After a historic start to the season, the Tampa Bay Rays are the best team in baseball with a 54-27 record. With an electric offense, the Rays have been able to piece their pitching together after numerous injuries and will be looking for ways to continue to upgrade as they make a postseason run — barring a second-half disaster — in 2023.
Here are a few players that are enjoying great starts in 2023 and a few that are struggling.
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Yandy Diaz, first base: In his seventh season in the majors, Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz is having the best season of his career despite missing 15 games.
Slashing .316/.404/.518 with 12 home runs and 38 RBI from the leadoff spot, Diaz is only two home runs off of his career-high. Working on improving his launch angle this offseason is paying off big time. His .316 average would be the best of his career, showing that he didn’t have to sacrifice his contact skills for the increase in power.
With all of this production coming from the leadoff spot, it’s easy to see why Diaz remains a crucial piece of the Rays and the driving force behind their potent offense.