Joe Maddon has a career Record of 704 – 644 (.522), but is 552 – 421 (.567) over the last 6 years from 2008 – 2013. He runs his offenses like the Angels used to, with a NL style built on speed and contact. He may be the best AL Skipper when it comes to utilizing players versatility and matchups. Maddon is also great at working in Rookie players.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Jeff Kleiner (Org. Depth Chart Expert) Follow @prosportsroster

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The Tampa Rays have been the model franchise in the AL for the last 6 years.  Of course the St. Louis Cardinals club would be the team of the National League.

Besides the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays have won more games in the last 6 years.

The teams record is 552 -421 during this time span, including 4 playoff spots and 1 AL Pennant.

The key to the teams continuous consistency is their Minor League System.  From 9 years of drafting high from 1998 – 2007, to then making smart trades, the Rays have have been able to sustain their club by using the farm.

Wil Myers 2013 Highlights

James Loney is perfect for the Tampa Bay Rays. After putting forth a 3 Slash Line of .299/.348/.778 – the Rays GM Andrew Freidman doled out the 1B a new year 3 YRs/$21 MIL to retain his services. It was the highest Free Agent Contract the current regime has forked out to any player.

The Wil Myers for James Shields trade, of course coming off of the heels of the Matt Garza for Chris Archer deal, follows the concept.

Trade players that are nearing Free Agency, for a player that is Major League ready now, plus Starting Pitching also coming back to the fold.

The Rays are a lot like the Oakland Athletics, in that they have done some great transactions without giving up any assets for them.

The franchise has many more players that could see MLB action from their top affiliates.

Management

Tampa Bay Rays Players

Heading into the 2013 year, Jake Odorizzi was listed as the #45 Prospect by Baseball America. With a potential trade pending with David Price, he may have his role increased. Odorizzi, who will be 24 in March, was brought as part of the Wil Myers trade from Kansas City. He managed to pitch in 7 games for the Rays in 2013, posting an ERA of 3.94 29.2 IP.

For all of the Rosters, Depth Charts, State of the Unions and Salaries Posts that we do, please visit our dedicated page link here.

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Rays Organization year round click  here

Authors for this post:

Jeff Kleiner:  “I have been a sports fan since the first Baseball game I went to at Comisky Park in Chicago in 1959, when baseball for me turned from black and white to color.

I have attended or watched thousands of games, always paying attention to statistics, rosters and salaries of all professional sports.

Luckily I had the advantage of watching WGN TV and seeing hundreds of games in the 60’s. Collecting Baseball Cards and then later dealing them gave me an extra sense of the sport, both good and bad.”

For all of your Salaries, Roster and Depth Charts for all 4 Major Sports (entire organization – Minors and Majors) click here or Follow Me on twitter  Follow @prosportsroster

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