The Tampa Bay Rays still sit with the best record in baseball and are alone in first place for the AL East. A lot of this comes from good hitting all throughout the lineup and it has brought a few players to the spotlight in an unexpected way.
One of these hitters that has performed really well is right fielder Luke Raley. Raley joined the team back before the 2022 season in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2021 with L.A., Raley had just 12 hits in 66 at-bats. In 2022 with the Rays, he performed in a very similar sense with 12 hits in 61 at-bats.
However, as the 2023 season has begun and we are now around a month into it, he has shown glimpses of a potential breakthrough season.
Raley is tied for being a team leader in home runs (7). The other three that sit alongside him are Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe, and Yandy Diaz.
The biggest statistical increase Raley has seen is his OPS. Last season in Tampa Bay he finished with a .584 OPS. This has gone up to .913 so far this season. He also has one of the highest slugging percentages on the Rays this season at .613 and has a relatively high OBP at .300.
It is clear that Raley may be on the cusp of a good season for Tampa Bay. The Rays are in the middle of a mid-week series in Tropicana Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates.