By Shawn Stewart

The Tampa Bay Rays are your American League Champions in Major League Baseball. They won game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros to set up a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic. The Rays finished with the best record in the American League during the regular season. They finished the shortened season (due to COVID 19) with a 40-20 record, only the Los Angeles Dodgers had a better record overall.  However, the Rays did not make things easy on themselves against the Astros. They started on fire winning the first 3 games of the series, and immediately put the Astros in a huge hole and on the brink of elimination, but last year's AL Champions made things interesting, and were resilient, becoming only the 2nd team in MLB History to come back from a 3-0 deficit and force a decisive Game 7. The 2004 Red Sox are the only team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series, and they did it against the hated New York Yankees.  The Astros fell short, or maybe just ran out of gas, which has allowed the Tampa Bay Rays to prevail and move on to the Fall Classic.  The World Series begins on Tuesday in Arlington, TX at the newly- opened Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. 

This will be Tampa Bay's second World Series appearance in franchise history with the other appearance coming back in 2008 when they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Fall Classic.  The Rays had high hopes and tons of motivation going into this shortened season. They knew the American East was going to be a tough battle, with the Yankees making some off-season moves as well as Boston, and the Blue Jays have begun building a team of the future, just like the Rays.  Kevin Cash, the manager of the Rays kept it simple after the Rays clinched a trip to the World Series, "It's a pretty special feeling."

Cash also mentioned how special it is to be around this group of guys. The Rays have one of the lowest payrolls in the entire league. They are not a team that spends big money, but they find those players who are winners and play hard. The Rays combined payroll as of 2020 is $28.6 million which ranks 29 in the league and you compare that to the top pay-roll in the league, the New York Yankees, whose combined payroll is $113.9 million, and keep in mind the Rays beat the Yankees in the AL Division Series.   

How do the Rays continue to win with no "big name" players on the team? They play smart, fundamental baseball. There are three keys to success to be a solid team in the major leagues, and those are solid pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting.  The Rays have been successful at all three, especially in 2020.   Tampa Bay had the 3rd best ERA in the Major Leagues in 2020 during the regular season. They only trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins.  Tampa Bay did rank 22nd in the league in batting average and 10th in home runs.  Tampa Bay ranked 4th overall in defense in the league and ranked 7h overall in errors committed. While the Rays may not have big-name superstars on their roster, they continue to win the right way, and that is just fine with manager Kevin Cash and the Tampa Bay Ray's fans.  

Why the Tampa Bay Ray's will be your 2020 World Series Champions:

1. Solid Pitching

As previously mentioned, the Rays could end up being a tough matchup for the Dodgers. Yes, the Dodgers may have a better overall offense or even team roster, but what they don't have is the solid pitching the Rays have and the error-free defense the Rays play.  As a Dodger player you have to think about going against a rotation that includes Charlie Morton (who basically shut down the Astros in Game 7), Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers cannot compete with that.  Clayton Kershaw is a completely different player in the postseason, and after Walker Buehler, the Dodgers pitching does not scare me.  While the Rays' bullpen did struggle against the Astros, they still have reliable arms to pitch in the late innings.  

Here are the reasons the Tampa Bay Rays will not be victorious in the 2020 World Series:

1. Experience

The Rays do have the 12th oldest roster in the major leagues, where the average age is 28, but they have not been to the Fall Classic since 2008, so my concern is not necessarily age with this team, but rather the experience. They did just battle the Astros in a grueling 7 game series, so they could use the rest, however, the NL Championship Series also went to a Game 7, so this might not play that big of a factor. 

2. Inexperience and nerves

Finally, I think the Rays are going to be nervous and could show those signs in Game 1. I mean, this is the World Series, so it is normal to be nervous, but manager Kevin Cash has to figure out a way to keep his team calm and loose, or the Rays could go home short of their goal of winning the World Series. 

With the Los Angeles Dodgers holding off the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series, I think it sets up a nice matchup in the Fall Classic. I am sure both teams are going to leave everything out on the field because there is nothing more rewarding in the game of baseball than being a World Series Champion.  Just remember, pitching and defense wins championships.