Tampa Bay Rays 2022 Season Preview: Projected Lineups, Rotations, and 3 Bold Predictions

The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the most interesting case studies entering the 2022 season. The 2021 season saw them post 100 wins in baseball's toughest division, the American League East. They made the playoffs for the fourth year in a row and repeated as division title winners. They posted a solid team on-base plus slugging percentage of .751 and scored the second-most runs of any team in the American League.

Despite all this, the Rays failed to capture the hearts of their fanbase. Their overall season attendance of 761,072 ranked second-worst in the American League. The Rays fan support is so bad that they considered playing half of their 2022 season games at the old home of the Expos in Montreal, Canada. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred put a stop to the proposal, but the mere thought of it shows how bad Tampa's fanbase situation has become.

On that cheerful note, let's take a look at the squad General Manager Erik Neander is fielding this season.

Tampa Bay Rays 2022 projected lineup

1. 2B Brandon Lowe
2. SS Wander Franco
3. DH Austin Meadows
4. LF Randy Arozarena
5. 1B Ji-Man Choi
6. 3B Yandy Diaz
7. C Mike Zunino
8. RF Manuel Margot
9. CF Kevin Kiermaier

Tampa Bay Rays 2022 projected bench

1. SS Taylor Walls
2. 1B Francisco Mejia
3. OF Vidal Brujan
4. RF Brett Phillips
5. OF Josh Lowe
6. RF Luke Raley

All-Star Austin Meadows is only 26 and already touted as one of the MLB's best batters

Sure, their lineup doesn't possess power equal to the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, or even the New York Yankees lineup, but the Tampa Bay Rays have put together a very capable batting order. Austin Meadows will likely settle into the DH spot for most of the season, which will give the 26-year-old the space needed to return to his previous batting highs. In 2019, the youngster batted .291 with 33 home runs and 89 RBIs. The 2021 season saw Meadows' batting average drop significantly to .234, but his RBI count rose to 106. The potential is there. Perhaps moving Meadows to the DH spot will assist him in finding his perfect groove.

"MLB Network’s Top 10 Left Fielders Right Now: 1. Jesse Winker 2. Joey Gallo 3. Christian Yelich 4. Michael Brantley 5. Kyle Schwarber 6. Brandon Nimmo 7. Tyler O’Neill 8. AJ Pollock 9. Austin Meadows 10. Marcell Ozuna" - @ Michael Mayer

Shortstop Wander Franco is another star-in-the-making. He's only 21 years old and already has 281 Major League at-bats under his belt. Over those plate appearances, he posted a .288 batting average with an .810 OPS and 39 RBIs. He was also a postseason gem as he batted .368 with two home runs over 19 at-bats versus the Boston Red Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays 2022 projected rotation

1. LHP Shane McClanahan
2. RHP Drew Rasmussen
3. RHP Corey Kluber
4. LHP Ryan Yarbrough
5. RHP Luis Patiño

Tampa Bay Rays 2022 projected bullpen

1. Closer: RHP Andrew Kittredge
2. Setup: RHP Pete Fairbanks
3. Setup: RHP JT Chargois
4. Middle: RHP J.P. Feyereisen
5. Middle: RHP Matt Wisler
6. Middle: LHP Brooks Raley
7. Middle: RHP Ryan Thompson
8. Middle: RHP Jason Adam
9. Long: LHP Jalen Beeks

24-year-old SP Shane McClanahan firmly established himself as an ace in 2021

The Tampa Bay Rays consistently possess one of baseball's best pitching staffs. In his rookie season last year, 24-year-old Shane McClanahan boasted a 10-6 record with a 3.43 ERA and 141 strikeouts. His counterpart Ryan Yarbrough posted an uncharacteristically high ERA of 5.11, which represents a difference of 1.20 from 2018 when he posted a 3.91 ERA. Under the tuteledge of newly-acquired veteran starter Corey Kluber, the Rays' young pitching corps should only grow in maturity and effectiveness.

Tampa Bay Rays 2022 Season: 3 Bold Predictions

1. Wander Franco will win the American League shortstop Gold Glove Award

SS Wander Franco is a defensive specialist

We already know that Wander Franco is a one-of-a-kind player. He can hit, run, field, and, best of all, he's only 21. But let's take a minute to focus on his shortstop fielding abilities. In 61 games at shortstop last season, he recorded 69 putouts and 141 fielding assists, all while committing only five errors. In total, Franco put up an impressive .977 fielding percentage, which would've been the MLB's second-best had he played enough games to statistically qualify.

He's as acrobatic as a circus dancer, and he'll be stealing hits like this one all season long.

2. Andrew Kittredge will post an ERA under 2.00

Rays closer Andrew Kittredge has pristine control of the strikezone

Tampa Bay Rays closer Andrew Kittredge has lowered his ERA every season since 2018. In 2020, it was 2.25. As if that wasn't good enough, he brought it down to 1.88 in 2021 after pitching over 70 innings. For an American League East pitcher, that's a phenomenal number.

"Andrew Kittredge, K'ing the Side with a White Castle Special." - @ Rob Friedman

Despite posting an ERA under 2.00 last season, Kittredge has a tougher task ahead of him in 2022. Not only will he be facing heavier AL East batters on average, but he will also see increased usage. Having seen his full capabilities in 2021, Rays Manager Kevin Cash should use Kittredge even more this season.

3. Drew Rasmussen will steal Shane McClanahan's role of ace

SP Drew Rasmussen has marvellous control of his fastball

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen only started 10 games in 2021, and he made them count. The 26-year-old posted a 2.84 ERA over 76 innings and only allowed 57 hits. If Rasmussen can stay healthy, he has a good shot at dethroning Rays number one pitcher Shane McClanahan. Rasmussen's 1.079 WHIP was two decimals better than McClanahan's 1.273, and his 2.84 ERA was significantly better than McClanahan's 3.43.

If Rasmussen wants to establish himself as Tampa Bay's ace, he needs to stick to his fundamentals. Rasmussen uses his four-seamer in 65% of the pitches he throws. He throws it at a sizzling average of 97.1 MPH with bullet-like accuracy. His slider accounts for 30% of his pitches and rightfully so. At an average of 86.4 MPH, he consistently fools batters with its late-breaking tendency down and to the right of the strikezone.