adam Sanford (DRaysBay) listed some options both internally or potentially available via the trade market.